Comicscape - March 31, 2004

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2004

OPINION:

Before I begin this week's discussion of the comic books you most wanted to see made into movies, I'd like to share one e-mail in particular that made a very deep impression on me, sent by no less than the producer of LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Mr. Don Murphy himself. I have verified that yes, Mr. Murphy does indeed send out e-mails like this. (If you'd like to skip the discussion of this e-mail in its entirety, click here to start the main article.) It appears that Mr. Murphy had some problems with my taking to task another web site which had misrepresented the previous week's column (they've since apologized, by the way, for which I thank them very much); for mentioning my cat's ill health (which I gave as the main reason I didn't get to this column's theme last week); and for criticizing the aforementioned movie without reason (although said reasons were listed in the previous week's column, which it appears Mr. Murphy failed to read). In an e-mail with the subject line "Ah That Explains your brain," Mr. Murphy writes:

"Tony Baby,

"So a webjournalist insults other webjournalists and tries to explain that his pussy brain is hurt because of a cat? AND he goes on to attack LEAGUE, a film I produced, again, without giving any reason. Nice behavior. Yup, you're a REAL journalist. I'll make sure you and your rag and your rag site get no ads or access to IRON MAN, TRANSFORMERS, GEMINI MAN, AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS - pretty much anything worthwhile I have coming up. You're too stupid to understand it anyway."

I don't know what disturbs me so much about this e-mail. It could be that Mr. Murphy decided to drag my sick cat into it and used her to make a rather unflattering pun. (As it turns out, she died the same morning I received this e-mail, but of course there was no way for him to know that. My thanks to everyone who inquired about her, by the way. It was a shock - but if nothing else, Mr. Murphy's e-mail has gotten my mind off my loss for a while, and for that, much thanks, Mr. Murphy.) It could be that he read as an "attack" my opinion of his movie, which indeed had been explained in the previous week's column. (By the way, Mr. Murphy, critics are paid to critique movies, but that doesn't mean we have to like them all.) It could that he impugned my professionalism for taking another web site to task (the one that apologized, mind you, and my apologies to them if my remarks last week went too far), while his own brand of "professionalism" involves calling someone who dislikes work he has produced a "pussy brain" (nice play on words, there, Mr. Murphy) and threatening to withhold advance publicity on his forthcoming films from an entire magazine because one employee of that magazine dared dislike a previous one.

"Nice behavior," indeed.

Well, Mr. Murphy, my humblest apologies to you if my unprofessional behavior regarding other web journalists, or my unprofessional behavior in mentioning my ailing cat, or my unprofessional behavior in having a negative opinion of one of your films so aggrieved you that you felt the necessary passion to produce an e-mail of such heartfelt derision. It doesn't change anything, of course. Nor should it. Sorry that our "rag" and our "rag site" won't be able to carry the ads for your upcoming movies, but - and correct me if I'm wrong about this - doesn't your studio pay sites and magazines like us for that publicity in order to get the word out to interested folks, and so even if they did withhold that publicity because I committed the crime of having an opinion, wouldn't that be hurting you more than me or my magazine? I think it might. Pity, that. I would never dream of hurting you the way that e-mail hurt me.

You know, though, I just thought of something: by printing your thoughtful letter, I've already given you all sorts of advance publicity for those movies, and without you or your studio paying a cent. How about that? Glad we could be of service, Mr. Murphy (or may I call you "Don Baby"?). And hey, maybe I'll actually go see those movies when they come out, so I can do you the additional service by giving you yet another honest opinion of what I thought of them. No need to write to me again - ever. Thanks, and God bless.

Whew. Now that that's out of my system...several of you wrote in with some fascinating ideas about comics that could be turned into movies, and now that we know that movie producers often read this column, perhaps they'll even be made someday - and they might even have a shot at being good, too! The Top 10 amongst all these, going strictly by the numbers, are:

10. 100 BULLETS/MIDNIGHT NATION/THUNDERCATS/BLACK PANTHER (four-way tie)

9. WATCHMEN

8. GHOST RIDER

7. RUSE

6. SANDMAN

5. ULTIMATES

4. CAPTAIN AMERICA

3. FLASH

2. GREEN LANTERN

1. SILVER SURFER

(Please note I did not list any movies that you voted for that are already in development or that have been optioned, such as FANTASTIC FOUR, Y: THE LAST MAN, FABLES, SUPERMAN (if only because they keep talking about it), PREACHER, and some version of IRON MAN that someone or other is doing.) Quite a few surprises on this list - I'd expect people wanting a decent film version (for once) of Cap or wanting to see GL up on the big screen, but the presence of RUSE and ULTIMATES really surprises me. Still, some of you gave your justifications in your individual comments, and even though I spent a full third of this column answering one love letter, I want to try to list them all - there are some real beauts in here, and as many of you also listed the directors and actors that you'd like to see doing these movies (though not the producers, thank goodness), the mental picture becomes even more exciting.

"MutatisMutandor" writes: "I'd love to see M. Night Shyamalan do THUNDERBOLTS, John Woo on 100 BULLETS, and Alex Proyas do JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC. Well, they'd have to be better than HOWARD THE DUCK, anyway." Amen, brother - even a sharp blow to the trachea would be better for pure entertainment value than that movie was. I'm not seeing the first one, if only because no superhero group besides X-MEN has translated all that successfully to the big screen, but I'd have to say John Woo is the only director who could do justice to 100 BULLETS. As for JOHNNY, though...wouldn't that be better as a Tim Burton movie? I think he'd capture Jhonen Vasquez's wicked sense of humor far better than Proyas would.

Aaron Quanbeck writes: "As far as what comics I would like to see adapted into a movie, I've always wanted to see a film version of the long-running war comic SGT. ROCK. There was

discussion for quite some time about the possibility of a screen version of this comic after SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was so successful, but it never came to fruition. I just think the character of Sgt. Frank Rock is so strong and there are so many possibilities with the colorful members of Easy Company that if it was done well, it could make a great film. It would have to be done in a serious tone, similar to HBO's excellent BAND OF BROTHERS mini-series...I think a case could also be made for J. Michael Straczynski's comic book epic RISING STARS, which I had read they were considering making into a film. I think the difficulty would be in trying to capture his complex storyline and vast number of characters within the constraints of a two hour film. (I seem to recall reading somewhere that JMS considered the entire series a trilogy of films and that he'd even broken it into three arcs that could more easily be filmed - does anyone else remember this, or where he said it? - TBW) What might be more workable is his other mini-series, MIDNIGHT NATION, which I could picture as a very dark, creepy and suspenseful horror film." As long as they let him do the script - though in truth, I doubt they'd have much choice in the matter - I couldn't agree more. Aaron Day also wrote in to vote for this one, which is just enough to place it on our Top 10 list.

Kevin Held lists the following as films he'd like to see coming to a theatre near you: "POWERS (Personally, I'd rather this as a television series on HBO...but I'd more than settle for a series of films based on this comic book. As far as I'm concerned, it is the most intelligent, clever, well-written series I've read in a long time.); CAPTAIN AMERICA ([as] a trilogy - Imagine: part one takes place in World War II; part two deals with Steve Rogers, the idealist, coming to grips with the world as we know it...ending with him becoming the Man With No Country, or whatever that threat was called; and part three is his triumphant return to fight for the ideas that America was founded on...I'd liken part 3 to the Capt. America comic series that came out after 9/11); FANTASTIC FOUR (Already happening, Kevin - good call! - TBW); IRON MAN (Gee, seems to me I heard about someone doing that one, too... - TBW); GHOST RIDER; GREEN LANTERN; and WATCHMEN (this is the only comic book I can think of off the top of my head that would work better as a mini-series than on the big screen)."

A reader named "Juice" writes: "For my list, I tried to choose comics that weren't already in some stage of development: WILDCATS; STORMWATCH (original run or recent run, although the recent run would probably do better at the box office); something with Venom, even if he is just the villain in a SPIDER-MAN movie; FLASH; ULTIMATES; FATHOM; SHI (Wasn't there talk a long time ago about doing this one with that Carrera woman? - TBW); GREEN LANTERN; THUNDERCATS (seriously); and VOLTRON." Interesting! I'm not sure how well these last two would fly were they not animated films, and the group films again are hampered by the problem of putting so many characters up on screen at one time successfully, but the others have definitely possibilities.

T. Routledge wants to see the following: "A sequel to SPAWN; LIBERTY MEADOWS by Frank Cho

(Image Comics); THE FLASH; a new & better CAPTAIN AMERICA; THUNDERCATS; IMPULSE; EVIL ERNIE; WANTED; PREACHER; and BERSERK." Wow, you're not asking much, are you? And THUNDERCATS again? Ho... Still, the FLASH movie presents some possibilities, so long as they made it a bit less "comic book-y" than the TV series. And didn't I hear somewhere that WANTED had already been optioned?

A. Diallo Jackson writes that he'd like to see "WATCHMEN: This could work on film, although one would have to have the right take on it, and it would probably have to be at least three hours just to capture the entire feel of it. But instead of that, I think it should get the mini-series treatment that DUNE and CHILDREN OF DUNE got. TV effects are up to par now to show a lot of what goes on in the story, and as a mini it would give us all the room we need to see all the little elements that make this story so great. Even if its perfectly cast and is a great piece of art though, Alan Moore will still hate it. Come on...the guy hates his own work." He does? I only thought he didn't much care to see the film versions of those works - and some with good reason...

Aaron Thall sends in a short list, offset with some long comments: "1. BLACK PANTHER: Why? Simple. If you read the most recent volume of this comic, you'd have found a tense political drama combined with super heroics and comedy in generous proportions. Put Wesley Snipes in the cat suit (if he hasn't already signed on...), make Michael J. Fox Everett K. Ross, and you've got cinematic gold; 2. DARKHAWK: No, really. Stop laughing and hear me out. We've seen what SPIDER-MAN looked like on the screen. Now imagine what could be done with this c-lister. With cgi graphics, we could see him flying through the rainsoaked night, doing impossible stunts, and you'd save a ton of money by not having to have the actor in the suit itself. Add in the fascinating plot of the mystery of his amulet and the struggle between his family and the Bazin crime syndicate... It'd be one kick ass movie. They wouldn't even really need to adapt his look for the big screen. It'd be easily translatable without alterations at all, thank god. Unless they'd pull in Overhawk and that awful second armor. That'd be up there with bat-nipples. But they made Blade a popular movie character. Why not take a chance on a C-Lister when you know that, when push comes to shove, you've got enough A-Listers coming out to cover any damage? It's not like it'd be another DAREDEVIL. There would be reasons to defy physics; [and] 3. RUSE: There just aren't enough decent mystery movies out there these days. I'd love to see this late, lamented Crossgen series hit the screens. You've got a brilliant detective, his assistant with the potentially dangerous secret, and the woman of mystery out to steal said secret. It's a simple recipe for success."

Marc Johnson has the following ideas: " THE ULTIMATES: This was clearly written with the big screen in mind. I think with the right budget, this title would transfer over to the movies really well. The costumes aren't wild and could be adapted also...well, maybe not Iron Man." Don't speak too soon, Marc... He also suggests "EMPIRE: This has to be one of the best comics that I've read in years. Everyone wears normal uniforms for the most part except, of course, Golgoth himself." I have to agree on this last one, Marc, though there are so many other reasons why this one should be filmed I can't even begin to list them here - they'd probably make a whole column in and of themselves.

Eddie Chan writes: "I keep imagining a movie with GREEN ARROW in it, with some new innovative

camera work that follows the arrows flying here and there. Yay! The movie should also avoid the tendency to fall into the kids category (hey, I don't think you mentioned that in your "factors"). No funny costumes and ridiculous characters. It should be more dark and arty. I will keep my fingers crossed." You're right, I didn't mention the need to cater to kids as a factor, if only because most comic book movies try specifically to cater to a wider demographic. But if Kevin Smith were to direct a script based on his own GA series, then yes, this would be fantastic - though how would all that Hal Jordan stuff go over?

Chet Cornell agrees with Eddie about GA - "an in-your-face liberal crimefighter with a cranky attitude, dorky facial hair, a possibly gay son, and an incredibly hot girlfriend whom he is alternately sleeping with or cheating on - good stuff" - and also lists the following: "SANDMAN (if and only if Gaiman has complete creative control); THE LOSERS (CIA as bad-guys is risky, since I happen to like ALIAS, but it's a fun comic); CAPTAIN AMERICA (with a huge qualification: base the story on the recent reboot by Cassiday and Nieber, making Cap edgy and relevant and wondering whether or not the Army intentionally tried to kill him in '45. That would be cool); BLANKETS (by Craig Thompson, just read it, left a hole where my heart used to be...a really good story); and TEEN TITANS (I agree with you--would be a great group movie)." Good Lord - I said that? Hmm. Maybe I did...Sounds good, anyway!

"Brennani" has the following idea: "I was thinking...if the PUNISHER turns out to be a moderate success - not a flop, but definitely not a huge success - how hard would it be for them to make a PUNISHER/DAREDEVIL movie? DAREDEVIL was a moderate success...made some good money considering the season it was released in, but not a huge success. I know they're from two different production companies, but Lion's Gate Films is a young company, anyway...they'd benefit from the exposure, while 20th Century Fox would have a good chance to make more money than it did on DAREDEVIL. With crossover movies starting to make some noise, do you think it could work?" Not sure, there - obviously I'm no expert on movies, as I can't even be trusted to tell a good movie from a bad one without economic sanctions being taken out on me. "Brennani" also writes, "Which comic book movie should be made? Hands down, THE ULTIMATES. CAPTAIN AMERICA is too boring a story for a stand alone movie, if you ask me...plus a single issue of ULTIMATES is like a movie anyway. Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, George Clooney as Tony Stark, Karl Urban as Thor, and Crispin Glover as Bruce Banner. Yeah, man." Interesting casting - but Cap would be too boring a story? Tsk.

Lawrence Chew lists the following: "SAM & TWITCH: This is one of those times when the characters can stand on their own and there's no real super-hero hitch. I think that the movie landscape is right for a dark, noir, cop buddy movie. If it's also a perfect vehicle for Bendis' style, if he's not too bitter to

revisit it; 100 BULLETS: Come on, how cool would that be? Clandestine conspiracy, suits and guns, plot twists everywhere. Anthony Hopkins as Agent Graves, Johnny Depp as Cole Burns, Mekhei Pfifer as Loopy Hughes, Michelle Rodriguez as Dizzy... it could be awesome (that and I'm such a fanboy); SANDMAN: As a Neil Gaiman nut, I'd love to see any of his novels as a movie (hello, AMERICAN GODS), but as much as I'd love to see SANDMAN on screen, it would get butchered. There's no way anyone can convey the meaning and complexity of his stories, because the entire series is so interconnected. Pulling it off would be miraculous and (in my opinion) there are two directors I'd have do it: Michel Gondry (ETERNAL SUNSHINE) or Tarsem Singh (THE CELL); GOLDFISH/JINX: Have you read these? If not, for shame. Reading them was like reading your favorite crime noir movies. Great dialogue and neat plots; GRENDEL: I'm sure this is one of those things where someone's already bought the rights and is trying to develop it. In fact I heard that they were trying to go with the female incarnation. But I'd love to see the Hunter Rose version. Maybe a little too Batman, but still; GREEN LANTERN: Just because technology is advanced enough to keep up with the character. Who doesn't want to see a giant green CG mallet? (All of you put your hands down); and RUSE: I enjoyed reading the first trade. There hasn't been a good romantic-tension/detective pairing since REMINGTON STEEL, quite frankly. Plus, it being a period piece helps with the fantasy/adventure aspect."

Alexandre Alves goes so far as to list not only the movies he'd like to see but also the directors he'd like to see doing them: "SILVER SURFER, by Steven Spielberg or Ang Lee; THE FLASH, by the Wachowski Brothers; MAI THE SENSITIVE GIRL, by Quentin Tarantino; AKIRA, by Rolland Emmerich; SAVAGE DRAGON, by Paul Verhoeven; ALPHA FLIGHT, by John MacTiernan; GEN 13, by Mac G; STRANGERS IN PARADISE, by Sofia Coppola or Kevin Smith; SANDMAN, by Gore Verbinsky, Neil Jordan, or Terry Gilliam; FREAK BROTHERS, by Dennis Hopper or Guy Ritchie; GROO, THE WANDERER, by the Brothers Farrely or Terry Jones; CONCRETE by Tim Burton; THE GOLDEN AGE, by the Cohen Brothers; OMAC - THE ONE MAN ARMY, by James Cameron;

PRIME, by Robert Rodriguez; THE NEW GODS, by Peter Jackson; and MADMAN, by David Lynch." Whew!

Philip Simon lists the following: "THOR: Now here is a character who will work really well on the big screen. Not the way he was irreverently depicted in that Hulk TV movie. He should be depicted somewhere along the lines of Russell Crowe's GLADIATOR. A big majestic epic tale filled with colorful characters, also here is a story of a father Odin, his brother Loki, and Thor himself. You've got jealousy, ego, honor, duty of the son to his father's crown, stuff like that. It should not be treated too comic booky but as an epic film; GREEN LANTERN: Here, the movie can be about a man chosen by fate, by destiny to take upon a responsibility to protect the universe from the scum of the universe. It should be about Hal Jordan, the original GL, not about Kyle, Guy, or John. I really loved Hal Jordan, there was something about him, you knew that you could count on him; FLASH: High time there was a big budget Flash movie. Just imagine ol' Flash zipping around the world...the FX would be definitely awesome. This should be a fun movie. If you've read the script for Plastic Man written by the Wachowski Brothers available on the net, the Flash should be like that script. Fun in tone, good action sequences, and create a colorful villain; AQUAMAN: [But] since NAMOR is on the way, I don't think Warner Bros would attempt an underwater superhero right now; otherwise, it would go the VOLCANO/DANTE'S PEAK/DEEP IMPACT/ARMAGEDDON way; SILVER SURFER: If this got made, this would definitely be the most expensive movie ever made, what with Galactus on screen, etc; and INHUMANS: a movie just about the Inhumans would be fun to watch. What really great characters one could explore and a lot of stories could be written."

And finally Bryant Echols gives us the following, amongst others: "DR. STRANGE: Magic related characters to me always seem to translate well to movies (see HARRY POTTER). Given the good Doctor's past character flaws as an arrogant doctor who turns into a raving alcoholic and finds redemption in the sanctuary of the Ancient One, this story has a great starting point. Dr. Strange also has great villains to choose from: Baron Mordo, Dormammu, Nightmare, D'Spayre, just to name a few. Throw in love interest Clea and you have one hell of a good movie; WOLVERINE: Our favorite berserker mutant in a solo movie starring Hugh Jackman, based on the Frank Miller ground breaking

limited series; THE BLACK PANTHER: An African prince with extraordinary fighting ability played by Wesley Snipes has the potential to be a great movie; THE SILVER SURFER: Besides the fact that this would be a special effect extravaganza, this would be a great movie because of one thing...Galactus!!! Not discounting the Silver Surfer, who is a great character, but there is just something about Galactus that I love. Imagine seeing on the big screen a being so powerful that the only way he can live is by feeding on the life force of a planet; and GHOST RIDER: A man with a flaming head riding a motorcycle dressed in black with chains for a weapon seeking vengeance on the evil doer and waiting to give them his dreaded penance stare...man, that sounds cool! Not only would the special effects be great, but you could really put a great story around this character."

Whew again! My apologies to those who wrote in suggesting comics already optioned for films - Brian Covert in particular wrote an interesting critique of why James Marsden is the worst possible choice for the lead in PREACHER, for instance - but as you can see, there was very little space even without the rebuttal that led off this week's column. I'm sure that's not the end of your ideas, though, so send your comments via the web site contact address here or to me directly. And as always, don't forget our discussion boards. Next week, it'll be time for something completely different. But first, here are the movies-to-be for this week:

THIS WEEK:

Finally, the issue you'll all been waiting for, the one that answers the burning question: Is it all just one vast "what-if" story that will allow us to write off the Superman-Thor smackdown as a fluke, or was it all real? Read AVENGERS/JLA #4 (Of 4) this week for $5.95 and find out! Oh, and some other, more important questions will no doubt be answered in this issue, too.

I may have panned the first issue, but if you'd like to find what the Thunder God was like before he became the whipping post of upstart aliens, then THOR: SON OF ASGARD #2 (Of 6) is for you. Eric Solomont wrote in to tell me that this is exactly the sort of book he'd want his son to read. Works for me! There needs to be more such books, and preferably not ones that cater to mentally deficient children, such as TEEN TITANS GO!

Speaking

of upstart aliens, SUPERMAN #203 sees our hero finally getting back to Metropolis after a long stint on Krypton. And about time, too.

So, let's get this straight: Superman can beat Thor's enchanted hammer, but he can be bitten by vampires because they're "magical"? This and many other reasons make me wonder if JLA #95, written by John Byrne and Chris Claremont, will be all that exciting to read.

CrossGen, home of that eminently filmable series RUSE, brings us other potential film properties by way of SOJOURN #33, NEGATION WAR PART ONE, and LADY DEATH: THE WILD HUNT #1. OK, maybe not that last one. I'm still amazed anyone wanted EVIL ERNIE made into a movie...

Speaking of 100 BULLETS - we weren't, of course, but that was on the list of movies, too - that series' creators brings their storyline to an end in BATMAN #625. Meanwhile in BATMAN/POISON IVY: CAST SHADOWS, a one-shot for $6.95, a new building in Gotham blocks the sunlight from Ivy's cell so she can't grow her plants - and you know what that woman's like when she can't get her hands on a cucumber. Ahem. Oh, yeah, Selina's in trouble in CATWOMAN #29, too. Not the same sort of trouble, thank goodness, but...

"The High, Hard Shaft" ends in HAWKEYE #6. That's all I have to say.

If you've got the money, honey, we've got the Doom Patrol - or rather, DC has them, and if you want the DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES VOL 2 hardcover for $49.95, you can have them, too.

Or, if you prefer a more Marvel-ous and slightly cheaper read, you can buy the MARVEL AGE - RUNAWAYS VOL 1: PRIDE AND JOY DIGEST for $7.99; the MARVEL AGE - SENTINEL VOL 1: SALVAGE DIGEST for $7.99; and the MARVEL AGE - SPIDER-GIRL VOL 1 DIGEST for $7.99. All the fun of a collected edition but without the big expense. How could such a good idea come out of Marvel?

Jay

Garrick and Kid Flash return to Wally's life in FLASH #208, and an old enemy gets a new lease on life. Unfortunately, no one gets a film contract.

A movie featuring the original Human Torch android could be interesting. Sadly, it's just old Johnny Storm in HUMAN TORCH #11, damn the luck.

Now, here's a question that only one or two of you wanting a GL film answered: would you want Hal Jordan or Kyle Raynor? Well, since Kyle has been stabbed in the back while fighting back the Qwards in GREEN LANTERN #175, it might have to be Hal. I don't know if reading the GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD DAWN trade paperback that's just been reissued for $14.95 will change anyone's mind about that, of course, but...

Guess what? Spider-Man's actually set to appear in PULSE #2 this month! And you thought he was on the cover last time just to get you to buy it - shame on you for being so cynical! We also get Part Two of "The Lizard's Tale" - ha! That kills me! Or so you wish, I'm sure - in SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #12.

A loveable institutionalized boy in a straitjacket who speaks only in vowels? Hell, that sounds like me. But no, it's Gregory, the main character in A GREGORY TREASURY VOL 1, which collects the first part of Marc Hempel's series in a manga-sized volume for $9.95. How could such a good idea come out of DC? (And here you thought I hated Marvel. Heavens forfend. The only people I hate right now are Hollywood producers, and only one of them, besides.)

Vertigo this week is releasing the latest issue of the comic upon which an upcoming blockbuster motion picture was (loosely) based, HELLBLAZER #194. They'll also be sending out MIDNIGHT MASS: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS #3 (Of 6), and the PREACHER VOL 8: ALL HELL'S A' COMING trade paperback for $17.95, which I recommend to anyone who's a James Marsden fan - even if he is probably a poor choice for the lead. But what do I know...

How

could THE PUNISHER be any bloodier, you ask? When it's a MAX title, as it is now. Issue #4 is out this week, but I'd stick to taking your kids to the movie. Or maybe not.

Whoo hoo! Keith Giffen returns to provide the art (along with Al Milgrom) in LEGION #31. Makes you want to break into a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne," doesn't it? Well, fine, it makes me want to do it.

If it's Giffen's writing you prefer, however, you can read that in REIGN OF THE ZODIAC #8, as a new storyline begins.

THE LIGHT BRIGADE #2 (Of 4) is also out this week for $5.95. Funny - I thought I'd hear something back about my review of the first issue, or my review of the latest issue of FANTASTIC FOUR, because both reviews discussed religious issues. So, holding forth on religion is suddenly not controversial, but having an opinion on a movie that no one I know actually liked is? Odd, that. Anyway, buy 'em if you want 'em.

Perhaps if they did make a movie of THE ULTIMATES, the book would come out on a more timely schedule... Anyway, issue #13 is out this week for $3.50, so enjoy it while it lasts...

Wildstorm's sending out two goodies this week: the MAXX: BOOK TWO trade paperback for $17.95, and PLANETARY #19. No one voted for PLANETARY as a movie possibility? I guess all my readers are too sane for that. Well, all except one.

The bad news about the TEEN TITANS: A KID'S GAME trade paperback, collecting the first seven issues of the series, is that it has house ads in it. The good news is that those house ads make it possible for the book to sell for $9.95. It even includes Profile Pages from TEEN TITANS/OUTSIDERS SECRET FILES #1! How could such a good idea come...nah, forget it. Can't visit the well too often with that one...

And finally, here's a dream team movie for you: Hugh Jackman and Thomas Jane starring in the movie version WOLVERINE/PUNISHER, a five-part miniseries beginning this week and written by Peter Milligan. Rated NC-17, naturally.

So, all you Hollywood producers - well, almost all of you - what are you waiting for? Make us some of these movies, already!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@cinescape.com -- and don't forget to participate in our comic book message forum!

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