After a clandestine mission to save hostages in Iraq, Steve Rogers comes to grips with the negative press attention paid to S.H.I.E.L.D's use of superheroes outside the country and his own relationship with Janet Pym. The press really gets ugly, though, w...
No one can ever accuse my of being a shill for DC again. Whomever at Marvel decided to bring annuals back needs a promotion seriously, the corner office and everything. Annuals were left by the wayside by the early 2000s for some reason, and I can only...
Having already established a new version of the classic Marvel characters with the ULTIMATE line of titles, it was inevitable that just as the original Marvel Universe eventually spawned a team of superheroes drawn from various solo series, the ULTIMATE U...
Watching the marriage of Hank and Janet Pym disintegrate back in the 1970s was pretty traumatic for those of us of a certain age. Since the 1940s, we'd been shown that marriages involving superheroes could and did work (look at Jay and Joan Garrick, Ralph...
Unlike another long-delayed issue that came out last week, the conclusion to Mark Millar and Marvel’s Ultimates 2 proves itself more than worth the wait. And, unlike that other book, it feels more like a love letter to the optimism of Marvel&rs...
THE ULTIMATES, the fourth title in Marvel Comics' Ultimate line, launches in January. The series is written by Mark Millar and penciled by Bryan Hitch, putting a new spin on the Avengers."In a broad sense, this book is about the greatest heroes of our tim...
Despite a violent rampage as the Hulk several months ago, Bruce Banner has been offered a chance to continue working on the Super-Soldier Program that led to his transformation in the first place. Only one catch: he's now number two after Dr. Hank Pym, wh...
Fans of THE ULTIMATES might be a tad disappointed that Book Two of the ongoing saga opens right where Book One left off in the last issue. With an astounding cliffhanger like that, Mark Millar and company would have been forgiven for opening the next chap...
The first issue of Ultimates3 arrives after a delay far shorter than the one preceding the arrival of Ultimates 2 #13. While I appreciate the relative timeliness of its release, it feels less like a natural continuation of the last miniseries than a...
OPINIONIt's so nice to get an in-box full of people writing enthusiastically about their ideas for a DC Ultimates line rather than getting one more irate letter saying, "Dude, you are sooooo whacked to be dissin' Zan and Jayna!" Originally I'd brought up ...
OPINIONYour response to the idea of DC producing their own version of a Marvel-style Ultimates line was, shall we say, overwhelming - and almost unfailingly positive. Most proposed alternate versions of the DC Universe and its characters, so while I can't...
OPINION: There's long been fan speculation over whether DC could benefit from having a comics imprint similar to that of Marvel's "Ultimate" line, in which our much-beloved heroes are made over in a "modern," more realistic way, to see how they'd function...
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 GENT...
Welcome to another fun-filled week at COMICSCAPE! Last week I asked you to write in with your thoughts regarding Marvel's hiring of Orson Scott Card to write ULTIMATE IRON MAN. The problem, according to many gay and lesbian comics fans, is that Card has w...
Ever since Max Fleischer's theatrical Superman cartoons amazed children in 1941, comic books have remained almost synonymous with animation. The connection should seem obvious enough -- still drawings invigorated with motion and sound. Animation almost se...
OPINION: As I write this, I'm on a train to visit a friend in Atlanta, my laptop perched on a pillow on my knees, a techno version of the 60s SPIDER-MAN theme blaring in my headphones, and a huge picture of a Dalek from DOCTOR WHO staring out at me from t...
OPINION: REMINDER: DUE TO THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY, COMICS ARRIVE IN STORES ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9A woman is raped, after which her husband's co-workers brainwash him. Another woman, after being raped, is cut into hundreds of cubed 3D jigsaw puzzle pieces...
Before I launch into a special Halloween edition of COMICSCAPE, featuring an interview with George A. Romero about the new TOE TAGS series for DC, allow me to introduce a new name to the Comics Section of CINESCAPE: Kurt Amacker is a graduate of Loyola Un...
Newsarama has a 14-page preview of Marvel's upcoming first issue of ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE, a five-part mini-series that puts the Ultimate versions of the X-Men and Avengers in deadly jeopardy. The book is written by Warren Ellis (PLANETARY, ULTIMATE FANTASTI...
Happy Hanukkah to those so inclined, and a Merry Christmas to everyone else! (Yes, I know that Christmas isn't until next Saturday, but we're doing something different for the last two weeks of 2004, so I've got to get the holiday wishes out of the way no...
Well, folks, we've finally come to the end of a long journey or rather I have, as the main comics columnist for CINESCAPE. I hope you've enjoyed these columns as much as I've enjoyed writing them, and if you'd like to keep up with my future work, Google ...
My thanks to everyone who has already written in with well wishes for my future success, and to those who wrote in with suggestions for my last two columns. Of the many interesting ones that came in, the one that had the sort of "last word" quality that ...
OPINIONA quick reminder: because of the Labor Day holiday on Monday, the newest comics will not be shipping to your local stores until Thursday, September 4. Bear this in mind as you plan today's errands, and save your poor beleaguered comics store owner ...
Tony's out this week, so I'm doing Comicscape in addition to my usual review. Obviously, I'm not going to answer Tony's letters and deal with the question he posed in the last two columns on the wisdom of making heroes into villains, respect (or lack the...
Ever since that famous rocket carrying its oh-so-precious cargo was launched from the doomed planet of Krypton back in 1939, it seems that death and superheroes have been constant companions. Most didn’t have to endure the demise of an entire plane...
The age of spandex-clad super heroes may be slowly coming to an end... or so writer Grant Morrison and Marvel big shot Joe Quesada say about it.While talking to the London Sunday Times, Morrison gave his take on the coming possible evolution of the typica...
First, an apology: whereas I intended to run a reader response column to last week's COMICSCAPE about comics in the classroom, I've decided to run an original column instead. I only received a handful of letters and while all were original and several lea...
Marvel fans, be they old school or contemporary, know some version of the formation of 'The Avengers' and, invariably, those heroes have to band together to stop a rampage by the Incredible Hulk. So this battle will appear in the movie version of Marvel's...
Marvel Comics has announced changes to its plans for backup stories in its May books, including a Spider-Man story featuring THE TONIGHT SHOW's Jay Leno. For the first three weeks of the month, half of Marvel's comics will contain the three-part "Spider-M...
We're proud to kick off our new monthly column in the comics section, a no-holds-barred round-up covering all the titles you should be reading and perhaps a few that you shouldn't. It's all compiled by stalwart correspondent Tony Whitt, so take it away, T...
Arrving on comic book store shelves in July is the first issue of TROUBLE, published by Marvel Comics. Written by Mark Millar (THE ULTIMATES) and with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson (SPIDER-MAN: BLACK CAT), the comic book is also the debut book from Marv...
Dusting off one of the company's old brand names, Marvel Comics announced today that they will be launching a new imprint of creator and company-owned comic books to be published under the Epic Comics banner. Furthermore, in an effort to lower production...
May and Mary are two teenaged girls headed for the Hamptons for a fun-filled summer...waiting tables at the local posh resort. They're hoping to meet some hot guys to make the summer even warmer, but the resort has a strict policy against fraternization. ...
Today is the
day! Spider-Man is finally here and Comics2Film wants to
know what the fans think!
With that in
mind we're very pleased to announce: FanViews
- Where Fans Write The Reviews!
Sick of the
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Two-for-one comic book movie reviews
'Ultimate Avengers 2': "The story also never reaches its PG-13 possibilities (Ultimates writer Mark Millar should have developed the script) but lumbers on as a run-of-the-mill superhero tale. The more I think about...
"No question the thing that it inspired me was the Ultimates run," Zak told me. "I thought it was brilliant, cinematic, and made me realize that a super hero team didn't have to be goofy. There has been a lot of discussion about whether it will be live ac...
"The Ultimate series was so cinematic and so spectacular there was no real way to tell that story in single form," says 'Ultimate Avengers 2' producer Craig Kyle. "It was a project that lent itself to an immediate sequel. We had to modify the story so it ...
'Incredible Hulk' director Louis Leterrier told MTV Movies Blog that he can envision his movie's hero as a potential villain in 'The Avengers'. In fact, the seeds for this may already be sown in the Hulk's film. Leterrier references SPOILERS in his discus...
According to Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch, a seven-minute clip of the Hulk fight from the Ultimate Avengers movie will be shown at Wizard World Texas on Saturday.
"The Ultimate Avengers are coming to life in a brand new animated movie, but they need your help! From coast to coast, talented actors and actresses are assembling to voice Earth's mightiest heroes, and you can join them!"
Click for characters, scripts...
Continuing Comics2Film's
coverage of Twentieth Century Fox's Daredevil press junket we
present the latest transcript of the round-table interviews. In this
installment, Daredevil producers Avi Arad and Gary Foster talk
about the movie.
This interv...
"Marvel's first foray into independent production of animation is a mixed bag, loosely interpreting the framework from Hitch and Millar's mad 'Ultimates' storyline but not retaining any of the mean spirited glee that made the work so entertaining."
They're here! 'Ultimate Avengers' explode onto DVD in Marvel's first feature-length animated movie. Based on 'The Ultimates', the movie features Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, The Wasp, Black Widow and Nick Fury. Any purchases made by cli...
"Ultimate Avengers" is slated to be released in February 2006, based on the first six issues of "The Ultimates" by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The film will run 75-80 minutes with letterboxed format, will be recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1. sound and be ai...
Two different sites are reporting possible news on STAR TREK XI (or just STAR TREK depending on how you look at it.)..TrekMovie.com is reporting that actress Zoe Saldana (Haven, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) has been offered...
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Zak Penn has signed with Marvel Entertainment to pen the script for a live-action version of THE AVENGERS. Penn recently wrote the scripts for the past two X-MEN films and was working on a script for the upcoming HULK...
Hail and well met, COMICSCAPE faithful. Welcome to another week in which I provide you, my loyal readers and constant detractors, with a half-hour of free, advertiser-supported comic commentary. And this week, CINESCAPE gives you twice the goodness with...
Greetings, Maniacs, and welcome to another installment of the classiest comic book column on the web! I, your humble host, will guide you on another foray into comic shop talk, as we read your letters regarding the continuity problems facing Marvel a...
...as bad as Ultimates3 #1, it doesn’t matter how fast your books come out.
Toeing the Puddle of Digital Comics
DC and Marvel both slowly crept into digital comics with Zuda and Digital Comics Unlimited, respectively. Zuda al...
Here's today's round up of new from around the internet:
Guggenheim on GREEN LANTERN
Newsarama.com chats up Marc Guggenheim, famed comics writer and creator of the TV show 'Eli Stone', who also happens to be one of the screenwriters on the 'Green L...
...5 $2.99
Ultimates3 March On Ultimatum Must-Have (Pp #818) $4.99
Ben:Nothing related to Ultimates3 is a must have.
Kurt: What about…a refund!? Wah-wah-waaaaaaah…
War Is Hell First Flight Phantom Eagle Max #4 (Of 5) (MR) $3.99
...
I thought my crossover critique in last week's COMICSCAPE would garner mail a plenty, but to no avail. My rant about the FANTASTIC FOUR movie must've driven away my readership or something. Fortunately, I received a few thoughtful, lengthy letters that co...
Mark Millar begins his run on Fantastic Four with a pitch-perfect, if somewhat decompressed, introduction. It opens with the team on a time-travel vacation gone horribly awry, with Ben Grimm somehow left in – and then rescued from – the y...
Marvel Comics President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Jemas is no stranger to controversy. Jemas has suffered through a hailstorm of criticism issued by comic book fans who don't like his opinions or company policies, but one thing is certain: when Je...
Marvel's ULTIMATE line has been around for a while now, so it was inevitable that there would soon be a crossover "event" of some sort. After all, as ULTIMATE WAR writer Mark Millar points out, it's an intrinsic part of the medium itself."Comic crossovers...
Anticipating that the debut issue of TRUTH: RED, WHITE & BLACK will sell out in comic book shops, Marvel Comics is publishing a MARVEL MUST-HAVE edition of the book just one week after it goes on sale. Additionally, Marvel is committing to a print run of ...
In the middle of the 20th century, the US discovers that the USSR has a secret weapon: a Superman with powers beyond belief. They soon discover he's an alien, found as a baby by people living on a rural collective who raised him to believe in the ideals o...
OPINIONSo, another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone, bringing the promise of new comics readers (and for retailers, the hope for new comic store customers). Or is it? Just to satisfy my curiosity (and to get some freebies myself), I went to More Fun ...
OPINIONBefore we launch into this week's discussion, I must apologize to the reader who brought up the Nick Fury question in the first place - seems I called him "Brian" when his name is actually "Chris." That being said, I must remind everyone that if yo...
Marvel Comics has sent us three interior pages previewing their upcoming six-issue mini-series ULTIMATE SIX. Hitting comic stores September 17, the book features the capture of the Ultimate universe versions of The Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, K...
Image Comics co-founder and X-FORCE artist Rob Liefeld might be one of comics' most controversial figures but he still can command Hollywood's attention. Liefeld's latest project to sell in tinseltown is PLANET TERRY, a pitch that sold to New Line Cinema....
Every Marvel Comics title published in May 2002 will feature a five-page Marvel World Premiere Serial.The following titles will include all-new chapters of the Spider-Man/Kraven story, "You Can Call Me Al", by writer Ron Zimmerman and penciler Al Rio. And...
Craig Kyle and Ken Katsumoto from Marvel Studios and Lions Gate previewed and discussed the upcoming "Ultimate Avengers" full-length DVD to a packed crowd at Wizard World Chicago. Taken right from the first six issues of Ultimates Vol 1, fans were treated...
OPINION: First off, my thanks to Justin Campbell, who wrote in to tell me that the silent classic THE GOLEM has indeed been released on DVD. I'll have to get Brian Thomas to review that sometime... On the subject of parallel continuities, or the idea that...
Today at the WizardWorld comic book convention Marvel Comics announced that the next title in their popular Ultimates line will be ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR. The book will be co-written by Mark Millar (THE ULTIMATES) and Brian Michael Bendis (ULTIMATE SPIDE...
While Marvel has just begun to do major updates of its lesser characters through its Ultimates and MAX lines, DC has been at it for a little longer, bringing back characters like the Sandman and the Elongated Man in their Vertigo line and making those cha...
OPINION: OK, I goofed. Although it's been amended since then, any of you who read this column before Thursday will have noticed that I misattributed the recent words of Warren Ellis to M. Ali Choudhury, who reported them to me. (Amongst those who caught t...
"While I think kids and adults will enjoy The Ultimates, comic fans are going to enjoy it on a whole different level from everyone else. Unfortunately, they'll also be the ones who are familiar with The Ultimates and know what the film could have been com...
When I first started writing about the comic book industry, one of the first people in the industry that I became fast friends with was colorist Laura Martin. She was working with the online magazine, Sequential Tart and coloring a multitude of proj...
I got a great batch of mail from last week's column about Marvel's Ultimate and DC's All-Star imprints. But before we get to your letters, a couple of things happened in the comic world upon which I must opine. The X3 trailer hit the web on Monday. You ca...
OPINION: A brief warning before we start: I had so many varied and intelligent responses to the question of how you'd characterize the main differences between Marvel and DC that I'm having to make this column extra-long. Do not try to adjust your televis...
Wesley Gibson is one of life's losers until unresolved family business comes calling. You see, 24-year-old Wesley is another poor schlub doing the daily grind for a boss he hates, living with the knowledge that his girlfriend is nailing his supposed best ...
Marvel Enterprises and Lions Gate's Family Home Entertainment, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment, have announced that the first title to be released through their recent made-for-DVD agreement will be "The Avengers"(TM). The first installment of the ...
Yesterday Comics2Film talked to Evan Baily and Tony Bedard, producer and screenwriter respectively of the 'Turok: Son of Stone'. In that interview both men detailed their experience with the character and the journey towards making that movie.
Toda...
...Spotlight Ultimates3 $2.99
Kurt: Please, no more.
Marvel Zombies Army Of Darkness HC 2nd Ptg Dm Var $19.99
Mighty Avengers #8 $2.99
MMW Silver Surfer HC Vol 01 $54.99
MMW Silver Surfer HC Vol 01 Var Ed 15 $54.99
New Avengers Annual #2 ...
If you would like to win a copy of this brand new DVD, just answer this easy question: Please name the artist who drew the "Ultimates" comic book and designed the box-art for this new 'Ultimate Avengers' DVD.
More...
Ain't it Cool sits down with Samuel L. Jackson to cover a variety of subjects. Among them: 'Nick Fury'. AICN asked Jackson how he liked the eye patch:
Jackson: Oh, the character, the way he looks? You know what, I look at that comic book and I kind of ...
Lionsgate is staging a booth at Wizard World Philadelphia, where one of the films it is promoting is Ultimate Avengers 2.
Posters featuring the DVD's box art -- by Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch -- are being given away. While the Black Panther is new to...
...n trade?
Ultimates3 #2 $2.99
Ben: Should the first issue prove indicative of the quality of this series then this particular moniker is appropriate for all installments; meaning Ultimates3 is poop.
Kurt: The first issue sucked so hard that it almo...
Spider-Man 3 opened on Friday to mixed, yet mostly positive reviews. It also opened to record-breaking box office receipts, making it the biggest opening weekend in history. Effectively, more people saw Spider-Man 3 in a single weekend than any ...
For a few months insiders in the world of comic books have been whispering about a new plan by DC Comics to take on Marvel's Ultimate line of books. As you may or may not know, Marvel's Ultimate lineup took several of the company's well-established superh...
OPINION: Thank you to all those who wrote in regarding last week's column about the darkening of comics! There were easily as many people who felt that this darkening is a new trend as those who felt it's simply the continuation of a trend that started wa...
OPINION: Though not that many people seemed to disagree with my Top Ten Best Comics of 2003 list from last week, a few people did write in asking why I didn't include this title or that title. In at least one case, my answer is this: 1) I didn't include c...
On a marginally-unrelated-to-comics note, REVENGE OF THE SITH will kick your ass and those of your children. It's the best of the STAR WARS prequel trilogy and better than RETURN OF THE JEDI. I've already seen it twice and I'll probably see it again befor...
SUPERMAN/BATMAN started as a fun team-up series that worked best when it explored the dynamic between its two title characters. As we read in HUSH, Jeph Loeb knows Batman and his voice very well. So, after 19 solid issues steeped in pre-Crisis character...
Last week's column on the industry's reliance on old characters and the need for new blood garnered a lot of mail. Some weeks COMICSCAPE really resonates with people and my inbox groans under the weight of responses, criticism, praise, and the occasional ...
Greetings, COMICSCAPE faithful, and welcome to another edition of THERE GOES YOUR LIFE!. Last week, Voodoo Maverick's Tedd Walley and John Williams helped me walk you through the soul-sucking, wallet-draining endeavor that is self-publishing. This week,...
Welcome to the latest edition of the DCG Artist Spotlight!
Our victim today is Pirate King.
Comics2Film (C2F):
How and when did you start manipping?
Pirate King (PK):
I'd done some really primitive stuff years ago when I was at high school - real...