Category: TV

Thom Zahler’s Commentary: Star Trek the Coloring Book

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Thom Zahler is the creative powerhouse behind Love and Capes.

Zahler is just one of those guys who is multi-talented and fun to be around.  Zahler’s humor and quick wit — not to mention his dead on impersonation of William Shatner can keep people entertained for hours.  Someone should put this guy on tv.

Don’t believe me?

Judge for yourself.  Recently Zahler did a running two-part commentary on a 1977 Star Trek coloring book.  Here’s part one and part two.

Funny stuff, right?  And you didn’t even hear it in Zahler’s Captain Kirk voice.

Who is Going “Under the Dome”?

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I’m looking forward to Under the Dome.  Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel of the same name, Under the Dome is the story of a small town that is suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by a massive transparent dome.

Under the Dome’s official site is now live.  If you go there, you can see the dome drop over your house.  Yeah, you’re house.  Or any home or business that you know the address for.  Oh, and you can learn more about the show there too.

“The Wicked West” Should be a TV Series

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The Wicked West (written by Todd Livingston & Robert Tinnell, art by Neil Vokes) should be made into a tv series.

  • “Texas.  1870.  An ancient evil has descended on the remote frontier town of Javer’s Tanks, resulting in an epidemic of bloodless corpses.  And the man the townspeople are determined to hang for these crimes is in fact the only one who can save them.”

Cotton Coleridge is a loner.  Quick with a gun and a man with a past. If the town folk don’t kill him the vampires might.

“Cowboys vs Vampires.”  ‘Nuff said, right.  Well, just in case it’s not…

Cotton Coleridge returns in The Wicked West 2: Abomination and Other Tales (written by Todd Livingston & Robert Tinnell, art by various)

The second volume of Cotton Coleridge tales contains 23 outings of the gunslinger facing supernatural horrors in the wild west.

Who doesn’t love a good western?  Who doesn’t love a good monster?  Throw ’em together and you’ve got the recipe for a fun tv series.

“Nick Fury: Agent of Shield” Should be a TV Series

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Nick Fury: Agent of Shield should be made into a tv series.

I am not talking about the Samuel L. Jackson movie Nick Fury.

What I am talking about is the 1960’s ultra-cool Steranko Nick Fury.  That’s right, set the series in the 60’s.  Make Fury the cigar-smoking, ex-war hero who is now America’s answer to James Bond. 

The war is over, but Fury is fighting to keep the USA safe from Hydra, the Red Skull, Scorpio and other menaces out to destroy our way of life.  No longer a soldier, Fury is now a secret agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Think back to how awesome those stories were.  Now imagine how cool they could be translated to a weekly series.  I’d tune in.  Wouldn’t you?

“Master of Kung Fu” Should be a TV Series

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Marvel Comics Master of Kung Fu could make a great television series. Granted, they’d need to change the title.  Even die-hard fans of the MOKF series realized that the silly sounding title probably kept more fans from reading the series, but those that gave it a try (especially the Doug Moench/Paul Gulacy issues) were in for some of the best comic stories being published.

Shang-Chi (the Master of Kung Fu from the title) was a young man who, well, let Shang-Chi tell you…

  •  “Call me Shang-Chi, as my father did when he raised me and molded my mind and my body in the vacuum of his Honan, China retreat. I learned many things from my father: That my name means ‘The Rising and Advancing of a Spirit’, that my body could be forged into a living weapon through the discipline of kung fu, and that it might be used for the murder of a man called Dr. Petrie.

    Since then I have learned that my father is Dr. Fu Manchu, the most insidiously evil man on earth…and that to honor him would bring nothing but dishonor to the spirit of my name.”

Shang-Chi reluctantly became an agent for the British government — think Bruce Lee working with James Bond — and found himself in adventures just as wild as in any 007 movie.

Marvel has never given the Moench/Gulacy MOKF run the hardback treatment it deserves since they no longer have the rights to Fu Manchu.  This seems like a bit of a cop-out to me, since it would be easy to call Fu something else.  I imagine the same thing would have to happen for a proposed tv series.

Tell you what, though.  How about someone with clout getting it done in both arenas?

“Black Cross” Should be a TV Series

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That’s Chris Warner’s character Black Cross who appeared in Dark Horse Presents #1 (the very first comic published by Dark Horse).  

Black Cross took place in a violent future where the United States had become a battle ground and areas outside of safe zones were similar to the wild west.

Black Cross was popular enough to spin-off into a mini-series, a couple of stand alone short comic stories and a one-shot. At one point, Black Cross was close to becoming a big screen feature with Howie Long in the title role. At about the same time another Black Cross mini-series was in the works called “My War.”  Neither it or the movie ever happened.

Dark Horse should create a nice hardcover compilation of all the Black Cross material that they’ve published over the years.  In the mean time, someone should option the character for a tv series.  That might inspire Chris Warner to come back and create more Black Cross comics.

Grave Digger Should be a TV Series

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It’s hard to believe that I’ve been plugging Grave Digger by Chris Mills and Rick Burchett since 2004!  That’s when the first issue of what could have been a one-shot comic was released.

So who is the professional thief known as “DIgger” McCrae?  Here’s how Chris Mills describes him…

  • Hard, brutal and ruthless – with a weakness for hot women and cold cash – McCrae is the consummate criminal. Whether it’s an armored car hijacking, bank robbery, art heist or a kidnapping, you can depend on “Digger” to handle every obstacle and double-cross with professional cool and a complete lack of conscience. And that “Gravedigger” nickname? Well – don’t ever call him that to his face, or you’ll find out where that moniker came from… the hard way.

If you missed out, you’re in luck, because Mills and Burchett are running the original comic in the form of a free weekly web comic.  Before you click over, keep in mind that there is occasionally adult language and violence.

After the original comic runs, Mills and Burchett plan to run a new adventure and then hopefully put out a print edition.  I am hoping that they will kickstart a hardcover edition with extras.  That’d make me very happy.

Of course a Grave Digger tv series would also be nice.

100 Bullets Should be a TV Series

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Yesterday, we took a look at Carl Jansson’s choices for 10 Non-Superhero Comic Series That Would Make Great TV Shows.  This inspired me to think about which non-superhero comics I would want to see turned into a tv series.  

First up…

100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.  Designed to run 100 issues (and it did), 100 Bullets started with a simple concept…

  • “…the mysterious Agent Graves approaches ordinary citizens and gives them an opportunity to exact revenge on a person that has wronged them. Offering his clients an attaché case containing proof of the deed and a gun, he guarantees his “clients” full immunity for all of their actions, including murder…”

… and as the cast grew larger, so did the weight of the story.  As we learn more we come to realize that Agent Graves, his offer of a gun and immunity are just part of a much bigger, more complex plot that plays out in the best noir/crime fiction traditions.

I can’t believe that some forward thinking tv execs haven’t jumped all over this series.  There have been rumors over the years, but nothing has come of them.

If you haven’t read 100 Bullets, you should.  It’s that good.

100 Bullets: Deluxe Edition Book One

100 Bullets: Deluxe Edition Book Two

100 Bullets: Deluxe Edition Book Three

100 Bullets: Deluxe Edition Book Four

100 Bullets: Deluxe Edition Book Five

10 Non-Superhero Comic Series That Would Make Great TV Shows

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Earlier this week, Carl Jansson at WhatCulture posted his choices for 10 Non-Superhero Comic Series That Would Make Great TV Shows.  Here are Carl’s Choices and my thoughts…

10. Drafted by Mark Powers and Chris Lie
My thoughts: This could work… but so much would depend on the budget for special effects. It wouldn’t be my first choice and it wasn’t Jansson’s either.

09. DMZ by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli
My thoughts: This series has run for years and with recent news events, is more relevant than ever.  I’d tune in.

08.  Queen & Country by Greg Rucka and various artists
My thoughts: This has a lot of potential.  My biggest worry would there be an audience for a British spy that wasn’t 007.

07.  Criminal Macabre by Steve Niles and various artists
My thoughts: If I had the power to get a show made, I’d be all over this one.  Steve Niles has created a world that would be fun to visit.

06.  100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
My thoughts: This would be my first choice to bring to tv.  It’s a crime drama that has the potential to breakout on the level of The Sopranos.  Man, I wish someone would make this!

05.  Northlanders by Brian Wood and various artists
My thoughts: With the popularity of Game of Thrones and Vikings, this might be seen as an effort to cash in, and maybe it would be… but if it produces a great tv show, who cares?

04.  Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory
My thoughts: I think the premise (“Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why.”)  would turn people off before they tried the first episode.

03.  Skinwalker by Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir (writers) and Brian Hurtt & Arthur Dela Cruz (artists)
My thoughts: This one could work.  I’d tune in, but I wonder if this, like Chew, would turn people off before they even gave it a shot.

02.  Gotham Central by Various
My thoughts: I’d like to think this would work.  I just wonder if the viewing public would want Batman more than he’d be seen.

01.  Damage Control by Various
My thoughts: Do we really want a tv series about a group that has to clean up the mess left by battles between superheroes and villains?  Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

Jansson’s article got me thinking.  So this week, I’ll post my choices for non-superhero comics that should get a shot as a tv series.

Fan Builds His Own Bat Cave

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I have to admit that after seeing this guy’s personal Bat Cave, the comic nerd in me came out and I thought, “Now THAT is cool.”

I especially liked the hidden door activated through the secret button on the Shakespeare bust. (Holy Adam West Batman!)

Has there every been a better fan-made Bat Cave?  If so, I’d love to see it.  (Oops.  The comic nerd is coming out again.)

Honey West & T.H.E. Cat Team for the 1st Time

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As I was going through the latest issue of Previews, I came across this solicitation:

  • Honey West & T.H.E. CAT #1 (of 2)
  • story: Trina Robbins
  • art: Silvestre Szilagyi
  • colors: Patrick J. Williams
  • cover: Valarie Jones
  • 32pgs, color, $3.99
  • Two cult TV icons heat it up together for the first time!
  • Ex-cat burglar and aerialist Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat is back for the first time in 45 years!
  • He puts his skills to good use as a professional bodyguard…primitive…and in love with danger!
  • Now he teams up with TV’s first lead-female private eye.
  • In “Death in the Desert”, 1960’s mob infested Las Vegas, they investigate a series of accidents…but will the attraction between the two cause the case to overheat?

Honey West was a female private eye that first appeared in a series of novels in the 1950’s.  In 1965, Anne Francis played Honey West in an ABC tv series that lasted just one season.  Although the show only lasted 30 episodes it became a cult classic.

Created by Harry Julian Fink (who also created Dirty Harry), T.H.E. Cat appeared in a 1966 tv series that ran for just one season on NBC.  Although T.H.E. Cat only lasted for 26 episodes, it also became a cult classic.

Now nearly 50 years later they are teamed for a 2 issue comic mini-series?  How cool is that?  The eight year old kid in me says, “Pretty dang-gone cool.”

I’ll be pre-ordering the series.  If it appeals to the kid (or adult) in you, then you know what to do.

 

Can Tonto Save the New Lone Ranger?

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Although I like this character poster of Johnny Depp as Tonto, I wonder how the movie, The Lone Ranger is going to do at the box office.  My guess is it will either do really well or bomb.

In other words, I have no clue.

Fans of the traditional Lone Ranger (you know, folks old enough to remember the Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels Lone Ranger from the 50s tv series) will probably stay away.  Of course if you’re old enough to remember the tv series, you’re probably not the demographic the movie is aiming for.

The question then becomes will Depp’s Pirate of the Caribbean fans show up?

But wait… is Johnny Depp the only selling point to this movie?  What about Armie Hammer who is starring as The Lone Ranger?

Let me put it to you like this, I don’t think it’s Hammer Time.

If Depp’s fans don’t show up, the box office for The Lone Ranger will limp off in a cloud of dust with a weak, “Hi – No Silver, the Box Office It Got AWAY!”