Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Last Fair Deal Gone Down by Ace Atkins and Marco Finnegan looks like the road I like to travel.
Check out this preview and you may want to take the trip as well. If so, here’s your ticket to ride.
The Walking Dead returns tonight. To celebrate, Entertainment Weekly has published six collector’s covers.
My guess is that the one above or with Michone will be the most sought out. My subscription issue came with Glen and that works for me.
Erin McCarthy and Mental_Floss present 18 Fascinating Facts About The Crow. Here are three of my favorites…
1. IT’S BASED ON A COMIC BOOK, WHICH WAS INSPIRED BY TWO TRAGEDIES.
In 1981, 21-year-old James O’Barr was drawing combat manuals in the Marines when he decided to start The Crow. He hoped it would be a healthy way of dealing with the death of his fiancée, who had been killed by a drunk driver. “I tried all the typical angst-ridden outlets, like substance abuse and going to clubs or parties every night and just basically trying to keep yourself numb for as long a period of time as possible,” O’Barr told The Baltimore Sun in 1994. “Eventually I was smart enough to realize that that was a dead end, and so I thought perhaps putting something down on paper I could exorcise some of that anger.”Pivotal to his comic book’s plotline was another tragedy O’Barr heard about: A couple killed over an engagement ring. “I thought it was outlandish, a $30 ring, two lives wasted,” he said in a book about the production called The Crow: The Movie. “That became the beginning of the focal point, and the idea that there could be a love so strong that it could transcend death, that it could refuse death, and this soul would not rest until it could set things right.”
4. THE PRODUCERS KNEW WHO THEY WANTED TO DIRECT AND STAR.
Pressman had Alex Proyas, an Australian director who at that point had helmed music videos and commercials, but no features, in mind to direct The Crow. Though Proyas was very much in demand in Hollywood, he was waiting for the right project—and The Crow was it. He signed on in 1991.The producers first looked at musicians to fill the role of Eric Draven, among them Charlie Sexton, a rocker from Texas. But ultimately, their first choice was Brandon Lee. At that point, Lee—son of famed actor/martial artist Bruce Lee—had appeared in a few films, but hadn’t had a breakout role yet. “We had considered some more established actors and we were concerned that certain of these actors did not have the athletic ability,” Pressman said in The Crow: The Movie. “Other people had the athletic ability but not the acting talents. Brandon combined it all. When Brandon walked into this office, it was an immediate flash. We knew we had our Eric Draven that instant.”
17. O’BARR DONATED MOST OF HIS PROFITS FROM THE FILM TO CHARITY.
O’Barr bought his mom a car, and a surround system for himself, then donated the rest. “I was really good friends with Brandon, so it just felt like blood money to me,” he said at a comics convention in 2009. “I didn’t want to profit at his expense. And I kept that secret for as long as I could. It’s not charity if you get credit for it.”
Diversions of the Groovy Kind is a regular stop on my daily website visits. You’ll always find something cool like this post of Daredevil’s origin by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, and Klaus Janson!
One of the latest fads [and I sure didn’t see it coming] was coloring books for adults.
The cover above is for a Walking Dead Coloring Book that will feature 96 pages from the comic series.
My guess is that a LOT of kids will buy it as well. Wonder if they’ll be disappointed to find out Daryl isn’t in it?
Source: Flickering Myth.
Nick Spencer [writer] and Steve Lieber [artist] are teaming up for The Fix, a new on-going crime series which will drop in April from Image Comics.
Who’s Batman to You?
Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery are pretty unknown to me. I’ve seen photos and clips but that’s all.
Adam West was the first live action Batman I saw as a kid and is still one of the best to play Batman. West’s look and delivery was perfect for the type of Batman the 60’s classic tv show wanted.
I was not a Michael Keaton fan. He didn’t look like the Bruce Wayne or Batman that I always pictured. I also wasn’t a fan of the Batsuit being armor. It makes sense but not for the Batman that I grew up with.
Val Kilmer made a decent Batman and a good Bruce Wayne.
George Clooney was in the worst Batman movie but made a good Batman and Bruce Wayne.
Christan Bale (except for the scratchy Batman voice) was excellent in both roles.
I have high hopes for Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Bruce/Batman… not as much for the movie.
Source: ComingSoon.net.
That amazing drawing of Sly was created by artist extrodinaire, Hoyt Silva. I met Hoyt at Heroes Con and set up a take home commission. Hoyt gifted me this piece as a bonus.
Hoyt, in addition to being an amazing artist, has great communication and packages the art securely. I highly recommend Hoyt to all sketch collectors! – Craig
Matthew Jackson and Mental_Floss present 19 Shadowy Facts About Batman. Here are three of my favorites…
5. MANY STARS OF THE TIME WERE CONSIDERED FOR BATMAN.
The casting process for Batman was a long one, and involved a number of major stars of the day. Among the contenders for the title role were Mel Gibson, Bill Murray (yes, really), Kevin Costner, Willem Dafoe, Tom Selleck, Harrison Ford, Charlie Sheen, Ray Liotta, and Pierce Brosnan, who later regretted turning down the role.
7. JACK NICHOLSON WAS THE FIRST CHOICE FOR THE JOKER, BUT HE WASN’T THE ONLY CHOICE.
From the beginning, Uslan concluded that Jack Nicholson was the perfect choice to play The Joker, and was “walking on air” when the production finally cast him. He certainly wasn’t the only actor considered, though. Among Burton’s considerations were Willem Dafoe, James Woods, Brad Dourif, David Bowie, and Robin Williams (who really wanted the part).
9. EDDIE MURPHY WAS ONCE CONSIDERED TO PLAY ROBIN.
Though the character of Robin was ultimately scrapped because it simply didn’t feel like there was room for him in the film, he did appear in early drafts of the script, and at one point producers considered casting Eddie Murphy—who, you must remember, was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s—for the role.
Ron Salas posted his poster for Daredevil and it was just way to cool not to share!
Ron is a great guy as well as a fantastic freelance artist. If you collect sketches you deserve to have a piece by Ron in your collection!
Diversions of the Groovy Kind is a regular stop on my daily website visits. You’ll always find something cool like this post of “The Other Side of Night!” from Rampaging Hulk #4 (May 1977) by Jim Starlin [who plotted and penciled the story], Alex Nino [who inked it] and John Warner [who scripted it].
It’s hard to believe that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their crime comic Criminal.
They are and they’re doing it in style with a special tenth anniversary one shot! Check out Image Comics for the full details and some preview art.
If you’re diggin’ Walt Simonson’s riff on Marv from Sin City, you’ll also probably want to check out Nicolas Waldmann’s interview with Mr. Simonson.
Brian [100 Bullets] Azzarello and Juan Doe have teamed for American Monster, a new comic series coming for AfterShock Comics. Here is the official description:
AMERICAN MONSTER – War changes people. The person who leaves is never the person who returns. Theo Montclare is such a person. Horribly scarred and disfigured during his tour of duty, Theo returns to the small Northwestern town that was once his home a changed man, transformed emotionally and physically, both in appearance and in perception. But is he a returning hero or a modern day Frankenstein?
If you’d like to know more about American Monster and see some preview art [which looks great] then check out [be advised that this preview contains adult language] BRIAN AZZARELLO & JUAN DOE UNLEASH THEIR “AMERICAN MONSTER” at CBR.com.
