The Punisher in “The Dead Can’t Be Distracted”
The Dead Can’t Be Distracted is a fan film created by Mike Pecci based on Greg Rucka and Mike Checchetto’s run on the Punisher. To learn more about it, click over to CBR’s Exclusive Filmakers Tease.
Category: Comics
Brother Lono – Don’t Call It a Sequel
The fact that Brian Azzarello [wrriter] and Eduardo Risso [artist] have reteamed for a new eight-issue miniseries that spins-off Lono from 100 Bullets into his own series delights me to no end. (It makes me so happy that I write sentences that I would never say in public — “…delights me to no end” indeed.) That Dave Johnson is back to provide covers for Brother Lono makes the deal even sweeter.
I can’t wait for the book to drop next month. Thankfully there’s a short interview with Brian Azzarello at CBR.com that features more of Reverand Dave’s art to hold me over.
Thom Zahler’s Commentary: Star Trek the Coloring Book
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.
Kyle Holtz Gets Carter, Too!
When I learned that Kyle Holtz was taking on some mail order commissions, I just knew I had to try to get on his list. I was able to and Kyle agreed to give me his take on Sly as Jack Carter.
The first piece that Kyle created can be seen here. I think Kyle did an amazing job on it. Unfortunately, it was lost in the mail. I have hope that it will eventually turn up. Thankfully, Kyle sent a scan before mailing the art. When Kyle learned that the piece never arrived, he agreed to redo it.
Knowing how much artists hate to redraw something, and because I thought Kyle totally nailed it, I asked if I could upgrade to a larger piece. Kyle agreed. So Kyle created the Jack Carter drawing posted today. I absolutely love it.
If you’d like to see more of Kyle’s art, click on over to his Facebook page. I give Kyle the highest recommendation to folks that collect commissions.
Steven Grant’s Two Guns Leads to Three Guns
Just the other day we were talking about Steven Grant and Mike Zeck’s collaborations on Circle of Blood, Return to Big Nothing and Damned. Those are the most popular Grant/Zeck graphic stories.
Another very popular crime graphic novel written by Steven Grant (but this time with art by Mat Santolouco) is Two Guns.
- From the Boom! Studios book description: A pulp story about cops and thieves and the men that are something in between. Trench has targeted a local bank to rob, and asked Steadman in on the job. Trench figures it’s a great way to score — considering it’s a cover for mob money. They’ll be thieves ripping off thieves. But what Steadman doesn’t know is that Trench is a DEA agent. And what Trench doesn’t know is that Steadman’s a Naval Intelligence officer. They’re both cops! And neither one knows that they’re not robbing the mob, they’ve been set up to steal $50 million from the CIA!
If Two Guns sounds familiar, it could be because you’ve seen the trailer for the movie adaptation starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. The movie premieres on August 2nd.
The first issue of a six issue comics sequel, titled appropriately enough, Three Guns (again by Grant, but this time with art by Emilio Laiso) is set to drop around the same time. You can learn more about Three Guns from this piece over at the Hollywood Reporter.
Grant & Zeck – Get Another “Damned” Shot
Circle of Blood. Return to Big Nothing.
These are the two graphic novels that fans refer to most when talking about Steven Grant and Mike Zeck’s best collaborations.
While I agree that Grant and Zeck’s Punisher stories should be the Bible for others wanting to chronicle the Punisher, I’ve always felt that their crime graphic novel Damned was on equal footing with Circle of Blood and Return to Big Nothing.
Unfortunately, many fans missed out on Damned when it was originally published. If you fall into the group, it’s still not to late to get on board.
New “Superman: Man of Steel” Poster Gets It Right
There have been several teaser posters released for the new Superman movie. Most of these posters were just ok.
This new poster is by far the best in doing its job. This new poster makes me think, “Yeah, I want to see the Superman: Man of Steel movie.”
If you’d like to see a Superman-sized version of this poster, you can, thanks to the fine folks at IMPAwards.
Cory Walker’s Rocky
This week we have Rocky by Cory Walker. Cory is an amazing artist and I got this sketch as a bonus for buying his sketchbook.
“The Wicked West” Should be a TV Series
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
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
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
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
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
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
Gerardo Moreno’s New Superman Poster
Gerardo Moreno is back with his version of a new Superman movie poster. I’ve always enjoyed Gerardo’s Stallone art, (he’s a regular at the StalloneZone). You can see more of Gerardo’s art here.
