Category: Comics

The 50 Greatest Comedies

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Empire Magazine took a look at The 50 Greatest Comedies.  Using just their list, here are my top three with their rankings & comments as well as mine…

12. Dr Strangelove

Stanley Kubrick‘s jet black comedy famously stars Peter Sellersplaying three separate roles and wildly improvising in all of them. He’s the buttoned-down British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake; the ineffectual US President Merkin Muffley; and the mechanically-armed cartoon ex-Nazi Dr Strangelove (real name “Merkwürdigliebe”) who can’t quite get out of the habit of calling the president “Mein Fuhrer”. Sellers was also supposed to play Texan Air Force Major TJ “King” Kong, but injured himself and couldn’t work in the fighter plane’s cockpit (he was replaced by Slim Pickens). Devastatingly deadpan, this has the darkest of all imaginable endings, which is all the more impressive given that it originally climaxed with a pie fight. Kubrick, wisely, thunk again.

Dr. Strangelove is the perfect mix of comedy and drama with a strong message that will leave you laughing at the absurdity of nuclear escalation.  Dr. Strangelove is played straight which makes it all the funnier.  Some comedies aren’t as funny on repeat viewings but Dr. Strangelove offers increased pleasure with each visit. And remember, “There’s no fighting in the war room!”

35. Young Frankenstein

Slap bang in the middle of Mel Brooks‘ 1970s run of movie parodies, Young Frankenstein is obsessive in its devotion to the Universal take on Frankenstein’s monster (down to using the same props and lab equipment as the 1931 film) but also willing to go to any length for a gag. Physical humour brings the wordplay to life, and there’s even a legendary dance number in ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’. Brooks and co had so much fun shooting that the writer-director even added scenes near the end of production just so they could keep on going, resulting in a disastrously long first cut that required a marathon editing session to bring down to the swift, 106 minute final running time.

Young Frankenstein is the perfect merging of two genres (horror and comedy) to create a classic.  Brooks was at his best with a cast in sync with his vision.  Blazing Saddles was released around the same time as Young Frankenstein, but while Blazing Saddles seems a bit dated, Young Frankenstein is timeless.

34. Step Brothers

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play pampered fortysomethings whose juvenile worlds collide when their single parents get married, in this classic Adam McKay comedy. Often overlooked as the difficult third album following Anchorman and Talladega Nights, it can actually hold its head high in that company, and Reilly is great Ferrell foil. The pair are currently at work on Etan Cohen’s Holmes And Watson.

I absolutely love this movie. This pairing of Ferrell and Reilly is perfect. So many laughs and stuff that would just get eye-rolls from other actors.  Sure, I’ve seen this same pairing in other comedies, and they’re ok.  Step Brothers rules.

Since we’re talking comedies, I have to give shout-outs to 3 movies that I saw in crowded theaters and the audiences (myself included) roared with laughter throughout the viewings:

  • Airplane (the original)
  • 10 (yeah, with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore)
  • Richard Pryor Live in Concert

I’ve seen them at home and without the large audience, they just weren’t quite as funny.

Stephan Franck Interview – “Silver” Conclusion and More!

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Stephan Franck is the genius (writer & artist) behind Silver which he describes as…

… an original universe built around Bram Stoker’s original Dracula, and it begins 40 years after the events of the novel, into the noir/pulp era of the 1930s. You meet James Finnigan, who is the most notorious conman/gentleman-thief of his day, as he teams up with Rosalynd “Sledge” Van Helsing (granddaughter of the original Van Helsing, and altogether the last of the Van Helsings), to steal a mystical treasure hidden in Dracula’s castle. Finn, of course, brings his known associates—a fun assortment of conmen and grifters of all kinds—as well as the kind of amoral attitude that puts him immediately at odds with Sledge. Lastly, the team enlists Tao Leu (or more accurately, he enlists himself), who is a 10-year-old boy with the gift of second sight and who might be the biggest scoundrel of them all.

With the fourth and final volume now on Kickstarter, Franck sat for an interview with Johhny Hughes at Comic Crusaders.

Jack Carter & John Wick by Andy Bennett!

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Last week I shared Andy Bennett’s riff on a Jack Carter and Lono from 100 Bullets.  I liked Andy’s work on it so much, I’ve ordered a Jack Carter & John Wick piece for pick-up at HeroesCon this year.  Although Heroes is still a couple weeks away, Andy shared with me the piece that will be waiting for pick-up.  Yowzers! (And don’t you just love the nod to Tango & Cash?)

If you’d like to see more art from Andy, you can by clicking here.

The Original “Jonny Quest”

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The original Jonny Quest ran on ABC during the prime time 1964 – 1965 season.  Most series, especially a cartoon series, that ran for such a short time would hardly be remembered.  Yet Jonny Quest came back in two television series, two television movies, at least one comic book series and three computer games.

When it premiered, I was the perfect age for Jonny Quest.  Check out the video below and you’ll see why Jonny Quest made such an impact.

Atomic Pulp Comics Are Coming!

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I would by THAT comic in a second!  Of course, I’m a huge fan of Rick Burchett’s art, but the mock-up cover Chris Mills designed just (no pun intended) screams that this will be a fun comic.  Although it is just a mock-up, Mills has announced some very interesting and exciting news.  Take it away, Chris…

I’m currently planning a line of action-adventure comics featuring my own versions of some old, public domain comic book heroes. My goal is to take characters from the 1940s and re-invent them in a 1970s-1980s style — which was my favorite era of comics.

Chris currently has plans for two on-going titles: Space Crusaders and Sleuth Comics with a third title, Savage Sagas, being a one-shot.

This is exciting news and something I hope you’ll consider supporting.  I know I will.

Check out Chris’ site for full details.

A New (Old) “Cobra” Watercolor by Thomas Boatwright!

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This is the first Cobra piece I ever received from Thomas Boatwright .  He did it for me several years ago, but somehow I missed scanning and getting it posted.

Over the years I’ve gotten several Stallone pieces from Thomas.  Click on the link to see what has been posted so far… there are more to come.

If you’d like to see more of Thomas Boatwright’s art check out his blog and his DA site. Send him some love.

If you get commissions, you should consider a piece from Thomas. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices, is a fantastic artist and always gives you more than you’re expecting!   – Craig

30 Things We Learned from Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” Commentary

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Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects posted 30 Things We Learned from Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther Commentary.    Here are three of my favorites…

15.   T’Challa’s conversation with Zuri (Forest Whitaker) where he gets the truth about his father and uncle is the most important scene in the film to Coogler. Francis Ford Coppola agrees, and when he watched an early cut of the film he immediately asked to watch this scene again.

 

7.    The attack on the African kidnappers in their column of cars/trucks was filmed on a set in Atlanta the size of a football field, and the brought in over 150k plants and trees and 20 tons of dirt.

 

11.    While they were scouting landscapes and locales in South Africa Coogler was introduced to a rhinoceros named M20 at a wildlife preserve, “and he was the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He heard later that they had to remove its horn to protect the creature from poachers. W’Kabi’s (Daniel Kaluuya) rhino is named M20 after the real-life one, but in the film it’s actually a horse he’s feeding the apple to which they then overlayed with a CG rhino.

Mike Zeck Cover Variant for The Punisher #1 Relaunch!

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Mike Zeck’s Punisher art above will be a variant cover for Marvel’s relaunch of The Punisher…

“We’re going to get back to Frank Castle with a handgun and a knife, stalking the streets of New York, and getting his hands dirty. But we’re also going to see a man who has changed from his time in the armor,” said Rosenberg. “He developed a taste for bigger game and larger targets, and he’s not going to give that up easily. So in a sense it’s back to basics – but on a bigger scale.”

Source: Newsarama.

Fun Facts About the Original 1960s ‘Batman’ Series

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John Spearman of Definition.org posted 20  Fun Facts About the Original 1960s ‘Batman’ Series.  Here are three of my favorites…

3.  In order to find the perfect dynamic duo, two separate screen tests were held. One included Adam West and Burt Ward, while the other included Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell. Needless to say, West and Ward got the parts; however, the screen tests for both pairs can be found on YouTube, and they show just how different the show could’ve been.

Waggoner later went on to appear alongside another television super hero, Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, in the 1970s.

 

18.  Adam West could have gone on to play another hero if he had wanted. He was offered the part of James Bond in the 1969 film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He turned down the role, as he felt a British actor would be much better for the part. The role in that film eventually went to George Lazenby, who was Australian.

 

20.  After the series was cancelled ABC held out hope that another network would purchase it and continue making the show. After waiting for a considerable amount of time, they assumed this wouldn’t happen, and the sets were destroyed.

NBC then decided to acquire the show; however, took back their offer when they realized the sets were gone.

Oh what might have been!