Last of the Independents by Matt Fraction (Writer) and Kieron Dwyer (Artist) was first published nearly 20 years ago. Here’s part of what I said when I reviewed it back in 2007:
Last of the Independents is Fraction’s love letter to the creators and fans of the movie “Charley Varrick”. Like in the movie, a middle aged guy and his crew knock off a small town bank only to discover it’s mob money that they’ve stolen. There are other similarities, but never does this feel like anything more than a tip of the fedora to a movie, a genre and an era that had an enormous impact on crime fiction fans. Fraction’s story and script are first rate. He drops us in as the bank is being robbed and introduces us to the main characters quickly without wordy exposition. In fact, he often lets Kieron Dwyer’s art tell the tale. Dwyer’s art is perfect for the graphic novel. [I’ve been a fan of his work for some time and hope to someday see a piece by him in my Stallone Gallery.] Last of the Independents rates an “A”.
On May 26, 2020, Last of the Independents will get a new hard cover printing! It has already received my highest recommendation, so if this sounds like something you’d like, jump on board.
The photos above, of the beautiful young woman and the scary looking hag are sadly the same person. Blanche Monnier was a wealthy aristocratic woman who was reported as dead by her family and then kept prisoner for 25 years. The mystery isn’t why they did this, but who finally tipped off the police.
Collin Schlicht created this retro Pulp Fiction poster. You can see a larger version by clicking on the photo above. Want to check out more of Collin’s art? Click here to go to his site.
A woman and young boy are chased through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Battered and exhausted, they protect something highly valuable and extremely dangerous.
THE KID is a 6 minute proof-of-concept short film directed by Nicholas Wenger and starring Ellen Wroe (Animal Kingdom) and Evan Alex (Us). The feature screenplay is currently being written.
I want to see The Kid as a feature film or limited tv mini-series. Wenger has shown he has the writing and directing chops — I hope someone finances his vision. Perfectly cast — keep Wroe and Alex. The Kid needs to be made! Click on the link in the description. You can thank me later! ; )
Gerardo Moreno is back, and this time he’s brought with him a potential sequel to Cobra starring Sylvester Stallone. Not only do I dig the poster but props also to Moreno for his suggested title, Angel of the City: Cobra II.
Screenplay: Steve Zallian based on the book by Charles Brandt
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, and Jesse Plemons.
The Pitch: “Martin Scorsese wants to do a new gangster movie!”
Tagline: His story changed history.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
On his deathbed in 2003, Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a former bodyguard and alleged mob hitman confessed to a killing that if true would resolve a mystery that has remained unsolved for decades. Sheeran’s confessions (of that murder and more) became the basis of I Heard You Paint Houses: The Inside Story of the Mobsters, the Teamsters & the Last Ride of Jimmy Hoffa by Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and Charles Brandt. That book became the inspiration for The Irishman.
The Irishman re-teams Scorsese, De Niro, and Pesci, then adds Pacino for good measure. De Niro plays Sheeran who accidentally meets and becomes friends with mobster, Russell Bufalino (Pesci). As the years pass Sheeran works his way into Bufalono’s inner circle because of his willingness to take care of business. Sheeran’s choices take him down a road that leads inevitably to the loss of his family, friends and the betrayal of those he cares about.
The Irishman is getting almost universal praise. It should. Scorsese is in top form and gets the best performances from De Niro and Pacino that we’ve seen in years. Pesci gives his best performance ever. Pesci deserves all of the awards he’ll receive for this role. I was worried that Pacino would be too over the top for his role as Hoffa, but he reined it in and pulled it off.
Now to the two nits, many are picking: 1) The de-aging CGI and 2) the length of The Irishman.
I’ll admit that at first the CGI is distracting. As the film went on it became less so. Scorsese has said that a lot of attention was paid in the de-aging scenes to make sure the main actors (all 70+) moved age appropriately for their scenes. (“Uh, Al, let’s do that again. Remember when you’re getting out of the chair in this scene, you’re 45.”) There were a couple of scenes where the faces look younger but the body movements don’t have the same snap as a younger man. Minor distractions in my opinion, but some folks are complaining big time so your mileage may vary.
The second nit some are picking is the length of The Irishman which clocks in at 3 hours and 29 minutes making it the longest movie Scorsese has directed, and reportedly the longest mainstream film released in decades. I thought the film moved at the right pace. I was never bored. I never checked my watch. It didn’t feel like a three hour plus movie. Again your mileage may vary.
3. Boorman acknowledges that there are theories that Walker (Marvin) is dying from the opening gun shots and simply dreams the rest of the movie. Soderbergh asks his opinion on that argument but also wonders if it even matters. “I don’t think it does, but… what it is is what you see.” [I think this is a cool theory, but no more than that. – Craig]
11. The scene where Walker surprises Lynne, shoots the bed, and then gets information from her was written to have him interrogating her, but when they shot it Marvin chose to stay silent. Acker continued with her side, and Boorman realized the brilliance of Marvin’s choice. “Lee never made suggestions, he would just show you.” They made the alterations and shot it with Lynne providing all of the info responding to his presence rather than his questions. [What a really cool choice on Marvin’s part. He’s supposed to be like this force of nature and his presence alone is able to get Lynne to give up all the details of the double-cross. Well played, Lee Marvin! – Craig]
4. The fractured structure was intended from the start despite it being highly atypical for a studio picture at the time. Marvin actually called a meeting at the studio with the big wigs to confirm that he had final approval over the script, casting, and more. They said yes, and he replied “I defer those approvals to John” and then walked out of the meeting. Boorman adds that once the film was completed the suits watched his cut and immediately began mumbling about re-shoots. It was released as he intended. [Lee Marvin comes across as one of those folks who if they like you, they’ll do anything for ya. If they don’t like you, you’ll know it. A couple other comments support this. – Craig]
Hoyt Silva knocked it out of the park with his swing at John Wick and his pal. Click on the art if you’d like to see a bigger version.
Hoyt is a great artist and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. If you’d like to check out more of Hoyt’s art you can at his Instagram, his Twitter, his Facebook page or you can even become a patreon at his Patreon page.
Fans who want Steranko’s legendary run on Nick Fury are in for a treat when Marvel releases the Steranko is… Legendary. This king-size hardcover will reprint STRANGE TALES 151-168; NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1968) 1-3, 5. Here’s the lowdown…
Rarely before and rarely since has the comics industry seen a talent as innovative as Steranko. Blending together infl uences from pop art to Salvador Dalí and Will Eisner to Wallace Wood, Steranko’s groundbreaking style is an incomparable visual language. Steranko is…revolutionary! Marvel is proud to present Steranko’s complete tenure on NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. in a single, massive King-Size edition that showcases all its glory! These are the stories that defined Nick Fury as the premier spymaster, operating in the covert shadows of the Marvel Universe. His awesome tech, his steamy romances, his larger-than-life action-adventure – Steranko was behind it all! Breaking all the old rules of comics storytelling as he went and creating a few new ones too!
Sean Murphy (with an assist from Matt Hollingsworth) created one of the best received graphic stories in recent years with Batman: White Knight. Due to it’s critical acclaim and popularity, Batman: White Knight is getting the deluxe treatment…
A Newsweek Best Graphic Novel of the Year. The impossible has happened: The Joker has become a…hero?
The critically acclaimed Batman: White Knight gets a new deluxe treatment. Quickly becoming a classic Batman story, Batman: White Knight follows the transformation of The Joker into a sane citizen of Gotham: Jack Napier. After reconciling with his long-suffering partner, Harley Quinn, he sets in motion a carefully plotted campaign to discredit the one person whom he views as Gotham City’s true enemy: Batman.
Napier’s crusade exposes a decades-long history of corruption within the Gotham City Police Department and transforms Napier into a city councilman and civic hero. But when the sins of his past return to threaten everything that he has accomplished, the distinctions between savior and destroyer begin to break down for both The Joker and Batman alike–and with them any hope for Gotham’s future.
Writer and artist Sean Murphy delivers an extraordinary examination of comics’ greatest antagonists in Batman: White Knight, exploring justice, corruption, activism and the darkest depths of mental illness. Collecting the acclaimed eight-issue miniseries, including sketches and scripts as well as Sean Murphy’s orginal pencils. This stunning graphic novel also marks the debut of the DC Black Label imprint, which features classic DC characters in all-new, standalone stories written and illustrated by world-class authors and artists.
Here’s Sly Stallone as Rocky on the cover of the December 1985 issue of National Lampoon. I have a ton of Stallone magazine appearances — especially covers — but this is one that initially escaped me. Thankfully the internet makes finding things easier.
If you’re in the area on January 12, 2020, you ought to consider swinging by The DeLand Comic and Collectibles Show. It’s a small, fun one day convention. My best bud, John Beatty will be a guest. So will my pal, Rob Smith. You can see the full guest list here. Hope to see you there!
