The Walking Dead Books It
One of my favorite comics, The Walking Dead, may soon become one of my favorite tv shows. It may also become one of my favorite novel trilogies. That’s right, it’s been announced that…
…Thomas Dunne Books, a division of St. Martin’s Press, will publish a trilogy of original novels set in The Walking Dead “universe,” beginning in 2011. Kirkman will conceptualize and outline the books, which will then be developed by horror novelist Jay Bonansinga (Perfect Victim, Shattered).
There’s a Killer on the Road
A passerby found the severed head on Feb. 10, wrapped in two plastic bags and stuffed inside a backpack in Barstow, Calif. Authorities still haven’t identified the victim or her killer, but the circumstances point in a particular direction
So begins Blake Morrison’s article on highway serial killers for the USAToday. According to Morrison…
,…In the past four decades, 459 deaths and 41 attempted homicides are believed to be linked to serial killers who are using the nation’s highways to find and dispose of their victims.
Although the story has the makings of a very creepy movie or novel, it’s even more frightening to imagine that it’s true. You can read the full article and check out how many “highway killings” in each state are thought to be the work of serial killers by clicking here.
Darwyn Cooke Takes on The Outfit
Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s classic crime novel The Outfit is now available. In case you’re late getting in the game, The Outfit is Cooke’s follow-up to his award-winning adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Hunter. Stark aka Donald Westlake gave his blessing to the original plus three additional adaptations. In honor of the release of The Outfit Darwyn Cooke sat down for an in-depth interview with Tucker Stone for the Comics Alliance. Here’s a taste:
Palance was Westlake’s only visual reference. When I changed Parker, the idea was always to use plastic surgery as a metaphor for his emotional regression. He’s meant to look like a rawer, more stripped down version of himself… His jaw, and most importantly, his eyes, are the same. The rest is meant to reflect a man drained of things like remorse and compassion. A loveless, unadorned man.
I’ve got two more of these books to do. My plan is to finish the fourth one for my 50th birthday… I can tell you that it’s not wearing on me, working on this character. I can see him being a part of what I do for a long time. Maybe not constantly, but he’s going to be there.
Again, this is the benefit of having a few exchanges with Donald. One of his concerns was that I understood that Parker doesn’t operate out of anger. He never commits a violent act out of anger. He does it because it’s the expedient thing to do. It’s the practical thing, a survival mechanism.
I could continue to pull interesting quotes from the interview, but why not just read it. You’ll get insight into Cooke’s process in adapting the Stark novels, his [and Stark’s] take on what makes Parker tick, which crime movies were influences [and which modern crime classic Cooke thinks is over-rated], and so much more. Congrats to Tucker Stone and Comic Alliance for a great read and thanks to Darwyn Cooke for bringing Parker back.
CBR.com also has a nice little interview with preview art from Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Outfit.
Jason Walker’s John Spartan
My buddy, Jason Walker, gives a free headsketch with every sketchbook of his that you purchase. This is his take on Sly as John Spartan from Demolition Man. The caption says, “To Craig: Eating at Fuel leads to a need for the three sea shells. best – J. Walker”. Seems everyone but Spartan knows how to use the three sea shells. You can see more of Jason’s art here.
Francesco Francavilla’s 31 Days of Halloween
Francesco Francavilla is no stranger to the ZONE. I’ve posted about his art and gotten sketches from Francesco for my Stallone-theme collection. Over at one of his blogs for the entire month of October, Francesco is running what he calls the 31 Days of Halloween. Every day Francesco posts a drawing [sometimes more] of a monster, vampire, werewolf, well… you get the idea. It’s a great idea and a lot of fun. I hope you can join us.
The Expendables Ready to Invade Your Home
Available November 23, 2010, The Expendables will come in two formats: Blu-Ray and DVD. Here are the specs according to IGN Movies:
- DISC ONE:
— “The Expendables: Ultimate Recon Mode” in-movie BonusView
— “Comic Con 2010 Panel”
— Audio Commentary with Sylvester Stallone
— “Inferno” feature-length “making of” documentary
— “From the Ashes” Post Production documentary
— Deleted Scene
— Gag Reel
— Marketing Archive including Trailers and TV spots
— Metamenu Remote and BD Touch enabled
— D-BOX Motion Control Enabled
- DISC TWO:
— Standard Definition DVD Copy of the feature film
- DISC THREE:
— Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film
— Audio Commentary with Sylvester Stallone
— “Before the Battle” featurette
— Deleted Scene
— Gag Reel
— Marketing Archive including Trailers and TV spots
I don’t know about you, but I have pre-ordered mine!
Mike “Hellboy” Mignola Speaks
MTV Geek has posted a really interesting video interview with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Mike talks about breaking into comics, his artistic influences, the development of Hellboy, how Hellboy has changed over the years, the future of comics and a whole lot more.
The interview can be seen here and is definitely worth a look.
Classic True Grit
When I posted the first teaser trailer to the Cohen Brothers’ remake of True Grit, several folks on my message board wrote to say that the John Wayne version was a classic and shouldn’t have been redone. I felt [and still feel] somewhat differently. I loved the original True Grit, but was open to another version. Now that this trailer is out, I’ll bet some of the original naysayers are starting to change their minds.
Dan Hipp Provides a Treat
Dan Hipp is the immensely talented artist behind Gyakushu Volume 1; Gyakushu Volume 2; Amazing Joy Buzzards; and a bunch of other stuff including his website. Dan must love Halloween because for the month of October he is giving fans a real treat. For the month of October the entire series of GYAKUSHU! can be read online here for free!
So check it out and if ya dig it, let Dan know!
Charlie Adlard Draws the Dead
Not only do I like the above Walking Dead teaser poster much better than the last one, but it comes attached to a CBR.com interview with Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard!
Who / What is That?
If you’re like 99% of the population, when you look at the untouched photo taken in the early 20th century, you see a man and a woman… but wait! What is that huge face of the bearded man doing between them? Could it be a ghost? The head of a giant? Jesus? Nope.
Click here to see what the image really is. [Via Neatorama]
PS – When my wife looked at the photo for the first time, she saw what the image really was. I was floored.
Donald Duck and Glenn Beck Mash-Up!
I’m not a Donald Duck fan. I’m not a Glenn Beck fan. But put them together in this expertly edited cartoon and I can dig it. [Via Miss Cellania]
Let’s Hear It for Dave Wachter!
I’ve been talking up Dave Wachter and his art for a while now. Dave Wachter is one of the best kept secrets in comics and an all-around great guy. Seems like the secret is starting to get out thanks to the fine folks at Comic Alliance. So, this post is to help keep the ball rolling because it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!
Otis Frampton: Cop Land
Otis Frampton’s art is no stranger to the StalloneZone. I’ve told you about Otis’ 7-7-7 Sundays before. I’ve been fortunate enough to get three previous sketches from Otis — Rambo, Jack Carter and Cosmo Carboni. You can see them here.
I finally got to meet Otis in person at Heroes Con last year. When Otis attends conventions he has sketchbooks that he sells for a buck each. Yep, one buck. And to make the deal even more enticing, Otis includes a free headsketch. For mine he did Freddy from Cop Land. I would have gladly paid a buck a piece to have Otis draw Sly from every movie he’s done, but the idea is to get new fans to give Otis’ work a look. So instead, whenever I ran into a friend who’d never heard of Otis I’d slap a buck down and buy ’em a copy of the sketchbook with a free headsketch. Luckily none of them requested Sly, or I might have had to keep the copy for myself. ; )
