Vote for a New Hero

If you’re a fan of Heroes, then you might want to participate in Sprint and NBC’s Create Your Hero” contest. Using attributes based on previous fan voting, the show’s creators developed two new potential “Heroes.” Now it’s time to vote for either Audrey, or Santiago. The winning character will appear as the subject of a brand new live action web series written by the creators of Heroes, debuting around the November sweeps week.
So who’s it gonna be? Audrey or Santiago?

“The Road” – Hopefully Another “No Country for Old Men” Level Film!

ComingSoon.net scored six photos from The Road, the big screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s best selling, award-winning novel of the same name. Viggo Mortensen [is this guy on a roll, or what?], headlines a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce.My hope is that it will be as good as the last adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel [No Country for Old Men]. Is that too much to ask?

Robert B. Parker’s Appaloosa: Feelings Get You Killed [2008]


I’m really looking forward to the movie adaptation of Robert B. Parker’s novel Appaloosa. The screenplay is co-written and directed by Ed Harris, who also takes a starring role as gunfighter, Virgil Cole. Viggo Mortenson plays his partner, Everett Hitch. If that’s not enough star power, to get your motor running, then consider that Rene Zelwegger, Jeremy Irons, Lance Henrikson and Rex Linn also will show up for the festivities.

Here’s a link to the official website. If you check it out you won’t findmuch other than a link to the movie’s poster and first trailer. It’s worth a click to see both.My hope is that Appaloosa will do well enough at the box office for Ed Harris to film the entire trilogy [Appaloosa, Resolution and the yet to be published Brimstone].

Kyle Baker Stays Busy

You’ve heard me rave about Kyle Baker’s work before… and with good reason. He’s one of the most talented writer/artists working today. And he’s one of my favorites.

Currently Mr. Baker is enjoying the success of his Nat Turner graphic novels [1 and 2], his on-going comic series Special Forces, and the recent publication of his How to Draw Stupid and Other Essentials of Cartooning Book. Oh and I almost forgot to mention that his ongoing semi-autobiographical, and hilariously funny, The Bakers, is in development as a potential animated series for FOX.

You can check out this interview with Kyle Baker from the good folks at CBR.com. Kyle talks about his current projects, why he hopes never to have to work at Marvel or DC again, as well as why he gets a kick out of the line, God seems a little angry.”

Streets on Fire Again? [2008]

I was a major Walter Hill fan. I was one of the few who really enjoyed “Streets of Fire.” Yeah, I even have the soundtrack. So how do you think I reacted when I learned that there may be an unofficial sequel in the works? Yeah, I liked the idea.What’s that? How’s a movie become an unofficial sequel? Click here and read what Mr. Beaks posted at AICN and you’ll know!

Debunking the Found Vampire [2008]

Remember when I wrote about Harry at AICN saying that there was a possibility that the long lost silent “London After Midnight” might have been found? Ivan Shreve points us to Stacia at She Blogged By Night. Stacia makes a case (that Vincent Bugliosi would be proud to claim) and her conclusion is that Harry’s original source is a fraud.I can’t say that I’m shocked. Disappointed, but not shocked. At least we still have the lost scenes from “Metropolis” coming our way.

UFOs, Aliens & Big Foot

According to an article, tests on hairs said to be from a Yeti in India have failed to link the strands with any known species! Boy, how many times have we heard something similar only to be let down later? The results end up being: it was a prank, the hairs/photos/sound recordings/etc. turned out to be an ape, a bear, a man in a funny suit.Arrrgh!

When I read articles like the one linked above I feel like Charlie Brown being coaxed by Lucy to come kick the football. Charlie Brown knows that every time he gives it a go, she yanks the ball away and he ends up falling down. He’s always left disappointed… yet he’s always willing to try it again. Every time I read one of these type articles [UFOs, big foot, aliens, paranormal events, etc.], I know that the football is going to be yanked away. I’ll end up disappointed…

Then before too long, like Charlie Brown, I’ll hear the call to give it another go…

Big Crime for a Small Price

I love well told crime stories. I love well done comics.

How do you think I reacted when I found out about The Mammoth Book of the Best Crime Comics?  Edited by Paul Gravett and designed by Peter Stanbury, this 480 page monster features stories by Dashiell Hammett & Alex Raymond, Will Eisner, Johnny Craig, Mickey Spillane, Bernie Krigstein, Alan Moore, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, Neil Gaiman, Alex Toth, Jordi Bernet, Paul Grist, Jack Cole, Charles Burns, Max Allan Collins, and José Muñoz & Carlos Sampayo.

If that’s not enough to get you reaching for your wallet, then maybe the fact that you can get here for less than fifteen smackatoons is.

More Terminator Salvation

If you’re into the Terminator series and are looking forward Terminator Salvation you’ll be happy to know that IDW Publishing has the rights to a four-issue prequel to be written by Dara Naraghi with art by Alan Robinson, as well as a four-issue adaptation of the movie written by Jeff Mariotte with art by Don Figueroa. You can read all about it here.

He’s a Horror Show

If you enjoyed 30 Days of Night [the graphic novel and/or the movie], then you might want to keep your eyes open for “30 Days of Night: 30 Days ’til Death” by award-winning writer/artist David [Stray Bullets] Lapham.

Lampham, who will write and draw the mini-series, describes it by saying:

The basic set up is that the elders are getting fed up and organize kill squads to come to America and “thin the heard.” My story focuses on one vamp named Rufus who escapes the kill squad once and decides the only way to survive is to live ‘off the radar’… These are not traditional vampires with all the usual vampire rules. They’re just vicious creatures… Rufus is only a hero by way of comparison to what’s going on around him… but make no mistake, he is a vampire. When it comes down to it, he’s a horror show.

If this sounds like something that you’d like, then click here to read the full interview at Newsarama.