“V”
Although I was never a fan of the original series, ABC’s reboot of “V” has my attention. This trailer could be an indication of good things to come. [Thanks and a wink of a lizard’s eye to Chris Mills for the original link.]
All Time 10 Best Marvel Panels
Recently, in honor of Marvel Comics 70th birthday, CBR.com had a poll opened to their readers to come up with the Top 70 Most Iconic Marvel Panels Off All Time. I decided to play along, and just using the choices from the survey came up with my Top Ten List.
10. A Steranko panel from his classic Captain America run which ended way, way too soon.
09. Thanos turns to stone as the Avengers and everyone else look on.
08. Gwen was dead, Spidey was ticked and we were shocked! Of course that was back in the days when characters stayed dead and comics weren’t rebooted every couple of years.
07. Daredevil was back. Miller was writing him and David Mazzuchelli was pencilling. It was good to be buying Daredevil again.
06. The end of the Warlock series. Perhaps Starlin’s greatest work. Ah, seeing Pip, Warlock and Gamora brings back some great memories.
05. Daredevil — from my favorite run on the book. Frank Miller and Klaus Janson. It didn’t get any better than them when they were hitting stride.
04. Another classic Steranko image from his run on Cap!
03. Who didn’t fall for Mary Jane when she told Peter [Spider-Man] Parker: “Face it, Tiger… You just hit the jackpot!” Of course I was about 7 years old at the time.
02. Another classic panel from Miller and Janson’s run on Daredevil.
01. A classic panel from Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin’s run on The X-Men. It’s a great shot of Wolverine sneaking in through the sewers to save the day. Fans [me included] couldn’t wait for Wolverine to be showcased solo. Of course this was in the days before Wolverine had his own book, his own movie series and was known throughout the world. Back then he was just the runt who tried to hold in a rage that sometimes got away from him. Of course he was still the best at what he did… and what he did wasn’t pretty. LOL.
“Plan 9” on 09.09.09
What are the odds that on 09.09.09 that I’d post about a movie called Plan 9? Surprisingly, I’m not talking about Ed Wood’s cult classic Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Although some have called Plan 9 from Outer Space the worst movie ever made, I’m more in the camp of it’s so bad, it’s good. Anyone that says Plan 9 from Outer Space [written and directed by Ed Wood, starring Bela Lugosi in his last role, Tor Johnson and Vampira] is the worst ever made must not have seen Highlander 2 or Seven Pounds or anything starring Carrot Top.
Anyway… if I’m not talking about Plan 9 from Outer Space what am I talking about?
I’m glad you asked.
Apparently there is a reboot of the original Plan 9 from Outer Space in the works. No, I’m not kidding. Check out this trailer for Plan 9 and then pop back.
So what did you think? Me? Actually, I kind of liked it. Well, up until that fireball came out of the sky and hovered over the little girl. It was cool how they had Criswell’s opening playing on the radio as the zombies were attacking everyone. I’m thinking the remake could work as a low budget drive-in type movie.
Here’s a link to the Plan 9 website. This will be one to keep an eye on.
Al Hirschfeld’s “The Honeymooners”
While digging through the ZONE vault yesterday I came across a folder containing clippings of Al Hirschfeld art. Hopefully, you’re familiar with Mr. Hirschfeld’s genius. [If not, click here, and then come back after you’ve looked around. We’ll meet back here in, oh, say about 2 hours — you’re going to want to spend some time enjoying Mr. Hirschfeld’s talent.]
Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903. By the time he was 17, he was the art director at Selznick Pictures. In 1924 he moved to Paris to “lead the Bohemian life.” In 1943, he married Dolly Haas, a famous European actress and together they produced a daughter, Nina. After her birth Mr. Hirschfeld would hide Nina’s name in his drawings and a number by his signature indicated how many were hidden. Mr. Hirschfeld passed away in 2003 just a few months shy of his 100th birthday.
That’s Mr. Hirschfeld’s take on Jackie Gleason and cast of the tv classic “The Honeymooners.” You can see much more of Al Hirschfeld’s art here.
More Neal Adams Conan
After posting the Neal Adams Conan piece yesterday, I decided to dig around in the ZONE vault and I came across this cool Neal Adams Conan sketch that was used as the cover for Grymaklin #2. Like yesterday’s piece, this was also done in the late 70’s.
Stuff like this makes me nostalgic. Of course that’s never been hard to do.
Neal Adams Conan
I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day holiday. Although for most, it’s been a 3 day weekend, I worked Saturday after a long work week and today my mind has been on all that is quickly approaching deadline in the next couple of weeks. The good news is I love what I do and the folks I work with are great. But enough about work.
Today’s post is a classic Neal Adams Conan piece from the 70’s. Back in the day, Neal was THE MAN. His work on Batman, Green Lantern / Green Arrow, The Avengers… let’s face it, ANY thing Neal Adams touched was gold. It was our loss when he left comics for advertising work. At least we can still go back and check out some of the great work he did back in the day. Which sounds like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
Mike Torrance’s “Nighthawks”
Mike Torrance is an artist who does it all — he pencils, inks and colors. Mike has been running a regular contest at Retro Cowboy Productions and his Deviant Art site. Each week he posts a subject and the first one to make request which fits the theme is the winner! I was one of two lucky winners for “Detective Week.”
Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable. Check him out.
You Could be Off to See the Wizard
“The Wizard of Oz” is my all time second favorite movie; so I really wish I could make it to one of the first ever high definition showings that are taking place around the country on September 23rd. Unfortunately for me, the nearest theater showing it is 40 miles away… if it was a weekend…
If you’re interested in learning about the special hi-def showing of “The Wizard of Oz” and the location nearest you, then click here. [A tip o’ the good witch’s tiara to Otis Frampton for the heads-up!]
Walking Dead Strolls to AMC
If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead [and if you’re not, you should be], you’ll want to check out this brief talk with the creator of the series, Robert Kirkman as he discusses the transition of the comic to tv series.
John Beatty Live!
Did you happen to catch John Beatty drawing live on UStream? John asked me to “co-host” and we had a fun time “talking” with fans who happened to drop by.
John and I plan to do this again and maybe even work out a regular schedule. Of course we’ll post information before the broadcasts on our sites. Hope you can join us. Check out John’s Youtube page for all his videos!
Criminal: The Sinners
If you’re a fan of great crime fiction, then you’re probably already reading Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips on-going crime series, Criminal. However, if you haven’t yet jump on the bandwagon, Criminal: The Sinners is a great place to start. In fact, you can get a headstart by checking out this preview at CBR.com.
“The Road”
IMPAwards.com posted two new posters for “The Road.” I like the one above better than this one which I really don’t care for. I think that the first gets across the struggle that the father and son are facing as they cross the barren landscape hoping to avoid cannibals and worse. The second reminds me of the final shot of a movie, when the worst is over.
“Descent 2″… Fear & Horror
I kinda like this poster for “Descent 2.” It’s not a great one by any means, but it does convey a sense of fear and horror which of course is what it should do. Hopefully the actual movie will do the same. [Click here to see a cavernous size version at IMPAwards.com]
“Boondock Saints: All Saints Day”
I was a fan of the original “Boondock Saints” movie. I’m looking forward to the sequel… but [and you heard the “but” coming, didn’t you?], I was hoping for a bit more from this trailer for “Boondock Saints: All Saints Day.”
Carriers
I like this poster. Hopefully I’ll feel the same about the movie.
