A "Deadman" TV Show?

I saw this post about Eric Kripke (Supernatural) developing a new TV show based on the comic book Deadman and thought, "Wow! Can they really pull that off?" I had a roommate who loved Deadman comics, so I've read a few storylines over the years. Deadman was a circus performer, murdered and brought back as a ghost that can inhabit bodies to solve crimes. Or something like that. Here:

Deadman is a ghost, formerly a circus trapeze artist named Boston Brand who performed under the name Deadman, a stage persona including a red costume and white corpse makeup. When Brand is murdered during a trapeze performance by a mysterious assailant known only as the Hook (in fact his last words were "Gee, from up here it almost looks like that guy with the hook for a hand has a gun..."), his spirit is given the power to possess any living being by a Hindu goddess (created for the purposes of the story) named Rama Kushna (a corruption of Rama-Krishna), in order to search for his murderer and obtain justice. (Source: Wikipedia)

I don't remember too many particular stories, but I do remember them being fun, and Deadman having a snarky sense of humor that I enjoyed. Maybe I'll have to go dig something up to refresh myself on this one. (The 90's were a long time ago, people.)

I like Supernatural and am a fan of Kripke's work, so I remain hopeful about a Deadman TV show, especially if it goes to CW or F/X type channel. Don't even bother with the big 4 -- the general viewing audience won't "get" Deadman. Although perhaps it will have a bit of a "Quantum Leap" feel -- more jumping bodies, less time jumping -- that regular folk (hey y'all!) would enjoy.

Gratuitous Scott Bakula image:

Now the question is, who plays Deadman? And how do they get that outrageous red circus costume to translate to TV? A little garish for my taste...

Life After Comic Con - Part 1

It's been months since I've been to the blog. I would feel bad, but honestly wasn't too motivated to share anything recently. I even saw X-men: First Class and some other relevant movie that I've already forgotten. I haven't read any comics, watched any geeky TV (well, Fringe, but I think I've espoused on that quite a bit already), gotten involved in any creative projects - crafts or otherwise, or gone to any nerdcentric events. Until now!

As some may recall -- I certainly do -- I missed the annual "Nerd Prom" otherwise known as San Diego Comic Con in 2010 due to conflicting health issues. I couldn't even follow the coverage from the interwebz as it depressed the hell out of me to know I was missing something/everything. So, I was pretty motivated to get back this year.

But here's the thing, over the ~15 years I've been attending, Comic Con has changed a lot. And I suppose so have I too. I could totally fall into the "back in my day" spiel, but that's not really what I want to say (and honestly, others have likely said it better). No, what I found was a more personal reflection on where I am at in my life, and how much I miss the creative/artistic/expressive elements that I find when at events like Comic Con. While no one can accuse me of being an artist, I certainly miss the creative outlets of my past.

When I first attended Comic Con, I thought for sure I'd be working in the industry, or at least industry-adjacent, by now. I worked for years in comic book stores, hanging out with other fans, but also meeting artists, writers, and others who work in some kind of creative industry. I worked for friends with artistic vision on their projects, playing a supporting role but proud to contribute. But as we got busy, and the demand for a more "professional" job emerged, connections to that creative element have largely disappeared. My career lead me down a much more analytic, process-oriented path. And I suppose like many who work in an intellectual field, I feel disconnected from actually producing something. I mean, beyond a PowerPoint report.

Going to Comic Con really called that out for me. Surrounded by tremendous talent, looking at the books produced & art created, hearing about projects initiated & almost complete, watching friends, acquaintances, and strangers push forward their work, their mark on the world left me feeling...meh.

So, dear readers (all 2 of you!), here I am. Promising myself to take some steps to find that creative side and finding new places I can lend my support. And doing my best to share the journey along the way.

Super Heroes and Fashion Week Collide

Kapow! Crash! Bang!

I'm not really sure what to think or say about this, other than "huh." But last week was Fashion Week in New York (not that I follow such things, but I read enough on Twitter, iGoogle, Yahoo!, etc to know this information) and this post from Comics Alliance caught my eye.

Fashion designer Jeremy Scott showed off his 2011 collection, which appears to be largely inspired by the stylings of DC super heroes. While I love me some super hero garb, I'm not sure that I love the couture-ized version of costumes for high-end consumption.

For instance, here are two Superman-inspired designs:

Granted, I'd love for capes to come into style, but sequins? Meh, not so much.

What about these Black Adam-esque fashions?

I think I like these better, perhaps because of the bolts of lightning, and how elongating they are. These also seem to be more casual (no sequins!), which feels a bit more campy and fun.

I wonder if this is the beginning of a new fashion trend?

Holy Carp - There's a Wonder Woman TV Show in Production??

In one of the more surprising new tidbits over the weekend, NBC has greenlit a David E. Kelley Wonder Woman TV pilot. This is the movie that cannot be made, but somehow they pulled out a TV show possibility? Wow. I don't even know what to say.

I'd love to be more excited about this show -- my admiration of Wonder Woman is right behind my love of Catwoman. But I have to say, I'm worried. As described on Comics Alliance:

Wonder Woman -- AKA Diana Prince -- is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.

I'm hearing a little too much "hero Ally McBeal" in this paragraph for my liking. I'm not sure I can stand a whiny, self-effacing, damaged heroine. She's an Amazon for goddess sake. And LA? Really? Because there aren't nearly enough shows set in LA. Why can't it be set in a DC-created city like Metropolis? (Though h/t to Clark for suggesting that the Invisible Jet be parked behind the Hollywood sign!) However, I think we (and by "we" I mean Rich & myself) can all agree that, if nothing else, Lynda Carter must play Queen Hipployta, Diana's mother.

There will likely be much debate over who should play WW. My feeling is that it cannot/should not/please god don't let it be Megan Fox. Rumor has it that Eliza Dushku is interested in the role as well. Meh. I like Dushku, but not sure this is a great fit for her. There must be another brunette in LA who can play this role. Let's go for an unknown!

Final suggestion (for now; might be more as more details are released): please use the original costume, not this new costume bulls**t.

It's one thing to create new costumes for the comics books for hype value and to get some media attention, but I think a Wonder Woman TV show will get plenty of attention on it's own.

I'll watch the pilot because I want to support comic book TV & movies. But I'm not dedicated enough to watch badly-made programming, so fingers crossed that this will not suck. It would be great to see an inspiring female character on TV, but here I am getting all optimistic.

Batman Would be the Thing to Pull Me Back In

It's been awhile, I know. I'd like to say I haven't been around because of the holidays, and while that's true, it's not the whole story. In early November, I became one of "those" people, one of the 12 million who plays World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role playing game (or MMORPG for those few of you who don't know already). I'd like to talk more about my experience as a newbie in the WoW universe, since it's about all I've done with my free time these last few months, but this post is really about the newsy bit that brought me BACK to the blog in over 8 weeks.

And that news is the announcement of the two stars added to Christopher Nolan's next Batman installation, The Dark Knight Rises (**snicker** at that title). If your Twitter stream isn't already full of this news, then let me share with you that, drum roll.....

--Anne Hathway will star at Catwoman

--Tom Hardy will star as Bane

You may recall Tom Hardy from Nolan's most recent film, Inception, in which he was awesome.

So let me get my most major complaint out of the way first: The inclusion of Catwoman in the movie in the first place. Now I love Catwoman. I collected Catwoman comic books, toys, and other ephemera for years. I've dressed up as Catwoman for Halloween (years ago, sigh). So trust me, I'm a big fan of Catwoman. But I feel like we've done the Catwoman story already in the Tim Burton movies. Michelle Pfeiffer was a great Catwoman. Remember this scene??

Then, we had that horrible Halle Barry movie, that we shall not speak of again. My point is that Catwoman isn't covering new ground in the Bat-verse. There are other female characters who could be interesting to include, my favorite being Harley Quinn. With Joker's demise in the 2nd movie, seems like an opportune time to bring in his just-as-crazy girlfriend for revenge.

Here's my other problem with Catwoman....Anne Hathaway. I feel bad about this, because I actually like Anne Hathaway, but visually, she seems too pretty, too nice, too clean to be a great Catwoman. I think she is cute & funny, and great on SNL and in romantic comedies. I hear she was great in that drama (Rachel Getting Married? Not totally sure...), but I'm not sure she can play the bitchy, gritty, wrong-side-of-the-tracks version of Catwoman that I grew to love.

Catwoman comes in so many versions, there certainly is room for variation from what I typically consider. And if anyone can do it, Nolan is that guy. So dude, impress me. I really want to be excited about this.

Whew. Catwoman went on longer than I expected. Let's turn to Bane.

The last movie to (briefly) feature Bane, Joel Schumacher's hot mess, Batman and Robin, barely got to Bane at all. He was sidelined as one of Poison Ivy's henchman. A total waste of an otherwise formerly decent villain. In the comics, the guy is a brute, a monster.

I'd like to see a well-developed Bane character in the next movie. He's not a well known enemy, but that also means he hasn't been totally overdone. I was initially doubtful of Tom Hardy in this role based on Inception, but then I came across this:

It's hard for me to even tell that is the same guy! I guess if he can pump up, he's got a shot at a convincing Bane.

My hope is that there is at least a short trailer ready for Comic-Con in July. I'd like to be convinced about the inclusion of Hathaway/Catwoman. I liked the first 2 Nolan Batman's a lot, so, you know, no pressure.

Pat the Kitteh

(h/t Christa)

Are you a fan of The Oatmeal? Oh, you'd better be.

There have been some great posts recently, including "7 Things You Really Don't Need to Take a Picture of" -- I'm guilty of way too many of these to admit.

But my favorite of his web comic strips right now is "How to Pet a Kitty." The expressions of Oatmeal's humanoid people are just so amazing and make me crack up every time. (click to embiggen)

This frame is totally my cat -- waking me up at about 4-5 AM wanting attention and pets. Too bad there isn't a frame here with the cat sitting on top of your head (which is what my cat tries to do in the wee hours of the morning).

I think I might have to get this poster for myself and some of the other "cat people" I know... So, at Christmas, act surprised!

Alternative Press Expo (APE) 2010

As you may, or may not, recall, I missed out on San Diego Comic-Con this year, for the first time in about 14 years. It was a big bummer. Even though I couldn't make it to SDCC, I was excited to hit up the Alternative Press Expo -- or APE -- last weekend in San Francisco.

APE is run by the same folks who put on WonderCon (also in SF) and San Diego Comic-Con. But it is really nothing like a "typical" comic book convention. This was my 7th or 8th APE Con, and over the years, I believe it has become my favorite event of the convention season. In addition to catching up with my geeky & creative friends, APE offers up a lot of interesting small/self-published comics, art/prints from a range of artists (many who are up-and-coming in the comic/animation/web world), and various other products that you can't find just anywhere.

I always leave APE so excited about the treasures I've collected over the day. This year was no exception. If anything I wish I had more time to explore the concourse floors, as the convention seemed to about double in size this year. The attendees are a really fun, mostly local crowd. My only complaint is that, while the Concourse is fairly convenient -- located right off the freeway and plenty of parking nearby -- there doesn't seem to be a great range of food options in close proximity. On the plus side, it's the only convention I've been to where you can drink on the floor. So, hooray for that!

Here are a few pics I took along the way.

Convention center floor just before opening:

Sparkly art by Charlene Kelley (my husband purchased one of these for his Marion collection):

My new owl print by Ashley Burke:

Plushie food, including a giant hamburger by Jakc Designs. PS - I'll do another entry on the Adventures of Slider (or "Bored at the Airport Part I") soon.

Felt octopus by Jackie Huang:

Beastlies by Leslie Levings:

SF Alternative Press Expo this Weekend!

The fast-becoming-my-favorite-convention, the Alternative Press Expo (or APE) is happening again this weekend in San Francisco at the Concourse Center. I will be there all day Saturday, with bells on, working at the ever-fabulous booth of Allen Spiegel Fine Arts. I know my good friend, and recently published (!) J.D. Arnold will be there with his new book, BB Wolf & The 3 LPs. And of course, the amazingly talented Scott Morse will be there --- can't wait to see what he's working on these days!

If you are in the City, I hope you will check it out -- this is one of the best, most interesting small conventions happening. Lots of up-and-coming writers and artists, tons of interesting small press publications, and some very cool niche products that this very creative community puts out.

I'm bringing an extra tote bag to bring back my bounty!

Red

SuperHeroHype posted images of two new promo posters for the movie, "Red" based on the Warren Ellis comic book of the same name.





The primary characters of the story are ex-CIA agents who are now targeted by the Agency.

Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.

The movie stars Helen Mirren (featured above, looking stunning!), John Malkovish (also above), Morgan Freeman, and Bruce Willis, and is anticipated in theaters ~10/15. I'm sure we will hear more about it via Comic Con next week...

Looks like I will take in late August to start getting caught up on my comic book/graphic novel reading, so I'll be adding this one to the list!

Jonah Hex Starts Tomorrow

I think I need something to distract me this weekend. I think Jonah Hex might be that something. I like this trailer -- gives a little more of the back story than what I've seen on TV so far. I don't think the general public will "get" Jonah Hex. That's fine with me. They should go see Toy Story 3 (No slam against TS3 - I want to see it, just not opening weekend with the little folk).



Besides Josh Brolin and John Malkovich (oh, and Megan Fox, but whatevs), I think I saw the dude from Fringe in this trailer. And maybe Will Arnett? Anyway, looks like it could be fast, action filled, and fun. That's what I'm looking for!

PS - In case you didn't know, the movie is based on a DC comic book.

Walking Dead - Reprints Coming

Just in time for the new AMC show, Image Comics is reprinting the first compendium of The Walking Dead. This ain't your regular trade paperback collecting the first story arc or 10ish issues. This bad boy collects the first 48 issues of the Robert Kirkman series. 48 issues?!? That is zombie madness!! A terrific summer read prior to the kick-off of the new show.

Also, brainnnnnnnns!

I can't seem to post the awesome cover design for the new TP, but trust me, it's great.

Update: Here it is!


(via GeekWeek)

Preacher: Let's Try this Again

Discussion of a Preacher TV show or movie has been hot and cold for years. The last I heard, we were on "cold." But in scouring the interweb for new geek news (I'm dedicated, if nothing else), I see that a Preacher adaptation is back on again! Huzzah!

If you don't know much about the graphic novel series, Preacher (written by Garth Ennis) I highly suggest you check it out. Violence. Gore. Relationships. An Irish vampire. A kick-ass girlfriend. Some bat-shit crazy storylines. Some of the best covers (thank you, Glenn Fabry)! Oh yeah, and an exploration of religion and God. Good times.



Over on Empire Online, I see that Hollywood is going to pick up the torch again on this uber-amazing series. Now, it appears that Joe Carnahan, director of the new A-Team movie, would like to direct this action-packed romp. Hmmm...well, I haven't seen A-Team yet, so I'll reserve my opinion for a few weeks. But I would love to see Preacher adapted as an HBO-style mini-series (this one needs to be R-rated; don't even try to clean it up for the kiddies. I'm looking at you, Constantine...). **Fingers crossed**

TV Ads for Everything Else -- Why Not Comics?

(via Comics Alliance)

How did I not already know about this?? An awesome BBC TV spot for the fantastic comic book series, Fables, by Bill Willingham. Check this out:




This is a great idea and I'm not sure why this isn't done more often. In general, there aren't too many TV ads for books, let alone graphic novels/comic books. (Or, for that matter, print ads outside of monthly comic publications and geek magazines, like Wizard. Sigh.) However, comics -- unlike traditional novels or books -- are already a visual medium and lend themselves quite nicely to this kind of format. More like an ad for a new movie then for a book of static images.

I hope we see more of these kinds of ads, especially as the post notes, on already targeted, niche channels such as Cartoon Network (Thank you, Adult Swim!). Who knows? You might see some interest in comics from new segments of readers/consumers.

Minimalist Superhero Posters

Maybe it's the incredibly blank, white walls in my new apartment, but I'm obsessing on all the great posters and prints I've been seeing lately. Here are another cool set of posters, via Comics Alliance. Artist Gidi Vigo has created minimalist movie posters of favorite comic book characters. I could see lining my walls with these...

Zatanna's Back Too!

Alright, now I'm in a roll...

In that same io9 gallery, I neglected to note the OTHER comic I'm excited to see. Also a female superhero(ish) character, but from the DC universe. I followed those characters much more closely back in the day, so I have a special place in my heart for...drum roll...ZATANNA!

Zatanna is getting her own ongoing series, which is kinda cool. I'm into supernatural stories right now, and I could see her as a Dresden-like, wizarding detective type. This genre is pretty big right now in fiction (see Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, Karen Chance, Jim Butcher, and so on), so I could see it translating well to graphic stories.

The one-line takeaway of the story is described as "a new ongoing about her foibles fighting supernatural crime in San Francisco." I especially love that it will be set in SF. It would've been cooler if it was in the NW, but I get it, SF has more cache.

Zatanna has a much longer history than Dazzler; she was first seen in Hawkman back in 1964 (wow, really? Weird). Over the years, Zatanna's shown up in a lot of the DCU storylines, with "special" relations to Batman and the Vertigo character, John Constantine (aka Hellblazer). And her incantations are spoken backwards, so get your mirror's ready!

So, now I have at least 2 reasons to get back into comics again! Hopefully there will be some cool Zatanna promo stuff at Con this year...One of my favorite costumes too, probably because she wears a top hat and fishnet. Hot.

Dazzler's Back!

I'll admit it, I'm a slacker. Some days I'm more motivated than others. And right now, work is dominating any part of motivation I might have. But I'm hoping as summer approaches, and we get closer to Comic-Con that I will be inspired by new geeky products/movies/tidbits/etc.

So in that vein, I present to you this amazing "tidbit" (I like that word -- it reminds me of "Timbit" the small doughnut holes from Canada's Tim Horton's. Yummm.)

A few weeks back, io9 posted a gallery of "25 Reasons to Get Excited about Comics this Spring." Most of the gallery focuses on upcoming superhero comic titles and their summer push. But there was one thing that really jumped out at me: Dazzler #1!!! What the hell?! And the description is even more intriguing:

A parental-advisory Dazzler one-shot in which she battles Dr. Doom (among other supervillains).

You had me at "parental advisory" which is close to a rated R in comics. Boo-ya.

In case you don't know Dazzler, or have somehow forgotten, Wikipedia reminds us that Dazzler was created WAY back in 1980 as part of the X-men universe, as part of a partnership between Marvel and Casablanca Records. Described as "a mutant with the ability to convert sound vibrations into light and energy beams" who "was originally commissioned as a disco singer, the character shifted to other musical genres, including rock and adult contemporary."

How could the kids not love a comic book character like Dazzler? If I'd known about Dazzler as a young girl, I would've been inspired -- a female superhero who's power originates through her singing and dancing? Fantastic!

I might need to go to my local Comic Book Guy and take a peek at this one...

Batman Beats Superman

Finally! The question is answered: Batman does, in fact, kick Superman's ass! Well, at least for now.

Over a million dollars (why yes, we are still in a recession, thanks for asking) for Detective Comics #1, topping Monday's auction of Action Comics #1, the first to feature Superman. I bet the same dude bought both; I mean if you've got F-U money like that, why not ?

In case you ever wondered what a million-dollar comic book looks like, here you go:


Now, I don't have any comics as valuable as this one, but it does motivate me to get my comics out of a storage POD as soon as possible. I can hear them degrading and devaluing from here... Ugh

I Love Oatmeal

Are you an Oatmeal follower? You might have seen classics such as "Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling" or my current fave, "How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell." If you aren't on top of this, you probably should be. Funny, clever web comics. Sage advice and wisdom. And fantastic quizzes like this one.


$4090.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

My cadaver would only be worth $4090? Sigh.

Take the quiz for yourself here and start keeping tabs on the Oatmeal.