Dirty Laundry is an unofficial continuation of…you know what, just watch it yourself.
There.
Dirty Laundry (2012 short film)
Posted: September 23, 2014 in Marvel, PunisherTags: Marvel, Punisher
0
Within Marvel Comics, mutants have always reflected the society in which they are written. From the racial tensions of the 60’s, and the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s, right up to modern gay marriage issues, those with the x-gene have always been there as a stand-in for the current oppressed minority. And while the comics have often addressed the cultural impact of a world with such strange and different individuals in it, that was never really the focus of any story. That is, until The X-Statix burst onto the scene…
 |
| …literally. |
CBM PROFILE: Deadshot
Posted: September 11, 2014 in Arkham, Arrow, Batman, Brave and Bold, DC, Deadshot, Justice League, Profile, Smallville, Suicide SquadThis is a new column where I’ll look at how a single comic book character or team has been adapted throughout the years. Think of this as the opposite of The Unadapted (The Un-Unadapted, if you will) in that this will be chronicling characters who have made multiple appearances in expanded media. My first subject will be everyone’s favorite gun-for-hire: Deadshot!
 |
| Daniel LuVisi’s beautiful cover to Secret Six, issue 15 |
Deadshot (AKA Floyd Lawton) first appeared in Batman’s comic way back in 1950. He was a gimmick villain who posed as a hero trying to abdicate the Dark Knight’s throne as the top crime fighter in Gotham. He was eventually found out and sent to prison. At the time, he wore a costume consisting of a top hat and domino mask. Upon being released from prison, he was rebranded as a marksman for the highest bidder. Along with the change came a new costume consisting of a targeting reticle over his right eye which has become an iconic part of the character’s attire.
Since his early days, the character has evolved into more than a run-of-the-mill villain. He is a father who is devoted to making a better life for his daughter, a nihilist who isn’t afraid to die when the time comes and a good friend to those he deems worthy. He’s also become a fixture in DC’s Suicide Squad, surviving more missions than just about anyone else. He even made the transition to the New 52 version of the team. With his devil-may-care attitude, it’s no wonder he’s been so popular outside of the printed page.
Fantastic Four (1994 film)
Posted: September 2, 2014 in Dr. Doom, Fantastic Four, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Marvel, Mr. Fantastic, Thing |
| This poster is crazy rare and worth a fortune now. I’m not joking. |
Most people could be forgiven for failing to understand the concept of an ashcan copy. When it comes to film, it’s exponentially more difficult to comprehend or explain. Essentially, it’s something that’s created (usually a comic book) with the soul purpose of retaining or establishing the rights to a name or character. Ashcans are not intended for release and are typically easily tucked away. This is understandable for printed media where a writer and artist can rush something together in a few days in order to meet a contract stipulation. It’s much harder to justify when making a film. You’ve got a director, writers, producers, a dozen cast members, hundreds of crew members and a hundred or so more extras. All of which are putting their time and effort into something that will never actually get to be seen by paying audiences. Why would anyone want to be involved with a project where their talents would never be showcased? Well, if you’re the rights-holder to this film, you simply don’t tell them.
Read the rest of this entry »
Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014 film)
Posted: August 22, 2014 in Arkham, Batman, DC, Deadshot, Joker, Suicide Squad, Waller
Beginning as a video game that was loosely based on a Grant Morrison comic, the Batman: Arkham series has become a force all its own. The series has sold millions of copies and remains a healthy outlier in an industry that is notoriously poor to comic books. When it was announced that an animated Arkham film was in the works and was to be set in this universe, there was a palpable level of excitement from most fans of the series. When it was announced that the film would star The Suicide Squad, my personal level of excitement grew to insane levels.
THE UNADAPTED: X-Factor
Posted: August 12, 2014 in Havok, Madrox, Marvel, Peter David, The Unadapted, X-Factor, X-MenThe “X-Men” sub-genre of books within the Marvel Universe tend to be very different from one another. There are various teams, agencies and allegiances and too many characters to name here. Within so many of those X-books the idea of change remains a fitting constant. All of these titles have seen massive shifts in tone, characters and concept. This edition of The Unadapted will look at one of those teams that’s had relatively little in the way of exposure outside of the page.
Howard the Duck (1986 film)
Posted: August 5, 2014 in George Lucas, Guardians of the Galaxy, Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Marvel
Right off the bat, there’s no way to address the timing of this particular write-up without discussing the ending of the recently released Guardians of the Galaxy film. So either proceed knowing that we’ll be getting into spoiler territory or leave now.
Read the rest of this entry »
THE UNADAPTED: Starman
Posted: August 2, 2014 in Arrow, DC, Flash, Smallville, Starman, The Unadapted |
| Promotional ad for Starman #0 |
Starman is a character that dates back to the Golden Age of Comics. For those who didn’t bother with the link, the Golden Age was a time from about 1938 to 1950 when superhero comic books were churned out like crazy and comic publishing became a big business. Many of DC’s sizeable stable of characters were created in this period. Among them was Ted Knight AKA Starman, a science-hero from the 1940’s who had a baton that enabled him to fly and shoot energy beams. It was powered by star-light, hence the name. The character was a member of JSA and All Star Squadron where he was often overshadowed by his teammates and rarely got a chance to shine (Ha! Puns). The character languished until he was revived in a post-Zero Hour series in the mid-90’s created by James Robinson and Tony Harris.
Comic-Con International in San Diego has recently wrapped up its 2014 programming. This year, there was a huge focus on comic-based television. The fall TV schedule brings us The Flash, Gotham, Agent Carter and Constantine (plus iZombie as a mid-season replacement). Combine that with returning shows Arrow, The Walking Dead and Agents of SHIELD and it seems that the box office dominance of comics is making it’s way to the small screen. They’ve always had a presence in television (dating all the way back to George Reeves as Superman) but it’s only recently that it’s become so accepted in the mainstream. I realize shows like Batman: The Animated Series and JLU were popular and critically acclaimed, but they failed to capture the general public in the same manner that we’re currently seeing. In fact, almost every live-action comic-based show in the last 15 years failed spectacularly.
Read the rest of this entry »
THE UNADAPTED: Kid Eternity
Posted: July 24, 2014 in Captain Marvel, DC, Kid Eternity, The UnadaptedTags: Captain Marvel, DC, Kid Eternity, The Unadapted
**This is a new column where I (or other writers) take a look at comic book characters who either haven’t been adapted to other media or haven’t been adapted respectfully.**
 |
| The Kid and Mr. Keeper |
I’ll start things off with an oft forgotten character who, to date, has been referenced a whopping ZERO times in any form of expanded media: Kid Eternity. The Kid was created by Quality Comics in 1942 for a series called Hit Comics and made frequent appearances before getting his own ongoing series. Originally, the character was not given a proper name. He was only ever referred to as Kid, most likely as a way of creating a cypher that young readers could identify with and more easily imagine themselves in his sneakers.
Read the rest of this entry »
Comic Book Media 