Category Archives: comic books

Okay, so no Spider-Man in ‘The Avengers?’

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Joss says no.

We’ve mentioned in this blog lately the Interwebs rumors — based on a random comment in an interview with actress Jenny Agutter — that Spider-Man would make a cameo appearance in May’s “Avengers” movie.

This got everybody who wasn’t looking at porn on the Internet very excited.

Then, on Wednesday, during a Twitter chat with a few “Avengers” cast members, director Joss Whedon said this in response to a question about Spider-Man being in the movie:

“There is no Spider-Man cameo. But the Avengers do turn off the dark.” (Ha Joss! Broadway humor!)

Okay, on the face of it, that would appear to settle the matter. Joss says no Spider-Man cameo. And that’s perfectly reasonable. After all, different movie companies, yadda yadda yadda.

And I think he’s telling the truth.

But …

This is the devious genius behind the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series, after all. The guy who devised, or at the very least approved, the addition of fan favorite Amber Benson, who played Tara, to the show’s opening credits … on the same episode in which she was killed.

Talk about bait and switch.

So Joss says no. No cameo.

He didn’t say anything about an appearance of more substance than a cameo, however, did he?

Nah. Couldn’t be.

 

Spider-Man in ‘The Avengers’ — part two

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You know, at this point I’m choosing to believe Spider-Man is going to join up with — even fleetingly — his Marvel comics counterparts in this May’s “Avengers” movie.

That doesn’t mean it will happen. But wouldn’t it be fun if it did?

A while back in this space, I noted reports on the Interwebs that Spider-Man — the movie incarnation of which is owned by Sony — might appear in “The Avengers,” which is being made by Marvel’s studio arm and released by Disney.

Many folks with a lot more insight than me maintain that Sony is rebooting “Spider-Man” this summer only to keep their hands on the rights to the character.

And they note how hard it is, some apparent recent legal accord notwithstanding, for studios to play nicely together.

In the wake of the first round of pooh-poohing of the Spider-Man rumor, come stories today — in bestmoviesever.com and repeated on Comicbookresources.com — that Spidey really, truly is going to appear in the movie, even if it’s a glorified cameo like Wolverine’s appearance in last summer’s “X-Men: First Class.”

The above websites have all the speculation if you care to check it out.

Anyway, we all know that Marvel is building an intricate movie universe and that Sony wouldn’t mind some publicity for their “Spider-Man” reboot, which follows “The Avengers” into theaters by several weeks.

So will it happen?

We’ll find out.

Spider-Man in ‘The Avengers?’ Probably not. But …

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The Internet broke today.

And you can blame British actress Jenny Agutter.

In an interview with Radio Times, a Brit publication, Agutter noted that she has a small role in this May’s movie version of the classic comic book “The Avengers.” While on the set, Agutter said, she saw trailers for the actors playing Iron Man and Spider-Man.

Only one problem: Spider-Man isn’t supposed to be in the movie. The webslinger’s big-screen adventures — including the reboot coming out late this summer — are being made by Sony, while “The Avengers” is coming from Disney.

So is there some cross-studio crossover in the works? Have Hollywood moguls loosened their grips on their respective superhero tentpoles and allowed the kind of hero visitation the comics have always enjoyed?

Probably not.

Anyway, there was a LOT of talk about the possibility of a Spider-Man cameo online today. About twice as many people discounted the possibility as touted it.

I guess we’ll know for certain, though, when “The Avengers” comes out on May 4.

It’s too bad that movie rights to the Spider-Man character are owned by Sony, while Fantastic Four is owned by Fox and Iron Man, Captain America and all the other Avengers are overseen by Paramount and Disney.

Because one of the best things about the comic book universe has traditionally been that it is a shared universe. As seen in the vintage cover above, Marvel heroes regularly showed up in each other’s comics.

On the current “Avengers” animated series on Disney XD, a season-one episode featured the super team fighting some bad guys in the streets of New York City. Suddenly a burst of flame pummels the baddies. The Avengers look up and the Human Torch, member of the Fantastic Four, skywrites, “You owe me one” before flying off.

Then the Torch’s FF compadre, the Thing, shows up to clobber another bad guy.

It was a throw-away gag, sure. And there was nothing to lose compared to the high stakes of big-screen movies.

But maybe someday we’ll see that big old comic-book universe play out on the movie screen.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ poster a grim one

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The geek universe was vibrating today with the release of the new teaser poster for “The Dark Knight Rises,” next summer’s finale for director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

The poster is admittedly pretty vibe-worthy, even in the realm of comic book movie hype, because of what it implies.

For those who aren’t devotees of “Batman” in either comic or movie form, Nolan’s movies — starring Christian Bale as a growly, serious Batman — have taken the box office by storm. The last one, featuring Heath Ledger as a truly repulsive, homicidal Joker, made a bazillion dollars and earned credibility with critics.

The third movie — both Nolan and Bale say it will be their last — carries with it a lot of expectation, in part because of the quality of the first two movies and in part because when word got out that actor Tom Hardy was playing Batman villain Bane, comics fans knew what might happen.

Bane appeared, as a big goofy strong guy, in an earlier “Batman” movie. But the Bane from the comic books is a real dangerous character, so much so that he did what none of the hero’s other foes have been able to do: He defeated Batman. Bane, smart as he is strong, engineered a series of challenges meant to sap Batman’s strength, then he literally broke Batman’s back. The injury put Batman out of commission for months while other heroes filled in.

Here’s what happened:

The poster released today implies that something equally bad is going to happen to Batman. To say the least.

As an illustration, it’s not that much of a departure from the hyped-up, apocalyptic drawings of many comic books. How many times have comic books teased us that it was all over for our hero? Heck, Superman has even been killed.

But considering that Nolan intends to make the new movie his final word on Batman, and that neither he nor Bale reportedly want their interpretation to be carried over into a “Justice League” movie … who’s to say that Nolan doesn’t intend to take the ultimate step with the character? What if, when the “Batman” franchise is rebooted in the future — and Warner Bros. has already announced that will happen — we see an entirely different Batman?

That might also explain the “rises” part of the title. The poster released today sure doesn’t imply Batman is going to be doing any rising anytime soon. Maybe a new Batman will be rising from the ashes of the old?

Barring any Internet spoilers, we’ll know next summer.

‘Classics Illustrated’ gets an in-depth history

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Did you read “Classics Illustrated” comics as a kid?

I have to admit that I didn’t.

The comic book-style recaps of great works of literature like “Robin Hood” and “Last of the Mohicans” just didn’t appeal to me, a comic book nut.

The idea behind the series, created in the 1940s by the Kanter family — Albert and son William — was a good one. Take books that kids might enjoy if they gave them a chance, like “War of the Worlds” and “Treasure Island,” and turn them into comic books that kids might actually read.

The series began at a time when comic books were a top-selling — if totally disrespected by adults — part of kid culture and continued, somewhat amazingly, to the turn of the century.

Even if you weren’t a regular reader of “Classics Illustrated,” you’re probably aware of them. Their distinctive covers — dominated by the familiar yellow box in the corner and the boast that the comics featured “stories by the world’s greatest authors” — popped out from the dozens of “Fantastic Four” and “Superman” and “Archie” comics on the spinner racks.

While I was an avid reader of offbeat fare like Bullfinch’s Mythology and books about Man o’ War, “Classics Illustrated” seemed too much like cherry-flavored cough syrup to me: Something that was good for you but only barely disguised as something else.

But there’s a lot to admire about William B. Jones Jr.’s new book, “Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History,” a hardcover overview of the series, its creators, artists and writers.

Jones is an unabashed lover of the series and that shows. The book appears to be studiously researched and is definitely lavishly illustrated, with reproductions of interior art and covers in both black and white and color.

Jones looks at the writers and artists who made the series what it was, from founder Kanter to artist Henry Carl Kiefer, who defined the look of the series from its earliest days.

The series’ brief flirtation with horror stories — just as demagogues were leading the attack on comic books in general  — is genuinely surprising. So is the period in the 1990s when graphic novel versions of the classics attracted some of the comic book genre’s top artists.

There’s even a section about appearances by “Classics Illustrated” comics in movies, ranging from Elvis Presley vehicles to movies featuring Tom Cruise.

If you’re not a devotee of “Classics Illustrated,” Jones’ book is probably a casual read at best for you. If you’re as much of a fan as he was, you’ll love the book.

 

Will we ever see a ‘Justice League’ movie?

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I watched “Captain America” on DVD last night and really enjoyed the movie, which brought Marvel’s World War II-era hero to the screen this past summer, all over again. The little sneak peek at next May’s “The Avengers” movie was fun. To say I’m looking forward to “The Avengers” is an understatement. The fourth issue of the “Avengers” comic, the one in which the heroes thawed Captain America and he joined the team, was the first comic book I ever owned, kindly given to me by an older friend.

But as much as I’m looking forward to “The Avengers,” I’m puzzled as to why DC — an arm of Warner Bros. — has been unable to get a “Justice League” movie into gear.

It’s not like “Justice League” can’t be translated into other media besides comic books. The “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” series, set in the animated DC universe created with “Batman the Animated Series,” was a faithful adaptation of the comics. The “Unlimited” series expanded the membership of the League to include dozens and dozens of characters, both delightful and obscure (who would have thought of an entire episode built around hapless blowhard Booster Gold? Yet it was one of the best of the entire series).

And DC has also had good luck with “Justice League” animated in longer form, particularly “Justice League New Frontier,” a retro story based on Darwyn Cooke’s great graphic novel that set the hands of the superhero clock back to the 1950s and introduced Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman (not to mention a host of yes, obscure characters). Heck, even TV’s “Smallville” had a version of the League on a TV budget.

So there’s no reason a “Justice League” movie can’t happen, except:

– The Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale “Dark Knight” movies. With the third, “Dark Knight Rises,” coming out next summer, Nolan seems to be ready to wrap up his foray into the character’s world. Much has been made over rumors that Nolan and Bale don’t want their “realistic” Batman to be seen in the same movie with a bunch of other “fantastic” costumed characters. Of course, “Dark Knight Rises” features not only Catwoman and Bane in outfits that would turn heads on most sidewalks. So maybe Nolan is loosening up his standards.

– DC and Warner Bros. can’t seem to get any other characters launched. “Green Lantern” came out this summer and really wasn’t very good. “Wonder Woman” imploded and never got made. “The Flash” has been in the planning stages for years.

– They tried to make a “Justice League” movie a couple of years ago, even picked the cast and began pre-production. Actors like Armie Hammer were fitted for costumes. (Why hasn’t footage or pictures of Hammer in Batman drag shown up online?) But then a writer’s strike happened, production in Australian fell apart and, frankly, I wonder if somebody didn’t lose their nerve. Remember Nolan’s reluctance to have  a bunch of colorful costumed characters in the same room together? Maybe it was catching.

In the time it’s taken for DC and Warner Bros. to make a good “Batman” movie, begin another one, start work on a “Superman” movie and make a mediocre “Green Lantern” movie, Marvel — now part of Disney — has released two “Iron Man” pictures, a good “Hulk” movie, “Thor,” “Captain America” and is putting the finishing touches on “The Avengers.”

Will we ever see the members of the Justice League swooping down from their Watchtower to take on some globe-threatening menace?