Category Archives: comic books

Marvel Phase 2 concept art: ‘Cap,’ ‘Guardians’

Yes, it doesn’t take much more than a couple of cool paintings to make us happy.

The Internets were downright jovial today with the release – maybe officially, maybe unofficially, maybe associated with the big box set of Marvel Phase 1 films on disc – of some concept art from Marvel Phase 2.

Above is a very cool piece of art for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The title indicates the movie will likely follow the comics storyline in which Cap’s friend and former sidekick, Bucky Barnes, comes back after decades presumed dead and appears as the Winter Soldier, a Russian agent.

And here’s some concept art for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which follows the Cap sequel into theaters by several months in 2014.

Looks like the gang’s all here, or at least the recognizable ones, including Groot the living tree thingy and Rocket Raccoon … the talkin’, scrappin’ space raccoon.

Okay, yes, it sounds odd. But I think it’s supposed to.

Anyway, enjoy.

Hardcover heroes: Comic book novels

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There’s a surprisingly long history of comic book superheroes appearing in novels, either hardcover or paperback. Some of us have shelves lined with prose treatments of our favorite heroes.

Having just read “Wayne of Gotham,” a recent novel by Tracy Hickman, I thought I’d make mention of a couple of notable ones.

First, “Wayne of Gotham.” Hickman’s story alternates between two time periods, the present day, as Batman tries to unravel a decades-old mystery, and the late 1950s, when his father, Gotham physician Thomas Wayne, dealt with a threat to his beloved city.

The 1950s storyline, of course, takes place several years before the events of the Batman comics that created the Dark Knight: Thomas and Martha Wayne are gunned down in an alley, while their young son watches, by a deadly criminal. Young Bruce Wayne devotes his life to fighting crime, as we all know, as Batman.

In Hickman’s book, chapters alternate between the present and the past, recounting a mystery that confronted both generations of Waynes.

In some ways, it feels like Hickman’s most daring decision is to depict an aging Batman who fights crime now with the help of high-tech devices. Sure, Batman still enjoys a good scrap. But he’s middle-aged and all those midnight battles have taken a toll on his body.

The granddaddy of all superhero books is George Lowther’s 1942 novel “The Adventures of Superman.” The character of Superman had been around for a few years by the time this hardback book was published, but the impetus for the book was no doubt the very popular “The Adventures of Superman” radio series. Lowther was a writer on the show as well as many others.

(Fun fact about Lowther, who died in 1975: He also wrote more than 40 episodes of “CBS Radio Mystery Theater,” the last of the widely heard radio dramas, in 1974 and 1975.)

Lowther’s Superman novel, which was reprinted in 1995, was the first novelization of a comic book superhero, of course, but also contributed to the mythology of the character, naming Superman’s parents on Krypton Jor-El and Lara, varying from the earlier Jor-L and Lora from the comics.

(Another fun fact: The radio series introduced several of the core Superman mythos concepts, including Kryptonite, that elemental remnant of Superman’s home planet that can be dangerous to him. Although the radio show is largely unheard these days – I have an audio cassette boxed set from 20 years ago – it contributed a lot to the character.)

Probably my favorite modern-day superhero novelization is “Enemies & Allies,” a 2009 novel by Kevin J. Anderson.

Set at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, the novel recounts the early, uneasy meeting between Superman and Batman as they team up to battle Lex Luthor, who is stoking 1950s-era fears of nuclear war and alien invasion.

Anderson’s book is terrific. It’s a good treatment of vintage superheroics and is quite faithful to the feeling of mutual suspicion replaced by growing trust between Superman and Batman. I wish he’d come back to the characters.

Images of my childhood: ‘Keep on Truckin’ poster

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How many bedroom walls were adorned by Robert Crumbs’ “Keep on Truckin'” poster in the 1960s and 1970s?

All of the bedroom walls. At least in my world.

Crumb, of course, was the artist better known as “R. Crumb” who enlivened the pages of alternative and underground comics (comix) with crazy detailed scenes featuring big, meaty women.

His “Keep on Truckin'” poster is a classic of its kind and shows a series of Crumb’s offbeat men putting their best feet forward as they cross a flat landscape.

According to the Interwebs, the image originated in Zap Comix in 1968 but quickly became pirated, appearing on posters and T-shirts and every imaginable product offered to the counter-culture. Crumb spent part of the 1970s in court, trying to prevent copyright violations on his drawing, and his legal battles have stretched into recent years.

Most recently, he sued Amazon because the website used the drawing on its site for when a search bottomed out with no results.

Crumb has called the iconic drawing “the curse of my life.”

Crumb has his own offbeat sensibilities, obviously. Evidence of this: He reportedly turned down Toyota’s offer of $100,000 to use the art in advertising.

Cool Mandarin poster for ‘Iron Man 3’

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So Marvel has been releasing these character posters for “Iron Man 3.”

The ones for Don Cheadle as Rhodey and Guy Pierce as a baddie are fine.

But this one … this is cool.

At the top here is Ben Kingsley as Mandarin. Based on a fairly typical 1960s-era “Yellow Peril” villain from the Iron Man comics, Mandarin seemed like a daunting character to pull off in a modern-day movie without being offensive or silly.

But I wonder if director Shane Black hasn’t gone and done it.

Look closely at that poster.

See the dog tags hanging over the arm of Mandarin’s chair?

He’s wearing the camo pants of a soldier but the regal robe of a king.

He’s a big lover of incense.

He sports both cool shades and a ponytail.

But most of all: The ten rings!

Just the design of this character’s look is cool.

I cannot wait until May. But I guess I have to.

Jack Kirby and the ‘Argo’ connection

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I didn’t want to get too far away from the subject of “Argo” without mentioning the connection between the movie and comic book legend Jack Kirby, the artist who, along with Stan Lee, created some of the greatest Marvel Comics characters of all time, including The Fantastic Four and many members of The Avengers.

In the movie, the group of Hollywood operatives and government agents trying to free a half-dozen Americans in hiding in Iran in 1979 pretend they’re mounting a Hollywood film production. Storyboards of their make-believe science fiction spectacular, “Argo,” are shown several times and help “sell” the story to the Iranian military at the movie’s airport climax.

I believe a “Wired” story was the first to note that when the real-life figures working to free the Americans needed artwork to help make the film production more convincing, they used concept drawings Kirby had created for a movie and theme park based on Roger Zelazny’s “Lord of Light” book.

In the story told in the movie, the conspirators knew there was no “Argo” movie. In real life, Kirby and makeup artist John Chambers and other producers hoped to get “Lord of Light” in production and even hoped to turn it into a Denver-area theme park.

It was not to be.

I’m guessing that Kirby, who died in 1994, would have been pleased that the role his drawings played in espionage history figured into the movie.

I’m also guessing that he would be irritated, though, that not only were his drawings not used but little acknowledgement of him was made.

Although: IMDB lists the cast and notes that Michael Parks – seen in the movie submitting the drawings used in the plot – plays Jack Kirby. I honestly didn’t notice Kirby’s name in the end credits. Anyone else know if Kirby is named on screen in the credits?

At any rate, Kirby and the “Argo” connection is a nice little bit of Hollywood lore.

Marvel movies: What we want to see in Phase 3

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If you’re only a casual fan of the movies made from Marvel comics in the past four or so years, you might not be familiar with the “phases” that the company is moving through as it brings its complex universe to the big screen.

Phase 1, as dubbed by Marvel, began in 2008 with “Iron Man,” moving through solo adventures for the Hulk, Thor and Captain America and culminating in last summer’s “The Avengers.”

“Iron Man 3” kicks off Phase 2 this May, with “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” to follow, and Marvel films honcho Kevin Feige has indicated that series will sew the seeds for the “Avengers” sequel in 2015, even if moviegoers don’t recognize those seeds at the time. (Talk about a crazy Easter egg hunting challenge!)

“Ant-Man” is already on the schedule for late 2015, a few months after the “Avengers” sequel, and would kick off Phase 3. Marvel films honcho Kevin Feige hinted recently that “Dr. Strange” might also follow in Phase 3.

Remember that Hawkeye was introduced in “Thor,” so it’s possible we’ll see more Marvel characters introduced in Phase 2.

But here’s what we want to see in Phase 3:

Diversity. Luke Cage and the Black Panther are two longtime Avengers who would not only be great additions to the team but bring needed color to the movie line-up.

Women, including Wasp! She was a founding member of the Avengers, for pete’s sake. It would make sense that she’s introduced in the “Ant-Man” movie.

More Hulk. Even better, a Hulk/Iron Man Marvel Superhero Team-Up.

Big and small. A good mix of personal, high-stakes stories – which “Iron Man 3” appears to be, as much as any Marvel superhero movie can be – with the grand-scale action plots we know from Marvel.

Dare I say it: Crossover with characters whose big-screen rights are owned by other companies, namely “Fantastic Four,” “X-Men” and “Spider-Man.” Surely with lots of money to be made this can be worked out, right?

Come on, Marvel. Make it happen!

Michael Carroll’s ‘Superhuman’ series worth exploring

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If you – or your son or daughter – love superheroes but aren’t finding the stories you want in comics right now, you should check out Michael Carroll’s series of young adult novels about a brave new world of teenage superheroes.

Because Carroll’s books – some imported from the UK – have appeared in slightly different form and, apparently, under different titles, I’d suggest you start where I did, with “Superhuman,” his novel about a group of young heroes who assemble to fight a threat from the distant past.

In Carroll’s world, super-powered individuals, both heroes and villains, have been a presence on Earth for years. But at some point many of the adult superheroes disappear, just as a new generation of heroes are discovering their powers, ala “The X-Men.”

With little help from experienced heroes, the teenagers – many of them still figuring out their powers – must stop a group of evildoers who have brought to the present a super-powered, invincible warrior from thousands of years in the past.

Follow-ups to “Superhuman,” including “The Ascension” and “Stronger,” continue the story of the newly super teens. And earlier books, grouped in a series called “The Quantum Prophecy,” explore many of the same characters and situations in interesting variations.

Carroll’s books have some humor but play their stories straight, with real, dire consequences and cliff-hanging action.

Classic comics: ‘Fantastic Four’ Galactus Trilogy plus one

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Has there ever been a greater run of creative energy in comics than the four issues of Fantastic Four that begin with issue 48?

Geeks know that particular issue kicks off what has become known as the Galactus Trilogy. The three-issue series, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby and released in the spring of 1966, launched the Marvel Comics universe into the universe, literally, by expanding the role of “cosmic” characters like the Watcher and introducing the Silver Surfer and Galactus.

If you’ve seen the second “Fantastic Four” movie, you’ve seen a somewhat lackluster version of the story that played through issues 48, 49 and 50. For the purposes of ground-breaking drama and cosmic feel, I’m also throwing the next issue into this review as well.

The story, for those who don’t remember, follows the FF back to New York after they’ve had an encounter with the Inhumans at their isolated fortress.

The mood is somber. Johnny (the Human Torch) has been separated from his girlfriend, Crystal, one of the Inhumans, after the mysterious beings retreated behind an impenetrable barrier. Ben (the Thing) is dealing with the horrified reactions of New Yorkers who spot his rocky visage and feeling sorry for himself. Reed (Mr. Fantastic) has withdrawn into his lab. And Sue (the Invisible Woman) is complaining that Reed isn’t paying enough attention to her. Yes, I know. It was the 60s and women didn’t fair so well in comics. The treatment of Sue makes her out to be a fairly humorless harpy.

Anyway, the FF return to New York and find a series of strange happenings, including fire and boulders filling the sky from horizon to horizon. They quickly learn it is the work of the Watcher, the other-worldly observer of the Earth who isn’t supposed to get involved in the planet’s travails. But in this case he’s trying to hide Earth from the Silver Surfer, who, he explains, is the herald of Galactus, fearsome eater of planets. The Surfer finds suitable planets for Galactus to consume.

The FF battle the Surfer, who falls from the top of the Baxter Building and, coincidentally, into the apartment of Alicia Masters, Ben’s blind girlfriend.

As Galactus arrives and begins erecting the machinery of Earth’s destruction on top of the Baxter Building, Alicia helps the Silver Surfer learn the value of the people Galactus is about to kill. And the Watcher sends Johnny on a galaxy-spanning quest to find a weapon that can stop Galactus.

There’s a lot of plot, a lot of dialogue and a lot of action in these three issues. Lee and Kirby had a curious habit of beginning and ending plots in the middle of an issue, so Galactus is foiled before issue 50 ends and we get a hint of the next story – as well as Johnny’s first day at college.

Issue 51 follows the Galactus trilogy with a story that is both cosmic and personal and remains one of my favorites to this day. “This Man, This Monster” lets Ben Grimm (and readers) wallow in his grotesque appearance and substantial self-pity as he wanders the streets of New York in the rain. He encounters a man who takes him home, drugs him and hooks him up to machinery that causes Ben to revert back to his human form. The man – whose identity we never learn – gains the appearance and strength of the Thing. His plan is to infiltrate the FF and destroy Reed Richards, a man whom he considers a hated rival.

Reed is in the middle of an experiment, traveling to a cold and hostile parallel world and, thinking the stranger is Ben, asks him to hold his lifeline. The man does so, overwhelmed by not only the daring and brilliance of Richards but also the trust placed in the Thing.

Something goes wrong, of course, and Richards is lost in the parallel dimension. The stranger, with all of the Thing’s strength, goes in after Reed. Ultimately the man sacrifices himself to save Reed. When the stranger’s life is lost, Ben reverts to his Thing form. The timing is, as usual, awful for Ben. He had been standing at Alicia’s door, ready to share his life-changing news with her.

The bittersweet ending: Ben returns to the Baxter Building to find Reed and Sue mourning his loss. They’re overjoyed by his return, an affirming moment for Ben.

Tribute should also be paid to inker Joe Sinnott and letterers S. Rosen and Artie Simek, who made Kirby’s pencils come to life. Has the Thing ever looked better than during this period? I don’t think so.

Someday it would be cool to see a full-blown big-screen movie version of the Galactus trilogy, not the half-baked version we saw a few years ago. (Galactus as a cloud. Hrmmph.) Maybe someday we will.

By the way: The pop-culture impact of “This Man, This Monster” remains strong, as you can see from Jess Harrold’s art above.

Superman’s ‘S’ shield through the decades

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Here’s a cool graphic, from Steve Younis and the people at the Superman Homepage, recalling the dozens of variations on Superman’s “S” shield over the decades.

From the original one, interpreted by Superman’s creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, as a kind of crest, to later movie and TV versions to more sophisticated interpretations of recent years, there’s a lot of Super here.

The … different version from this summer’s “Man of Steel” movie is here too.

‘Arrow’ offers good take on comics hero

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Yes, I rolled my eyes a bit when I heard that CW’s new series about the DC Comics character Green Arrow was called “Arrow.” It’s another instance of the “we’re ashamed this is based on a comic book” mentality, I thought.

“Smallville” instead of “Superboy,” “Mercy Reef” instead of “Aquaman,” and, frankly, the preponderance of “dark” in modern-day Batman movie titles. And yes, I know Batman’s called “The Dark Knight.” And Superman is “The Man of Steel.” I’m not going to be convinced that there isn’t some embarrassment at work there.

The producers constantly emphasizing that “Arrow” was a gritty, realistic world without superpowered heroes was another red flag, it seemed.

So I didn’t watch the first few weeks of “Arrow.”

But after catching up with it, I’m actually finding myself enjoying the series.

If you’re not familiar with Green Arrow the comic book character, he’s a mix of Batman and Robin Hood and he’s been a staple of the DC universe for decades. Oliver Queen is a billionaire orphan, like Bruce Wayne, who turns his thirst for revenge into nighttime vigilante work. He’s got a quiver of trick arrows that’s not unlike Batman’s utility belt and he prowls the dark alleys of Star City, protecting the innocent.

There have been two high-profile depictions of old Ollie in recent years. One was the sarcastic, liberal-leaning conscience of the “Justice League Unlimited” animated series.

The other was in live action. Justin Hartley played a good Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in “Smallville.” He was that show’s Batman substitute when Bruce Wayne couldn’t be deployed by the producers and Oliver became virtually the second lead of the show.

When the CW decided to follow “Smallville” with a Green Arrow series, a lot of people assumed the role would be filled by Hartley. But the network cast Stephen Arnell in the role and while he’s apparently become famous for his abs – he could bounce an arrow off his stomach for a three-corner trick shot – he’s actually pretty good in the role of a rich playboy/obsessed crimefighter.

The series follows Oliver Queen, back in Star (for some reason here called Starling) City after being shipwrecked for five years. In flashbacks – one of which intriguingly included a glimpse of the two-tone mask of DC villain Deathstroke – we see Oliver’s time on the island after his father, rich industrialist Robert Queen, killed another shipwreck survivor and himself so that callow young Oliver might live.

In modern-day scenes, Oliver has a list of bad guys who are taking a bite out of the city. In each episode, he confronts them, threatens them if they don’t change their ways and contribute to society, and then clashes with them when they ignore his warning.

Oliver, unlike Bruce Wayne, isn’t opposed to killing when forced to. It makes the edgy hero even edgier.

The show’s supporting cast does a good job of backing Arnell. Characters are a mix of those created for the show and others like Black Canary herself, Dinah Laurel Lance, GA’s longtime main squeeze. This Dinah is pretty quick with her fists and feet, but we’ve yet to see if she becomes the fishnets-wearing superhero.

They’re sprinkling the show with mystery and mythology and, best of all, other DC characters, including Deadshot the assassin and, in an upcoming episode, Huntress, the superhero previously seen in the “Birds of Prey” series. In that series she was the version of the character who was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. The character here won’t have that genealogy, however.

I’ve watched the first three episodes of “Arrow” so far and I’m enjoying the show’s dark, gritty tone. Arnell is good, the other characters are at least not too annoying and the action scenes are fine.

I’ll stick with “Arrow,” even though he’s lost the colorful part of his name.

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Category Archives: comic books

Marvel Phase 2 concept art: ‘Cap,’ ‘Guardians’

Hardcover heroes: Comic book novels

Images of my childhood: ‘Keep on Truckin’ poster

Cool Mandarin poster for ‘Iron Man 3’

Jack Kirby and the ‘Argo’ connection

Marvel movies: What we want to see in Phase 3

Michael Carroll’s ‘Superhuman’ series worth exploring

Classic comics: ‘Fantastic Four’ Galactus Trilogy plus one

Superman’s ‘S’ shield through the decades

‘Arrow’ offers good take on comics hero