Vikings + Comics!

Brian Wood's Northlanders brings together two of my normally disparate interests: Vikings and Comic Books. The series tells fictional stories set against the historical background of the Viking Age. It has been published by Vertigo monthly since February 2008, although I discovered it only this summer, when issue #29's beautiful cover caught my eye while perusing at Captain Blue Hen (still my favorite comic book shop).

After reading the issue, I decided to go and pick up the first collection, titled Sven The Returned. One thing that makes this series different from many other monthly comic books is that each arc (so far) is self-contained, just sharing a common milieu. A nice byproduct of this structure is the ease of jumping into the series without worrying about having to read thirty issues to really understand what is going on. The first collection puts together the first eight issues, the longest story the series has done so far. It tells the tale of Sven, an exiled northman serving as part of the Varangian Guard, in the Byzantine Empire. Upon hearing of his father's death, he travels back home to the Orkney Islands, to reclaim his inheritance and title.

Sven's story is pretty cut and dry, and follows tropes that have been told countless times. This doesn't mean that it's a bad story, and I found it enjoyable. I freely admit that the draw here for me is Vikings, and I found the story's allusion to history and culture rich enough to give it a Viking feel. The writing lacked a little in fully exploring what is supposed to be the central conceit of the series, which is Vikings done as crime fiction. The nature of Sven's story doesn't give too much room for it, so I hope that is explored more in later volumes.

The art for this collection is by Davide Gianfelice, and Italian artist, and I believe this is his first major US work. He captures the characters well, and the dark background behind the panels is something I'm surprised we don't see more often. It's a little 300-esque in that there is a lot of rich detail...until the swords start slicing off body parts. I actually like this because it makes the action feel faster and gives it a velocity that contrasts it with the slower scenes. Dave McCraig is truly an all-star colorist, and really makes Gianfelice's work shine through. No wonder he won the inaugural Joe Shuster award for Best Colorist in 2008.

Overall, if the idea of Vikings is appealing to you at all, you would probably enjoy this comic, although it is definitely geared toward older readers, with language, sex, and bloody violence aplenty. And at 9.99 for 200 pages of comics, this collection is a fantastic value. Check it out at your local bookstore or comic shop, or even download the first issue for free here.

Five Comics You Should Read Before the Movie Comes Out

Now that Watchmen is out, there must be a way to make your friends feel uncool for not reading some fantastic comic book before the movie so you can "Pfft, the book was better" on your collective way out of the theater.

Here's five that fulfill that list:

Whiteout – written by Greg Rucka
Movie release September 11, 2009

Greg Rucka is a rare breed of mainstream comic book writer: he’s known for writing strong female characters. This includes the new Batwoman and Renee Montoya (The Question) at DC, and he is probably best known for his work on the outstanding Gotham Central, a series about the Gotham City Police Department (which featured the Montoya character).

Whiteout is a crime comic about US Marshal Carrie Stetko assigned to McMurdo Station in Antartica. When a dead body shows up, she must investigate the first murder ever on the continent. It’s a trail that leads her across the continent and to unexpected circles. Tightly written and action-packed, while featuring black and white art that really lends to the setting.

The film has been in production almost since the comic finished in 1998, and will finally see release in September. Kate Beckinsale is playing Stetko. Rucka has praised the adaptation, which seems to expanded the plot somewhat, and I’m definitely looking forward to the movie.

Trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/whiteout/trailer

The Surrogates – written by Robert Venditti
Movie release September 29, 2009

Inspired by people who live their “real” lives online in World of Warcraft or Second Life, The Surrogates takes place in a future where people live their lives through full-sized remote control proxies. All of the world’s obvious problems have been solved, but like Whiteout, a rare murder occurs and must be investigated.

The comic is well regarded, but it certainly looks like they beefed up the action in the plot for the movie. I do enjoy that they seem to be playing up the phobia of the real world that these people have. It’s like they’ve willingly jacked into the Matrix, or like the cruise line passengers in Wall-E.

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/surrogates/

Kick-Ass – written by Mark Millar
Movie release Early 2010

Dave Lizewski was a fairly average New York teen, lonely and frustrated by life. Then he decided to be a superhero. Thanks to a cell phone video, he is dubbed “Kick-Ass” and has various misadventures as a vigilante. The comic just started in 2008, and the script for the film was finished shortly thereafter.

The comic is known for it’s over the top violence, which serves its purpose as portraying “real world” superheroic attempts. I’ve never been a big Mark Millar fan, but the comic is well done, if not to my tastes.

Jonah Hex - created 1972
Movie release June 18, 2010

Jonah Hex is a longtime DC Comics character, and first debuted in All-Star Western #10. He’s a badly disfigured Confederate veteran traveling around the American West, and has faced off against voodoo priests and other supernatural forces as well as all of the usual Western troublemakers.

I found out about the character from the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Showdown,” but the character has seen a revival since the debut of his self-titled comic in 2005. This is what I’d recommend reading. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti’s series has been excellent from what I’ve read, and it’s great to see a great mainstream comic outside of the superhero genre. The first part of their series, Face Full of Violence, is a lot of fun and a great intro to the character.

The film is high on my list of anticipated films next year as it stars Josh Brolin in the title role as well as Megan Fox and John Malkovich as the villian Quentin Turnbull. I love modern westerns (like the 3:10 to Yuma remake) and the all-star cast makes this an exciting film.

Scott Pilgrim (vs. the World) – written/drawn by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Movie release TBA 2010

The comic book series is about the Canadian Scott Pilgrim, bass player for the band Sex Bomb-Omb. He falls in love with Ramona V. Flowers, a delivery girl, but must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to date her.

Five of the six planned books have been published so far and all to increasing critical acclaim. The book is chock-full of video game and other pop culture references, making for a smartly written geek teen drama.

It’s no surprise, then, that Michael Cera (Juno, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) will be playing the title role in the adaptation helmed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). It looks like it’s going to be quite excellent, and although live action, really might capture the madcap over the top world of the comic.

There are plenty of other movies based on comics coming out, but these are the most interesting coming out in the next year (besides Iron Man 2, of course). 

Green Lantern: Ryan Reynolds?

It's well known among my friends that I'm a huge Green Lantern fan, and so I thought I would share my thoughts about the recent casting announcement of Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern Hal Jordan. 

Now, I've been a fan of Ryan Reynolds since his days on the excellent sitcom, Two Guys, A Girl, And A Pizza Place, (a show overdue on DVD) but I don't readily see him as Hal Jordan.

Reynolds is primarily known for his comedic roles, and Hal Jordan isn't exactly known for his humor. Jordan is an Air Force test pilot who was chosen to be the Green Lantern (a galactic police force) from our space sector, a man "who will overcome great fear." He's not exactly known for his witticisms, and he actually tends to be over-serious, thus making him a foil for Green Arrow. 

I'd always actually pictured fellow Two Guys... star Nathan Fillion of Firefly fame as Hal Jordan, but of the people in the running, Bradley Cooper would have been my pick.

However, I am still very much excited for the movie because of the involvement of Marc Guggenheim, current Spider-Man co-writer and the man behind the script for the Wolverine video game (which was actually better than the movie) and perhaps more importantly, director Martin Campbell. Having the director of the best two Bond films of the past 20 years (Goldeneye and

Casino Royale) has me convinced that this could be DC's Iron Man. Whew, 2011 can't come fast enough!

Oh, and if you want to get the lowdown on this Green Lantern, I can't recommend the recent revisiting of his origin by Geoff Johns in the accurately titled Green Lantern: Secret Origin highly enough. Top notch writing and art as well as a fantastic introduction to the character's modern identity. 

Continuity Thought

As you have indubitably noticed by now, I am a huge fan of comic books.  Growing up, I always loved superheroes (especially Batman), but most of my love came from watching them on TV rather than the comics themselves.*  I would get comics here or there, but usually it was a question of finding them and availability of disposable income.  Like most kids into comics in my generation, I could only get handfuls of comics here and there, and usually in the middle of some serialized story, or crossover or what-have-you, making them trying reading. Imagine trying to watch Lost, but completely out of order and only season two episodes per season. Once I got towards the end of high school, a new comic book shop opened five minutes from my house, increasing the availability, and I began to reliable disposable income. I read a lot of comics, thanks to Mark Waid’s time on Fantastic Four and Geoff Johns on The Flash.  Once college started, although Captain Blue Hen was just a few blocks from campus, the disposable income was nil for the first year. By the time senior year came around, comics started to creep back into my life. A friend of mine started watching iFanboy and asking me questions (knowing my love for comics) and the final push came when my then-new girlfriend asked me if I wanted to go to the comic book store with her (I was speechless). Fans in general are known for being sticklers for continuity, and comic books fans are at the top of that nerd heap. And not without reason. Having gone to a comic book convention once or twice, there are many many questions involving conflicting points in a characters history or inconsistencies in characterization, etc. I really don’t see this as valuable. I enjoy learning about a character’s history for sure, and it’s fun to read old stories, but I don’t feel the need to reconcile the 2000+ issues of comics Batman has ever appeared in into a single timeline. Some continuity is important, for sure, especially the major points of the origin story, like Bruce Wayne’s parents, Superman being from Krypton, Fantastic Four’s powers coming from Reed’s mistake, etc. Changing those things would be like making Oliver Twist rich, he’s a different character (in this case, Pip from Great Expectations). And I do expect writers to maintain a sense of consistency during continuous runs on a character (I wish we had all known earlier how Batman, RIP and Final Crisis fit together, Mr. Morrison). But one of the great things about comics is the fluidity that is provided by having such a history. Although it seems like the industry is hampered by the lack of truly new characters to appear in the public consciousness (though DC’s Blue Beetle probably comes closest with his appearances on The Brave & The Bold), the major characters are all modern day myths and legends and folk heroes. Peter Parker is Jack and the Beanstalk, Superman is Heracles. Their stories are timeless and without end. For example, is why I’m not all that worried about the new Star Trek movie. As long as they are playing with the same tropes, the same conceits Roddenberry used, the Federation, the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship the name of the ship, etc. it can work. There are many stories to be told, without necessarily using the same actors. While some fans may be aghast at the seeming brushing aside of continuity, imagine if Ang Lee’s Hulk had to star Lou Ferigno and use the same special effects? Having some continuity is nice, but it isn’t the be-all-end-all to these ideas. These stories are classics, perhaps without a permanently definitive version. Things like new Star Trek (I’m just glad someone is trying to resuscitate the franchise), Brand New Day, or the third or fourth “definitive” telling of Superman’s origin story don’t bother me. If you want absolute continuity, read something with an ending. Until then, enjoy the stories for what they are, and don’t read them just to nitpick. Although I still don’t understand how Wolverine can be in 50% of all the books Marvel publishes every month. Maybe that’s his secret mutant power. *However, I would argue the mid-90s was a Golden Age for superhero cartoons, and also reruns of Super Friends on Cartoon Network

Watching the Watchmen (Review)

So since I've posted so much about it, I figured it would be only right for me to post a review of the Watchmen movie. Here's the short summary: Watchmen is an excellent adaptation. Some things work well, some things do not. Overall, it left me with the same feeling the book did: Appreciative and mildly uncomfortable. In terms of other films, it reminds me most of the Harry Potter films. There's a good amount of dots not on screen which need to be connected, but it isn't a glaring issue because most people in the target demographic have more than a passing familiarity with the source material. Overall: B. Spoilers abound after the jump. Things I Liked: The Opening Montage - I thought this was a fantastic way to quickly plunge the audience into this alternate world. It establishes the history quickly, and hits the important parts to be filled in later, as well as details great for fans or repeat viewings. The Acting - I thought all of the main characters were surprisingly well-acted given this is the most unknown leads in a movie like this since Star Wars. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian were both standouts in my book. The Characterization - I thought the script nailed the characters for the most part, though I think Laurie could have used more screentime to properly emote. And I think Dan Dreiberg's Nite Owl II is almost perfect. The Visuals - I thought they captured the feeling of Dan Gibbons' art incredibly well. The art direction was spot on. Things I Didn't Like: The Violence - I thought the violence was too over the top and gratuitous. Notebly the "solution" to the Blair Roche case was brutal to watch. I think setting the guy's house on fire would have been just as brutal in my head, but not anywhere near as bad on my eyes as the hatchet. Also, I have no idea why Dr. Manhattan was so bloody in taking people out. Adrian Veidt - If any of the characters got slighted, it was Adrian Veidt. The movie didn't do enough to establish him as a hero, and what we did see of him only hinted very strongly at the "twist" at the end. The graphic novel has a fantastic slow reveal that I'm not sure is possible in the movie. The Abridged Version - I think if I saw the theatrical cut again, I could easily pick out which other parts of the novel were filmed and ended up cut. Many of it extended versions of scenes already in the movie, which makes some scenes feel truncated. The Ending - I feel somewhat like I should complain about the lack of squid, but I don't think any real ending to the novel works on screen. Nixon - The guy who played Nixon, as well as the ageing make-up were both terrible. Totally took me out of the film. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've seen the movie.

Watchmen Worries

With the release of Watchmen on Friday, there is a lot not to worry about. The visual style looks excellent, the character designs look good, the soundtrack is interesting and has a good selection of songs, and Easter Eggs are said to abound throughout the almost 3 hour film. Still, I am worried. My worries stem from fear that Watchmen will be a film without much humanity, cold, distant and sterile. As io9 points out, the setting (i.e. knee-deep in the Cold War) is fantastical to people of my generation, and many of the characters aren't easy to relate to. These are problems inherent in Moore's graphic novel, but I fear they will be magnified on screen because of time constraints. This is an ensemble cast, and Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach, a quantam-man and an absolutist, respectively, do little to provide a flavor of humanity. These are characters not driven by human emotions, and are extremely difficult for an audience to find a shared perspective with them. The only two really human charcters are the Silk Spectre and Nite Owl. These are the human protagonists, I fear, will not get enough screentime to make their stories really resonate from the audience. Compound this with a lack of time for the newstand characters and Hollis Mason, and this is my fear. I think Watchmen will be nothing if not an excellent adaptation, but I fear the heart may not all make it on the screen.

Comic Review: The Man Who Laughs

I recently picked up the new softcover of this volume (which for $14.99 is a great price) from current and widely acclaimed Captain America writer Ed Brubaker, which details the first meeting between the Dark Knight and his archnemesis, the Joker. This is an excellent storyline, and captures most everything essential about the comic book Joker, which generally exists as an entity different of that from Heath Ledger's take in The Dark Knight. It isn't anything particularly groundbreaking, although I really like Brubaker's Gordon, which follows from Year One. Before I got to the end of The Man Who Laughs, I didn't realize there was a second story collected here, also by Brubaker. It is entitled "Made of Wood," and connects Batman with Alan Scott, the Green Lantern from the 1940's. They are both guardians of Gotham, and along with Gordon, really shows what it is like to love a place that has a severe ugly side. An excellent read overall, highly recommended. Update: This game looks really sweet. Kotaku has first impressions on a really early build, but still.

I Hope They Have a Shop...

Tales from the Quarter Bin

I love comics. And boy do I love 'em cheap. There's nothing like flipping through a bin of twenty-five cent comics and buying whatever looks interesting. So here's some stuff I found recently: Firstly, the first issue of Otherworld, a 2005 Vertigo series by Phil Jimenez. I like the work he did for the art on DC's Infinite Crisis, and anything Vertigo is usually worth a quarter. Jimenez describes the series as "the Real World meets Lord of the Rings, meets Tron." And somehow it works. Now I want to find the trade. Next, issue 71 of Marvel's Power Man and Iron Fist, from July 1981. Written by Marvel editor Mary Jo Duffy,it's mostly free of the blaxploitation vibe found in vintage Power Man. This issue introduces the villian Montenegro ("He's the worst!" claims the cover), who would show up from time to time and give the heroes trouble...by climbing things. All in all, vintage comics at their best. Also picked up issue number 5 (of 8 ) of Time Masters by DC. The reason I picked it up is because it features Rip Hunter, currently a major supporting character in Booster Gold, one of my favorite current books. This isn't really the same RIp, but the comic features both the American Colonies and something about the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail. I'm really not sure. Practically incoherent. Perhaps the strangest comic I picked up was Amalgam Comics Spider-Boy Team-Up #1 from 1997. For the less geeky, Amalgam Comics is not a real company. It was a joint venture by DC and Marvel to smush together their universes and form new characters that would be jointly owned. This issue features a smash-up of Superboy and Spider-Man, Spider-Boy as he meets the Legion of Galactic Gardians from 2099 (click all the links to see what that means). The whole issue is a cute nod to fanboys everywhere. I also snagged issue #6 of Terry Moore's Paradise Too, a collecton of art and strip work by the acclaimed slife-of-life comic creator (also a name cash-in on his most famous work, Strangers In Paradise). It's un and cute. Totally a find for a third of a can of soda. Lastly, two consecutive Captian America Annuals, numbers 5 and 6, from 1981 and 1982, respectively. The 1981 annual is pretty straightforward and is so-so. In fact, the highlight is an ad for Hostess fruit pies featuring the Hulk. Also an ad for the contemporary Spider-Woman ongoing featuring Jessica Drew decking a shirtless guy with the oversize caption, "Ain't She Sweet?" The 1982 annual features early work by J. M. DeMatteis, who went on to co-create Justice League International. People complain today that comics are too steeped in continuity, they have no idea what it was like. I would have needed a Cap Encyclopedia to understand half of what was going on (it features four ((four!)) iterations of Captain America running around). So there you go, an exciting trip through 7 essentially random comics, all for under the price of a half tank of gas (as of this writing).

Video Games and Comics: Why the Hell Not?

So lately I've been thinking that a lot of video games based on comics and comic books movies are crap. Which sadly, is no surprise. There are exactly three home console games that I've loved (some of the arcade beat 'em up games are so good I want one for my house, but that's for another day and frankly, implausable with my current financial situation). Three. Batman: Revenge of the Joker for the original Game Boy, Spider-Man 2 for the last-gen consoles, and the 2006 release Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Now it seems to me with all the success comic books have been having in theaters lately (5 of the top 30 grossing movies of the year so far are directly based on comics), it seems to me that some of that success should translate to video games as well. From all accounts, the Iron Man game was abyssmal, and the Hulk didn't fare much better. However, things may be looking up. Ira Rubenstein, the guy at Marvel Comics in charge of video games had this to say recently:

-He thinks Marvel should start making more games based on its heroes without necessarily tying and timing them to a movie

-When there is a movie, he wants to get to work earlier, even before a script is final. He said he's telling Sega to get started on the "Thor" and "Avengers" games (based on the movies coming out in 2010) now.

-He thinks Marvel should consider making more downloadable and casual videogames based on its properties.

Meanwhile, Warner is trying a new strategy for Watchmen, due next March:

"Deadline Games will be developing two episodic titles, one due for release at the same time as the film, the second when it's released on DVD. If they perform well, the rest will follow. These won't be cheap XBLA/PSN titles, either, as Ryan says the 'graphics look as good as any traditional PS3 or 360 game sitting on the shelf at retail'."

This is an interesting solution to the film-to-game connundrum overall.