Summer Is Here

Well, maybe not technically… Summer doesn’t “officially” start until June 21st, but it sure as hell feels like it temperature wise.

And, the sure-fired blockbuster hit of the summer, Iron Man, came out a few weeks ago. Sorry, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I think you might have to settle for numero dos.

As I’ve stated before, I’m not a big fan of the heat. And, apparently neither is my cat, Quint. He has decided that the coolest place in the house is under my desk — which makes for some interesting startles when I shift my bare toes around while I’m working at my desk. Yes, my cat often sleeps with his paws covering his eyes.

Oh, and my apologies for anybody that clicked to this post thinking it might be yet another Summer Glau post. I know, I haven’t had one in awhile. I’ll try to amend that soon.

Pain In The Neck

Ouch…ouch…ouch…ouch. Damned pinched nerve in my left shoulder/neck area is making it really difficult to get any work done today. Can’t really type very comfortably. Using the mouse with my right hand to surf the net and such doesn’t seem to cause nearly as much pain.

Bill Lawrence Is My Hero

I like Bill Lawrence. Besides creating the animated Clone High and the sitcom Spin City, he created one of my all-time favorite TV shows — Scrubs. Now that it’s official that Scrubs is in fact leaving NBC for greener pastures over at ABC, Mr. Lawrence let loose with his thoughts regarding Scrubs‘ former network, as well as providing some insight to the future of Scrubs over at the new network — all via the Ausillo Scoop at TVGuide.com. He really lays it all out in regards to NBC’s treatment of the program after returning from the Writers’ Strike — “Total harsh buzz of not giving a shit about a show that had been on the network for seven years and made them millions of dollars.” (Note: I elected not to censor the quote.)

And, in other Scrubs news that I stumbled upon… The Ausliio Scoop (or Ausillo Report — I see that it is referred to as both) is reporting that three new interns will be joining Sacred Heart Hospital. The three newbies to suffer the wrath of Dr. Cox will be played by Betsy Beutler (The Black Donnellys), Eliza Coupe (I Think I Love My Wife) and Aziz Ansari (Human Giant).

Humpday Hubbabaloo — 05/14

Went to the Angels/White Sox game last night — my Angels won. It was turning quite the pitchers duel, at least until the eighth inning when my Angels scored two runs. My Angels are back in first place — at least by half a game at the time of this post. Apparently, last night was the only night of the week that they weren’t giving away free swag at the game — Monday night they were giving away Torii Hunter bobbleheads, tonight they’re giving away Angels beanies, and tomorrow night they’re giving away retro-style caps from 1971. But, I’ll take a “W” over free swag any night. John Lackey is expected to return to the mound tonight after having been on the DL since the beginning of the season. This is a good thing, my two fantasy baseball teams could use his arm.

There are a handful of comics that I want to pick up today. They include:

• SERENITY BETTER DAYS #3
• BATMAN #676 RIP
• TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD #11
• ALL NEW IRON MANUAL
• AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #559
• GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #1
• SECRET INVASION FANTASTIC FOUR #1
• CTHULHU TALES #2
• EVERYBODYS DEAD #3
• NORTH WIND #5
• PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #3
• STAR TREK ALIEN SPOTLIGHT TP
• WARHAMMER CONDEMNED BY FIRE #1
• ZORRO #3

Over the last couple of days I’ve had some great artwork come in on the various projects that I’m working on including covers and interior pages. I’m anxious to show some of it off, but it’s probably in the best interest to hold steady a bit and unleash it all when the time is right to promote said projects. But it’s very cool to see artwork based on your words show up in your email inbox.

Last Thursday was the last episode of the seventh and final season of Scrubs on NBC — and in tradition of treating the show like the ugly red-headed stepchild, NBC aired the episodes out of order and finished with what many consider the weakest episode so far. Oh, well… Scrubs will be returning next mid-season on ABC.

And, speaking of Scrubs, my good friend David had a nifty surprise for me when we met to catch Speed Racer last Saturday, a Scrubs directors chair…

Lately I’ve had the urge to play building simulation games and have been tinkering around with my old copies of Roller Coaster Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon. I might have to go out and pick up something new and give it whirl. But, I shouldn’t be tinkering with or whirling any games right now — I’ve got writing to do.

One more week until Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!

Angry Fanboy - 9

Today is George Lucas‘ 64th birthday. Can you imagine what he must have been experiencing on his 33rd birthday — just a mere eleven days before the release of the original Star Wars?

Benefiting To A Pulp, Or Pulping To Benefit

PULP TALES BENEFIT BOOK FOR JOSH MEDORS
Contributions by Steve Niles, Josh Fialkov, Kody Chamberlain, Tony Fleecs, Dan Taylor and more! Covers by Ben Templesmith and Josh Medors. 24pgs, FC SRP: $3.99

Help BOOM! Studios support comic book artist Josh Medors, recently diagnosed with cancer, by ordering the benefit comic book PULP TALES. This two-fisted one-shot features all-new, action-packed stories by horror master Steve Niles, P.U.N.K.S’ Josh Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain, ‘76’s B. Clay Moore & Seth Peck, Capote in Kansas’ Chris Samnee, In My Lifetime’s Tony Fleecs, and more! Featuring a cover by Ben Templesmith!

ALL PROCEEDS will go to Josh Medors and his family. HELP NOW AND PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK TODAY!

When I was approached by Boom! Studios’ editor Matt Gagnon to serve as the editor of this project and shepherd it along it didn’t take long for me to enthusiastically jump on board. And, the same can be said about the talent that have offered to roll up their sleeves and spin some action-packed, two-fisted tales of pulp-goodness to back up our guy, Josh. Another great talent that has stepped up is artist Andy B. I had previously mentioned Josh when I posted about the Benefit Auction being held for his cause at last weekend’s Emerald City Comic Con. It’s great when an industry such as the comic book industry — that in all aspects is rather tight-knit — can answer the call, rally the troops, and help one of our own. As for Pulp Tales, we’re packing a lot into this beauty and I couldn’t be more honored to be part of this team. Thanks to everybody on board so far, and thanks in advance to everybody who’ll be picking up a copy upon its release. Now, check out Ben Templesmith’s pulpy-creepy cover below…

Movie Review - Speed Racer

Speed Racer – (7 stars)

Born to race cars, Speed Racer is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized - the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secret - some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line.

Wow! Two movies in one week. I’m on a role. Unfortunately, the second movie I saw this week didn’t quite measure up or live up to expectations as well as the first. I wanted to love Speed Racer. I had been anticipating a big screen Speed Racer movie for well over two decades. Now, that’s not to say that I didn’t like Speed Racer, I just didn’t love it — but I did like the movie. I probably couldn’t recommend the movie to everyone. I have a special attachment to to Speed Racer, and if it weren’t for that I probably would be as critical or ho-hum as some of the other reviewers out there.

John Goodman is spot-on as Pops Racer. Christina Ricci is adorable as Trixie. And, Emile Hirch pulls off a great sometime brooding yet driven Speed. The visuals are stellar — no doubt about that. But, rather than drive the shortest distance from plotpoint to plotpoint, the movie seems to take more than enough detours.

I remember talking to my other movie geek buddies in high school (over twenty years ago) about how there should be a live-action Speed Racer movie. Is the Wachowski Brothers’ movie the same kind of Speed Racer movie I would’ve made. No. The thrilling car acrobatics and strong sense of family were there, but the movie seemed as if it couldn’t quite make up its mind as to what kind of movie it was aiming to be. It definitely resembled a “family film” — but the over two hour length and the involved of corporate take-overs and industrial sabotage seemed a bit complicated for a “family film.”

It’s a shame that Speed Racer opened up a week later then, and under the shadow of the much more impressive Iron Man.

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox
Written and Directed by: Wachowski Brothers
Produced by: Joel Silver, Grant Hill and the Wachowski Brothers
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking.

Official Site - IMDB Site - Wikipedia Site

Send In The Clone Wars

Alright, this borderline jaded fan of the original Star Wars trilogy (that would be Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, for you youngsters keeping score at home) is actually looking forward to the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars — Episode II½, perhaps?

Now this theatrically released chapter of the Star Wars franchise — scheduled to hit theaters August 15th — is actually going to serve as the premiere of sorts to the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television series that is scheduled to premiere this fall on both the Cartoon Network and TNT. The trailer of said “Episode II½,” will be making its own official premiere tonight — May 8, 2008 — on five (count’em, five) Turner networks…

At 7:58 p.m. in all U.S. time zones, Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS, CNN, and Boomerang will debut an action-packed, two-minute preview of the animated adventure from creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation. It marks the first time a theatrical trailer has received a simultaneous, cross-network airing on Turner Networks. The trailer debuts in theaters on Friday, May 9, along with the first poster for the movie. (From StarWars.com)

Now, I may have already seen a crappy foreign language version of said trailer on line — before it was yanked. And, I’m sure a nice clear and crisp version in oh-so-pretty Quicktime will be available on line some time tomorrow as well. But, if I happen to remember I’m going to try to catch the airing tonight. (Probably on TBS since I’m more likely to watch a 7:30 rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond before watching Lou Dobbs on CNN.)

But… This isn’t the Star Wars TV series that I’m looking forward to the most. In the immortal words of Yoda (from The Empire Strikes Back) — “There is another…“

Movie Review - Iron Man

Iron Man – (9 stars)

Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

Alright, my “geek card” is no longer in danger of being revoked — I saw Iron Man last night. I didn’t wait for the DVD, nor did I wait for it to start airing on the movie channels. And, although I wasn’t there for the first midnight showing, nor opening day, I did see it opening week. I had to. I got Speed Racer and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull right around the corner. Whew… May is a helluva movie month.

If there is one true-fast rule in Hollywood it’s that super hero movies are hit or miss — there’s no mediocre or middle of the road. Fortunately for super hero fans and movie goers in general, Iron Man is a bona fide hit. This is evident by the film pulling in some $102 million its opening weekend. Being the comic book geek that I am, it wasn’t a guarantee that I was going go dig the flick. We fanboys are a very critical bunch — and have no problem with biting the hand that feeds us our entertainment. Well, director Jon Favreau safely has all of his fingers intact without a single one being bitten off.

Is Iron Man the best super hero movie ever? Not quite sure just yet. But, it’s up there. (For the record, I’d say that Spider-Man 2 is currently king of the super hero movie hill.) But, I’d believe it’s safe to say that if Iron Man manages to keep the momentum that it has generated so far, that the Iron Man sequel due out in 2010 could very will be crowned king. When it comes to super hero movie franchises the first film has to carry the heavy load of getting across the inevitable origin of the hero. Iron Man pulls that off better than any other super hero movie to date — and a lot of the credit should probably go to Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark, the man to eventually become Iron Man. Downey does a great job convincing the audience of Stark’s metamorphosis from brash billionaire industrialist playboy to super hero with a conscience and a cause.

And, I’m not the only one that dug the movie… My girlfriend, who pretty much had no idea about anything Iron Man, loved the movie — as well as crushing on Robert Downey Jr. now as well.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Written by: Mark Fegus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Produced by: Avi Arad and Kevin Feige
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Raging: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

Official Site - IMDB Site - Wikipedia Site

Pimping Action, Ohio

Neil Kleid, fellow conspirator, co-creator, and co-writer of the upcoming dark Hollywood tale of starlets, pop stars, and heiresses has a new web comic debuting at Zuda this month. Along with artist Paul Salvi, Neil introduces us to Action, Ohio.

Action, Ohio is the story of Detective Andrea Bruce, a Detroit policewoman who doesn’t believe in heroes. But when a teenager dies stopping a fire with amazing abilities and the coroner suspects foul play, Andrea discovers a secret town of superheroes while tracking his killer. In the sixties, men responsible for the birth of Silver Age comic books found a town riddled with the fallout of the atomic age and invented fictional characters based on its residents to divert the world from their existence: If America thought super heroes were fictional beings, it wouldn’t go looking for them.

So follow Neil over to Action, Ohio and vote to see this web comic continue as a regular feature. For those of you that aren’t in the know, the web comic with the most votes in the monthly competition returns for a regular year-long run — which in turn, will help the Kleids diaper fun that will be needed come this fall.

Also, with Neil winning I won’t have to worry about competing with him when I finally get my Zuda entry together and on board.