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COMIC BOOKS AT THE GATE |
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Growler
on Superhero Comic Books >
INDEX
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The
superhero comic book is banging at the gate of popular entertainment.
Too
long kept out by self-doubt and historical misconceptions.
A
new vanguard of talent is forging a permanent legacy, soon to be embedded
in everyday life.
Are
you ready for conquest?
Featuring
passionate thoughts and comments on the superhero comic book industry
and more by Rawle Austin.
Panels
and Paragraphs.
Yep,
it’s easy to take it for granted so if you’re new to comics,
here’s the secret.
Follow
the panels from left to right, top to bottom.
The
panels are the shapes that contain the artwork.
They’re
normally squares or rectangles but any shape will do to enhance
the story.
This
rule also applies to reading the word balloons inside the panels.
Panels
are the equivalent to paragraphs in written text.
So
there you go.
Simple.
Give
it a try.
Comic
books are segmented into different markets. The
most lucrative are superheroes and manga. I'm
a huge superhero fan.
Focusing
on the superhero market for now, this is divided into broad categories
and is covered extensively in Wizard magazine.
The
single hero, the team book (two or more main characters), the teen
team book, inter-title crossover (within the same company), inter-company
crossover.
Click
here to check out Thor Volume 5 TPB (Marvel Comics) by Walt Simonson
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These
are in turn divided into two areas, costume and costume - less.
All
the above mentioned categories feature great stories covering both science
fiction and fantasy and have a deep emotional resonance at their core.
Basically,
you feel for the characters.
This
is true of the old classics to through to new concepts being produced
today by Marvel and DC Comics.
DC
Comics, by the way, has a new logo. They've
changed it from the DC bullet to the DC spin.
This
is to update their image as well as compete with Marvel Comics as
a popular, global entertainment brand.
It
will now add this logo to all related merchandise and movies. This,
in my opinion, is long overdue as many people still think Superman
and Batman are published by Marvel!
The
Marvel juggernaut has been wildly successful and now has high recognition
amongst the general public.
Click
here to check out the Essential Official Handbook Of The Marvel
Universe Volume 1 TPB (Marvel Comics)
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You’d
never believe they were bankrupt just a few years ago.
A
true success story!
Marvel
have also updated their ratings system.
Created
as guide in 2001 it will now comprise of three catergories which
are; All Ages, T + ( suggested for teen and up), Parental Advisory,
and MAX: Explicit content (adults only).
This
covers the width and breadth of the comic book reading audience
and helps to explode the dying myth that comic books are solely
for kids.
I’d
like to see all publishers adopt a similar stance in the same vein
as movies and video games.
Marvel's
X-Men:Reload has been reloaded again with creator changes.
Artist
Alan Davis has left Uncanny X-Men. His
replacement will be Chris Bachalo.
Click
here to check out the Essential Official Handbook Of The Marvel
Universe - Deluxe Edition Volume 1 TPB (Marvel Comics)
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Writer
Chuck Austen was replaced by Peter Milligan on X-Men.
New
X-Men has writers Chris Yost and Craig Kyle taking over from Nunzio DeFilippis
and Christina Weir and will have X-23 - the young female ‘wolverine
clone' - join the team.
This
artist for this series will be by the hot new talent Mark Brooks.
The
main Fantastic Four title has new creators at the helm in time for
the new movie.
Writer
J M Straczynski and artist Mike McKone will make magic on this title.
Author
Mark Millar and penciller Greg Land will ply their awesome craft
on Ultimate Fantastic Four.
Black
Panther has lost legendary artist John Romita JR who has left the
title to pencil a new Sentry mini-series.
His
replacement is to be confirmed. Writer Reginald Hudlin will continue
his stellar run on this title.
And
finally, artists Andy and Adam Kubert, sons of legendary Joe Kubert
are going DC exclusive after a lifetime of quality work at Marvel.
Both
pencillers are true masters of the form. Look for their takes on
the DC icons Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in the future.
Click
here to check out the Essential Defenders Volume 1 TPB (Marvel Comics)
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The
monthly Previews catalogue will have all the details.
Ok.
From comic books to comic book and sci-fi movies.
A
word to the studios.
Please
make sure the films are good while in development.
A
few movie critics are baying for the blood of superhero movies.
They
say there are too many being produced.
Why
are they saying this?
Partly
because the quality level has been dropping.
Studios
should pause for a moment and take stock before developing and releasing
a project, so it doesn’t stray too far from the original stories.
Stories
that made the concepts popular to begin with. The
source material has plenty of classic stories with universal appeal.
Great entertainment for all.
By
keeping the quality level high it will ensure that comic book movies
are a permanent mainstay of Hollywood and not just a passing fad.
That's what I want to see anyway.
Click
here to check out the Essential Defenders: Vol 2 TPB (Marvel Comics)
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I
actually enjoyed Ang Lee's Hulk up until the end fight sequence which
was confusing and poorly lit.
And
to have Bruce Banner’s dad turn into ‘the absorbing man’
was a stretch too far considering the Hulk's great comic book rogues gallery.
Star
wars. Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. There is no doubt that George Lucas
is a successful and inspirational filmmaker.
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film looked good all the way with the phenomenal special effects
and it had great action sequences throughout.
Intially,
I was a little unimpressed and wanted more, but taking a look back
and seeing all six films as a cohesive whole I think it was a masterpiece
in storytelling.
Lucas
has a grand vision he wanted to tell, a large epic and a tragic
human story that saw redemption at the end.
A particular standout performance was the excellent Ian McDiarmund
as Emperor Palpatine.
He
was pure genius and nearly made the Sith sound cooler than the Jedi!
The
specials effects were simply fantastic and the final fate of the
Jedi was suitably haunting. I
rate it a 7 out of 10.
I have to respect George Lucas for bringing his story and dream
to a global audience. That's
inspirational.
Click
here to check out the Essential Defenders Volume 3 TPB (Marvel Comics)
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Dark
Horse Comics hold the license to publish Star Wars comics and are well
worth checking out.
Batman
Begins. As a fan of Tim Burton’s first Batman film (simply because
it was the first time Batman was done seriously) I can truly say that
this surpasses it on every level.
Staying
true to the comic books source and borrowing heavily from Frank Miller’s
Year One story this is the real Batman. We
get an origin story directed by Christopher Nolan that is complete and
satisfying. It’s
very dark and packs a hell of a punch. Christian Bale is the perfect Batman.
The
casting for the supporting roles is superb from Michael Caine to Morgan
Freeman.
The
line "Didn't you get the memo?" just reinforced how good a film
this was.
The
ending lets you know there'll be sequel and it's cleverly done.
"I'll look into it." indeed.
If
you haven't seen this yet, go and watch a true comic book movie
gem. 9 out of 10.
And
another thing.
I
loved Frank Miller’s Batman: Dark Knight Strikes Again or
DK2. It
was Frank’s take on the DC Universe and he captured it perfectly.
The
art complemented the story’s grittiness and it's a worthy
sequel to The Dark Knight Returns.
It’s
had a lot of mixed reviews but I recommend the graphic novel to
anyone who likes a good, solid, thrilling adventure.
Click
here to check out the Essential Captain Marvel Volume 1 TPB (Marvel
Comics) by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas
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Keeping
with the Frank Miller theme, Sin City was fantastic!
Directed
by both himself and Robert Rodriguez this film was brutally stylish and
a great story.
Shot
in black and white with dashes of colour here and there.
Did
you spot Miller’s confessional cameo?
Brilliant!
War
of the Worlds. Started off well and established a sense of menace
and almost fizzled out into cliché just after half way but
kept a good pace and atmosphere.
Minority
Report was much better from the Spielberg/Cruise team up in my opinion.
Caught
a glimpse of the Justice League Unlimited animated series on TV.
It
looks great.
Starring
the whole DC universe and written by some of the comic book greats.
The episode I saw was Dark Heart, written by the one and only Warren
Ellis.
Great
stuff!
Click
here to check out Justice League of America: Tornado's Path v. 1
(DC Comics) by Brad Meltzer
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Been
watching a few Anime movies lately.
Saw
Akira (1987) for the first time and Neon Genesis Evangelion (1997). Still
cutting edge and influential.
Also
re-watched Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ninja Scroll (1993). The quality
still holds up today.
They're
a great source of inspiration and creativity.
Upcoming
wants list. Stuff I'll be looking out for (remember I'm trade only
now) are the August released New Avengers, Ultimates2 Vol.1, Astonishing
X-Men Vol.2, Adam Strange: Planet Heist , Runaways, and JSA:Lost.
And can't forget Black Panther in September. Quality reading expected
through and through.
Check
them out.
There’ll
be a New Dr Who in town. Christopher Eccleston stayed for one season
and nailed it. He
regenerates into the actor David Tennant who will be the new Doctor.
He'll start with a Christmas special before launching a brand new
series in 2006.
The
Fantastic Four movie is almost upon us Brits, with a release date
22 July over here. This was the superhero comic book that founded
the Marvel Universe.
Click
here to check out Justice League of America: Lightning Saga v. 2
TPB (DC Comics) by Brad Meltzer
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These
are A-List Marvel characters alongside Spiderman and the X-Men and of
course will be judged and compared to those films.
Word
of mouth so far is fairly mixed so I'll see for myself.
I’m
quite looking forward to it.
I
tend to stay away from reading reviews and spoilers until after I’ve
watched the film.
After
that it’s Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia for a double dose of
pure spectacle.
This
is the last Comic Books at the Gate column.
Remember,
there's a comic book near you waiting to be enjoyed.
Waiting
to march through the gate of popular entertainment.
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