In the lead-up to Kick-Ass, we were able to score an interview with the writer, Mark Millar.  While we don’t have the full interview ready yet, we thought we’d transcribe this little bit of news from the Ultimate Avengers front that came out during the interview.

Check back later in the week for the story about Kick-Ass.

“For Ultimate Avengers I’m revamping Blade which is a character I’ve loved since I was a little kid.  And I’m revamping The Punisher and so on.  So it’s all characters that we’ve never really seen in the Ultimates and I’m having a lot of fun doing that.  The next story line…the one that’s running just now is all about Captain America and his son, The Red Skull, and the second story arc is called “Crime and Punishment” and it’s where the Punisher  is captured, has an implant put in him and is forced to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.  And you see Ghost Rider.  I’ve done this with Ultimate Ghost Rider, Punisher, and I’ve got the African-American Hulk who was Bruce Banner’s mentor and the first Hulk, the guy who taught him everything he knows and he’s probably the character I’m most excited about.”

Then he said something in his accent that seems unintelligible about Blade and something called Vampire X.  We asked him about the artists on the Ultimate Avengers books, too.

“The first arc is Carlos Pachecho’s thing and that story is called The Next Generation.  The next one was called Ultimates Black, but I changed it to Crime and Punishment and the guy who’s doing that is Leinil Francis Yu.  Above that, I’m not sure.  I’ve written four of the six issues, but I haven’t decided upon an artist yet, because the guy who I originally was gonna use I’ve ended up pulling away and using on a creator owned property, you know? So, I’m meeting Marvel next week and I’ll finalize that next week.  And we’re thinking about Steve McNiven for the final arc.  We’ll see the Hulks versus, and see Punisher versus Captain America, you know the African-American Hulk versus the regular Hulk and so on.”

Check back soon for the full interview to talk about the future of Kick-Ass, the Kick-Ass movie and why Mark Millar would ever pour whiskey into his eyes on purpose.

We did an interview with John Romita, Jr. last week as part of the new blitz for Kick-Ass and he let drop a few juicy tidbits about his involvement with the new Avengers book launching this May.  This will be the first time the triumvirate of Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America will be reunited on The Avengers since Brian Michael Bendis’ “Avenger’s Disassembled” Arc from almost 10 years ago.

Romita is a superstar in the Marvel world and one of my favorite artists.  When he let slip a few things about the book, I was incredibly excited.  It might not be much, but it gets me going, for sure.

“I can’t tell you a whole lot about [the Heroic Age] because I’m not really privy to a lot of it.  And second I’m kind of jumping onto Avengers without a lot of advanced notice even on my part.  It was a last second thing.  It’s kind of like trying to hop onto a causeway with a tricycle.  I’m catching up. So I don’t know much about the Heroic age other than what’s in the Avengers book I’m working on, and it’s a very contentious story line.  Brian Bendis is brilliant and I know where he’s going with it and it’s amazing.  As far as how it’s connected to the other stories I don’t know, but what I’m doing with the Avengers and every character in the world is in it, I’m sure it has a lot to do with what I’m doing right now.“

When asked about keeping up with things in the Marvel U, he dropped this tidbit:

“But because of Brian and the advent of doing this, right after I was supposed to be doing Thor, and I did the Free Comic Book Day issue with Iron Man and Thor, I started reading some side issues and paying attention and I’m really loving it.  Now they have a time travel story line involved here and the Hulk is involved here. It’s amazing.  It’s incredible and it’s a testament to Brian, a testament to all the writers, but I don’t read enough to give you guys any insight.”

So come back later today or tomorrow for the full interview with John Romita, Jr. as well as another interview with Mark Millar, and a bigger look at Kick-Ass and the future of the Millar’s work in the Ultimate Marvel U.

Once again we’ve been given a space in the Salt Lake weekly paper IN This Week, and once again Swank tells you what comics you should buy.

This list was made for readers of the magazine who might want introductions to various sorts of comics or comic heroes that might not know where they should start.

You can read the full, unabridged version of the article online here.

To buy the comics listed in the article check out Amazon or your local comic book store.

This episode features: Zombietron, Kill-Tacular-Tron, Arse-Bot, Mexicus Prime, Proletaria-tron, and special guest and Founding Contributor, Clang! Boom! Steam!

The the February edition of the Big Shiny Podcast we give you a run-down of the piles and piles of television and movie news including Cap casting, reboots, LOST, and The Walking Dead! Zombietron gives us the skinny on recent video game releases – including one game he is already calling “Game of the Year” – while Arse-bot calls out all the pussy cheaters on Call of Duty. Clang! Boom! Steam! shows up to class this whole cluster-fuck up and give us all a great run down of what’s been going on, currently going on, and going to… go… on… in Marvel comics!

February Big Shiny Podcast

• iTunes – Be sure to subscribe, rate and comment!
• BSR mp3

Hooray for Internets and their unrelenting fan bases! Ghostbusters got two kick-ass wins this week. The first involving a much needed patch (plus possible DLC) for Ghostbusters: The Video Game’s online play. The second is IDW addressing why Schoening and Eatock’s comic wasn’t picked up.

Jame Eatock posted this earlier this week:

IDW explained to Schoening and Eatock why they turned down their 10-page pitch, as well as IDW’s plans for the franchise. Apparently these plans also involve the two of them working on a Ghostbusters related project. Which is pretty awesome.

IDW Editor, Tom Waltz explained where they were coming from on the GBFans Forum. I’m very surprised how out of their way IDW has gone to keep the Ghostbusters fan community happy. Included below is what Tom posted:

Hello, everyone.

First of all, let me thank every GB fan on this board for your dedicated support to this great franchise. It’s great to see fans interacting so passionately, no matter what the debate may be, or what side you happen to take. Just shows there is still a lot of Ghostbusters love in this world, and I’m happy for it.

Secondly, please know that we at IDW — starting with myself as the GB editor, and all the way through the editorial ranks and beyond — also love the Ghostbusters. We would never have taken on the license if we didn’t. We are passionate fans, too, first and foremost, and we want to do big, exciting things with the property and its beloved characters.

That said, we’ve been catching a bit of heat lately about Dan and James’ rejected pitch, and not always fairly. The truth is this — the pitch was rejected for many reasons that I won’t go into here, other than to say none of it had to do with quality. Dan and James put together a professional, high-quality pitch, and we did take notice. Matter of fact, I’ve been talking recently with both gents about doing some GB stuff for IDW in the near future — I love their work, as does the movie studio.

No, it won’t be their 10-issue story — right now, the direct market is not a viable avenue for a maxi-series of that sort. Sad but true. The direct market simply is what it is, and as much as we’d like to do a long series like the one James and Dan pitched, or even an ongoing series (and, trust me, I’d LOVE to be editing a GB ongoing), it isn’t feasible at this point in time. GB sales would have to jump dramatically for us to even consider it — and, again, it’s purely a business decision and has nothing to do with James’ or Dan’s creative talent, nor IDW’s perceived lack of love for the property. Comic books, though nobody likes to admit it, are a business, and we publishers are at the will of retailers and comics buyers — and right now, as popular as it is with folks on this forum, Ghostbusters is not getting the kind of direct market pre-orders/orders or interest that would justify anything beyond one-shots and/or four-issue mini-series. The numbers are good, but we need them to be great.

Furthermore, I have to admit to being offended by some who, because our previous offerings haven’t been to their tastes, are saying our past creators and editorial teams didn’t possess true love or understanding of the franchise. One, that is blatantly false — every creator we’ve worked with sought us out because they love GB and genuinely wanted to be a part of the universe. Two, everything we publish is first scrutinized and approved by the movie studio, and nothing goes to the printer until they bless it front to back, top to bottom — and, yes, we do rewrites and redraws all the time. I’d like to think that, after all this, if the studio gives it the thumbs up, then you as fans are, indeed, getting bonafide Ghostbusters stories, duly approved by the very people who brought you Ghostbusters in the first place. Does that mean you have to like what you get? No… you don’t, and we acknowledge and respect that not everyone will be happy with our output. But please never think we’re just doing these things on our own without any passion for the property, or any input from the studio, because that is just not true.

All this being said, I, like all of you, want more Ghostbusters. My goal as the editor of the property at IDW is to build our numbers to the point where we can do an ongoing series — and with your help, I might just be able to do that. How can you help? By letting your retailers know you want more Ghostbusters comics ordered and stocked in their stores, by positively supporting the books that have come before and are yet to be published (and we’ve got some good ones coming), and by making sure the next GB movie is a huge hit, which will carry over into comics sales, I have no doubt.

We are all on the same team, folks. Flame wars and in-fighting do nothing for the cause but weaken it. Instead, let’s get fired up and get the world thinking and talking about the Ghostbusters again in nothing but good ways!

I know I want that to happen… what about you?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I really do appreciate it.

I’ll see all of you in the funny books.

Tom Waltz
Editor
IDW Publishing

Thanks to Proton Charging for keeping up on GB news.

First and foremost, I’ll say this review will have “spoilers”. If you’ve read the comic, you have some surprises in store for you. But, for the most part it is a very loyal rendition of the comic.

I’m going to assume those of you reading this review, are familiar with Kick-Ass. Average teenage kid decided he’d rather not be so average, dawns a wet suit and tries to fight crime. Doesn’t work out so well, but he inspired a few others to rock their own super hero alter egos. Because of this he gets thrown in the middle of a mafia shit-storm.

Enough recap. You’re all here to see how it holds up to the book, some side by side comparison, right? First, I think it’s worth noting how perfect the casting for this movie was. And yes, Nick Cage is awesome and Big Daddy. Similar to Christian Bale growling when he’s Batman, Cage makes a transformation of his own when he’s Big Daddy. Although its a little more Adam West than growly Bale. McLovin’ was an awesome choice for Red Mist. And the rest being no-names worked out in the movies favor.

Kick-Ass the movie had a lot more back story on the Red Mist and his mafia father, as well as Big Daddy and Hit Girl. John Romita Jr. even helped create an animated comic book origin for Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Which, in my opinion, was a great addition. I feel like this will help the general audience not familiar with the comic to really enjoy the film. As a matter of fact, I think all of the changes will help this movie be enjoyed by a wider audience.

Most of the changes from the comic to the film are in the last act of the movie. The confrontation between Big Daddy, Kick-Ass and the mafia. How Big Daddy bites the big one. As well as the climax with mafia boss Frank D’Amico. Certain additions to the final fight I will leave as a surprise for you. They had me literally laughing out loud at the awesomeness on screen.

Some of the other movie patrons scoffed at the “unrealistic” new ending. Because they felt the comic was completely based in reality. I would call bull shit on this criticism. As much as I love the comic, no eleven-year-old girl could be turned into a mercenary like Hit Girl (Who gets an laugh out loud first person shooter sequence. No joke, and it’s totally awesome.).

To wrap this all up, hands down this is one of my favorite super hero movies. It would make the top five with no problem. I also feel that the movie rendition was better than the comic. It had better pacing and I think that my concerns about a wider audience enjoying the film were put to rest. Word of mouth will hopefully make this a box office hit.

Also stay tuned for some exclusive interviews with Mark Millar and John Romita Jr!

I am an unadulterated Tim Burton fan.  I’ve enjoyed most of his movies with a few glaring exceptions (Planet of the Apes, Willy Wonka, etc.) and when I heard he was tackling Alice in Wonderland, I was incredibly excited.  I’ve always loved the Alice mythos.  I loved the books as a kid, I loved reading the books to my kids, and the animated Disney version is like crack to me.  I can’t begin to impress upon you how much I still love the animated Alice in Wonderland, I still quote it often, particularly every time someone mentions mustard.  ”Mustard?!  Let’s not be silly, but lemon, that’s something else…”

And by the way, this will have a couple of potential spoilers in it.  You’ve been warned.

And marrying one of my favorite mythos with one of my favorite filmmakers was a no-brainer.  The movie began and I was transfixed.  Sure, I thought the overt use of symbolism from Wonderland was a bit overt, but I swallowed it down wanting to love the movie and it worked.  And when Alice fell down the rabbit hole, I had the chills.

I was incredibly concerned about what would happen once we got into Tim Burton’s Wonderland.  Wonderland has always been an incredibly silly place and I was worried that when it was married to Tim Burton’s style it would be a little too much, but it never was.  He restrained as much of himself as was necessary and provided an excellent live action take on Wonderland.  But from the get go, we can tell that something is different in this Wonderland.  Since Alice’ last visit (which she has no recollection of) the Red Queen (played to hilarious effect by Helena Bonham Carter) has taken over Wonderland by force of the Jabberwocky and her awkardly animated knave Stayne (played by Crispin Glover.)  The land is covered in darkness and ash and a secret brotherhood of Wonderland denizens want to do something about it and their scroll foretold that they needed Alice to come back to slay the Jabberwocky with the Vorpal Blade.

Now, here is a minor complaint about the film…  They tell you right then and there what’s going to happen.  Alice is going to slay the Jabberwocky with the Vorpal blade.  And when it happens it isn’t exactly a surprise.  It’s tremendous to watch, but pretty expected.  But this wasn’t a concern I had while watching the movie.  I was through the looking glass as I watched, it wasn’t until afterwards that this point jumped out at me as a bit sloppy.

As the film built toward that end, with Alice going through echoes of her paces from her first adventure in Wonderland, but this time on the run from the Red Queen, I was buying more and more into the drama and the world to the point where I was getting the chills every so often.  When the Mad Hatter (played with a ridiculous and overbearing smattering of different accents by Johnny Depp) recited the poem about the Jabberwocky, I about lost it in a good way.

The first two thirds of the film worked magic for me.

And then Alice performs her deed and then something so unconscionable happened.  A film I was ready to pronounce a 10 out of 10 suddenly turned into a 6.  I was dragged kicking and screaming out of the film by a ridiculous dance number with a bit of hip-hop music and Johnny Depp’s head spinning that looked even more fake than when Beetlejuice pulled that kind of stuff.  It betrayed the tone of the film and I felt like I was exiled out into the cold.  I had bought so completely into this epic story that was very much like Alice in Wonderland meets Lord of the Rings and during the denouement I was kicked in the gut with something killed all momentum in the film.  It brought it to a terrifying and screeching halt.  And it couldn’t get me back.

Suddenly what came after didn’t seem to matter.

So, I’m all for the first two thirds of the film, I thought they were tremendous and I enjoyed them immensly, but when you get to the dance number, you may as well leave since it throws you out of the movie anyway.

Maybe you won’t feel that way now that you’ve had some forewarning.  If I can do that little bit to help you enjoy the movie more, then I will have done my job.

So, Tim Burton, congratulations in making your best movie in a long time.  And I’m sorry you had to stain it with that moment.

Preview of the Flash #1:

It was announced last year that after Flash: Rebirth we would see a new ongoing series featuring Barry Allen. This morning on the DC blog, The Source, we get a look at this highly anticipated series which is scheduled to be released. It is being written by Geoff Johns, who in addition to writing Green Lantern and the upcoming Brightest Day was also just named Chief Creative Officer for DC Entertainment. And on art we have Francis Manapul  who, with Johns, finished up their arc on Adventure Comics. Below are preview pages from the first issue of The Flash along with a copy the full blog post from DC.

Kick off the week with a look at THE FLASH #1

Monday, March 1st, 2010

By Alex Segura

The Flash is back.

Can’t really say how cool it was to just type those words. And it’s really happening, with writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul uniting to launch Barry Allen into his own monthly series. But coming back may have been the easy part. When one of the Flash’s deadliest foes turns up dead, can the newly-returned Scarlet Speedster scour Central City to solve the crime before the elusive killer strikes again?

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is almost here, and the only thing that can possibly tide us over is a peek at the first issue, courtesy of Johns and Manapul.

Johns, no stranger to the adventures of those who ride the lightning brings his knack for well-crafted drama and human dialogue to Manapul’s skillfully designed page, which bursts with an infectious energy. It’s simple: You do not want to miss this book.

But before you scroll down and check out these lovely pages, make sure to keep your eyes locked on THE SOURCE this week, as we’ll be talking more Flash in the coming days.

THE FLASH #1 hits 4/14.

This week, I decided to introduce readers to the Soap Opera of comics and the many Robin’s of Batman. I’ve always been surprised how few people know about all the Robin’s and this was my attempt at cramming that history into 300 words.

As you can tell, I got cut off in the print version (below) but you can read the online version here.

If you live in the Salt Lake or Park City areas, you can pick up a copy of IN This Week on newstands everywhere.

Every once in a while a game comes along that redefines how we feel about a genre, system, or an art style. It’s rare that a game comes along that changes the way we feel about gaming. Heavy Rain is what I believe to be that game.

Playing as Ethan, a father who blames himself for the death of his son. You begin combatting rigorous trials set up by the Origami killer, who has kidnapped your sole surviving son. While Ethan struggles on 3 other characters are placed into play: a private detective, a high-end fashion photographer Madison, and an FBI agent with a bad habit Jayden. The game play progresses by moving you from character to character playing out their chunks of the story one piece at a time. Every decision you make, and every button press you mess up or miss directly change the outcome, and possibly that characters fate. If you happen to get a character killed the game doesn’t end, it simply continues without that characters presence.

Never before have I felt concern for my characters as seriously as I do in Heavy Rain, and the developers do an incredible job of putting you in the moment. There are scenes in the game where I felt emotionally strained or frustrated because I couldn’t find the person I was chasing, or get through the crowd as fast as I wanted to while trying to escape. Blending that with a compelling story, and characters who at times feel alive made this game something I could not put down. Every moment of tracking the Origami Killer was a heart wrenching experience, and to make it better, there are multiple endings. Once finishing the game you see how each decision you made will change the outcome and what you could have done better. I’ve heard the developer recommends only 1 play through but how could you?! The game is so exciting and compelling that multiple play throughs would be easy.  Every thing you do with Ethan in his Saw style massicistic adventure leads to multiple avenues, rooms simply suggest, “How will i perform this?” “with what device?” Without giving away story points or well grotesque horror that can be caused, one trial literally had 4-5 different methods you could utilize to perform the task, and you still have the choice to not do it!  You simply wouldn’t gain more information about your sons location.

Heavy Rain is a must have for Playstation Owners, leaving this game out of your library would be a huge mistake. Quantic Dream has shown us what high end technology and video games are capable of. After finishing my first play through of this game I immediately started again, and will definitely be purchasing every piece of episodic content released, starting with the Taxidermist which should be available immediately. Order from Amazon Here

Liked:

• Strong character design with gorgeous graphics, complete freedom to play the game how you would. Treat people how you would and once again feel guilty for your choices.
• Innovative contro scheme that made me feel involved in the action, more than just shooting and fighting, the controls actually made me feel the strain of gameplay during tough scenes.
• Beautifully mixed surround sound audio that makes you feel like you are in the game, rain falling from all speakers and voices coming from good screen placement, and a gorgeously composed soundtrack.
• Everything this game had to offer

Disliked:

• The thought that people won’t play this

Score:

• Graphics – 10
• Audio – 10
• Gameplay – 10
• Replay – 10
• Story -10

Overall : 10

Don’t miss this release