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My VCR is Broken: Captain America

March 11th, 2008 Posted by Gavok

The comic of Jeph Loeb is fearful. Were the new scrapped vessel body and onslaught where the origin it changes read? Is this junk what?

Oh, sorry. I just tried venting at Jeph Loeb’s current work, only I translated it into Japanese and again back to English. It’s funny how that turned out, isn’t it?

If you recall, a few months back I posted an article that featured the comic adaptation of the Street Fighter live action movie. Sure, I had a ball with it and hopefully you enjoyed it as well, but something felt off about it. Having already seen the movie, it took out a lot of the flavor of the comic. That got me thinking.

There are a ton of comic book superhero movies out there and when you look at it, only recently have they been getting it right more often than naught. Back in the day, yes, we had stuff like Superman 2, but good movies like that were flukes. I like a bad movie as much as the next guy, but even I’ll admit that I’ve stayed away from these monstrosities for one reason or another.

Luckily, I don’t have to see these movies. Marvel and DC have almost always been kind enough to release these superhero stories the old fashion way, within the pages of a comic book. Why overpay for popcorn and sit in a cold theater when I can read about Shaq fighting crime while laying in a hammock in my back yard? I’m sure I won’t have to worry about bad acting or bad special effects.

This will be my first of several articles delving into the double-translated works of superhero movie comics.

The background of this movie confuses me a bit. From the little research I did after reading the comic, it was finished and released in the UK back in 1990, but then they did a bunch of re-shoots and edits before simply releasing it on video in the US in 1992. When I read a summary of the story for the finished version, it definitely shows that Stan wrote his comic about the initial screenplay of the film prior to the edits.

What’s that I said about Stan? Yes, I mean that Stan. The Stan. Stan Lee wrote the comic version of the movie with Bob Hall on art. This makes everything more interesting, since Stan Lee’s storytelling contrasts with anything you can imagine in a movie environment.

Read the rest of this entry �

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Paul Cornell on Real Characters

March 10th, 2008 Posted by david brothers

From Comic Book Resources – CBR News: SUPER SPY WEEKEND: Faisa Hussain

A Muslim, Faisa’s faith is very important to her. “I have two aims here: to make her a real person and not someone who has to represent the entire British Muslim world all the time — I think superheroes are too prone to being standard bearers for whole communities — and to make her an everyday religious person who you won’t hear anything religious from until it would naturally come up. Which is hardly ever. She’s not going to be letting anyone down, though. She’s the young hero who will win through. And we’ll play out some of these pressures and fault lines in the comic itself. I want people to adore her, not to be pleased she’s there as part of a quota system.”

There are a few things I like here:
1. Paul Cornell is a great writer, judging by the Wisdom miniseries he did a year or so ago. His new book looks great.
2. Pakistani female character written by a great writer.
3. Religion treated as religion is treated in real life. There are few people in life who are representatives of their religion (or race) and go around talking like “Well, in Leviticus 2:10, blah blah blah.” I can’t wait to see this.

Good on you, Paul Cornell.

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Funny Story

February 29th, 2008 Posted by david brothers

I learned the word “feeble,” and also “feeb,” from X-Men comics.

That wasn’t very funny after all, was it?

I love those words that comics writers used back in the day when they had to play it safe with dialogue. Can you imagine saying, “Hey, frail! Get over here!” and a woman actually getting upset and infuriated enough to hit you with the focused totality of her psychic powers (awourrg) instead of, say, laughing in your face like would happen these days?

I wish someone, somewhere, had documented all those ridiculous ’80s phrases. Claremont alone could fill half a dictionary.

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Black History Month 29: Black Is Black

February 29th, 2008 Posted by david brothers

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from marvel comics’s truth: red, white, and black by bob morales and kyle baker
Love us or leave us, we have always been here and we will always be here.

Black history is American history.

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Black History Month 28: We Fly High

February 28th, 2008 Posted by david brothers


Black Panther
you ain’t ready
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Blade and Brother Voodoo
“There are worse things out tonight than vampires.”
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Cage
amandla, man. (sorry)
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The Crew
don’t start none, won’t be none
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Flippa Dippa
look man, i got nothing.
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John Henry Irons, Steel
steel drivin’ man
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John Stewart, Green Lantern
taking him for granted would be a mistake
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(one more day!)

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Ultimate Edit Week 3: Day Seven

February 28th, 2008 Posted by Gavok

Getting love from the Scans_Daily crew, it’s the final installment of Ultimate Edit Week 3. Yesterday we saw Iron Man show off the magic Wanda-killing bullet to Wasp, right after everyone left for the Savage Land. So, what now?

(You really should read yesterday’s last page before continuing here.)

If you have any of those songs stuck in your head now, I consider this a job well done. ManiacClown will join me again the next time an issue drops, but in the meantime, I’ll still be around writing my usual brand of blogduggery. I have a handful of articles that are just sitting there, half done. I really should do something about that.

Thanks for reading.

Ultimate Edit Week 4!
Ultimate Edit Week 5

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Ultimate Edit Week 3: Day Six

February 28th, 2008 Posted by Gavok

As we last left our heroes, Wolverine finally shut the hell up and Wasp came up with a plan. They would try to sneak into the Savage Land to surprise a bunch of villains who have every reason to expect them coming. Brilliant.

Admittedly, not too many jokes this time around. For once, we’re actually getting plot progression here. Shocking, I know.

If that first page offended you, send all your hatemail to ManiacClown. Not that I’m going to give you his email, since I’ve grown to like the guy.

Tomorrow is the last three pages with a yawn-inducing cliffhanger. See you then.

Day Seven!

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Black History Month 27: Dirty Harriet

February 27th, 2008 Posted by david brothers


355
no-nonsense but common sense in droves
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Azteka
my favorite one-shot hero
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Misty Knight
the best fake pam grier ever
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Storm
first lady of the marvel universe
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storm04.jpg storm03.jpg storm02.jpg

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Ultimate Edit Week 3: Day Five

February 26th, 2008 Posted by Gavok

Welcome back, friends. Last time we met, Wolverine talked about meeting Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, followed by his ordered attempt to kill the latter. Then dinosaurs happened. Thankfully, we’re about done with his endless flashback.

That line at the end of the second page? I think we have a new 4th Letter tagline.

This is the part of the article where I give a token mention to ManiacClown for the assist. More tomorrow, as Iron Man and Black Panther show up for a spell.

Day Six!
Day Seven!

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Ultimate Edit Week 3: Day Four

February 25th, 2008 Posted by Gavok

Time once again for another three pages of Ultimate Edit. Last time we checked in, Wolverine bragged about getting some witch booty. Now let’s go forward one generation.

Sorry for the pun on page two. I had to get that joke out of my system.

Thanks to ManiacClown for the help and thanks to muscles like this? for getting this stuff linked on Something Awful. In the next installment, I promise we’ll actually have scenes dedicated to the Ultimates. You remember them? The guys this comic was named after?

Day Five!
Day Six!
Day Seven!