CONTEST WINNERS!

By Nick Nunziata · · Contests


Sky Captain Prize Packs:

  1. Christian Spilker, Florida
  2. Kelli Joseph, Arizona
  3. Kevin Ross, New York
  4. Jason Adams, Virginia
  5. Noah Feder, Tennessee
  6. Matt Goldberg, Ohio
  7. Ken Boggs, Illinois
  8. Matt Ingersol, Nevada
  9. Nat Overholtzer, Massachussettes
  10. Richard Karpala, Colorado
  11. Henry Yoon, D.C.
  12. Chris Conley, Maryland
  13. Sam Coodley, Oregon
  14. Michael Crawford, North Carolina
  15. Robin Smith, Texas
  16. Bill Womack, Kentucky
  17. Daniel Dingwel, Florida
  18. Brendan Payne, Ontario
  19. Thomas Harlow, Iowa
  20. Pedro Lopez, Jr., Texas
  21. Jon Boutsikaris, Michigan
  22. Nathan Cabaniss, Georgia
  23. Matt Shelton, California
  24. Brandon Barnard, Ontario
  25. Jason Evans, South Carolina
  26. Matt Hodge, Texas
  27. Andrew Pittman, Georgia
  28. Tom Fuchs, Wisconsin
  29. Andrew O’Dell, Georgia
  30. Brendan Nystedt, California
  31. Mike Jory, California
  32. Dave Feltam, Ontario
  33. Mike Darga, Pennsylvania
  34. Joe Lynch, California
  35. Jeff Smith, North Carolina
  36. Justin Reynolds, Minnesota
  37. Alan Diekfuss, Washington
  38. Dan Euto, Virginia
  39. Caroline Hinerman, North Carolina
  40. Justin McKrindle, New Brunswick
  41. Matt Denton, Pennsylvania
  42. Paul Santos, Colorado
  43. Brian Owen, Wyoming
  44. Karen Marshall, California
  45. Kelly White, Florida
  46. Robert Akins, California
  47. Nick Sizelove, South Carolina
  48. Alex Cranz, Tennessee
  49. Vince Labolito
  50. Chris Calogero, New Jersey


Saw Multi-DVD Prize Packs:

  1. Stacie Distin, Tennessee
  2. Jennifer Nicholas, Georgia
  3. Chris Gaede, California

Van Helsing DVD Prize Packs:

  1. Matt Posey, Georgia
  2. Ashley Hough, Oklahoma
  3. Dave Shears, New York
  4. Jason Lednum, Maryland
  5. Sara Hashim, Virginia

Mulan DVD Prize Packs:

    1. Jacob Fu, Georgia
    2. Baby Thomas, California
    3. Jason Shapiro, Colorado
    4. Yotin Brikshavana, Illinois
    5. Ryan Heep, Massachussettes
    6. Corey Davis, North Carolina
    7. William Watson, Florida
    8. Diva Velez, New York
    9. Thomas Trane, California
    10. Art Minton, New Jersey








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THE CHEWER COLUMN #11

By Matt Hindmarch · · Editorial

CHEWERSAfter a great week of submissions we’ve slowed to a stop. I haven’t received anything new for some time. Oh sure, I’ve gotten the emails saying "Sorry for the delay, I’m still working on it. Have it to you soon." That’s all good, I’ve got about 10 columns left to run before the barrel runs dry. But I sure want to keep this column rolling, don’t you? I’m taking a personal challenge in the month of November (enrolled in NaNoWriMo.com and attempting to write 50,000 words before the end of the month), wouldn’t you enjoy interrupting my writing goals? I’ll stay on top of this column first. That’s my promise to you.

Cinephiles vs. the Average Movie-Goer

By Chris Olson

Allow me to set the scene: last week, I was sitting in my Intro to Mass Communication class, and I was very excited because we were starting the section on film (my favorite pastime). The first thing the professor did was pass out a little survey asking us what the best/worst films we’ve seen recently were, as well as our favorite/least favorite films of all time. Needless to say, I was quite eager to get on with the lesson, and filled out my survey with enthusiasm. You see, I am a cinephile or, more simply, a film snob if you prefer. Hell, feel free to just call me a movie geek already and get it over with.

Just to provide you with a bit of a framework for where I am coming from in regards to my taste in film, on my survey I wrote that the best movie I had seen recently was Hero (I enjoyed Sky Captain, which I saw more recently than Hero, but the Jet Li vehicle is most definitely the better film), with Aliens vs. Predator being the worst. I had a difficult time with my favorite movie of all time as there are just too many that I adore and I can’t pick just one, but I had absolutely no difficulty naming Armageddon as being simply the absolute worst film of all time. That’s not to say that all I enjoy are art films… I laughed hard throughout Dodgeball and think that UHF is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. I enjoy films like that for what they are, but it is only the great films that I truly love.

SolarisWell anyway, after a few minutes the professor went around the room and asked us to name some of our choices. As I expected, my tastes ran very differently from the majority of the other students, with many of them naming some of my favorite films (among them Solaris, 28 Days Later, Bubba Ho-Tep, and even the original Star Wars trilogy!) as the worst films they had ever seen. I must admit that even though I was expecting it, I was still somewhat flabbergasted by this turn of events.

Now, I’m not trying to point to this incident as being some sort of sudden, eye-opening revelation. I came out of the geek closet years ago, and therefore I’ve long been aware that my tastes are not shared by the majority. Hell, I had an acquaintance who once confided in me that he couldn’t understand why a “crappy” movie like Citizen Kane is considered to be the greatest film of all time! What really struck me, however, was that, despite the fact that we share a common pastime – in this case, movies – and that there are many films that are well-loved by both camps, there is still a vast ocean of difference that separates the average film geek from the average movie-goer. This is something that has been becoming more and more apparent to me as my tastes have matured over the years.

For instance, earlier this year I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I found myself utterly enraptured by it. As I watched it unfold before me, I knew I was seeing something special, something that transcended all of the conventions that have bound the Hollywood romance for so long. I knew that I was witnessing a classic in the making. Imagine my surprise, then, when people started walking out of the theater a mere 30-minutes into the film! I thought to myself, Are these people insane?! I said as much to my friend, and all he could do was shake his head in wonder.

HeroA similar thing occurred when I saw Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris. Now, I wouldn’t put it on the same level as Gondry’s masterpiece, and it is nowhere near as thought-provoking as Tarkovsky’s version, but Soderbergh’s version of Solaris is still a very, very good film. As I sat entranced, people once again began to leave the theater before the film had even reached the halfway point. Not to mention that the older couple – obviously fans of Clooney’s lighter romantic work who had no idea what the hell they were getting themselves into – sitting behind me kept complaining about how stupid they thought the movie was, with the woman proclaiming loudly and often that next time she would be the one pick which movie they would be going to see.

I could go on and on. I could talk about the angry customer who stormed into the video store where I used to work and literally threw a copy of Pulp Fiction, a film I recommended to him the night before, at me simply because he didn’t like movies where guys fucked each other in the ass. Never mind that it’s one of the top 10 films of all time, if it’s got butt-sex then he don’t like it! Or there was the time that I was watching Akira Kurosawa’s Ran, one of the greatest films of all time made by one of the greatest directors of all time, and my own mother laughed and told me to remind her never to buy that stupid movie. It was also my mother who complained that Unbreakable was too slow and boring, and that neither Best in Show nor Waiting for Guffman were in the least bit funny (her basis of comparison being Weekend at Bernie’s II). And of course, there’s my friend who absolutely hates Fight Club but will sing the praises of Adam Sandler films to anyone who will listen. Hell, just visit the average talkback over at AICN and you can see this sort of division played out almost daily.

But then, on the flip side of the coin, I find it hard to believe that there are people in the world that actually enjoy the Scary Movie franchise. I know they’re out there, though, as I’ve met many of them (I’m even related to some of them). I also find it hard to believe (actually, make that I REFUSE to believe) that there was a weekend in which Bringin’ Down the House, Kangaroo Jack, and National Security were the top three movies in America (not necessarily in that order). Oh, and I don’t care how much justification you offer, I will simply never understand the need for a Criterion Edition of Armageddon (I see that on the shelves at my local Media Play and my brain just shuts down). However, I know there are people out there who enjoy – and in some cases dearly love – all of these movies and will never be able to understand my hatred for them.

Aliens vs. UsUltimately, what it all comes down to is passion versus enjoyment. The average film geek is very passionate about films, and practically demands that film be challenging and involving. Rather than just sitting there letting the movie wash over us, cinephiles have a desire to become actively engaged with the events that are unfolding before them on the big screen. Film geeks want to search for the hidden subtext that is hiding just beneath the surface, they want to try and spot all the little homages the director has made to those films that inspired him or her, and they want to hear exactly what message the movie is trying to convey.

The average movie-goer simply enjoys movies for what they are, and goes to the theater simply to be entertained. That’s it. There is no desire to look any deeper than what is on the screen in front of them. To the average movie-goer, film is a passive experience, one that is simply there. Perhaps it serves as a distraction from the drudgery of daily life. They pay their $9.00 (or more) and spend two hours with their brains shut off. They don’t need subtext. They don’t want to be challenged. They just want to be entertained, whether it’s through laughs or big explosions or both.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. We geeks have to realize that it is perfectly okay for people to get their jollies that way. Just because a movie is simply one explosion after the other, or if it stars Adam Sandler, that doesn’t automatically mean it sucks (although the vast majority of those films really do…). We just have to realize that it wasn’t made for us. On the other hand, it would be really nice if the average movie-goer would realize that just because a film is slow and contemplative or just plain beyond their understanding that it doesn’t automatically suck. I just wish we could all get along. After all, we all love movies…don’t we?

Letters

Rickout writes: I just read your STAR TREK VI review on CHUD. It was eerie in that it was like reading my thoughts as told to some of my friends in talking about that film compared to some of the others. I can almost rank this one up with badness of V. (Bad bad not the good bad) It pains me to think the last two films with the original crew had to fall so far short of what they should of been. I sometimes wonder if others have seen the same film I did when they rank it above the better ones. I also always thought the traitor should of been Saavik in that she had become part of the crew to a degree and was part Romulan (they kind of hate the Klingons). Oh well hindsight is a bitch and I guess in our minds you can recreate a stronger story…


Matt responds: It is eerie, isn’t it? You don’t expect me to have my own opinions, do you? Pay no attention to that neuron-shunt at the base of your skull. Thanks for reading. How about writing?






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THE DEAD DAWN AGAIN

By Devin Faraci · · Movie News

DAWNINGZombies are hot right now, which is kind of gross because you would think that a warmer environment would only speed their decay. Which is sort of a good metaphor for all the zombie movies we’re getting, as I will bet you dollars to donuts that once the current zombie craze ends we’re seeing our theaters walking dead-free for another decade.

One of the films really cashing in on the cannibal dead mania is the Dawn of the Dead remake, which just came out on DVD (right in time for you to watch it on Halloween and be terrified by the crass commercialization that ignores the original’s themes! I enjoyed the remake, but we must never forget the original). Universal is so pleased with the film’s performance that they have told director Zack Snyder that they want a sequel.

Snyder tells Sci-Fi Wire that he told them they should remake Day of the Dead, but the studio declined. Says Snyder: "We kicked around some ideas, but I don’t
know what we’re going to do with it. We’ve talked about it. I met with
James. I met with the producers. The heat comes on and off of that. I
think Universal wants it bad."

I can’t blame them for not wanting to remake Day. It’s the most difficult film in the Romero trilogy, one which took me a number of viewings to really appreciate. Where Dawn is a more visceral, action packed film, Day is almost meditative in nature. At the very least it’s slow and talky.

But a Dawn sequel runs into one interesting problem – Universal is signed on to distribute Romero’s Land of the Dead. Could they sacrifice the smaller, niche oriented Romero film to pursue the bigger, commercial film?






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DEVITO GIVES PARKER POSEY AN ORGASM

By Devin Faraci · · Movie News

ZOUNDSMischa Barton, one of the stars of The OC, that Fox show I won’t watch, has been rumored to be up for the role of Lois Lane in Bryan Singer’s Superman: The Confusening, but today’s announcement that she is starring in the movie The OH in Ohio may put that in some doubt.

Superman is supposed to start filming really soon – maybe in a month or so. This film starts next month, which wouldn’t make it impossible for Barton, but probably unlikely. We’ll see.

I interviewed Parker Posey a long time ago for A Mighty Wind, and she mentioned this film. Here’s what she had to say at the time: "I got a script from a couple of guys that went to Vassar,
a writer and director named Billy Kent. He wrote a script
called The O in Ohio. It’s about a woman who
lives in Ohio who has never had an orgasm, it’s a comedy,
it’s really good. We’re trying to get financing for that.
What’s good now is that I ran into Burt Reynolds – he said
three years ago at a party that if I ever came across one
of those "cool independent movies" to give him
a call and he’d be happy to do it. And this script has a
Burt Reynolds part! And Greg Kinnear, he’d be right for
this other part!"

It looks like Danny DeVito is taking the Burt Reynolds role, as the pool boy who finally gives Posey her orgasm. Ugh. David Arquette is starring in what is probably the Kinnear role, Posey’s husband who hasn’t been able to give her an orgasm in their seven years of marriage. He moves out to let her pursue the big O on her own, and ends up sleeping with Mischa Barton, one of his students. Lucky prick.

[Note: It’s come to my attention that the girl above is not Mischa Barton. I don’t know what she actually looks like, and that picture came up in a Google search. In the interests of having a hot pic, I will leave that one up.]






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ON THE SPOT SUSPENSE

By Devin Faraci · · Movie News

DARTSSIntrigued by Curb Your Enthusiasm’s brand of ad-libbing based around a story structure, Defiant Pictures is attempting to make a thriller using that same technique (which has caused some strife in the awards community and the unions – people seem to like arguing about how responsible Larry David is for the yucks on the show). The film, called DARTSS (that acronym spelled wrong just SCREAMS 70s to me, which I like), will be directed by a guy I never heard of named Jason Crain.

It’ll be a low-budget affair, coming in at 100,000 dollars, and I can’t imagine it being any good. But you have to give these guys a big old A for effort (even if a similar concept was used in this year’s abysmal indie film The September Tapes). Filming starts at the end of the week in Canada.

Good luck on your adventure, boys.






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THE GRUDGE 2: GRUDGE JUDY

By Dave Davis · · Movie News

Mmmm... grudgyConsidering it made a massive bundle of money over its opening weekend, it’s not really any surprise that a sequel to the remake of The Grudge is already in the works.  Assuming writer/director Takashi Shimizu plans to work on the proposed sequel, it’ll be the sixth time he’s had the creepy chalk-skinned boy and the lady with staircase issues frighten people to death. 

The Grudge producer Roy Lee, known for importing Asian films for American remakes (The Ring, Dark Water, The Eye, Oldboy, etc.), told our grisly sibling Creature Corner that “The Grudge 2 is now being fast-tracked, as we speak, and we’re now working on the details. We were very proud of the film and I think people went to see it because it was a good film which is the most important thing."

It is not known if Sarah Michelle Gellar will return, or if the throaty curse will slaughter an entirely new group of Americans who happen to be visiting Japan.






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FIRST LOOK: BATMAN BEGINS SUPPORTING CAST

By Devin Faraci · · Movie News

Warner Bros has released some new images of some of the supporting cast from the upcoming Batman Begins (although I’m pretty sure I have seen the Cillian Murphy pic elsewhere, months ago). It’s a look at how the secondary characters in the film are portrayed, although I would have preferred to see what Alfred and the Scarecrow look like. With no further ado, here are the pics:


Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane, soon to be The Scarecrow.

Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, soon to not appear in the sequel.

Rutger Hauer as Richard Earle, with too small a role.





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FOCK THIS

By Devin Faraci · · Movie News

FOCK YOUI can’t even believe how crummy this teaser poster is. It looks like someone forgot to make a teaser and had two minutes to put something together. I guess I should appreciate the simplicity that these folks are going for, but the poster just ends up looking generic, like some sort of chick flick gone wrong.

Meet the Fockers is, of course, the sequel to Meet the Parents, and I hope the movie has something to offer beyond the silly title. This will be the last Ben Stiller movie of the year, bringing his 2004 total up to an astonishing 285 films, including a couple of cameo appearances in random birthday party video footage.

Still, Hoffman’s performance in I <3 Huckabees has definitely stemmed my feelings of anti-Dustinosity, so it will be interesting to see him playing Stiller’s dad, and who wouldn’t look forward to all the people endlessly bitching about Barbara Streisand simply for existing?

Look for another poster as soon as the studio realizes this one blows.






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INTERVIEW: PAUL GIAMATTI

By Devin Faraci · · Editorial

POSTERPaul Giamatti is one of the great actors of our time. Because he’s nebbishy and plays nebbishy parts he doesn’t always get the respect he deserves, but the guy is just great. And he’s a blast to interview as well; this was my second junket with Giamatti and he’s never been anything but funny and interesting. This time it’s for Sideways, the brilliant new film from Alexander Payne, where Giamatti plays the nebbishy Miles, a loser writer who is taking his best friend on a tour of California’s wine country. You can also read my review of the film, as well as previous interviews with director Alexander Payne and stars Virginia Madsen and Thomas Haden Church.

Giamatti was the last person to come to our room – we had been hanging around the Newscorp building this rainy Friday drinking a nice pinot noir provided by the folks at The Hitching Post, a winery in the movie.

Q: Last year you were in town for American Splendor and you mentioned that was your first love scene in a movie. This film has you kissing Virginia Madsen – you’re really going places!

Giamatti: Yup. But Hope Davis is really beautiful. She would say to me during American Splendor, “I look so funny with this wig and these glasses on.” No you don’t. She looked really cute.

Q: You get singled out as someone who is great with everyman characters, and many people assume that’s close to who you are, but that could be just acting.

Giamatti: That’s right! I could be a horse’s ass!

Q: Are you relating to these characters or do you just find them interesting as a part?

Giamatti:
I find them interesting as characters, and you know, I tend to be given
similar parts, so people start to think it’s something about me. Maybe
it is, but I don’t know. I’ve never had that experience in my life of
walking in and thinking “this is just like me” but I’ve never had that
thing. I’ve had aspects of that thing I can identify with. But with
this guy, if I was like this, I would have thrown myself under a train a long time ago. I couldn’t get through life like that.

Q: A lot of people ARE like that.

WINEGiamatti: A lot of people are like that, actually, and it’s hard. Look, I’m not the happiest man in the world and I have my own problems and things like that, but they never have to mesh with what I have to do as a part.

Q: How is it different playing a fictional character to playing a real person like Bob Zmuda (Man in the Moon), someone you can actually meet?

Giamatti: It’s more fun – well, not more fun. You obviously get to create the character more. It’s always going to be a character even if it’s a real guy. In some ways it’s easier with the real person, because you’re given a template. You’re given certain things that you can do or they have something is fun to mimic, but it’s always a character. You don’t have that obviously with a fictional character, so you have more latitude to come up with something on your own.

Q: In a way the film is about finding a cushion, where these characters can find some kind of happiness. You go to Maya’s door at the end but we never see if she answers. Where does he go if she’s not there?

Giamatti: I don’t know. Alexander said she moved. He knocks on that door and some old woman answers the door. But I don’t know, he doesn’t go up. He goes sideways, he keeps drifting. But I really don’t know.

Q: But would you say that the movie is about finding a cushion?

Giamatti: I suppose it’s about finding a cushion. I just don’t know necessarily that that’s a good thing. Certainly in Jack’s case, he’s basically walling himself up in a tomb. He’s not going to,be happy married to that woman and it’s not going to be happy marriage. It’s not going to be good, I don’t think. He may repress enough that he can get through his life but it’s not going to be happy for him, and I don’t even think if Virginia and I got together, it would be happy. I drink too much and she drinks a lot and that’s not going to be good. And she’s attracted to a guy who drinks too much. There’s problems in all of it, so I mean, everything’s mixed. I don’t disagree that it’s about finding a cushion, but it’s not necessarily a good thing. The cushion may be a little bit not soft enough. Or too soft.

Q: Will you be playing a romantic lead opposite Julia Roberts soon?

Giamatti: Oh, man! I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Q: She’s doing a voice in the animated film Ant Bully.

Giamatti: She’s doing that? I didn’t know that. I play the psychotic exterminator in that. I don’t think I’ll be having any cartoon love scenes with her in that.

Q: So many of the best scenes in Alexander Payne films are these very understated moments. What kind of rapport does Payne get with you to pull these off?

Giamatti: It’s just who he is. He gets very intimately involved with you as an actor. HeDUP doesn’t use a monitor. He sits by the camera. He doesn’t have the little thing over where he has his soy latte and his baseball cap by the monitor. He sits as close to me as I am to you.

One of the one directions I heard from him more than any other, particularly for me and Tom, is to “cover it up more”. Don’t show as much. Sit on it more. He wants it to be hidden more and understated. His comic tone lives in understatement somewhere and downplaying things more often than not. It’s a tricky tone to capture. He doesn’t want you playing things funny necessarily. Sometimes he would have us play something a little more broadly, and then he never uses those takes in the movies. He always uses the more real take.

Tom has a lot of the burden of the humor in this thing. He has to be funny. He had more of a task to be funny, and he was the funnier side of the two guys. For me, it was easier, because I could just forget about being funny. I knew it would be funny in context. But that’s a great thing to be able to do. You don’t have to worry about being funny. You can play it fairly straight and it will hopefully be funny.

Q: There’s a lot of talk in the movie about the wonder of wine, but I got an underlying sadness from your character, an alcoholism. We’re drinking wine here –

Giamatti: It’s a little scary! You guys are drinking wine at 11 in the morning! I just walked into the other room, and those ladies are hammered!

Q: Your character is on the fine line of someone just about to go over the edge.

Giamatti: That’s one of the things I liked in the script when I first read it. I liked the idea of the wine in the specific instance of my character, being sort of a persona that he created for himself. He’s aspiring to something better in his life. You see the weird mother he came from who lives in horrible tract home. He obviously comes from a background he’s obviously trying to forget about. He generally loves the stuff, but his persona is a blind to get drunk. And that was really kind of interesting about it. That was something that I responded to in the script.

Q: Is Miles a good writer?

GIAMATTIGiamatti: No. I don’t think he’s bad and I don’t think he’s very good. I think he’s just kind of mediocre, and I think that if he’s bad, he can probably just write some crappy spy thriller and make a lot of money. He just misses being good

Q: And he goes long.

Giamatti: He goes way long! He’s probably not that great.

Q: There is some great chemistry between you and Thomas Haden Church. How did you capture that – did you guys hang out a bunch before shooting started?

Giamatti: A lot of the time in that whole idea of chemistry, a lot of the time you walk in and it just happens. And that just happened in this instance, what a lot of people think is magical. I tend to think that if you have two good enough actors, they come ready and you can create the chemistry. If you have good actors, then can do it. You can fake it, and then you have rehearsal to set it in place. We didn’t even really rehearse that much. We hung out a little bit, but it is something that happened instantly, but it’s mostly because he’s a good actor, I’m a good actor, and we knew what we had to do. We knew that we had to be buddies, so we could do it. Then we also got to be friends, but that’s a nice ancillary thing. I often feel like that “chemistry thing” is something not so mysterious, and it will happen if you just have good actors.

Q: You have done a lot of character parts, and then when you do these leads everyone is blown away by them. Do you think some of the – I don’t want to say better looking –

Giamatti: You can say it! It’s OK, they’re better looking!

Q: Well, do you think that a Brad Pitt or a Tom Cruise can get away with more leads just because of their looks?

Giamatti: It’s an interesting question. Look, those guys are good actors, too. They also happen to be really good thing, which doesn’t hurt. It’s a weird thing.

Doing these things for me has been interesting, because I think it’s confused people in Hollywood more, because they didn’t think I could do something like this and I’m sure they didn’t think Tom could either. So it’s more confusing to them to see someone who’s funny looking because I’m just supposed to be goofy. I’m not supposed to be able to play a serious moment. Guys like that, they’re good actors and good looking. Sure, it helps to be good looking and you can suck and be good looking but it will ultimately bite you in the ass if you’re not a good actor. You’ll only be able to get so far if you’re some good looking guy. Tom Cruise is a good actor.

Q: The roles that you get there isn’t as much pressure to carry the movie. You can do a role or a small play and it’s not a big deal, but Tom Cruise does a play and the world expects magic.

Giamatti: Yeah, that’s a whole different thing what those guys do. I don’t even consider myself playing a lead in this movie. It’s an ensemble thing. I mean, I’m the guy you follow through the movie and you see the whole thing through my eyes, but I didn’t have to carry this movie. We all carried it. The movie star thing is a completely different thing. I saw The Terminal and I was thinking that same thing – the movie is all about him [Tom Hanks] and who he is. That’s a whole different thing.

Q: Well, with the movie stars it’s almost impossible to go see Tom Cruise in a movie and not realize it’s him and think that you’re watching Tom Cruise In Space or whatever. But with a film like American Splendor, you can melt into the role.

SPLENDORGiamatti: That’s great, but that’s lucky, but I’m sure that Tom Cruise would rather that you didn’t go in and think it’s him all the time. But that’s part of movie culture, that you have to know the actor as much as you know the parts they play.

Q: Look at the marketing of this film. The poster doesn’t have your face plastered all over it.

Giamatti: Because people would avoid the theatre if our actual faces were on the poster. Tom and I were joking about that. It’s true, actually. We wouldn’t sell the movie. Alexander is what is going to sell this movie, and that’s what’s great about it. I’m lucky that I don’t have to be, and I’m not exposed the same way. That’s part of the sad thing for actors in the movies. I think it’s better if you can separate the person from the part.

Q: Speaking of movie stars, you’re doing a Russell Crowe movie. What’s it like to work with him, do you have to duke it out for alpha male supremacy on the set?

Giamatti: The movie is done, Cinderella Man. He’s a very interesting guy. He’s a complicated guy. I didn’t have to fight him for Alpha Male supremacy. He does do that and he’s the first person to admit that he does it. But for some reason he was great with me and I ended up kind of loving him, because he’s amazing to work with. He’s a very kind guy, but he’s a very complicated guy. A lot of stuff gets blown out of proportion. I saw things happen that when I read about them in the paper they had no relation to what I saw happen. He gets a bit of a bum rap. He’s complicated and there are people he wants to pull the Alpha male thing with, why I don’t know. But I didn’t have to. I think maybe he took pity on me, because he realized I was the Zeta male.

Q: What’s your part in the film?

Giamatti: It’s a true story about a boxer in the Depression, he was a washed-up guy who became a heavyweight champion. I played his manager/trainer guy. They’re both real guys.

Q: You play a lot of managers.

Giamatti: I do. I never thought of that.

Q: You’ve done a bunch of big films, but you’ve developed a real following with your character work, and people get excited when you have these lead roles. You must have a lot of good projects coming your way.

Giamatti: Like I say, people are a little confused, so there is more stuff coming my way and that’s great. There’s more people interested in me for more substantial things but whether I actually play that stuff, I don’t know. I’m perfectly happy playing supporting parts. I actually feel I’m more suited to be a supporting actor than a leading actor. I’m more than happy to read these things and if someone wants to cast me, that’s great. I’m still a hard sell to a lot of those guys in Hollywood. They’re like..”He’s fat! He’s bald! His teeth are crooked!”

Q: Are you seeing something anything resembles a dream project? What do you want to do?

Giamatti: There is a guy I know, and he could be a completely sketchy character, who wants to make a movie about Phillip K. Dick, the science fiction writer. He was interested in me playing that, and that would be something very interesting to me, because I’m very interested in him. He’d be an interesting character to play.

Q: That’s pretty different character for you.

Giamatti: I guess. I mean, he was schizophrenic and out of his mind. That would be neat to me.

Q: It’s interesting that you bring that up, because at the American Splendor junket we were asking you about Paycheck and you though that Philip K Dick movies should star Steve Buscemi.

Giamatti: I think to make a good adaptation of one of his books, Steve Buscemi should be playing the Ben Affleck part. That’s the kind of person that should be playing it. In the books, it’s somebody like Steve Buscemi, not Tom Cruise. It’s this kind of little nobody guy who is the hero in those books.

Q: Everyone else on Earth has been rumored: has anyone asked you to be the next James Bond yet?

Giamatti: You know how much I would love to be in one of those things? I want to be a villain with steel hands or something. I want to be the crazy world domination obsessed villain. I would love to be a Bond villain.

Q: Have you played many villains?

Giamatti: I play comical, cartoony villains. I”ve never played a real villain. There was a thing that I was reading recently, a script where there’s a character that’s sort of the bad guy.

Q: What are you working on now?

BIERKOGiamatti: Nothing right now. Just looking for a job.

Q: My readers need to know: Who’s tougher in real life, Russell Crowe or Craig Bierko? My readers are huge Bierko fans.

Giamatti: Who are your readers? Craig Bierko is popular with me! He’s amazing. Who’s tougher? It’s a tough call. Craig is a big guy, he’s a real big guy, and he was in amazing shape. I guess I have to call it a draw.






Author Links: Author's Page · AIM · Twitter · Facebook · Twitter · Email

THOR’S COMIC COLUMN

By Dave Davis · · Editorial

Wanted: Warrior Scribes, Apply Within

Want to write for Thor’s Comic Column?

We’re looking for a few good Vikings… READ ABOUT IT HERE!

A Special Message From Devon

Every good thing that I do, I do in the memory of my late mother, Willie Ann Ham-Johnson. I miss you and I will forever keep you within my heart. – Devon

First Look: Kurt Busiek Begins His Run on “JLA”

By Devon Sanders

JLAWhat do you do once you’re coming off a successful writing stint on The Avengers and last year’s blockbuster mini-series, JLA / Avengers? If you’re Kurt Busiek, you take on DC’s pre-eminent superhero team, JLA with its 107th issue and I’m happy to say, he brought Aquaman along for the ride. This makes me happy because, to me, it isn’t The JLA without him. They’ll need him as The JLA’s evil Earth 2 counterparts, The Crime Syndicate of Amerika are on their way and they’ll accept nothing less than the world.

Following the reality rending events of JLA / Avengers, The JLA are left to guard a newly forming universe. (ahem.) JLA members The Martian Manhunter and The Flash are left on monitor duty and all seems well. It’s Saturday in the Watchtower and routine maintenance weekend, as well. The windows need cleaning, records need updating and former Justice League enemy, The Construct, is imprisoned on The Watchtower, needs tending to because, he’s evolving and possibly becoming even more dangerous. As a universe is on the verge of being born The Construct attacks, soon to be followed in the form of a much more dangerous threat, The Crime Syndicate of Amerika.

Kurt (Conan) Busiek begins to lay the groundwork for what could literally be one of the most Earth-shaking stories ever to hit The DCU. There’s a lot of set-up here and the story reads fairly slowly but I get the feeling that this is a story well worth the wait. With his use of Earth 2’s CSA and the possible birth of a new universe, could Busiek possibly be building the beginnings to DC’s big summer event? (ahem.)

I especially love Busiek’s portrayals of The Flash and The Martian Manhunter. You really get the sense that these two enjoy each other’s company, almost like an uncle and a favorite nephew and this is more than evident in The Manhunter’s admiration of Flash’s resourcefulness in how he deals with The Construct.

Artist Ron (Uncanny X-Men) Garney’s line work is looser here than what I remember from his stint on Captain America but it still does the job. Everyone looks more than sufficiently muscled and toned and isn’t that what superheroes are all about? Especially nice is how he conveys The Flash’s sense of restlessness while within The Watchtower. The Flash is a creature used to speed and under Garney’s pencil he becomes, in temperament, every bit The Cartoon Network version of The Flash and the kids seem to like him, don’t they?

Major goings-on are at play within the pages of JLA # 107. While on first read, it may not blow you away, JLA #107 looks to laying down the groundwork for what I believe will be THE most talked-about event of 2005, bar none. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. JLA # 107 comes recommended.

THREE OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

First Look: DC Takes a Second Shot at Resurrecting “The Authority”

By Sean Fahey

AuthorityI feel for DC. Back when Warren Ellis and Mark Millar were writing it, The Authority – which deconstructed the traditional superhero myth and reimagined the superhero as fascist – was the crown jewel of comics. The top of everyone’s list. But then things just fizzled. The wait between issues became excessively long. A Brian Azzarello helmed relaunch (sadly) never materialized. Writer Rob Morrison, who seemed like a natural fit with his work on the phenomenal (and Authority-esque) Cla$$war, could not find an audience during his run on DC’s first relaunch of the title. Now, DC is pinning their hopes for the book on Ed Brubaker, the writer of the finest comic books that (sadly) no one reads. Needless to say, it’s a gamble.

To make matters worse, The Authority: Revolution # 1 is just shy of being completely inaccessible to people not already familiar with the characters, which from a sales perspective could spell disaster for this second relaunch. Unless you’ve read the Wildstorm crossover Coup D’etat (which DC is conveniently releasing as a collected trade in conjunction with the new Authority) you’ll have no idea what is going on here or who these people are. You’ll be left wondering why a group of costumed superheroes is running the United States government, and when half the team doesn’t even seem to care about their new role, you’ll be left wondering why should you.

The sad fact of the matter is though that The Authority: Revolution is a very intriguing concept. It follows the idea of The Authority – a team of hardnosed and tough-as-nails super-powered beings that respond to doomsday scenarios – to its logical conclusion. Of course a group of individuals who have repeatedly saved the world are eventually going to take it over when they get fed up with the incompetence and corruption of its leaders. But again, you’re not going to appreciate that unless you’re already familiar with the now six-month old Coup D’etat. I think Brubaker could have served himself very well with a two or three page prelude that synthesized the events and reasoning that form the backdrop for this book. Perhaps I’m missing the point though. Perhaps it’s not important that The Authority has taken over the US government, but rather (as the title suggest) what is important is the reaction against that reality – the uprising of aging superheroes and citizens that begins, appropriately, in Philadelphia and threatens to spread across the country and upset this new status quo. Even so, I’d still say without prior knowledge new readers are going to be at a serious disadvantage here.

The Authority: Revolution has potential, but I’m not entirely sold yet. I like where Brubaker is taking the plot, and he’s such a strong writer that I know he’s going to do interesting things with this rich cast of characters. But artist Dustin Nguyen, despite his sharp quality line work, has yet to convince me that he can bring the same epic wide-screen visuals to the page that Bryan Hitch and Frank Quietly did during their tenures (although he’s sure to be more timely). I’ve heard that The Authority: Revolution was originally intended to be a twelve part mini-series with room to expand if sales warrant. But based on the reaction to the last Authority series, and the fact that any new readers are going to have to shell out for the Coup D’etat trade to understanding what’s going on here, something tells me that The Authority: Revolution may not get past twelve. Mildly recommended.

THREE OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

First Look: New Anthology Series “Solo” Highlights Artists

By Sean Fahey

SoloDC’s new series Solo has been a long time coming. It’s natural for people to become set in their ways with respect to their tastes, but Solo provides comic book fans an opportunity to explore something new – step outside their visual comfort zone – without having to invest in a series or story continuity unfamiliar to them. This anthology format features a series of short vignettes written by some of the most respected names in comics, all rendered by a single artist deploying various styles. Kicking the series off properly, the debut issue of Solo features the art of the exceptionally talented Tim Sale.

Solo # 1 opens with “Date Knight,” a story about Batman and Catwoman playfully chasing each other atop the Gotham City rooftops. Here, appropriately, Sale uses a style to his line work and colors that is most familiar to fans of his work – one very much in the spirit of Batman: The Long Halloween and Catwoman: When in Rome. From the initial point of familiarity, (which provides a point of comparison) Sale then expands and begins experimenting. “Cristina,” an emotionally powerful noir tale written by Sale, is told using primarily dark inks and gray washes, setting the appropriate dark and melancholy tone. This is followed by “Young Love,” a Supergirl story by Diana Schutz were Sale very creatively emulates the old ink dot color technique that was standard in comics until the mid-1990’s. Sale uses the color here to effect, bright and warm reds and pinks during happy times, cold blues and greens during not so happy times. Subsequent vignettes, written by Jeph Loeb, Brian Azzarello and Sale, also highlight the artist’s tremendous skill, range and diversity of style.

Thematically, Solo # 1 is very somber. The stories focus on heartbreak and unrequited or lost love. Of them, I was most impressed with Sale’s “Cristina” and Azzarello’s “Low Card in the Hole,” about a hitman and the dame who got away told in that heartwarming and jubilant manner we’ve come to expect from the scribe. Sale’s use of shadow and red in that story is incredibly effective in helping convey the narrative and capture the mood. Solo # 1 is a tremendous piece of work, and solidifies Sales reputation as one of (if not the) premier artists working in comics – few if any capture noir sensibilities and mood the way Sale does. Highly recommended.

FOUR AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS
4 Vikings

Mad Yak Press’ “Subatomic” is an Engaging Disinformation Age Thriller

By Sean Fahey

SubatomicIt’s been repeated ad nausea that we now live in the “information age.” With high-speed internet access, dozens of “news” channels, and instant cellular connectivity to anyone in the world, we’re said to be up-to-date, in touch and informed. Right, keep telling yourself that. We live in a “disinformation age” with only the illusion of freedom and choice – and it’s scary that this belief has also been so thoroughly debunked, co-opted if you will, and turned into a science-fiction fantasy ala The Matrix. In turn, plausibility has been removed. “Big Brother” becomes a ridiculous concept or, in the frightening alternative, accepted.

Mad Yak Press’ original graphic novel Subatomic explores the deconstruction of the “information age” in a post 9-11 environment, and is intelligently critical of the trivial information overload being passed on society under the guise of choice. Subatomic is told from the perspective of Mark, a disenfranchised member of a domestic spy agency known as ATOM – and the perfect vehicle to allow writer Patrick Neighly explore his narrative themes of disinformation and control. From birth, Mark has been programmed by his governmental masters, and when Subatomic opens Mark is working as a mail reader, spending his days scanning through thousands and thousand of letters for any information that might threaten the status quo. The experience leaves Mark feeling both empty and overwhelmed, and he decides to make a break from the government installation where he has spent most his life – a SHIELD-like hover fortress know as “The Wing.” Constantly on the run, Mark is pursued by his former masters as he struggles to find peace of mind.

Subatomic skillfully conveys the paranoia that results from a disinformation society, where people are made to stay confused by a steady stream of very detailed trivia and loyalties are measured by purchasing habits. There’s nowhere that Mark can go where he doesn’t feel like he’s being watched, where his every thought and action are being monitored – because he knows the truth. He knows about ATOM. But there’s nowhere he can turn. Even the “underground” press dismisses Mark’s story when he refuses to pigeonhole the truth into their preconceived conspiracy theories, theories that have been manufactured for them. As a reader, you feel as helpless and as trapped as Mark. Subatomic is very effective in drawing you in.

Its topical politics aside, Subatomic is an engaging thriller that borrows the best elements of The Prisoner and The Fugitive. The story is well paced (with the exception of an accelerated and all too convenient conclusion that begs for a sequel) and Jorge Heufeman’s artwork is sharp and detailed. He has a real command of the visual nuances necessary to maintain the tension and emotion of this story. Highly recommended.

Most comic book stores should carry Subatomic, but if you like to learn more about the book or order in online you can go to www.madyakpress.com.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

4 Vikings

“My Faith in Frankie” is a Fun and Affordable Read About a Young Girl with Her Own Personal God…Yes, God

By Devon Sanders

FrankieIf in 2003 you blinked, you probably missed Vertigo’s great mini-series My Faith In Frankie. Well, life sometimes provides second chances for stragglers and here’s one that came up two weeks back: My Faith in Frankie’s four issues are now collected in a convenient and affordable ($6.95) digest sized trade paperback for your reading pleasure.

My Faith In Frankie introduces us to Frankie Moxon, cute teenaged high school girl with everything a cute high school girl could ever want. She’s got the bestest of friends in blonde, bespectacled, curly-haired Kay Watson. She can eat candy all day and never get a cavity. She’s even starting to develop a libido, and it’s a good thing too. Just in time too because she’s got boys practically falling at her feet, trying to help her out with that problem. Then, strange things keep happening whenever they get too…close…to her. Nose bleeds, amnesia…rabbit attacks!

Frankie seemingly has it all, even her own cute personal god, Jeriven. Yes, sir, her… own… personal… god. One who happens to have fallen in love with Frankie. Things get even weirder for her when her childhood friend, Dean Baxter returns to town years after she demands Jeriven to return him from the dead. Did I mention that he came back really cute? Did I mention that Frankie’s horny and Jeriven’s not one bit happy about it? If Jeriven keeps on blocking the salami, Frankie just may be ready to turn to Buddha!

It’s a god versus the undead locked in a battle for Frankie’s heart and soul. Could there possibly be a winner?

Mike (Lucifer) Carey provides exactly what we need more of in comics, a fun, challenging read. Carey writes very convincing characters with words that perfectly convey the subtle humor laced within the situations these characters find themselves in, making this book accessible to older teens (17 and up) and adults alike. Artist Sonny Liew’s artwork is simply beautiful. His line is loose and fluid, as he switches confidently between Frankie’s childhood adventures and her more “adult” adventures. Inker Marc Hempel is the perfect choice for inker, and adds polish to Liew’s already beautiful lines. Kudos to Hempel for providing the beautiful covers also contained within the book.

My Faith in Frankie, the mini-series was originally published in color but for the trade paperback, it goes to black and white, in no way taking away from my previous enjoyment. The tones provided by Hi-Fi Designs serve only to enhance the beauty of this volume. In the back of the book, we’re even treated to four pages of sketches and designs by Sonny Liew along with a nine-page preview of Jill Thompson’s upcoming Dead Boy Detectives comic.

Coming in at 112 pages and a price tag of $6.95 is a steal and will appeal to fans of comics like Sandman or Runaways. Definitely recommended.

THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

Experimental Artwork and Unique Use of Setting Propel World War I Tale “White Death”

By Sean Fahey

White DeathI know I’m oversimplifying things, but between All’s Quiet on the Western Front and the films Gallipoli, Dawn Patrol and Paths of Glory, it’s difficult to imagine another piece of World War I fiction that could add something – that could bring something unique – to our understanding of the “war to end all wars.” That’s not meant to belittle either the War or other fictional endeavors meant to capture, to the extent any piece of fiction can, that experience, but rather suggest the strength and brilliance of the aforementioned works. The War was terribly brutal, the result of archaic frontal assault tactics against modern weaponry. Trench life was miserable, disease and hunger as devastating as bullets and bombs. The decision makers were uncaring, generals and politicians hundreds of miles away from the front cavalierly sending young men to their deaths. By and large, this is our basic understanding of World War I, and most fictional endeavors about the war have done little to go beyond that basic understanding. Not so with AiT / Planet Lar original graphic novel White Death.

White Death adds “environment as character” to the pantheon of World War I fiction, as it explores the devastating effect of environment manipulated into a weapon and the larger philosophical ramifications attached to that. Loosely based on historical data, White Death follows Pietro Aquasanta, a private in the Italian Army stationed along Austria-Hungry’s southern front – the Italian Alps, which have been transformed into a series of frozen and blood soaked trenches. When Pietro sets off an avalanche to disperse an Austrian chemical gas cloud creeping toward the Italian front, the tactic becomes popular with the Italian command, and eventually the Austrians as well. In turn, the two sides relentlessly pound the mountains with artillery in an attempt to bury the other in a frozen grave, and the once relative tranquility of the Alps becomes a nightmarish instrument of terror. Writer Robbie Morrison uses the environment here to tragic effect, and crafts an intelligent parallel between an avalanche and war – two devastating forces of nature that indiscriminately devour human life. It’s disturbing to think that the Italians and the Austrians did this to each other, and once you get to that point it makes the entirety of the War that more disturbing itself – which speaks to the effectiveness of Morrison’s prose.

Equally effective is Charlie Adlard’s experimental artwork. Using charcoal and chalk on gray paper, Adlard creates a gritty and raw look that effectively evokes the savage nature of trench warfare. The emotion of the work is so real that you’re left with the impression that White Death was illustrated by a soldier in the trenches, using whatever material was around him to capture his story. The gaunt, hallow look on many of the soldiers’ faces is haunting – Adlard’s conveys the despair well. But it’s the massive amounts of white space bearing down on the small charcoal figures that’s truly disturbing. The imagery here stays with you.

White Death captures all the elements of any good World War I story – the brutality of trench and close-quarter combat, the constant fear and despair, the contrast between enlisted and command – but the book also sets itself apart and distinguishes itself from what came before. With its experimental artwork and unique use of setting, White Death is very much its own work, and a powerful one at that. Highly recommended.

Most comic book stores should carry White Death, but if you’d like to learn more about this book or order it online go to www.ait-planetlar.com.

FOUR AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS
4 and a half Vikings

“Scott Pilgrim” is Precious

By Devon Sanders

PilgrimYOU ARE SCOTT PILGRIM!

You’re 23 years old with a kickin’ Catholic schoolgirl uniform wearin’ 17 year old girlfriend. You’re Canadian! You’ve got all that great healthcare! You’re a cute boy in a rock band that has a cute girl drummer! You have no job but that’s O.K.! YOU ARE SCOTT PILGRIM and everybody loves you so they’ll take care of you, because for God’s sake….

You are Scott Pilgrim, you know.

Everything is perfect until you met that…girl. The American one. The one who rollerbladed into your dreams. Ramona Flowers is her name, a dream made flesh, she occupies your every waking/sleeping moment. How do you get close to this…dream woman? Your reality is pretty sweet, after all. You are dating a hot high school chick that just cut her hair to look hotter for you. You still want that woman who comes off like she doesn’t want you. Why?

YOU ARE SCOTT PILGRIM and you want what you want. You’ll find a way into Ramona’s heart through sheer force of Pilgrim will. You’ll try and spare your hot young girlfriend’s feelings and make the break-up as easy on yourself as possible. That’s the least you can do for yourself. Once you get Ramona will you be able to handle the wrath of the first of her seven evil ex-boyfriends? Will ya?

Baby, YOU ARE SCOTT PILGRIM.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Vol. 1, written and drawn by Bryan Lee (Lost At Sea) O’Malley, is a true find, the type of book that just begs to be read. In Scott Pilgrim, O’Malley’s created the perfect protagonist. Beginning with the front cover of a devilishly smiling and pointing onward Pilgrim, you’ll find yourself loving him just as much as he loves himself. Every page of this book makes you yearn to have his problems. That is the essence of this extremely entertaining volume. O’Malley makes you understand why everyone cares for this miscreant and keeps you in that place with every turn of the page. O’Malley’s art is perfect for the story he’s telling. Scott Pilgrim’s world is filled with “cute” and every “manga-esque” line O’Malley lays down screams this. Character design is practically it’s own character in this volume and when you see Ramona for the first time, you fully understand Pilgrim’s obsession. The ending of Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Vol. 1 is honestly one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable things I’ve ever read in my life and cements O’Malley’s place as one of my new favorite creators.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Vol. 1 will appeal to fans of movies like “Say Anything” and “High Fidelity” and comics like Street Angel and comes definitely recommended.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS
4 Vikings

The Master of Zombie Horror, George Romero, Tries His Hand at Comics with “Toe Tags”

By Sean Fahey

Zoms!It was just a matter of time before the zombie horror master himself, George A. Romero, revisited the phenomenon he set in motion, and while we have to wait another year or so for Land of the Dead, the man gives us a little appetizer this week with Toe Tags, his new comic book mini-series. Admittedly though, while reading Toe Tags # 1 the only thing I could think about was not Romero’s legacy, but rather the incredible impact the film 28 Days Later had on the genre of zombie horror. Since Danny Boyle’s masterpiece was released, not only has the genre taken off, but by in large most everything in it’s wake has set out – very deliberately – to deviate from the genre conventions that Romero created…even, as evident with Toe Tags, Romero himself. In many ways it’s become a game of “Well these zombies are different.” Don’t get me wrong, change is vital. Genre conventions must evolve. But a problem arises when it’s change for the sake of change – when the change is arbitrary.

Toe Tags saddles the fence between advancing a unique perspective on the genre and being somewhat arbitrary. The narrative is what you’d expect. Zombies have overrun the planet, and the only thing separating them from the handful of survivors left – in this case, the spunky Judith and mysterious Damien – are a couple of shotguns. No complaints there. The shoe fits. But the “twist” to Toe Tags can be seen from a mile away. Granted, it’s not something that’s been thoroughly explored before in the genre, unless you consider Frankenstein a work of zombie horror, but to say that it’s telegraphed from the first page is putting it generously. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with Romero’s plotting, and would have been happier if he had played it straight. This is why I love Robert Kirkman’s comic book series The Walking Dead so much – the focus is on the human element, and how these survivors respond to the crisis. The backdrop is little different than an operating room or desert island in terms of its functionality. Toe Tags deliberately attempts to shock, and in the process fails to tap into what the true appeal of this genre is.

I’ve never been a big fan of artist Tommy Castillo, but I was pleasantly surprised with his work here. He’s got a real knack for handling gore that goes beyond just having a good eye for detail. Castillo walks that fine line between just enough gore and too much well. There’s plenty of carnage here to be sure, but it stops just shy of gratuitous and, more importantly, serves the story. His visual pacing is strong. The action sequences are fluid and convey the chaos and confusion of the events. Visually, I have no complaints about this book.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s something visceral about the zombie apocalypse concept that I think appeals to an adolescent desire in males to build forts and blow things up. It’s in our guts. We can’t get enough of it. It’s as if we ourselves are ravenous insatiable creatures, and zombie horror, regardless of the form it takes, is the metaphorical gray matter we endlessly hunger for. If anything, Toe Tags feeds that hunger. Mildly recommended.

THREE OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

Op-Ed: Does DC Have Another Crisis in Store for Us?

GuyBy Devon Sanders and Scipio Garling with more than significant input from Chris Green and James Kurtz

Luthor was right: a Crisis IS coming.

Let’s start with just the little things. Things that suggest that in 2005, the writers and editors are either taking characters into forbidden territory because they know it will all soon be fixed or simply stalling, waiting for…something.

Batman’s “urban legend” exposed on TV and a total breakdown of relations between the Bat-Family and The GCPD.

Dick Grayson’s gradual mental unraveling across several titles.

The impending return of Hal Jordan.

The “Birthright” revision of Superman/Luthor’s origins, penned by Mark Waid, to be more in sync with television’s “Smallville”.

The new “any era goes” format of the Justice League book.

But those are just changes in atmosphere. For months now, there’ve been actual clues of MAJOR changes in regards to DC Comics’ superhero universe. Staring us in the face (slapping us, even!) are clues pointing toward a revamp that will allow:

Total redemption for mass murderer Hal Jordan, and his return as Green Lantern.

A revivified Legion that is both more in tune with its origins and more new reader-friendly.

A DCU more like the animated JLU with the icons at the center and every other character still “on the board”.

The perfect opportunity for an event of Crisis-like proportions, only this time keeping what works and fixing what doesn’t.

SupeMark my words…it’s all prefaced and foreshadowed in 1999’s Kingdom #2 and brought together by the events of by The Teen Titans/Legion Special. (Both written by one Mark Waid.)

The final page of The Kingdom # 2 shows a pre-Crisis Golden Age Superman searching for a door between the universes. The Golden Age Superman wants his world back, be careful what he wishes for he just may get it…someday.

“For all he’d done, he deserved Heaven…not prison. But now, at long last, he knows this isn’t the jail he once believed it to be. Now he knows that there’s a DOOR. There’s a door, even if he’s not going to use it. Not TODAY, anyway.”

Meanwhile, 1000 years in the future (Teen Titans/Legion #1), the LSH are dislodged from reality when they confront “some other force out there…something that’s POUNDING against reality.” When all’s said and done, the Teen Titans are returned a decade after they first left where we find the former Superboy is now Superman ten years on and wearing a very Kingdom Come Superman-ish costume. Could that “pounding against reality” be the Golden Age Superman wanting in to our reality? If that pounding has effected the 31st Century, could the editors have it headed for the 21st Century as well? (…we all know that as The Legion goes, so does The DC Universe i.e. Crisis or Zero Hour, anyone?)

Speaking of the “Kingdom Come Superman”, think about his ‘return’ (Superman/Batman #2) with a warning for “our” Superman, “I’m you. Years from now. I’ve come to STOP you. I know you’ll THINK you’re doing the right thing — but you’ll be WRONG. You’ll only wind up killing them all. And you’ll be all alone.” Throw-away comment by Loeb or something else?

Another “omen of the apocalypse”: the appearance of the Crime Syndicate (originally of Earth III), amongst the first victims of the Crisis. In JLA Secret Files 2004, the Crime Syndicate’s Johnny Quick is shunted a year or more into the future only to be jettisoned back, proclaiming, “It’s gone! All of it—IT”S ALL GONE! …there was NOTHING THERE! The WHOLE UNIVERSE—GONE, DESTROYED! There’s NO FUTURE—NO FUTURE AT ALL!

SewerIf you can’t believe a wild-eyed Luthor or juiced-up Johnny, how about Mr. Mxyzptlk’s visit to Superman in July’s Adventures of Superman # 630 to warn him of the upcoming events of 2005? He’s stopped from telling Superman everything by “the rules”; what kind of rules could restrain Mxyzptlk from doing ANYthing? Editorial ones, I’ll wager…. In Mxyzptlk’s own words:

“HUSH! The ZERO HOUR approaches! There will be a CRISIS on Earth! Time will need Ritalin, it’s gonna be so HYPER! And a WAR, Ohhh, there will be a WAR, so SECRET that YEARS will pass before it CONCLUDES! A DARK age is coming, my friend, that shall CAST you into a NO MAN’S LAND of DESPAIR!”

Could this be the beginning of a new reality? An “entry-verse” similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe? One where classic characters and stories are re-imagined for new readers with little to no knowledge of DC’s vast continuity, more in the spirit of Cartoon Network’s Justice League Unlimited cartoon? One where The Legion Of Superheroes could actually make sense and be popular? Could the new Legion of Super-Heroes title be our first glimpse into this new continuity?






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