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I admit it: I am a fan of the 2004 Punisher film. Was it cinematic gold? No, of course not. But it was dark (as much so as Miami allows), gritty and it showed a real regression of Frank Castle into the Punisher. And yes, I even laughed at Spacker Dave.
However, there are too many elements in the new Punisher: War Zone film that have me worried. Chief among these is the fact that Tom Jane refused to come back if they didn't improve the script and who's that wearing the skull? Some guy from HBO's Rome.
(No offense to Ray Stevenson, who wasn't bad in Rome, but Tom Jane is just who I see as the >Punisher now.)
Lexi Alexander's film brings Frank to Hell's Kitchen, New York and pits him against Jigsaw and the NYPD in the form of Det. Soap. Even Microchip, Punisher's sidekick from the 90s pops up. While the movie seems to have the right ingredients, I'm going to remain cautious about getting my hopes up.
Hit the jump for the teaser poster (which is actually pretty good) from UGO.com and a couple of new images from the film (which are not so good).
The film opens December 5th.
My jaw is still stuck on the floor...
I'd like to take a moment away from comic books to bring you this:
The California Supreme Court just ruled in favor of gay marriage this morning by a vote of 4-3 and I'm still kind of absorbing the aftershocks of this news. Hopefully this provides the impetus needed for a national policy.
In a 4-3 decision, the justices said the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates the "fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship." The ruling is likely to flood county courthouses with applications from couples newly eligible to marry when the decision takes effect in 30 days.
One caveat though, this decision may be repudiated by voters come November. But progress is progress!
What do you readers think? Are you jumping for joy? Getting hitched? Let us know!
State Supreme Court says same-sex couples have right to marry [SFGate]
The Eagle Awards have come and gone for this year. The winners were announced recently at the Bristol International Comic Expo and the winners are decidedly more mainstream heavy this year. Granted, they're the lower end of the mainstream (Iron FIst, for example), but the Big Two had a larger presence than normal.
Not sure what the Eagle Awards are about? Let's fill you in!
INTRODUCED in 1976, the Eagles are the comics industry's longest established awards. Acknowledged as the pre-eminent international prizes, they have been featured on the covers of leading US and UK titles across the last 30 years. Unique in that they reflect the people's choice, the Eagle Awards comprise of two distinct stages.
The awards are for items published within the calendar year of 2007.
Hit the jump for the full list of winners.
When a story falls between the cracks, it ends up in the sewer and gets swallowed up by the Pink Kryptonite AGGROgator!
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BAM! ... Tony Z. just can't wait for an animated internet show about four women. Sadly, it's not Sex and the City: the Animated Series.
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BAM! ... Brendan Jones's fantastic web comic Breakfast of the Gods gets a shout-out and an in-depth review by Sean Kleefield's blog.
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BAM! ... X-Force: now with puppies!
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BAM! ... The Fortress of Fortitude has a great article up about creator's rights and how they relate to the corporate world of the Big Two.
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BAM! ... The ever lovin' blue-eyed Heidi MacDonald talks up the next generation of New York's School of Visual Arts and the interesting statistics about their comic art program.
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BAM! ... And finally, who wants some German sneakers?
If you're a regular reader 'round these parts you've no doubt heard me proclaim the greatness that is Comic Foundry magazine. it's a well rounded magazine that is as much about superheros and tights as it is about Manga and indie books. The new issue will be out in June and while I'm still excited about it, the cover story is definitely NOT the reason I am.
Why an interview with G4's Blair Butler is a good thing is beyond me. She is the most boring and awkward personality on the network and it pains me to see her get all the comic related presentations. She's as wooden as Johnny is a homicidal maniac and she just sucks the life out of every interview she conducts.
While I'll be gladly waiting for the issue to arrive in my mailbox this June, i will most definitely be skipping that particular article.
When a story falls between the comic industry's cracks, it ends up in the sewer. AFter travelling a long, long way through the city's sewer system it finally comes to rest on a lowly sewer grate. Luckily for us, its tale doesn't end there as this lost, forgotten story because dinner for the Pink Kryptonite AGGROgator!
BAM! ... after Last week's hall of shame for late books, Dave Carter is back again with Round Two!
BAM! ... over at the Beat, Heidi MacDonald talks about the Iron Man movie and what it represents to American society.
BAM! ... but before you actually see Iron Man, you should check out this list of the best Iron Man stories from the comics.
BAM! ... if those aren't what you think represent old Shell Head the best, why not check out Marvel's official list of the best Iron Man collections.
BAM! ... lest you think this industry is nothing but piss and vinegar from 40 year olds in their mother's basements, here is some good news from the comics industry for a change.
BAM! ... do you remember that rarely mentioned DC Universe #0? Well, Rich over at Comic By Comic has a little chat about it and asks if it really is a welcome mat to new readers or just as convoluted as Couintdown.
BAM! ... in an attempt to segue back to everyone favorite recovering alcoholic war monger, let's take a jump back through time and check out a nifty slidehow of Iron Man covers from years past.
BAM! ... also, don't forget to pick up the new Iron Man game by Sega on your system of choice.
We all love lists, right?
Well, (quite possibly the best blog name ever ... after Pink Kryptonite) over at GayWired.com has a list of the Top Ten Women of Sci-Fi. This is a genre that has been traditionally associated with gay women, be it a stereotype or not, so I suppose it's an apt list for them to run.
The usual suspects pop up on the list. I'd have been shocked if Lucy Lawless didn't appear, same with Gillian Anderson. However, there is one glaring omission - where the hell is Sigourney Weaver for Elen Ripley? She only stars in four of the most widely known sci-fi films and has spanned two decades. Even Wikipedia says that the "he character was heralded as a seminal role for challenging gender stereotypes, particularly in the science fiction genre ..." She loses her spot to some girl from Terminator 3?! Hell, for that matter, where is Linda Hamilton for her Sarah Conner?
Are there any others missing that I'm not thinking of? How about others that don't belong on the list?
Check out the full ten at LesiaNation and then come back and tell us what you think!
And we're back with another question for all you fine, fine folks out there.
Looking through the Pink Kryptonite archives (something I fully endorse as a wholesome, worthwhile activity) it's fairly apparent that most of us here are into superheroes. The majority of topics are brought up by or are discussing the Big Two or at least the more mainstream of Dark Horse and Image (who I refer to as the Little Two). Not that I'm saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but there is quite a bit out there in the comics landscape that don't sport skintight spandex and power rings.
So with that conceit and in an effort to diversify the site some, I ask you this:
What are some of the best indie books out there right now?
"Indie" can mean different things to different people, but for the purpose of this discussion, let's go with stuff outside the Big and Little Two. While both of the Little Two have books that fly under the mainstream radar, let's give some love to shops like Oni, Top Shelf Prods. and Kitchen Sink Press.
I will probably do another Say What?! featuring graphic novels, but since a number of smaller publishers put out OGNs exclusively, they're fair game here too.
So come on, Indie Folks. The challenge has been called. Teach us Spandex Nerds about what we're missing!
Steve Ditko, co-creator and original artist for the Amazing Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, is a notorious recluse and has little attachment to his prior creations. There is word he uses original ASM drawing boards as backing to slice up new artwork. Between his irrational (to today's fans) behavior and unwillingness to grant interviews, Ditko has become one of the most fascinating creators of the industry.
Not as shocking as Ditko actually appearing (but still some big news nonetheless), MoCCA will be having a fairly big show spotlighting the man of the hour and more specificaly the new book, Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell. The book premiere lands during MoCCA's Art Festival, so it's a perfect time to head over and check out all the wonderful material on display.
For those not in the know, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is an invaluable treasure trove of work from decades ago and last month. It's all presented as serious and legitimate art and questions of who can beat up who are not high on the list (though I'm sure they do slip in from time to time). The museum is located at 594 Broadway, Suite 401 in NYC and, while currently closed for remodeling, is reopening this month.
The MoCCA Art Festival will be held June 7th - 8th at the historic Puck Building in lower Manhattan.
You can check out the museum's official website for more details.
You can hit the jump for the official word on all the Ditko doings.
Now that the New York ComiCon has come and gone (or gone without coming for those of us forced to be in the damned hospital), let's see who among the throngs of comic book aficionados actually showed up for the East Coast version of San Diego's ComiCon International.
According to the blog of Lance Fensterman, director of the NYCC:
At least 64,000 people attended New York Comic Con this weekend. We have more details to pour through from retailers and on site tickets sales, but as of tonight we know that at least 64,000 attendees were in the building over the weekend. That's an intense jump from 49,000 last year and it seems to say this crazy little party we call New York Comic Con continues to grow as fast as a speeding bullet.
64,000 is a huge number for a con that's only three years old. Given the much larger media saturation I've heard about and the video game and movie news coming from the convention, it looks like San Diego may have some serious competition soon, which is great for me as I'd rather pay $8 to jump the Hudson River than a few hundred to cross the country.
Also of note, Lance Fensterman may be both the dorkiest and coolest name all at once.
Via The Beat.
We're well into the 2008 convention season and the big shows are coming up soon. ComiCon in San Diego is still the biggest show in the U.S., but it has some competition in the upstart New York ComicCon.
Having already outgrown the largest convention hall in Manhattan (the Javitz Center on the Lower West Side), the show continues to get bigger every year. While the Javitz Center is the largest arena in the city, the NYCC is still expanding to multiple floors and theaters throughout the venue.
Guests this year include heavy hitters like Joe Kubert, John Romita Sr. and Stan Lee, who will be receiving the first annual Legend Award. Panels range from Women in Comics to The State of Manga and back around to The Future of the Graphic Novel.
Will anyone else be in attendance this year? This high flying Goblin will jump the mighty Hudson River to the big, scary city for all three days. (Although, in the spirit of full disclosure, I'll be leaving early on Saturday because I inadvertently bought tickets to Rufus Wainwright for the 19th.)
Check out the New York ComiCon April 18th - 20th.
You can buy tickets for the whizzbang party right here.
Just last week, we had a story on real-life superheroes out to make the world a better place. Now, thanks to physicists at the European Center for Nuclear Research, Earth could be subject to man-made destruction more befitting the plans of Lex Luthor or Doctor Doom.
According to the New York Times,
The world's physicists have spent 14 years and $8 billion building the Large Hadron Collider, in which the colliding protons will recreate energies and conditions last seen a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang. Researchers will sift the debris from these primordial recreations for clues to the nature of mass and new forces and symmetries of nature.
But Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sancho contend that scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, have played down the chances that the collider could produce, among other horrors, a tiny black hole, which, they say, could eat the Earth. Or it could spit out something called a "strangelet" that would convert our planet to a shrunken dense dead lump of something called "strange matter."
Sure, the physicists at CERN certainly aren't threatening to consume the Earth with a black hole unless they're given the head of Captain Marvel or anything, but the fact remains that this invention could seriously consume the Earth with a black hole ... and let's not forget this machine could even turn the entire planet into something actually called "strange matter". And that sounds pretty supervillainous to me.
Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More [NY TImes]
"Oh Lois, you SO don't want to know!"
Comic of the Week
Frater Mine by Sean McGrath and Juan Romera
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