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11/03/16 @ 9:33 pm EST
Fabrice Sapolsky talks to Byron Brewer about INTERTWINED #4, on sale in January from Dynamite. Cover by Gerald Parel.  BYRON BREWER: Juan Jin has become the Spirit of the Earth! … Yet here on the earthly plane, he is still wanted as a POI for a murder by the authorities and is being pursued by the Triads. What exactly does being the new “Spirit of the Earth” mean? To Juan Jin? To the rest of us?FABRICE SAPOLSKY: That’s a very good question! At first glance, getting these powers makes Juan’s life more complicated. But it’s a process. He has to go through hell to figure out himself what he wants to do with his life. Again, becoming a Spirit of WuXing isn’t something that happens to everyone. He was chosen. And through exceptional circumstances. For the world, Juan becomes this being who masters everything organic. Everything that comes from the land. He communicates with the Earth, he’s very powerful. BB: Fabrice, if you would, tell us a little more about the “Spirits,” whose pantheon (for lack of a better term) Juan Jin has just joined, and whom he mistrusts at this point.FS: In our story, the Spirits of WuXing have been around forever. First in Asia, then the world. They’re the ones who keep the universe balanced through its five elements (Metal, Water, Earth, Wood, Fire). For generations, one Spirit would die (in battle or of natural causes) and would be replaced by a younger one. Challenges have been many. But for the first time, in this generation, a Spirit is murdered by another Spirit (as chronicled in the very rare issue #0). And we’ll finally learn why. The reason will shock you! And it’ll also propel the series into a very different place. From an action/adventure series to a more social/diversity conscious one. BB: What is the Golden Dragon the Triads seek? Why is it of such import to them?FS: The Golden Dragon is one of the 5 artifacts the Spirits possess. It’s like a Green Lantern battery, to make it simple. Except you don’t recharge your power here. The essence of your power, your spirit is there. The Spirits can function without them. But if they’re all gathered in one hand, they can be used to control the universe. The Spirit of the Earth, who died prior to our story, gave the Golden Dragon to Lady Xia. Because he trusted her. He would always leave it to her when he was spending time in the United States. That explains why she has it in issue #1. And she gives it to Juan because she picked him up as the new Spirit of the Earth. Lady Xia is behind everything (or almost everything). I have to add that the Golden Dragon, or the Black Tortoise or Vermillion Bird didn’t come out of my imagination. I borrowed them to have them fit in our story. In Chinese tradition, the Golden Dragon or Yellow Dragon is tied to the Element of Earth. BB: The Spirits are certainly being overly helpful, or at least trying to be, to our hero. Is there some unknown motivation behind their offers of assistance of which readers are unaware?FS: The remaining Spirits, led by Lady Xia aka the Spirit of Water, have an agenda. I think it’s clear by issue #4 that their intention has always been to restore balance in WuXing since Nei Chang, the Spirit of Metal, has crushed it. One problem at a time. They first decided to pick themselves the new Spirit of the Earth, then to deal with the Spirit of Metal. But when you play with the elements, there’s always a price to pay… BB: Thus far, Intertwined has certainly been a character-driven book. When you plan issues, do you concentrate on character first and then where that takes the plot?FS: It really is a character-driven book. There’s a McGuffin in the story. A revelation that justifies the entire story to even exist. And this revelation (and its consequences) happen in issue #4 and #5! What came first was the reason why I made this book. And I’ll talk more about it next month when people have read issue #4 because it’ll become clear that there were some issues I wanted to talk about. Without giving too much away, let’s say that since I came to live in the United States, I discovered how much communities can live in the same streets, in the same buildings without knowing each other. That melting pot doesn’t really exist. That rejection is easy. And when you get here, you have to identify as something and try to hang with “your people”. That’s not how I was raised nor how I want to live. I strongly believe mixing people from everywhere enriches us. Intertwined is a kind of Trojan horse. A Kung Fu fiction that conveys a vision where lines are blurred and we only see people. I’ll take a moment to talk about Bruce Lee who has been an incredible inspiration for Fred and myself. His philosophy. The way he saw the world. Bruce was born in the U.S. but had hard time blending in in the 1950s and ‘60s in that America. He was also very much Chinese, as reported by the people who knew him and his family. But he saw people behind colors. He believed in humankind. I see so many people talking about ethnicities here. I’m not ignoring the challenges nor negating anything. And I strongly support those who fight for inclusion and equality in rights. Bruce Lee was ahead of his time. He understood that wherever you come from, whatever you looked like, you’re a human being first. A talent. A brother. A sister. A son. A daughter. A mother or a father. We set the action in 1971 because the world was very different obviously, but also more optimistic, despite so many terrible things happening. We’ve lost a lot of that optimism. But I don’t think we have to give up on it. On the contrary, we have to work harder to give a much more open minded world to our kids. Writers… creators… we are dreamers. But we’re also deeply rooted in reality. Fiction proved centuries ago that it could plant seeds of ambition in people’s minds. We went to the moon. We did great things. Humbly, Intertwined brings a little something to the table. Something of our own experiences in life. BB: With issue #4, on sale in January, we are approaching the penultimate issue of this series. Looking back, has the story unfolded pretty much as you intended. (All writers know how characters and stories sometimes take over, lol.)FS: I’ve been pretty much following my initial plan here. There have been some differences, some scenes originally taking place in an issue and moved to other ones. But it’s pretty much the same structure from day one. BB: How awesome has Fred Pham Chuong been with the art on this book? Do you guys work closely together?FS: You said it: awesome. Fred is just an incredible storyteller. We speak nearly every day. We sometimes change the script together. He makes me a stronger creator. We lift each other up. And I want to also mention our color artist, Veronica Lopez. She’s been with us from the beginning and we feel blessed she lends her talent to the series. BB: Fabrice, can you tell us a little of what readers can expect in Intertwinedgoing forward?FS: Revelations! More Kung Fu! And the dramatic return of Juan’s Haitian friends.And GREAT covers by incredible French artists! Gerald Parel drew the cover to issue #4, Roland Boschi is doing #5 and the mighty Olivier Coipel is closing the first story arc’s cover with #6. To my knowledge, it’s the first non-DC, non-Marvel cover Olivier has done in a very, very long time. Not to be missed!
04/27/24 @ 11:36 am EST
Being in Los Angeles in the late 90s gave you access to a local radio station, KROQ and their morning show Kevin & Bean. While the show was on for just shy of thirty years, it is notable for a couple of the people who made their name there before moving on. Impressionist and frequent Kevin Smith collaborator Ralph Garman was on the show from 1999 to 2017 and Matt “Money” Smith was on from 1999 to 2006 before going to work at ESPN. But the two biggest names were Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel was “Jimmy the Sports Guy” from 1994 to 1999 before leaving with Carolla to start The Man Show before creating Win Ben Stein’s Money and eventually getting his own late-night variety show on ABC. Comedian Carolla was on the show from 1995 to 1997 as a character named Mr. Birchum, a woodshop teacher who would call in to give messages to his students. That character is coming back in a new animated series for the Daily Wire. And joining Carolla will be a voice cast that includes: Megyn Kelly, Brett Cooper, Roseanne Barr, Danny Trejo, Rob Riggle, Patrick Warburton, Tyler Fischer, Alonzo Bodden, Kyle Dunnigan and Jay Mohr. It was recently announced that Sage Steele would be replacing Candace Owens who recently left the news platform. The show is set to premiere on May 12 on the DailyWire+.  04/27/24 @ 11:12 am EST
New on Netflix is the Dead Boy Detectives, based on the comics from The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman. It follows a pair of ghosts who instead of crossing over into the afterlife, decide to stay and help other phantoms with their problems. In the comics, the boys exist in the same world as Morpheus and the other characters from The Sandman, which is the plan here as well, but because of timing the producers needed to tweak a few things. Showrunner Steve Yockey said: “We knew we wanted to hang on to the boys’ backstory as much as we could. We obviously couldn’t do the full “Season of Mists” backstory, because they have not done that on The Sandman yet. And we were trying to exist within The Sandman universe without stepping on any toes. So we had to slightly tweak their backstories. We held on to the friendship as the core thing, and obviously the detective agency. And then Crystal, to a certain extent, has the same backstory from the comics. Everybody else is either a new creation or a new version of something that was in the comic books. We did a lot of reappropriating and moving things around. So it will feel familiar to readers of the comic book, but also hopefully surprise them in good ways.” But they did keep how the ghosts work directly from the comics. “The rules about how ghosts operate are laid out like in a two-page spread in the comic book, where it’s like, ‘Here are the ghost rules.’ So we took that and we ran with it. Then we did everything in our power to just work that internal logic pretty rigorously. But these rules are the rules.” As for the theme of the series, Yockey gave what might be the best elevator pitch line ever, “I’ve said from the beginning that we were trying to make The Hardy Boys on acid.”  ... 04/27/24 @ 10:44 am EST
Recently we reported that Robert Downey Jr. has shown interest in returning to the role of Tony Stark / Iron Man in the future. The problem is that Iron Man sacrificed himself at the end of Avengers: Endgame, something that the directors of the movie mentioned when asked about RDJ’s comments. Anthony Russo told GamesRadar, “I don’t know how they would do it. I don’t know what the road to that would be.” Joe Russo added, “I mean, we closed that book, so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.” And previously Kevin Feige had said, “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.” So, that’s the end of that, right? Probably not as anyone who reads comics know that a character death only lasts until the sales start to drop and if the MCU continues to have a few underperforming films, I would expect the writers would come up with a way for RDJ to suit up again.  04/26/24 @ 9:41 pm EST
Sony has pushed its reboot of Karate Kid from December 13 this year to May 30, 2025. This has created a bit of a backward domino effect but won’t rob the year of theatrical releases. Backfilling Karate Kid‘s spot is Sony/Marvel’s Kraven the Hunter, which goes from August 30, the Labor Day weekend frame, to December 13. The Aaron Taylor-Johnson movie will have Imax and PLF screens. Kraven the Hunter will be the only R-rated movie during the holidays, directed by J.C. Chandor, it will go up that frame against Warner Bros’ animated Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim. The plus here on Karate Kid‘s move: The movie will now follow the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai, which was delayed due to the strike. The summer date will see 50% K-12 out on its opening day with great family-film spacing. Warner Bros has the weekend reserved for an untitled movie. Through five movies, the Karate Kid cinema franchise counts north of $620 million worldwide. (via Deadline) 04/26/24 @ 9:35 pm EST
The two most talked-about comic book icons of the year are co-starring in their latest team-up-series—DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII. Brought to you by two of the characters’ most legendary creators, writer Joe Kelly and artist Adam Kubert, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII is a three-issue epic that’s a must-have for fans and a perfect entry point for newcomers to Wade and Logan’s comic book adventures. The debut issue hits stands next week, and to celebrate this highly-anticipated launch, comic shops will receive a special surprise DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII variant cover! The Promo Surprise Variant Cover is an all-new take on acclaimed artist Gabriele Dell’Otto’s regular variant cover that features Wolverine in his beloved brown costume. WADE WILSON AND LOGAN AT THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - AND EACH OTHER'S THROATS! The most intensely mismatched team-up in comics and pop culture - the best there is and the merc with the mouth - undergoes a radical change in this three-part, globe-spanning saga for the ages! The mysterious Delta believes in change. Change is good. But as he sets his sights on Deadpool, and Wolverine is caught up in the plot, is the third time really the charm, or the curse? Get ready for WWIII to erupt on the scene with the wildest duo in comics! The DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII Promo Surprise Variant Cover is the latest complimentary cover delivered from Marvel to show appreciation for retailers and build excitement for readers. Check out Dell’Otto’s variant cover below and inquire with your local comic shop regarding availability.  04/26/24 @ 8:46 am EST
James Bond alum Pierce Brosnan is returning to his espionage roots. The actor is attached to star in A Spy’s Guide to Survival from director Simon Barry, the creator behind Netflix series Warrior Nun. Uri Singer’s Passage Pictures is producing the project that centers around a reclusive, retired spy who is brought out of hiding by his enigmatic new neighbor, digging up both of their secrets in the process. Barry will also write the film based on a story by him and his father, Derek Barry. The project will mark Simon Barry’s feature directing debut. “As a longtime Pierce Brosnan fan, I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside someone I admire for their craft, character and humanity,” said Simon Barry. (via The Hollywood Reporter) 04/26/24 @ 8:35 am EST
This June, chaos reignites when Steve Orlando’s SCARLET WITCH run returns! Teaming up with X-Men Red’s Jacopo Camagni, Orlando’s SCARLET WITCH will continue to push the limits of what Wanda’s magic is capable of as she becomes the Marvel Universe’s prime defender against deadly mystical threats—new and old! Among them will be LORE, Wanda’s demonic counterpart from 1994’s Scarlet Witch limited series. Complete with a wicked new look from Russell Dauterman, fans can check out Lore on both the cover of August’s SCARLET WITCH #3 and Dauterman’s original design sheet. In addition, Dauterman will join Camagni as an interior artist on SCARLET WITCH #3 to bring Wanda and Lore’s epic battle to life. LORE RETURNS! Scarlet Witch’s fight to reach the land of the living puts her face-to-face with her necromantic multiversal counterpart! Lore won’t stop until her death at Wanda’s hands is avenged – but another one of Wanda’s nemeses may hold the key to her survival! "Redesigning Lore was a huge treat!” Dauterman said. “Lore is an evil Wanda variant, so I wanted to contrast the design I did for our Scarlet Witch, which was meant to be magical, vibrant, and super-heroic, by going dark and sinister, with a goth, undead vibe. I’m incredible excited to also be drawing some interiors in the issue where these two Wandas face off!" Lore, who destroyed her own world before trying to conquer the multiverse, represents Wanda’s worst fear—a version of herself that’s gone mad with power! Will Scarlet Witch need her own inner darkness in order to defeat her? Preorder SCARLET WITCH #1 at your local comic shop today! 
04/25/24 @ 9:48 pm EST
Universal Pictures will release DreamWorks Animation‘s Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025, the studio said Thursday. Universal already had the release date on hold for an untitled DWA movie.Late September is a prime time to launch family friendly animated pics, going back to Open Season and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, among others, including DreamWorks Animation‘s own Abominable.In the new film, directed by Ryan Crego, Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner, reprising her role from the series) heads out on a road trip with her Grandma Gigi to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. But when Gabby’s dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera, Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world to get the Gabby Cats back together and save the dollhouse before it’s too late. (via Deadline) 04/25/24 @ 9:38 pm EST
Mutants may no longer have a homeland—but they’ll always have a home! Announced last month and launching in August, celebrated writer Gail Simone and superstar artist David Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN will be the second of three flagship X-titles set in the upcoming From the Ashes era. Today, fans can see the reveal of the main cover and discover more about the series! With Professor X gone and his school transformed into a nightmare reflection of itself called Graymalkin Prison, the series sees Rogue step up to be the pillar of Xavier’s dream alongside Wolverine, Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee. From their new base of operations in New Orleans, the Uncanny X-Men are back to being the outlaw heroes the world hates and fears—and the light in the darkness for mutants everywhere! Mutantkind made a big statement with Krakoa, and now, life is harder for them than ever before, but Rogue’s X-Men will be there to welcome mutants to their new found family. A core group of essential X-Men rise From the Ashes to face a world without a home – and without Professor X! All bonds among the mutant community seem to be slipping away, and Rogue reluctantly finds herself as the hero designated to bring them back together...but a fearless, malignant power is out there hunting mutants, and it has a terrible secret that may destroy what remains of the X-Men. “Most of my time lately has been spent trying to keep my brain from exploding right out of my skull from this book,” Simone shared. “It's either the fun of all my favorite mutants acting in surprising and wonderful ways, the impossibly brilliant work of the art team, or the thrilling collaboration with all the other writers, but somehow every DAY is just filled with some kind of manic joy. Ever since I took the book, I've been scribbling notes and plots and bits of dialogue day and night. I feel like a kid at a carnival. Who DOESN'T want to write Rogue and Jubilee and Gambit all the rest?” "Uncanny X-Men is the book that made me fall in love with comics,” Marquez said. “It's been a dream come true getting to work with Gail, Matt [Wilson], and the whole Marvel editorial crew under Tom to put together this story: a badass, heartfelt, action-packed, character driven X-Men mystery. I hope readers have at least half as much fun reading it as we have had making it." “I absolutely have to take a moment to praise David Marquez,” Simone added. “Not only is this going to be one of the best-looking books on the stands, he's simply an idea MACHINE and he makes every single page better than I wrote it. Anyway, come join us, we're having an X adventure and you're all INVITED!” With three flagship titles and a host of additional satellite series, the upcoming From the Ashes era will present fans with a wide range of different approaches to the X-Men’s mission. Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN are ready to do whatever it takes to secure mutantkind’s future, even if it means revolution. Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN train and prepare mutants to survive the dangers they’ll inevitably face. Meanwhile, Simone and Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN are here to save everyone, making the world a brighter place for mutant and human alike! Check out Marquez’s main cover below! 
... 04/25/24 @ 12:24 pm EST
Today Skybound and Image Comics, in partnership with Universal Products & Experiences, revealed an impressive slate of variant covers and a first look at interior pages from Universal Monsters: Creature from The Black Lagoon Lives! #2, the next issue of the new four-issue limited comic book series from acclaimed writers Dan Watters (Home Sick Pilots, Lucifer) and Ram V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Batman: Detective Comics), along with artist Matthew Roberts (Manifest Destiny), and colorist Dave Stewart (Ultramega, Hellboy). The next installment of the new Universal Monsters phenomenon hits comic book shops May 22, 2024. In addition to the main cover by Matthew Roberts and Dave Stewart, Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 boasts a variant cover lineup from top artists including both an open to order cover and “classic horror” black and white 1:25 incentive variant by Francis Manapul, the continuation of a four-part 1:10 incentive connecting cover series by DANI, a 1:50 incentive variant by Stephanie Pepper, and a 1:75 incentive variant by Christian Ward. Kate Marsden has miraculously survived – but just who, or what, is the creature that she saw? As Doctor Thompson and Kate work to discover the truth, they come face to face with an elusive serial killer...who’s also the man that Kate has dedicated her life to destroying. Picking up where the original films left off, this Universal Monsters tale takes readers back to the mysterious Amazonian lagoon where terror lurks beneath its murky waters. This series is perfect for new readers and longtime fans alike. Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! is the second Universal Monsters series launch from Skybound, following James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ Dracula, and will be followed by Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by writer/artist Michael Walsh coming in August and more new limited series pairing the biggest names in comics with pop culture’s most iconic monsters. Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 (of 4) (Lunar Codes Below SRP: $4.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. The full list of covers is below: Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 Cover A by Matthew Roberts & Dave Stewart (Lunar Code 0324IM295) Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 Cover B by Francis Manapul (Lunar Code 0324IM296) Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 Cover C (1:10 Connecting Copy Incentive) by DANI (Lunar Code 0324IM297) Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 Cover D (1:25 “Classic Horror” B&W Copy Incentive) by Francis Manapul (Lunar Code 0324IM298) Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive) by Stephanie Pepper (Lunar Code 0324IM299) Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #2 Cover F (1:75 Copy Incentive) by Christian Ward (Lunar Code 0324IM300) 
     
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