|
05/27/16 @ 11:21 pm EST
David F. Walker has brought one of the iconic characters of the seventies back to the spotlight with his first Shaft mini-series for Dynamite. He continues that work with the latest series, Shaft: Imitation of LIfe and we have his writer’s commentary for issue #4 that came out this week. The cover below was done by Matthew Clark and interiors byDietrich Smith.
Page 1
The first issue of Shaft: Imitation of Life started with a sequence from the original Shaft novel by Ernest Tidyman, and I wanted to make sure that this final issue of the story made some kind of passing reference to where it all started. Hence, the flashback in Panel 3. This actual scene never occurred in the book (or the movie), but I needed a way to explain how Shaft would have so much cash on hand, and it made sense (at least while I was writing it).It’s also important to note that in every issue of Shaft, his first person narration was an integral part of the story. But with this issue, it was very difficult for me. The first draft had no narration, and I struggled with what to have Shaft say, because it just felt like this issue didn’t need him blabbering on an on. But at the same time, the precedent had been set, and not have him narrate would be weird. Some of you may notice that there is less narration in this issue.
Page 2
The supporting character of Tito didn’t start out as important as he ended up being. In fact, in the original outline, he was only in the first two issues, but as the story grew and evolved, so did the character. I specifically asked Dietrich to draw a Volkswagen Beetle for this scene, because it seems like the least badass car Shaft could be driving. I find it funny, but I don’t know if anyone else will appreciate the humor.
Page 3
I loved working with Dietrich Smith on this series. He had an incredible way of bringing my scripts to like, but the thing I like best is the way he captured the little details that were very important. On this page, the single most important detail is that Tito is taking the gun from the bag. There is nothing else that the reader absolutely has to know, but they need to know this, and they need to know that Shaft doesn’t know. Dietrich made this one bit of information truly sing.
Page 4-5
In the original script, there was only dialog in the giant panel. After seeing Dietrich’s art, I felt that there were missed opportunities on this page, if I left the remaining panels silent. I struggled with what to have the characters say. I knew I wanted Tito talking to himself in Spanish. The problem was that the character is Puerto Rican, and I wanted to make sure that what I had him saying “sounded” right for someone from Puerto Rico, because not all Spanish-speaking languages say things the same way. I think (or hope) that I got it right. If it is wrong, I apologize. As for what Shaft says, I just wanted to play around with the idea that he knows this case was a bad move.
Page 6
This mini-series has an odd history. Originally, I had written a self-contained Shaft story that was supposed to be some kind of annual, but it never got published. When Dynamite asked for a second story-arc, I decided to use material from that other script, and combine it into a second story. Essentially, Shaft: Imitation of Life is a combination of a one-shot style story, that was repurposed and combined with a second story. What we are seeing here is one of the few scenes from that original one-shot that made it into this series completely unaltered. There’s actually a certain amount of symbolism on this page, mostly in the last panel, as it represents Shaft about to enter a very absurd world.
Page 7
To the best of my knowledge, this was not how porn movies were made in the 1970s. To be honest, I have tried to keep Shaft somewhat grounded in fact, and with this, my tenth issue of the character, I have ventured into a complete and total land of make believe. That’s part of why this series is called Imitation of Life.
Page 8
If you’ve been reading this story from the start, you know that Shaft was originally hired to find this kid, Mike Prosser. The case involving Mike, and the introduction of Tito, was all part of secondary story that came about when the one-shot story was expanded. The original one-shot story was nothing more than Shaft working as a film consultant. This particular scene was never in that story, because the character of Mike wasn’t in that story. I needed away to bring both of those cases together, and thanks to the sleazy world or porn…here it is.
Page 9
The character of Lou “Lollipop” Peraino is fictional. In real life, however, there was a mobster name Anthony “Big Tony” Peraino, who was a huge player in the porn industry. Big Tony was part of the Columbo crime family, and he financed the porn film Deep Throat, which changed the world of pornography. In the world of Shaft, Lollipop Peraino is the nephew of Big Tony, which is how he got into porn.
Page 10
I try to give my artists reference material for when they have to design key characters. I don’t expect them to make the characters look exactly like the reference, but it helps the artist to get an idea of what a character can look like. For Lollipop Peraino, I sent Dietrich photos of several actors, including John Saxon, Jack Palance, and Henry Silva. To me, Peraino looks like a cross between Palance and Silva.
Page 11
It’s hard to believe that originally, Tito was a throwaway character that only appeared in the first two issues. At some point, I grew attached to him, recognized that he had a lot of potential, and even came to understand that this story is as much about him as it is Shaft.
Page 12
This scene is wrong on so many levels, and I wrestled with keeping it. I knew it would offend some people. And then I thought, “Well…f*ck ‘em.” I always wanted to take this story someplace outrageous, sleazy, over-the-top, and exploitative. I wanted to evoke the balls-to-the-wall aesthetic of some of the more outrageous grindhouse films of the 1970s, and this is how I decided to do it. I love this page. I love this scene. Dietrich captured it all beautifully.
Page 13
Of all the things in this issue that I could be worried about, this is the page that concerns me the most. I worry that people will miss the fact that Shaft is reaching for his gun in the bag, and that is not there. Perhaps I should be concerned that we are implying that Shaft is about to anally assaulted with a sausage, but that doesn’t matter to me. I just want people to realize the gun is missing.
Page 14
I love how Dietrich brought the action to life on this page. As I pointed out, there is much less narration in this issue, and I knew that at some point Shaft would have to start telling his story again. The point of the narration has always been to give the reader insight into Shaft that works either in conjunction with what is on the page or, in some cases, beyond what is on the page.
Page 15
And here we are essentially where Issue #2 started. This scene is directly from the original one-shot that never got published.
Page 16
Here we see the two different cases of this story coming together, but also a bit more than just that. Once again, Shaft: Imitation of Life was originally supposed to be a self-contained one-shot. It was the story of Shaft working as a film consultant, and was meant to be absurd, over-the-top, and, quite possibly, a bit offensive. The second storyline, the one that came about when I was asked to write another series, was the missing persons case involving Mike Prosser. That story was about Shaft failing on the case, with someone else finding the person he was looking for. That story went through many changes—especially considering that Mike was originally a teenage girl, and the character of Tito didn’t exist. But things change and stories evolve, and in some cases, two stories come crashing together in more ways than one.
Page 17
I don’t do much lettering (because I’m not that good at it, and because I don’t have the time). But I love lettering Shaft, because it allows me to play with the dialog (and even the story) up until the very last moment. This page is pretty much as I wrote, except for the second panel. The dialog was slightly different, and when I saw the emotions on the characters’ face as Dietrich had drawn them, I saw a great opportunity to add just a bit more to the story.
Page 18
I absolutely love what Dietrich did with this page. In the original one-shot story, I never showed how Shaft and Rockman escaped. But when the story expanded, and Tito was brought in, I had to have some kind of action-packed ending. I also love the use of Volkswagen. Much of this story was in response to the announced Shaft film reboot, which was announced last year, and was reported to be comedic in nature. I don’t think Shaft should be done as a comedy. But if it is going to have comedic elements, it should be him killing a warehouse full of pornographers, then jumping out of a window, and landing on the hood of VW. That is comedic gold, my friends.
Page 19
This is what we call an “expository dump.” You’ve gotta wrap up a story some way. I just wanted to end on a note that held some kind of promise of more adventures with Tito. Honestly, I’d love to write a story just about him.
Page 20
Here we have not one, but two homages. The first is to the film Midnight Cowboy. The second is to Taxi Driver. In my own twisted mind, this entire story is a bizarre mash-up of Midnight Cowboy and Taxi Driver, starring John Shaft. No one else may see it, but I know that it is there.
Page 21
This page may or may not be some kind of thinly veiled commentary on the upcoming Shaft film, or it may be some kind of deeper commentary on how film portrays black masculinity, or it just may be the end of the story.
Page 22
I love this page. I really do. At the same time, I recognize that I used the character of Honee in a way that was lacking in originality or complexity, which is a sign of my shortcomings as a writer. If there is one thing about this story that I look back on with any regret, it’s the fact that I didn’t try harder to make Honee more than just a sex object. Unfortunately, sometimes you don’t see these things until after they are done, and then all you can do is work to grow as a writer, so that next time, you don’t do it again. That said, I really love this page.
01/10/26 @ 11:52 am EST
Takashi Yamazaki’s follow-up to the 2023 Godzilla Minus One is set to hit North American theaters on November 6th, 2026, three days after its premier in Japan. The Academy Award winning film took in $11.4 million in the US on its opening weekend and $57 million total during its domestic box office run. Godzilla Minus Zero is the second film in the franchise from Gkids since taking Toho acquired the company in 2024. David Jesteadt, president of Gkids, said in a statement: “Gkids is proud to bring Godzilla Minus Zero to North American audiences, following the incredible global reception of Godzilla Minus One. This next chapter is sure to become another defining moment for the most colossal monster ever to dominate the screen. It is only fitting that this bold, new Godzilla event be experienced in its fullest theatrical glory, and we’re honored that Toho has entrusted us to carry this legacy forward.” 
01/10/26 @ 11:38 am EST
As we get closer to the start of production on Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part 2, the cast starts to take shape with the second MCU veteran being added to the cast. We heard of Scarlet Johansson’s casting earlier in December and now multiple sources are saying Sebastian Stan has come on board as well, with the Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision report claiming that the actor who plays Bucky Barnes will now take on the role of District Attorney Harvey Dent aka Two-Face. This lines up with the rumors that Johansson would be playing Gilda Dent and that the story may be following the Long Halloween, a popular comic arch by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. While the story does focus on the Dents, many of the other characters in the story have already appeared in The Batman and The Penguin and have already been eliminated. Plus, the setting of the sequel is said to be set around a week after The Penguin series ended, just before Christmas. How ever the characters are used, if Stan is in the film, it then puts the fate of his MCU character in question as The Batman Part 2 will be filming around the same time as Avengers: Secret Wars. While the casting of both Stan and Johansson have not been made official, neither have they been denied by Reeves, James Gunn or DC Studios.  01/03/26 @ 1:19 pm EST
Deadline is reporting that Mike Flanagan is working on a new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Flanagan said his plan is to adapt the beloved franchise into a five-season series that would then be capped off by two stand-alone movies. The acclaimed horror director recently told Empire Magazine, “We’ve got a lot of scripts done for it. It’s the first priority.” He also made it clear that he doesn’t want the 2017 Idris Elba/ Matthew McConaughey film to be the final word on the property. That adaptation has a 16% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Though Flanagan and Intrepid Pictures have a deal with Amazon, the rights to the Dark Tower were specifically carved out of their arrangement and could end up with another studio, but Amazon is also a possibility. Flanagan is known for his work on films like Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep and the Life of Chuck as well as series like The Fall of the House of Ushers, The Midnight Club and Midnight Mass. He also came up with the initial story and script for the upcoming Clayface movie that was so strong that James Gunn and Peter Safran has to greenlight a body horror film starring a B-level Batman villain as the third film released in their new DCU.  01/03/26 @ 12:45 pm EST
Now that we’re in 2026, we need to keep an ear out for casting news for the two big DC Studios films shooting this year, Man of Tomorrow and The Batman Part 2. The Superman follow-up is the one going first and we already got the casting announcement for the main villain, Brainiac with the addition of German actor Lars Eidinger to the cast. There have been rumors that there was a female role being cast for a potential hero that many have assumed was going to be this universe’s Wonder Woman, and while that has not been confirmed, John Rocha of the Hot Mic podcast says his sources confirm that James Gunn is looking to cast the Amazon warrior for the film. That would make sense with the idea that DC is pushing Wonder Woman for a new film with Supergirl scribe Ann Nogueira said to be working on the script. This still falls into the rumor category, but Gunn has not debunked the story as of yet. With the film expected to begin production in the spring, more casting news is expected in the next few weeks/months, and we know that if the “scoopers” have it right, DC likes to get the news out their themselves as they did with Eidinger. So I wouldn’t trust any of the rumored castings as of now.  12/20/25 @ 12:26 pm EST
James Gunn took to social media this morning to welcome Lars Eidinger to the DCU and Man of Tomorrow in the role of Brainiac. Eidinger, while not a household name, is best known for his roles in Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper but also appeared in the recent Netflix film Jay Kelly. Gunn talked about a worldwide search for the iconic Superman villain led to Eidinger rising to the top. He will join David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan as the film is expected to begin shooting in the spring of 2026 for a release in July of 2027. There have been multiple attempts to use Brainiac in a Superman film, but each attempt has fallen to the wayside, and his only live-action appearance so far was in the short-lived SciFi series Krypton where he was played by Blake Ritson. 
12/20/25 @ 11:25 am EST
After having begun production in August of this year, director Destin Daniel Cretton revealed that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has wrapped filming as of Friday. The film, which is set to premiere July 31st, 2026, features the return of Tom Holland as Peter Parker and is the first in the MCU franchise to not be directed by Jon Watts. Cretton wrote on Instagram, “I’m so deeply grateful for the people who walked with me through the biggest, most rewarding film I’ve ever been a part of. To our amazing cast, for breathing so much life into these beloved characters and moving us every day. To our unbelievable crew, who worked tirelessly with unmatched creativity and craftsmanship, who made me laugh so hard my stomach never stopped hurting. I love you all so much and can’t wait for the world to see your stunning work on the big screen. And of course, to @tomholland2013, for your kind, generous leadership on and off screen, for your relentless work ethic, your fearless performances, and for your friendship. That’s a wrap on Spider-Man: Brand New Day!” This is Cretton’s second MCU film after having helmed Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He has also produced the Wonder Man series set to debut on Disney+ next month.  12/06/25 @ 2:03 pm EST
Scarlett Johansson is said to be in negotiations to join the cast of the highly anticipated sequel, The Batman Part 2. While Warner Bros. has not officially revealed which character Johansson would portray, speculation is rife across social media and film forums. Many fans are hoping she will take on the role of a major antagonist or perhaps bring a new dimension to an existing character from the Batman lore. Johansson’s acclaimed work in action and drama—especially her iconic run as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—positions her as a compelling choice for a complex role in Gotham’s shadowy streets. The Batman Part 2 is currently in pre-production, with filming scheduled to commence in May of next year. The film is targeted for a theatrical release in 2026, although official dates may be subject to change. Director Matt Reeves returns to helm the sequel, ensuring continuity in the vision and tone that made the first installment a critical and box office success. Johansson’s addition is expected to boost the already stellar lineup led by Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Within hours of the announcement, social media platforms lit up with enthusiastic posts and trending hashtags. Speculation is running rampant with guesses of her role ranging from villains like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn to love interests like Silver St. Cloud and Vickie Vale. One of the more popular suggestions is that Johansson could be playing Andrea Beaumont, a love interest and antagonist from the hit animated film Mask of the Phantasm. The casting has not been confirmed and neither the studio nor Reeves has commented since the story broke. 
12/06/25 @ 1:50 pm EST
In a dramatic shift for the entertainment industry, Netflix has announced its acquisition of Warner Bros, one of Hollywood's most iconic studios. This unprecedented deal marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing evolution of media and streaming services. Netflix, already a leader in streaming content, has been searching for ways to expand its library and production capabilities. Warner Bros, with its vast catalog of beloved films and television franchises—including the Harry Potter, DC, and Looney Tunes properties—represents a treasure trove of content and creative resources. The acquisition signals Netflix's commitment to not only dominating streaming but also to strengthening its influence in theatrical releases and television programming. Though Netflix has been against theatrical releases in the past, in a recent statement they said they planned to continue them for Warner Bros films just with a shorter release window. By purchasing Warner Bros, Netflix gains access to a library of classic and highly profitable intellectual properties. This move allows Netflix to offer exclusive streaming rights to blockbuster franchises, while also leveraging Warner Bros’ production infrastructure. The deal also positions Netflix to compete more directly with other major studios and streaming platforms, such as Disney and Amazon. Industry analysts predict that this acquisition will accelerate the consolidation trend within the entertainment sector. Other studios and streaming services may seek mergers or partnerships to remain competitive. Audiences can likely expect a surge in new content, including reboots, spin-offs, and original productions drawing from Warner Bros' legacy. For Netflix subscribers, the platform could soon become the go-to destination for both new releases and classic favorites. While some industry veterans express concern about further consolidation of media power, others see this as an opportunity for innovation and greater investment in high-quality storytelling. Only time will tell how this landmark deal reshapes Hollywood and the global entertainment landscape.  ... 11/29/25 @ 11:47 am EST
If you’re of a certain age, then you realize that Peter Hammond was not the first live-action Spider-Man to appear on television screens. That honor goes to Jim Hensen puppeteer Danny Seagren who was a regular on both Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Seagren was both a puppeteer and puppet maker and was the right hand of Ernie along with putting on the Big Bird suit on several occasions including an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was also the web slinger on the show that started the careers of Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman as both shows fell under the Children’s Television Workshop. He went on to create puppets for other series like Curiosity Shop, Captain Kangaroo and Who’s Afraid of Opera. “Danny will be greatly missed by his family, friends and those throughout the community he loved living in,” his family said in his obituary. Seagren died on November 10th at the age of 81.  11/29/25 @ 11:31 am EST
Director Shawn Levy has officially hired renowned composer Thomas Newman to craft the score for his upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter film. The collaboration marks a significant moment for the celebrated sci-fi franchise, as Newman steps into a universe long defined by the iconic music of John Williams. His distinguished career includes memorable scores for films such as The Shawshank Redemption, Finding Nemo, and 1917, brings a fresh perspective to the Star Wars saga. Over the years, Newman has earned an impressive 15 Oscar nominations, a testament to his exceptional talent and enduring impact on the film industry. Levy, celebrated for his work on blockbusters like Free Guy and Deadpool and Wolverine, and the hit series Stranger Things, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership. He highlighted Newman's ability to blend sweeping orchestral moments with subtle, character-driven motifs—a style well-suited to the expansive and adventurous spirit of Star Wars. While plot details remain under wraps, Levy and Newman’s collaboration promises a thrilling and emotionally resonant cinematic experience.  |
|
|
|
|
