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08/26/15 @ 9:52 pm EST
Ron Marz, writer of John Carter, Warlord of Mars #10, talks with writer Marguerite Bennett about Swords of Sorrow: Red Sonja/Jungle Girl #2, both on sale August 26th! RON MARZ: I think one of the necessary aspects in a "team-up" kind of story is drawing a contrast between the main characters, and you're doing a great job of contrasting Sonja and Jana. Was that something you set out to do, or a natural consequence of the story?MARGUERITE BENNETT: Thank you kindly! I think it began as natural, and then as I worked, their balance and harmony became a theme that then became sort of the primary thesis of the story. It intensifies as it goes along-- Sonja is worldly, Jana sheltered; Sonja is flirty and confident, Jana innocent and uncertain; Sonja has a quick temper, while Jana is patient. They balance each other and bring out good qualities in one another. Jana solves problems by asking questions, but is backed up by Sonja's capacity for action, and Sonja's affection for Jana bolsters Jana's own confidence. RM: There are a number of multi-panel spreads in the issue. Did you specifically ask for those in the script, or are they something Mirka Andolfo brought to the table?MB: I am a sucker for double page spreads and splashes, unfortunately. There are always about 2 or 3 of each in my drafts, though they often get edited down. I feel like I'm always going to be a reader first, and I delighted over double page spreads as a fan. I love comics as works of art, especially when they play with the medium. There's no equivalent in novels of a double page spread or splash. In movies, the image doesn't suddenly change dimension and expand into a massive new wide-wide-widescreen. I am grateful for the artists who are so patient with my infatuation with structure.  RM: Can you talk a bit about how Mirka's art fits your vision for the story?MB: Mirka is a DOLL to work with, honestly. She brings such buoyancy and charm and zaniness to the story. From the beginning, we just wanted this to be pulpy, campy, and fun, and she adds such a sweetness and sincerity to the characters, especially Jana. You know from the start that this is going to be a fun, quippy little story. It reminds me a bit of the opening song from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"--  "Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns; Bring on the lovers, liars and clowns! Old situations, New complications, Nothing portentous or polite--Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight!" That's what pulp is to me. RM: There's a bit of a fourth-wall breaking moment in the issue, though I won't spoil by being more specific. What prompted you to include that kind of wink to the reader?MB: It was a chance to make a joke I could never make in any other circumstance, in any other comic, or with any other company. If that opportunity was never going to pass my way again, I wanted to pounce while the pouncing was good! We're irreverent in this book. What we love, we tease. RM: Can you tease us a bit about the conclusion coming up in issue #3?MB: The third issue is our most straight-shot adventure. We've got battles and chases and mysteries in the hearts of mountains. Still fun and frolicsome as far as "the fate of every living thing on this island hangs in the balance" can be, I hope. Make sure to check out SWORDS OF SORROW: RED SONJA/JUNGLE GIRL which is now on sale, and check out the rest of the preview below.
   09/10/24 @ 12:02 pm EST
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will keep swinging in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton in early talks to helm the film. In addition to the Simu Liu-led “Shang-Chi,” Cretton’s other credits 2013’s “Short Term 12,” 2017’s “The Glass Castle” and 2019’s “Just Mercy.” He was previously set to direct the now-scrapped “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” but departed the project in November 2023. Cretton has stayed in the Marvel family and co-created the upcoming “Wonder Man” miniseries, starring Yahya Abdul Matteen II. Cretton has also been developing a sequel to “Shang-Chi,” but a source close to the production says that “Spider-Man 4” is currently the priority for the studio. No further details about the fourth film in the franchise have been revealed yet. (via Variety) 09/09/24 @ 2:08 pm EST
Brainstorm Media has picked up the action-thriller 72 Hours, directed by Christian Sesma and starring Sam Trammell and Twilight actor Cam Gigandet. A Nov. 1 theatrical and on-demand release is planned for 72 Hours, which centers on two brothers — a dedicated FBI agent and a crypto international money launderer — putting aside their differences and joining forces to save their family. But a dangerous mission deep into kingpin territory has them facing life-threatening challenges in a race against time. The ensemble cast includes Nicky Whelan and Jana Kramer (One Tree Hill). (via THR) 09/09/24 @ 1:58 pm EST
Starting today, September 9, all five episodes of Marvel Studios’ I Am Groot Season 2 are coming to Marvel HQ! Full-length episodes will be released each day this week on the Marvel HQ YouTube channel, Marvel’s official family-friendly destination for kids. Released previously on Disney+ last year, the troublemaking twig returns to mischief in the second season of “I Am Groot.” This time, Baby Groot finds himself exploring the universe and beyond aboard the Guardians’ spaceships, coming face-to-face—or nose-to-nose—with new and colorful creatures and environments. Throughout September and October, Groot will take the spotlight on Marvel HQ as part of the Marvel’s Super Heroes Assemble program. Join over 8.8 million other YouTube subscribers around the world to celebrate with action-packed animated series, motion comics, short form content, activations, and unique product collaborations all year long. Families and fans can also get a look at more original content featuring Groot, the Avengers, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, and more throughout the year, as well as full length episodes from Marvel’s animation library such as Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Maximum Venom (coming just in time for October’s Halloween season)! Don’t forget to subscribe to Marvel HQ so you never miss an episode and look out for more family friendly fun on the Marvel HQ YouTube Channel! 
09/09/24 @ 1:57 pm EST
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice came in better than expected at $111M after a solid Sunday of $27.4M, -34%. Warner Bros owns four out of the five top openings for September. The movie cost $100M before Prints & Advertising. Also, the Tim Burton directed sequel’s opening is the third largest opening weekend of 2024 after Deadpool & Wolverine‘s $211.4M and Inside Out‘s $154.2M; Warner Bros. fourth No. 1 opening this year and the best start for a PG-13 rated pic in September. The top 10 locations overall were 1. AMC Burbank Los Angeles, 2. AMC Universal Citywalk Los Angeles, 3. Santikos Casa Blanca San Antonio, 4. Regal Riverpark Fresno, 5. AMC Disney Springs Orlando, 6. AMC Grove Los Angeles, 7. AMC Lincoln Square New York, 8. Cinemark Rialto Los Angeles, 9. Harkins Estrella Falls Phoenix, and 10. Harkins Mountain Grove Los Angeles. (via Deadline) 09/08/24 @ 10:11 am EST
Do you remember all the title changes for the Agatha Harkness lead spinoff series? We know it’s going to be Agatha All Along now, but it was introduced as Agatha: House of Harkness, then changed to Agatha: Coven of Chaos and finally Agatha: Darkhold Diaries… I might even have missed a name or two. So where did the idea for the changing title come from? Series executive producer Mary Livanos told the Hollywood Reporter: “Hats off to Jac Shaeffer on that one, and our incredible writers’ room, with the best day of brainstorming I think we’ve ever had, figuring out all those titles. It was a real blast to release crazier and crazier ones as the production went on, and our cast was so game, too. The nature of the stunt felt very Agatha, very liar. So, it felt very on theme, and it was fun to do.” Livanos worked with Jac Shaeffer on WandaVision and now Agatha All Along and while she was willing to reveal that part, any information on the fate of Wanda herself she’s keeping a secret. “ Well, I can tell you that Agatha has been trapped in Wanda’s distorted spell, and of course, after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda was taken off the table. So I think fans will have to tune in to find out more. That’s all I can say.“  09/08/24 @ 9:53 am EST
The switch from network television to streaming has been hitting a rough patch with audiences complaining about series being cancelled uncompleted and expensive series going years between seasons. Some folks are turning back to the longer, more stable network shows for their entertainment and this move was part of why actor Zachary Quinto decided to sign on for the upcoming NBC medical procedural series, Brilliant Minds. The former Heroes and Star Trek star told Entertainment Weekly: “The conversation around network versus streaming has shifted, and the industry has experienced a return to [a type of] television it had departed pretty significantly from. There’s something about the reliability of [network procedurals]. Audiences are more interested in appointment television than they were for a little while.” We can see the evidence of the shift in thinking with the fact that network television still takes up more than 50% of TV consumption annually and you look at the streaming charts and they are filled with Network show being rewatched like Suits, The Office and How I Met Your Mother. Audiences are straying away from new, quirky, eight to ten episode shows and spending time with longer, multi-season shows that they know exactly how many episodes they’ll get.  09/08/24 @ 9:35 am EST
The upcoming film, The Killer’s Game, includes a reunion of two of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff both appear in the new film and the former wrestler turned actor talked with ComicBook.com about the possibility of working with other Guardians actors, possibly over with James Gunn at DC Studios. “I hope so, yeah. That’s kind of my goal. I really want, because I’ve done another project outside of Guardians with Karen Gillan, and I’ve done work with Pom now. I would like to work with Chris [Pratt] and Zoe [Saldana] outside of the Marvel Universe, as well.” Bautista has made it clear that he is open to working with DC as well. “I guess it has to be the right part. But I’m very open to it, and I love James and I would do anything to work with him.” Bautista and Gillan appeared together in the 2019 film, Stuber along with another MCU alum, Kumail Nanjiani.  09/07/24 @ 12:18 pm EST
Marvel Studios is getting a bit stylish with their newest trailer for Agatha All Along. The quick clip is done in the style of a 60s/70s horror film reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead. They give the same film look and even work in the title pun that were standard for the trailers of that era. And in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Joe Locke who will be playing “Teen” in the series, addressed having to keep the secret of his character… and perhaps why rumors and spoilers are bad. Locke said, “One of the things I love about Marvel is you keep all these secrets that are really frustrating at first, especially when you’re doing things like this [press day]. But the reason you keep them is because if you were to tell them, then it wouldn’t have the same effect when it all comes out. The secrets are secrets for a reason, and Teen’s backstory is an interesting one. If I was able to talk about it now, it would ruin the whole point of the show, and that is what keeps me being able to keep a secret. Otherwise, I’d just tell you everything.”  09/07/24 @ 11:46 am EST
With The Penguin debuting on September 19th, more and more information about the series has been coming out. Just last week we learned about the titles and episode lengths for the first four episodes and now we get the final four as well. Keep in mind that one of the big complaints about MCU series have been the short episode run times, I don’t think that will be a problem with this show. Episode 1 which picks up right after the events of The Batman will be called After Hours and runs 1 hour 7 minutes. Episode 2, Inside Man runs 56 minutes, episode 3, Bliss, runs 59 minutes and episode 4, Cent’anni runs 58 minutes. For those curious, Cent’anni is an Italian toast that wishes health and happiness for 100 years. Now the new episodes we’ve learned about are Episode 5, Homecoming, which runs 54 minutes, episode 6, Gold Summit, running 52 minutes, episode 7, Top Hat, the shortest episode at 46 minutes and the season finale, Great or Little Thing which clocks in at 1 hour and 8 minutes. And while I could try and read things into each title, the one that jumps out to me is Top Hat, perhaps a nod to the characters comic book design that originally included a tuxedo, top hat and umbrella. A new image of The Penguin appears on Total Film magazine this week.  09/07/24 @ 11:02 am EST
The Vision series seems to be heating up as The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Picard actor Todd Stashwick is joining the cast. Stashwick recently played Captain Liam Shaw in the third season of Picard, where he worked with writer Terry Matalas, who will be the showrunner for Vision. It’s all about who you know, right? The series has been rumored since the end of WandaVision and is expected to finally tell viewers what happened to the rebuilt, all-white version of the Vision that we last saw in the season finale after having a philosophical discussion about the Ship of Theseus. Word is that Stashwick will play an assassin who is hunting the Vision for his technology. Paul Bettany will be returning as the titular android while it’s also been reported that James Spader will return as Ultron who we last saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Both in the comics and the MCU, Ultron is credited for building the Vision, but in the comics he’s imprinted with the brainwaves of Simon Williams aka Wonder Man while in the films, Tony Stark’s AI Jarvis was uploaded into the Vibranium body. This series has not been officially announced as of yet.  |
