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10/25/15 @ 4:33 am EST
Writer and event architect Gail Simone has done up a commentary for the final issue of the Swords of Sorrow series:
Before I get into the meat of this issue, I just wanted to give some thanks to artist Sergio Davila, who did such an amazing job on this impossible assignment. He had to draw Mars and Shanghai and Mexican pyramids and Dracula and tanks and dinosaurs and dozens of female heroines and he just killed on it. It was a joy, no matter what I asked for, he threw himself into it. This issue, basically has everything but the kitchen sink, it’s an artist’s nightmare and he did such a beautiful job. Artists like this are what you dream of. Thank you, Sergio!
PAGE ONE: Okay, this is probably a little embarrassing, but Jane Porter’s goodbye letter to her husband, Tarzan, might be my favorite bit of writing in the whole series. When I was a kid, I read whatever fantasy novels came my way, and I managed to find a series of E.R.B. stuff, including Tarzan and John Carter, but also obscure stuff like the Mucker. I was wild for it. And I loved the stories that featured Jane and Korak.So that’s the message, if you make yourself enough of a pest, eventually someone asks you to write your childhood favorites.A big, noisy story like this, it’s difficult to get quiet moments. The interplay between the bombast and Jane’s sincere love for her husband moves me, I feel that in my own life when I’m at cons, sometimes. The crowds can be ferocious, love keeps me tranquil.
PAGE TWO: Pantha is one of the characters I would love to have spotlighted more, she’s a very interesting concept. I made it up to her by making her a key figure at a couple key spots in this finale. There weren’t a lot of characters like her when she was created.
PAGE THREE: I wanted my first big crossover that I was steering to end in one of those huge battles. I don’t think people would have blinked if they had been dudes, but it was a bit off-putting for some for us to end with a war with these characters. I get that, but for me, it was something I think we really wanted to see…that kind of mash-up that had never been attempted before with these characters. I love having Jennifer Blood and Irene Adler fighting on the same page.
PAGE FOUR: I didn’t care much for Purgatori when I first read her stories, they didn’t really speak to me and she should have been right up my alley. But I grew to really like her, and was kind of sad she didn’t have a redemption moment.
PAGE SEVEN: Same with the other Chaos ladies, I wasn’t a big fan, but grew to really like them.
PAGE EIGHT: PANTHA vs. BAD KITTY! See, I know, I’m a child. But I like this stuff, I was waiting for this panel since I took on the project.
PAGE ELEVEN: Of all the relationships in the book, the one I wrote with the most friction was Sonja and Dejah. I figured Sonja would hate Dejah’s guts (she doesn’t like royals). But something about them kept making me write how they learned from each other. Dejah sounds downright Hyrkanian here.
PAGE TWELVE: Another thing I had in mind since the start–Sonja and Dejah riding Nazi motorcycles. Comics, it is a fun business, you guys.Also, fun twist here at the bottom of the page.
PAGE THIRTEEN: The Green Hornet and Kato, that’s another series I want to write someday. When I was a kid, I could never figure out why the sidekicks were so much cooler than the mentors. I loved Robin more than Batman, Tonto more than the Ranger, and Kato…well, Kato was just the coolest of them all. This isn’t the Bruce Lee version, it’s Kevin Smith’s, but she was still a load of fun.
PAGE SEVENTEEN: Look. I just love giant superfast Barsoomian dog lizards, all right?
PAGE EIGHTEEN: And Jungle Girl comes back with friends. I love this page. One of the tricky things in plotting this is that the characters are already badasses, they are already veterans. Having Jungle Girl as more inexperienced allowed her to be a P.O.V. character, which Marguerite Bennett helped flesh out in the RED SONJA VS. JUNGLE GIRL mini.
PAGE NINETEEN: Don’t mess with Vampirella.
PAGE TWENTY: About TIME! Bye, Prince! I have read a few people who thought that was my voice coming out of Vampirella’s mouth. Nope. I like blogs. It’s pure Vampi, she’s got little use for people like the Prince.
PAGE TWENTY-ONE: I always wanted it to end with a cocktail party. This is probably the most clear bit of wish fulfillment for me. Wouldn’t you love to have a table at THAT party? Kato, Vampi, Dejah, Sonja, Miss Fury, Irene Adler, Jane Porter…I’d never want to leave.
PAGE TWENTY-TWO: And that’s that…thank you for reading the series!We got wonderful support from readers, critics and retailers, and a project like this was probably unthinkable even fifteen years ago.
I really am grateful we got to do it, and so grateful to the writers (the She-Vengers!) and artists who worked so hard to make it happen.
And a huge thank you to everyone at Dynamite, they threw themselves into this idea with some real courage.
THANK ALL YOU GUYS!
Cover art by Tula Lotay, Emanuela Lupacchino
05/06/24 @ 12:54 pm EST
Superman is easily one of the most iconic fictional characters of all time, with the Man of Steel's story being told across comics, movies, television, and so much more. Next year, the DC character is headed back onto the big screen with a new live-action portrayal, as David Corenswet has been cast in the titular role of James Gunn's Superman. With production of the film underway, Gunn today officially unveiled the first full look at Corenswet in costume as Clark Kent AKA Superman on Threads. You can check it out below. Superman is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025. (via ComicBook.com) 
05/06/24 @ 12:51 pm EST
The English-language adaptation of Momo, one of the best-loved fantasy books by The Neverending Story writer Michael Ende, has set a buzzy cast, with Alexa Goodall (A Gentleman In Moscow) taking the lead role of the young orphan girl Momo. The main cast is completed by Araloyin Oshunremi (Top Boy, Heartstopper), Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve, The Witcher), Claes Bang (The Square), Laura Haddock (The Recruit, Transformers: The Last Knight), Jennifer Amaka Peterson (The Sandhamn Murders), David Shütter (Charlie’s Angels) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock). The story focuses on Momo, a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But, when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time, nobody has any time left for her, let alone their friends or families. Momo, together with Master Hora, the custodian of time, are the only ones who can go up against the time thieves before all is lost forever. Momo is currently filming in Croatia and Slovenia. (via Deadline) 
05/05/24 @ 2:17 pm EST
Normally, the first weekend in May is a big one at the box office where we usually get a new Marvel movie to fill the theaters. But with all the delays happening and only one actual Marvel Studios film releasing this year and nothing coming from DC until next year, this weekend was left open for a new franchise to take hold. It didn’t happen. The Ryan Gosling / Emily Blunt lead Fall Guy opened up short of estimates, taking in just $28 million to lead the box office. The total box office for the weekend is only $73 million, down 55% from this time last year when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 opened for $118.4 million. That’s how a summer schedule is supposed to launch. And it’s not like other films did well, the second highest grossing film of the weekend, making $8.1 million, was Star Wars: The Phantom Menace which included $300k from a series of marathon screenings over the weekend to celebrate May the 4th. Though one also has to look at the star power of Ryan Gosling as this is his third highest box office opening yet behind Barbie ($162 million) and Blade Runner 2049 ($32.7 million) and in neither of those films would I consider Gosling the main draw. The overall response to the film has been positive, getting an A- CinemaScore and 90% positive on PostTrak. Maybe word of mouth will help lessen the second week drop for the Fall Guy.  05/05/24 @ 1:55 pm EST
At 93-years-old, William Shatner has told the Canadian Press that he would be willing to return to the Star Trek franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar. While promoting the new documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, the original Captain James T. Kirk said, “It’s an intriguing idea. It’s almost impossible, but it was a great role and so well-written, and if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.” The last time Shatner wore a Starfleet Uniform was thirty years ago in Star Trek Generations where his character dies. The actor was quick to point out that Otoy, a company he promotes, specializes in de-aging technology and he also suggested a scenario where Kirk could return, saying: “A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it. ‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here.’ There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!” Salt and Pepper for a resurrection? We can see now why Kirk was never a science officer. I can already hear McCoy saying, “I’m a doctor damn it, not a shot-order cook.”  05/05/24 @ 1:19 pm EST
If you’re watching the X-Men ’97 series on Disney+ and noticed a familiar Wall-Crawler in the final moments of the eight episode, that is exactly who fans were speculating it was. Near the end of “ Tolerance is Extinction – Part 1” we get to see various characters reacting to the lights going out, this is caused by Magneto. One of the people reacting is Spider-Man and fans began to wonder if this would be the Spider-Man from Spider-Man: The Animated Series which ran 1994 to 1998 and series showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed it by saying, “It is indeed that Spider-Man.” While this Spider-Man had no dialogue, it’s not a big surprise as the character has crossed paths with this group of X-Men before. In the second season of the Spider-Man series, Peter Parker needed the X-Men’s help and the voice cast from X-Men: The Animated Series reprised their roles. This, along with images of the Daily Bugle having appeared earlier, sets both series in the same universe.  05/04/24 @ 12:07 pm EST
Prime has released the trailer for Season 4 of The Boys and this one looks like it’s building to an even bigger ending than season 3. It starts with Butcher ( Karl Urban) talking to his former team, basically saying he knows his time is almost up and he needs them to do what has to be done. We then switch to Homlander ( Antony Starr) talking to whoever makes up The Seven at that point, saying that the world is corrupt and it’s time for them to no longer be heroes, but to become vengeful gods. Then we cut to the newest addition to the series, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who looks to be recruiting Butcher to do some very bad things for good reasons. And then we get the big plot reveal that Butcher has found a virus that kills Supes… then we get a montage of fighting, violence, blood and a surprising large amount of angry animals. The Boys also stars Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti. Along with Morgan, season Four will welcome Susan Heyward and Valorie Curry. Premiering June 13 on Prime Video.  05/04/24 @ 11:50 am EST
Disney+ has dropped a new trailer for The Acolyte to celebrate May the 4th. With he tag line of, “No one is safe from the truth,” the almost 2 minute trailer shows off a world where the Jedi are being hunted by what might be one of their own. Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss star in the series and is the first project set in the High Republic era, roughly 100 years prior to The Phantom Menace. The series was created by Leslye Headland, co-creator of the Netflix series Russian Doll. It will debut on the streaming service on June 4th, 2024.  05/04/24 @ 11:35 am EST
We get this latest news straight from the horses mouth, or rather by way of Collider, who is reporting that Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While doing a panel at CCXP, the actor revealed he would be appearing in a Marvel project, but not in the role that many fans have talked about for him. The actor has been fan casted by many as the new Professor X when the X-Men finally move into the MCU. But Esposito said that he would be coming, “sooner rather than later,” and “better than you can imagine.” The next Marvel film to come out will be Deadpool & Wolverine which could put Esposito in just about any role as a variant, but the hope is that the actor who made his name playing such villains as Gus Fring and Moff Gideon will be someone of consequence that will be around a while. They still need a new actor to play Kang the Conqueror don’t they? And they haven’t cast Doctor Doom, right? Just asking.  05/03/24 @ 10:02 pm EST
Daytime Emmy-winner Mike Manning (This is Us, Days of Our Lives) and Olivia Blue (Theater is Dead, Animal Kingdom) will star in alien adventure film Unexpected Treasures, directed by John Paul Ungaretti, and written by Ungaretti and Christina Heller. The film’s cast is rounded out with AnnaMaria DeMara (Lost in Space, Lucifer), Jay Whittaker (The Orville, Let’s Go to Prison), Michael Dunn (Bosch, NCIS), Lauren Han (Beef, Extracurricular), and Rex Edhlund. Production for the film recently wrapped in Joshua Tree, CA. The script was inspired by the many extra-terrestrial-related stories and folklore of the Joshua Tree community and desert area. In the film, a wild alien encounter restores a local resident’s faith in humanity. Blue stars as the local resident, while Manning stars as the alien. (via Deadline) 05/03/24 @ 10:03 pm EST
Ali Afshar’s ESX Entertainment is entering into the horror space with the feature The Necklace starring sisters Madeleine & Violet McGraw, each of whom have garnered widespread acclaim for gripping performances in M3GAN and 2021’s The Black Phone respectively. Cameras will roll this summer. The screenplay was written specifically with the McGraw sisters in mind by Afshar collaborator John Ducey (A Hollywood Christmas, That’s Amor). The pic is being directed by Chilean filmmaker Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz, who helmed Pumpkinhole and HBO’s Perry Mason. Said Afshar, “Madeleine and Violet are among the brightest lights of this generation of young actors, and an absolute joy to work with. Each brings a unique energy to the screen and, together, they are absolutely electrifying to watch. I couldn’t be more thrilled to team up with these enormously gifted young actors to bring this fresh and terrifying story to the big screen and plunge audiences into the dark and chilling world of The Necklace.” (via Deadline) |
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