'The Avengers' Official Poster: Maskless Heroes Assemble

Marvel is preparing to launch a second theatrical trailer for The Avengers online later this week, and has now unveiled an official poster for Joss Whedon’s superhero team-up flick. The film sees Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, via motion-capture) and more join with the forces of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to save the world from an imminent alien threat.


An official poster for The Avengers has been released by the comic book movie studio – and, judging by the fact that none of the team members are wearing masks, helmets, or any sort of protective headgear (does Fury’s eyepatch count?) in the one-sheet, Marvel wants to make sure fans remember the identities of the men and women bringing these iconic costumed warriors to life. Well, except for Ruffalo, it seems.

While this isn’t exactly what you would call a flawless poster (there’s some questionable Photoshop work on display here), it’s still hard to refrain from becoming giddy at the sight of so many famous superheroes joining forces and preparing to kick butt. Besides, in the aftermath of the eyesores that were the posters for last year’s X-Men: First Class, mildly imperfect one-sheets for comic book movies (like this one) are all easier to swallow. Moving on…


Early word on the second Avengers trailer is that it will dive much deeper into the plot which writer/director Joss Whedon has devised for the titular hero squad’s live-action debut. Similarly, the indication from insiders is that the new promo offers a much better look at just who the members of Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) alien army are, far beyond the blink-and-miss-it glimpse we got in the Avengers Super Bowl Trailer.


Be sure to check back on here over the next few days, as I will post that new Avengers promo (complete with analysis) as soon as it pops up online.


The Avengers arrives in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters around the U.S. on May 4th, 2012.

‘Star Trek 2′ Set Photos: Spock Puts a Vulcan Death Grip on Sherlock

Principal photography on J.J. Abrams’ untitled Star Trek sequel commenced back in January of this year, with the main cast from his popular Trek franchise reboot in tow for the U.S.S. Enterprise’s next mission. Joining the revitalized crew on their new adventure are such acting talents as Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) and Joseph Gatt (Thor), alongside fan-favorites like Peter Weller (RoboCop) and the increasingly-popular Benedict Cumberbatch in the undisclosed villain role heavily speculated to be that of Khan Noonien Singh.


The first photos from the Star Trek 2 set have been released online; while they don’t provide any concrete answers to the riddle of who Cumberbatch is playing – or what the plot cooked up by Abrams and his screenwriting team encompasses – these images DO provide a sneak peek at what the Sherlock star will look like in the film.


MTV is the source of these set pics for the Star Trek followup, and the publication states that the scene being shot here involves a battle atop “a Space Barg.” As mentioned before, these images offer little to no information about the hand of cards Abrams has been playing so close to the chest. That is, unless you count the “revelation” that Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) won’t be getting along so well with Cumberbatch’s villainous onscreen counterpart.

Cumberbatch appears to be wearing a black version of the standard Starfleet uniform under a metallic silver overcoat, which lends itself to all sorts of possibilities as to what his character might be (a spy? a mole? a traitor? etc.). Since Paramount has yet to announce an official title for Star Trek 2 – much less any information about the movie’s storyline or new characters – it’s all fair game right now, as far as speculation and wild theories go.


For some additional insight (or lack thereof) on the Trek sequel, check out this interview at screenrant.com with co-screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (http://screenrant.com/alex-kurtzman-roberto-orci-talk-star-trek-2-3d-benm-126041/) about the pressures that come with developing a followup to the critically-acclaimed box office success that was the 2009 Trek franchise reboot. 


Star Trek 2 is slated to hit theaters (2D and 3D) around the U.S. on May  17th, 2013.

Remembering and Honoring the Men of Ink.

Four days and twelve years ago, at 77 years old, Charles M. Schulz, known as "Sparky" to friends and family, breathed his last and went on to a better place. The next day, the last comic featuring two of the funny pages most iconic and recognizable characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, appeared in Sunday papers across America. In that comic, Schulz gave what can be attributed to a written farewell speech, in which he announces his retirement, and the retirement of the strip. He closes the letter with these words, "Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy...how can I ever forget them...". Fast forward 12 years later, and Peanuts is still being published as reruns in papers across America, being read and watched each day, by a new generation of Peanuts fans.

But at the same time that I was toasting the memory of "Sparky", something hit me, that we should also celebrate the lives of other comic artists. Not just newspaper or comic book artists specifically, but all these men of ink. I am talking about Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Jack Kirby, Julius Schwartz, Will Eisner, Jerry Robinson, Carl Barks, Chester Gould, all the ones that helped make their mark on the world of comic art.

Now I feel there are one of two approaches to this celebration of, either A. By toasting their memory with drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, it's your preference readers) or do what I am planning on doing, make visits to their grave sites (if they can be found in public record) and say a few words, as if they were still alive and you were having a conversation with them. That may seem a bit extreme to some people, but to me, it's no different than a person visiting the grave of one of the Presidents, or a celebrity or a war hero or friend or loved one and talking to their grave, maybe leaving some flowers there.

It is a long term goal, though one I will accomplish, no matter what amount of time it takes. I feel that these trips will be a great experience for me, even humbling, to pay my respects to the great men who helped shape comics into the glorious culture they are today. Nuff' said.

DC Comics Launching ‘Watchmen’ Prequel Series

Few things in media today are held sacred, from remakes and reboots of popular TV shows and movies, to the practice of mining a franchise until every last gem of profit has been pulled loose.

In that sense, it’s not surprising to learn that reports from last year were accurate, and that DC Comics is going to be bastardizing/revisiting Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel, Watchmen, in order to create a series of prequel stories, set within the Watchmen universe and featuring some of the iconic Watchmen characters.

Read on for details on the prequel series, which has been titled Before Watchmen:

This summer, DC Entertainment will publish all-new stories expanding on the acclaimed WATCHMEN universe. As highly anticipated as they are controversial, the seven inter-connected prequel mini-series will build on the foundation of the original WATCHMEN, the bestselling graphic novel of all time. BEFORE WATCHMEN will be the collective banner for all seven titles, from DC Comics.
Stepping up to the challenge is a group of the comic book industry’s most iconoclastic writers and artists – including Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS), Lee Bermejo (JOKER), Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL), Darwyn Cooke (JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER), John Higgins (WATCHMEN), Adam Hughes (CATWOMAN), J.G. Jones (FINAL CRISIS), Andy Kubert (FLASHPOINT), Joe Kubert (SGT. ROCK), Jae Lee (BATMAN: JEKYLL AND HYDE), J. Michael Straczynski (SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE) and Len Wein (SWAMP THING).
BEFORE WATCHMEN includes:
-       RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
-       MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
-       COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
-       DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist:  Adam Hughes
-       NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
-       OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
-       SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner
Each week, a new issue will be released, and will feature a two-page back-up story called CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR, written by original series editor Len Wein and with art by original series colorist John Higgins. There will also be a single issue, BEFORE WATCHMEN: EPILOGUE, featuring the work of various writers and artists, and a CRIMSON CORSAIR story by Wein and Higgins.

 While the lineup of creative talent is VERY promising (Azzarello doing Rorschach and The Comedian? Yes Please!), the question still remains: is this endeavor going to do anything but hamper the greatness of Alan Moore’s dark, disturbing and insightful look at the existence of superheroes in a real-world socio-political context? Are the pasts of the Watchmen characters (a lot of which were mentioned or implied in the original series) going to offer insight into things not already revealed by the original tale?

More to the point: even if there is new ground to cover, considering how deftly and effectively Alan Moore developed these characters and brought them around to resolution, is there anything that actually matters left to explore?

Moore himself has remained a controversial figure in the comic book industry; the few times he does speak up to let his opinion be known, it has almost always been to express his negative view of “the industry” – be it comic book publishers, or the many movie studios that have tried to adapt his various works. Moore has had his name removed from many of the films based on his stories (see: Swamp Thing, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,Watchmen) and it’s no surprise to see that his name is nowhere to be found amongst the list of creative talent working on Before Watchmen.


At the risk of speculating, it’s easy to assume that Moore sees this as yet another attempt at a cash-grab by a profit-driven industry, rather than a genuine attempt to pursue the goal he believes in: telling a good, thought-provoking, status-quo-upsetting story. Whether or not Before Watchmen turns out to be a hollow commodity rather than an enriching addition to the Watchmen universe, remains to be seen.


Stay tuned for more details as the summer 2012 release date for Before Watchmen draws nearer.