SNL has Fun with 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'

This weekend Saturday Night Live had some fun with the technical problems Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark had in last week's first preview. Theatergoers were treated to a memorably long and problematic first night as stunts and glitches forced the show to stop several times during the course of the production. In the clip Andy Samberg plays Brian Christopher, the fourth actor to play Spider-Man due to injuries incurred by the first three (the third one apparently exploded).

Enjoy the video. I really think you're going to flip for it!

Just in Time for the Holidays: 'Smallville' Spoilers

We know she eventually says "yes", but we're going to have to wait and see in a week before we hear Lois' response to the question Clark is popping in the December 10th episode of Smallville.  She had better answer quickly because Clark is going to be thrust immediately into action with Green Arrow, Hawkman, and Stargirl as they go up against Slade Wilson (the man who would be Deathstroke).

If you caught Friday's episode, you would have seen the inclusion of the alternate reality Lionel Luthor into the series as he followed Clark back to the Blur's reality (see below). What an ending!

Aquaman is Deserving of Some Big Screen Love

If you are wondering why Warner Bros. would green light an Aquaman movie, then perhaps you aren’t wondering hard enough.

Without a doubt he seems silly and it’s hard to get past that name, but there are indeed plans to bring the Atlantean to the big screen. Interestingly enough, Warners has more confidence in their Flash and Wonder Woman properties than Aquaman; according to Screen Rant, studio insiders claimed this week that an Aquaman film would not hit theaters until the Scarlet Speedster and the Amazonian Princess received their own successful big screen treatments.

Now this is interesting because, while Aquaman does not have the steam to carry an ongoing, he seems perfectly fit for a big screen adaptation; his story is no less far-fetched than that of Flash, Wonder Woman or Green Lantern. In fact, of the DC’s properties that seem like it will take a genius to guide them, it’s going to be Wonder Woman who may have the most difficult time making the transition to the big screen because of it’s fantasy elements and the costume. Aquaman may dress in orange chain mail, but his costume is not as iconic as Diana’s and its alterations may be more readily accepted by fanboys.

While Aquaman has never had an ongoing that has lasted more than 75 issues, in the right hands his character and world seems ripe for an epical big screen adaptation. Aquaman has Atlantean parents who abandon him to be raised by humans. When he eventually learns of his powers he returns to Atlantis where he is made king and falls in love with Mera, the future queen. He has an evil half-brother and an even more evil arch nemesis in Black Manta, who might go down in history as committing the most evil attacks on a nemesis in the annals of comic books—Black Manta kills the infant son of Aquaman and Mera.

Because he is raised as a human, he doesn’t have to be the stone-faced posturing hero just because he is the King of Atlantis. This enables the writers to create a character whose transformation from human to eventual king can be seen through the eyes of a very human character.

If the source material is treated with respect and properly mined of its stronger fantasy elements, an Aquaman film has the potential to inspire a little wonder.

'Walking Dead' Marathon Culminates in Season Ender

The Walking Dead ends it’s brief but successful first season tonight. If you have missed any episodes (or you just want to watch them all again) AMC is running all of them today beginning at 4:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. CST.  The marathon ends with the final new episode of the season before the series takes its 10-month hiatus. The Walking Dead has departed from the original comic book’s first story arc pretty significantly as of last week’s ending. It will be interesting to see what other veering the show will do in terms of plotting, tonight and once it comes back for an elongated (thirteen episodes) second season.

Hans Zimmer to Score Superman Reboot

If there is any music that inspires you to stretch your arms out in front of you to simulate flight, it’s John Williams’ Superman theme. It was this theme that promised Superman’s triumphant return to film after a near twenty year absence when Bryan Singer brought Big Blue back in 2006.

However, Zack Snyder will not be using the familiar theme for his 2012 reboot of the franchise.  This week Hans Zimmer was hired to score Snyder’s film, which the producers promise to also be a thematic departure from what has come before it. While Williams’s score is one of cinema’s most memorable, this new movie stand in its own big red boots. Singer’s film was, really to a fault, an homage to the original two Superman films and Snyder is going to have to bring something different to the screen to properly relaunch the property.

Zimmer has scored countless films that may not have the presence of Williams’ music, but his scores are powerful nonetheless. Zimmer’s blockbuster credits include: Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Sherlock Holmes, and he collaborated on Batman Returns and The Dark Knight.

Here’s a sampling of his more popular work:

UPDATE: Hans Zimmer has told the Hollywood Reporter that he is not scoring the new Superman movie.

Ultraman Runs Amok in This Week's 'Smallville'

Since 1938 Superman has been inspiring hope and goodwill to the people of his adopted planet.

In 1964 comic book readers were introduced to his evil doppelganger from Earth-3, Ultraman. He inspired fear and malevolence. Earth 3 is inhabited by amoral versions of DC’s classic superheroes; the nastiest and vilest belong to a team called the Crime Syndicate. It’s leader, Ultra-Man, is a human whose powers are increased by exposure either by kryptonite (Golden Age version) or Anti-Kryptonite (the current version).

Earth-3 is one the many infinite realities that perished in the 80’s classic maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, Ultraman and the Syndicate were granted a new lease on life thanks to Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s fantastic graphic novel JLA: Earth-2. Ultraman and the rest of the team were not only evil, they were completely depraved.

This week Ultraman makes his first appearance on Smallville in an episode featuring the return of John Glover as Lionel Luthor. In the episode, the good and bad Clark inadvertently switch realities. In the new reality we learn that evil Clark was raised by an equally evil Lionel Luthor (shouldn’t he be good?) instead of the Kents. I am especially excited that Bryan Q. Miller (Batgirl) has written the episode; Miller has an ear for witty dialogue.

The episode titled “Luthor” airs this Friday on the CW at 8 p.m./ 7 p.m. CST. See the previews below.

Good Clark

Bad Clark

Holy Alter Ego! Discover Your Batman Name!

Have you ever wanted to know what you crime-fighting moniker would be if you ever decided to thwart evil in the deepest darkest bowels of Gotham City? With Batman Inc. and all of the revitalized Bat-books flying off the shelves, this is the perfect opportunity to discover your Batman name using this eerily accurate Batman name identifier.

Follow the simple instructions and within seconds you'll have uncovered your own personal Batman name. It's pretty sweet! I've already tried it using my name, my mother's maiden name, and my dog's name. Try it out Gothamites!

Francesco Francavilla Takes on Superman

I usually check in with Comic Twart a few times a week. First to see what subject the contributing artists are going to tackle and then, periodically, to see what they come up with. This week see interpretations of the Man of Steel and it is going to be difficult to top Francesco Francavilla's homage to one of Superman's most well known catchphrases.

Look! Up in the sky...

A thing of pure beauty.

'Walking Dead' Ratings and Season 1 DVD News

The Walking Dead saw it’s best ratings this past weekend with 5.5 million viewers tuning in to watch the Rick Grimes and a shrinking group of survivors gain a modicum of hope at the end of the season’s penultimate episode.

My guess is that a cover story on Entertainment Weekly with the proclamation “Best New Show of the Year” must have piqued enough interest to cause a spike. Regardless, this show has turned out phenomenal ratings and plenty of buzz.

More good news came today with the announcement of the Spring 2011 release of The Walking Dead Season 1 DVD/BluRay.

One more episode reamins before the series ends it first season this Sunday (sneak peek below). A 13-episode second season is not expected until October 2011.

Reflecting on a 'Buffy' Remake

Last week Warner Bros. announced their Buffy the Vampire Slayer remake had been greenlit and the fans of the original series have expressed feelings of vitriole to ambivalence. Buffy creator and guiding spirit Joss Whedon seemed to take the news in as much stride as he could.

“I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly.”

Whedon is respected like nobody’s business by the comic book/sci-fi communities, but I question whether or not Warner Bros. is going after Whedon or Buffy’s rabid fan base. I’m guessing that the characters and setting will be there, but suspect that the new Buffy will be repackaged as something else.

Spoiler alert: vampires are big business right now. The Twilight series has been a literary (insert your own air quotes) and cinematic (repeat air quotes) phenomenon. So what can be expected from a Buffy reboot? A romantic gothic adventure with Buffy and her demonic love Angel gazing sadly into the camera. Perhaps Angel is looking down. Either way, the new Buffy is going to play up their love to the nth degree. Dark horse plot point: Spike acting as a spoiler to their relationship, causing a triangle of the damned.

The Harry Potter series’s end is near and Warners is looking for new franchises with a fantasy bent. We’ve got Green Lantern coming out next summer, with Batman and Superman films following in 2012. I would guess that the studio doesn’t want all of their eggs in one basket and rely solely on comic book films to bring home some bacon. Plus, these films are expensive to produce. A vampire-related romance film can rely more on its name recognition and genre than splashy special effects and high flying action.

It will be interesting to see what writer Whit Stillman’s take on the Buffy lore was that got Warner Bros. excited to bring the character back in a new form.

'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark': Disaster or Too Early to Dismiss?

So let’s imagine this Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark thing just can’t turn itself around and become a successful big splashy show. It opened last night to many a technical glitch that ballooned the running time to well over three hours.

Spider-Man may join other musical adaptations that were initially thought to be bad ideas, such as It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman or Carrie. Those turned out to be abhorred by audiences and critics but remembered nostalgically for their kitschiness. From early reports, this would probably not be the case for a show that appears to have two big problems.

First, and most importantly, as a technical piece it seems to be overambitious. Sets that turn around the stage did not do so completely, actors were stuck over the audience in their harnesses, and wires reportedly fell during the performance. I’m not poopooing ambition, but if it can’t be done it shouldn’t be forced to be done. So much money has been spent on the show that it would be disappointing to see most of it flushed away because the show's creators insisted that the show out-spectacle anything that has come before it.

Second, and something I can’t speak to because I haven’s seen it, there are claims that the story is difficult to follow. That’s unfortunate because it would seem there should be a strong point of reference for the audience. This could be chalked up to the continued stops and starts that plagued Sunday’s first preview performance. I hope that this is not a case of the creators paying more attention to amaze and awe their audiences with “circus” (as director Julie Taymor affectionately referred to the show) than to tell a story.

Should Spider-Man fail, I doubt it will be remembered with the same affinity as it’s turkey predecessors. I think it will be remembered as that show with a gargantuan budget in which investors lost their shirts.

Now let’s imagine the creators and magicians are able get the show’s glitchiness and problematic stunts under control. Perhaps the script and pacing are tweaked to create a more cohesive story.

From everything I’ve heard and seen—and there’s definitely some fantastic stuff—this behemoth deserves a home in Vegas where it could really thrive. There are seven Cirque du Soleil shows on the strip and Spider-Man seems like it would feed the same voracious hunger the gambling crowd has for “circus.” I’d say a long stay in Los Angeles would be the next best bet.

The creative minds are currently at work, during previews, to make sure that the show is running seamlessly come the official opening on January 11, 2011. I’m eager to read what the theatre journalists have to say after viewing a more complete production.

For a taste of the creative minds behind the show, watch the following piece on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark from this week’s 60 Minutes.

Wednesday's Finest: 'Batwoman' #0 (DC)

By Don M. Ventura

Two pages into Batwoman #0 and I knew I was enjoying something special.

One expects no less when J.H. Williams III is drawing the book and his work is as memorable as ever here. Williams has also co-written the script with W. Haden Blackman. The book can be considered an introduction to the character of Batwoman and her alter ego, Kate Kane; you will not have needed to read another Batwoman book before jumping onto this issue.

Batwoman is back in action in Gotham and she has a secret (very secret) admirer in Bruce Wayne, who spends the issue chronicling her abilities and attempting to uncover her true identity. While Batwoman is the star of the book, Williams and Blackman never have her utter a word. Bruce enlightens the reader through the end of the book.

Williams’s pages are incredibly dynamic and breathtaking. From the opening sequence when Batman is spying on Batwoman from an adjacent rooftop. Then Batwoman jumps down to thwart the heist of a sarcophagus. Dave Stewart’s colors are phenomenal. His Batwoman become even more haunting under his reserved palette.

Williams Stewart do so many wonderful things with the artwork to make Batwoman #0 a treat. Each time Batwoman lands a final blow to the bad guys, the entire panel is colored an alarming red. Who needs Pow, Zock of Boom? Then there are these wonderful Art Deco panels which harken Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers magazine covers. The page in which the villain Shard seems to have the upper hand as the mummy’s tomb glares down at the opponents is nothing less than brilliant.

Williams and Blackman have use this kickoff issue to entertain us with a strong action piece interspersed with a character work as Batman stalks Kate, attempting to breakdown what is her persona and what is a façade. Amy Reeder is responsible for drawing the sequences involving Kate and it works out to be an effective storytelling device. There are many pages where Williams and Reeder’s work shares the same page; the book becomes as much a dichotomy as its protagonist.

So what does Batman learn about his prey? Kane comes from money, she’s boning up on her adversaries, acting out as a socialite is probably a front, and she has astounding reflexes.

Batwoman #0 is a brief introductory tale, at about 16 pages, but there a good deal of exposition told in its lovely pages. Williams, Blackman, Reeder, and Stewart have produced a wonderful opener that entertains and does what a good 0 issue should.

It makes you want more.

Millar Launches Kapow! Comic-Con in London Next Year

Mark Millar wasn’t joking when he said he had a big announcement to make.

Next year Millar is bringing Kapow! Comic-Con to the other side of the pond. Kapow! Comic-Con will be held from April 9^th through the 10^th at the Business Design Centre in London.

“The idea of Kapow! is to bring the San Diego experience to London,” said Millar in the promotional video (below). “It’s comics based, and the movies, and t.v. shows, and video games that have been inspired by them. That’s the plan of the thing, to bring them all under one umbrella.”

Guests include some big names already: John Romita, Jr., Dave Gibbons, Leinil Yu, Frank Quitely, Bryan Hitch, Olivier Coipel, Paul Cornell, Andy Diggle, Jock and many more. Kapow! will also feature the first annual Stan Lee Awards for achievements in comic books and comic-book/sci-fi related films.

Movie-related panels and guests will be announced on February 14^th, 2011. Millar is excited to get a jump on San Diego in terms of movie previews and news since Kapow! precedes that other obscure little Comic-Con by three months.

For more information about Kapow! visit the official website.

Follow Kapow! on Twitter and Facebook.

Kapow! Comic Con Trailer from kapowcomiccon on Vimeo.

'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Commercial

Oh boy. The more I see from this, the more that I actually like. Hat, get ready to be eaten.

The first official Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark commercial hit the web and it features mostly behind the scenes work mixed with sequences from the show. The rotating and flipping sets look as cool as the rotating and flipping people.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark makes it’s Broadway debut tomorrow night with an official opening on January 11, 2011.

Kurt Busiek's 'Superman: Secret Identity' Sequel: 'Batman: Creature of the Night'

Kurt Busiek informed Newsarama on Friday that he is writing a follow-up of sorts to Superman: Secret Identity, his 2004 mini-series with artist Stuart Immonen. This was one of those surprising gems that was an incredibly passionate tale with some of the most striking art I’ve ever seen in a comic book. Immonen has since become a favorite of mine, but I’ve never seen him match what he did on this lovely book.

While the original dealt with a man named Clark Kent who lives in the real world and begins to develop super powers, the sequel will deal with a character name Bruce Wainwright who gets into adventures of his own. Being Batman-centric Busiek admits that the book, Batman: Creature of the Night, will be darker in tone because, naturally, it’s Batman.

Busiek told the following to Newsarama:

“In Superman: Secret Identity, Clark Kent is somebody who is heartily sick of Superman. He discovers that he has the powers, and it brings up questions about his place in the world and who he is in secret inside. So he's somebody who didn't like Superman, but in becoming Superman, he learns about himself. Bruce Wainwright, however, loves Batman. But becoming Batman is not a happy process. So where Clark goes from dislike to a sort of acceptance and wonder, Bruce goes from love to horror.”

Sadly Immonen will not be drawing the title. However, John Paul Leon (above, not series art) is currently penciling the four-issue mini and his work has a similarly realistic look to Immonen’s. Superman: Secret Identity is easily one of my all time favorite Superman stories. The bar is going to be pretty high for Batman: Creature of the Night.

Batman: Creature of the Night does not yet have a release date. The Superman: Secret Identity trade is currently out of print.