Comic History 101: Just Who Are Hank Pym & Scott Lang Anyway?

 

IGN is a great website filled with a ton of cool content. They seemed to have found a way to be helpful to people who are trying to understand the true comic origins of characters that companies like Marvel are using in their movies. After all, its nice to know a little back story on the characters, especially the true original stuff that lies in the dusty pages of comic books past. This episode of Comic History 101 tackles Ant Man... well, Ant MEN. There have been three guys who have donned the Ant Man costume throughout the years (Hank Pym, Scott Lang, and Eric O'Grady) in the comics, but only two (Pym & Lang) will be appearing in Edgar Wright's full length movie adaption. Before we can move forward, take a cool look back at the origins of the great characters that Pym & Lang both are... and they even got scans of the original comics to illustrate the key points. A perfect precursor for a comic virgin (or a great refresher for a vet like myself) before another huge movie hits the theaters. Check out the full video after the jump...

Books Come Alive by Terry Border

Facebook may be one giant vacuum of productivity and a huge waste of time, but every once and a blue some people share some gems. Good friend and past contributor to CCD Briana M shared this awesome artistic project from US artist Terry Border, who uses a bit of wire and a few small props to bring these classic books to life! He takes certain characteristics of the books, and that is what inspires his wire works. A great idea, and the perfect illustration as to why hard copies of books are much more fun than E-Readers... you can see the whole series by clicking here, and my faves of the bunch come after the jump...

I actually own these very copies of the next two books!

Edgar Wright Discusses The Art of The Close-Up With David Chen

David Chen is one of the key contributors to /Film, the best movie website on the planet. One of the coolest things that he does is sit down with directors and discuss some of their trademark techniques. The latest of this series has Chen sitting down with one of my current favorite directors, Edgar Wright, and talk about the art of the close up. Wright often employees the close up in his films, accompanied by quick cuts. My favorite occurs at the beginning of Shaun of the Dead, when Shaun is getting ready for work. Shaun (Simon Pegg) is completely out of focus, but things like his tie, name tag and cup of coffee are the highlight of the shot, Cool to hear thoughts on how and why directors shoot things in a certain way, and what makes their style unique. You can see more of Chen's sit downs by clicking on his Youtube page, and check out the Wright interview after the jump...

Terry Gilliam Is Back With 'The Zero Theorem'... Finally!!!

Terry Gilliam is one of my favorite film directors of all time, and I think there is a specific reason for that. He is very selective over the projects that he chooses to undertake... and has even undertook a handful of projects and worked on them for multiple years before abandoning them before completion. He is very whimsical and high strung... like my true favorite director, Stanley Kubrick. He also tends to take a very LONG time to complete a film. His last movie was The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, which came out in 2009 and took over 2 years to complete. Gilliam overcame the death of Heath Ledger in a very creative fashion in that movie, and the results were stellar. Looking back at his career, there are not many of his films that I dislike. 12 Monkeys, Time Bandits, Brazil, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas... the list goes on and on. He also tends to get extreme A list actors to go very weird with their performances. Think Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys, DeNiro in Brazil, or the legendary Christopher Plummer in Dr. Parnassus. So I am really intrigued to see what comes from his latest project, The Zero Theorem. Christoph Waltz, french film fatale Melanie Thierry, Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton and Dave Tewlis are all involved... an eclectic cast once again. This one looks a lot of fun, and anything that Waltz does seems to be great (shit, he even made The Green Hornet watchable). The film is debuting in the Uk on March 14th, and will follow in the US sometime this spring. I for one will be checking it out. Thanks to Grif Hartter for the tip! Check the full trailer out after the jump...




    

Disney Princesses Get The Proper Period Dress Code Adjustments...

Disney is notorious for developing a intricate back story to go along with all their animated features. They are often set in a very specific period of time and have the backdrop of some real life event... think The Little Mermaid during the age of European sea exploration, Mulan taking place during the Ming dynasty in China and Pocahontas being set in the US Colonies. But they could have done a much better job with making the costumes historically accurate. Or at least that's what artists Claire Hummel decided when she created her 'Historical Princesses' art collection. Hummel picked the characters that she felt were misguided in their dress, and made a few corrections to right the ship. The result is a killer collection of pieces that imagine the characters more in line with how they should have looked. You can see much more of Hummel's work on her Deviant Art page, and check out the project after the jump...

Maleficient dress based on early 1400s

Pocahontas dressed in 17th century Powhatan garb

Megara's dress based on Ancient Greek style

Rapunzel based on 1820s period pieces  

Tiana's dress based on robes de style of the 1920s

Mulan based on traditional Ming Dynasty garb

Sleeping Beauty in 1485 period garb

Cinderella in 1860s ball gown

Jasmin based on rare pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Fashion

Snow White in 16th century German garb

Ariel in 1890s evening gown

Belle dressed on 1770s French court fashion

Maid Marian... or better yet, what is left of her... lol

90 Years of Magic From MGM Films - A Recap In Just 2 Short Minutes!

MGM has been one of the greatest film companies for a very long time, and they are one of the rare studios still going strong after all these years. The Bond Franchise is still ripe, the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies are still coming, and a Mad Max reboot is right around the corner. But the classics are what makes this studio the shot. Rocky & Rainman, The Man With No Name & The Usual Suspects, Moonstruck & Silence of the Lambs... and especially my favorite films of all time, The Pink Panther movies featuring Peter Sellers! It has been a great 90 years. Check out the two minute tribute video after the jump... with the current slate that they have on the agenda, they will probably be around for another 90 more!

The 'Voltron' Team Gets The Perillo Treatment...

I have always been a big fan of Dave Perillo's work, pretty much since I started checking out artists on the web back in 2007 or 2008. I had the pleasure of meeting Dave at the 2013 Wizard World Comic Show with Tom Whalen, and the dudes were super humble for such talented and popular guys. They downplayed who they were and how popular they were, and were selling prints for really cheap... but the dopest thing was how cool they really were. Just fun guys. Dave is currently participating in a Voltron exhibit at Acidfree Galleries with a bunch of artists, and his might be the best of the bunch. His style shines through, and I was immediately taken back to the early 80s due to the fact that Perillo included the team as well as the big guy. Another well executed piece from a modern master. You can see & purchase Perillo's and the other artists works in the Voltron show by clicking here, and you can see Perillo's piece after the jump...

80's Monster Claymation by Trent Shy

I have been missing my main man Johnny's website Freddy In Space since he has taken the blog off the Net, but am really happy for him considering that he has become a full time writer for bigger horror sites like Fear Net and the like... it is kind of bittersweet. But I do think it is pretty dope that he is writing for the big fellas... and I try to check in on the gems he is dropping as often as I can. One of those gems came in the form of an excellent video that he put up this week from Trent Shy. It is a claymation video that highlights some of the greatest moments in horror movies from the 80s, which in my opinion is the greatest decade of horror movies ever! There are some really great depictions in the clip, my favorite probably being Belial from Basket Case. What a forgotten classic... great find Johnny! Follow more of the great stuff Johnny is doing all over the 'net by checking in on his Facebook page, and check out the video after the jump....

The Sketch Lottery Team Takes On Black Belt Jones

The Sketch Lottery squad is back at it again, and this time they are hitting home with their subject choice. For those unfamiliar with exactly who The Sketch Lottery is and what they do, here is a brief synopsis. Basically they pick a subject, and anyone can submit a version of that subject that they have created. Once a persons piece is entered, they also get to nominate a character that is inserted into "the lottery". Every week a new character is chosen as a subject from the lottery, starting the fun all over again. So the more people who take on a character, the more choices are entered into the lottery... and the cycle grows and grows. They have tackled over 40 + characters so far, and the list of contributors keeps increasing! Our very own Tommy Lombardozzi and Joe Esq often submit pieces, and the best part about the whole thing is skill level and technique are not taken into consideration. You can create any version of the character you like, and it will be posted! Some real great versions end up being produced. This weeks subject is the one and only original blaxploitation kung-fu hero Black Belt Jones! BBJ was portrayed by Jim Kelly in two flicks, Black Belt Jones and Hot Potato... and he is the model for one of my favorite cinematic characters of all time, Black Dynamite! The submissions on this character are still rolling in, so check back at Sketch Lottery throughout the week to see what else people submit. My faves of the current submitted lot are after the jump... enjoy!

Tommy Lombardozzi

Marco Dileonardo

Jerry Ma

Christian Fattorusso

You can join the fun too... read the submission rules here for this week or future projects!

 

Unpublished Jack Kirby Cartoons Submitted To 'The New Yorker' See The Light Of Day...

Jack Kirby is a fan boy favorite all time comic artists... especially this fan boy right here. I love his classic works, his trademark 'Kirby Krackle', and giant alien monstrosities that he often constructed in his works. But it all had to start somewhere... and thanks to Two Morrows Publishing we are getting a rare glimpse into just that beginning. Kirby Unleashed was a portfolio put out by Jack back in the 70's that highlight various works from his career. It is long out f print. In that book Jack included some proposed cartoons that he had submitted throughout the years that had been rejected, even some that were done when he was just a teen! Two in particular had been submitted to The New Yorker... and are quite good despite Kirby being so young. When you git it, you got it. Two Morrows has a digital version of the book for sale, for $5.95, and it includes 48 wonderful pages of PDF goodness available for download. I for one can't wait to get a look at these pages of Kirby drawings on my tablet. You can get yours by clicking here. Check out the two failed 'New Yorker' cartoons after the jump...

The Raid 2: Berandal Is Tearing Up Up Sundance Right Now...

Gareth Evans had a hit in hiding on his hands when he made a little film by the name of The Raid: Redemption a few years back. The Indonesian action flick took the world by storm, and became one of those must watch insane fighting movies that people who don't even like the genre can even sit through. At its heart The Raid: Redemption was a much bigger story and Evans was forced to shrink it down in scale in order to get it properly funded and filmed. That original large encompassing story took the main character, Rama, undercover in a giant group of Berandal (Indonesian for Thugs) criminals. He is tasked with infiltrating the group and then taking down from the inside. So with a bit of maneuvering, Evans has converted his original undercover cop story into a sequel to the events of the first film. Having survived the daring raid on the apartment building in Redemption, Rama is back at it and ready to take down the next group of challengers. As you can expect, mayhem and insane fighting ensue. The second film is currently setting Sundance on fire and is easily one of the most anticipated foreign films of the upcoming year. Sony is betting big on the popularity of the Raid franchise, not only releasing this film (probably to be titled The Raid: Retaliation here in the states) but also agreeing to make a third as well. There have been two trailers that have hit the Net, first a 2:34 second maxi trailer and then a shorter but much bloodier Red Band Trailer. Both can be seen after the jump. The Raid: Berandal is due in theaters on March 28th, 2014.



Original Trailer:



Red Band:

 

Black Dynamite Gets A Mini Series From IDW.. Watch Out Jive Turkeys !!!

You heard that right, all you kung-fu lovin' mofos... Black Dynamite is back, and he is doing it big! While we wait for director Scott Sanders and actor Michael Jai White to bring us another installment of the film franchise (rumor has it to be a ghetto western in the vein of Blazing Saddles) we have to make due with a 4 issue mini series from IDW. Following up the epic one shot graphic novel, Black Dynamite: Escape From Slave Island, we are getting a four issue limited series from writer Brian Ash, art by Ron Wimberley, and inks by the LEGENDARY Sal Buscema! The first issue hit stores this week, and hopefully the next three issues will be on time over the next three months (first issue Feb, followed by March, April and May). The comic is sure to continue the radical racial hi jinks and nonsense that the movie brought forth, and even kick it up a notch considering there is no limitations to budget in a comic book. In Slave Island BD had a fist fight with a SHARK... A GREAT WHITE SHARK!!! Now he takes on a villain by the name of Too Swole (really!). Can't wait to see what Ash and Wimberley have in store for my favorite anti-hero. Click here to order your copy on Amazon, or go to your local Mom & Pop comic store and pick your copy up! You can see the full press release and the first cover after the jump.



Press release via Scott Sanders email:

Hello there! 

Scott Sanders here, writer/director of BLACK DYNAMITE. 

It's been a while since I was last in touch, but I wanted to share some exciting news.
BLACK DYNAMITE #1 -- the first in a four-issue comic series from IDW -- hits stores today!

HE’S A POWDER KEG OF BLACK FURY THAT’S ABOUT TO EXPLODE!  The baddest kung-fu cat to ever appear on screen is coming to comics so you suckers better duck!  Former CIA agent, international ladies man, and sworn ass-kicking enemy of The Man… he’s BLACK DYNAMITE—and he’s about to walk into the most dangerous journey of his life! 

Written by Brian Ash (Black Dynamite: Slave Island), with art by Ron Wimberley, inks by the legendary Sal Buscema and color by JM Ringuet.
You can view an exclusive preview of the book here.
I've also attached our cover art by Marcelo Ferreira (after Jack Kirby), so please share with your fans, followers, and friends online. 

BLACK DYNAMITE #1 is available in comic book stores nationwide.Dy-no-mite! 

-Scott

Here is a link to six interior pages as a preview. They are great!

And here are the covers for Issue #1:

Issue #1 Regular Cover

Issue #1 Variant Cover

Game of Thrones Done In Japanese Feudal Style by Seiji

Anyone can do fan art based on popular properties, but how do you make yours unique and stand out among everyone else? Re-imagining them in the style of Japanese Feudal paintings might do the trick! That is exactly what artist Seiji did when he took key moments from Game of Thrones season 3 and turned them into these dope ass paintings. Fantastic. These are so great. You can see all six images after the jump, and see more of his stuff over at his Reddit thread. These are great. Enjoy them after the jump...

Battle of the Trident

Tyrion at the Eyrie

Bran Stark & Hodor

John Snow vs Qhorin Halfhand

The beheading of Eddard Stark

Mother of Dragons

'Doomed' - The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four

I am very proud of my DVD collection... I have built it over the years since I bought my first DVD in 2000 and it is quite impressive. I have a ton of imports, rare movies, and the such... but the highlight of my collection (especially in my nerd cred portion of the collection) has to be my bootleg copy of the low budget Fantastic Four movie that was made by Roger Corman. Corman has long been known as the 'schlock king of Hollywood', a dude who has made movies out of peanuts and has had tons of success. He is one of the greatest producers/directors of all time when it comes to making magic out of a nothing budget... but that was definitely not the case when he took on one of Marvel's greatest super hero teams. Back in the days before all the current Marvel Cinematic Universe success the company had fallen on hard times and licensed out most of its character stables to various production companies. Most of those deals had expiration dates attached to them: If the company purchased the rights to a character than they had 'X' amount of years to put out a film. In order for the companies to retain the rights to the films they would have to have something constantly in the works (either filming or in development). Some studios never made a product, some made a film and then cut their losses allowing the rights to go back to Marvel, and others have produced products and maintain their licenses (much to the chagrin of Marvel like the X-Men, Spidey, etc). The German film production company Neue Constantin that owned the rights to the Fantsitic Four for numerous years in the late 80s/early 90s had never been able to get the ball rolling on a film. So in a bold move the company teamed up with Corman to make a $1 million dollar version of a Fantastic Four movie just before the deadline expired. By creating the film the company was then able to hold on to the rights and buy more time in order to possibly make another FF movie at a future date. This angered Marvel, and they paid the company to never release the film... And so begins one of the greatest debates in B movie history! Was the movie made just to keep the rights or as a intended low budget/high return venture? Did Marvel really pay for the movie to not be released? Was Corman and Neue Constantin in on the squashing of the film, all the while never telling the cast or crew? And how is it possible that such a terrible version of a movie could have been made yet they got so many things correct in the production (The Thing's costume looks great considering the low budget, and Doom is dope!)? All of these questions have lingered for years, especially when you consider that Neue Constanttin retained the rights to the FF and later produced the two big budget FF movies we got in the mid 2000s. But now we may finally get some answers in the form of a definitive documentary: Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four is about to be released!

Click after the jump for more info:

Here is the trailer:



Here is the 'Why' section from the Doomed website:

There are 336 names in the end crawl credits of the 1994 film, ‘The Fantastic Four’.  And though owners of the bootleg version of the film may appreciate them, the artists and craftspeople who created the movie have never been properly recognized.

And that’s too bad.

‘The Fantastic Four’ has never been viewed legally by anyone in the world, other than those directly involved in the production. The negative presumably sits, to this day, on some shelf in some facility, both gathering dust and fated to become it.

So – what are we going to do about that?

For starters, we have interview commitments from EVERY principal cast and crew member. And based on the pre-interviews we’ve conducted, this documentary is going to be explosive!

-When did the cast and crew discover the film would be shelved?
-What changed from script to production based on character rights (just who *is* The Jeweler?), budget, and time constraints?
-How much control did Marvel wield over the movie? Before it was made and after it was shelved?
-Is a legitimate release still possible?
-Who are today’s A-list actors who auditioned but didn’t make the cut?

For the first time in over 20 years, the TRUE account of this controversial cult classic will be revealed!

And it’s a hell of a story!

Rob Duenas Takes On The Star Wars Universe Via His Sketchcraft Blog

Rob Duenas is an artist that runs a very interesting art blog. Sketchcraft is a place where Duenas posts his current works of art, but he does so in a very interesting way. He posts multiple steps of the process that goes into creating a particular piece. His 'work in progress' pieces taking you through a step by step process of how a finish piece gets that way. It is a unique process that most artists don't really like to show. Whether or not they don't want to divulge their techniques, or if they just don't want a non-finished work seeing the light of critiques... it is rare that we get a glimpse into the whole process. What is real cool is that he posts different pieces at different stages of completion, and so you are never really zoomed in on one particular piece of his. You are seeing many different steps of creation for multiple pieces at once.... a great idea. His latest series happens to take on one of my favorite character groups, the Star Wars universe. Boba, Chewie, Han, Leia, Luke and Vader... yup, the gang is all here. You can see plenty of Duenas work on his Deviant Art page, and you can see his constantly 'work in progress' pieces update constantly on his Sketchcraft Tumblr. You can also see the Star Wars pieces after the jump...

And here is an example of the Work In Progress style of Rob:

and finally: