I’d Really Like to See…’Criminal’ the Movie

This originally appeared as part of Zoom In Online's weekly "I'd Really Like to See..." blog series on February 26, 2009.

Most folks find comic books synonymous with superheroes. Considering how popular cinematic adaptations of Batman and Iron Man were this past year, it’s hard to separate the two. Many seem to forget that there was a time where the superhero genre was dormant in comics while other genres, such as horror comics from EC and adventuring comics (like those paid homage to in Watchmen’s comic-in-a-comic “Tales from the Black Freighter”), were more common to find in a long box than they are today. 

One of the best comics being released today is far from a superhero book. Writer Ed Brubaker and illustrator Sean Phillips bring pulp crime to four-color glory in their book “Criminal.” The “Criminal” books have a structure similar to beloved crime comic series “Sin City.” One thing that sets “Criminal” apart from “Sin City” (aside from the fact that Sean Phillips can draw really well, unlike Frank Miller) is that they waste no time setting up the mythology of their universe. 

I’d Really Like to See…More Absurd Musical Adaptations

This originally appeared as part of Zoom In Online's weekly "I'd Really Like to See..." blog series on December 18, 2008.

Yes, they adapted The Fly into an opera.

Years ago, there was an episode of “The Simpsons” that featured “Planet of the Apes: The Musical,” which was brilliant on multiple levels. In about 90 seconds, “The Simpsons” presented a fantastic "what if" that convinced me, and I’m sure plenty of others, that a Planet of the Apes musical should be made. The songs in the show incorporated some of the more popular moments of the film into catchy melodies with a wink to the viewer and took a grim science fiction tale, added song and dance numbers, and managed to maintain entertainment value (although it was in a very different way than the source material intended).

While at the moment we can only hope and dream for “Planet of the Apes: The Musical” to become a reality, there are other films taken from source material that seemingly should never be made into musicals. One of my favorite films of all time is Little Shop of Horrors. Who would have thought a Roger Corman film about a killer plant from outer space would form such a wonderful union with doo-wop song and dance numbers? And Little Shop is not alone. Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell, and Neve Campbell were among the stars of a 2005 film adaptation of Reefer Madness as a musical. That’s right -- the cult film that used to be shown in classrooms to preach the evils of marijuana. While they haven’t made them into films, there are on-stage productions of Evil Dead, The Toxic Avenger, and The Fly that exist or are in the development stages.

I'd Really Like to See... Geoff Johns write the next Superman film

This originally appeared as part of Zoom In Online's weekly "I'd Really Like to See..." blog series on December 11, 2008. Since a new Superman film is in the works, I thought it might have some good relevancy today.. even if we know Geoff Johns isn't going to be the scribe. Dammit.

A couple of months ago, Richard Donner (the original man to bring the Man of Steel to the silver screen) endorsed comic book super writer/man-god Geoff Johns for a job writing the next Superman film. I also noticed that his quote was picked up all over the place for weeks afterward, but nobody really took a deeper look why he would be a perfect fit. Geoff Johns has many qualifying characteristics. Not only is Donner endorsing him, but Donner also mentored the guy in his early days in the entertainment industry. Wizard Magazine has just named Johns’ run on Action Comics Best Book of 2008 and now he'll be redefining Superman’s origin in an upcoming miniseries. But for me personally, there is one primary reason above all that makes Geoff Johns the one and only man for this job: he made me believe Superman could be riveting.

Recap: New York Comic-Con 2010

Yes, that's Pedobear at the Michael Jackson booth. There's a joke somewhere here that writes itself. Photo by Karen Kemmerle (@kenobibear)

I'm generally skeptical of NYCC, mainly because all of the big ticket stuff is at the San Diego convention. However, this year I was anticipating it far more because a. it was several months after SDCC and b. there really wasn't that much news from SDCC, so I was hoping they would make up for it on the East Coast. Of course, I didn't get to see very many developments, but on the other hand it was a great experience. I also would have liked to write a bit more in real-time, but as you can find out from most people there, reception was awful, particularly if you were trying to use Twitter. And apparently, wireless costs $30 at the Javits Center, I heard? Aside from those couple of things, it was good times all around.

Danzig loves his cats

The end of my weekend was spent contributing to my favorite new Internet meme.

Jeff Lemire

Jeff Lemire is a writer and artist who I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more from. I haven’t read his Essex County trilogy, but I’m enthralled with Sweet Tooth and was fond of The Nobody (although it felt like so much more could have been there). Soon he’ll be writing a regular Superboy series and a feature for The Atom, which I’m especially excited about.

He does do his own art in his creator owned books, but will only be writing the superhero books. It makes sense because his art is so odd and unconventional in a way where it doesn’t fit in with what most other superhero comics look like (far beyond the likes of Frank Quietly or Gary Frank).

WWE presents In Your House: Empty Arena

Greetings, friends.

As you may have noticed it's been quite some time since I've been active on the ol' Blogger. However, recent going-ons at WWE have baffled me and drawn me out of the woodwork.

I haven't watched terribly much wrestling in recent years, with a good portion of that reason being that I don't have cable and another being that I haven't exactly been too impressed with what I've seen, but I do try to keep up on what's happening because I still like to try watching Wrestlemania or Royal Rumble if the opportunity comes around.