Wednesday, January 28, 2015

THE UNADAPTED: Fear Agent

**This edition of The Unadapted was written by Andrew Prenger, former comic-book monger and future best-selling novelist. Here's a look at a unique science-fiction series that needs some big (or small) screen love.**

When I was a retailer in a comic store I often tried to sell this by describing it as "Han Solo the comic book." That does a disservice to the overall story, but was generally a nice elevator description to get customers interested. In reality the story of Fear Agent is much more complex than that. Created by Rick Remender and Tony Moore in 2005 for Image Comics, the book is about Heath Huston who is initially introduced as a space-traveling exterminator. His job is to fly around to planets and get rid of unwanted alien infestations. What starts out as a simple eradication job on a backwater planet spins out to a sprawling space epic.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

GUEST COLUMN: Doctor Mordrid (1992 film)



**The following was written by Brian Baer. While technically not a Comic Book Movie...come on, it totally is. Enjoy this look at a forgotten film from a strange time known as "The Early 90's."**


Don’t get me wrong, I know everyone is excited for Benedict “Cheekbones” Cumberbatch to play Marvel's Doctor Strange on the big screen. Dr. Stephen Strange has already appeared in his own 1978 TV movie, along with an animated film and guest spots on various cartoons, all of which I’m sure will be covered on this site soon. But there’s an important also-ran appearance of the character, something which may as well count.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

PILOT LITE: Agent Carter (2015 television pilot)


Peggy Carter is a character who has had a long and, honestly, mostly forgotten history in comics. She first appeared as a World War 2 ally of Captain America's, but within modern comics she's better known as a relative to his frequent love interest, Sharon Carter. For decades, Peggy was a footnote in the history of the patriotic Avenger. That is, until Captain America: The First Avenger hit theatres and reintroduced the character to a brand new audience hungry for a strong female lead.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Justice League: Mortal (2007 script) part 2

In part one of this look back at Justice League: Mortal, I addressed the plot without getting into a whole lot of detail. Now that you've had time to track down the script, I'll be looking a bit deeper in regards to the characters and the overall story. Each section will focus on an actor and the part they were to play. Some of the casting seemed spot on while other actors seemed...less suited for their roles. Let's begin!

DJ Cotrona as Superman

At the time, Cotrona had done very little of note. He had a few bit-parts here and there, but this would have definitely been his highest-profile role. Since then, he's gone on to play Flint in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and star in the From Dusk Till Dawn television series. He definitely has the physique of Superman, but his youthful demeanor and look doesn't quite fit the script's older, more established take on the character. Overall, the character is portrayed how he should be: selfless, noble and pretty much untouchably "super". The third act takes a page from Infinite Crisis and pits Superman against the league thanks to some mind-control. I really like this story beat, but feel that the movie screws it up a bit. It hinges on the idea that Supes thinks Lois has been killed. However, she's not a character and has no presence in the film. It relies too much on the public's knowledge of their relationship and history. That's not a bad thing in some cases, but since it's so important for the finale, she really needs to be seen and (more importantly) felt within the context of the story. She doesn't have to be a major character, just the same level as Iris Allen or maybe a little smaller. Since her "death" is so important at the end, we need to SEE her and understand what she means to Big Blue.