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Posted By Alex Langley on September 2, 2010
Dead Rising 2 is an upcoming zombie action game where you control motobiker Chuck Greene as he fights hordes of zombie baddies using crazy, homemade weapon combinations, such as weelchairs with chainsaws duct-taped to the sides, or shotguns with pitchforks taped to the bottom! Dead Rising 2 hits stores September 28! Check out some gameplay footage of a few of the game’s wacky weapon combinations!
Posted By Papa Llama on September 1, 2010
Earlier this year, DC Comics ended the monthly competititions for webcomic creators to win contracts with their Zuda Comics line. Soon after that, DC pulled the plug on Zuda altogether. Some Zuda creators got to continue their comics in a new DC format, but the most recent winners generally got left out in the cold. Right after Zuda’s collapse, we re-visited Adam Atherton whose comic Lily of the Valley will carry on at DC, and now we visit with Michael Jasper and Niki Smith, last November’s winners whose comic IN MAPS & LEGENDS launches today at http://inmapsandlegendscomic.com/.
Llama: Zuda – what went wrong?
Mike: The iPad happened. Seriously, though — the way people are buying and reading comics is changing so fast, it’s hard to keep up. The same goes for text novels, but the ebook revolution is in the early stages there. Comics are ahead of the curve, and I’d say the way comics look on an handheld tablet computer has a lot to do with the growing popularity of electronic, downloadable comics. I think webcomics may have had their run, and people are finding better, more comfortable ways to read comics, instead of being forced to sit at a computer and a keyboard. Also, on a business level, Zuda simply wasn’t a moneymaker for DC, so when new upper management took over, they were looking for someplace to cut. Zuda paid handsomely for their monthly contests, and I loved following them and voting in them as well as competing in the November contest, but it didn’t pull in any revenue. In hindsight, they were smart to make the leap to digital comics as opposed to webcomics. I won’t even talk about the shortcomings of the Flash reader (which I actually liked, for the most part, except for the fact that you couldn’t read it on an iPhone or iPad).
Niki: I wouldn’t go so far as to say webcomics have had their run– I think it was mostly how Zuda presented itself. The Flash viewer was clunky and slow-loading (unless you tweaked the preferences yourself, which you should never have to make a casual browser do). The *vast* majority of webcomics readers I know follow series with RSS feeds– Zuda series had none. People forget you if they have no way to keep updated. There was also no way to go straight to the most recent page, or link someone to one you really liked. But most of these things have been discussed over the few years Zuda ran its web competition– in the end, I would say yeah, it was that Zuda wasn’t a moneymaker.
Llama: How much advance notice did you get before DC publicly pulled Zuda’s plug?
Mike: About two or three hours. I’d rather not think about that day, to be honest with you…
Niki: We all got told that morning. It was out within a few hours, but you could see reactions on twitter.
Llama: Did the end of Zuda catch you off guard or had there been warning signs?
Mike: I got relatively pessimistic when Zuda ended the monthy contests. I was hoping for the best, and I was still surprised by how fast it all went down. In hindsight, though, I think it all turned out for the best, and it’s wonderful having complete control over our comic, with the added bonuses of being a contest winner and part of something created for DC Comics — Zuda gave us a great launching pad and access to a lot of readers. Now the ball’s in our court.
Niki: I’d been hoping they’d transfer everything to the apps, since they’d mentioned plans for a few. Sadly it didn’t turn out that way. So we’re forging ahead and doing it ourselves.
Llama: Here you are now, ready to relaunch your winning comic. Why did you feel compelled to move ahead with it?
Mike: Stubbornness, mostly. I want to tell this story, and I want to keep working with Niki to see what amazing pieces of art she’ll create for the next page of the next issue. We’d invested a lot of time and energy on the comic, and to not continue it would’ve been foolish. I do feel like we’re working without a net, however, as we don’t have the backing of a big corporate published like DC Comics, but at the same time, it’s a huge rush to leap into the unknown and learn new formats and work with new distributors, all of whom have been quite incredible to us. You can check out the results of our labors from the past 2 months (http://inmapsandlegendscomic.com).
Niki: The first issue (20 pages) was already finished, even though it hadn’t been shown on the Zuda site. We contacted a few distributors and when the reaction was unanimously positive, we knew we had to go for it.
Llama: Zuda’s creators had to make their art and storylines fit the viewer shape, the weekly pace, and the annual contracts, so you should now have greater freedom to tell your story however you please. Have you already found yourself crafting the comic differently?
Mike: I already had the first 60 pages scripted out, with an overarching outline for the first 9 or 10 “issues” for Zuda, and I’d set up the comic as 20-page chapters, so for me the transition has been pretty painless. We’re keeping the horizontal format, and having 20 pages to tell a story is so much better than the glacial one-page-a-week pace that Zuda had. The biggest change for me has been timing — where all of my work was essentially done until next spring, when we’d be up for renewal for season 2 at Zuda, now I’m working on the script for issues four and five, and should have the whole 10-issue initial story arc scripted in the next month or two. In a way, it’s great not having to worry about getting renewed with Zuda and having to do all that campaigning there. We just have to do our own promo and keep the story firing on all cylinders. Piece of cake, right?
Niki: I’ve certainly had to pick up speed. We’re hoping to release a 20+ page issue every 6 weeks, which is three or four times the amount of work I’d been doing before. It’s a lot to juggle as the sole artist/colorer/letterer, so I’m trying to figure out if I can streamline things even more. Wish me luck, please!
Llama: Back during the November competition, you mentioned that you hadn’t met in person. Have you by now?
Mike: Nope — though we have chatted on the phone a couple times. Does that count? 
Niki: Nope! Maybe someday at a convention.
Llama: You met through twitter, right?
Mike: Yep — Niki sent out a shout-out tweet a little over a year ago, saying that she was itching to draw a comic if someone pitched her a cool idea for a script. So I threw about half a dozen ideas her way, and she latched onto the IN MAPS & LEGENDS pitch (I was hoping she’d like that one best!). At the time, Niki and I shared the same literary agent, but like so many other things in this evolving publishing climate, we’re both working without agents right now, having let that agent go at separate points in the past year.
Niki: Twitter is great– the networking and opportunities that are available are limitless. We’d chatted a few times, sharing the same agent, and when he pitched me a cool idea I latched on. I’m @niki_smith and he’s @michaeljasper if anyone wants to say hey!
Llama: Social media outlets like Facebook and twitter create opportunities for immediate feedback from your fans. Have your online friends and fans surprised you during the comic’s forced hiatus?
Mike: I think the best thing that’s happened that surprised and pleased me to no end was getting our first few bits of fan art for the comic. The first came during the November contest, from artist and designer Kevin Czapiewski, which was a great shot of Kait in her map room. The second came from fellow Zuda creator Martin Morazzo, which was an amazing image of the mysterious Bartamus (and friend) — Martin did the art for the SF adventure comic ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE, with writing by Robert Burke Richardson, and that’s a comic I’m really, really hoping to see again as well, as they had just started their run at Zuda when the plug got pulled. Both images are at our Facebook Fan Art album.
Niki: The fanart was great! I completely agree. It meant a lot to still get comments asking about IN MAPS & LEGENDS’ future plans in the months when we still weren’t sure if it had a future at all.
Llama: Now that IN MAPS & LEGENDS is back, is there some part of the story you’re particularly eager for readers to see?
Mike: Well, I can safely say that I’ve looked over Issue 1 so many times now it’s hard for me to even SEE it, so just getting to Issue 2 is going to be great for me as well as readers. The first issue sets a lot of different things in motion, and in Issue 2 we get to see some of the crazy results of that. We’ve got flashbacks, robots, floods, airships, volcanoes erupting… and more maps. Can’t wait to share it all with the world!
Niki: Hah, I’m kind of torn there! The big flashy scenes, the fires and floods — first I’ve got to make sure I’m up to drawing them!
Llama: What’s the next thing we’ll see in the comic?
Mike: Issue 1 launches in early September, with some digital formats lagging behind (mostly the iPhone and iPad versions, thanks to Apple’s lengthy review process). With issue 1, we finally get to complete the story we started way back in November, and share the previously unseen pages that wrap up that issue with a bang. Then, in mid-October we’ll have issue 2 for sale, with a new issue every 6 weeks or so after that. For those of you who remember the crazy image on page 8, where we get to see a hint of Bartamus’ world — hold onto your hats. There’s more where that came from!
Llama: What methods are you using to deliver your comic? Microsoft threw a rooftop party during Comic-Con where Kevin Mann impressed the heck out of us with graphic.ly, and they told us they were extremely interested in the displaced Zuda winners.
Mike: Actually, graphic.ly was the first company we talked to, and our comic will be available through them very soon on a range of platforms — web, iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, Mac and PC. They’ve been incredible supportive and open to all of our ideas, and they’re also packaging a lot of “extras” into each issue, sort of like the goodies you get when you buy a DVD — the special features. We’re still hammering out the details, but you can expect to get some audio extras, a map, and some fun stuff you can do with the art (like “erasing” the colors to see just the inked art, for example) — all for the same price as other downloads. We’ll also be up soon on Robot Comics with a version for the Android phone, and Comixology on the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad and their Web reader. We’re currently live on the Kindle. For people who don’t have gadgets or who prefer to read on a computer, we have full-color versions for sale at DriveThruComics, Wowio, and Scribd. We wanted to make the comic available in as many places as possible, to make it easier on people who’ve already gotten used to a particular distributor.
Niki: What he said — we’re hoping to be available on any device readers feel most comfortable with. If you think we’ve missed something, PLEASE let us know and we’ll see what we can do! We’re trying to make ourselves available as widely as possible, all for $.99 an issue.
Llama: What lessons have you learned from all this?
Mike: In a way, I feel like I’m launching a new small business. It’s both exhausting and invigorating at the same time. I’ve learned a lot about reading contracts, about how various digital distributors work, and about how to best sell our comics. I’ve gotten pretty good at writing press releases. But most of all, I’ve learned that the comics industry is full of people who love good stories and great art, people who work long days and weekends to make comics available to everyone. It’s been a rollercoaster ride, and I’m grateful for the chance to learn so much and stretch as a writer and amateur entrepreneur. I’ve also learned that to be a comics creator, you do a whole lot more than just write a script or pencil and ink a panel. That is just the beginning.
Niki: It’s certainly a full time job– I don’t know how comic artists who self-publish through traditional routes manage, with even more to think about. And even when things end up splitting into different directions, those in the comics community always have each others’ backs.
http://michaeljasper.net
http://niki-smith.com
http://inmapsandlegendscomic.com
Posted By Alex Langley on August 30, 2010
Recently we here at Rocketllama.com had the pleasure of attending the fantastic Scott Pilgrim vs. the World panel at San Diego Comic-Con. The Scott Pilgrim series is definitely a favorite around the hallowed halls of Rocket Llama HQ, so we were pretty pumped to get to see the stars of the live-action adaptation of the comics, well, live, and in action! Now, keep in mind that this short video doesn’t have anything much in the way of inside info about this awesome flick, but you do get a primo look at Michael Cera sporting some very marvelous duds. Enjoy!
Posted By Papa Llama on August 26, 2010
We just received this email from a dead man. If you ask the king of movie gimmicks if he really sent it, we’re certain he’d approve:
Don’t think that a little thing like being dead would preclude me from attending “The Return of William Castle” retrospective at the Film Forum in New York City beginning Friday, August 27th. http://www.filmforum.org/films/castle.html
I am very much present. And I do so remember how I loved scaring the living daylights out of all of you..But I’m not done yet. Not by a long shot.
I am sure you are dying to know what to expect from me now that I’m back with FROM THE GRAVE!, a new tale of terror and my first novel, that will scare a corpse out of his own grave. So, everyone, if you get a whiff of my beloved Don Diego #5 cigars during “The Return of William Castle” retrospective, don’t be alarmed, know I’m there with a grin that stretches from here to eternity. And for the faint of heart, beware we might meet in the ‘Coward’s Corner.’
WHO: My daughter Terry Castle will be on hand Friday night to introduce the opening double bill of “The Return of William Castle” retrospective. The dear child had a most unusual childhood and has endured the legacy of a father who is indeed larger than life. I wonder what she will say about me?
Does she believe I’m back FROM THE GRAVE?
WHY: I never met a gimmick I didn’t like. Many consider me to be the godfather of the modern horror movie genre and and “experiential films.” And to think I died in 1977 thinking I was unsuccessful.
Background: I made over forty B movies following a formula for box office success: low-budget chillers geared to the burgeoning Youth-sploitation market including The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts, Macabre, Strait-Jacket (the latter scripted by Psycho’s Robert Bloch), and Homicidal – which TIME magazine liked better than Psycho. They called me a master of ballyhoo who shamelessly promoted his pictures with highly effective gimmicks, some of which will be lovingly re-created for the Film Forum’s 15 film retrospective, “The Return of William Castle” running August 27 through September 6 in NYC.
To Read the latest messages from, or leave a message for, William Castle:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100001154126369
Twitter: http://twitter.com/billcastle
Posted By Alex Langley on August 25, 2010
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is an upcoming entry in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series. This time around the emphasis is on multiplayer hijinks as you get license to run around and assassinate your close friends! Check out some exclusive gameplay footage from the San Diego Comic-Con floor!
Posted By Popgun Chaos on August 19, 2010
See guest writer William Cody Walker’s further writings at popgunchaos.com.
Rosebuds and Grim Reapers
Why Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the Citizen Kane of animated films
From the deputized FBI agent of the 1940’s movie serials to the gritty, realistic vigilante of Christopher Nolan’s films, Hollywood has portrayed Batman in a variety of ways, but none of the live-action films have explored the dichotomy between Bruce Wayne and Batman quite as expertly as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. This film explores the darkness that surrounds Bruce Wayne’s life and it examines the motivations behind his decision to become Batman. It’s dark, gritty, and introspective which is why this film isn’t just the Citizen Kane of animated films, but also the best Batman film to date.
Many people compare Batman: Mask of the Phantasm to Citizen Kane and after viewing both films, one can see the comparisons. Stylistically, both films are told mostly through flashback. Citizen Kane is notorious for its use of shadows to create an atmosphere of foreboding and dread, and Mask of the Phantasm invokes that same noir feel. Thematically, both films explore the emotional struggles of powerful, tormented men. The key difference is that while Citizen Kane examines the life of Charles Foster Kane to show his destruction, Mask of the Phantasm explores the early life of Bruce Wayne so the audience can better understand why he became a hero.
Before Mask of the Phantasm came to theaters, the animated series had already established a vague notion of Bruce Wayne’s journey towards becoming Batman. There are a few episodes where Bruce Wayne relives the fateful night that his parents are murdered, but the most notable episodes are “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne” and “the Forgotten.” In both of these episodes, the death of Bruce’s parents is made all the more haunting by the fact that there is no dialogue. In a flash, Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered and their son is left relatively alone in the world. Bruce gets no Hallmark message from his father and because of this, the rage that possesses Bruce is made all the more real because he isn’t able to have a final moment with his parents before they are taken away.
Likewise, references to Bruce’s Batman training are few, but in the episode “Night of the Ninja,” we learn that Bruce received martial arts training in Japan. Also, in “Zatanna,” we learn that Bruce worked as an assistant to the stage magician, Zatara. With Zatara, Bruce learned stage magic and how to escape from a straight-jacket. Both of these episodes establish that Bruce used his wealth and influence to travel the world and learn all of the necessary skills to become an effective crime fighter. The animated series took the basic concept of Batman and built off of that without damaging the main concept of the character. So far, none of the Batman films have ever been able to accomplish this feat; except for Mask of the Phantasm.
For the uninitiated, Mask of the Phantasm’s plot revolves around a grim reaper-like masked vigilante who is murdering mobsters. That’s not what it’s about though. Surprisingly, the emphasis is on character development rather than action – a rarity in comic book films, much less animated films. Most of the story is told through flashback as Batman thinks back to his relationship with Andrea Beaumont – the girl that got away. Andrea Beaumont isn’t like most of Batman’s love interests, however. What sets Andrea apart from all of the other women in Batman’s life comes down to her believability. Unlike other love interests, the relationship between Andrea and Bruce isn’t forced or trite.
In Burton’s Batman, Vicki Vale is a photographer that falls for Bruce Wayne. She tells him, “Ever since I first saw you, I knew that I loved you” which isn’t necessarily a bad line until you realize that they had met three days before that. Selina Kyle is usually a perfect match for Bruce Wayne, but Michelle Pfeiffer seemed like she would kill Bruce Wayne rather than kiss him. Even Rachel Dawes from the Christopher Nolan films seems like a ham-fisted attempt at making Bruce feel something in his otherwise miserable life.
However, the way Mask of the Phantasm portrays the love interest of the film, Andrea Beaumont, is perfect. When Andrea meets Bruce in the cemetery where her mother and his parents are buried, the two make a connection because Andrea has made peace with her mother’s death. Bruce overhears her talking to her mother’s grave and mistakenly thinks she is speaking to him. Andrea laughs as she speaks to her mother’s grave and this intrigues Bruce. She shows him that he doesn’t have to be obsessed with the murder of his parents and that it’s okay to move on. Over time, the two become closer and closer and Bruce is so in love with Andrea that he is willing to renounce his dedication to his mission of fighting crime. Andrea Beaumont is a different kind of female character because she isn’t a femme fatale or a damsel in distress; she is a believable character who can relate to Bruce on an emotional level because she understands his pain.
Batman is at his most introspective in this film as he relives all the pain that comes with losing the one perfect relationship he ever had. While there is much debate on whether Batman is a just mask or if Bruce Wayne is all an act, Kevin Conroy’s performance of Bruce Wayne/Batman leaves the audience with no doubts about which personality is genuine. Conroy’s Batman voice is pure gravel and fear, while his Bruce is aloof and carefree. In the Batcave, a maskless Bruce Wayne is speaking to Alfred and the voice Bruce speaks in is that gravel-tone that he uses when he is Batman. What’s so fascinating about the film is that the audience gets to see the process of the Batman persona taking over Bruce Wayne.
In the flashbacks, Bruce’s voice is soft as he speaks to Alfred, but not aloof. There is still a sense of pain there, but the division of personas had not been formed at that time. Bruce was still searching for answers on how to cope with his pain. He could choose to be at peace with Andrea Beaumont or to follow “the mission” and strike fear in the hearts of criminals. In Citizen Kane, the audience knows that Charles Foster Kane will die a lonely death, but the purpose of the film is to show how he got to that point and Mask of the Phantasm is the same way. Bruce Wayne’s struggle between happiness with Andrea or vengeance for the death of his parents is the real crux of the film and while the audience obviously knows the outcome, it’s how the events unfold that really strikes an emotional chord.
A particularly powerful scene takes place on a stormy night at the grave of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The storm is the physical representation of the torment in Bruce’s heart. Bruce kneels before the grave of his parents and with tears streaming down his cheeks, a frustrated Bruce Wayne begs for his parents to show him which path he should take. He desperately wants to give up his “plan” so he can be happy, but that would be forsaking the vow he made the night his parents died. He wonders what his parents would want as he laments, “It doesn’t hurt so much anymore.” The pain in Bruce’s voice is particularly interesting. He’s not saddened because he’s afraid of what his parents would think; he’s afraid because he can’t let go of his rage and his anger. This scene is such a nice addition to the Batman mythology because it shows that he has the chance to change his path and he doesn’t want to. Bruce Wayne is miserable because he chooses not to move on from the death of his parents. He uses his sorrow for more self-destruction rather than allowing himself to be at peace and then justifies it all because he is going to “fight crime.” Most film versions of Batman glamorize the life of Bruce Wayne as being fun, but this film shows how deeply disturbed Bruce is because he naturally wants to reject happiness when it comes into his life.
When Bruce was a child, he saw his parents die before his very eyes and the only way this emotionally scarred child could cope with his loss was to allow his need for vengeance to fuel his crusade against crime. For over a decade, he had been training to fight crime and once he fell in love with Andrea Beaumont, his life’s purpose was put into jeopardy. Suddenly, all of those years of training and studying to become the pinnacle of human perfection could simply be forgotten because of one woman’s love. Deep down, Bruce knew that his parents would want him to be happy, but after so many years of obsession over revenge, Bruce had a hard time letting go.
Andrea Beaumont is certainly alluring, though. Her zest for life and her ability to move past her sorrow appeals to Bruce and eventually, he gives in and asks Andrea to marry him. Sadly, it doesn’t last. After the mob attacks her family, Andrea returns the engagement ring and disappears. Heartbroken, Bruce returns to “the mission.” In the most chilling scene in the entire film, he dons his costume for the first time. Most superhero movies feature cheerful or powerful music to accompany the moment where the hero is revealed in costume for the first time. This is a time where the audience is supposed to cheer and be comforted that the hero is there to save the day. With this film, however, Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman seems like a somber or horrific moment. The inevitability of his transformation finally sets in and the audience sees that Bruce doesn’t so much become Batman because it is right, but it’s because there is no other choice. Alfred’s shocked gasp of, “My God . . .” says it all: Bruce Wayne is dead and Batman is born.
Of course, Andrea had gone through a transformation herself. The big reveal at the end of the film is that the murdering grim reaper vigilante (who is never once called “Phantasm”) is actually Andrea Beaumont. The audience is never privy to the information regarding how Andrea has become a grim-reaper-like vigilante, but she has come back to Gotham City to kill all of the mobsters that were responsible for her father’s death. Her transformation further shows that Bruce will never be able to find that happiness from his younger days and if someone as carefree as Andrea Beaumont can succumb to the allure of vengeance, then Bruce has no chance. Everything from her appearance to her motivation is reminiscent of Batman and she is established as a perfect foil for Bruce.
One of the key plot points is that the police think that Batman is committing the murders because of the similar design of the Phantasm costume. While the Phantasm costume might seem a little uninspired, it fits thematically within the movie. Death ruined Andrea’s life, so she must become death to get her revenge. Most of Batman’s villains are colorful and vibrant because crime is a game to them, but Andrea isn’t playing games and her costume reflects her grim attitude.
At the core of their concept, both Bruce and Andrea wish to avenge the deaths of their parents. Bruce has no specific goal in mind and that is what is so tragic for him. Every mission has to have an objective, but Bruce hasn’t set the parameters for victory. With no objective, how will Bruce know when his parents would be satisfied? He won’t, so he will continue fighting because that is the only thing that gives his life purpose.
Andrea’s objective is far more straight-forward: kill all of the men who ruined her life. While Andrea is the villain of the film, it isn’t because she is evil, but rather, because she is diametrically opposed to Bruce philosophically. Their situation explores the power of vengeance, and it also creates a grey area in the line between heroism and vigilantism. Batman’s reactionary stance on justice is opposed by Andrea’s willingness to stop crime by committing murder. One could argue that Andrea is the better hero because she will stop at nothing to stop crime. She is willing to cross the line that Batman won’t and that is the only reason she can be interpreted as a villain. Yes, she commits murder, but she murders mobsters. From a different perspective, Andrea could be viewed as a hero who uses extreme methods in order to ensure that evil is stopped. Then again, her intentions aren’t to stop crime, but to get revenge. Perhaps if she were merely trying to become proactive in crime-fighting, then she wouldn’t be considered as villainous.
In the film’s climax, Andrea confronts the final man who ruined her life: the Joker. The setting is the ruins of the former World’s Fair, and there could be no better place. The World’s Fair always symbolized hope for a bright future, and in a flashback, Bruce and Andrea attended this fair together. Everything seemed perfect and right back then as Bruce and Andrea toured the various attractions that promised better tomorrows. Now, the fair is old, dilapidated, and ruined. Time has forgotten the World’s Fair and left it behind to show how dark the future has become. The Joker has established his hideout in the ruins of this once great spectacle and this is symbolic of how evil has poisoned the lives of Bruce and Andrea. The future that they looked forward to is gone and destroyed forever.
Symbolically, it is beautiful that the Joker was the one who had murdered Andrea’s father. It’s just another example of how evil will strip Batman of every bit of happiness he ever wanted. The Joker is a plague in Batman’s life, and it all began with Andrea. Of course, Batman figures out that Andrea is going to kill the Joker, and despite the fact that the Joker had murdered dozens and dozens of people, Batman can’t allow Andrea to kill him. It’s all part of his complex code of ethics where death is evil no matter who is being killed. It might make more sense to kill the Joker to save future lives, but Bruce knows that to cross that line would make him no better than the criminals he hunts.
While the two of them were once star-crossed lovers, they are now vigilantes with diametrically opposed ideologies. Andrea pleads with Bruce to let her kill the Joker so her pain will fade. She says, “Look what they did to us! What we could have had! They had to pay!” Bruce responds, “But Andy, what will vengeance solve?” Finally, she responds, “If anyone knows the answer to that question, Bruce, it’s you.” Both characters are trying desperately to cope with their pain and for the first time in his career as Batman, Bruce seems to be attacking the very premise that turned him into a hero. He won’t be able to change her mind because Andrea is devoted to her quest for vengeance.
So, ultimately, what does Mask of the Phantasm accomplish? The film stands as the only animated version of Batman to hit theaters, but it also examines the persona of Batman more thoroughly than any other film to date. By juxtaposing Bruce’s motivations with Andrea’s, the film manages to delve in the complexity and the paradox that drives Batman: crime must pay for killing his parents, but to murder criminals is to commit a crime, therefore, crime will always prevail because Batman will not allow the war to escalate.
Andrea Beaumont is unlike any other woman in the Batman mythos because she offers Bruce a way out of “the mission” by offering him happiness in a life with her. Bruce chooses her over his quest for revenge, but once again, evil takes away any hope for happiness in Bruce’s life and he is forced back into vengeance. What makes Andrea so compelling though is how she is portrayed. Her master plan isn’t the destruction of Gotham City or World Domination; she just wants to find peace in her soul. She wants retribution for the hole in her heart, but most of all, she just wants Bruce Wayne back into her life. Andrea Beaumont isn’t evil; she’s tragic. If Andrea were truly evil, she would be murdering mob bosses to try and gain power and influence in Gotham City, but she kills because, much like Bruce, circumstances beyond her control changed the course of her life and she only wished to get retribution for what had been done. The real tragedy is that she didn’t decide to fight crime so much as she decided to eradicate it. If she had stayed with Bruce after her father’s death, perhaps the two of them could have fought crime together. Unfortunately, she took the path that Batman would never take.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm wasn’t a commercially successful film, but it’s certainly the greatest Batman film ever made. While it didn’t change animated films in the same way that Citizen Kane changed filmmaking forever, Mask of the Phantasm picks apart Bruce Wayne in the same way that Citizen Kane analyzes Charles Foster Kane. Both men are victims of circumstance who merely are trying to cope with their pain. Mask of the Phantasm defies the expectations of what an animated superhero film should be and it’s unfortunate that it is an overlooked gem in the Batman mythology.
Posted By Alex Langley on August 16, 2010
Aion and City of Heroes: Going Rogue are two MMOs that have managed to hang on to their existence in an era of MMOs being dominated by the titan that it World of Warcraft. Check out some exclusive gameplay footage from these two games!
Posted By Alex Langley on August 13, 2010
Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 is the sequel to the recent retro hit Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Here’s exclusive footage direct from Capcom at the San Diego Comic-con!
Posted By Christopher Daley on August 9, 2010
I love comics. They taught me how to read as a young boy and were my constant companion growing up. In my world of despair and powerlessness comics gave me heroes. They gave a code. A sense of right and wrong and everything in between. I am still an active reader of comics and still dream of the day I open up a comic book and see the words, “Written by Christopher Daley”. When the iPad was announced a few months back I knew instantly comics were going to change forever. The digital age is upon us.
I attended the San Diego Comic-Con. There are literally hundreds of panels to choose from but I knew the two I wanted to attend. They were both about digital comics. In particular, I was interested in attending the one on piracy. For those of you who are not aware piracy in comics is fairly heavy. You can find any comic the day it is released on the web. There are people out there who scan every new release and upload it for illegal downloads only hours after they have come out.
Like the music industry, there is no real way to tell how this is affecting sales of comic books. Is it robbing them of people who would be buying them otherwise? Is it just people who prefer to read their comics digitally? Perhaps people without access to a comic book store? Or maybe it really just boils down to the bizarre thinking of many people that the internet and everything on it should be free.
I worry about this because I see the comic book industry coming out of the gate and making some of the same serious mistakes the music and movie industries have made. It is the definition of insanity when you continue to perpetuate the same egregious errors every other company made. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like pirates. People who download comics for free are thieves. This statement alone will cause an amazing amount of controversy and arguments but it is all a self-righteous justification for doing something you know is illegal.
This material doesn’t appear out of thin air. Someone has to make it. There are writers, artists, editors, and a whole swarm of other people who produce the content you enjoy. If you don’t support them by buying their content they
will go away. They have to make a living.
The biggest problems I have with the coming of the digital age in comics is companies treating their honest customers like crooks. Companies that are treating the new business model like the old one. Companies which are failing to educate young people why it is important to support their entertainment (this is an education which must happen right now. Young comic readers are going to consume their media digitally. It is essential the comic companies make a connection between the creators and the fans).
I think it is a huge mistake for the comic companies to ride the “digital rights management” bus. All DRM does is treat your paying customers poorly. When I buy a comic in a comic store I own it. When I buy one on my iPad I am essentially leasing it. What’s worse is I am leasing it from whatever piece of software I am using as my reader. If this company goes out of business my comics go with it. This is not going to go over well with fans the very first time it happens. It didn’t in the music industry either.
The thing I find puzzling is when I asked the panel about this the general feeling was it is going to take time. I don’t know why. It doesn’t seem that hard to see where it went wrong in other media industries, learn from their mistakes and do it better. Don’t penalize those customers who are actually purchasing your comics. Provide them with good service, create new customers, find ways to make the comic industry grow. Don’t throw out road blocks and then pat yourself on the back because you were there first.
I think what struck me the most about the panel was the anger towards the people who illegally download their product. Like I said earlier, I understand it but it seems to me if you make all your business decisions based on it you are going to fail. People who are downloading your products illegally are not going to be customers. If you want to go down the music industry road and start lavishing huge amounts of money and attention on shutting them down be my guest. I can tell you what it will get you, nothing. You won’t be able to stop it. You will likely look bad in the process and you will have wasted valuable time and money you could have spent growing your business.
Make no mistake the digital age of comics is upon us. It won’t take long for it to completely explode and be the number one way comics will be read. Just look at what Amazon did with the Kindle. They now sell more Kindle hardback novels than actual real live hardbacks. The comic book industry needs to think outside of the box and grab ahold of this tiger. Make a connection between your fans and the creators. Make a great product. Give complete access to your comic library (If I want to give you money for a comic you should want to sell it to me) and stop treating us all like illegal downloaders. Get rid of the DRM now and put comics into a standard output which can be read by all software. This is not going to be a slow growth process. I predict it is going to be extremely fast. The quicker comic companies figure this all out, the healthier their companies are going to be. Technology waits for no one.
Posted By Alex Langley on August 6, 2010
Words cannot express how much I’m looking forward to the video game Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
I love Marvel comics.
I love Capcom games.
TWO GREAT TASTES COMBINE!
Here’s some footage I snagged of the upcoming fighter, fresh from the San Diego Comic-con floor!
Posted By Marko on July 30, 2010
Cartoon Network held an “Algebraic!” panel at San Diego Comic-Con International on Friday to discuss their new show Adventure Time, with voice actor Tom Kenny (voice of Ice King) moderating. Also present were J.G. Quintel, Jeremy Shada (voice of Finn), John DiMaggio (voice of Jake), Pat McHale (creative director), and Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time).
Tom began by asking the crowd, “What time is it?” and the crowd shouted back in full unison, “ADVENTURE TIME!!”
It was pretty much a Q&A except for the unveiling of promos including a new episode of Adventure Time titled “Rainy Day Daydream”, and a glimpse of new shows Robotomy and J.G. Quintel’s Regular Show. Robotomy and Regular Show look random and funny, so I’ll let their promos speak for themselves.
It was a very funny Q&A, with most of the questions addressed to Pendleton getting answered with a “maybe?” or a “sure,” causing the room to laugh. John DiMaggio was thoroughly entertaining answering questions with different voices including his most famous Bender from Futurama. Tom Kenny similarly went through voices of the Ice King and Spongebob Squarepants. Jeremy Shada (Finn) mentioned how his brother played Finn in the original short but hit puberty before the show started so Jeremy got the part instead because he had a similar voice. Shada also plays young Robin in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
As an artist, I was more excited about the fact that Cartoon Network was returning to some traditional animation and on top of that, some really entertaining cartoons! The panel was full of fun and laughs and you could tell that everyone involved in the shows love what they were doing.
Adventure Time airs Mondays on Cartoon Network. Robotomy is set to premiere in October 2010 and Regular Show in December 2010.
Posted By Marko on July 29, 2010
Ballroom 20’s hour-and-a-half wait at Comic-Con was well worth it to see the Showtime anti-hero panel. The panel started by introducing the big names of Showtime: Dexter’s Michael C. Hall, Nurse Jackie’s Paul Schulze, Weeds’ Mary-Louise Parker, and Californication’s David Duchovny. Each actor took a little time to talk about his or her character along with a little promo footage from the new seasons.
Californication showed a good amount of new footage for the next season along with some new faces including Rob Lowe’s character that wants to option Hank’s book for a movie. We’ve seen how that ended with “A Little Thing Called Love” in the first season. I’ve only just started watching Californication myself so the first season is very fresh on my mind. Californication will return in 2011.
I have not watched Nurse Jackie myself but from what I’ve heard the promo was just a mix of things already seen in the first two seasons. They did announce that the show’s return would not come until early next year so I have some time to catch up on the first two seasons.
Weeds showed some awesome footage for the next season that really sold me. The show’s been strong from the start and I can tell from the promo it’s going to stay that way. After Shane kills Pilar in the season five, the Botwins go on the run, changing identity to the Newmans. Parker actually commented on how originally they had written her character to have multiple identities but chose to stick with one in the end. Besides Dexter, Weeds is the next in line for my most anticipated show. Both have taken crazy turns and I can’t wait to see how they pull it off. Weeds’ new season begins Aug. 16th.
Dexter has been my favorite Showtime show from the beginning and the promo footage for season five has only made me lust for more, more, MORE! I mean, what can I say? Dexter is nothing short of amazing and the end of season four was such a shock it left me wondering what more can they do? How can they come back from that?! But I’m sure the new season will leave me pleased. The promo started with the end of season five, Dexter finding Rita murdered and their infant son sitting in a puddle of her blood. Dexter has to explain to Rita’s kids that their mother is gone and he’s the prime suspect. Dexter’s rock has been taken from him and now his perfectly constructed world is caving in around him. One fan asked, “Since Dexter does not have any real human feelings, why would Rita’s death have any effect on him emotionally?” Michael C. Hall’s answer: “ I don’t think we should take Dexter’s word on anything. I think when he says he’s devoid of human emotion, we are supposed be reluctant.” This has to be true because throughout the seasons Dexter has slowly grown and we’ve seen emotions come through, especially emotions for Rita. Rita is what kept Dexter grounded, and now she’s gone. So what’s next? Dexter premieres Sept. 26th.
Posted By Christopher Daley on July 27, 2010
Sometimes when a movie does it right it will burn an image into your brain which will never go away. Stuck there forever like a good childhood memory waiting to be called back to the surface for you to enjoy again. I have one of those images bubbling around in my head. The reveal shot in Terminator 2 where you see the lovely Linda Hamilton completely ripped with muscles. It was a great shot because you weren’t ready for it. It sent a complete and immediate message, you think you know where this movie is going but you don’t. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
One of my favorite panels of this Comic-Con asked the simple question, where are the action chicks in movies? Hosted by the web site actionflickchick they brought together an esteemed panel and talked about action movies and Hollywood’s complete failure to launch successful action movies starring women.
It isn’t like there haven’t been a few but they are the rarity not the norm. The truth is TV has been far more successful at giving us our dose of action women stars. Three of my favorite series of all times had women who would kick the shit out of you if necessary (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, and The Avengers). When it happens in movies it almost feels like an accident.
There were a lot of great discussions at the panel. They ranged anywhere from not enough female writers and directors to men not being able to accept a woman who could kick their ass. There was truth in all of them but for me I think the explanation is completely grounded in the Hollywood system which is already broke when it comes to women. Don’t believe me, ask some great women actors who can’t buy a role after a certain age.
Hollywood has convinced themselves women can’t open big budget movies (which tend to be action oriented and special effects heavy). In a large part this conviction comes entirely from their failure to make good big budget movies starring women. They will let a man star fail over and over again. They will ride the dead horse of a male action hero until his rotting flesh is in the ground. The reason for this is simple, somewhere someone made a great action movie with that star. I don’t think this is exclusive to males, they just get ninety-nine chances for every one woman action movie out there. When Wanted exceeded everyone’s expectations I knew immediately a new Angelina Jolie action movie would be heading our way and now we have Salt. Jolie has become, in Hollywood’s mind, the only bankable female action star. Interestingly, she has more failures than successes but it just takes one.
The problem is sexism is rampant in Hollywood. They tend to eat up their young pretty stars and spit them out. They are convinced they know everything. They are sure men will not go and see female action stars. I am sure some men never will but ultimately they’re wrong. They simply refuse to let women stars fail like they will men. Until this changes we are not going to see a lot of action movies starring women.
Someone is going to have to come along and bust the door down. Take a superhero or a fictional female character and completely rock it. People will flock to it. Trust me, I know a lot of people who were terribly disappointed at the failure of Elektra. If they had made a good movie it would have been a huge success. They made a dog (it pains me to say this. It doesn’t change anything I still love Jennifer Garner) and in the sexist Hollywood mind it becomes, “Well, we tried but people just won’t go see a female action star.” This is apparently not the same process that goes through their heads when green lighting a Nicolas Cage movie.
I know a lot of people look towards comics as the way to light up a good franchise for women. This is bolstered by the elephant in the room, Wonder Woman. DC Comics wants to make this movie bad. They are also completely petrified by it. They do not want another Supergirl on their hands. They know there is a lot of money to be made if they do it right. I think it is coming. I am positive one of the driving forces behind the new costume change is their desire to modernize Wonder Woman and get the damn movie made. They made a huge mistake when they let Joss Whedon get away from them and should promise him the moon to get him back.
I personally think comic books just don’t have enough female characters to choose from (this is a blog for another time). I think it is going to have to be fiction. There are lots of great best selling books starring women action heroes (by the way movie industry that should be a hint, BEST SELLING). Someone is going to have to turn Stephanie Plum or Anita Blake into a movie. Tara Chance from Queen and Country (a way better idea than doing a female James Bond which was suggested at the panel) and a whole slew of private eye books. The material is there.
Money talks in LA LA land. If someone starts dropping mass coins into the studio’s pocket things will begin to change. Sadly, it is going to take an even bigger change to make this happen. The culture of sexism has to be broken through. Some studio somewhere is going to have to start treating female stars like male ones. This is a problem across all movie genres not just action. Until this happens, kick ass females will be few and far between. I think the time is ripe. The talent is certainly out there. Hell, just let Gail Simone write it and at least you will have a fantastic script. Hand it off to Kathryn Bigelow to direct. Grab a great actress and let’s rock and roll. I don’t care who is blowing **** up, I just want it to be good.
Cross-posted from http://www.csdaley.com/2010/07/where-are-action-chicks.html
Posted By Papa Llama on July 24, 2010
While at San Diego Comic-Con this year, I was given the opportunity to take an exclusive look at a comics program called Grapic.ly.
Graphic.ly is a new biz spark company that has been around for about a year and half but is really just now coming to fruition. Dave Drach from Microsoft, who is in charge of client interactivity, sat down with me and showed me the new viewer.
Honestly, I’m all about print and besides the cost effectiveness of digital comics, I’ve never been interested in the digital medium. But, Graphic.ly brings something special to the table.
To start out their Viewer has three different viewing modes: Thumbnails, Spread, and Graphic.ly View. Thumbnail’s lets you see the whole comic at once where you can zoom in on whatever page catches your eye, pretty simple. It is just an overview of the whole comic. Now the Spread viewer shows the comic as if you were holding a print version in your hands, you can also click on each on individual talk balloon to make it larger for reading. It is the best transition from print to digital I’ve seen. Now the Graphic.ly view is the most innovative one, at first glance it is just a panel-by-panel view of the comics but this is where they’ve added something that you cannot get in a print version, a social function.
The social function lets users comment on individual parts of the panel and layout, you can make your own tag with just a click of your mouse or a touch of your screen and there’s no limit on what you can comment on. For example, if you like the eyes in a certain panel, click on the eyes and leave a comment, critique anything on the comic you want! The viewer is amazing but there’s so much more to the social aspect of Graphic.ly, you can bookmark where you last read and return later, and also send your bookmarks to friends to show them something you found interesting. They also commented on how they would like to have a similar format to Deviantart.com where users can add their creator owned comics for people to view. The shop is still a little new so the amount of comics available at the time is a little limited but they still have a lot of growing to do.
Another great thing about the Graphic.ly is the amount of platforms it’s available on. First of all it’s both Mac and PC compatible and on top of that, it’s available for the Ipad, Iphone, and they’re working on a deal with Google’s Droid.
I would definitely recommend this program to anybody who wants to read comics digitally and also enjoy a new and unique social network. So if you like comics, create comics, or would like to try something new, be sure to check out Graphic.ly.
Posted By Papa Llama on July 22, 2010
It seems ironic that a press session for a movie about some of the most advanced technology ever is starting late due to technical problems.
One of the earliest questions is about why neither of Cindy Morgan’s characters are in the movie. Joe Kosinski says you have to make hard choices, it’s a father-son story, and you have to leave out some of what doesn’t fit. He says her character is still in the TRON universe.
3-D was a challenge but had a great foundation, says Joe. Evolving the designs was challenging and fun. Using James Cameron’s Sony F-35 Avatar camera system let them create real 3-D that pays off for the animator.
Jeff Bridges says he heard rumors of a sequel for many years “and I kind of gave up on it.” The script turned up, Disney hadn’t been satisfied, so they waited until they had the right script at “the right guy at the helm” which they found in Joe. “He was a great leader,” up to date on the special effects and “terrific with actors.” Playing with “all the new toys” while making the movie felt like he really had been sucked into a game.
Steven Lisberger says the look of TRON is unique and we’ll see more of the new one’s look soon enough. Jeff points out that it wasn’t called CGI during the first film. Steve says right, it was just called CG and they had still been thinking in 2-D to a large degree. They’d had to do 3-D programming for a 2-D movie and it was a shame the world wouldn’t know. That was the beginning of 3-D for him.
When making the first movie, Steve says, “All we could do was dream” about what the technology could do. The new film examines the modern sense that technology keeps people from connecting with each other.
“Oh, it’s great,” Jeff says about the fans’ excitement. He loves the energy the fans show here at Comic-Con. In fact, he credits fans’ reactions here two years ago for getting the sequel funded. (Two years? The film needed more prep time than that.) I think he moved too quickly from talking about fans 2 years ago to fans over the long run.
They worked on the music before they worked on the film itself.
The type camera used was a cumbersome beast that changed their approach to using it, affecting how they viewed the film and even changing their vision of the world of TRON itself according to Eric Barba.
Discussion of TRON ride at Disneyland? Answer is vague. It’s too early to know, those rights take a long time to develop. Michael Sheen quips, “Let’s get the musical done.”
Bruce Boxleitner was “thrilled by” the script when he first read it. He’d had “no idea that John Bradley was such a lost soul.”
Olivia Wilde says wearing the iconic suits was amazing. Michael Sheen says watching Olivia was amazing. She loved the look and feel and sound the suits made. Michael says “and light ‘em up” and room lit up right before they said, “Action!” was great moment. Bruce says the suit came a long way from bodysuit with Magic Marker and “the first male thong.”
Steven says that when they came up with the idea of Jeff’s character getting lost in cyberspace, “It was just too good, the thought of revisiting Jeff this way.”
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