Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000

TOMB RAIDER MOVIE COMIC?

Will Top Cow, which publishes the Tomb Raider comic book, adapt the upcoming movie in comic form? Maybe, said Top Cow's Matt Hawkins.

"We are talking to Paramount and Viacom about it right now," Hawkins told The Continuum. "There are some likeness rights issues with Angelina Jolie that may preclude any adaptation from happening."

Jolie stars as Lara Croft in the movie, which will reach theaters in June.

Top Cow has published a monthly Tomb Raider comic for nearly a year and will also be publishing a Tomb Raider magazine.

SIMONSON: BYRNE TO DRAW ORION

Orion writer Walter Simonson told The Continuum that John Byrne will be contributing to two issues of the DC Comics title.

"The lead story for Orion #13 and 14 will be penciled by John and inked by Terry Austin," Simonson said. "The backup stories in those two issues will be penciled by me and inked by Bob Wiacek. I'm writing both issues in their entirety.

"The stories will be part of the ongoing continuity, not a separate fill-in story."

Simonson didn't want to give too much about the stories away, but allowed The Continuum a bit of information.

"A short version (extremely short!) of the lead story John is doing is that Orion has returned to Earth; a few other DC heroes appear in the issue," Simonson said. "The climax of the two issues is a confrontation between the New Gods of New Genesis and Apokolips. On Earth. Or 'above' Earth might be more accurate. There's also a Promethean Giant involved for those who know who the Promethean Giants are. For those who don't know, they are really really BIG giants!"

In the past, Simonson has had guest artists on the backup stories for Orion, so he's switching roles for these two issues.

Simonson said the backup story for Orion #13 is "The Arming of Apokolips" and the backup story for Orion #14 is "The Legacy of Frankenstein."

Orion #13 should be in stores in April, with #14 in May.

SPOTLIGHT ON STATIC SHOCK'S PHIL LAMARR

Phil LaMarr, star of the recently renewed Static Shock animated series, talked to The Continuum about his role and fondness for Milestone Comics.

For the complete interview, CLICK HERE.

RAY PARK AS IRON FIST?

Ray Park could be cast in the lead role in an Iron Fist movie within a month, sources told The Continuum on Tuesday.

Park, who played Toad in X-Men and Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, could not be reached for comment, but has been linked to the role since October. Park's web site, which is currently under reconstruction, had confirmed he was interested in the role in October.

Iron Fist is one of the characters involved in the Marvel/Artisan Entertainment package announced last May. Representatives of Marvel and Artisan Entertainment could not confirm Park's Iron Fist casting.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige said that a Marvel/Artisan movie could reach theaters in 2001.

"2001 should be a very busy year in terms or production and we could have one or two movies in theaters," Feige said, noting that a lot depends on the pending actors' strike.

X-MEN: EVOLUTION'S NIGHTCRAWLER

X-Men: Evolution director Steve Gordon said that he tried to give Nightcrawler a bit of an animalistic look for the Kids' WB! animated series.

"From my animation background, I came up with the idea of using a different foot, using more of an animal foot," Gordon said. "Doing all the research with the comics, no one seemed to really handle the feet very well. It was also kind of clunky. They gave him these long toes and they didn't seem to do anything. But, other than that, he would walk like a normal person.

"We wanted to come up with something a little more unusual for him, so we came up with this animal look. And when he walks, it's like an animal, and when he runs, it's basically a modified cat run. He gets on all fours and runs."

To attend Bayville High School, Professor Xavier gave Kurt a hologram inducer which make him look more human.

"But it's still pretty much Nightcrawler," Gordon said. "It's basically the same design, that's altered to look human. We're still trying to get it to work overseas, that whenever he does hand movements to have his hands split with his fingers.

"We wanted to come up with a standard, high school type. He looks a little more like a partier, with long, floppy hair and the boxers pulled up high and the layered look with big, floppy elephant pants. He's very much the type of kid you'd see at school these days."

Nightcrawler was featured in X-Men: Evolution's first episode and will be in the spotlight in two more episodes of the first season, both of which were directed by Gordon.

One should be the next new episode "Middleverse," in which Nightcrawler gets stuck between dimensions after accidentally activating one of Forge's old inventions.

The other is Episode 10, "Shadowed Past," in which Nightcrawler's recurring nightmares lead him to investigate the truth about his past. The episode also features Mystique.

Look for more on X-Men: Evolution soon here in The Continuum.

LEGION WORLDS ARTISTS

Relative Heroes artist Yvel Guichet will be penciling the first issue of Legion Worlds, the follow-up to Legion Lost which begins this spring from DC Comics.

Guichet will be inked by Dexter Vines.

"What we're trying is to get great guys who people wouldn't associate Legion with," said Legion co-writer Andy Lanning during an online chat on Monday.

In that spirit, Lanning said that he'll be inking Steve Dillon on an issue of Legion Worlds.

"Steve's a great storyteller and cut his teeth in the UK on great sci-fi, a character called Pressbutton and Laser Eraser," Lanning said.

Legion Worlds, formerly known as Legion Quest, will be six issues, with a 30-page lead story and an eight-page backup in each issue.

FIRST LOOK: MERIDIAN #7

Meridian #7 will arrive in stores on Dec. 27 from CrossGen Comics. The issue is written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Joshua Middleton, inked by Dexter Vines and colored by Morry Hollowell.

Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:

"Ilahn's met his match in an ambitious newcomer to Cadador, but is he charming her, or the other way around? Meanwhile, down in Akasia, Sephie discovers the cruel secret of the dye factory and finds herself its prisoner! Akasia's Minister knows what Sephie can do and wants to keep those powers in her city. And Jad, in Cadador, hears the awful news of Sephie's death..."

Meridian #7 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: EL DIABLO #1

El Diablo #1 will arrive in stores on Jan. 31 from DC Comics. The issue is written by Brian Azzarello, with art by Danijel Zezelj and a painted cover by Tim Sale.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Small-town sheriff Moses Stone is running from his past, and from something even worse -- a brutal and relentless gunman who has unearthed the skeletons in Sheriff Stone's closet and has every intention of making the Sheriff face them. That relentless gunman is a killer of legend, known only as...El Diablo. Resurrecting the popular frontier phantom from the pages of the Weird Western Tales, El Diablo hits all the touchstones of the American Western Myth but digs deeper to uncover the sinister secrets and cold-blooded brutality of that unforgiving time and place. Is El Diablo a man on a mission? Is he a spirit of atonement avenging the ghosts who know no justice? Or is he the devil himself, impatiently collecting the souls of men whose actions have damned them? Sheriff Stone and his ragtag posse are about to find out -- the hard way."

El Diablo #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.50.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY