Thursday, Dec. 28, 2000

SPIDER-MAN MOVIE EXTRAS LINING UP

A representative of Metropolis Comics in Downey, Calif., told The Continuum that response has been swift and enthusiastic for an opportunity for fans to appear as extras in the Spider-Man movie.

Assistant manager Kurt Knittel said the store has received responses from as far away as New York. The store was contacted by Columbia Pictures to offer fans a chance to be in the movie. According to the store, a bus will be sent to pick up people from the store's parking lot if it could get a group of 45 or more, and all participants must be more than 16 years of age.

Knittel said that the group number seems easily achievable.

The scenes will be filmed Jan. 17-19 on the Sony lot in Culver City, Calif. They will include the transformation of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) into Spider-Man, his first encounter with Bone Saw McGraw (played by Macho Man Randy Savage) and an un-sanctioned wrestling match between Bone Saw McGraw and Spider-Man.

There is no pay, but there will be casting company represenatives there for those who want information on paid extra gigs. The bus will return everyone to the store around 7:30 p.m. each day.

Metropolis Comics is located at 8323 Firestone Blvd. in Downey. For more information, call the store at (562) 869-1492.

There will be sign-up sheets at the store - and participants must sign up to be included.

In other Spider-Man movie news, Willem Dafoe who plays the Green Goblin will be following up his appearance on NBC's The Today Show on Friday with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday.

RANDY GREEN DRAWS STAR WARS

Before launching his new Image Comics series The Dollz, Randy Green has drawn Star Wars #27 for Dark Horse Comics.

"It was like play time to do some fun things a little bit," Green said. "It was fun drawing Star Wars. Now that I've finished all that up, I'll start working on this book (The Dollz) full time." Green said he hope to draw at least 10 issues of The Dollz in a year.

Star Wars #27 is a story called "Star Crash," and is written by Douglas Petrie, a writer for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series.

"It's a classic fairy tale with elements of the science fiction and Western genres," Petrie said. "I think Randy Green's art really captures the spirit of the original film. I'm a big Star Wars fan myself, so this has been a dream come true.

Here's how Dark Horse describes the issue:

"Lost on a strange planet, young Jedi Yoshi Raph-Elan makes his way to a small village in hopes of a rescue, but instead finds a town living in fear. Droid sentries patrol the streets and keep the townspeople under strict control. After a close call with the deadly machines, Yoshi learns of a nearby castle where the answers as to who is behind this tyranny might lie.

"He sets out for the castle and finds that, like the town, it is full of deadly druids. The Jedi enters the castle undetected and makes his way to a special room where he finds a beautiful human princess â¤| who turns to aim her blaster at him. Yoshi realizes that his troubles have only just begun."

Star Wars #27 arrives in stores on Feb. 28 with a $2.99 cover price.

DESPERATE TIMES UPDATE

Desperate Times has sold out in comic book stores, and Diamond Comics Distribution has turned to creator Chris Eliopoulos for additional copies.

"I'll be dipping into my own personal stash to keep up with orders," Eliopoulos said. "Naturally, I do not mind a bit."

Desperate Times is currently being published by After Hours Press.

The demand for Desperate Times started when the book debuted as a backup strip in Savage Dragon #42. It later spun off into its own limited series with Image Comics. An e-Book version of the comic is available at www.jambooks.com.

"It feels good to know that Desperate Times is connecting with readers because it means there is room in the marketplace for diversity," said Eliopoulos, who is also one of the leading letterers in the industry.

Desperate Times will not be going back to press for second printings until all of Eliopoulos' personal stock is depleted. Desperate Times #2 is expected to hit the shelves Jan. 31.

Back issue copies of the original Desperate Times and the collected trade paperback are available directly at www.desperatetimes.com.

FIRST LOOK: ELFQUEST TOYS

The first series of Elfquest toys will be arriving in stores in March.

The figures, designed by Art Asylum, stand approximately seven inches and come with accessories and blister packaging.

This series will possibly include: Wolfrider leader, Cutter (with his wolf mount, Nightrunner), Leetah (Cutter's mate), Rayek (Cutter's rival for the hand of Leetah), Tyldak the winged elf, and Picknose the Troll.

Meanwhile, development continues on the Elfquest movie. Look for more details on that soon here in The Continuum.

BRIEFLY