Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001

HOWARD CHAYKIN TALKS MUTANT X TV SHOW

Comics and television veteran Howard Chaykin is serving as executive consultant of Marvel's Mutant X television series, set to premiere this October in syndication from Tribune Entertainment.

"We're pretty excited," Chaykin told The Continuum in a telephone interview on Monday. "We think it's a phenomenal opportunity to have a lot of fun with this stuff. It's a real start-up, with new characters and new ideas that I think will generate some terrific comics after the fact."

Chaykin, who has been working on Mutant X for about two weeks and will also be writing Marvel's Cable comic book, said he's hired Mark Lisson, David Newman and Elizabeth Keyeshian as writers for the show.

"As of now, we've submitted two episode outlines and four stories, and more we'll be going over this week," Chaykin said. "So, we're in good shape."

Mutant X is not based on the comic of the same name. The series details a group of humans bound together by a powerful bond of genetically engineered powers of an extraordinary nature. Realizing that genetics projects have spun out of control, the government forms the Office Of Mutant Research, whose sole mission is to capture all mutants in order to "repair" them. Mutant X are on a mission to seek out fellow mutants to protect them from the government's crusade and recruit them to further a guiding principle of peace and harmony between the mutants and the rest of humanity.

The leader of the group, with super intelligence, will likely be named Adam Xero. Other possible members include Fuse, Rapport, Shadow Fox and Synergy.

"That's a pretty sketchy start-up," Chaykin said of previously reported Mutant X members. "More will be revealed."

Chaykin said - with some reservations -- that Mutant X is "pretty much" a super-hero show.

"I hate to put the onus on it, because it's going to be more than that," he said. "That covers a pretty broad range of material.

"If you know comics, you know my stuff. You know that I'm not interested in doing ground-level, mass-market, mainstream stuff. One of my jobs has always been to maintain the cutting edge in comics. I think I've done a pretty good job with that.

"And we'll do the same thing here, I think. One of the reasons I'm doing (Mutant X) is because of what I bring to the table, which is a long-standing career in comics and a long-standing career in television. I don't think there are a lot of other guys who were able to make the leap from comics to another career and maintain both successfully, and I've been pretty comfortable doing that. I've worked pretty steadily (in television) for 10 years, and still maintain a comic-book career at the same time -- because I feel that both have their importance.

"And I think the same sorts of sensibilities I brought to my comics I want to bring here. It's one of the reasons I'm here."

Chaykin said designs for the show's characters are in the beginning stages.

Shooting of Mutant X will begin in June in Toronto. Look for more from Chaykin soon here in The Continuum.

NEW SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED EPISODE

A new episode of Spider-Man Unlimited, "Cry Vulture," will air this Saturday at 11 a.m. (ET) on Fox Kids.

In the episode, a friend of Naoko's is kidnapped, and Spider-Man sets out to save him. When Spider-Man learns that the victim is going to be used as a human lab rat, getting to him becomes a race against time --which is complicated by the appearance of Counter-Earth's version of the Vulture and a new Beastial foe, Firedrake.

This version of the Vulture will actually be a good guy.

"Remember we're on Counter-Earth," Spider-Man Unlimited producer Will Meugiot said. "What makes him interesting is that he's a human rights activist. On Counter-Earth, the Beastials have taken over and the Beastials are the dominant members of society, and they've been working to repress humans. And the Vulture is a human who had sold out humanity by trying to be more like the Beastials and then he saw some of the horrible things Beastials were doing to humans in research labs and things, and so he's sort of like a one-man PETA.

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"When Spider-Man first meets him, they sort of run afoul of each other because neither one knows who the other is, until they both realize that their both good guys, operating with different motives. There's a little standard Marvel hero-meets-hero action going on with them."

"Cry Vulture" was written by Larry Brody and Robert Gregory-Browne. Brody is credited in the show as "executive creative consultant."

The next new episode of Spider-Man Unlimited will feature Man-Wolf (who is hinted at in "Cry Vulture") and the Counter-Earth version of Electro. Look for more details of that episode soon here in The Continuum.

GHOST RIDER MOVIE UPDATE

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige told The Continuum that he expects the latest draft for the Ghost Rider movie from David Goyer in about a week.

"Everything will fall into place after that," Feige said of the script's completion.

Stephen Norrington, who worked with Goyer on Blade, will direct the film, which will also come from Crystal Sky Entertainment and Dimension Films.

Nicolas Cage, a big comics fan who, at one point, was going to play the lead role in Tim Burton's Superman movie, is showing interest in Ghost Rider and appears to be the leading candidate for the role of Johnny Blaze.

HUMANOIDS PUBLISHING FOR MAY

Following are May solicitations from Humanoids Publishing, with information coming from the company.

THE INCAL #2

By Alexandro Jodorowsky and Zoran Janjetov, cover art and color by Ladronn.

Continuing the complete adventures of John Difool. Brought back from the brink of suicide after last issue's tragedy, John goes off with Snail Head to discover the real truth about his mother. On city level 30.042, John joins the Church of the Neuroemotional where he starts to finally be happy with his new life. A surprise character returns in time to ruin all of this for John, and just may cost him his newfound love.

32 pages, $2.95.

METABARONS #13

By Alexandro Jodorowsky and Juan Gimenez.

The Metabaron Steelhead is pitted against Don Nicanor and his army of Philodendrans. Dona Vicenta throws herself into the middle of the conflict with a desprate ploy that has no prayer of working. Even if she is successful, will anybody be able to survive the effects of Steelhead's dual personality?

32 pages, $2.95.

SHIP OF STONE

By Enki Bilal and Pierre Christin.

The Grand Large property developers are planning to build a large resort by Trehoet castle and the tiny fishing village that lies by its shores. As the fishermen begin to realize the problems this poses to their life, the developers find out that the occupant who lives in the castle is the greatest danger. The castle is of great importance to the town's ancestry, and the old man who lives there will stop at nothing to keep it from being demolished. When the town's people learn of this protector, they are able to finally rally against the greedy developers.

60 pages, hardcover album, $14.95.

FIRST LOOK: MYSTIC #9

Mystic #9 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from CrossGen Comics. The issue is written by Ron Marz, penciled by Brandon Peterson, inked by John Dell and colored by Andrew Crossley.

Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:

"Despite dissension within their ranks, the Guild Masters pool their magical power for a ritual designed to release an ancient, unspeakable evil. The target, of course, is Giselle, who's being swept off her feet by Darrow as he instructs her in the use of her arcane abilities. Could Darrow's intentions be less than pure? The result is a confrontation between Darrow and Thierry, who might just find comfort in the arms of another â¤| Giselle's sister Genevieve!"

Mystic #9 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

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FIRST LOOK: THE FIRST #4

The First #4 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from CrossGen Comics. The issue is written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Bart Sears, inked by Andy Smith and colored by Mike Atiyeh.

Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:

"The story of Altwaal, the first leader of the First, continues, but a new set of players has taken up the tale, and a new level is added to the mystery of what happened to the legendary warrior. And why is the question being raised again, after so many centuries, of what happened to Altwaal?"

The First #4 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

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