Tuesday, April 24, 2001

BRUCE TIMM TALKS JUSTICE LEAGUE: PART ONE

For the first part of the interview, CLICK HERE.

BLADE 2 UPDATE

David Goyer, writer and executive producer of Blade 2, told The Continuum that the sequel will have its fair share of blood.

"Just because it's a sequel, we didn't tone anything down, let's put it that way," Goyer told The Continuum.

The opening of the first Blade film - which at one point was banned in Jamaica -- was perhaps one of the bloodiest scenes in film history, with the vampires dancing in a crimson shower before Blade breaks up the party.

"There's nothing quite like the Blood Club," Goyer said. "In terms of the beginning of the movie, I don't know if we're ever going to be able to top that. So we went in a different direction. The beginning of this movie is 180 degrees different from the last movie."

In fact, Goyer, stresses the differences between Blade and Blade 2.

"We wanted to try to tell a new story that wasn't just the same one rehashed again," he said. "With this movie, we went in just a completely different direction.

"We have a very large cast, a lot of vampires and more villains than in the first one."

Goyer will revisit the set in Prague later this week. He has been seeing dailies of the production, which is under the direction of Guillermo del Toro.

"It looks great," he said. "There were a lot of blues in the first film. This has more greens and yellows and sodium. It kind of looks like Seven The Action Movie in a way."

Even though he has been editing his own film, ZigZag, and Blade 2 is being filmed overseas, Goyer said he will probably be on set more for the sequel than he was for the first movie, He has a third trip to Prague planned in June.

"I was only the set 7-8 days total for the first one," he said. "On Blade 2, I will have been on the set something like 30 days."

Goyer said production on Blade 2 could go into July with second-unit work. He said that New Line will probably release the film in either spring of summer 2002.

Look for more from Goyer on the Ghost Rider movie soon here in The Continuum.

MARK TEXEIRA ON CYCLOPS MINI

Mark Texeira will be drawing the Cyclops mini-series written by Brian K. Vaughan. The four-issue series will start in September and will be inked by Jimmy Palmiotti.

"I've done nine pages," Texeira told The Continuum. "I started two-and-a-half weeks ago and have two covers done."

Most of Texeira's X-Men work has involved either Wolverine or Sabretooth. In fact, he said he can remember drawing Cyclops only once before.

"It's a character I haven't seen much of," Texeira said. "In an annual a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to do a pin-up, but that's as close as I ever got. I never saw myself drawing the character.

"I'm hoping to put some depth into his character. I find him a little nerdy, a little anal and a little too controlling."

The series will also include Juggernaut and Black Tom.

"Juggernaut should be fun," Texeira said. "But the one character that threw me was Black Tom. I don't know all of his history, but I don't like his costume because of its 70's influences. There are a few things I'd like to change there."

Texeira was pleased about a Danger Room scene the story affords.

"They gave me the opportunity to reintroduce the Sentinels," he said. "I had a great time for three pages."

Texeira said he hopes to follow the Cyclops mini-series by launching a creator-owned series through Image Comics by the end of the year.

PETER DAVID WRITES FOR CHAOS!

Chaos! Comics announced on Monday that Peter David will write the Vandala II one-shot that will be released in August.

"I've been a big fan of Peter's for years and I believe he writes heroic women well," said Chaos! Publisher Brian Pulido. "Choosing Peter is another step in Chaos! New Visions. Who would expect Peter to write for Chaos!? Probably not many, but wild surprises like this are gonna keep coming with the New Visions."

Chaos! provide a sample of what David's story will offer:

"Vandala, the last living Valkyrie is intent on erecting a new Shining Realm amidst the harsh squalor of the darklands. Her only ally is Ravenheart, a warrior whose touch means certain death. They face opposition on all fronts, but that is nothing compared to the insidious treachery planned by the diabolical Pagan, The Court Jester of Hell. Will our heroes heed the warning signs or will all of Vandala's hopes and dreams crumble before they are given life? A tale of fantasy that will touch your heart!"

Ed Benes is drawing the book, and the premium cover is a painted piece by Matt Hughes. Vandala II #1 will be in stores on Aug. 8.

In other Chaos! news:

* Violent Messiahs writer Joshua Dysart follows up Purgatori: The Hunted with the two-issue Purgatori: Darkest Hour. The art is by Fabiano Neves.

* Len Kaminski will write Lady Death/Bad Kitty #1

* Look for Chaos!'s complete solicitations on Wednesday.

DAVID MACK'S MARVEL WORK

Kabuki creator David Mack told The Continuum that he intends on continuing to work for Marvel Comics this year.

"After the current Daredevil story is done, I plan to continue to do painted covers," Mack said.

Mack said he is involved in Marvel's first book in its mature readers line. "It's a project in September," he said. "Brian Bendis is involved, too, and I'm not supposed to say any more than that."

And further down the road, Mack hopes to do an Echo mini-series, based on the character he introduced in Daredevil, and a Wolverine mini-series.

"The Wolverine editor asked me to do it," he said. "I said let me take care of the irons in the fire first with the (Kabuki) film and Daredevil before I start on either.

"The Wolverine series is interesting. It has great visual possibilities and I'm interested in writing it."

Mack and Kabuki collaborator Rick Mays are also part of the Ultimate Marvel Team-Up lineup. They will join Bendis on a story featuring Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu.

"I haven't see the script yet," Mack said. "But it's a story Rick could really shine at. He's heavy into martial arts and he's great with the choreography."

ONI'S HOPELESS SAVAGES

Following their appearances in both of the Oni Press Color Specials, Jen Van Meter's punk rock family will be moving into their own black-and-white comic book, with the release of Hopeless Savages #1.

This four-issue mini-series will written by Van Meter, with the main story being drawn by Christine Norrie, the artist on the Hopeless short in this year's color special.

Each issue will also feature six-page flashback sequences reminiscent of the original color story, and each flashback will be illustrated by Blue Monday creator Chynna Clugston-Major, who drew that first story. Covers will be provided by Andi Watson.

"When Jen first came to me with this book, I knew she had something special," said Oni Press editor Jamie S. Rich. "For me, it was akin to seeing the original Blue Monday stories or reading the script to Whiteout #1. It was the sense that this was a book that was going to be a shining star in our line-up, and I wanted to find Jen an art team that would match the quality of the script. This meant turning to two of my favorite Oni children, Andi and Chynna, as a start. And I had known of Christine Norrie's work for a while, but when she and I spoke at SPX last year, it all clicked. Her work on this book is going to blow everyone away."

Here's how Oni describes the book:

"Hopeless Savages is a satirical story about a family whose parents were former punk stars. Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage were a match made in rock 'n' roll heaven, and their children-Rat, Arsenal, Twitch, and Zero-are rebellious symbols of their undying love. But when anonymous kidnappers spirit their parents away in the dead of night, everything is thrown off kilter. The kids have to hunt down Rat, the prodigal brother who has long since joined the corporate world, bring him back in the fold, and find their mom and dad!"

Said Van Meter: "My initial concept for the Hopeless Savage family sprang from a conversation with friends. It's sort of a common cliche that the hippies of the '60s named their kids things like 'Starshine' and 'Sunflower,' but what about the snotty punks of the '70s? Why don't we see teenagers now with given names like Twitch and Spigot?"

Rather than just make the clan a group of spiky haired minibrats, Van Meter decided to give them all their own personalities.

"Punk is not as limited as some people see it," she said. "There are many different types. Rat, before going AWOL, was your standard Sid Vicious type, while Twitch is more of a suit wearing mod, Arsenal is a little more goth, and Zero, the youngest is closer to your modern riot grrl. This gives them a chance to have their own personalities within what could otherwise be a very strict context."

"The thrill of working on Jen's scripts is how much fun they are," Norrie said. "She knows how to play a scene for all its emotional worth, be it to make you laugh or make you cry. And the characters have so much life in them already, it feels like I have to do very little to make them walk and talk in my drawings."

Hopeless Savages #1 will be 32 black-and-white pages. It arrives in stores on Aug. 22 and will cost $2.95.

BRIEFLY