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Saturday, July 27, 2002

X-MEN SEQUEL UPDATE

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige told The Continuum that the news on X-Men 2 so far "is all good."

"The dailies are spectacular," Feige told The Continuum. "This film is shaping up to be everything a great sequel should be - the characters are better, the scope is bigger, and the mythos is explored in deeper and more unexpected ways."

Feige worked on the first film as well, before joining Marvel Studios. He actually appeared in the movie, too, as the lab technician who gives Wolverine his adamantium in the flashback scenes.

Asked if he'll be returning for the sequel, Feige joked, "I know the fans are clamoring for my return role, but my talents are better served behind the camera!"

Director Bryan Singer is scheduled to appear at Comic-Con International on Saturday, Aug. 3 as part of a Fox presentation on X2 and Daredevil.

In related news, X-Men and X2 writer David Hayter told The Continuum he has completed his first draft of the Watchmen movie.

"I am in the middle of Watchmen, though the first draft is done, and the producers and myself are very happy with it," Hayter told The Continuum.

TV GUIDE'S GREATEST CARTOON CHARACTERS

GIVE'EM A CLICK

TV Guide has provided The Continuum with the four covers from the upcoming Aug. 3 issue, which continues its 50th anniversary celebration by naming its 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time.

Bugs Bunny tops the list compiled by TV Guide editors, followed by Homer Simpson and the duo of Rocky and Bullwinkle. MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head share honors at number four, with The Grinch rounding out the top five.

The issue features four special animated collector's covers, each featuring an exclusive combination of characters not usually associated with each other. One cover has Angelica Pickles of Rugrats pulling a football away as Charlie Brown tries to kick it; one has Bullwinkle pulling the head of Homer Simpson out of a hat as Rocky looks on; one has Popeye pulling up an anchor from the side of the boat to find SpongeBob SquarePants on the end of it; a fourth cover features Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in a spaceship as the Powerpuff Girls fly by.

The issue will also feature Hollywood Insider segments, with celebrities talking about their favorite cartoon character. There will also be a segment feature the voices behind the characters.

Following is TV Guide's top 50 cartoon characters:

1. Bugs Bunny; 2. Homer Simpson; 3. Rocky and Bullwinkle; 4. Beavis and Butt-Head; 5. The Grinch; 6. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble; 7. Angelica Pickles; 8. Charlie Brown and Snoopy; 9. SpongeBob SquarePants.

10. Cartman from South Park; 11. Bart and Lisa Simpson; 12. Fat Albert; 13. The Powerpuff Girls; 14. Daffy Duck; 15. Pikachu; 16. Gumby; 17. Betty Boop; 18. Top Cat; 19. Mickey Mouse.

20. Popeye; 21. Gerald McBoing-Boing; 22. Scooby-Doo; 23. Underdog; 24. Josie and the Pussycats; 25. Heckle and Jeckle; 26. Arthur; 27. Winnie the Pooh; 28. Felix The Cat; 29. Mr. Magoo.

30. George of the Jungle; 31. Ren and Stimpy; 32. Tom Terrific; 33. Tweety and Sylvester; 34. Bill from Schoolhouse Rock; 35. Space Ghost; 36. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo; 37. Mighty Mouse; 38. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner; 39. Superman.

40. Batman; 41. Daria; 42. Wonder Woman; 43. Donald Duck; 44. Alvin (The Chipmunk); 45. Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale; 46. Woody Woodpecker; 47. Porky Pig; 48. Bobby Hill from King of the Hill; 49. Speed Racer; 50. Tom and Jerry.

SMALLVILLE, BIRDS OF PREY PREMIERES

The WB has provided The Continuum with the season premiere dates for Smallville and Birds of Prey.

Smallville will premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 24, and Birds of Prey will debut on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Production of the second season of Smallville started this week. Production of Birds of Prey is scheduled to start within two weeks.

In related news, the Monday, Aug. 12 episode of Smallville will be a rebroadcast of "Shimmer."

LADY DEATH MOVIE UPDATE

ADV Films has provided The Continuum with a first look at the poster for the animated Lady Death movie.

The poster, along with the T-shirts below, will be available at the upcoming Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Director/writer/producer Carl Macek and producer/art director Andy Orjuela will stage a panel on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 1 p.m. to discuss Lady Death, which is being targeted for a 2003 release.

Also on Saturday, from noon to 1 p.m., Mutant X stars John Shea, Victoria Pratt and Forbes March will be at the ADV booth.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOKS

For covers and previews of upcoming comic books, CLICK HERE.

Titles previewed include Avengers #56, Rex Mundi #0, Black Tide #1 and Superman #186.

COSBY, HALEY TEAM UP ON G.I. SPY

Fresh off of the sale of the TV show Haunted to UPN, creator and producer Andrew Cosby will debut a new comic book series, Jack Hunter: G.I. Spy, at next week's Comic-Con International in San Diego.

With co-creator and artist Matt Haley, the new comic book will feature a combination of thrilling pulp fiction and retro-futuristic science fiction with a healthy dose of espionage and sexual tension.

"This isn't your average, run-of-the-mill war story," Cosby said. "It's about the war BEHIND the war. What we tried to do was take a really interesting look at what was really going on in World War II and mix it with a sense of pulp action and high adventure. That way, you get the perfect blend of fact and fantasy.

"After all, everyone already knows what a WWII battlefield looks like. But do they know what a German UFO, a Tesla ray or a Nazi rocketrooper look like? Probably not. That's where our story comes in."

"Everybody who does a creator-owned comic tries hard to explain how 'new' and 'different' and 'edgy' their comic will be," Haley said. "Instead, I'll just say that this is the kind of comic I want to read, and Andy and I are largely doing G. I. SPY for ourselves. That said, I think that people who have been disappointed by what comics and film and TV have given us recently will be pleasantly surprised by G.I. SPY."

Here's how the book is described: "G.I. SPY is the story of Jack Hunter, a fighter pilot mistakenly listed as Killed In Action, who gets a second chance when he is asked to work for the U. S. government's first counterintelligence program. Hunter is assisted by none other than Albert Einstein, who acts as Hunter's technical advisor and gadget designer. Kaitlin Shepherd, the stunning yet deadly British MI-6 agent, is assigned to both guide Hunter and babysit him. Together, the three of them work to uncover a plot by Russian expatriate Arkady Zola, a former student of famous scientist Nikola Tesla, who stole some of Tesla's research notes and is using them to aid the Nazis in building futuristic weapons of war."

IDW COLLECTS WYNONNA EARP

Beau Smith's Wynonna Earp, a 112-page book, will be published by IDW Publishing in October.

"This is my way of joining everything that I ever loved into one big party -- the real and mythical Old West done in modern times, classic monsters with a serious twist, and just enough tongue-in-cheek humor to make ya think it's your first French kiss all over again," Smith said.

The book features a descendent of the famous lawman Wyatt Earp and the top special agent for a new U.S. Marshal Special Operations Unit, known among other government agencies as "The Monster Squad."

Joyce Chin handles the pencils on the first story arc, as Wynonna Earp tries to bust Bobo Del Rey and his redneck, trailer-trash vampires who are selling a new killer designer drug called "Hemo."

The artist on the second story arc is The Transformers' Pat Lee. The arc deals with Earp trying to prevent the Egyptian Mafia's mummy hitman Raduk, Eater Of The Dead, from killing all the other crime bosses. Wynonna has to side up with a former U.S Marshal that now works as an assassin for his uncle Vito.

Mark Irwin inks both stories, and the cover is provided by David Cabrera.

The book will cost $17.99.

BRIEFLY

  • Maria Canals, who does the voice of Hawkgirl in Cartoon Network's Justice League, is featured in the upcoming Dana Carvey movie, The Master of Disguise.

  • Coming Monday: X-Men news, Spider-Man news - and much more!!!
    E-mail the Continuum at RobAlls@aol.com



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