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Tuesday, November 26, 2002
X-MEN SEQUEL WRAPS
Principal photography of the X-Men sequel has concluded, producer Ralph Winter told The Continuum.
"We wrapped last Tuesday in a spectacular setting in the Canadian Rockies," Winter told The Continuum on Monday. "There was much joy in finishing a long shoot and excitement about what we have accomplished.
"Now we jump into post production. Bryan (Singer, director) is spending all his time now in the cutting room. We are all looking forward to seeing the picture complete."
Like the first movie, Singer has been in the editing room even as the film was being shot.
"The footage is cooler," Singer said recently. "I'm seeing it come together. I'm in the editing room now all the time. All our stages are right by the editing room, so I'm able to spend a lot more time there while I'm shooting, running up and down and working on those things."
Post-production on X² will be about two months longer than the first film, but Singer said "you never have enough time."
"A film is never finished, it is merely abandoned," Singer said. "At some point, we'll abandon this film for a May 2, 2003 release."
Singer said X² will have 750-800 visual effects.
In related news, the film's official website has added two more images, one of Singer at work and the other of Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike. The site also now has clips from the Internet press conference.
LANSDALE, TRUMAN TEAM ON DEAD FOLKS
Avatar Press has announced that it will publish Lansdale and Truman's On the Far Side With Dead Folks, a new comic book mini-series featuring the return of the team of Joe R. Lansdale and Timothy Truman.
A three-issue tale of zombies and madness the likes of which only this acclaimed duo can tell, Lansdale and Truman's Dead Folks begins in March.
"Tim Truman is the greatest comic book artist alive," Lansdale said. "He can tell a story better than anyone else with the medium, and I'm excited and honored to have him adapt my work."
"Dead Folks gives me a shiver down my spine in more ways than one," said Avatar Press editor-in-chief William A. Christensen. "It's a privilege to be working with Joe R. Lansdale and Timothy Truman. I've been a huge fan of their work together, as well as individually. Lansdale of course has an outstanding body of work outside of the industry in addition to his comics work, and Truman is one of those rare creators who has made formative contributions to both the indy and the mainstream sides of the industry with books like Grimjack and Scout and his seminal work on Hawkman. Together, they've produced some of the best comics of the past decade with work such as Jonah Hex and the Lone Ranger.
"The combination of Lansdale's story and over-the-top dialog and Truman's evocative linework is more compelling than ever, and I'm extremely pleased to see this team together for the first time in years with Lansdale and Truman's Dead Folks."
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"I've wanted to illustrate this story for years," Truman said of the source Lansdale work in its original form, On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks. "It is the first story by Joe that I ever read and the first one that I ever approached him about doing -- the story that turned me on to his work and was directly responsible for leading to our long association and friendship. Joe has become a brother in a very real sense, and I've always felt like I owed it to him to attempt an adaptation of the original short story. It's a very straight forward, kick ass story -- a real action movie of a tale."
Truman said he was glad to be the doing the story in black and white.
"It's actually a real treat for me -- a dream come true, in a way," Truman said. "My biggest influences were underground comics, Warren magazines, Creepy and Eerie, Savage Sword of Conan -- wish someone would give me a shot at THAT character! --, European black-and-white comics. With all due respect to the guys who've colored my work over the years, I've only done color comics because I've had to. When I do illustration work for games or books -- and I've done quite a bit -- the work is black and white. Black and white comics are my favorite medium, but I've done precious few black-and-white stories for the market. The only ones that I can think of are a Conan 8-pager that I did years ago for Savage Sword and the piece that I did for the Death By Crowquill CBLDF benefit book. My work looks best in black and white. It's that simple.
"Aesthetically speaking, I think that unless a cartoonist is coloring the work for himself, then the work is a purer representation of the artist's style when it's done in black and white."
The story centers around a bounty hunter named Wayne -- who has the bad luck to be in the middle of a desert filled with the undead. He still has to bring in his man if he wants to get paid.
Click on the thumbnails for covers of the first two issues.
AVATAR PRESS FOR FEBRUARY
Avatar Press has released its solicitation information for February.
For a complete rundown, with cover images, CLICK HERE.
KIDS' WB! FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Kids' WB! has announced its plans for the holiday season, including more Yu-Gi-Oh! episode and the repeat of a holiday-flavored X-Men: Evolution episode.
For a complete rundown, CLICK HERE.
FIRST LOOK: THE TICK'S BIG X-MAS TRILOGY #1
The Tick's Big X-Mas Trilogy #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from New England Comics. The issue is written by Clay and Susan Griffith, with art by Mychailo Kazybrid and Kevin Atkinson.
Here's how New England Comics describes the issue: "The Tick and his friends celebrate Christmas this year in blazing style with a three-issue Tick Christmas spectacular trilogy! All three issues will ship on the same day. The covers, by Sean Wang, form a panoramic three-part triptych and feature most of the heroes, villains and supporting characters who have appeared in The Tick's 16-year history.
"The story is appropriately epic for a three-part Christmas extravaganza! The Tick, the Yuletide season's favorite son, discovers that the 'Christmas Spirit' appears to be on the wane in The City this year. He decides to boost the supply of Christmas cheer by staging a Christmas Pageant, and getting "everyone" involved. Even The City's costumed super-villains agree to participate, although with Chairface Chippendale and The Terror highlighting the evil cast, it may not just be seasonal goodwill at work."
The Tick's Big X-Mas Trilogy #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $3.95.
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FIRST LOOK: DEMONWARS: TRIAL BY FIRE #1
DemonWars: Trial By Fire #1 will arrive in stores on Dec. 4 from CrossGen Comics. The issue is written by Scott Ciencin, with art by Ron Wagner and colors by Caesar Rodriguez.
Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:
"Beginning a thrilling new chapter in the DemonWars saga, one you won’t find in any of the existing novels. Set more than 50 years before events in R.A. Salvatore’s ongoing fantasy epic, the brand new tale, DemonWars: Trial By Fire, explodes with the forging of a legend.
"When the fearsome bloody red-cap dwarves attack a ship bound for the northlands, only the young barbarian ranger Andacanavar, an outcast among the very people he protects, can stand against them. But even with his Elven-forged blade and the fiery gemstone magic of the Abellican missionary Moira, Andacanavar and his band of unlikely but powerful allies may be helpless against the demon-wolf Managarm, the reborn vengeance lord called back from the darkness by the frost giants of Alpinador. An innocent must be saved and a brutal sacrifice delivered if a world of magic is to be saved from the ravages of a DemonWar."
DemonWars: Trial By Fire #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.
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FIRST LOOK: FREEMIND #3
Freemind #3 will be available the last week of December from Future Comics. The issue is written by David Michelinie, co-plotted by Bob Layton, penciled by Dick Giordano, inked by Bob McLeod and colored by Tom Smith, with a cover by Layton.
Here's how Future describes the issue:
"The origin of The Freemind Project concludes as the paralyzed McKinsey Flint is faced with the daunting task of rescuing himself from the Atmospheric Assassin--SIROCCO! It's a new version of the 'Mac Attack,' when Sirocco meets Mac's android alter-ego, Edison Wilde."
Freemind #3 will have 28 pages of story and art.
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BRIEFLY
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Copyright © 2002, The Comics Continuum