Monday, June 30, 2003
SPIDER-MAN ANIMATED UPDATE
Michael Clarke Duncan, who played the Kingpin in the Daredevil movie, is reprising the role for MTV's Spider-Man animated series.
"When they called me and asked me to do the animated cartoon, I said, 'No problem,'" Duncan said. "I couldn't see anybody else doing the Kingpin but me. This is my guy right here."
The latest animated version of the Kingpin is African-American, unlike the comics version. Duncan said that after an initial vote of confidence from Daredevil director Mark Steven Johnson, he didn't worry about any differences from the comics.
"Mark Steven Johnson took me to lunch and I said, "Are you certain that you have all your research? Because I don't want nobody marching outside my trailer. I don't want all this black and white stuff. I want to come to work and not be bothered.'
"I said, 'Are you sure you want to go with route?' And he told me that the people at Fox, (New) Regency and himself had complete confidence in me as being the best actor for the job. And once he sold me on that, I never thought about the color thing again."
The MTV series launches on Friday, July 11 and promotional spots for the show provide viewers with their first looks at such villains as Electro and Kinpin.
Click on the thumbnails for larger images and look for more Spider-Man news soon here in The Continuum.
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HULK MOVIE BOX OFFICE
The Hulk movie plummeted 70 percent at the box office in its second weekend, but still managed to pass the $100 million mark.
The Hulk, after an opening weekend of $62.1 million, took in an estimated $18.4 million last weekend, pushing its domestic total to $100.2 million.
The Hulk placed second to Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, which opened with $38.0 million.
Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal Pictures, told the Associated Press that Universal executives were disappointed with second-weekend numbers for The Hulk, though the movie still will turn a profit.
JEFF MARIOTTE'S THE SLAB
IDW Publishing will release The Slab, a 288-page trade paperback written by editor-in-chief Jeff Mariotte, in September.
Here's how IDW describes the book:
"In the extreme southeastern corner of California lies a strange stretch of desert scenery. It's near the shores of the Salton Sea, California's largest lake, created by accident and containing some very poisonous water, not to mention a very bizarre community: the Slab.
"During the grim days after 9/11, a skull is found in a fire pit. This discovery leads sheriff's deputy Kenneth Butler into a strange and sinister new world. Butler, Penny Rice and Hal Shipp are each veterans of different wars, and each had their lives saved during those wars by magical intervention. That magic continues to weave in and out of their lives, leading them all to this place and time, where a band of serial killers stalks a new victim and an ancient evil grows under the Earth.
"They've got to find a way to understand the terrible bond they all share; it may just be the only way to save themselves and those that they love."
"IDW Publishing has shown that they're not afraid to take chances, to try new things," Mariotte said. "Publishing the Cal McDonald novels of Steve Niles was a courageous move, but Cal's popularity just continues to grow, so it was obviously a wise one. I was delighted when they agreed to publish The Slab, and with a publishing line that includes Steve's Cal novels and modern classics of graphic fiction like 30 Days of Night, I think it helps to cement IDW's place in the horror community."
The Slab will contain several black-and-white illustrations by Tommy Lee Edwards, who also painted the cover.
FIRST LOOK: R.A.SALVATORE'S DEMONWARS: EYE FOR AN EYE #3
R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars: Eye for an Eye #3 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from CrossGen Entertainment. The issue is written by R.A. Salvatore and Scott Ciencin, penciled by Greg Tocchini, inked by Andrew Pepoy and colored by Tad Ehrlich.
Here's how CrossGen describes the issues:
"The new DemonWar story continues! Andacanavar falls under the seductive sway of harem girl, Sagara, leaving the barbarian ranger vulnerable to the dark magics of a demon djinn. Now only Grave Mungo is in a position to save him-but the bloody redcap dwarf has an ax of his own to grind."
R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars: Eye for an Eye #3 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.99.
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BRIEFLY
Copyright © 2003, The Comics Continuum