Tuesday, March 30, 2004
THE BATMAN UPDATE
Eric Canete, storyboard artist for the upcoming animated series The Batman, told The Continuum he is already working on a second set of 13 episodes for the series.
"We have just finished off the first season," Canete said of the work done at Warner Bros. Animation. "There are two concurrent seasons going on at the same time, 26 episodes. And we have finished off the first 13."
The first episode was sent overseas for animation earlier this month.
Canete told The Continuum he has worked on four episodes for the first season with director Sam Liu.
"Sam's a great guy. I've worked with him on a design level back at Sony when he was doing Godzilla," Canete said. "This is the first time I've worked with him on storyboards."
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How's The Batman looking?
"It's based off of Jeff Matsuda's artwork," said Canete, who was artist on WildStorm's Cybernary comic book. "And he's basing a lot of the designs, I would hazard to guess, on the (David) Mazzuchelli Year One stuff. This is Batman Year Three, to a certain degree. In my opinion, it looks great.
"The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that we have the old legend Bruce Timm Batman stuff that we're competing against. We have to do something visually exciting, but also separate enough to have its own identity. We're working against that ghost."
Canete, who has also worked on Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited, said he's already got to work on major characters for The Batman.
"First one out of the gate for me was awesome. I did Bane, the first episode," Canete said. "The second episode I did Catwoman. Those are really marquee characters as far as the Batman Rogue's gallery is concerned."
Look for more on The Batman soon here in The Continuum.
THE PUNISHER MOVIE UPDATE
Joanthan Hensleigh, writer/director of The Punisher movie, said that Thomas Jane "was always very much on my radar" to star in the film.
"I wanted an actor who was willing to be somewhat spartan in his performance, and I was incredibly impressed with Tom's performance in 61*," Hensleigh said.
"I thought he had an everyman quality. He had good looks, but not the sort of GQ-model look; he had a more rugged, experienced look. He struck me as what I refer to as a 'pure' actor -- the performance naturally flows from him. He doesnąt have to exert a great deal. While being very still before the camera, he can convey a great deal of emotion."
Hensleigh said that he and Jane shared the same vision for the character from their first meeting.
"Tom and I decided to play a great deal of the character's emotion silently, or with very little dialogue," he said. "Most of the pictures that we loved from our youth were anti-hero pictures with stars like Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. They're not verbal roles. Those stars consistently played men who were so broken-down that they were unable to articulate what was really going on with them emotionally."
In other Punisher news:
* Although the film uses characters and inspiration from Garth Ennis' "Welcome Back Frank" story, one character who did not make the translation was Ma Gnucci.
"It was a personal decision on my part," Hensleigh said during the recent Punisher panel at Wizard World Los Angeles. "I thought that characterization was a little broad. Particularly the amputation and all of that. It just felt a little over the top for me. The compromises where I departed from the Garth Ennis story were heavily discussed between myself and Avi (Arad) and the studio."
* The Punisher stars John Travolta and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos are both scheduled to appear on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Travolta will be a guest on Monday, April 12, and Romijn-Stamos will be a guest on Tuesday, April 13.
* Look for more Punisher coverage on Wednesday here in The Continuum.
HELLBOY MOVIE UPDATE
Starz! will premiere On the Set: Hellboy, a 14-minute documentary on the making of the film, on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Additional airings include Wednesday at 1:35 p.m., Friday at 9:10 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. and Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
In other Hellboy news:
* The film was featured on G4, the video-game cable network.
"They're working on a Hellboy video game," star Ron Perlman said. "And that they're taking their time. They're not rushing it to the marketplace because they want it to be something that's memorable and lasting rather than something that's just attached to a piece of pop culture that comes and goes."
"What I hate the most is quickie, movie-linked video games," said director Guillermo del Toro. I'm a gamer and I hate those games that I buy that are really crap."
* For The Continuum's coverage of the recent Hellboy panel at Wizard World Los Angeles, featuring cast members Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, CLICK HERE.
* Click on the thumbnails for larger images from the film and look for more Hellboy coverage on Wednesday here in The Continuum.
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FIRST LOOKS
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For covers and four- to six-page previews of upcoming titles, CLICK HERE.
Titles include Lady Death: The Wild Hunt #1 from CrossGen Entertainment, The Black Forest from Image Comics and Fraction #1 from DC Comics.
ADV MANGA ACQUIRES TITLES
ADV Manga on Tuesday announced that it has acquired 37 new manga titles. The titles are aimed at every age in many genres.
The titles include, with descriptions by ADV:
* 50 Rules for Teenagers by Ye Ri Na. A high school romance comic.
* Blue Inferior by Kyoko Shitou. An ecological science fiction adventure and story of budding young romance.
* Daemon Hunters by Seiuchiroh Todono. A story of a world of humans, elves and demons.
* Demon Prince Yoshida-kun by Natsuki Yoshimura. A light-hearted modern-day teen comedy that follows the hilarious exploits of demons searching for "Yoshida-kun."
* Desert Coral by Wataru Murayama. A fantasy epic of a boy sucked into a dangerous land of his dreams.
* Dream Gold by Tatsuro Nakanishi. A fast paced mystery with a kind of lighthearted sci-fi feel.
* Enmusu by Takahiro Seguchi. A boy (with the help of his attractive maid) attempts to take over a massive corporation.
* Fantasy Land by Lee Shi Young. A teenage girl trades her unhappy life for a thrilling and dangerous fantasy adventure.
* FirstKing Adventures by Moyamu Fujino. This heartwarming fantasy was a huge hit in Japan.
* Gadget by Hiroyuki Etou, super-popular creator of Japanese hit manga Mahoujin Guruguru. A comedy about UFO hunters.
* Gadirok by Jung Ho Hwang. A young prince and his faithful comrade-in-arms fight to regain the throne.
* Gamerz Heaven by Maki Murakami, author of the hit manga Gravitation.
* Gate by Hirotaka Kisaragi. Four teenage boys become gatekeepers between our world and a magical world beyond.
* Gunparade March by Hiroyuki Sanadura. Basis for the popular anime of the same name about teenage robot pilots fighting the alien invaders, the Phantom Beasts.
* Jinki: Extend by Sirou Tunasima. Jinkis‹giant human-piloted robots‹battle for good and evil.
* Kids Joker by Maki Fujita. A hard-boiled thriller with a romantic triangle thrown in.
* Lineage by Shin Il Sook. Based on one of the most popular MMPOGs (online computer games) called Lineage (available in the US from NCsoft). A magical medieval fantasy that pits young Prince Deporojue against his wicked step-father.
* Love Blossoms by Lee Jong Eun. A romantic comedy starring teenage triplets.
* Mythical Detective Loki RAGNAROK by Sakura Kinoshita. A popular series in Japan (with considerable fan buzz in the U.S.); the Norse god Loki is a boy detective in this manga.
* Pastel Green Spell by Lee Young Yuu, author of the series Kill Me, Kiss Me.
* Peacemaker Kurogane by Nanae Chrono. At the violent last gasp of Japanąs shogunate, a group of swordsmen called Shinsengumi protect the city of Kyoto. Their newest member is a boy named Tetsunosuke Ichimura, who is about to be drawn into a dangerous web of violence and intrigue.
* Pretty by Shi Hyun Ha. Pretty is the story of a middle school girl who is interested in stars and astronomy, who meets and becomes infatuated with a biy sharing her interests. But there are complications...
* Princess Tutu by Mizuo Shinonome. A magical girl story in the classic mold.
* Quantum Mistake by Sohn Eun-Ho and Choi Myung-Soo. The story of what happens when a tough high school punk switches bodies with a 90-pound weakling nerd.
* R2 by Maki Hakoda. A pizza delivery boy must save the world.
* Ray by Akihito Yoshitomi. An underground group runs a "farm" to raise children as human commodities for selling organs.
* SIU Special Investigation Unit: NY Police Story by Kye Seung Hee. A New York City police mystery and thriller.
* Saint Marie by Yang Ygo-Jin. Good and evil fight it out on the grounds of an exclusive private school.
* Sky Blade, Sword of the Heavens by Hyun Kang Suk and Ah Shin. Two warriors, each sharing the same destiny for greatness, meet for adventure.
* Sweet & Sensitive by Park Eun Ah. One girl and two boys in a high school love triangle gone wrong.
* Tactics by Sakura Kinoshita. By the same author as Mythical Detective Loki RAGNAROK, this is a humorous fantasy set in medieval Japan.
* Taimashin MASHIN Taidou-hen by Hideyuki Kikuchi and Misaki Saitoh. The story of a suave demon-fighting acupuncturist and his beautiful assistant.
* Tengai Retrogical by Rin Asano. Set in a bygone Japan, a comedy with fantasy elements.
* The Boss by Im Jae Won. Fists fly in this tale of high school gang war.
* Vaizard by Norihiro Yoshida. A boy "vaizard" (tomb protector) teams up with a female archeologist to fight evil.
* Yo-u by Sanami Matoh. A title from the best-selling creator of Fake. A fantasy adventure set in a medieval Japan full of supernatural creatures. The heroine is a witch searching for her father, whose spirit has been trapped inside a sword for decades.
* Your & My Secret by Ai Morinaga. A teenage boy and the girl he's in love with switch bodies, with hilarious (and excruciatingly embarrassing) results.
BRIEFLY
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On May 15, Spider-Man will precede Daredevil as part of a Marvel doubleheader.
COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES
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In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links:
* For Wednesday, March 24, including DC first looks and Hellboy movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, March 23, including an interview with John Singleton, director of the Cage movie, CLICK HERE.
* For Monday, March 22, including coverage of Spider-Man 2 and Punisher panels at Wizard World Los Angeles, CLICK HERE.
* For Sunday, March 21, including Wizard World Los Angeles coverage, CLICK HERE.
* For Saturday, March 20, including Marvel Comics' solicitations for June, CLICK HERE.
* For Friday, March 19, including Image Comics' solicitations for June, CLICK HERE.
* For Thursday, March 18, including Marvel Comics first looks, CLICK HERE.
* For Wednesday, March 17, including DC Comics first looks, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, March 16, including DC solicitations for June, CLICK HERE.
* For Monday, March 15, including DC news, CLICK HERE.
* For Saturday, March 13, including Batman news, CLICK HERE.
* For Thursday, March 11, including Marvel Comics news, CLICK HERE.
* For Wednesday, March 10, including DC Comics news, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, March 9, including Image Comics' The Ride, CLICK HERE.
* For Monday, March 8, including Dark Horse solicitations for June and an interview with wrtier Tony Bedard, CLICK HERE.
* For Sunday, March 7, including CrossGen news from MegaCon, CLICK HERE.
* For Saturday, March 6, including Hellboy and Catwoman movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Friday, March 5, including Static Shock news, CLICK HERE.
* For Thursday, March 4, including Marvel first looks, CLICK HERE.
* For Wednesday, March 3, including Marvel and DC first looks, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, March 2, including Marvel movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Monday, March 1, including Teen Titans news, CLICK HERE.
* For Saturday, Feb. 28, including first looks, CLICK HERE.
* For Friday, Feb. 27, including Dreamwave Productions' solicitations for May, CLICK HERE.
* For Thursday, Feb. 26, including Justice League animated news, CLICK HERE.
* For Wednesday, Feb. 25, including Marvel's solicitations for May, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, Feb. 24, including Angel news, CLICK HERE.
Copyright © 2004, The Comics Continuum