TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2006
COMING WEDNESDAY
Superman Returns news, First Looks -- and much more!!!
RAY HARRYHAUSEN COMICS FROM BLUEWATER
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Filmmaker Ray Harryhausen has joined forces with BlueWater Productions on a series of new comic-book ventures under the "Ray Harryhausen Presents" banner.
BlueWater will produce six titles with Harryhausen, advancing the adventures of the characters the filmmaker brought to life in his classic sci-fi and fantasy franchises. Slated for release later this year are Wrath of the Titans, Sinbad's Voyage to Mars and 20 Million Miles From Earth.
Plans for feature films and a television series are being developed by Left Field Film Corp.
Harryhausen will be at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 21-22 with the BlueWater team, where he'll sign posters from the upcoming series.
The collaborative projects will provide springboards for the next generation of characters based on Harryhausen's films. Harryhausen also plans on crafting a story line featuring BlueWater's signature character, the 10th Muse. Scott Lobdell will write the updated 10th Muse series based on Harryhausen's take.
Each comic will feature five pages of original artwork from Harryhausen's collection, thanks to a partnership with Every Picture Tells a Story, the Santa Monica-based gallery that sells the artist's works. Harryhausen's artwork also will grace the covers.
"As an artist, I've always enjoyed exploring new and interesting areas," Harryhausen said. "Although many of my feature films, beginning with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, were adapted into the comic-book format, I have never been directly involved with that particular art form -- until now. I am very happy to be working with BlueWater Productions, who have already done wonderful work with their 10th Muse and Isis comic books, and look forward to seeing characters from my films in new and exciting adventures."
"Ray Harryhausen is one of the reasons I create comics," said Darren Davis, president of BlueWater Productions. "Clash of the Titans made a priceless impression on my career. I'm honored to work with Ray. He inspired and motivated me to take 'Legends' into different media."
BlueWater Art Director Nadir Balan is also excited to work with Harryhausen. "Ray Harryhausen's films have a timeless appeal that extends beyond special effects and monsters. My goal is to capture the essence and charm of his films and adapt them to action-packed comics so both new readers and existing fans can catch up on the ongoing adventures. I'm thrilled to be part of the team dreaming up new futures for these great characters."
SUPERMAN RETURNS UPDATE
While the main actors are signed for multi-picture deals, Superman Returns director Bryan Singer said he is uncertain whether he will direct the next film in the franchise.
"I do these things one at a time, because you never know how you're going to feel when you're done," said Singer in a refrain he often used during his years in the X-Men franchise. "So, right now we're discussing it and we're discussing if and when that would be."
It was suggested to Singer that a sequel might be easier because he would have the experience of Superman Returns to bank on.
"I hope so, but of course you hope to top yourself," he said. "I tried to do that with X-Men, so I'd ultimately try to do the same thing, so who knows how difficult it would be."
Singer said it looks like he won't be directing the Logan's Run remake.
"I need to do a tour and talk (to promote Superman Returns) and I'm more than happy and excited to do that because I'm proud of the movie, but I have to take a mental break and actually not have any schedule demands," Singer said. "I don't vacation well, so I'll probably want to go back to at some point, but that's a potentially huge movie and I'm not ready to dive into it right now."
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In other Superman Returns news:
* Above is a look at the covers by Adam Hughes for the three remaining Superman Returns prequel books from DC Comics. Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
* Kevin Spacey, who plays Lex Luthor, will be making the talk-show rounds to promote the film. The Continuum has learned Spacey will appear on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday, June 22; on CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday, June 26; and on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday, June 28.
* National Geographic Channel will air The Science of Superman on Thursday, June 29 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). The special will look at Superman's powers -- and what's plausible based on the earth-bound laws of physics, biology and astronomy and what's pure science fiction.
Among those appearing are Singer, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh, Smallville executive producers Al Gough and Miles Millar and comics writer Mark Waid.
* Look for more Superman Returns news on Wednesday here in The Continuum.
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES ANIMATED
Wil Wheaton has confirmed for The Continuum that he is providing the voice of Cosmic Boy in Kids' WB!'s upcoming Legion of Super Heroes animated series.
In the series, Cosmic Boy was a founder and the first leader of the Legion who now spends more time as an Earth-bound diplomat. He is not one of the seven core members featured in the cast.
"I'm in a few episodes," Wheaton told The Continuum.
Wheaton, 34, provided the voice of Aqualad in several episodes of Teen Titans.
In other Legion news:
* Mekt Ranzz, Lightning Lad's brother, will appear in an episode.
* Director Ben Jones told The Continuum that the series will have "a mix of old Legion villains and new characters."
* Look for a preview of the series at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month.
* Look for more on Legion of Super Heroes soon here in The Continuum.
TEEN TITANS: TROUBLE IN TOKYO
The upcoming Superman: Brainiac Attacks DVD features a teaser for the Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo.
The film, which might be the swansong for the Teen Titans animated franchise, will be previewed at Comic-Con International next month.
It will be released on DVD this fall -- a date has nnot been announced -- and will also air on Cartoon Network.
Here's how the film is described:
"America's coolest heroes head to Japan in their first animated movie, Teen Titans Tokyo, airing in late fall. When a high-tech ninja attacks Titans Tower, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy spring into action. Robin finds out that the ninja was sent by a mysterious and menacing Japanese criminal known as Brushogun, and the Teen Titans travel to Tokyo to track the villain down."
Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
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MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS
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For covers and five- to six-page previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on July 5, CLICK HERE.
Titles include Beyond! #1, Incredible Hulk #96 and Marvel Westerns: Kid Colt and The Arizona Girl.
Look for more First Looks on Wednesday here in The Continuum.
IMAGE COMICS FIRST LOOKS
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For covers and five-page previews of Image Comics titles arriving in stores on June 21, CLICK HERE.
Titles include Girls #14, Noble Causes #21 and Shadowhawk #13.
Look for more First Looks on Wednesday here in The Continuum.
DC COMICS SCHEDULES NEW JLA CLASSIFIED STORY
DC Comics on Tuesday announced it is replacing the originally solicited story for JLA Classified #26.
"Sacred Trust" replaces the "Kid Amazo" story originally scheduled for this issue. The "Kid Amazo" story will be resolicited in JLA Classified at a later date.
Written by Howard Chaykin, with art and a cover by Kilian Plunkett and Tom Nguyen, "Sacred Trust" begins when the United Nations forbids the Justice League from getting involved in meta-human activities outside the United States, resulting in a rift between the Leaguers themselves! What will be the right course of action? And will "plausible deniability" protect anyone from the fall-out?
The book will be in stores on Aug. 30. Part two of "Sacred Trust," JLA Classified #27 will be stores on Sept. 13.
BRIEFLY
* Dynamite Entertainment announced on Tuesday it has rescheduled the first trade paperback release of Eduardo Risso's Borderline. The first trade collection (of a projected four total trades) will now be available in September.
For the first volume, Dynamite has secured the services of Ivan Brandon to provide the translation and script inspired by the original language version of Trillo and Risso. Brandon also serves as editor of the series, working closely with Risso to insure that this English-language version remains true to the original.
* Cinemax will air 1989's Batman movie, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, on Thursday Aug. 3 at 1:30 p.m. and on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
* Cartoon Network's worldwide consumer products division, Cartoon Network Enterprises, on Tuesday announced an exclusive, long-term global partnership with Mattel for a multi-year, multi-property deal. The master toy license agreement covers original Cartoon Network properties for the 6-11 age group and also carries a first-look option on all newly created original series and programming.
* DC Direct has announced that sculptor Ray Villafane has signed an exclusive deal with the company to work on upcoming DC Direct products.
COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES
In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links. Click on the date to get the day's full report.
* Thursday, June, 8: Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, Superman Returns, Civil War sell-outs, Moonstone Books for October and First Looks.
* Wednesday, June, 7: Smallville Season 6, Marvel First Looks, DC First Looks, Image First Looks and X-Men: The Last Stand.
* Tuesday, June, 6: Mythos, Marvel First Looks, Image First Looks, Smallville Season 5 DVD and Virgin Comics for August.
* Monday, June, 5: Black Widow movie stalled, First Looks, Blade: The Series' David Palffy, Superman Returns, Hawaiian Dick, WildStorm panel at Wizard World Philadelphia and IDW's Super Deluxe Hero Happy Hour.
* Sunday, June, 4: MTV Movie Awards, X-Men: The Last Stand and Marvel's Civil War panel at Wizard World Philadelphia.
* Saturday, June, 3: Erica Durance, Blade: The Series, DC Comics and Marvel's Cup o' Joe panels at Wizard World Philadelphia, Ultimate Avengers 2 and DC Comics First Looks.
* Friday, June, 2: X-Men, Mondo Marvel and DC Nation panels at Wizard World Philadelphia, Aspen's Shrugged, Blade: The Series and First Looks.
* Thursday, June, 1: X-Men press conference, X-Men: The Last Stand, Smallville, Transformers and Archie First Looks.
* Wednesday, May 31: X-Men: The Last Stand deaths, Avi Arad steps down, Marvel Comics First Looks, Image Comics First Looks, DC Comics First Looks and Superman Returns.
* Tuesday, May 30: Marvel Comics First Looks, X-Men: The Last Stand, Superman Returns' Bryan Singer, Alex Ross covers for Virgin Comics and Dynamite Entertainment roundup.
* Monday, May 29: Spider-Man 3 in New York, X-Men: The Last Stand's Ralph Winter, Blade: The Series and Superman Returns.
* Sunday, May 28: X-Men: The Last Stand, Alex Toth dies, Krypto the Superdog schedule, Starz comic-book marathon and Dark Horse First Looks.
* Saturday, May 27: X-Men: The Last Stand's big opening, Blade: The Series, Teen Titans, DB Pro's XIII graphic novels and First Looks.
* Friday, May 26: X-Men: The Last Stand, The Batman, Giant-Size Hulk, Iron Man and Dynamite Entertainment news.
* Thursday, May 25: X-Men: The Last Stand's Kelsey Grammer, Blade: The Series' Jill Wagner, Iron Man movie, Teen Titans and The Batman on DVD and First Looks.
* Wednesday, May 24: X-Men: The Last Stand's Shawn Ashmore, Marvel Comics First Looks, DC Comics First Looks, Image Comics First Looks, Ghost Rider variants and Komikwerks for August.
* Tuesday, May 23: X-Men: The Last Stand's Ben Foster, Marvel Comics First Looks, DC Comics First Looks, Top Cow/Marvel crossovers and Superman Returns.
* Monday, May 22: X-Men: The Last Stand's Anna Paquin, Civil War: Thunderbolts, Image Comics First Looks, Bongo Comics for August, Bomb Queen vs. Blacklight and Devi #1 preview.
* Sunday, May 21: X-Men: The Last Stand's Famke Janssen, Jospeh Michael Linsner's Claws and Alias Comics for August.
* Saturday, May 20: George Perez at Motor City Comic Con, X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Horse First Looks.
* Friday, May 19: Blade: The Series, X-Men: The Last Stand's Patrick Stewart, Marvel First Looks, Spider-Man chess set, V for Vendetta DVD details and Transformers: Stormbringer.
* Thursday, May 18: X-Men: The Last Stand's Aaron Stanford, Civil War #2 preview, Devil's Due Publishing for August, Captain Atom finale, Image Comics First Looks and Battlestar Galactica.
* Wednesday, May 17: Image Comics for August, Aspen Comics for August, Marvel Comics First Looks, DC Comics First Looks and Smallville.
* Tuesday, May 16: Marvel Comics for August, Marvel Comics First Looks, X-Men: The Last Stand, Highlander comic book and Vertigo trade paperbacks.
Copyright © 2006, The Comics Continuum