Latest Gear Live Videos
Hugh Jackman Talks Wolverine Origins Sequel
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Movies, Marvel Comics,
Filming for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel doesn’t begin until January 2011, but
Hugh Jackman is openly sharing his approval of the latest script, written by Christopher McQuarrie (in case his name doesn’t ring a bell for you, he penned The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie).
The film will be based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s take on Logan’s experiences in Japan; Jackman confirmed that at least some of the movie will be filmed there.
Jackman was also asked whether or not we’ll see this latest X-Men installation in 3D…
Click to continue reading Hugh Jackman Talks Wolverine Origins Sequel
Read More 
| Splash Page
Advertisement
A million years ago, when I was but a small boy, my favorite comic strip was - and still is - Conchy by James Childress. The strip was about a group of beachcombers and it had the wackiness of early B.C. by Johnny Hart mixed with the philosophical melancholy of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. And it was extremely well-drawn. I found out about Conchy in some obscure comic magazine, then realized it was not running in my local paper, The Roanoke Times & World News (because there had to be room for Dr. Smock, right?). But it did run in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Being too broke to spend the money every day to get a copy of an out of town paper, I pulled a pre-Google and read it for free: by going to the local library every Sunday afternoon and reading a week’s worth of strips in one sitting.
I loved it and I started to piece together a history of the strip and its creator. Childress himself was syndicating the strip on his own - no big syndicate to support and promote him. I remember being impressed by that gutsy DIY attitude; I had no idea such a thing was even possible. He worked his way up as an independent and subsequently got Conchy picked up by the same folks that syndicated Walt Kelly’s Pogo, Publishers-Hall.
Click to continue reading Q&A: James Childress & Conchy (1975)
Remembering Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews,
Can it really be just 14 years ago - December 31, 1995 - that Bill Watterson said goodbye to Calvin and Hobbes and left the comics pages and most of us very, very sad? That’s longer than the 10 years that the strip ran. In honor of the anniversary of Calvin And Hobbes’ retirement, here’s a quote from Watterson about how the strip came to be:
“It was a slow process, and actually what happened is another odd coincidence. One of the strips I’d sent (the syndicate) had Calvin and Hobbes as minor characters. Calvin was the little brother of the strip’s main character, and Hobbes was like he is now, a stuffed tiger that came to life in Calvin’s imagination. One of the syndicates suggested that these two characters were the strongest and why didn’t I develop a strip around them? I had thought they were the funniest characters myself, but I was unsure as to whether they could hold their own strip. I was afraid that maybe the key to their wackiness was the contrast between them and the more normal characters in the rest of the strip. I wasn’t sure Calvin and Hobbes would be able to maintain that intensity on their own. But I tried it, and almost immediately it clicked in my mind; it became much easier to write the material.
Click to continue reading Remembering Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Quote of the Day: James Cameron on Superhero Movies
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Movies,
“I feel there are too many superhero movies right now. I think Hollywood’s in a bit of a rut. They’ve done the good ones and they’re starting to get down to the second and third tier of superheroes—the guys that would not be asked to speak at the annual superhero dinner.”
- Avatar director James Cameron commenting on the plethora of superhero film adaptations these days.
(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)
Read More | Splash Page
Ryan Reynolds Talks Green Lantern
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Movies, Marvel Comics,
Although filming isn’t scheduled until next year, Green Lantern actor Ryan Reynolds threw fans some tidbits regarding the movie.
“It is [an origin story] to a certain degree, but it’s not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act. The movie starts when it starts. We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins,” Reynolds explained.
The X-Men Origins: Wolverine actor also stated that it is similar to last year’s blockbuster Marvel hit, Iron Man:
“I think you walk away from this first film, and the moments that you remember and the moments that mean so much to you, not unlike Iron Man, are the moments where the guy’s not in the suit… That to me is the tough thing to get right. And that’s something that they did get right [in Iron Man]. You see why this guy’s in the suit, and that’s what’s interesting to me. Not that he is in the suit, but why.”
While the guy is rather protean—he kicks ass in films like Blade Trinity and then makes the girls drool in chick flicks like The Proposal—I’m not sure if he’s right for Hal Jordan. That could be, however, the huge Firefly/Nathan Fillion fan talking, though…
Read More | MTV
Quote of the Day: Natalie Portman on Marvel
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Movies, Marvel Comics,
“Any time I get a phone call, it doesn’t come up as a normal number; it’s like a five-digit code. I’m like, ‘What kind of spy organization is this?’ I’ve never seen that before. I’ve had phone calls from people in the government, and they don’t have that. Marvel is some crazy underground world.”
- Actress Natalie Portman on getting contacted by Marvel for her Thor role.
(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)
Read More | Vulture
Steve Niles is a self-proclaimed horror addict. Then again, judging by his books 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, and Freaks of the Heartland, it’s not that difficult to spot.
Taking time out of his Halloween festivities to write about his horror heroes, Niles credits I Am Legend author Richard Matheson as well as directors George A. Romero and John Carpenter among his leading inspirations.
“John Carpenter hardly has to be introduced, let alone explained, but for those of you out there who are unaware of his work go out right now and rent or buy the original Halloween and (John Carpenter’s) The Thing and see how horror is done. These two movies made on very different budgets hit every beat of what makes great horror.”
Wait a second—does that mean I ought to skip over David Slade’s $30 million adaptation of 30 Days of Night when I’m perusing Netflix?
Best of all, Niles lets us in on the most notable secret of all: how to become a sought-after comic book creator in Hollywood.
Click to continue reading The Key to Becoming Steve Niles
Read More | MTV
The great thing about Stumble Upon is that you get to stumble upon some really funny webcomics. That’s how I found Mike Bannon’s Mordant Orange, a single-panel full color comic, about six months ago. A mechanical designer by day and a webcartoonist by night, Mike describes himself as “similar to a large block of wood but with slightly more hair and slightly less funny.” I thought it was time to ask him a few questions.
Tom Mason: How did you get interested in cartooning?
Mike Bannon: Probably much like anyone else. As a kid I had a bunch of Garfield collections. I used to read them all the time and try drawing Garfield. I also had an English friend who had lots of British comics as well, Beano, Dennis the Menace and all kinds of stuff I’d never heard of before. They were fantastic. But beyond that what really got me interested in cartoons was this physics teacher in high school who used to copy Far Side cartoons into course outlines and labs. I just the loved the smart, bizarre humor. I went out and got my hands on all The Far Side Gallery’s I could.
Tom: How did Mordant Orange get started?
Mike: In 2005, a friend introduced me to this thing called a blog. I started a blog like everyone else and posted all the dumb stuff on the internet that I found funny. After about two weeks of this I got bored and decided if I wanted to have a website that was worth visiting I would have to put something original up on it. So I started writing movie reviews. Which I sucked at it and quickly abandoned.
Click to continue reading Webcomics Q&A: Mike Bannon and Mordant Orange
Read More | Mordant Orange
JJ Abrams Wants in on Superman Movie
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Movies, DC Comics,
Hey Warner Bros.—ever consider hiring JJ Abrams? You ought to know that he’s still asking for that Superman gig!
The Star Trek director and Lost co-creator had written a script for the caped crusader way back before his career took off. Despite his vast success with his Star Trek reboot, Abrams is still longing for a shot at revitalizing the Superman franchise. He recently opened up about his relationship with the superhero:
“Writing that script was a long process. It was a very passionate character for me. As a kid growing up it meant a lot to me. It would be wonderful and fun to see that brought back. I don’t know what Warners is thinking or what their plan is. It would be a blast… No one has talked to me about it. Obviously I’m sure Warner Brothers has a plan for what they want to do.”
Did you hear that, higher-ups?
Not only are Abrams fans supporting this collaboration, but apparently so is fellow filmmaker, Kevin Smith—check out the video after the jump.
Click to continue reading JJ Abrams Wants in on Superman Movie
Read More | MTV
Joss Whedon Only Has Eyes For The Walking Dead
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Interviews, Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics,
The lovable and very talented comic book geek-turned-television genius known as Joss Whedon has his hands so full with his latest show Dollhouse that he has only enough time to read one comic book series: The Walking Dead.
“That is the only comic I still read—literally. [I] paced myself because it was deep into the trades by then and I only let myself buy one trade a week, for a few weeks before I broke down because it was my favorite soap opera.”
Then again, who can resist a never-ending zombie apocalyptic story? I sure can’t.
So what does the series writer, Robert Kirkman have to say about having Whedon as a fan?
Click to continue reading Joss Whedon Only Has Eyes For The Walking Dead
Read More | Geek Chic Daily
Recent Galleries
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.