Some news from Hollywood

Variety is reporting Columbia Pictures is planning a second installment of Ghost Rider that would be written by David Goyer and starring Nicolas Cage (again...). For some reasons, sequels are generally worse than their first chapter, and the first Ghost Rider was really disappointing... Let's see if something better comes out of this.

A slightly better news from MTV News... Clive Owen has "heard from a very good source" that Sin City 2 may be put into production "some time next year". I kind of liked the first movie and I'm curious to know what the sequel will look like... It's supposedly going to be based on Sin City: A dame to kill for. Very exciting, and the second 300 movie is coming too!

Aren't you a bit old for this?

A few weeks ago, a British/Spanish friend of mine came over to my house for lunch. One of the many topics discussed was what we were doing during our spare time, and when I mentioned I liked reading comics among other things, his immediate reply was:

“Comics? Don’t you think you’re a bit old for that? Most people stop around 12 years old…”

This is such a typical answer (that I get quite often) that I shouldn’t even care anymore… But I do. In the past, I usually went on naming titles of comics that have been used in the movie business such as 300 or Sin City as the common mortals they are usually don’t know they were comics to begin with… I would then go on telling them that the word “comics” doesn’t necessarily equals to “super heroes in tights” and that there are many other genres out there (that’s usually when I throw in some of Brian Wood’s work)

Well I am happy to say that I’ve finally found a book that will make everyone agree that a comic book reader can be someone else than 10 years old little Timmy from Kickapoo, Missouri. Batman: Arkham Asylum has become my weapon of choice when it comes to fighting heretics who stopped reading comics as they “grew up”. This book is pretty disturbing and I believe would make anyone feel uncomfortable while reading it… The art conveys that discomfort feeling very well, and if it has such an effect on adults, why would we give it to read to some pre-pubic almost teenager kid?

Back to the book itself…It is really good, the art is amazing, mixing oil painting, photographs, pencil scribbles, but what I really loved was that even the whole book is super depressing, it ends on a high note that gave me a laughter… Really smart way to end the story in my opinion.

300... The return?

Director Zack Snyder announced that Frank Miller is writing the graphic novel that the movie's sequel will be based on. Events will take place between the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Plataea, the battle that narrator Dilios (David Wenham) is at the end of "300." There's a whole year between the two battles and plenty of room for more story.

300

Frank Miller tells the story of the battle at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae. 300 is an absolutely stunning recounting of the ancient Spartans’ heroism as they stood and fell before the might of the largest armed force on the planet. This simple tale of how one man refused to allow the glory of Greece to fade before a barbarous horde is punctuated by breathtaking battle scenes, glorious heroism, and base treachery.

There was a lot of criticism around this book as many complained Miller was deviating from the “facts” and not telling the story as it “really” happened (according to history books). I still enjoyed it because I was looking for a beautifully-drawn, action packed read, and this is exactly what I found. The edition I purchased, the oversized hardcover with high print quality, particularly showcases Miller's art and story as it really puts the pages in your face. Varley's vibrant colors are the cherry on the cake.

Side Note:
Although the movie contains almost everything in the novel (and even more), it is still well worth reading the book even if you've watched the movie.