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!

Marathon read

I’ve done it; I’ve finally gone through the 7 Sin City trade paperbacks… This is quite a big chunk of a read, and the collection occupies quite a bit of real-estate on my shelves.

I remember picking them up from Amazon.com… They had like a “grab bag” promotion at the time which allowed me to get the complete story for less than USD90 shipped (and that’s a good deal considering I live half-way around the world). I was saving big on shipping; that was basically the main reason why I ordered it.

“What do you mean?” is my friend Pedro asking… What I mean is I know everybody says it’s an awesome story, I know it’s Frank Miller, I know they made a movie out of it BUT it’s black and white… Now this would have been OK if it was a re-re-re-reprint of some uber-long series that had started a long time ago (a bit like Essential Wolverine) but I always preferred comics that were in colours. So what I really mean is the decision making criteria was the attractive price tag.

For the exact same reason (and maybe also because it is quite bulky and would request some commitment to read the whole story in an acceptable time), the books just sat there for a while before I decided reading them… And it really is an awesome read. Frank Miller really deserves his reputation and he can surely draw a woman’s body… Or actually, maybe not, they’re never that perfect… So let’s say he can surely perfectly draw a man’s idea of a woman’s body.

Anyway, if you’re like me and are kind of hesitating when it comes to black and white comics, don’t pass up on Sin City, it’s a beautifully drawn and very well written story that’s intensified by the fact it is black and white… It may even convert you to only read black and white comics!

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.

You're ready...! Almost... part 2

OK so you don't like Wolverine... Maybe he's too mean for you or something... Now if the idea of a rich playboy who's SO rich he doesn't need to work and instead spends his spare time trying to do something good for the society sounds nice to you, maybe you will like Bruce Wayne also known as Batman.
What I like in this character is not the fact that he's kicking bad guys' ass but more how he does it... If you think about it, most super heroes did not "choose" to be one before they actually went through some kind of DNA changing event that was out of their control and woke up one day with super powers... No... Batman does it using technology. One day he woke up and decided he was going to fight criminals in Gotham City and he knew he needed some kind of an edge (he is only human after all)... So he used his wealth to develop various equipment that would help him in his quest... So yeah, engineering rules~! (Yeah you guessed right, I'm an engineer...)
Anyway, you will find LOTS of books in which Batman appears or is the main character, but here is a short list of some of the ones you will definitely have to read:

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
The beginning of it all... Bruce Wayne has been training away from Gotham and is now coming back. That's the book in which he meets Jim Gordon for the first time... Sounds familiar? Maybe you've watched Batman Begins?

Batman: Haunted Knight by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
First of a trilogy of trade paperbacks that regroups 3 Halloween stories: Fears, Madness and Ghosts

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Second of the trilogy in which Batman, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent have to work together to catch a serial killer who is getting rid of mobsters from the Falcone family. The story happens over a year between 2 Halloweens and the killer only acts on holidays. This is the story that sees the death of Harvey Dent and the birth of Two-Face.

Batman: Dark Victory by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Last one of the trilogy. Batman's off chasing another killer whose crimes will involve Dick Grayson's parents. Batman then decides to take care of him and he eventually becomes Robin.

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
This book reveals the origins of The Joker and marks the end of Batgirl as we know her as she gets paralyzed for the rest of her life.

Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
On April Fools Day, Arkham Asylum is taken over and the inmates demand Batman to be delivered to them in exchange of their hostages. In the process of getting back the detention center, Batman almost goes insane... Creepy story, great art, this book is considered a must have in any comic book collection.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
Batman is now "retired" but will put on his tights one more time to save the good old Gotham City. Considered a classic as well....

OK, I think that summarizes it... Of course lots of books are missing, like you could get the Knightfall saga if you'd like to see Bane, but I just wanted to list out the ones that I think are really worth your first order's money. If you get hooked up, order more!

You're ready...! Almost...

If you read my previous posts, you now know where to buy comics online as well as what those grades mean... You have acquired some money in some way (don't want to know how), created an account on one of those websites and are ready to place your first order. And suddenly, you realize you don't know what to buy as we haven't dealt with that subject yet.. Fear not, chances are you will find something interesting in one of my next posts.

I am pretty sure some of you will be seeking to buy some Wolverine books... And I'd agree with you as I think he's an awesome character (so does Marvel, they've been publishing his stories since the 80's)... I believe a good way to get you started is, well, from the beginning... So you might want to grab the following trade paperback: The Best of Wolverine Vol.1. This book includes Wolverine: Weapon X, by Barry Windsor-Smith, in which you'll learn how he actually became Wolverine, Wolverine, by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, gathering the 4 issues of his first mini-series, and 3 additional comics: Uncanny X-Men #205, Captain America Annual #8 and Incredible Hulk #181 (his first appearance EVER)

There you go, 320 pages of Wolverine action. Next up will be Batman. See you tomorrow.