DHep 196 5th Annual Award Show Spectacular

Things have been a bit rocky lately but we're back and getting back to a weekly show again. So here's the long over due award show spectacular. Enjoy

Spawn 400,000

The ten year old court battle between Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane has reach it final throws.  Back in February 2012 the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals laid the hammer down on Todd, saying he actually had to pay Neil for those characters and stories he came up with within the Spawn universe - which was one of those book that took full advantage of the 1990's comic boom turning Todd from a fan-favorite comic artist to a minor toy and to some extent media millionare.  Because of the verdict the Arizona Federal Bankruptcy Court has ordered the release of nearly $400,00 from an escrow account created when Todd McFarlane Productions files bankruptcy back in 2004. 

It's not clear to the immediate public how Todd is doing these day other the the bankruptcy, the lack of anything new seeming to come out of his toy company - Heroclix is the fever of the flava these days - and no one has heard dick from Spawn other then the comic that went off the rails when they made the lead character God.  On the one hand you have to praise the guy for taking his minor fame and flipping into into that toy company.  On the other hand while no one who is not directly involved can say precisely what the argument of the law suit involved, there is a pattern here that seem to point to Todd McFarlane acting like a complete dick towards creators who came to work with him, and even some he had nothing to do with at all.

Image comics was started to address the concerns of creators who felt that mainstream comic publishing was screwing them over - and the fact of the matter it was.  The stories about Jack Kirby was a 1000 pound Hulk in the room and every comic collecting circle and fanzine, and even got a mention in the press every once in a blue moon.  So creators like Marc Silvestri, Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee struck out on their own as a direct reaction to Marvel and DC treating like they bent over to pick up the soap.   It was when the 1980's passed the baton to the 1990's, right at the time people like Alan Moore, John Byrne, Neil Gaiman and Alec Ross were setting the stage for what we now know of at the 1990's Comic Boom.   90% of image comics published then were 24 page posters with the hint of a story somewhere in there, but they were selling by the millions like everyone else.  For Todd McFarlane to turn around 10 and 15 years later claiming rights to properties every motherfucker knows was not his to begin with - the story of every aspect of the Spawn books were published pretty much everywhere and Todd was getting TV time too and speaking on creator right way back in the early 1990's.   It wasn't like he was hosting his own talk show, but Spawn was one of those book that Hollywood wanted to capitalize on and pretty much did so interviews with him were kinda part of the whole frenzy.  Spawn was one thing, it was Todd's creation so many he figure he owned every aspect of it even if the law said different.  Todd McFarlane also tried to claim Miracleman - the Alan Moore classic reboot - which Todd had fuck all to do with.   So we may not know every line in the actual legal documents but a dick move is a dick move no matter how you look at it.

He Came, He Saw, He said "Heck no!"

Looks like Ghostbusters 3 will be pushing on without one of it's biggest stars.  Bill Murray, comedian, actor, voice performer and pop culture icon does not seem to want to do the next sequal to the classic horror/comedy.  We have all been hearing the buzz on this film for the last year and a half give or take.  Dan Akroyd has been talking about it, we know Harold Ramis is aboards, and I believe that Rick Moranis is also coming on board.   Throughout the geek reporting of this upcoming sequel were report that numerous script re-writes were sent to Mr. Murray with no positive response.   To be honest, the news has been vague on what exactly Bill's actual response it so it cannot be said he said "no."  However his decision is holding up the movie and Dan Ackroyd had to come out on Feb 29, 2012 and finally admit the movie must go on without Bill.

In terms of icon, Bill Murray has earned his figaritve battle scars.  He kicked ass in the 1970's as a member of the first and still greatest Saturday Night Live crew.  While Eddie Murphy was kicking ass all by himself with the 2nd SNL crew, Bill spent the 1980's kicking comedy movie ass and becoming a world wide pop culture icon.  In the 1990's Bill kick character and bit actor ass, still managing to be part of pop cultures most famous works in film (see Groundhog Day, Kingpin & Rushmore), and the the 21st century Bill Murray has be kicking some serious acting ass even in movie that might not have had great critical or box office success but being one of those things everyone liked about the given movie.  Everyone would like to see a full Ghostbusters team-up, even if it was for the purpose of passing the torch on in order to revive the franchise.   But Bill Murray has given more then his share while earning his well deserved pop culture stripes.  If he doesn't want to do it, can't hate on the man for not wanting to look back. 

Depp Stalks the Night

It's hard to say if this is good news or not so good - I guess, like most things, it depends upon how you see it. According to Deadline New York, Edgar Wright - Director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and the under rated Scott Pilgrim vs. The Work - is set to team up with Johnny Depp to bring Kolchak: The Night Stalker to the big screen. For those of you too young to remember or know (or really care), The Night Stalker started out as a made-for-TV movie back before Lifetime thought men attacking women is the only subject their movies can have. In 1972 a gem of a flick, simply call "The Night Stalker" was introduced to the American collective consciousness. It was about a semi-buffoonish reporter named Karl Kolchak who takes on the story of what seems to be a serial killer. As these things (like TV movies, theater movies & TV shows) go Kolchak gets further then the police in tracking down the killer and finds out it's a real life vampire. Not a shock in 2012 which is years after Ann Rice gave us Lastat and Whedon gave us Buffy, but in 1972 it was fresh and new and pretty damn fun. This movie was so popular it spawned a sequel a year later - called "The Night Strangler" which involved an immortal who needed fresh blood for his elixir of life. The second movie proved to be as big a hit as the first, therefore spawned a TV series that lasted only one season, where Kolchak took on more vampires, werewolves, cat people, demon cults and even an alien.

An interesting note is that the TV movies were written by Richard Matheson who famously gave us books and short stories we know as some famous and semi-famous movies and TV productions such as I Am Legend, the Shrinking Man, A Stir of Echoes, Nightmare at 20,000 feet, Hell House (known as the 1972 horror classic, Legends of Hell House), Prey (which was done in a Karen Black movie called Trilogy of Terror which features a legendary fight with a tiki doll possessed by a spirit with attitude), Duel - which was Steven Spielberg’s first movie about a man being chased by a truck, Matheson also has a load of movie and TV credits under his belt including episodes of Star Trek and the Twilight Zone.

At to the Night Stalker, it was remade in 2005 with Stuart Townsend taking the role of Karl Kolchak and Gabrielle Union taking the role as the hot chick. (There's a shot of Miss Union walking around in her undies that almost make watching the awful first episode worth the price of admission . . . almost.) Unfortunately the remake had absolutely no resemblance to the original except the character names and the fact it only lasted for a season.

Having Edgar Wright direct the movie and Johnny Depp star in it is a plus, but it is being produced by Disney who tends to be as reluctant as the Wii to move out of producing kiddie fare (or family safe stuff - what ever the hell that means), therefore might not have the edge the two movies and more episodes of the show then not were known for. The Night Stalking had it humor but when the monster was on the screen things got serious. This is a show that deserves an update as well as a CGI bath for its monster. Left hope Depp and Wright don't make the mistake of the 2005 remake and actually watch the original movies and show so see exactly why they worked. Our fingers are crossed.

Dafixers Hideout ep195 Battle Royal

The gang is back and we get into SOPA,"Red Tails",tv,and our favorite battles.

Barbaric Fun

It's an idea that did not have to happen, but since it's going to we need to give Dark Horse comics props for coming up with it.  Dark Horse Comics is putting out a Groo vs. Conan miniseries in April. It will be written by Mark Evanier with art by Sergio Aragones and Thomas Yeates and colors by Tom Luth. The four-issue miniseries will bring Groo the Wanderer and the character he’s parodied together in one series. Both Conan and Groo are published by Dark Horse.

How Green is my Pilot

It seems that the CW has ordered an hour long pilot featuring Green Arrow.  The series is  being written and executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim &Andrew Kreisberg. The tentative word is the the pilot might directed by David Nutter, who directed the Smallville pilot, episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Game of Thrones, Shameless and Entourage.  For those who don't remember, Green Arrow started out as a guest star in the 10 year running Smallville where he was portrayed by Justin Hartley.  No word yet if Justin Hartley would be reprising the role, but the idea being bat about is to put the character in a new world not based on the DC comics.  They tried that with Smallville for a minute but eventually DC continuity reared it's head because despite popular belief more the comic readers know who Superman is and that he lives in the same world as Batman and the rest.   Green Arrow being a lesser known character outside of Smallville might work in a world without other DC character - there's much doubt about this but one never knows.

The Shadow Knows Dynamite

The Shadow Knows

Dynamite Entertainment is bringing the Shadow back to on-going monthly status with a new series by Garth Ennis and Aaron Campbell - with covers by Alex Ross.  Unlike the last DC Run - which was based in the modern world of 1990's - the new storyline will take place in 1938 and will start with slaughter at the docks and culminate to a world-ending crisis.   Knowing Garth Ennis, get ready for hyper-violence abound in this one.  

Also, Howard Chaykin’s The Shadow: Blood and Judgment, last collected in 1991 by DC Comics, will be released in a new edition by Dynamite Entertainment. The work is among Chaykin’s best, and a favorite among many comic creators. Mark Waid said of his work, “Not sinceWalter Gibson has anyone been better suited to The Shadow than Howard Chaykin.

Dhep 194 - Our Thoughs of 2011

No this is not the echo show, we didn't know the button was on and it was hard to get rid of. So we end our 2011 with tunnel audio but the gangs all here and we give our thoughts to the best of 2011. Enjoy

Akira's on a Low Budget

There are just some movies that are train wrecks from the beginning. Don't believe? Go back and look at two years of news prior to the release of Green Hornet, then watch Green Hornet and ask yourself exactly how surprising it was that the movie was that bad. Same for movies like Dragon Ball Z and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - go look at all the news leading to them. Same goes for the train-wreck that is the American made Akira. Every news story is a breadcrumb leading to another disaster of a movie.

The lastest story is that Warner Brothers thinks Akira's current budget, $90 million, is just too damn much money. According to the Hollywood Reporter, WB wants to bring the budget down to $70 million before they give director Jaume Collet-Serra the green light. To keep score, so far they've replaced all the asian characters with white actors - except one, the location of the story to Manhattan, lost a bunch of good actors who backed out because they looked at the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it was, in fact, a runaway frieght train, had the director changed twice and now want to trim the budget to something near a Uwi Bol flick. At the end of any story about this movie, everyone should add: Anyone who goes to see this movie deserves to lose those hours of their lives and really should never get them back again.