Archive for the ‘hellboy’ Category
Filed Under cephalopods, godzilla, hellboy, merfolk, mermaids, sea monsters
The Life Aquatic
A photo group pool on Flickr. (Thanks, Never Sea Land!)
Tricksy Little Whales
Out of respect for the photographer, I won’t post this photo of two humpbacks imitating a sea monster. It’s worth clicking through though.
Godzilla vs. Some Giant Squid Monster Thing
The giant squid monster thing may have a name, but I don’t know it. I’m also as clueless as Robert Hood about who drew it.
Pirates of Venus
Robert Hood is also responsible for my seeing this Joe Jusko painting.
San Gennaro Sea Monster
Photo by Joe (taken at LA’s Feast of San Gennaro.)
Abe Sapien
By Nuno Plati.
“Spawn of the Green Abyss” and “Serpent Princess”
Both of these by Boris Dolgov.
Miss Lagoon
By Kerry Callen.
Filed Under aquaman, batman, hellboy, mermaids, sea monsters
Hellboy vs. Octopus
By Dan Boyd.
Seaweed Monster
By this guy.
Gualagon
By Ralph Lorenz and others.
“Caught” mermaid
By Harold McCauley.
Aquaman (and friend) vs. Black Manta
By Ben Jones (maybe?). I so can’t wait for the Brave and the Bold cartoon.
Filed Under hellboy
I liked it, but it wasn’t Hellboy. (Minor spoilers may follow.)
It’s not a Hellboy plot, for one thing. It’s a standard Action Movie Doomsday Device plot. Bad guys want to take over/destroy the world and lack just one thing to make it happen. Heroes have to prevent the bad guys from getting what they want. Substitute fantasy characters for the mad scientists and superspies and you’ve got yourself a Hellboy sequel.
The subplot’s not Hellboy either. I was okay with some Hellboy/Liz romantic tension in the first one, but it becomes a major development now and moves even further away from who Hellboy is in the comics. Comics Hellboy is a lot more comfortable with himself than Movie Hellboy. I’m sure that Comics Hellboy has his moments of loneliness and self-pity, but they don’t dominate him the way they do Movie Hellboy.
Which is probably why I didn’t like that Hellboy II spends so much time yet again on the Us vs. Them; Freaks vs. Normal People theme. The villain in Hellboy II keeps trying to convince Hellboy that he’s on the wrong side. And the story keeps trying to make us wonder if the villain doesn’t have a point. Hellboy and Company save a large number of New Yorkers from a giant monster only to have the humans turn on them because they look different. The first Hellboy movie already covered this territory and covered it a lot more effectively. Yeah, Hellboy isn’t one of us, but he fights for us anyway. We get it. You’ve beaten the point dead. Let’s move on.
I think I would’ve been much more okay with the Hellboy/Liz romance if the whole point of it wasn’t Hellboy and Liz Against the World (or Us Freaks Have to Stick Together). And just to make pulp out of the theme’s corpse, Abe has to be drawn into it too with a romance of his own. But where Hellboy and Liz had the whole first movie to get us to buy in to them as a couple, Abe’s feelings for the Elven Princess Nuala develop way too quickly. It’s a crush (and an only partially requited one from all the encouragement Nuala gives poor Abe), but we’re told that it’s passionate love every bit as deep as what Hellboy and Liz feel for each other.
There are some other problems I have with the movie too. In one important fight, the heroes start off doing very well, but as soon as their opponents show even a hint of being able to fight back, the Heroes immediately give up. Worse than that, they stand still and wait while the bad guys recover. And the only reason for it is to keep the heroes from claiming victory too soon and ruining the way the writers want the fight to end.
There’s also a lack of awe or wonder from any of the main characters. It’s a gorgeous movie with all sorts of imaginative creatures and settings, but the characters all act like it’s nothing special. In the comics, even though Hellboy and his friends have seen and fought countless weirdos and monsters before, there’s still a sense of fear or amazement whenever they encounter something new. And as a viewer, I need that, because I’ve certainly seen my own fair share of amazing, scary, awesome, wonderful creatures and monsters at the movies. If the film treats these things as if they’re old and routine, I’m going to feel like they’re old and routine too, regardless of how cool the designs are.
And the designs are really cool. And I like all the characters. And it’s a funny, action-packed movie. In fact, even though it’s a really bad movie on paper, it’s so funny and action-packed and likable and beautiful and cool that those positive things pretty evenly balance out the negatives. I may have hated that Hellboy and Abe needed to whine about their love lives in the movie, but I love that they did it by getting smashed and belting out a Barry Manilow tune. I may have hated that the villain is a two-dimensional cliché, but I love that he looks and fights so cool and that his only friend is a huge troll named Mr. Winky. The film is really, really good at creating those moments of cognitive dissonance in me.
Three out of five Bootie-Kickin Dark Elves.
Filed Under batman, dinosaurs, hellboy, mystery, superheroes, talking animals, trains, x-files, y
July 4
Hancock: My history with Will Smith movies is that I enjoy them for the two hours I’m there and then pretty much forget about them afterwards. I don’t expect this one will be any different.
I might’ve had higher hopes if they hadn’t already spoiled his character development in the trailer. I think it would’ve been a bolder choice to have him stay a butthole the entire movie, but maybe they pull off the change really well.
Kabluey: (Limited release) I expect I’ll like this costumed hero a lot more than Hancock. Plus: Teri Garr.
July 11
Hellboy II: The Golden Army: C’mon, it’s Hellboy. I’d see it even if it didn’t look the most awesomely imaginative fantasy film since Return of the King. Which it totally does.
Journey to the Center of the Earth: Despite my liking both Jules Verne’s imagination and Brendan Fraser’s screen presence, I’m having a hard time getting excited about this one at all. They’ve changed two of the main characters into kids (”…making [the Icelandic guide] Hans into Hannah was just an obvious choice,” says director Eric Brevig) and seem more focused on playing with the 3D technology than on telling a great story (”…The rest of it [aside from adapting a couple of iconic moments from the book] was me coming up with pieces of business that I thought would just play wonderfully in 3-D as well as 2-D”). This is probably a DVD rental for me.
July 18
The Dark Knight: As much as my brain tells me that this is going to be awesome because the first one was and Christopher Nolan can Do No Wrong, my heart’s just not in it. I’m getting a little more excited the more we see of Two-Face, but I’m so tired of the Joker being played as just another psychotic killer. This is absolutely NOT a criticism of Heath Ledger whom I love as an actor and I expect is brilliant with the part he was given, but just once I’d like to see the Joker in the movies hatch a scheme involving an oversized mallet and a giant jack-in-the-box.
Transsiberian: (NY and LA only) The trailer looks uninspired, but I love trains and snow enough that I’m hoping those elements will carry me through even if the plot is lousy. But maybe it won’t be. Maybe it’s just a lousy trailer.
Space Chimps: Talking apes in a space adventure. What could be nicer?
July 25
Step Brothers: This is such a toss up as to whether or not I’m going to like it. John C. Reilly is great, but I can’t usually take much of Will Ferrell. All the ads I’ve seen for it have made me laugh though, so on the list it goes.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe: This has the potential to be my favorite movie of the summer. I love and miss Mulder and Scully like you wouldn’t believe. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to be the biggest disappointment. My hopes for it are way too high.
Filed Under alpha flight, bond, hellboy, hulk, indiana jones, jack the ripper, lord of the rings, rocketeer, she-hulk, terminator, wonder woman
Indiana Jones makes Monopoly better
I’m usually really annoyed by all the different Monopoly versions that come out, but dang if I don’t want this one. I think it’s the wooden crate it comes in. And the Ark of the Covenant hotels.
Terminator Garbage
Okay, seriously… I had just cleaned up my Tivo Season Passes and decided that I wasn’t going to stay with The Sarah Conner Chronicles on a weekly basis when it returns next Fall. I like a lot of it (Summer Glau, the intricate plot-weaving, John Conner’s emergence as a hero, the humor), but there was enough that bugged me (John Conner’s being in school, the convenient inconsistency in Cameron’s ability to blend in, Sarah’s tiring over-protectiveness) that I figured I’d just catch up when the DVDs came out.
But then they gotta go and put Shirley Manson in it. Well played, Sarah Conner people. Well played.
It’s amazing what a few plants will do
And speaking of re-energizing my interest in Terminator, McG has released some concept art from the upcoming sequels. I was pretty bored with the idea of post-Judgment Day movies, but I realize now that my problem may have been with how dull the future’s always looked in the movies so far. All the overgrown plant life still makes it look very desolate, but interesting. Like humans may have to deal with some nasty wildlife in addition to all those robots.
Coolest origami ever
Okay, it’s not technically origami, but it’s still making stuff out of paper and – outside of Edward James Olmos in Blade Runner and the dinosaur pop-up dioramas my son’s been making lately – that’s an activity that’s always struggled for coolness. Until now. Lots more characters at that link and this one, including the Rocketeer, Indiana Jones, and Hellboy.
London 1888
Part board game, part RPG, part card game. In Victorian England hunting Jack the Ripper. I’m so getting this when it’s translated to English. (Thanks, Brass Goggles!)
“You expect me to link?”
I knew Snell from comics blog Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep!! was Awesome. I mean, the proof is right there in the blog name. But I didn’t realize he was also a huge Bond fan, which pretty much breaks the scale I was using to measure Awesome with.
I Expect You to Die! is his project in reviewing every Bond movie ever made leading up to the release of Quantum of Solace, but he also talks about other Bond stuff that interests him. Things are already off to a great start with his review of the old Climax Mystery Theater version of Casino Royale. I’ve pretty much worn out my VHS copy of that one and I still learned stuff from Snell’s post. Including that my copy is incomplete.
I’ve always thought it ended abruptly, but figured that was because of having to quickly wrap up the live production. It’s more of a mystery than ever now why the commercial versions of the episode cut off the end, but at least Snell has the missing stuff for us to finally see.
Ultimate Alpha Flight
I’ve never read an Ultimate Marvel comic and don’t really have any desire to, but I admit I’m a little intrigued by the Ultimate version of Aurora there. She was one of my favorite members of Alpha Flight and I hate that no one’s doing anything with her. Of course, any interest in her is more than offset by how goofy the rest of the team looks. Why does Vindicator have lightbulbs on his arms? (Thanks to Weekly Crisis for the scan.)
Hobbit 2 could go either way
Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro have finally spilled some info about the Hobbit movie and its sequel. The Hobbit news is really positive:
No casting has commenced and won’t until the scripts are written. Guillermo insists that “Unequivocally, every single actor that originated a role in the trilogy will be asked to participate and reprise it. If health, availability or willingness become obstacles – and only in that case – recasting would be considered.” … Ian Holm will be utilized “in some fashion for sure but the difficulty of the role will be better assessed after” the screenplays are completed. Del Toro revealed that he also has plans for Ron Perlman in the film, but not as the voice of Smaug.
Both movies will be PG-13 … Howard Shore is in talks to return to compose the score. Much of the original production team will be brought back supplemented by choices from del Toro.
Middle-earth will be shot on location in New Zealand with real set construction preferred over green screen. They plan on rebuilding Hobbiton “bigger and even better” in the same location.
Unfortunately, the sequel won’t be the second half of the original book, but a fanfic story. Del Toro says, “We must try and contain The Hobbit in a single film,” but I suppose if I’ve got to watch a fanfic story, Jackson and Del Toro’s is the one I’d want to watch.
Del Toro says, “The idea is to find a compelling way to join The Hobbit and Fellowship and enhance the five films both visually and in their Cosmology. There are omissions and material enough in the available, licensed material to attempt this. The agreement is, however, that the second film must be relevant and emotionally strong enough to be brought to life…”
Jackson says, “If we wished to write one of the LOTR characters into the narrative of Film Two, we would only do that with that actors blessing, and willingness to take part. Otherwise we’d take the writing in another direction.”
This just in: Amazons are hot
I love this post on female bodies and popular culture. If my fascination with Wonder Woman isn’t clue enough, I’ll just say outright that I’m especially attracted to women who look like they could kick my butt. So, out of the images that Kali posted there’s absolutely no contest between the Amazon superheroines and the ultra-tiny supermodels they’re next to. I blame Lucy Lawless for ruining me on unhealthy-looking girls.
Filed Under barbarians, black canary, fantasy, frankenstein, futurama, hellboy, julianne moore, mermaids, pulp, undersea
I’ve been struggling to get posts up over the last couple of days, but that’s actually good news because I’ve seen forward progress on a few projects and have had to spend time thinking about and working on them.
Just to get something up today while it’s still today, here are a few more items from the enormous backlog of art I’ve found.
Black Canary and Green Arrow
By Dominique Fam.
Frankenstein’s Lab
By Stephan Martiniere (Via).
Futurama Hellboy
By David Au.
Julianne Moore as Ariel
By Annie Leibovitz.
Stand-In for a Corpse
Via.
Sword Woman
By Ken Kelly (Via).
Filed Under agents of atlas, alpha flight, forest, gorillas, headless horseman, hellboy, horror, new wave, pirates, pulp, shang chi, superheroes, time travel, x-men
“The Haunted Forest”
I’m linking to some short comics stories today. The first one is “The Haunted Forest” from Web of Evil #15. I’ve always loved spooky, bare trees with faces and finger-like branches. And giant spiders.
I really need to pay more attention to music
When the B-52s have a new album out and I don’t know it… that’s just very, very sad.
“The Headless Monster of Bloodrock Castle”
It’s cool enough that there was a ’40s pulp comic about about a war correspondent who fought crime and enemy spies in a rubber Halloween mask.
It’s even cooler that he occasionally tussled with headless suits of armor.
Hellboy 3, but that’s it
Guillermo del Toro has an idea for Hellboy 3, but he doesn’t want to push the franchise past that point.
If there was ever a third one, I would really make sure that we at least sign a contract that there is no more. No prequels and no sequels: nothing. If that happens, then there is a third one we have planned, and the seeds are planted in this film…
The idea for me is to bring back the Nazis characters, but bring them back in a way they would operate now. Meaning, what public face would the Nazis have in 2009/2010? How rich would they be? How in charge could they be? It’s not this group of freakies that hide in the sewers, but people that are incredibly rich.
“Gorilla Man”
I’m a huge fan of Jeff Parker’s Agents of Atlas. (Okay, I know it’s really Marvel’s Agents of Atlas, but I still think of it as Parker’s.) Where else are you going to find a talking gorilla, a killer robot, a spaceman, an undersea queen, and the goddess of Love fighting evil spy organizations? Nowhere, that’s where.
And having fallen in love with the team, I’m pleased as punch that Karswell has posted the Golden Age origin of said talking gorilla: Gorilla Man.
Pirate Freedom
SF Signal really liked Gene Wolf’s time traveling pirate story, Pirate Freedom. I’ve already got it on my Amazon Wish List, but this review makes me want to add it again.
“She’s just CGIed that way”
Those real-life versions of Homer Simpson and Mario were just creepy, but… okay, this one’s creepy too, but in a sort of hot way.
Wolverine: First Class
As much as I’m enjoying Jeff Parker’s (there’s that name again) X-Men: First Class, my Wolverine ennui runs deep enough that I wasn’t even tempted to try Wolverine: First Class. I figured I’d buy the Alpha Flight issue when it came out, but that would be it.
That is until I read that another upcoming issue will feature Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu. If Fred Van Lente’s cool enough to want to include both Alpha Flight and Shang Chi in his comic, I’m not going to be able to ignore him. If he announces he’s got an upcoming Rocket Raccoon issue, my head will explode.
Nightmare Playgrounds
I wouldn’t want to send my son to any of these scary playgrounds, but man they look cool to go to as an adult. (Via.)
Truth Serum
One of my new favorite web comics. Really funny, low key superhero stuff. (I’ll tell you about my other new favorite later this week. If you’re reading the Newsarama blog, you already know about it.)
Filed Under hellboy, indiana jones, lobster johnson
Here’s what looks good to me from Dark Horse Comics in June.
Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #1
There’s this new Indiana Jones mini-series starting up. I’ll likely wait for it to get collected into book form, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
Maybe not though. I’m not mentioning a bunch of Hellboy-related single issues that I’ll also wait to get collected. Maybe it’s the newness of more Indy that grabs my attention in a way that the more familiar Hellboy comics don’t. Not fair, but that’s probably it.
Lobster Johnson, Volume 1: The Iron Prometheus
But speaking of book collections, my waiting to read the pulpy adventures of the Hellboy Universe’s Lobster Johnson is about to pay off.
