Twelve Guys Succeeding At The Super Hero Game

The 48th Annual Springfield Easter Egg Hunt begins in just over an hour, so, in an unexpected twist and turn of events, the Home Office has decided to dabble-down the comicsblog early.  Our (surviving) staff was aces with The Joker last week, and 'sides, even the most intrepid Springfield abbracadabblers deserves a treat every now and then.  But before we  hop along to the festivities, hoopla, and all-around holiday hi-jinx -- and the never-ending quest for a sugar high -- we're bringing a bit of spice to the blog.

Chris Evans, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Justin Hartley... The names go on, but it's a short list of Hollywood's hottest. And they're not just hot; they're super. Why? Because we've all harbored the deep-down secret desire to be a super hero - and the twelve actors on the blog today count among the select few that succeeded.  Aside from their undeniable good looks, does this dozen have more in common than meets the eye? Are the heroes they play on TV or the silver screen simply parts to our boys, or do they feel they're a part of something bigger? If they have what it takes, do you? And are your chances even better if your name is 'Chris'?

All food for thought...Which reminds us, we're running late for a very important date. We hope your Easter is a basket of fun, too; we've got you off to a good start with twelve right here.  Sure, these dudes may not be as tasty as chocolate bunnies, but they are most definitely eye candy. Indulge your sweet tooth.

Chris Evans - Captain America [IMDb]
Steve Rogers (First Avenger: Captain America, Avengers)

Lucas Lee (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World)

Jensen (The Losers)

Johnny Storm (Fantastic Four films)

Christian Bale - Batman III (untitled) [IMDb]

Bruce Wayne/Batman (The Dark Knight)

Bruce Wayne  (Batman Begins)

Chris O'Donnell - Robin, The Boy Wonder [IMDb]

Dick Grayson (Batman & Robin)

Dick Grayson (Batman Forever)

David Boreanaz - Angel [IMDb]

Hal Jordan / Green Lantern (Justice League: New Frontier)

Angel (Angel)

Angel (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Chris Hemsworth - The Mighty Thor [IMDb]

Donald Blake/Thor (Thor)

George Kirk (Star Trek 2009)

James McAvoy - 'World's Greatest Assassin' [IMDb]

Wesley Gibson (Wanted 2)

Wesley Gibson (Wanted)

James Franco - Harry Osborne [IMDb]

Harry Osborne/New Goblin (Spider-Man 3)

Harry Osborne (Spider-Man 2)

Harry Osborne (Spider-Man )

Ryan Reynolds - Green Lantern [IMDb]
 Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)
Wade Wilson (Deadpool)
Deadpool (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Blade: Trinity (Hannibal King)

Jude Law - Doctor John Watson [IMDb]
Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

Justin Hartley - Green Arrow [IMDb]
 Oliver Queen (Smallville)
Arthur Curry (Aquaman)

Brent Spiner - Lieutenant Commander Data [IMDb]
 Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
B-4 (Star Trek: Nemesis)
Lore (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Dr. Arik Soong (Enterprise)
Dr. Noonian Soong (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

James Marsden - Cyclops [IMDb]
Techotl (Conan: Red Nails)
Richard White (Superman Returns)
Scott Summers / Cyclops (X-Men 3: The Last Stand)
Scott Summers (X2)
Scott Summers (X-Men)

 All photos (above) except as noted [via]

Brent Spiner  [via]

GREEN LANTERN: More Fantastic Fan Art

 

[via]

No1 Comics: Green Lantern in ALL AMERICAN COMICS History

If there's one thing comic book people love, it's comic books with a big #1 on their covers.   A 'Number 1' of anything has always been magical (except when it comes to potty-training, of course) - and where comics are concerned, everyone knows that initial numeral can mean big bucks.   Take for instance Action Comics #1: published back in 1938, this was the comic book that invented superheroes and introduced the world to Superman for the first time.  Given its age, it's also understandably quite scarce - and of the 100 remaining copies of the comic known to exist, 80% of them have been restored to some degree. Those that haven't, well, are valued over $400,000.  In fact, a nearly-perfect copy of Action #1 -- the ultimate rarity and Holy Grail to all collectors -- found in 1966 is now going up on the auction block. If you've got the cash, then we give you full permission to leave -- go right now! - and place your bid.  [For the full scoop and all the Action, go HERE...then spend your half-million HERE.]

Aside from how the fortunate part with their fortunes, Action's value speaks volumes about the mythology* of comic book first issues.  They're (a) worth a lot (b) old and of historical value (c) scarce (d) introduce a major character. Of course, not every major character comes on stage for the first time in a 'Number One' comic book. In fact, today's hero, the very first Green Lantern, is a perfect example of which we speak, but more on him in a second.

'Number One' comic books no longer have the value of their distant ancestors, but they're great places to begin a story,  as most stories usually begin at the beginning. They make great prizes (as every dabbler who played our Winder One-derland last Christmas knows), and they're sweet inspirations for abbracadabbling's latest recurring blog, too. 

*As for why we call it a mythology, the crash of the comics bubble in the late 1980's and early 1990's explains it better than we ever could - more HERE and in a future blog of No.1 Comics!

DC Comics' Golden Age heroes - the oldest and the first of the super men and women, most of whom have modern day successors of the same name - are back in action and as popular  today as they were seventy years ago. While many of these early characters never fully disappeared,  their fifteen minutes of fame had long since been over - until just recently. What's long been true in politics and presidential campaigns now holds for superheroes (and the sales of the comic books they star in): experience - being on the front lines - counts.  Interestingly, the experience and longevity of old superheroes has become meaningful not just in the story lines of younger generation comic book heroes or their titles like Teen Titans and Justice Society of America, but to comics readers as well.  Beyond their worth within DC's fictional-world, the company's first Golden cache of characters are new to younger readers, nostalgia to older ones. For creators, these elder heroes come with enough history to be written well and with enough holes for new stories to now fill.

None of this could be truer than for Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern.  Initially created by Martin Nodell, a young artist who found inspiration in the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern and a green lantern to conduct train traffic,. Taking that vision and borrowing heavily from the tale of Aladdin, Nodell created a mystical crime-fighter who got his powers from the flame of a strange lamp. Along with his writing partner Bill Finger, Nodell gave Green Lantern his first appearance in All-American Comics #16.

Alan Scott's Green Lantern persona has been much-manipulated over the years, especially as his later-day successor, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, has gained popularity and mythos.  But the modern day Lantern's fame has worked  both ways, too -- with Green Lantern ranking among today's best-selling comic books and a Green Lantern major motion picture due in 2011, renewed interest in the original ring wielder is on the rise.

Reclaimed fame has also been found by Alan Scott Green Lantern's many team-mates of The Justice Society of America, the very first superhero team to be portrayed in comic books.

No better example of the team's current stature could be given than last Friday's two-hour Smallville movie 'Absolute Justice', in which young Clark Kent meets several of the Society members. While mentioned by name, only Green Lantern's ring makes an actual appearance in the episode -- either an Easter-egg or foreshadowing, yet all-together appropriate and nonetheless validating.

The Comic Book Bin has drafted an excellent summary of Alan Scott, The Golden Age Green Lantern's history, which can be found HERE. For fans needing a more detailed biography, we've got that for you HERE. And more information on All-American Comics, which later became part of today's DC Comics, is located HERE. Below, a page from All-American Comics Issue #17 and Green Lantern's second adventure. (Hint: Right-click to make readable!)

Coming Attractions: GREEN LANTERN

Green Lantern premieres June 17th, 2011

Known Production Info: Cast: Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan/Green Lantern); Director: Martin Campbell; Script: Marc Guggenheim; Storyboard artist: Rodolfo Damaggio; Cinematographer: Dion Beebe; Production Designer: Grant Major; Costume Designer: Francois Audouy; Producing Studio: DC Entertainment & Warner Bros.; Based on the DC Comics character; Green Lantern created by Martin Nodell. More information can be found HERE and HERE.

Five for Friday: THOR Or...?

Despite my personal preferences for both Ryan Reynolds and Green Lantern, the intergalactic DC Comics' superhero he'll be portraying when the character shines onto the Silver Screen in 2011, the buzz around town (yes, even a hamlet like Springfield has its share of buzz) is all about Thor, God of Thunder. Other than Reynolds, the Lantern folks have yet to shed any light on the film's casting, whereas Thor's casting to date has Marvel and DC fans alike waiting anxiously, their eyes and ears peeled for any hints of story or event the smallest glimpse of costuming that might leak as the film prepares to begin principle photography next month.

Marvel's clearly looking forward to pitting Thor against DC Entertainment's Green Lantern, as both movies are set to open within just one month of each other. While DC and parent company Warner Bros are clearly looking for a Dark Knight repeat with Lantern, Marvel's stated from its actions if not its words that Thor will not only be their version of last summer's billion dollar Batman sequel, it will also surpass it.

Those are lofty assertions, and while they've never been said, Thor's impressive and formidable cast more than speaks for itself in an emphatic statement powerfully punctuated by the film's director, Kenneth Branagh. Thor stars Chris Hemsworth as the sinewy blonde God of Thunder, with Natalie Portman as leading lady Jane Foster, Thor's human love interest. His immortal love interest, the Goddess Sif, will be portrayed by Jaimie Alexander, while Sir Anthony Hopkins presides as the Odin, ruler of Asgard, the Norse version of Mount Olympus. Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Stuart Townsend, and Colm Feore round out the cast.

But Thor's casting -- as well as exuberant and unspecific Tweets of high praise coming from Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and Avengers scribe writer Brian Michael Bendis -- is, so far, the only solid stuff around for the movie's building fan base to sink its collective teeth into. And if the real goods aren't there, comics fans prove time and again that they're not only imaginative, but creative and resourceful as well.

Judging by two visuals we've got on the blog here, fandom's best are already hard at work. The Thor teaser (above) made its rounds on the blogosphere about a month back, until the boys at Earth's Mightiest [Link] finally proved it to be less than the genuine article. And while that's really future-Thor Chris Hemsworth below, the faux-photo has been entirely 'imaged' by someone with mad computer skills.

While we don't know who's responsible for the little masterpiece, they've undoubtedly paid close attention to their Thor comics. Nevertheless, if Quesada and Bendis can be trusted, we're going with something a little different when it comes to Hemsworth's final look for the Thor feature. Just like The X-Men's bright spandex became black leather bodysuits back in 2000, Thor's costuming is likely to take a similar route. Leather tunics just aren't hip for 2011, and the Thunder God's silvery-winged helmet would be a blocking nightmare. And unlike Batman and Superman, Thor's not married to his cape. The end result: fashionably closer to Bryan Hitch's Ultimate Thor (minus the glowing chest medallions) than Jack Kirby's iconic ensemble.

What do you guys think? Is this fan fantasy right on the money, or will Branagh's costume designers catch us al off-guard? And is Thor going to be the ultimate hit for Marvel that we're predicting, or will Green Lantern's emerald light outshine Thor's bid as a box office deity? Leave us your Back Issues, talk back, and make it loud! abbracadabbling wants to hear what you've got to say!

No matter who's right, we'll all find out once Thor's first real teaser floods the web. No word yet on that action, but from where I'm sitting, Iron Man 2's May premiere smells like the perfect opportunity for Marvel to roll out the official fanfare. Stay tuned for more Thor movie news!!

YGI: Damaggio Will Power 'GREEN LANTERN'

Green Lantern has remained one of my favorite superheroes ever since my life in single digits, and not much has changed for the last thirty years. While the drama and intrigue of his stories has never been as visceral - and thus not as enjoyable -- as my other favorite hero's, Batman -- Green Lantern's hook in me was never his character's resolve, nor the spectacle of his space-faring adventures, nor even his emerald costume always awash in that green cosmic glow.

It's the Power Ring of the Green Lanterns that I've always desired, and what as a little boy became the catalyst of wonderful and soaring dreams. The ring is Green Lantern's weapon, but it's also much more. Unlike the Batman's batarangs or grappling hooks, which are tools and movie props, the whole of the Green Lantern concept, the heart of the superhero, and indeed Green Lantern's very source of his luminescent powers are all embodied in his green ring.

The power ring functions on all levels of story for Green Lantern - plot, narrative, character, decision, thought, thematic elements, and spectacle. The best Green Lantern stories are those by writers who have this comprehensive understanding. Geoff Johns has captured these principles in the current DC Comics Green Lantern series, and has even extended it (perhaps as far as possible without it unraveling) through the current Blackest Night with success. It works because despite all the action, science fiction, and character development -- all essential and great things -- he didn't loose the core of the story in the process. Concept permeates the work, and gives it meaning.

In comics and movies both, a story's concept can be difficult to execute, but a good artist can capture it, conveying idea, mood and design through their work. A great concept artist accomplishes the same, yet more. The difference is something ineffable, a spirit or imaginative quality, that gives form and presence to a story on the page and off. Like in Green Lantern comics, conviction and willpower make the imagined, real.

Rodolfo Damaggio has been called by his peers to be among the best concept artists working today. Before moving into concept art and storyboard creation, Damaggio began his artistic career as a penciler and inker for DC Comics. Damaggio notes this bit of advice on his website: 'if you want to learn to draw, draw comics.'

It's extremely clear that he's learned to do just that, with cinematic grandeur. And to say that I'm absolutely stoked that Rodolfo Damaggio's current gig just happens to be Warner Bros' upcoming Green Lantern movie would be an understatement.

Damaggio's talent and skill is reflected by his extensive resume that includes films like Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. He's worked with director Joe Johnston on both Jurassic Park III and most recently Universal's The Wolf Man -- which you know all about from our weekend blog.

Science fiction aside, Damaggio's experience in film hasn't strayed too far from his comic book beginnings. He's worked as a concept and storyboard artist on Ang Lee's Hulk, Marvel's first Iron Man movie, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Mission Impossible III.

It's likely to be some time before any of his concept art of Ryan Reynolds or Green Lantern surfaces, but once you see Damaggio's work, it's impossible to think that Green Lantern's concepts are in anything but the best and most capable of hands.

For your graphic imagination, abbracadabbling presents just a sample of Rodolfo Damaggio's portfolio below. If you'd like to see more, you can find his many portfolios and samples of his comics work on his website here.

Mission Impossible 3 concept art

Mission Impossible 3 concept art

Sketch art for Indiana Jones 4

Batman pencils and inks for DC Comics

Storyboard element from Hulk

Storyboard page from Act I

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Marvel Studios' Ammends Its Film Slate Thru 2013

Contrary to our previous posting in Studio 22's premiere blog, Marvel Studios has announced scheduling changes to their very ambitious slate of feature film properties.

The Kenneth Branagh film Thor, based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, the Norse god of thunder, moves its release date from July 16th, 2010, to June 17th, 2011.

The studio had originally paired Thor with the release of Marvel's second Iron Man film, Iron Man 2.

Now, Marvel's postponement will instead directly pit their hammer-wielding superhero against the ring-slinging Green Lantern, the next DC Comics' property on-track for a big screen debut from DC Entertainment. Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds and the just-announced Jackie Earl Haley, is also set to open June 17th, 2011.

Thor's push-back also resets plans for the proposed 2011 release date of The First Avenger: Captain America.

I get the impression that Marvel's somewhat uncertain to title Captain America's feature film, which is ironic given that the character has been established in popular culture since the early days of World War II. So, while a name change in film's title wouldn't surprise me in the least, the movie does appear to be on schedule and production is set to begin June 28th, 2010.

Marvel's most ambitious project is their Avengers feature film project, which is planned to be an ensemble flick uniting Robert Downy Jr.'s Iron Man with the new screen versions of Thor, Captain America, the Black Widow, Nick Fury, and possibly even Edward Norton's green Goliath from the last feature film version of the Hulk.

Logically, Avengers has to be the final film of Marvel's trio of forthcoming projects, and had been initially scheduled to premiere two months after Captain America in 2011. With Captain falling back one year, Avengers now will be seeing its first film audiences assembling in summer 2013. Beyond some rough sketches for cast and production crew, including Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of Marvel's very human super-spy 'Nick Fury' in the big-budget super-team epic, more concrete plans for Avengers have not been announced.

Aside from Iron Man 2, the only other Marvel movie sticking to its original plan is Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4, which will begin filming this January. Both Raimi and Sony Pictures have been tight-lipped about specifics for the next Spider-Man movie, although they have confirmed both Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst will be returning to their lead roles.

Spider-Man has no plans tobe included in 2013's Avengers, either, as ol' Web-Head was never a member of the original Marvel Comics' Avengers team. Depending on the success of the fourth film in the Spider-franchise, however, even this could change. The movie will likely be McGuire's last time in the superhero suit, and how Sony / Columbia Pictures will take the property in the future is anyone's guess.

One other key point to consider is that it's Paramount, not Sony, behind the 2013 super-team mash-up movie. Sony has been very protective of its Spider-Man property, especially in the wake of the Marvel-Disney announcement last August. Nonetheless, Spider-Man 4 is set to swing into theaters and IMAX on May 5th, 2011.

*******

There's a war brewing in Hollywood of super heroic proportions, dabblers. I'm making the call now.

And I'll share my thoughtswith you on the 'battle that's yet to be' this week on abbracadabbling!

PLUS! Stay tuned into Studio 22 for even more Marvel Movie News -- all coming soon!