Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

So, does it work for you?

Robert Downey Jr: "F**k DC Comics"

"My whole thing is that that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."

--Robert Downey Jr.

I'll be honest with you, I caught the first 20 minutes or so of "Dark Knight" and felt no motivation to see the rest of the film. It didn't pull me in, it didn't compel me to want to see more or to care about the characters. I'm sorry. It was just like when I watched "Batman Begins" -- technically, a beautiful movie. Intelligent. Great performances. Pristinely shot. No motivation to see it again, no moments of wonder that I look back on fondly and remember. Just cold and beautiful.

In contrast, "Iron Man" grabbed me by the throat and said: "CARE ABOUT ME!" From the very first scene to the very last scene.

Since I found the "Spider-Man" movies to be very much in the same vein as "Iron Man," and "Superman Returns" more along the lines of the new Batman movies, is this just going to be a stylistic difference between these two studios? Can WB make a "Green Lantern" movie, for example, that can have the life and personality of an "Iron Man?"

Not saying "Dark Knight" is better than "Iron Man," or is a bad film. Just saying that "Iron Man" had a lot of heart, and when I think of "heart," I don't think of "Dark Knight."

And lovelovelovelovellovelove me some Robert Downey Jr.

Obadiah Stane T-Shirt

I'm not usually motivated to purchase wacky T-shirts online but this one got my attention:


That was such a key line in the "Iron Man" movie, wasn't it? "You morons, Tony Stark built this friggin' armor in a cave with two paperclips and some saliva, and you can't duplicate it with all my millions?"

Ah, Jeff Bridges. No longer "The Dude," playing "The Man."

Shirt from Neighborhoodies.

Captain America's Shield In Iron Man Movie?

Is that Captain America's shield in one "Iron Man" movie scene?

And if it is -- what does it mean?

In the cinematic Marvel Universe, does Tony Stark build the shield that Captain America will eventually use?

And if this is is the shield, was it originally in the film? Or added later as a way to tie the proposed Captain America movie into the mythos?

(via toysrevil)

Comics Are Expensive: Invincible Iron Man #1

Comics Are Expensive is brought to you by noted Expertologist Chris Lamb

I wasn’t going to buy comics this week. Really. There’s still books from NYCC to talk about, after all, and I’m still very, very poor. But I pick up a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a friend, see, and well...

I managed to get out for under ten dollars, though, so I suppose that’s something. Next week I should be back to picking up new things again, which will satisfy the maddening itch that inevitably takes over the back of my brain every Wednesday. In the meantime, it’s a bit of a short one this week, with just the one book to talk about. I’ll try to be back to my usual level of verbosity next time. Potential spoilers lurk ahead, as usual.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist: Salvador Larroca

Opening up Invincible Iron Man on the walk through Madison Square Park back to work, a realization hit me: this is the first Iron Man comic I’ve ever bought. Oh, I’ve read plenty of them – friends have tossed me runs of “Demon in a Bottle” and “The Armor Wars” over the years, both of which were great. I’ve just never felt moved to pick up any of the character’s solo stories myself. To be honest, I probably would have left this on the shelf if not for the helpful confluence of three things: enjoying the hell out of the Iron Man movie last week, my girlfriend mentioning she’d like to read some of the comics if I had any, and Matt Fraction’s name on the cover.


The Iron Man movie succeeded on a number of levels – its cast was excellent, the story was remarkably tight, getting through the obligatory origin and first villain fight with hardly any fat, and the pacing ensured even the quieter bits never slowed things down too much. It was the sort of movie-going experience that left me wanting more the moment the house lights came up, creating a near-desperate need for something as clever and fun as the movie to maintain the happy momentum I was buzzing with all through dinner afterwards and on the way home. I’d never considered myself a big Iron Man fan (at least, not outside the old Avengers arcade game), but for a version of the character more like Downey Jr’s take and less That-Guy-Getting-Deservedly-Punched-In-She-Hulk-This Month, I was wholeheartedly ready to sign up.


Which makes Invincible Iron Man just about the perfect thing to find on the shelves the Wednesday after seeing the movie. The history of comics trying to align themselves with versions of the characters seen in their movies is one of botched attempts and missed opportunities, with companies either hijacking the long-term plans and storylines of their creative teams in the name of potential new readers or going the other way and completely ignoring the chance to appeal to them. Marvel deserve a lot of credit then for hitting upon a solution that works better than any in recent memory – rather than toss out all the continuity of the last few years that has positioned Tony Stark as arguably the most important character in the Marvel Universe, launch a new series that streamlines it all, presenting the character as both superhero and director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and written to feel more like the character so many came out of the theater in love with.

The result is the best take on Tony Stark I’ve seen in years – he’s funny, arrogant (but deservedly so), brilliant to a fault, and so completely convinced that what he’s doing at any given moment is the right thing that it’s hard to doubt him. The weight of what the character has been through in the last few years seems less apparent here, and while it’s just the first issue I can’t help but feel that it won’t be showing up any time soon. It’s part of why Invincible Iron Man is such a good idea – if you want to see Stark continue to wrestle with the aftermath of the Civil War or fight Skrulls or whatever, there’s the other on-going Iron Man title (and much of the rest of Marvel’s output, frankly). Invincible Iron Man looks to be (and with any luck, will turn out to be) an event-free zone. It’s the solo adventures of Iron Man doing what he does best – finding problems and applying his big brain to solving them.



The first problem of the series appears in the form of Ezekiel Stane, son of the late Obidiah and genius mass-murdering psycho. Whatever his plan is, it’s clear he’s been working on it for a while – Ezekiel’s body has been modified to take advantage of its excess energy in rather nasty ways, and he’s been creating human bombs out of what looks all too much like Iron Man tech. He’s clearly being positioned as a younger, faster counter to Stark’s entrenched ways of doing things, and the inevitable confrontation is all but guaranteed to end in a mess. Ezekiel is a smart choice for an opening villain, tying not only into the villain from the movie but also echoing the theme of the son overcoming the father from both the comics and the screen. You’re an old-school Iron Man fan? Great, here’s something for you. Your only exposure to the character is two hours in a dark room with Robert Downey, Jr? Then hey, here’s something for you, too.


As mentioned earlier, Matt Fraction’s involvement was another draw for picking up the book, and he doesn’t disappoint. Fraction’s grasp of the characters is immediate and extremely satisfying, from the back and forth between Tony and Pepper in the elevator to Tony’s inability to stop thinking of new things to add to the suit even when being shot at and beyond. I can’t say how much of it rings true with the how the characters have been written recently, but honestly, I don’t really care. It’s smart, it’s believable, and most importantly, it’s exactly what I wanted. While Larroca’s art varies from beautiful in places to a bit muddy in others, it’s nice to see him producing work again that’s not photo-referenced to the point of distraction. Between the two of them, this arc stands to be something truly lovely, and I really can’t wait to see it continue.

Perhaps most important of all, though, is this is the first Marvel comic in a while that I’ve immediately wanted to start pushing on people. While no movie is going to send a million people into the shops like Burton’s first Batman did, Marvel’s approach to creating a friendly point of entry here has produced a book that can be handed off to pretty much anybody without an afternoon spent explaining why the character here isn’t like what they saw on the screen. And maybe that’s the way to hook those interested in more of the character but put off by the years and years of continuity: put out a version of the character that can be easily passed from comics readers to their uninitiated friends that’s both easy to get in to and doesn’t throw the current status quo into utter disarray. If Invincible Iron Man can continue with the same strength and grace it’s opening with, then comics may have found the recipe for the perfect gateway drug.

BUY STATUS: Very much in for the foreseeable future. I was still a bit bummed over Brubaker and Fraction leaving Iron Fist, but this could very well take its place as my favorite Marvel book.

And that’s it for this week. Again, apologies for the extremely short installment, and for the every-other-week nature of the column recently – the day job making videogames is taking up more and more of my time and energy as things get busier, so I’m afraid it might be the norm for a while. Thanks for your (and Val’s) patience with me, and with any luck things should eventually return to normal. In the meantime, if there’s anything I should be reading or talking about, drop a suggestion in the comments thread or via email to chrislamb@gmail.com. See you next time.

The Hollywood Summer Blockbuster: No Woman's Land?

This interesting article in the New York Times, "Is There A Real Woman In This Multiplex," bemoans the lack of women-oriented or woman-starring movie offerings this summer:

"Nobody likes to admit the worst, even when it’s right up there on the screen, particularly women in the industry who clutch at every pitiful short straw, insisting that there are, for instance, more female executives in Hollywood than ever before. As if it’s done the rest of us any good. All you have to do is look at the movies themselves — at the decorative blondes and brunettes smiling and simpering at the edge of the frame — to see just how irrelevant we have become."

This article brings up several questions for me:

1. Has Hollywood, like the comic book industry before it, decided that females are not a viable audience?

2. What movies DO women watch? In what format? Theater, DVD, what?

3. Does Hollywood assume that women either do not watch movies in theaters or will go to wherever their significant others will take them to see or that they are so busy mopping floors that they haven't even given the topic much thought?

4. Is a movie like "Indiana Jones," as mentioned in the article, not a movie of female interest because Indy and his sidekick themselves are not females? Or is this sort of reductionist?


5. According to the article, the amount of female movie directors is something like 6%. Is this the movie studios fault for not hiring these women? Are these women not applying for the director track? Are they not applying to the director track because they are not interested, or because they are discouraged from doing so in school?

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I had problems with the movie "Iron Man" only in as much as the only character I cared to identify with had a penis. Since this is all fantasy anyway, maybe there really isn't much of a problem really there. Maybe, even without a penis, I can achieve my dream of becoming a boozy egotistical millionaire born-again peacenik in a metal suit, if I tried really really hard.

Maybe the problem is just my lack of imagination.

Fangirl Fridays for May 2, 2008

An Iron Man movie poster mashup found in a Japanese subway, via Neatorama

What, No "Iron Woman"?
So the BF used a bit of foresight and ingenuity and scored tickets for us to see "Iron Man" yesterday. This makes the fourth superhero movie we've seen together in the movie theater, the others being "Ghost Rider," "Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer," and "Spider-Man 3."

What frustrates me about movies like "Iron Man" -- despite the fact that I did enjoy it on many levels -- is that there is no real female role-model for me to latch on to. Certainly I think Pepper Potts is an improvement on such cinematic comic book heroines as Mary Jane and Vicki Vale (and whoever the hell Katie Holmes played in "Batman Begins"). But, she is, in the end, an assistant -- an "invaluable helpmeet" to be sure, but in the end just a glorified Miss Moneypenny.

I know what it's like being the faithful assistant to a wunderkind. And, you know, it's great to be told "if you didn't do these monthly reports, I don't know where I would be!" But at some point in my life, it was very clear to me that this was not what I wanted (even though the pay is great). I wanted to be the one creating and expressing myself. And so I see movies like "Iron Man" and I identify with the male lead character instead of the female.

And I think the movie can certainly be enjoyed by women; but I found it very "male." You may disagree, which is fine. I find the Batman films, with the exception of "Batman Returns," very much in the same vein. I think the original Superman film boasted a far more independent and proactive character in Lois Lane. And gender & sexuality in the X-Men films were far more balanced & fluid.

Stumble This!
I've been maintaining a StumbleUpon account for some time now under the name Bytetopia. It was just a place I put all my bookmarks and interesting photos. Well, it has turned into somewhat of a (obsessively updated) blog on its own, with a heavy accent on images. Feel free to check it out and become a fan or add it to your RSS feed. I will sometimes put stuff to blog at a future time on there so I don't forget, so you might find some interesting bits.

San Diego, Here I Come?
Maybe.

That's it! Have a great weekend, peoples.

Val Reviews The Movie "Iron Man"

Reenactment of key scene in "Iron Man"

"Batman Begins" may be more "arty," "Spider-Man" might have been more of a built-in "instant" blockbuster, but I think "Iron Man" is one of the best superhero films ever made.

This couldn't have been possible without the bravura performance of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that if it wasn't for him and the other top actors in the supporting roles, certain elements in "Iron Man" could have been downright painful to watch. The nondescript but heavily "coded" terrorist bad guys who look like they stepped out of a 1989 direct-to-video action-adventure film. The whole Tin Man "if I only had a heart" extended metaphor. Pepper Potts in a throwback Miss Moneypenny super-secretary capacity. The evil industrialist bad guy who dons super-armor (Green Goblin, anyone?)

But, Downey Jr.'s performance is so intense and so sincere that it outshines all of the cliches and weaknesses in the plot. He is electrifying, and you can't take your eyes off of him when he is on screen. He owns this movie.

Also, the special effects, which are a combination of live-action & CGI, are seamless. Seeing Iron Man fly through the air at sonic speed, he seems completely real & tangible. And when the helmet closes over Tony Stark's head, the personality of the human within the armor doesn't go away. He doesn't become a cartoon.

"Iron Man" is to superhero movies what the recent "Casino Royale" was to James Bond movies. It's a good movie first. It has its fan-service moments, but they are deftly woven into the narrative. "Batman Begins" was also like this, but had a certain ponderousness that "Iron Man" lacks. "Iron Man" is pure adrenalin, pure action.

Spoilers
A special note should be made about the last bit of footage after the credits. I don't want to completely spoil it, but let's just say that a massive fanboy orgasm rippled through the mostly-empty theater as a certain character appeared on the screen. The ultimate (or is that Ultimate?) in fan-service, to be sure. But my skin had goosepimples. 'Cause I'm a bit of a nerd. But thanks to movies like "Iron Man," what was once considered "nerdy" is now mainstream summer blockbuster material.

What did you think of "Iron Man"?

Iron Man Movie Vs. Hulk Movie

I overheard these two businessmen in an elevator debate the merits of the CGI animation in the upcoming Iron Man & Hulk movies:

"The CGI on Iron Man is better. The armor looks real."

"The Hulk's face looks like a cartoon."

"Yeah, I think some of it is like it's harder to animate an actual face than armor. I think as humans we're programed to recognize real faces as opposed to realistic CGI ones. I can't get past the face."

What do you think? Which film are you looking forward to more?

(Personally, I never had a problem with the original Hulk movie, other than the irradiated hulk-poodles)

Superheroes Take Over Vogue Magazine

I took a double-take when I saw the cover of May's Vogue Magazine -- it had an Iron Man helmet on the cover!

Of course, it also had Gwyneth Paltrow hawking her new movie. But I thought the fact that mainstream comics made the cover of Vogue was pretty neat.


But that's not all -- there's also several superhero-inspired photo spreads, including:

• Paltrow posing with various Iron Man equipment
  
• Haute Couture superhero costumes -- including Poison Ivy and Catwoman
• A model posing with Tom Welling (yow!)
  
• Another shoot with the introductory text: "A shimmering flash from the dynamic duo of satin and statement jewels...the flutter of a fluid silhouette like like a crusader's cape -- summer's supercharged looks befit any radiant heroine

There's an insert booklet with Alex Ross cover art advertising The Costume Institute's "Superheroes Fashion and Fantasy" show (sponsored by Giorgio Armani) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Armani is quoted in the booklet:

"The power of fashion, like the power of the superhero, lies in its ability to bring excitement and hope to everyday life."

The article that accompanies the Costume Institute article analyzes various superhero costumes in terms of their symbolism and influence on high fashion. For example:

""The Postmodern Body," personified by the Punisher (1974) and Ghost Rider (1972), is a contemporary take on the idea of graphic signifiers, an eclectic mix of gang fashion and style."

Postscript: With magazine sales at new lows and a hurt economy making women more wary about purchasing high-end fashion items, might publications like Vogue be trying to court a more general audience with pop-culture stories on summer blockbusters and the like?

I would be interested in seeing the sales numbers on this issue.

Smiling somewhere:

Occasional Links: The Full-Bodied Muppet Edition

Comic Mix wonders if the Siegel Superman ruling will hurt comic creators in the end...


The new Jason Voorhees has been cast

Read a Golden Age "Senorita Rio" story drawn by classic Teen Titans artist Nick Cardy!


Plastic bag subway animals (trippy)

This one only for the most hard-core toy fans in the audience:
Hasbro store mistakes Iron Man figure's shoulder armor as cute hat


Michael Keaton Batman costume nets over $100,000 in auction

Who would win in a four-way grudge match between Keaton, Adam West, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney?

"Sweded" Dark Knight trailer:



Yahoo counts down the top ten mismatched movie couples



Classic Twilight Zone episode being greenlit for movie

The Transformers sequel is already being filmed? Really?

Super-cool Quentin Tarantino montage:



Check out this awesome optical illusion of The Thing

Leaked! The plot of the new Muppet Movie


How a full-bodied Muppet works

Is Dane Cook America's worst comedian? It's down to Dane, Robin Williams, Dave Coulier, and Jay Leno

Meanwhile, America asks Jay for his best "gay face."

The OS Hot Ten For 2/7/08

10. Firestar (because David & Rich asked for it)















9. Zuda's Strangle/Switch



8. Barry Kitson on Amazing Spider-Man





















7. Bedard Back On Birds Of Prey (or so they say this month)



















6. Dirk Deppey Vs. Girl Wonder
















5. Gail Simone Vs. Dave Sim
























4. Colbert Vs. O'Brien Vs. Stewart












3. Doctor Who Season Four Trailer
















2. Iron Man Superbowl Trailer














1. Wolverine and the X-Men Trailer

Will Nick Fury Be Replaced By Ultimate Nick Fury?

image found as a wallpaper on Superhero Universe

This one has been on my mind for a while, and I base it on nothing but the Ultimate version of Nick Fury's (or, as he's known, "Samuel L. Jackson") appearance in the Marvel movies and now toys.

First, Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury in the upcoming Iron Man movie. Then, I heard that he's making an appearance in the new Incredible Hulk movie as well. While the universe in those films is not the explicit Ultimate universe, the choice of Jackson seems to denote an Ultimate version Fury (a character that was designed to look like the actor).

Now, while browsing through Hasbro's Marvel Super Hero Squad website, I see an upcoming Nick Fury figure -- in the Ultimate, Samuel L. Jackson style!

To be fair, there are a number of figures in that kid's toy line that are Ultimized, such as Giant Man.

But, I do wonder if one day the popular Ultimates Nick Fury will "replace" in some form the Marvel Universe Fury -- if only to have the comics fit more with the movies.

Would hardcore Fury fans balk at this?

I wouldn't mind the change; I'm fine with the Ultimates Fury. But, I am not a hardcore Nick Fury fan.

"Iron Man" as a Political Allegory?

MTV News reports on a Terrence Howard interview where he basically describes the upcoming "Iron Man" flick as analogous to the Vietnam War and how it relates to more current events:

"Is 'Iron Man' An Anti-War film? Castmember Terrence Howard sure seems to think so, describing “Iron Man” as “a modern-day comparison to what took place in 1973 when this Tony Stark character was invented.”

Howard also said that working with the Department of Defense on the film was a little "constrictive."

Click here for a clip of the interview.

Iron Man Movie Teaser From Comic Con

NOT my footage, but found on YouTube and has been circulating like crazy.

Pants had to be changed at Casa Del Occasional Superheroine after viewing these clips.

It looks really, really good. Downey is perfect and between him and Ed Norton doing "Hulk," I think Marvel is putting out enough solid movie product to tide viewers over until "Spider-Man 4" and the Wolverine movie.

Added: seems this footage is getting pulled left and right on YouTube, so here is a description of what you see:

Tony Stark: "I am cranky, sexy, arrogant, and badass! And smart!"

Pretty reporter: "Some say you are the modern-day Leonardo DiVinci! What do you think of that?"

Tony Stark: "I am badass! And dead sexy!"

Then Tony is riding in some SUV in Afghanistan or Iraq or wherever and gets caught up in an explosion. He wakes up and some mysterious guy like Liam Neeson in "Batman Begins" tells Tony,

"Without this machinery I've put in your heart, you will die."

Tony: "I know, I will build armor."

So then we see that classic silver "boxy" armor from the early days and everybody's like: "oh man this is so cool ahhhhhh!!!!"

Then we see that better, more modern yellow-and-red armor and now we've got the CGI and he's flying and shooting things.

It was awe-some.

Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury In
"Iron Man" Movie?

News via AICN.

If this really happens, I will plotz.

I think it's really happening.

Commence plotzing.