Recently, while reviewing comics, especially the freebies some companies are gracious enough to send to the Best Shots crew, I have found the question of value looming larger and larger in my considerations. Not value in the finicky collector sense, but value in a more abstract sense, , i.e. what does any issue give to the reader for their three or four dollars and, regardless of quality of the work, is it enough?

Comics, and by comics I mean the monthly floppies, not trades or graphic novels, undoubtedly offer the lowest price-to-entertainment value in pop culture. This is well trod ground. Readers lay out $3-$4 for something that may take them 20 minutes or less to read. Repeat reading value probably only exists in the cream of the crop, and, in these days of de-compressed plotting, a story with any sort of closure will cost you significantly more over the months or even years of its authorship. Taking all of this into consideration, how much narrative, great art, or long-term significance needs to be crammed into those 2 dozen or so pages to make it worth the cash?

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There are few conventions in comics as cherished as the gimmick weapon. Trick umbrellas, boxing-glove arrows, loaded boomerangs; these are all accepted and beloved staples of comic book storytelling. The “gimmick weapon” is also a fixture in martial arts films, and the godfather of all kung-fu gimmick weapons is a little piece of nastiness called the flying guillotine, a weapon brought to the height of prominence by the wildly influential classic Master of the Flying Guillotine (A.K.A. The One-Armed Boxer Vs. The Flying Guillotine).

The flying guillotine is kind of like a cross between a killer yarmulke and a yo-yo. It’s a beanie shaped decapitation machine attached to a chain, with sawtooth-edges on the outside rim and a ring of blades around its interior. It can be thrown like a giant throwing star to slice through an opponent’s neck or, if you’ve really got skills, you can throw the beanie over someone’s head like a lethal ring toss. The blades inside then drop down to the victim’s neck, and all you’ve got to do is give a little tug on the chain, and your quarry’s head pops off like a champagne cork. It also folds up to convenient pocket-size. It’s such a handy, obtuse little gadget, one can picture the flying guillotine being hawked by the Manchu dynasty equivalent of Ron Popeil or Billy Mays. “Decapitation is simple and fun with the flying guillotine! Order now and get a free Shaolin super-shammy!”

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The New York Times has a great article about Ruby Spears/Sid & Marty Krofft productions’ plan to develop some long-lost Jack Kirby concepts. Kirby apparently created scores of new characters while working as an artist for Ruby-Spears animation in the 1980′s, and the art on display in the piece is supposedly only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

The article showcases some wonderful, and very 1980′s, character concepts from the king of comics, including what appears to be a superteam of stage magicians, a female, super-villain-fighting Indiana Jones archetype, and a wonderfully off-the-chain, purely Kirby team called “The Gargoids”.

Apparently, there are crates of old Kirby stuff archived by Ruby-Spears, and whether or not Kirby’s legendary status is enough to propel these inventive, but decidedly idiosyncratic creations into the mainstream, is up in the air. At the very least, this stuff could make a kick-as coffee table book.

In the 1950’s, French film critics like Andre Bazin and Francois Truffaut came up with an idea called the “auteur theory” of film. Auteur theory basically says that film, an undeniably collaborative medium, should be evaluated and analyzed in terms of strong individual creators or “auteurs”. Anyone whose creative presence is so strong it dominates the making of a film can be an auteur. Auteur theory is important because it helped legitimize film criticism. At the same time, even the theory’s strongest proponents knew it was kind of a hustle. No movie is really the product of just one person, no matter how talented they are. Auteur Theory was a means to an end, an extremely helpful fallacy. The theory took hold and crossed over into mainstream criticism where it thrived because it indulged a very popular idea: The idea that nothing of artistic worth can ever be created by committee, and that only focused, singular visionaries can produce good art.

So, what does all this have to do with comics? Comics are now deep in an era where the concept of the celebrity creator has entrenched the idea of auteurism very deeply into the medium. Characters that were once infinitely bigger than any one writer or artist often find their popularity (and sales) dependent on the comings and goings of hyped talent. (more…)

When discussing the classic Kung-Fu films of Shaw Brothers studios, two directors always come to the forefront; Chang Cheh and Liu Chia-Lang. Both filmmakers are prolific and highly influential, both have their own distinct sensibility and both have made at least one film that connessieurs have dubbed  “The best kung fu film of all time”. Chang, of 5 Deadly Venoms fame, saw the martial arts film as a means to an end, an instrument for telling intense tales of brotherhood and virtue. For Liu Chia-Lang, however, the glorification of the martial arts was the end in and of itself. Basically, while Chang used martial arts as a tool to make a point, for Liu, martial arts were the point. (more…)

In a banner week for ill-conceived movie pitches, Variety has revealed Warner Bros. and Legendary pictures are in the process of producing a yankified GODZILLA film for 2012 release.

In all honesty, one can hardly conceive of a new flick being worse than 1998′s American re-make of GODZILLA (Godzilla is taken out by ONE sidewinder missile…Whaaaaa?) Nevertheless, this Godzilla fanatic can’t conceive of a single American or European director (besides, maybe, Quentin Tarantino) capable of shepherding the king of monsters through the Hollywood gauntlet without losing everything that makes the character so special. Sure, on the surface the GODZILLA formula seems pretty simple: Giant monster comes ashore at major city, crushes everything, breathes fire, maybe fights other monster, but the real appeal of this 5-decade old icon is more complex, a wonderful melange of earnestness,outlandishness, quaintness and foam latex that only the Japanese seem to get.

The core problem here is not just Hollywood’s tendency to stray from the essentials of co-opted properties, but the cultish appeal of the character itself. No matter how talented the director, no matter how high-concept the Hollywood “refinements”, its the blockbuster polish itself that will sand down any big-budget Gojira into indistinction. Do we really want to see GODZILLA with next-gen, cutting edge special effects? As talented as, say, Christopher Nolan or Guillermo Del Toro are, could you really concieve their  hypothetical auteur-infused visions of GODZILLA? Would it be GODZILLA all?

Then there is the 50+ years of Godzilla continuity to deal with, and the fact that filmmakers will have to choose between depicting the character as a terrifying avatar of nuclear holocaust, or the sauroid superhero he eventually became. On top of that, you just know that they’ll have to set the film in the US, which, to this fan, is kind of like making a Paul Bunyan movie and then setting it in France.

I’m all for a high-profile Kaiju-style monster flick, just don’t try and call it GODZILLA. The icon has too much baggage, too much context to work as a “legit” hollywood film. Even in a best case scenario  outcome with some a-list geek favorite talent behind the camera, something will be lost. Something you cant just buy with a $200 million budget alone.

Latino Review has broken the news that Matthew Vaughn, hot off KICK-ASS, is trying to scrape together the resources to bring 1990′s Valiant Comic character BLOODSHOT to the big screen.

For those of you who don’t know about BLOODSHOT, don’t feel bad. Bloodshot is one of the hundreds of  forgotten “extreme” creations of the variant-cover crazy 1990′s. First appearing in 1994, Bloodshot was a laundry list of pyrite age cliches. Like so many other 90′s creations, he was a cross between Wolverine and The Punisher: a nano-enhanced mob hitman re-animated by evil government scientists, and robbed of the memories of his past. Packing the obligatory high caliber firearms and clad in a vest with no shirt underneath, he blew people away in the name of revenge, justice, and speculator dollars. Not having read any BLOODSHOT, maybe I’m in no position to say whether this movie  is a good idea or not, but I do know one thing, Rob Liefeld must kick himself in the butt every morning for not thinking of the name “Bloodshot” first.

Vaughn, according to Latino Review, is in the process of self-funding the film, much as he did with KICK-ASS. If KICK-ASS tanks, this project will probably quickly disappear along with all hopes of an eventual WARRIORS OF PLASM motion picture.

Sometimes subtext can be as dangerous to a crusading superhero as death rays and ultra-powered lunatics. In comics, everything from coloring and inking to the juxtaposition of panels can send out subtle messages, messages that sometimes slip right past comic creators themselves.

case in point: This week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man, the latest episode in the ongoing “Gauntlet” storyline. ASM #621 pits Spidey against Yin-and-Yang powered Chinatown crime-boss Mr. Negative. Mr. Negative, an ex “snakehead” turned crime kingpin may be a more nuanced ethnic Chinese villain than the repulsive “yellow-peril” villains that have plagued comics all the way back to the very origins of the super-hero genre, but Negative’s modus operandi, which combines super-science with Chinese martial-arts mysticism, still leans heavily on cultural fears of the other and western stereotypes of eastern exoticism.  Mr. Negative has never been portrayed on the same level as overtly racist creations like The Yellow Claw or The Mandarin, but a sequence of panels in the latest issue of ASM leaves room for some pretty xenophobic interpretations of the rivalry between Spidey and this fan-fave, post “Brand New Day” villain:

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Most comic fans can remember that first, cherished comic story that got them hooked on the medium, that one 4-color masterpiece pulled off a bookstore shelf or a spinner rack that exploded in their brain like a gamma bomb, irradiating them forever with a love of comics. My personal indoctrination into comics, however, was a bit different. I wasn’t hooked by a story in an ongoing title, but by an introduction to a little publication called The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition. After absently shuffling through a friends copy of OHOTMUDE #1 during a bored moment in 6th grade science class, nothing was ever the same.

Unfortunately, an experimental exposure to DC’s counterpart encyclopedia Who’s Who did not have such an effect. In fact, I can say with a great degree of certainty that it was the relative lameness of Who’s Who that played a big part in my total lack of interest in DC comics during those formative years. Even now, decades later as I’ve embraced “brand ecch” and become hooked on DC titles like Secret Six, and Detective Comics, the shortcomings of Who’s Who still needle me. When a writer pulls some obscure DC character out of the continuity bag, I always reach for my dollar-bin acquired Who’s Whos, for a little perspective and they invariably let me down. With December’s announcement of a new Who’s Who in the works at DC, this DC-impaired fan of encyclopedic comic projects would like to put forth some suggestions on how to make this new Who’s Who the type of guide to the DC universe I always wished I had had:

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There’s an interesting paradox at the heart of the new Planet Hulk animated film. “Planet Hulk” the comic book arc was conceived as a diverting detour from the Hulk’s status quo, not to mention a lead in to a cros-over mega-event. In the comics, with hundreds of issues of prototypical Jekyll and hyde Hulk stories weighing writers and readers down, a riff like the Maximus-meets-John Carter vibe of “Planet Hulk” worked as a novel break, a bit of variety to spice up Hulky’s pulpy life. With “Planet Hulk” fans got a few months of something different knowing fully well that eventually the character would return to something close to his Jekyll/Hyde status quo. (more…)

As the pre-release hype machine gears up for Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman, the director of The Rocketeer, October Sky, and Jurassic Park 3, is letting slip some details regarding his next little low-key indie project, Captain America: The First Avenger.

Gadfly/columnist Devin Faraci at CHUD is breaking the news that Hitler-smacking super-team The Invaders will not only appear in the film, but they will also play a major role in the story. What is unclear is just who Johnston’s Invaders Roster will include, although Faraci does a pretty good rundown of the rights entanglements involved with characters like The Sub Mariner and The Human Torch.

This comes hot on the heels of the junket confirmation of The Red Skull’s presence as Cap’s primary villain in the film. Could Master Man and Baron Blood be far behind? Wolfgang Von Strucker.

Of course with Johnston directing The Wolfman, maybe we can look forward to something like this…

Z is for Zeitgeist. It’s also for zombie. With AMC ordering a pilot for an adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s WALKING DEAD, fans of the series have to be wondering if WALKING DEAD‘s small-screen translation will retain the character driven, anyone-can-die ruthlessness that separates the series from the shambling horde of zombie comics, movies, and novels.

If this script review at Corona Coming Attractions is accurate, Walking Dead fans need not worry. As Zombies make the slow stagger form pop-cultural boogeyman of choice to the butt of post-mdern jokes like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies It seems that renowned screenwriter/director Frank Darabont certainly sees Walking Dead the same way Kirkman must, as a way to take our zombies back.

At the very least, maybe this will pave the way for a Mad Men/Walking Dead crossover. Instead of shilling products to mindless consumer zombies, you could have Don Draper orchestrating campaigns for real Zombies. Just think of how great Mad Men‘s beautiful period sets would look splattered in entrails.

If they ever assembled a Justice League: North Pole, the founding members would be pretty obvious. There’s Rudolph and Charlie Brown, Ebenezer scrooge, and Frosty would be on the roster, the Grinch… but the superpower of warm fuzzy holiday sentiment isn’t limited to just the big guns. There’s a whole universe of audiovisual Christmas cheer out there waiting to be found. Pick your favorite TV show or cartoon, and there’s probably a very special Christmas episode for you to enjoy. Even Pac-Man had a Christmas special for crying out loud. The Grinch and Frosty will always be at the top of the holiday heap, but there are still a lot of lesser known Christmas specials that have more to offer than simple kitsch value. Consider these suggestions as a sort of JLA North Pole reserve. The Captain Marvel to Rudolph’s Superman, the Guy Gardner to Charlie Brown’s green lantern. (more…)

There are people who might criticize Chang Cheh’s, wu-xia epic, THE BRAVE ARCHER because it doesn’t have any archery. But complaining about THE BRAVE ARCHER’S lack of archery is kind of like complaining that Breakfast at Tiffany’s doesn’t have enough breakfast. THE BRAVE ARCHER is so densely packed with all the tropes that make kung-fu-films awesome, only a philistine would nitpick over a technicality like the complete omission of bows and arrows. (more…)

From the very first Minute of Chang Cheh’s Five Deadly Venoms, you can tell you’re watching something special. Venoms begins with the dying master of the Poison clan immersing himself in a cauldron of boiling water and calmly having a heart to heart chat with his last disciple. The Master, it seems, is quite upset that many of his clan’s students have turned evil. As his last request, he asks his acolyte to hunt down the rogue brothers of the Five Venoms School and restore the honor of the Poison Clan.

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They come from the shadows, striking silently…leaving behind only b-movies, Halloween costumes and tongue-in-cheek internet memes in their wake. They are the Ninja and as Ninja Assassin lurks in the mutiplex shadows, you might say the ninja is back…but some of us know they were always there. You just didn’t see them….y’know because they’re ninjas. Here’s a list of a few a noteworthy ninjas that might have stalked under your pop-culture radar. (more…)

The Twilight phenomenon is nothing new. It’s just the apotheosis of a sort of pop-cultural nosferatu makeover that has been chugging along since Anne Rice sent moody young romantics swooning with Interview With a Vampire way back in 1976. Purists may scoff at the melodrama and angst that have been infused into the sinister vampire archetype by authors like Stephenie Meyer or Laurell Hamilton, but nowadays, the real paroxysms of angst are coming from tormented horror fans who can’t stop moaning about the sparkling Nu-Vampire paradigm. Still, whining sourpuss fans should take heart. If you hunt hard enough, there are still plenty of counterpoints to the new moon that is rising, and even stories that integrate elements of the romanticized Nu-Nosferatu in a way even anti-Twilight curmudgeons can appreciate. Consider the following suggestions a sort of prescription for the current vampire epidemic going around, a treatment regime of literary inoculations and cinematic antidotes that can help you survive. (more…)

Sherlock Holmes is a character whose fame far outstrips the source material that birthed him. People seem to absorb Holmes lore via a sort of pop-cultural osmosis. You don’t have to read a word of Conan Doyle or even watch the movie adaptations to have Holmes indelibly etched on at least a tiny space in your brain. Like Tarzan, or even Superman and Batman, Sherlock Holmes is probably in your head whether you’ve made a conscious effort to put him there or not.

Holmes’ already prodigious profile is definitely on the ascendant these days. He’s featured in a comic series by Dynamite, TV hit House is, if not a straight adaptation, a definite riff on Holmes, and Holmes will even go head to head with zombies in the upcoming VICTORIAN UNDEAD. Most prominently in the zeitgeist, is second string Tarantino Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes film adaptation, a buddy action movie that threatens to bend the character out of all recognizable shape. With all of this Buzz floating around one of literature’s most enduring creations, it’s a good time to go back and look at the original legacy of a man who has a legitimate claim on the title “world’s first superhero”.

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