Tag: Watchmen

The first issue of “The Secret Service” arrives Wednesday from the very intriguing tandem of writer Mark Millar (“Kick-Ass,” “Wanted”) and artist David Gibbons (“Watchmen,” “Give Me Liberty”), and we’ve got some preview pages in the gallery above (you can view larger versions below). We caught up with Gibbons in a transatlantic phone call to talk about the new work and the echoes of a certain 1980s masterpiece that is back in the news these days. HC:  “The Secret Service” gets off to quite a start in this first issue. What are you finding most interesting about the project so far? DG: It’s slightly unusual in that it’s not a superhero book, and I’m really pleased it isn’t a superhero book, we’ve got enough of those. That isn’t to say that this is not a book about heroes or some larger-than-life situations. It ...

Fans hungry for talk of zombies and mutants can get their fill at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC, where writer Robert Kirkman will talk about his work for “The Walking Dead,” “Invincible,” “Ultimate X-Men” and his new project, “Super Dinosaur,” which he has described as “a Pixar movie on paper.” The question-and-answer session with Kirkman, hosted by Hero Complex writer Geoff Boucher, will be held in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center at 10:30 a.m. on April 21. Here are a few other events Hero Complex readers may want to check out at the festival, which runs April 21-22: • “With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story”: The documentary will screen at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. April 22 in the School for Cinematic Arts’ Ray Stark Theater. • “Graphic Novel: Drawing Outside the Lines”: ...

The landmark legacy of “Watchmen” and the intriguing future of  “Before Watchmen” will be center stage at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, with an on-stage Q&A featuring DC Entertainment co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio as well as a rare big-screen presentation of the director’s cut of Zack Snyder’s 2009 film “Watchmen.” “Watchmen” was the 12-issue series (1986-1987) by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons that arguably redefined the ambitions and literary stature of the American comic book. DC is returning to that universe with the ”Before Watchmen” project, which will launch a series of separate, multi-issue prequels – a bold move considering that Moore has publicly criticized the concept and will not be participating. Hero Complex lead writer Geoff Boucher will moderate the discussion with Lee and DiDio. The discussion is set for 1 p.m. on April 21 in USC’s ...

“Watchmen” didn’t just make comic-book history in 1986 with its sprawling, subversive doomsday tale, it became something close to a holy text for comic-book fans. That’s why the publishing news out of New York today will make some purists feel like it’s the end of the world. DC Comics is going back to the universe of “Watchmen” this summer by launching seven new prequel series that will collectively be referred to as “Before Watchmen,” marking the first time that characters such as Doctor Manhattan, Rorschach and the Comedian have appeared anywhere in comics since the original 12-issue series, which in a single-volume collection became the bestselling graphic novel of all time. For some fans, the project will be viewed with deep cynicism because of the absence of the “Watchmen” creators, writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, but others will ...

“The Dark Knight” might not have beaten “Slumdog Millionaire” in last year’s Oscar race, but it would’ve been interesting to see it given a chance.  And “Iron Man” versus “Doubt?”  Many would’ve chosen the Golden Avenger.  Now we will get to see these types of matchups since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has expanded the best picture field to 10. Of course, even with the expansion, some movies will still never have a chance in this category (“Watchmen,” probably way too polarizing), and aside from a couple of crowd- and critic-pleasers, many may not have the quality to compete. But as this news gently wafts over the awards world, we wonder how it can/will benefit the fanboy community. – Jevon Phillips RECENT AND RELATED Heath Ledger’s Oscar will not go to his parents after all “The Dark Knight” snubbed ...

UPDATED You’d think I’d know better than to bet against John Horn, the veteran reporter who covers the film industry for the Los Angeles Times. You see, I know movies, but John knows the movie industry, which is a whole different thing. The bet was on predicting the second-week grosses for “Watchmen,” the ambitious but imperfect super-hero epic that has the fanboy nation in wild debate about its merits and flaws. I assumed that all the ongoing stir meant that more people would go see the film out of curiosity (the opposite of love, after all, isn’t hate, it’s apathy — and I didn’t sense apathy about this movie); John shook his head, smirked and compared”Watchmen” to Ang Lee’s dour “Hulk,” which dropped so far so fast in its second week that studio executives got windburn. Horn predicted that it ...

Some films are "must-see," but "Watchmen" is more than that: Zack Snyder’s masked-man epic is  the "must-discuss" movie of 2009. Like some spandex-cinema version of "Eyes Wide Shut," "The Passion of the Christ" or "Fight Club," the movie has divided not only the critics but also the paying audience and, in a curious way, stirred debate among people who haven’t even seen it. "Watchmen" is the torrid topic on Twitter, an ongoing soapbox subject at YouTube, and the inspiration of a free-for-all on Facebook. One of my old friends has changed his Facebook photo to a frowning yellow face to mourn the movie’s failure; one of my other pals has changed his image to the pulsing blue face of Dr. Manhattan to celebrate the film’s triumph. For fans of the bestselling graphic novel of all time, it’s not enough to ...

Got a fun note from the vivacious Christie St. Martin (who you may know from her Funny Pages 2.0 blog) about the street-level celebration of the release of "Watchmen" up in Toronto. Check out these alley paintings….        The paintings can be seen be seen by vistors to Queen Street West, the popular shopping district, on the wall outside The Silver Snail, the popular comics shop. The three photos above are by Christie’s pal Jon Robertson. (He has a larger gallery of images on Facebook.) And Christie shot the photos below which show an elaborate (and quite striking!) window display at the Snail. And some very cool shots below…   – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED "Watchmen" screenwriter David Hayter on "moral certitude" VIDEO: "Watchmen," Saturday morning safe! The movie’s first weekend: $55 million "Watchmen" review by Kenneth ...

David Pierson at the Los Angeles Times has a rundown of the numbers for “Watchmen,” which opened on more screens than any R-rated film in history: Superhero blockbuster “Watchmen” dominated the weekend box office by grossing an estimated $55.7 million, scoring the biggest opening of any film this year. The much-anticipated adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel of the same name cements the draw of director Zack Snyder, who also directed the hit “300.” Although there was some industry expectation that it would do so, “Watchmen” fell short of matching the $70.9 million that “300″ took in during its opening weekend in March 2007. The question now is whether the $150-million “Watchmen” will carry past Snyder’s dedicated fan base in the coming weeks to win a broader audience. READ THE REST

UPDATED Los Angeles Times reporter John Horn, who writes about Hollywood, has been tracking the business side of "Watchmen" for months. Last week, he had an insightful piece on the film’s challenges finding an audience outside of die-hard fans, and in November, he wrote a detailed analysis of the nasty studio legal battle that put the project in jeopardy. Below is his latest "Watchmen" article, a piece on David Hayter. "Watchmen" has passed through the hands of several  filmmakers — Terry Gilliam, Paul Greengrass, Darren Aronofsky among them — and more than a few studios, including 20th Century Fox, Revolution, Universal and Paramount. Besides producer Larry Gordon, one person has been a consistent presence in the film’s most recent path to the multiplex, and that’s screenwriter David Hayter. Back when he was co-writing 2002’s "The Scorpion King," Hayter pitched Gordon ...