Via Warner Brothers’ youTube page, here’s some highlights from the GREEN LANTERN panel at the San Diego Comic Con.
Watch to the end to hear star Ryan Reyonlds recite the Green Lantern oath for a young fan.
Tag: DC Comics
DC Universe Online – Clip
Wild and dramatic action in this fully-rendered preview clip/trailer for the DC UNIVERSE ONLINE game, coming in November from Sony Online Entertainment and Warner Brothers Interactive.
The Executive Creative Director is Jim Lee, with writng from Geoff Johns, among others. Chris Cao (EverQuest) is the Game Director.
Voice cast includes Adam Baldwin, Kevin Conroy, Gina Torres, James Marsters, Michelle Forbes, and Mark Hamill.
The game will be playable on Mircosoft Windows and PlayStation 3.
Clip via GameHDTrailer’s Channel
'Green Lantern' Display -SDCC
ScreenRant is featuring a series of pictures of this ‘dead alien’ display from Warner Brother’s GREEN LANTERN at the San Diego Comic Con.
Green Lantern fans will easily identify the red-skinned extraterrestrial as Abin Sur, the Green Lantern who passed on his ring and mission to Hal Jordan.
The article says that Abin Sur will be created via CGI in the film (though enacted by STAR WARS’ Temuera Morrison), and that the manikin was created soley for display purposes.
This Green Lantern’s somewhat modified look, with the exposed muscle striations, might offer an explanation of the recent, similar look for Hal Jordan’s (Ryan Reynolds) uniform revealed on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
Perhaps we’ll see Jordan in more than one outfit in the course of the film, which would be ideal for toy-marketing purposes.
See the rest of the article, and several more pictures of the display at the link above.
First Look at 'Green Lantern'
Entertainment Weekly’s cover this week features the first picture of Ryan Reynold’s mostly CGI costume for Warner Brother’s GREEN LANTERN.
The magazine, which should hit newstands tomorrow, will also figure some behind-the-scenes info and an interview with Reynolds. He told them avout some of the effects work, such as being proppelled through the air on a wire “at up to 60 feet a second” for flying scenes.
Rayan Reynolds said of that experience: “The first time you do it, you’re seriously considering an adult diaper.”
Personally, my first impression is that I don’t care for the CGI suit or skinny mask with the trite “raccoon” eye make-up. This tradition started with the Tim Burton BATMAN, and I’ve always felt it was a step in the wrong direction for superhero costumes, giving them a weird, androgynous vibe.
The Green Lantern uniform looks like a DaVinci drawing: peeled flesh — very costume-designer inspired, rather than the somewhat utilitarian look a police force would more likely favor.
Maybe the ‘ring-construct’ look will grown on me, as time goes by.
Supergirl Returns To 'Smallville'
Entertainment Weekly reports that Laura Vandervoort (V) will reprise her role as Clark Kent’s Kryptonian cousin Kara this fall on SMALLVILLE’s Tenth and last Season.
The episode is said to be set to air tentatively in October.
When last we saw “Supergirl”, she had left Earth to search for the possibly surviving city of Kandor.
In Season Nine, we were shown that duplicates of soldiers defending that city had been made years before the ill-fated planet Krypton was destroyed.
Clark was forced to send them all — mistakenly released on our planet and lead to the brink of war against Earth by Zod — to a haven created for them by his father Jor-El in the seson finale of the CW Network show.
'Smallville' SPOILER Cast News
–WARNING: SPOILER–
IGN has a report of a former series regular returning for the September 24th premeire of SMALLVILLE’s tenth season.
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It’s not Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), though it’s been heavily hinted that his character is NOT dead. Instead, it’s another character, who has been deceased on the show for several seasons.
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In the seemingly very aptly named episode LAZARUS, John Schnieder returns as Johnathan Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive father — who died back in Season Five.
Is this an actual resurrection, or is the Lazarus of the title Clark Kent, last seen falling off the roof of a Metropolis sky-scraper with a super power-removing blue kryptonite dagger imbedded in his side? Or does it refer to the pronounced dead Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), last seen having her deathbed intruded upon by a mysterious matronly figure? Or the missing Green Arrow (Justin Hartley)?
Clark has seen his father return before in a dream-form, and as imitated by Brainiac (James Marsters), so it could be a near-death experience, or some other imposture — however, the item also says that John Schnieder will appear in “at least” one more episode in this new and final season.
I’m sure The CW hopes all the show’s fans will tune in.
Wonder Woman Gets Make-Over
–Sign Of A Film In Works?–
The New York Times reports that DC Comics is giving Wonder Woman a new costume, attitude, and back-story.
For Wonder Woman #”600″ (a bit of number juggling) the 69 year old Amazon will adopt a new costume designed by Jim Lee, and an “alternate history” provided by by J. Michael Straczynski (BABYLON 5).
In Straczynski’s reboot of her origin: “Wonder Woman, instead of growing up on Paradise Island with her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and her Amazon sisters, is smuggled out as a baby when unknown forces destroy her home and slaughter its inhabitants.”
Wonder Woman was created by Dr. William Moulton Marston (AKA Charles Moulton) a psychologist, feminist theorist, and inventor—responsible in helping to create the polygraph “lie detector”. With artist Harry G. Peters, he shaped Wonder Woman out of classic mythology and the new superhero tropes for 1941’s All Star Comics #8 (actually published by Max Gaines’ All-American comics group, later to merge with DC’s National Periodical Publications).
Though she was part of DC’s ‘Big Three’ for decades, interest in Wonder Woman’s comic books has not been super for a number of years. Save for a short time in the late 60’s when Diana Prince lost her powers and became an all white-wearing Emma Peel wanna-be, she’s always worn some variation of her orignal Americana-styled bodice and star-spangled shorts.
Michael Straczynski told the Times that he wanted to change the character’s costume when he was offered the title.
“She’s been locked into pretty much the exact same outfit since her debut in 1941… If you’re going to make a statement about bringing Wonder Woman into the 21st century, you need to be bold and you need to make it visual. I wanted to toughen her up, and give her a modern sensibility.
…What woman only wears only one outfit for 60-plus years?”
This updating, along with recent reports of interest by X-MEN producer Laura Shuler-Donner, may fuel hopes that a live action feature film WONDER WOMAN will finally escape from Development Hell. Even a strong sign that at least DC / Warner Brothers still has any serious interest in making one would be a positive step.
X-Men Producer Wants 'Wonder Woman'
Sci-Fi Wire reports from the Sci-Fi Awards that X-MEN producer Lauren Shuler Donner would like to produce a Wonder Woman feature.
“I’m campaigning to produce Wonder Woman for DC and Warners. They don’t want it, but I just think she’s the greatest character. She’s right up there, as you know, with Superman and Batman, the three of them…
Look, she’s a goddess and a superhero. How great is that? I think you need to stay close to the myth, but the studio I know wants to make it accessible, i.e., somewhat contemporary. I think there is a way to do it.”
A number of Hollywood talents have tired to come up with a script and for Dc’s biggest female hero that Warner Bros. would greenlight.
Joss Wedon (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) may have come closest, for producer Joel Sliver—but ultimately, the studio passed on the project.
It’s hard to judge how much interest there is for a stand-alone Wonder Woman film, both by fans and the studio.
Warners was all set to go with the character as part of the ill-fated Justice League movie, but there may be some skepticism that Princess Diana can support a tent-pole feature on her own.
DC Comics Now On PlayStation, iPhone
–Paradigm Shift For Comics Medium?–
Running a little behind on this news, as in a way it falls between the cracks of our coverage. But it’s a visual media, and targeted right at genre fans.
DC Comics announced a partnership with comiXology and PlayStation®Network for two separate digital comics distribution deals that launched Wednesday, June 23rd. 
A DC Comics App for the iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch is aslo available, allowing another way to access DC Comics’ content.
From DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution:
“At DC Comics, it has been a top priority that DC forges a meaningful, forward-looking digital strategy,” said Jim Lee, Co-Publisher, DC Comics. “As both a comic book creator and Co-Publisher, it was incredibly important that our plan includes not only creator incentive payments, but also an innovative component that supports comic shop owners. We see digital as an opportunity to grow our entire business.”
Both the comiXology and the PlayStation Network Digital Comics launch offerings will include classic titles from DC Comics, Vertigo and WildStorm, such as Batman: Hush, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Fables: Legends in Exiles and Planetary: All Over the World and Other Stories. Both programs will share a tiered pricing format, with digital comics priced from $.99 to $2.99 per issue. The Justice League: Generation Lost mini-series will be available through both platforms day and date with each issue’s print edition on-sale date, with both the digital and print editions priced at $2.99. Several comics will be available for free at launch, including the first installment of the ZUDA series Bayou and select stories from Batman: Black & White.
To further promote [Wednesday’s] announcement, DC Comics is offering a free 10-page preview of the 700th issue of Superman available through both platforms, day and date with the issue going on sale in comic book stores. The 10 page story is a prelude to writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Eddy Barrows’ highly anticipated “Grounded” storyline that will be published in Superman which will examine how Superman sees America, and how America sees Superman.
“Grounded is a major turning point in the history of Superman,” said Dan DiDio, Co-Publisher of DC Comics. “This storyline has the potential to generate national headlines and bring new readers the series.”
Certainly an interesting development. Is it a good thing, bringing in new or lapsed comics fans?
Or is it another nail in the coffin for tradional print medium comic books and distribution?
Al Williamson, Himan Brown – RIP
– FLASH GORDON Has Lost Two ‘Fathers’-
JUNE’s been a rough month for Flash Gordon. Two men important to his legend and legacy have passed on.
On June 12th, Alfonso “Al” Williamson , talented comic strip and book artist, passed away at 79. Williamson worked on many adventure and science fiction/fantasy features, most notably King Feature’s 1960’s FLASH GORDON comic book.
Long a fan of Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon strip, Al Williamson would draw Raymond’s Secret Agent X-9 for several years, and later Flash— using a style that suggested the richly detailed and realistically rendered look of Raymond’s Flash Gordon Sunday strips, resulting in some outstanding comic book work.
In the ’50s Williamson worked for EC Comics on titles that included Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, sometimes collaborating with artists such as Frank Frazetta and Wally Wood. He also contributed to Warren Publishing’s Creepy and Eeerie magazines.
In the 1980’s Al Williamson become George Lucas’s favored STAR WARS artist, working on both comic books and the newspaper strip.
He also worked, mainly as an inker, for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. In 1995, he did a special two-issue Flash Gordon comic for Marvel.
Al Williamson was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Earlier this month, on June 4th, famed radio creator-director-producer Himan Brown passed away, just a few weeks short of his 100th birthday. Brown contibuted to something in the area of 30,000 radio episodes in a 70-year career.
In April of 1935, Brown launched The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, a 26-episode weekly radio serial for the Mutal Brodcasting system. Transcribed in New York, this version of Flash Gordon stayed very close to the Sunday strip for most episodes.
The actor playing Flash was a young Gale Gordon, who later moved to California and became known as a crusty comic foil on radio and televison, familar to most as Mr. Wilson on TV’s DENNIS THE MENACE and Mr. Mooney on THE LUCY SHOW.
A longer-running Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon had its own independent storylines, bringing Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov into a war in Atlantis, as a syndicated series that ran through 1936.
Producing for both syndication services and major radio networks, Brown would work with talents such as Orson Welles, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and others. His comic strip and genre-related shows included Bulldog Drummond, Dick Tracy, The Gumps, and Terry and the Pirates.
Perhaps his most memorable and influential show he did was Inner Sanctum, which dealt with mysteries, horror, and science fiction themes, hosted by the sardonic narrator, Raymond (Raymond Everrett Johnson, also Radio’s Mandrake the Magician). THE TWILIGHT ZONE and similar programs owe more than a little to this series. Brown also produced the ’50s INNER SANCTUM TV show.
In later years, Himan Brown produced the CBS Radio Mystery Theater from 1974 to 1984.
FLASH GORDON remains in active delevopement as a feature film from Sony/Columbia Pictures, to be directed by Breck Eisner (THE CRAZIES).