Issuu

THE ULTIMATE COMICS EXPERIENCE!

A ug u s t

20 0 4

Turn OVER OVER For For Flip Flip Cover Cover by by Adam Hughes! Turn

AMAZONIAN COMICS IN HOLLYWOoD ISSUE! HULK-iNG, EVEN!

N$5o..955 excl us INTE R ive VIE tv hu W lk LOU FE RR IGNO

SU TO PE R O Y NS DI OU DN SE ’ T E

Y RR Y JE WA D L OR NCI PE RT A

itthh w i w w e i w errvvie , t n e , n i a t n n i n m a A o n m A err WWo

de n d o n W o W s TTVV’’s ST A TR R EK CO in MIC S

R E T R A C A LYND

A plea from the publisher of this fine digital periodical: TwoMorrows, we’re on the Honor System with our Digital Editions. We don’t add Digital Rights Management features to them to stop piracy; they’re clunky and cumbersome, and make readers jump through hoops to view content they’ve paid for. And studies show such features don’t do much to stop piracy anyway. So we don’t include DRM in our downloads.

However, this is COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, which is NOT INTENDED FOR FREE DOWNLOADING ANYWHERE. If you paid the modest fee we charge to download it at our website, you have our sincere thanks. Your support allows us to keep producing magazines like this one. If instead you downloaded it for free from some other website or torrent, please know that it was absolutely 100% DONE WITHOUT OUR CONSENT. Our website is the only source to legitimately download any TwoMorrows publications. If you found this at another site, it was an ILLEGAL POSTING OF OUR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, and your download is illegal as well. If that’s the case, here’s what I hope you’ll do: GO AHEAD AND READ THIS DIGITAL ISSUE, AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK. If you enjoy it enough to keep it, please DO THE RIGHT THING and go to our site and purchase a legal download of this issue, or purchase the print edition at our website (which entitles you to the Digital Edition for free) or at your local comic book shop. Otherwise, please delete it from your computer, since it hasn’t been paid for. And please DON’T KEEP DOWNLOADING OUR MATERIAL ILLEGALLY, for free. If you enjoy our publications enough to download them, support our company by paying for the material we produce. We’re not some giant corporation with deep pockets, and can absorb these losses. We’re a small company—literally a “mom and pop” shop—with dozens of hard working freelance creators, slaving away day and night and on weekends, to make a pretty minimal amount of income for all this hard work. All of our editors and authors, and comic shop owners, rely on income from this publication to continue producing more like it. Every sale we lose to an illegal download hurts, and jeopardizes our future. Please don’t rob us of the small amount of compensation we receive. Doing so helps ensure there won’t be any future products like this to download. And please don’t post this copyrighted material anywhere, or share it with anyone else. Remember: TwoMorrows publications should only be downloaded at

www.twomorrows.com TM

TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. (& LEGO! ) TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

All the world’s waiting for it!

The Ultimate Comics Experience!

Volume 1, Number 5 August 2004 Celebrating the Best Comics (and Comics Cinema) of the '70s, '80s, and Today! EDITOR Michael Eury

“COMICS in Hollywood” issue

EDITORIAL .............................................................................................................................................................................................2 The intertwined worlds of comic books and cinema MARVEL ON TV: Lou Ferrigno interview .................................................................................................................3 An all-new chat with television’s Incredible Hulk, and a special cartoon by John Lustig

PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Robert (Wonder Boy) Clark PROOFREADER Eric Nolen-Weathington SCANNING AND IMAGE MANIPULATION Rich Fowlks COVER ARTISTS Alex Ross Adam Hughes WONDER WOMAN CREATED BY William Moulton Marston SPECIAL THANKS Mike W. Barr Anina Bennett John Byrne Lynda Carter Dave Cockrum Ken Danker Thomas Derenick Donfeld Dick Durock Jim Emmons Jeannie Epper Lou Ferrigno Dick Giordano William Goldberg Mark Goldblatt Frank Gorshin Grand ComicBook Database Paul Guinan Linda Harrison Heritage Comics Walt Howarth Adam Hughes Internet Movie Database Klaus Janson Phil Jimenez Dan Johnson Ted Latner Cloris Leachman John Lustig

oOur

Rick Magyar Andy Mangels Charles McKimson Darrell McNeil Todd and Johna Miller Brian K. Morris Mike Nasser Jerry Ordway George Pérez Adam Philips Melissa Prophet John Romita, Sr. Alex Ross Stanley Ralph Ross Steve Rude Rose RummelEury Peter Sanderson Saundra Sharp Robert Shields Joel Thingvall Anne Timmons Alex Toth TV Tome Ricardo Villagran Lyle Waggoner B.J. Ward Jim Warden Mike Zeck

MARVEL ON TV continued: Marvel Super-Heroes, As Seen on CBS-TV ....................................7 Cast and episode lists for Marvel Comics’ live-action series and specials THE GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: The Greatest Series Never Sold...............................11 Scooby-Doo Meets the Super-Heroes, Teen Titans, and other toons you didn’t see BACKSTAGE PASS: Lynda Carter: She’s Still a Wonder ...........................................................................17 An exclusive interview with television’s Wonder Woman, with photos and rare art galore BACKSTAGE PASS continued: Wonder Woman: TV Allies and Associates Dossier.....................................................................................37 Lyle Waggoner, Cloris Leachman, and others ruminate on the TV series and heroine COLOR ART GALLERY: Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman .....................................................................50 Costume designs by Donfeld, plus pinups by Giordano, Guinan, Hughes, Jimenez, Ross, and Timmons OFF MY CHEST: John Romita, Sr. .................................................................................................................................57 The legendary Marvel Comics artist discusses Spider-Man on screen in a guest editorial ROUGH STUFF: Jerry Ordway ..........................................................................................................................................61 Spotlighting the pencil artwork of one of comics’ most popular artists BEYOND CAPES: Mike W. Barr’s Star Trek Comic-Book Memories...........................................................................................71 The Enterprise’s foray into funnybooks, courtesy of a writer who’s boldly gone on the ride with them DVD BACK ISSUES, PART ONE........................................................................................................................................78 A checklist of comics to film to DVD CALLING THE SHOTS: An Interview with Punisher (1989) Director Mark Goldblatt .......................................................................................................................................................83 A behind-the-scenes look at the Marvel-inspired film BACK IN PRINT: The Doom Patrol Archives ...........................................................................................................89 Are these upscale reprints worth their price tags? NEW IN PRINT: The Doom Patrol by John Byrne ............................................................................................91 A chat with the writer/artist about his reworking of DC’s strangest heroes BACK TALK.........................................................................................................................................................................................93 Reader feedback on issue #3, with a wonderful Pérez pinup BACK ISSUE™ is published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. BACK ISSUE Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 5060A Foothills Dr., Lake Oswego, OR 97034. Email: euryman@msn.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $30 Standard US, $48 First Class US, $60 Canada, $66 Surface International, $90 Airmail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin, Teen Titans, Rima the Jungle Girl, Super Friends, Superman, Aquaman, Blackhawk, B’wana Beast, All-Star Squadron, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Power of Shazam!, the Joker, and the Doom Patrol TM & © 2004 DC Comics. The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and all other related characters TM & © 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc. Bobbie Joe and the Outlaw © 1976 American International Pictures. Hawkeye © 1994 Stephen J. Cannell Productions. Inc. Scooby-Doo TM & © 2004 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. All American Girl and Spirit of ’76 TM & © 2004 Gold Medal Productions. Star Trek TM & © 2004 Paramount Pictures. Wildstar TM & © 2004 Al Gordon and Jerry Ordway. TV Guide® Magazine TM & © 2004 TV Guide Magazine Group, Inc. The Archies TM & © 2004 Archie Comics Group. All editorial matter © 2004 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

Remember the first time you became aware of a super-hero? dropping “dueling Lynda Carter Wonder Woman” flip covers by Alex Ross and Adam Hughes (and

That medium, for many, was television.

In all likelihood, you discovered superheroes in a medium other than comic books.

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

yes, you are permitted to buy two copies of BACK

I was barely in grade school when Adam

ISSUE #5 if you can’t decide which cover to display

West camped up the Caped Crusader in 1966.

face up). Andy has worked very hard on this issue,

My parents had used comic books to encourage me

but given his passion for the subject matter, it’s

to read, but until ABC-TV’s Batman my comics

been a labor of love for him. Thanks, Andy!

perusals were limited to candy-coated fare like

Before we turn to our Hollywood coverage,

Milton the Monster. When Batman hit the tube,

allow me to share with you a recently received

however, I quickly learned of his four-color roots. I

note from comics scribe J.M. DeMatteis, one of

remember

the subjects of issue #3’s “Pro2Pro” interview:

coming

home

from

school

one

Wednesday in early 1966, breathless over that

I received my copies of BACK ISSUE #3 today

night’s upcoming Batman episode, and calling my

and enjoyed reading the JLA interview . . .

dad at work to ask him to bring me a Batman

except that, right off the bat, there’s a Major

comic book on his way home. That he did

Goof: My entire first response (staring with,

(Detective Comics #350, featuring a lame Bat-villain

‘Really? I know that I’d been after [editor]

called the Monarch of Menace, who probably

Andy Helfer . . .’ and ending with ‘It was

would’ve been played by Soupy Sales had he been

really that simple’) isn’t mine at all . . . it’s

on the TV show), and I was hooked—first on

Keith’s [Giffen]! I was never after Andy to

Batman and Robin, and later on virtually any

give me the Justice League assignment nor

super-hero I could discover.

did I ever ask him to fire Gerry Conway so I

Your story is most likely like mine, although it

could have the gig. As noted later in the

might’ve been George Reeves as Superman or

interview, I was pretty much dragged kick-

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends that lured you

ing and screaming onto the book! I would

into comics reading. If it was Lynda Carter as

really appreciate it if this could be corrected

Wonder Woman or Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible

in a (near) future issue. All the best

Hulk, or even Dolph Lundgren as the Punisher,

—JMD.

then you’re gonna love this “Comics in Hollywood”

Thanks for clearing that up, Marc. Everyone

issue! And you diehard comic-book aficionados should

involved with your “Pro2Pro” interview apologizes

fear not: BACK ISSUE #5’s art-packed “Rough Stuff,”

for letting that slip past us. (Wasn’t “Major Goof”

“Beyond Capes,” and Wonder Woman gallery ensure

a villain in one of your Justice League issues?)

that we don’t stray too far from our illustrated roots.

And thanks to you for buying this issue. Your

Many, many brilliant artists and writers lent

comments are, as always, sincerely appreciated.

their considerable talents to this issue and receive

Write to euryman@msn.com or to the editorial

my heartfelt gratitude, but special thanks go out to

mailing address in the indicia on page 1. See you

Andy Mangels for proposing the Wonder Woman

in two months for our Halloween issue!

show

coverage—plus

the

accompanying

full-color Wonder Woman art gallery and our jaw-

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

Michael Eury, editor

Dan Joh

nson

arvel’s Television Muscle: Lou Ferrigno interview

Talks The Incredible Hulk If you were a child in the late ’70s and the early ’80s, then you knew the place to be on Friday nights was parked in front of the television set tuned into CBS’ The Incredible Hulk. The show, a live-action adaptation of Marvel Comics’ popular comic-book character, featured Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner. Just like his counterpart in the comics [Dr. Bruce Banner], whenever Banner grew mad or outraged, he would transform into the

Mean and Green

living personification of his

Lou Ferrigno as TV’s not-so-jolly green giant.

anger, the Incredible Hulk

Photo courtesy of Andy Mangels.

Alter Egos

(played by Lou Ferrigno). In

Bixby and Ferrigno

the hands of a less talented

personified the roles

producer, the idea for this series might have been strictly reserved for CBS’ Saturday-morning kid block.

of Dr. David Banner and

But thanks to the guidance of seasoned television producer Kenneth (V, Alien Nation) Johnson, The

his “angry” alter ego for

Incredible Hulk became one of the best dramatic/adventure series of its day.

five seasons and three

The character of David Banner was a role that was owned by the late Bill Bixby. He infused Banner with

reunion movies—with a

a likable “everyman” quality that made it easy for other characters to trust him, and in the end aid his flight

fourth outing planned!

from relentless reporter Jack McGee (played by Jack Colvin). Bixby’s performance as Banner was so real and

Photo courtesy of

honest, the idea of him becoming a giant, green creature was believable even to the most jaded television viewer.

Andy Mangels.

But I was a kid when the show was first on the air. While the stories that were spun around David Banner’s quest for a cure for the monster that dwelled within him appeal to me now as an adult, I, like most people

my age back in the day, tuned in to see Banner’s alter ego, the Hulk.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

tacted the producers of that

Life as the Hulk. “The book is self-published,” Ferrigno

show and asked about being

tells BACK ISSUE. “There are many behind-the-scene

involved,” he says, getting

photos from the Hulk series in this book that I think the

the green light to voice the

fans will enjoy seeing, many of them for the first time.

Hulk in the cartoon series.

Also, it is the only book out that is devoted entirely

“They were surprised and

to the Hulk television series.”

delighted that I wanted to

Besides his life as the Hulk, Ferrigno stays busy

come on board. That was

these days acting (he is a regular on CBS’ The King

another great show I was lucky

of Queens), working as a personal trainer, and also

to be involved with. We had

appearing as a motivational speaker at numerous

a great cast on that show, too.”

universities and schools for the hearing impaired.

Ferrigno’s life seems for-

Information about his personal training sessions

ever tied to the Hulk. He

and his motivational-speaking appearances (as well

was even asked to do a cameo

as information on obtaining copies of My Incredible

in Ang Lee’s live-action, 2003

Life as the Hulk and autographed photos) can be found

Hulk Angry!

Hulk feature film (a cameo

at Ferrigno’s personal website, www.louferrigno.com.

Show cancelled!

that brought the house down

BACK ISSUE would like to thank Mr. Ferrigno for

Photo courtesy of Andy Mangels.

when it was filmed). 2003

taking the time to sit down with us. We would also

also saw the publication of

like to thank Ben Chapman for helping make this

Ferrigno’s book about the

interview a reality, and we encourage our readers to

television series, My Incredible

visit his personal website at www.the-reelgillman.com.

Lou Ferrigno Strikes Back Last Kiss cartoonist offers this assessment of Ang Lee’s Hulk film. Art by Charles Nicholas and Sal Trapani, from First Kiss #13 (1960). Hulk and Bruce Banner © 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

Michae

l Eury

arvel super-heroes, as seen on cbs-tv: Cast and episode lists The Incredible Hulk Executive Producer: Kenneth Johnson • Running Time: 60 minutes • Total Episodes: 83 (counting pilot) • Synopsis: Scientist David Banner’s experiment to mine adrenaline-based strength via gamma radiation goes horribly awry, mutating him, when angered (“Mr. McGee, don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”), into a green-skinned man-brute called the Hulk. Banner traverses the USA with a headline-hungry reporter hounding him. • Cast: Dr. David Banner - Bill Bixby; The Hulk - Lou Ferrigno; Jack McGee - Jack Colvin; Narrator (uncredited) - Ted Cassidy

Season 1:

1-8 (airdate: 5/12/78)

Pilot 1 (airdate: 11/4/77)

“Life and Death”

“The Incredible Hulk”

1-9 (airdate: 5/19/78)

Pilot 2 (airdate: 11/27/77) “Death in the Family” (aka “The Return of the Incredible Hulk”) 1-1 (airdate: 3/10/78) “The Final Round” 1-2 (airdate: 3/17/78) “The Beast Within” 1-3 (airdate: 3/24/78) “Of Guilt, Models, and Murder” 1-4 (airdate: 3/31/78) “Terror in Times Square” 1-5 (airdate: 4/7/78) “747” 1-6 (airdate: 4/21/78) “The Hulk Breaks Las Vegas” 1-7 (airdate: 4/28/78) “Never Give a Trucker an Even Break”

“Earthquakes Happen” 1-10 (airdate: 5/31/78) “The Waterfront Story”

Season 2: 2-1 (airdate: 9/22/78) “Married (Part 1)” (aka “Bride of the Incredible Hulk”) 2-2 (airdate: 9/22/78) “Married (Part 2)” (aka “Bride of the Incredible Hulk”) 2-3 (airdate: 9/29/78) “The Antowuk Horror” 2-4 (airdate: 10/6/78) “Ricky”

2-7 (airdate: 10/27/78)

2-22 (airdate: 5/11/79)

“Another Path”

“The Quiet Room”

2-8 (airdate: 11/3/78)

2-23 (airdate: 5/25/79)

“Alice in Disco Land”

“Vendetta Road”

2-9 (airdate: 11/10/78)

Season 3:

“Killer Instinct”

3-1 (airdate: 9/21/79)

2-10 (airdate: 11/24/78)

“Metamorphosis”

“Stop the Presses”

3-2 (airdate: 9/28/79)

2-11 (airdate: 12/1/78) “Escape from Los Santos”

“Blind Rage” 3-3 (airdate: 10/5/79)

2-12 (airdate: 1/17/79)

“Brain Child”

“Wildfire”

3-4 (airdate: 10/19/79)

2-13 (airdate: 1/24/79)

“The Slam”

“A Solitary Place”

3-5 (airdate: 10/26/79)

2-14 (airdate: 1/31/79)

“My Favorite Magician”

“Like a Brother”

3-6 (airdate: 11/2/79)

2-15 (airdate: 2/7/79)

“Jake”

“The Haunted”

3-7 (airdate: 11/9/79)

2-16 (airdate: 3/2/79)

“Behind the Wheel”

“Mystery Man (Part 1)”

3-8 (airdate: 11/30/79)

2-17 (airdate: 3/9/79)

“Homecoming”

“Mystery Man (Part 2)”

3-9 (airdate: 12/7/79)

2-18 (airdate: 3/16/79)

“The Snare”

“The Disciple”

3-10 (airdate: 12/14/79)

2-19 (airdate: 3/30/79)

“Babalao”

“No Escape”

2-5 (airdate: 10/13/78)

2-20 (airdate: 4/6/79)

3-11 (airdate: 12/21/79)

“Rainbow’s End”

“Kindered Spirits”

“Captive Night”

2-6 (airdate: 10/20/78)

2-21 (airdate: 5/4/79)

3-12 (airdate: 1/4/80)

“A Child in Need”

“The Confession”

“Broken Image”

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

Unlock the FINAL secrets of the JUSTICE SOCIETY of AMERICA (& friends) !

THE

• Amazing new info on the Golden Age JSA—including every JUNIOR JUSTICE SOCIETY message ever—and an incredible index of the solo stories of the original JSAers, from 1939 to 1951! • Sensational new JSA and INFINITY, INC. cover by JERRY ORDWAY, drawn especially for this volume! • The OTHER 1940s Hero Groups Examined in Depth! THE SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY—THE MARVEL FAMILY—THE ALL WINNERS SQUAD— & M.C. Gaines’ own INTERNATIONAL CRIME PATROL! • Issue-by-issue 1980s spotlight on INFINITY, INC. & SECRET ORIGINS! • Rare, often unpublished art & artifacts by: ALEX ROSS * TODD McFARLANE JOE KUBERT * CARMINE INFANTINO ALEX TOTH * GIL KANE MURPHY ANDERSON * IRWIN HASEN WAYNE BORING * SHELDON MOLDOFF MORT MESKIN * GENE COLAN MART NODELL * HARRY LAMPERT DON NEWTON * GEORGE TUSKA PAUL REINMAN * JOE GALLAGHER CHESTER KOZLAK * LEE ELIAS E.E. HIBBARD * ARTHUR PEDDY JIM VALENTINO * ALAN KUPPERBERG MICHAEL T. GILBERT * RICK HOBERG MIKE SEKOWSKY * JACK BURNLEY MIKE MACHLAN * FRANK HARRY DICK DILLIN * BERNARD KRIGSTEIN H.G. PETER * MICHAEL BAIR —& many others! VOLUM E FOUR

Companion

Edited by

ROY THOMAS $

2795

In The US

256 Big Pages ISBN 978-1-60549-004-5

ON SALE NOW!

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

See Dick. See Dick run (at super-speed?). Alex Toth’s classic Super Friends rendition, with Norman Maurer’s proposed additions of Dick and Jane, teenage shapeshifting aliens, and their pet, Mighty Monkey, who later became Zan, Jayna, and Gleek in the series. Wonder Twins powers, activate! © 1976 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman © 2004 DC Comics.

“The “The

Greatest Series

Never Sold”

Darrell M

cNeil

When “Mad Mikey” ruminated with your not-so-humble correspondent re the possibility of doing for this fine publication a piece about past proposed animation series concepts, he came to the right dude. . . ’cuz I’ve had a little more than 30 years’ experience dealin’ with them shadowy li’l buggers. I started in the early ’70s, when I used to make my yearly trek to the local Hanna-Barbera (H-B) studio to “bug” then production design supervisor Bob Singer into hiring me to be a character designer there. (And no, I wasn’t going to let my being of high-school age stop me!) Anyway, one year (late ’72, I think), after his standard “You’re too young, come back when you graduate” speech, he decided to assuage me by showing me some large, colorful “presentation boards” showing scenes of various show ideas that H-B

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

1 1

DC’s Girl Gone Wild DC Comics’ Rima the Jungle Girl, a Super Friends guest member, rendered by Alex Toth, helped in part from guest author Darrell McNeil, who was the only artist in the studio who knew what she looked like. © 1977 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. Rima © 2004 DC Comics.

MISS AMERICA AND SHEENA First, though, I’m gonna address the other six half-hours H-B had planned for Godzilla. They wanted to put a female lead in that slot, so, since Wonder Woman was tied up with ABC’s Super Friends, the H-B brain trust created the patriotic “Miss America” for the slot. This got the production number the “Titans” originally had, but later, noting the success of rival CBS’ Tarzan, H-B optioned the classic comic-book heroine “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle” as a series and gave that the production number. Still later, though, “Sheena” was conceptualized into the H-B-owned Jana of the Jungle, and that became the sole occupant of the Power

How Kewl is This?

Hour second slot.

A collaboration between almost-Space Ghost/ Herculoids (see BACK ISSUE # 2 and 3) mates Darrell McNeil and Steve Rude, on McNeil’s All American Girl and Spirit of ’76, currently being developed for a 2005 release. Your trusty BI editor (and usual “Greatest Stories” scribe) has seen the first four minutes of Darrell’s other animated project, the in-production Rainbow Girl, and let me say, I’m impressed. Here’s wishing our guest writer all the best with his new projects! TM & © 2004 Gold Medal Productions.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES The 25-member futuristic DC Comics teen superteam was developed in 1987 by animation studio TMS as a guest series featuring eight of the team members (among them Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, and Lightning Lass) who, separated from the rest of the group and lost in the far end of the galaxy, strove to return home. Ironically, the last time the Legion was pitched to a network was just recently, to the Cartoon Network, whose response was, “Who’s they? Is Robin one of them?” Well. . . no, he’s a Teen Titan. So the premise was altered to that of Teen Titans, set in the future as freedom fighters. After further concept tweaking (putting them in their actual era). . . you know the rest. And those are just a few of the hundreds, nay, thousands of the “Greatest Series Never Sold.” Laters!

1 6

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

a a d d n y n Ly L r r e t e t r ar Ca C Title credit photo from Wonder Woman. (far right) Courtesy

She’s Still a Wonder!

An Interview by Andy Mangels, conducted on April 18, 2004, and transcribed by Brian K. Morris.

interview

of Andy Mangels.

Although the character has been battling evil in her star-spangled outfit since 1941, the vast amount of the public pictures only one thing when you mention the name of Wonder Woman: statuesque beauty Lynda Carter, hands on hips, satin tights, shiny bracelets and tiara, and a gleam in her smile. Born Linda Jean Cordoba Carter in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 24, 1951, Lynda eventually changed the spelling of her name and embarked on the rocky road of entertainment. Performing as a singer with some touring bands, Carter had modest success, but she hit her stride by winning the Miss USA pageant in 1973. Hollywood beckoned soon thereafter, and Carter had a series of minor roles on television, and one feature film, Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976).

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

1 7

2 2

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

that archetype. That lives within us, what she is, so it’s

MANGELS: [laughs] Originally, for the spinning trans-

even more than best friend. It is us. You know, when you

formation that you did to turn into Wonder Woman,

were a little kid and you knew you were different, and

they had originally tried it out with a platform that you

you knew that there was something special about you

stood on?

and not everyone could see it, or you hid it. You know,

CARTER: They weren’t quite sure what they wanted to

it’s that part of it as well. There’s that goddess that lives

do and they hadn’t worked out exactly how they were

there.

going to have me change, because as I recalled in

MANGELS: Let’s talk about some of the people and the

Wonder Woman [comics], she just appeared as Wonder

details on the first season of the show.

Woman. There was no place that she did it. So they had

C A R T E R : A l l r i g h t , t h a t ’s r e a l l y w a l k i n g d o w n

to come up with some way to change her that was

Memory Lane.

something cool. And from that first episode, you can

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

said, I had taken dancing so I said, “Why are we doing

the other thing was is that I thought that at that time, I

it [with a platform]? Why don’t I just spin instead?” And

had a really small waist and I just thought it looked too

they said, “Well, show it to us.” So then we tried it with

small so I had them loosen the belt an inch or two so

the costume in front of me, and then kind of losing

that it didn’t quite look so . . . what’s the word?

things, and then they ended up with the big splash with

Curvaceous, I guess.

the locked down camera. But I sort of invented the spin.

I wanted it to be a little sleeker. And plus, when you

MANGELS: Cool. In the earlier episodes, when you do

sit down, and everything, you don’t want it so tight.

the spin, you touch your tiara, you touch your belt, like

[The second version] was higher cut, which was more

you’re making sure they’re attached. [laughs] And then

comfortable and Donfeld did a great job on it.

you run off.

MANGELS: When you did the stunt work with the

CARTER: Oh, God. I didn’t even know that.

bracelets, I always noticed when you deflected bullets, it

MANGELS: [laughs] It’s in the first six or seven episodes.

looked like you were holding a plunger, or something, in

And then after that, you never do it again.

your hand to make the little explosions.

CARTER: Isn’t that funny? I never really caught on to

CARTER: I would put the stunt bracelets on and there

that. You know what? It probably would have been okay

were wires that came up the back of my wrists with

to have continued that, had I thought of it, but I never

three buttons that I held in the palm of my hand. And

thought of it. It was probably something I did instinc-

it’s just the way that my hand goes where it looks like

tively and then lost it, but it was purely by accident.

it’s crooked, but I couldn’t keep it straight. It would look

“Okay, is everything together?” But then I probably just

too dorky if I had my thumb straight, you know, stick-

got more comfortable being Wonder Woman, I guess.

ing up. It looked like I was hitchhiking, so that’s just the

No one pointed it out to me. It’s interesting, no one’s

way my thumbs laid. But it was really my fingers that

ever asked me that before. That’s unusual.

would do each one of the little charges that went off.

MANGELS: [laughs] Hey, I came up with a new

MANGELS: Wasn’t it a little scary?

question. Good!

CARTER: No. The special effects guys were great and

CARTER: Yeah.

they knew how to do it. I faced where the explosions

MANGELS: Was the costume difficult when you had to

went off. That’s why I didn’t do it to the side. I had to

deal with physical activity? It seems like it would be

do it that way because of the wires and stuff. Now they

either restrictive or too unrestrictive.

would just lay them in [digitally].

CARTER: I think that maybe because the bodies of the

MANGELS: I know you did a lot of your stunts through

stunt doubles were so different from mine that they may

the whole series, but early on, there were significantly

have had more problems than me. Jeannie Epper, I

more. There’s a shot in the pilot where I think you were

know, had the costume fit to her, but then we had other

even on a springboard and you were jumping off the top

stunt doubles to do high falls and other things that we

of the car, or something like that. Was that something

reversed and so they would come in—you know, each

that the longer the show went, the less they let you do?

stunt double would specialize in one thing or another

CARTER: No. Actually, the more I did. I wouldn’t do stunts

thing. I had my main one, Jeannie Epper, but I had a

if I had to be doing a change into Wonder Woman, and

number of other ones as well. I personally never had any

they would have a stunt double just for the amount of

problem. The only problem I had with the costume was

time it took to change from one character to another

in the beginning, the way that there are stays in the top

character.

part of it like a bustier. They came down a little bit too

MANGELS: How do you mean?

low and so they would start to bend, and so they just

CARTER: Well, I played Diana Prince as well, and it takes

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

shifted them up eventually and that was all right. But

kind of see how it morphed into what it became. As I

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

2 3

TIMELINE in the Media by Andy Mangels December 1941–January 1942

1977–1979

1996–2004

Early 1950s

1977–1978

December 1997

1967

1978–1979

Wonder Woman debuts in All-Star Comics #8.

January 1942

Sensation Comics #1 debuts, starring Wonder Woman.

Summer 1942

Wonder Woman #1 is published.

May 1944–December 1945

Wonder Woman newspaper strip appears.

Hollywood studios interested in a Wonder Woman serial, but abandon the idea.

Wonder Woman live-action television pilot filmed, starring Ellie Wood Walker (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Linda Harrison (“mirror” Wonder Woman), and Maudie Prickett (Mother). Executive produced by William Dozier; written by Stan Hart, Larry Siegel, and Stanley Ralph Ross; directed by Les Martinson. It is never aired.

The All-New Super Friends Hour (ABC) features Wonder Woman.

The Challenge of the Super Friends (ABC) features Wonder Woman, including one episode with her origin, and the appearance of villainesses Cheetah and Giganta.

1979–1980

The World’s Greatest Super Friends (ABC) features Wonder Woman.

1967–1968

1980–1981

1972

1981–1984

Animated Wonder Woman series considered by Filmation, but never produced.

Diana Prince/Wonder Woman appears as a guest on one episode of Filmation’s The Brady Kids (ABC).

1973–1977

Wonder Woman is a founding member of Hanna-Barbera’s Super Friends (ABC). Comics legend Alex Toth designed her simplified costume; her voice was by Shannon Farnon.

March 1974

The first Wonder Woman live-action telefilm airs on ABC, but is unfaithful to the comic book. Cathy Lee Crosby played the title role, with Kaz Garas as Steve Trevor, Anita Ford as a rogue Amazon, and Ricardo Montalban as villainous Abner Smith. John D.F. Black was producer/screenwriter, while Vincent McEveety directed.

November 1975

The New, Original Wonder Woman telefilm debuts on ABC, with a story taken directly from the Golden Age comic books. Starring Lynda Carter (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), with Lyle Waggoner (Steve Trevor). Other comics characters: Amazon Queen Mother (Cloris Leachman and Carolyn Jones), Etta Candy (Beatrice Colen), and Wonder Girl (Debra Winger); Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane is also appropriated from the comics. Stanley Ralph Ross wrote the pilot. A semiregular series followed which included several specials and a truncated first season, ending in 1977.

3 6

The New Adventures of Wonder Woman switches networks to CBS and updates adventures to the 1970s. Carter remained the same character (albeit with a skimpier costume), but Lyle Waggoner now played Steve Trevor Jr. of the Inter-Agency Defense Command (IADC). Beatrice Straight played the modern Queen Mother of Paradise Island. The invisible Plane was summarily dumped, but Wonder Woman developed specialized outfits for diving, motorcycling, and even skateboarding!

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

The Super Friends Hour (ABC) features Wonder Woman. The Super Friends (ABC) features Wonder Woman.

1984–1985

Super Friends—The Legendary Super Powers Show (ABC) features Wonder Woman, now voiced by B.J. Ward, and featuring the new “double-W” design of the comic-book bodice.

1985–1986

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (ABC) features Wonder Woman, and one episode with Steve Trevor.

1988

Wonder Woman guest-stars on the animated Superman (CBS) series, in an episode about Themyscira (the renamed Paradise Island). B.J. Ward again provides the voice.

1993

Producer-director Boyd Kirkland works on a Wonder Woman and the Star Riders pilot, promoting a planned Mattel toy line. Only a minute of test animation was produced before the project was cancelled.*

Warner Bros. plans to shoot a big-budget Wonder Woman feature film. Ivan Reitman was set to direct in 1996, but eventually Silver Pictures and producers Jon Peters and Leonard Goldberg took over. Sandra Bullock was going to take the role, but backed out. Multiple scripts or treatments have been written by: Kimberlee Reed; James R. Harnock and Eve Marie Kazaros (1999); Jon Cohen (1999); Todd Alcott (2001); Becky Johnston (2002); Philip Levens (2003); and Laeta Kalogridis (2003). Warner starts a nationwide casting call for an actress to play Wonder Woman for a new television series for NBC. Deborah Joy Levine (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) developed the series and wrote the pilot script. Her version found Diana Prince as a UCLA professor of Greek history. The pilot never filmed.

November 2001

The Cartoon Network debuts a new animated Justice League weekly series, from Warner Bros. animation. Wonder Woman (voiced by Susan Eisenberg) is a no-nonsense warrior who has been exiled from her home on Themyscira. Some episodes have shown Queen Hippolyta, World War II hero Steve Trevor, and villainess Cheetah.

April 2004

Lynda Carter awarded “Most Superest Super-Hero” at the TV Land Awards, and she “spins” into Wonder Woman (played by another actress) and exits the ceremony to take care of a double-parked Invisible Plane.

June 2004

Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season is released as a Warner DVD boxed set. Lynda Carter and producer Doug Cramer do a commentary track for the pilot telefilm.

Fall 2004

Cartoon Network’s series is renamed Justice League Unlimited, and villains Circe and Ares appear.

*Look for a future “Greatest Stories Never Told” BACK ISSUE article detailing plans for these shows.

1994–1995

Kirkland develops a more serious Wonder Woman cartoon, but Warner Bros. passes on ordering a series.*

H o l l y w o o d

Comic art

Live action

Animation

LINDA HARRISON • Original TV Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman pilot “Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince?” (1967) Interview by Andy Mangels, transcribed by Brian K. Morris When the live-action Batman television series became a smash success in 1966, executive producer William Dozier commissioned a script for a live-action Wonder Woman pilot for Greenway Productions and Twentieth Century-Fox Television. The script for the episode—“Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince?”—was penned by Stan Hart and Larry Siegel, with later work by Stanley Ralph Ross. Director Les Martinson shot almost five minutes of pilot footage, using three actresses: comedienne Ellie Wood Walker played Diana, Maudie Prickett was her whiny suburban mother, and Linda Harrison was the busty Wonder Woman whom Diana saw when she looked in the mirror. The “joke” was that plain-looking Diana—even in her Wonder Woman costume—only thought she had the beauty of Aphrodite; she was actually the only one who saw the Linda Harrison version! The pilot got little interest at the networks, and today remains a regularly seen commodity on the video-trading market. Linda Harrison was a beauty queen who came to Hollywood and got her first acting job on Batman. She quickly became a contract player at Fox (and was dating its president, Richard Zanuck)

when she filmed Planet of the Apes and the Wonder Woman pilot. Here, she recalls a few facts about the job: On being a contract player: “I think, after I did Planet of the Apes, I had a certain stature as an actress. They just said, ‘Go over and do this pilot.’ [Fox] utilized their contractees. It’s automatic. If it went to series, then they’d still pay me the same salary. There’s not really too much that you have to contract for because you’re already under contract. The fact that I went over and did it, there was a possibility I could have done that role if it was picked up.” On her memories of the pilot: I just remember it was kind of fun to do because [I was] in that very sexy costume, and [I was] playing a very sexy role. I don’t remember a whole lot of things, but I did remember that it was a real compliment to be asked to play Wonder Woman. I mean, there were quite a few other contract people, and they wanted me.” On her “alter ego” Ellie Wood Walker: “I never met her. What they did is they just shot me in a way that I would appear, like, in the mirror. There was no other actress. I was the one that she, when she looked at the mirror, she saw me.” Shortly after filming the Wonder Woman pilot, Linda Harrison would become famous as Nova in the Planet of the Apes films. She’s appeared in a number of other film and television roles since that time, and often guests at nostalgia conventions. Visit her at www.lindaharrison.com.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

3 7

ANINA BENNETT • Wonder Woman collector

As I write this, I’m wearing a pop-art Wonder Woman T-shirt and sitting in a home office overflowing with Wonder Woman figurines and imagery. Compulsive consumerism aside, why do I have all this stuff? Why do I love the Amazing Amazon so much that I’ve erected a veritable altar to her? As usual, it goes back to my childhood. In today’s context, with women kicking bad-guy butt on video and movie screens all over the world, it’s easy to forget how rare such characters were before the 1970s, my formative decade. As a kid, I was an avid reader with a hearty appetite, devouring science fiction, mysteries, ancient mythology from around the globe, and comic books. I was raised by an unapologetically feminist mom, and I loved watching old movies on TV, usually screwball comedies or gangster flicks featuring smart, brassy dames. Toss the build-up to the U.S. bicentennial cele-

Anina Bennett with her Wonder Woman shrine. Photo by Andy Mangels. willing to give up a life of privilege and carefree sisterhood

bration into the mix, and it’s no wonder that in 1975

to fight evil in man’s world. All that, plus a magic lasso

I was primed and ready to be dazzled by the Wonder

that can compel anyone to tell the truth—now there’s an

Woman TV show.

accessory most of us would’ve given just about anything

In retrospect, I can see that much of the fiction I read and watched in my youth was a form of the “universal”

for! Ye gods, how could anyone in my shoes not have been captivated by her?

heroic/personal journey, the search for self-definition and

True, the TV Wonder Woman is relatively heavy on

purpose in a complex, threatening world. But I wasn’t

the glitz and light on classic mythology, but she fought

consciously thinking any of that when Lynda Carter first

for truth and justice, and she came along right when I/we

flashed onto the small screen in all her star-spangled

needed her most—just like a true hero.

glory. I was thinking: Wow! There’s nothing cooler than a super-strong, statuesque Amazon besting baddies!

*Many years later, I would discover earlier TV fare such

(And magically changing her outfit just by spinning

as Honey West (a 1960s’ show starring Anne Francis as

around! How many kids imitated that move while

a private eye) and The Avengers, but during the ’70s

envisioning their own super-heroic metamorphoses?

they temporarily faded into obscurity. We didn’t have

C’mon, everybody, raise your hands.)

VCRs, cable TV, or the Internet way back then.

Before Wonder Woman hit the airwaves, the strongest

4 8

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

woman I’d ever seen on TV (not counting the aforemen-

Anina Bennett is a comics writer and editor who’s done

tioned vintage movies) was Bewitched’s Samantha,* who

more than 15 years of hard time in publishing, at First

was doomed to a lifetime of domestic strife because her

Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and the transnational

breadwinner hubby didn’t think she should “cheat” by

Egmont Publishing. She’s best known as the writer/co-

using her magical powers—a none-too-subtle dynamic

creator of the sci-fi comic Heartbreakers, the longtime

reflecting the rapidly shifting gender relations of that era.

editor of Nexus, and one of the few editors to have

So there I was, a ten-year-old lass who knew

worked with Harlan Ellison and lived to tell the tale.

Bewitched wasn’t the whole picture but didn’t know

Anina is scripting a new Heartbreakers graphic novel

what was missing . . . until Wonder Woman came along,

for publication later this year, illustrated by her hus-

and then Charlie’s Angels, Bionic Woman, and Princess

band, Paul Guinan (yes, the guy who did the fabulous

Leia. The Angels were a bit too glam—and too beholden

Wonder Woman vs. Nazis illo in this issue). The first

to an invisible male benefactor/boss—to fully capture my

Wonder Woman “stuff” she remembers acquiring was

heart, and so Wonder Woman, Leia, and Jaime Somers

a vintage metal trash can and a cheap vinyl doll in the

became my personal heroic trio.

1980s. Her fondest wish as a collector is for some gen-

But Wonder Woman will always hold the top spot.

erous soul to give her the Ideal Super Queens Wonder

She’s got it all: She’s smart, tough yet kind-hearted,

Woman figure. Visit Anina and Paul’s virtual selves at

noble, beautiful, royal yet down-to-earth, mythic, and

www.BigRedHair.com.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

Artist Tom Derenick (Smallville, Catwoman movie adaptation) captures Lynda Carter’s wonder smile. Art courtesy of Tom Derenick at www.pmkane.com/tomderenick/.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

4 9

Paul Guinan is a multimedia artist with a particular interest in comic-book storytelling. He co-created Chronos for DC Comics and co-created Heartbreakers with his wife, Anina Bennett. Heartbreakers was the first science-fiction comic to feature female action heroes as lead characters. Paul’s innovations continue with the Heartbreakers’ latest outing, a graphic novel rendered in a unique combin a t i o n o f p h o t o g r a p h y, painting, and drawing. Examples of this revolutionary technique can be seen on Paul and Anina’s website, www.BigRedHair.com (and while you’re there, take a look at Boilerplate). A history buff since childhood, Paul was disappointed when the Wonder Woman TV series moved from the 1940s to a contemporary setting. Wonder Woman nevertheless continued to be a source of inspiration for him, and the strength of character she possesses Heartbreakers work.

PAUL GUINAN 5 2

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

found its way into Paul’s

LY N DA CA R T E R a s

Art Gallery Phil Jimenez was born and raised in southern California and moved to New York City at 19 to pursue his education at the School of Visual Arts. The Eisner-nominated artist began working for DC Comics two years later, eventually penciling four pages of Wonder Woman’s 50th Anniversary extravaganza, War of the Gods. A d e c a d e l a t e r, J i m e n e z achieved his lifelong dream of writing and drawing the Wonder Woman comic book, chronicling the Amazon’s adventures for over two years. He’s currently working on Otherworld, a creatorowned property for DC/Vertigo comics, but would love to return to Paradise Island someday, now that men can walk on its beaches, and play once again with Princess Diana and her friends.

Jimenez says, “Lynda Carter was and remains the living embodiment of Wonder Woman. It’s cliché to say at this point, but it’s true. But [by] inhabiting this character and bringing her to life in such an honorable way, Lynda helped chart the course of my life. I wanted to be a human being who lived up to the ideals Lynda preached through the Wonder Woman character, and I wanted to draw the adventures of someone as wise and beautiful as Lynda herself. Lynda’s influence on my life cannot be underestimated; indeed, my brief meeting with her that left me stuttering and literally brought me

PHIL JIMENEZ C o m i c s

to tears. Thank you, Lynda, for everything!”

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

5 3

LY N DA CA R T E R A S WO N D E R WO M A N A r t G a l l e ry

Living in Washington state, Anne Timmons is currently drawing a new issue of the Lulu Award-winning GoGirl! comic, due this fall. She has also drawn for the Eisnernominated Dignifying Science, and for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Graphic Classics (Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson), and local and national magazines such as the anthology 9-11 Artists Respond is now in the Library of Congress. She loves Wonder Woman and has drawn her in Super Friends style for the 2001 Comic-Con International souvenir book, and in Golden Age style for the cover of Comic Book Artist #10. The CBA cover and other samples of her work can be seen on her website, http://homepage. mac.com/tafrin/. Timmons says, “I loved the Wonder Woman TV show, especially the Golden Age season. I have always been fascinated by fashion, and Lynda looked spectacular in that costume. She inspired me and lots of other women to have confidence in ourselves and our own abilities.”

ANNE TIMMONS end 5 6

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

Wired. Some of her art for

Lights . . . Camera . . . Web-Slinging Action!

Spider-Man’s Climb Up the Hollywood Ladder Editor’s note: When it comes to comic-book super-heroes making a big splash on the TV and silver screens, one of the greatest success stories is your friendly neighborhood SpiderMan. But the web-slinger’s stardom didn’t come overnight. Legendary Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita, Sr.

Up in Arms

I remember very well when Marvel was first discussing

cover to Amazing

the Spider-Man and Fantastic Four cartoons in early 1967. There was

Spider-Man #88

discussion of Hanna-Barbera doing one of the shows and Grantray-Lawrence

(September 1970)

Animation doing the other one. I remember hoping that it would be Hanna-

doesn’t grab ya, we

Barbera that got to do Spider-Man. They had a good track record of doing

don’t know what

animation. Also, my kids grew up with Hanna-Barbera, and I was also a fan of

will! Courtesy of

Tom and Jerry from their old MGM days [Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were MGM

Heritage Comics.

animators before opening their own animation studio]. But I had never heard

of the other company [partners Grant Simmons, Ray Patterson, and Robert

guest editorial by john romita, sr.

If John Romita, Sr.’s

shares some behindthe-scenes

anecdotes

about Spidey’s history in Hollywood.

Special

thanks to Dan Johnson for contacting

Mr.

Romita and for his invaluable assistance in making this “Off My Chest” a reality.

Lawrence executive-produced season one of Spider-Man]. So I was a little disappointed when Hanna-Barbera took on the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man went to Grantray-Lawrence. I was asked to do some very simple adaptations of the Spider-Man characters—like Peter Parker and Spider-Man—that the animators could follow. Whenever we discussed how the show was going to look, I was always disappointed. The animators were trying to do it on a commercial basis where they would do it not cheaply, but as economically as possible. It must have been a hell of a chore to put all those webs on Spider-Man, thus they left them off his arms and chest. When Hanna-Barbera did the Thing in Fantastic Four, they ran into a similar problem with his orange, rocky skin. The animators just looked for shortcuts and left blank areas. I had a discussion with Stan Lee [about these shortcuts], because he used to ask my opinion a lot of the time. In regard to the first Spider-Man animated series, I used to tell Stan that I would rather this not get to the screen than be done badly. Stan absolutely pooh-poohed that suggestion every time.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

5 7

Spider-Man 2

Green Goblin costume. It looked so much like an

Because of

(far right)

outer-space alien, it just threw me. Outside of that, I

this work on

Now playing at

thought it was just a beautiful movie. It was so much

Spider-Man 2, I

a theater near you.

fun [in the theater], and people all around me were

got to talk with

enjoying it and I enjoyed it because of that too.

Sam Raimi for a

“Face it, tiger—you just hit the jackpot!” The man who designed Mary Jane Watson (as

A plus to the holdups in getting Spider-Man to the

few minutes, and

big screen was that he was held back until the tech-

he was very nice.

nical abilities and special effects were ready for him.

Raimi has a great

Even if Cameron had continued with the project [as

knack for taking

originally projected], he

this kind of stuff

may not have had every-

and making it

thing he needed to put

genuine. He takes

the film together the way

the qualities he needs, but does not dilute the product.

Raimi did. If you want

Raimi enhances it. I told him I was very grateful for

to think of the power of

the care he took with the Spider-Man characters.

positive thinking, that’s

Thank God we got a director who was able to translate

a good way to look at it.

them to the screen. I was at the Columbia location

I think it worked out for

for about two or three hours, and it was wonderful

the best, but I’ll always

to watch [Raimi and his crew] work and see how they

be curious what

set up a scene. They were so full of care and attention

Cameron could have

to detail. There was no slipshod stuff. It was all very

done with the Spider-

well thought out and very well organized. It was a

Man film.

pleasure to be there with that group of filmmakers.

Spider-Man speaks

Spider-Man is a very unlikely hero. All the time

for itself, and I think

we were doing his adventures, Stan and I knew

the second film [not-

Spider-Man was a character whose comic books sold

yet-released at this

very well. We never thought he could transcend so

writing] is going to be

well into a [highly visible] character like Superman.

even better. Recently I went to Columbia [Pictures]

The fact that he did is still a mystery to me, and I

while Sam Raimi was filming Spider-Man 2, and I sat

think it is even to Stan. Stan did have a bit more of

in for Peter Parker. In one scene, Peter is in a classroom

an angle on it, though, because from the beginning

at Columbia and he is doodling in a notebook and

he felt Spider-Man was a good character. Stan was

he’s drawing Spider-Man. There is a lecture going

right on from the beginning.

on, and his mind is wandering and he’s worried

seen in this 1966 sketch)

about something (I’m not quite sure if it is Doctor

approves of the casting

Octopus or not). Look closely and you’ll see my

of Kirsten Dunst in the

hand doodling in the notebook. I did the scene

role. Courtesy of

with Peter Parker’s sweater on and the make-up

John Romita, Sr.

people did up my hand so it wouldn’t look like the ancient mariner. If it doesn’t get cut, and you get to

see that doodle scene, it’ll be me drawing. Hopefully my gut will not show in the shot.

These absolutely wonderful books celebrating the art of Mr. Romita are must-haves for BACK ISSUE readers: John Romita Sketch Book (Vanguard Productions, 2001) and Spider-Man Visionaries: John Romita, Sr. (Marvel Books, 2001). —Michael

end 6 0

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

tions by Art and Cap

WAY JERRY ORD

t i m e l i n e s

1983

A good example of lighting and staging, I think. The real

The Infinity, Inc. #2 page (inset, from 1984) was

challenge to a group book like All-Star Squadron was in

drawn larger, about 12" x 18", for DC’s deluxe line, and

giving each character a decent bit to do, so they could

it gave me the opportunity to really get some “acting”

shine individually. There’s a fair bit of choreography

into these heads. That’s one of my favorite things: to

involved, but working from a plot is easier in many ways

have the character “act”—arch an eyebrow, or gesture

than from a full script, where you also have to judge the

with a hand. I’ve always worked hard to let the drawings

space needed for the word balloons.

tell the story without the balloons.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

6 1

2003 This was the first shot of Wonder Woman in Walt Simonson’s story, halfway into the issue. I tried to make it memorable, and still read as Diana, despite the lack of her normal costume. Whether I succeeded, I don’t know. I liked drawing her in the white 1960s-inspired outfit, though. Editor’s note: Thanks to Jer for taking the time to scan this art and write the captions for this issue. Ordway fans (and who isn’t?), for more of Jerry’s fabulous artwork, visit his site at www.jerryordway.com. —M.E.

7 0

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

t i m e l i n e s

W O N D E R W O M A N # 18 9

MIKE W. BARR’S

Star Tr ek k o - BIEoo Co miEc M MO R S

b y Mike

W. Barr

Icons of two of America’s favorite decades, the 1950s and the 1960s, each passed away at about the same time. On March 28, 1969, President Dwight D. Eisenhower died, initiating a long series of commemorations of the life of this president, war hero, and cold warrior. News of Eisenhower’s death and retrospectives of his life preempted scheduled network programming, including the last episode of Star Trek, “Turnabout Intruder.” First generation Trek fans like myself had to wait until June 3, 1969, when the third season was rerun, to see the final television voyage of the Starship Enterprise. After that, it was thought that Trek would go gentle into that good night of cancellation, as had hundreds of television shows before it, remembered only as a source of trivia for future generations. But Star Trek, like the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, has a way of going up against formidable foes and emerging triumphant. The show, never a ratings hit on network TV, immediately went into syndication where it proved enormously popular, not only maintaining its established fan base, but gaining new devotees. It wasn’t long before there was a cartoon show—the only animated show in history that is better watched with eyes closed—immediate talk of a movie that would not come to fruition for ten long years, and, of course, the comic book. GOLD KEY’S STAR TREK

Yes, the Star Trek comic book, published by Gold Key, durable producer of TV and movie tie-in comics for decades. The first issue appeared nine months after the show itself premiered, and lasted until long after the show was cancelled. Though the comic is not necessarily remembered fondly by Trekkies (or Trekkers, or Trekkists, or whatever the hell they call themselves nowadays), it was nonetheless the only source of new Trek available for a long time. “Not remembered fondly?” you ask? Have you ever seen the Gold Key Trek comics? In early issues, at least, the Enterprise was drawn with fumes trailing from its nacelles, as if they were rocket engines. Though the overall art wasn’t bad, the likenesses were apt to be more miss than hit, and some scripts betrayed no understanding of the Trek universe. In one issue, the Asian Lt. Sulu was even drawn as a black man! These oversights can be attributed to the fact that the Gold Key comic was pretty much generated overseas, at least as far as the art was concerned. Most of the artists who drew the comic had never seen the show, and were working from photo reference supplied by Gold Key, who in turn had pried whatever they could out of Paramount Pictures, the owner of Star Trek. Nowadays the Star Trek office has a full-time licensing department to approve the mountain of novels and merchandising produced, but such was not the case in the late 1960s, especially after the show was cancelled.

The first two issues of the Gold Key series were drawn by Italian artist Nevio Zeccarra (or Zeccara). Interviewed in Comic Book Artist v.1 #22, Zeccarra recalled: “. . . Gold Key sent me photos of the principal actors . . . the starships, etc., but I made up all other aspects of the stories from my imagination.”

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

7 1

jobs—not necessarily the best, but the most interesting—was #15, “The Quality of Mercy,” drawn by Gil Kane. His version of the Enterprise looked like a flying chafing dish, but his unique style, always a little cold and impersonal, lent a touch of authenticity to the Trek comic.

“The Enterprise Murder Case”

Of particular interest to Trekkies was #13’s “All the Infinite Ways,” in which Dr. McCoy’s longlost daughter, Joanna (speculated by fans to exist but never actually seen in any canonical Trek), showed up, engaged to a Vulcan. This issue was also cited in the aforementioned Amazing Heroes article.

A page from Barr’s sci-fi detective story

But few things will dampen reader interest in a comic book more than a series of rotating artists, and this took its effect on Star Trek. After #16, Pasko departed and the series chugged on for two more issues, both fill-ins. Art on #17 was by Ed Hannigan, Palmer, and Dave Simons, and was scripted by me, while #18, cover-blurbed a “Special Last Issue Collectors’ Item!” was a typically metaphysical script by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Joe Brozowski and Sal Trapani. Fill-in writers also included Tom DeFalco and Michael Fleisher, with TV and sometime comic scripter Alan Brennert plotting #12. Most covers were unsigned; artists included Cockrum, Nasser, Joe Brozowski, Larry Hama, Ed Hannigan, Klaus Janson, Frank Miller, James Sherman, and Walt Simonson.

of Mike W. Barr. Cover inset.

After Pasko’s departure, I was tapped for another fill-in, then assigned the job as regular writer. I quickly got a plot approved and for 24 hours I was on top of the world. . . . . . Then I got a call from Weezie that the book was cancelled. Ouch. I put the approved plot back in the drawer, hoping I could use it someday.

DC’S STAR TREK

“Someday” came, for readers, two years to the month after the end of Marvel’s Star Trek. That last issue was dated February 1982; DC’s first Star Trek comic was dated February 1984. The intervening two years had done much to change the status of Star Trek as a revived franchise. Though ST: TMP had made a lot of money, many at Paramount still recalled the numerous production woes the project had endured. (Many of these woes were of Paramount’s own making, but you try talking sense to business executives.) Many people have called ST: TMP “boring” and worse, but some of those were writers whose treatments for the movie had been rejected, and as for the fans and critics—let’s just say that though they weren’t actually wrong in many of their criticisms, the universal standard by which boredom in Star Trek is gauged would not be established until the debuts of Star Treks: Voyager and Enterprise. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan—nicknamed by a colleague of mine “Star Trek’s last chance”—debuted in 1982. Due to uncertainty about how the film would fare, comparatively little merchandising, by ST: TMP’s standards, was scheduled, and there was no comic-book adaptation of the Trek film that would lend itself better to a visual adaptation than any other, nor was there any comic-book series to follow. In late 1983, Marv Wolfman approached the brass at DC, now his major client, about publishing a Trek comic. With Trek II an established hit that left audiences breathing heavily over the fate of a supposedly dead Spock and anxiously anticipating the sequel, this was deemed a more commercial idea than it would have been a couple of years earlier, and DC bit. It was decided Marv would edit the title—though he reserved the adaptations of future films for himself—and Martin Pasko and I would script it, in six-month shifts. (Who would write the first issue was unresolved.) This was okay with me, and it was some weeks before I was informed that I was now the sole writer for the comic. Years later, Martin Pasko would ask me what happened, and my reply to that question now would be the same as it was then: I don’t know. I did no campaigning or politicking for the title, and after being assured that Pasko would be assigned other work to make up for the loss of Trek, I accepted. And how. But the success of Trek II had not gone unnoticed in other four-color quarters. At a party in late 1983 or so, I was chatting with Denny O’Neil, who told me that Marvel had secured the comic rights

7 4

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

from Star Trek #6 (Inset). Art by Dave Cockrum and Klaus Janson. Courtesy

to Trek and would be writing not only an ongoing title, but an adaptation of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as well. Awkward. I had been told that DC had already secured those rights and decided to make no mention of it, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. (But the first thing I did, next Monday morning, was to call DC and make sure the contract had been signed.) The editorial relationship I had with Marv on DC’s Star Trek remains the best relationship I’ve ever had with a discrete editor on a work-for-hire project. Unlike most editors, who give you no direction then blame you for not giving them what they want, Marv had strong ideas about where Marvel had gone wrong that we should avoid. He thought the problem with Marvel’s title was that they confined themselves to one-issue stories and tried to follow the structure of the TV show, the four-act play. (It may have been that the Marvel staff was aware of these limitations and tried to change them, but the fact remains that they didn’t.) He urged me to paint on a larger canvas, to make the stories as big as possible and, above all, to write it like a comic book, not like a TV show. Fine with me. The first thing I did was to dust off the plot that had been approved—for 24 hours—two years earlier for Marvel. After all this time I felt it held up. But rather than make it a one-part story, I took Marv’s instructions to heart, knocking the end out of it and making it the first chapter of a four-part story involving Klingons, galactic war, and two of the all-powerful races the Enterprise was so prone to encounter, but had not been seen since the TV show. (We had permission to use any aspect of the Trek universe we wanted.) Yeah, that’d work.

STAR TREK DC: THE SEARCH FOR AN ARTIST

But who to get for the art? My first choice was an artist I’d worked with years earlier, Tom Sutton. On the first issue of a DC science-fiction anthology title, Time Warp, probably DC’s first new book after the infamous DC Implosion, Tom and I did a story called “The Survivors.” Later, we teamed on a story called “Insurrection,” which was written for Time Warp, but had been published in #112 of the revived Mystery in Space. “Insurrection” was deliberately planned to be a Trek pastiche, but confining itself to the editorial mandate seen in Time Warp’s subtitle: “Doomsday Tales and Other Things.” Though I personally liked stories with an upbeat ending, I also knew how to play to a room, so depressing they were. Tom’s art on the latter story showed he was the perfect artist for Trek, but there was one problem: he wasn’t available. Tom was the regular artist on a series in DC’s House of Mystery, “I. . . Vampire,” and editor Karen Berger wasn’t about to let him go for an ongoing monthly. Well, Karen has good taste. So Marv and I searched for other artists, scouring DC’s list of talent, but found no one who was better than Tom. Then the logjam broke. I was informed one day that Tom was available for Star Trek, an assignment he readily accepted. I don’t know what happened, and I didn’t care. Ricardo Villagran was tapped for the inks, and George Pérez drew the first three covers until Sutton himself took over the assignment, with a few other artists also contributing. Things went along swimmingly. DC produced a poster for the series, based on the first splash page, though they omitted any mention of the creative team. Hey, thanks, guys. I took a set of copies of the first issue to a convention in New Orleans, Vul-Con, where I shared the spotlight with Marvel editor Archie Goodwin. This was especially pleasing as I thought—and think—Archie’s run on Marvel’s Star Wars comic was the best comic based on a licensed property that’s ever been done, and I told him so. The first issue was published to good reviews and even better sales; it looked like we had a hit on our hands. My relationship with penciler Tom Sutton was a good one, but we didn’t speak often and weren’t particularly close. Tom would occasionally call me, usually in the evening, usually to simply chat. He had no special ideas for Trek stories and liked the plots he had been getting, he just wanted to talk. He liked the writing of William Kotzwinkle, and was delighted that I knew who he was, though I had read none of his work. (I know a little bit about everything.) My favorite Trekrelated story about Tom concerns our adaptation of Trek III. For reasons not disclosed to us mere mortals, actress Kirstie Alley would not reprise her role as Lt. Saavik; her ears would instead be filled by Robin Curtis, a thankless job, but one which Curtis gave her best efforts. But Tom had grown used to drawing Alley’s face and, though he used Curtis’ face for the adaptation, reverted to Alley’s face the instant he returned to the monthly book. (This paralleled the story of Ken Bald,

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

7 5

D DV ck Issues : Back

o t s c i m o C

Adventures of Captain Marvel, The

D D V o t m l i F e n O t ar

Artisan (1941, 216m) Comments: Considered one of the best comic-book serials ever released, this violent 12-parter features Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel as he fights against a sinister plot by the mysterious Scorpion. This is an unrestored transfer on one disc. DVD Extras: Trailer.

Captain Marvel, and Captain America, each of whom was less than three years

Adventures of Captain Marvel, The

old when work began on serials and cartoons which transferred their adventures

Serialsquadron.com (1941, 216m) Comments: The 12-part serial is spread over 3 discs and restored by the Serial Squadron, a serial preservation group. More expensive than the Artisan version, but worth the cost. DVD Extras: Featurette, bloopers, tinted scenes, trailer.

Andy Mangels

The relationship between comics and film is a long one. Consider Superman,

to the movie screen. And even before those heroes from comic-book pages made their celluloid debuts, characters from the comic strips—Annie, Popeye, Buster Brown—were caught in Hollywood’s flickering light. Over the last decade, the number of comic-book series translated to film has risen dramatically. The reasons are varied: special effects have gotten easier, quicker, and cheaper in the digital age; younger movie executives have grown up

special feature

reading comics; some companies, such as Dark Horse, have deals with movie stu-

7 8

•

B A C K

I S S U E

dios; and super-hero films offer the potential for a franchise. Technology for getting the films into the hands of fans has also changed over the last decade, especially with the rise of DVDs. The DVD technology allows video and audio images to be stored (with crystal clarity) on a small disc also gives room for a host of extras: widescreen theatrical images, director and star commentaries that can be played over the film, isolated music scores, deleted scenes, outtakes, uncensored footage, behind-the-scenes clips, alternate endings,

American Splendor Warner/HBO Video (2004, 101m) Comments: An autobiographical film about the life of cartoonist/curmudgeon Harvey Pekar, this was critically acclaimed. It features a variety of styles to tell its story, including actors, the real Pekar and wife Joyce Brabner, and animation. DVD Extras: Widescreen, commentary, featurettes, easter eggs, music track.

music videos, foreign language subtitles, and more. For fans, the ability to get their favorite comics film on DVD—with all the bells and whistles—is irresistible. There are many good sources for DVDs, but some comic book-based DVDs are tougher to find. First, check with your local comic book store to see if Diamond or other distributors they use might carry the disc in question. Failing that, to get the best price, go to www.dvdpricesearch.com. What follows is a comprehensive look at what comic-book DVDs are available on the market. It does not include CrossGen or Marvel Comics “Comic on DVD” releases, but instead is a look at live-action and animation.

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

Annie Sony/Columbia TriStar (1982, 127m) Comments: The story of Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie was transferred to Broadway stages, and then filmed by John Huston. Despite an impressive cast, this musical fails to thrill, though kids will like it. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, advertising, cast bios, production notes, trailers.

Annie - Special Anniversary Edition Sony/Columbia TriStar (1982, 87m) Comments: A new version of the stage-to-film project. DVD Extras: Fullscreen, featurette, game, sing-along, trailer.

Annie Disney (1999, 90m) Comments: Disney remakes the stage play for television, adding an eclectic Tony-and-Oscar-winning cast that brings the project to vibrant life. Look for a cameo from Andrea McArdle, the original Annie! DVD Extras: Fullscreen, trailers.

Batman: The Movie

Batman and Robin (#4)

Batman and Mr. Freeze: Subzero (2)

Fox (1966, 105m) Comments: Produced concurrently with the campy television series, this Bat-film finds our heroes up against the villains Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman. The best scene is one in which Batman finds he just can’t get rid of a bomb. DVD Extras: Widescreen, commentary by Adam West and Burt Ward, featurette, Batmobile tour, still gallery, trailers.

Warner Bros. (1997, 125m) Comments: George Clooney does his best in a story that features 2 overacting villains, Robin, and the introduction of Batgirl. A campy, colorful mess. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, production notes.

Warner Bros. (1997, 67m) Comments: A tie-in to the feature film had deeper characterization for the title villain, plus Batgirl. DVD Extras: Game, how to draw, music montage, cast and crew info, trailers.

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever Warner Bros. (2002, 91m) Comments: Based on a little-known independent comic, this clichéd uberaction film stars Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu. Also available in 2-packs with either Femme Fatale or Exit Wounds. DVD Extras: Widescreen, featurette, game, trailers.

Batman (#1)

Barbarella

Batman Returns (#2)

Paramount (1968, 98m) Comments: Jane Fonda stars in this campy and sexy cult film based on French cartoonist Jean-Claude Forest’s heroine. The first of producer Dino De Laurentiis’ comic films. DVD Extras: Widescreen, trailer.

Warner Bros. (1992, 126m) Comments: Michelle Pfeiffer doesn’t hit a single wrong note as Catwoman, but Danny DeVito’s Penguin muddles Tim Burton’s mix just a bit. The best of the new Bat-quartet though. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, production notes.

Warner Bros. (1989, 126m) Comments: Michael Keaton proves the fans wrong by turning in an understated and grim performance, Tim Burton dazzles with direction, and Jack Nicholson overacts like mad. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, production notes.

Barb Wire Universal (1996, 98m) Comments:Pamela Anderson Lee is the titular guns-and-leather heroine of this trashy extravaganza based on the Dark Horse comic series. Without this, TV might never have gotten VIP. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, outtakes, photo gallery, trailer.

Warner Bros. (1989-1997, 499m) Comments: Boxed set featuring 4 Batman movies.

Batman: The Animated Series (1): The Legend Begins Batman: The Animated Series (2): Tales of the Dark Knight Batman: The Animated Series (3): Out of the Shadows Batman: The Animated Series (4): Adventures of Batman and Robin: The Joker/Fire and Ice Batman: The Animated Series (5): Adventures of Batman and Robin: Poison Ivy/The Penguin

Archie Show, The - The Archie Show Vol. 1 Archie’s TV Funnies - Archie’s TV Funnies Vol. 1 Archies, The: The Jugman U S of Archie, The - Archie’s Classic Cartoons Vol. 1 Nostalgia Ventures (1968-1976) Comments: The animated adventures of the gang from Riverdale are brought to DVD by this small company. DVD Extras: Unavailable to review.

The Batman Superman Movie (3)

The Batman Legacy

Batman Forever (#3) Warner Bros. (1995, 122m) Comments: Val Kilmer is Batman and Chris O’Donnell is introduced as Robin, but the silly plot gives free reign to the manic Jim Carrey’s Riddler, and encourages Tommy Lee Jones to go over the top as well. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, production notes.

Warner Bros. (1992-1993, 88-110m) Comments: 4-5 episodes each of the Dark Deco hit series from Fox that redefined DC’s animated future. Batman was never better on the big or small screen. DVD Extras: Interview, featurettes, game, how to draw.

Batman: The Animated Series (Subscription) Warner Bros./Columbia House (1992-1993) Comments: Offering 4 episodes per DVD, Columbia House has released 10 volumes. To order, call customer service 800-262-2001.

Batman: The Animated Series Volume 1 (4 discs) Warner Bros. (1992) Comments: This 4-disc set includes the first 28 episodes of the initial season of the WB show. DVD Extras: Commentaries, featurettes. Unavailable for review. Release Date 07/06/2004

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1) Warner Bros. (1993, 76m) Comments:The first feature-length animated film hews close to the popular animated series, but is darker and more violent. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, trailer.

C o m i c s

i n

Warner Bros. (1997, 61m) Comments: A lead-in to the animated Superman series, this pitted the World’s Finest team against Joker and Lex Luthor. DVD Extras: Interview with Bruce Timm, game, how to draw, music montage, cast and crew info, trailers.

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (4) Warner Bros. (2003, 75m) Comments: When Penguin and Boss Thorne join forces, Batman and Robin get help from a new heroine, the mysterious Batwoman. Also includes a DVD-exclusive short adventure. DVD Extras: Interviews, featurette, game, character bios, art.

Batman Beyond: The Movie (1) Warner Bros. (1999, 127m) Comments: Six early episodes of the popular WB cartoon show include “Rebirth I and II,” “Meltdown,” “Dead Man’s Hand,” “Gotham Golem,” and “The Winning Edge.” DVD Extras: None.

Batman Beyond: School Dayz/Spellbound (2) Warner Bros. (1999) Comments: More episodes from the first season are “Spellbound,” “A Touch of Curare,” “Hooked Up,” “Golem,” “The Winning Edge,” and “Dead Man’s Hand.” DVD Extras: Unavailable for review.

Batman Beyond: Tech Wars/Disappearing Inque (3) Warner Bros. (1999) Comments: More episodes from the first season are “Splicers,” “Heroes,” “Lost Soul,” “Black Out,” “Disappearing Inque,” and “Shriek.” DVD Extras: Unavailable for review.

dvd list continues next page

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

7 9

Josie and the Pussycats (PG or PG-13) Universal (2001, 98m) Comments: Grrrrl power and pop music get full play for tweens in the first Archie Comics-related feature film ever. Campy, fluffy, and full of product placement. Look for the PG13 version to have a few naughtier elements than the kid-friendly PG version. DVD Extras: Widescreen (on both), commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes (on PG-13).

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (widescreen or fullscreen) Fox (2003, 110m) Comments: Sean Connery headlines a low-star cast to adapt the Alan MooreKevin O’Neil miniseries about 19thcentury adventurers. Not nearly as bad as reviews made it out to be, there are still a lot of unbelievable sequences, even for a fantasy. This is a 2-disc set. DVD Extras: Widescreen [except on fullscreen version], commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.

Judge Dredd Hollywood/Disney (1995, 96m) Comments: Sylvester Stallone is fine in this lavishly produced film based on the British comic series, except when he takes his mask off (which is too often). And why is Rob Schneider in this? DVD Extras: Widescreen, trailer.

Justice League (1) Justice League: Justice on Trial (2) Justice League: Paradise Lost (3) Justice League: Starcrossed (4) Warner Bros. (2001-2002, 60-88m) Comments: When Martian Manhunter warns Earth of an invasion threat, DC’s greatest heroes gather together into the Justice League. An excellent animated series begins here. Subsequent discs feature 4 episodes each DVD Extras: Introductions, featurettes, character bios, cast and crew info, how to draw, trailers.

Lucky Luke Simitar and Unapix (1991, 91m)

Lucky Luke - Vol. 1: Mr. Joseph Lucky Luke - Vol. 2: Midsummer Lucky Luke - Vol. 3: Ghost Train Lucky Luke - Vol. 4: Ma Dalton Lucky Luke - Vol. 5: Caffe Ole Lucky Luke - Vol. 6: Luke’s Fiancee Lucky Luke - Vol. 7: Grand Delusion Lucky Luke - Vol. 8: Nobody’s Fool Tapeworm (1991, 60m) Comments: Lucky Luke is an adaptation of a French comic series about the fast-drawing sheriff of Daisy Town and his talking horse Jolly Jumper. Terence Hill stars in the feature film (released by 2 different companies) and the resulting television series. DVD Extras: Fullscreen, production notes (Simitar disc).

The Mask

New Line (1994, 101m) Comments: Jim Carrey is perfect as the man who becomes a living Tex Avery cartoon when he dons an enchanted mask. Based on the Dark Horse comic. DVD Extras: Widescreen, fullscreen, commentary, deleted scenes, production notes, trailer.

Men in Black (Collector’s Series, DTS, or Superbit)

Killer Condom Troma (1996, 106m) Comments: A gay New York detective must capture a genetically engineered cannibal condom in this live-action adaptation of Rolf König’s hilarious graphic novels (the first of which was published in the US by NBM). Ribald, gritty, gory, and not for young ’uns! DVD Extras: Fullscreen, in German with subtitles, drunken commentary, trailer, and more.

Sony/Columbia TriStar (1997, 97m) Comments: Witty, well-acted, and full of great special effects and set designs, this feature is based on a nearly forgotten Malibu Comics series. DVD Extras: Widescreen, commentaries, featurettes, art and photos, storyboards, music video, production notes, trailer, and more! The DTS version also has specialized DTS sound encoding. The Superbit version has higher-resolution images.

Men in Black (Limited Edition Box Set) Sony/Columbia TriStar (1997, 98m) Comments: Same movie as above, but featuring a second disc full of lots of extras. Look for the special all-black box with logo. DVD Extras: As above, plus fullscreen, more commentary, fight scene deconstruction, more art and photos, scene editing workshop, alternate scenes, and much more!

Men in Black (Deluxe Edition) Sony/Columbia TriStar (1997, 98m) Comments: Exactly the same as the earlier Limited Edition boxed set, but now in a keepcase and cheaper version. DVD Extras: As above.

Men in Black II: Collector’s Edition (widescreen, fullscreen, or Superbit) Sony/Columbia TriStar (2002, 88m) Comments: More silliness, but not quite as clever as the first film. This 2-disc set has tons of extras. Watch for a great short film called “The ChubbChubbs.” DVD Extras: Widescreen [except on fullscreen version], commentaries, featurettes, art and photos, storyboards, music video, trailer, bloopers, and more! The Superbit version has higher-resolution images.

Men in Black / Men in Black II Sony/Columbia TriStar (2002, 186m) Comments: Four-disc set includes the Deluxe Edition of the first film and the Collector’s Edition of the second film. DVD Extras: As above.

Modesty Blaise Fox (1966, 119m) Comments: Spoof doesn’t get much campier than this foreign import about a London spy with long legs, a beehive hairdo, and a precarious command of English. Full of pop-art psychedelia. DVD Extras: Widescreen.

Monkeybone Fox (2002, 186m) Comments: Based on an unfinished graphic novel, this film teeters into Tim Burton territory, largely due to the extensive stop-motion animation of (Burton sidekick) director Henry Selick. It’s also written by Batman

writer Sam Hamm, but the only thing that saves this bizarre film is the undead Chris Kattan. DVD Extras: Widescreen, commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, photo gallery, trailers.

Mutant X: Season One (#1) Mutant X: Season One (#2) Mutant X: Season One (#3) Mutant X: Season One (#4) Mutant X: Season One (#5) Mutant X: Season One (#6) Mutant X: Season One (#7) ADV Films (2001-2002, 100m) Comments: Under ex-Genomex mentor Adam (Michael Shea), a group of gorgeous young mutants try to rescue other mutants while facing threats from the Genetic Security Agency and its evil leader Eckhart. The subject of a lawsuit from Fox for “similarities” to X-Men, this is actually another Marvel production, and one which comic creator Howard Chaykin worked on regularly. The discs feature 2 episodes each. DVD Extras: Widescreen, commentary, photo gallery, character bio, cast bios, TV promos.

Mutant X: Season One (#8/9) Mutant X: Season One (#10/11) ADV Films (2001-2002, 200m) Comments: ADV switches to 2-disc sets, with 4 episodes per set. DVD Extras: Widescreen, featurettes, photo gallery, TV promos.

Mutant X: Season 2 (#1/2) Mutant X: Season 2 (#3/4) ADV Films (2002-2003, 200-250m) Comments: The mutants are back with 4-5 new episodes per set. DVD Extras: Widescreen, interview, featurettes, photo gallery, TV promos.

Mystery Men Universal (1999, 122m) Comments: It’s still a mystery why this film wasn’t a hit given its terrific cast of quirky actors, great design, and overall sense of fun. Based on Bob Burden’s comics characters. DVD Extras: Widescreen, commentary, deleted scenes, production notes, music highlights, comic book info, trailer, and more.

Editor’s note: This exhaustive list will conclude in BACK ISSUE #7. – M.E. 8 2

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

cont.

Dan Joh

nson

special feature

An Interview with Punisher (1989)

Director Mark Goldblatt

Taking Direction Director Mark Goldblatt (right) on the set of 1989’s

There are two things for certain about comic-book fans: We are opinionated about comic books, and we are opinionated about the film and television projects that spin off from comic books.

The Punisher, with star

The release of the new Punisher movie has sparked a lot of debate at comic-book shops since it was first

Dolph Lundgren.

announced, as well as new rounds of discussion regarding New World Pictures’ 1989 take on the Punisher. For

Photo courtesy of

those who haven’t seen the original film, the story has the Punisher landing right in the middle of a shooting

Mark Goldblatt.

war between members of the mob and the Yakuza, Japanese gangsters. The film stars Dolph Lundgren as Frank

Castle—aka the Punisher—a police officer whose family is killed by the Mafia. Louis Gossett, Jr. plays Jake Berkowitz, Castle’s ex-partner, determined to stop his friend’s one-man war on the mob. The first Punisher film has taken some heat in the past, and it is heat that I really don’t think it deserves. If you haven’t taken a look at the 1989 version of The Punisher lately, you really should.

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

8 3

Comic-Book Roots

“Unfortunately, we didn’t have that brilliant

Mike Zeck delivers

master stroke. So we went with a heavy leather

showing the skull insignia. That’s a mistake, but

the goods in this

look that the brilliant designer Norma Moriceau (of

I think the picture still works.”

Punisher illo from the

The Road Warrior and Crocodile Dundee fame) created

Goldblatt’s points regarding the costume are

late 1980s. Courtesy

for us. And I really like this costume. It’s reflective

valid. It is better to have discarded a costume that

of something that the self-sufficient Punisher would

he didn’t think would work than run the risk of

have designed and crafted for himself, in his sewer

losing the believability of the character because the

dwelling. We figured we would keep [the Punisher]

audience thought it looked silly and unrealistic. But

skull insignia on his knife handle. Unfortunately,

still there are critics who tend to focus on the few

the knife isn’t featured in closeup that much. I later

things that might have been wrong about the film

realized that what we should have done was have

and who don’t give the movie enough credit for

the skull insignia stenciled or silk-screened (by the

what they got right. To his credit, Goldblatt doesn’t

Punisher himself) on a black T-shirt, under his jacket.

let the critics wear him down. “I think we did an

We could have retained the skull motif in this way,

outstanding job, given the situation. As with most

along with Norma’s costume, and still avoided the

movies, some people like it, some people don’t. I

spandex look.

must say that I had a great time doing it and am

“In hindsight, I’m afraid that we threw out the baby with the bath water. I base that on the fact

8 8

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

that a lot of fans had a problem with our not

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

really proud of it.”

end

DOOM L O R PAT

collected editions review

The

A R C H I V Eby S Arnold Drake

and Bruno Premia ni

Reading the original Doom Patrol is like watching a marathon of Outer Limits episodes—there’s a robot, a 50-foot woman,

a radioactive man with a bandaged face, an immortal mastermind, an intelligent talking gorilla, a far-Eastern mystic, a green-skinned alien conqueror, a snobby jetsetter with a “Mento” helmet, bubbling lava monsters, a repugnant sea beast, an animal-vegetable-mineral menace, and even an evil brain in a jar! I loved The Outer Limits (1963–65) during my wee years, and followed it in

The Doom Patrol Archives Volume 1: My Greatest Adventure/ Doom Patrol #80–89 DC Comics • 2002 Hardcover • 226 pages color • $49.95 US

reruns for years after that, but DC’s Doom Patrol just didn’t register on my radar. I wasn’t alone. Grade-schoolers like me were suckered in by flashier funnybooks like Batman, Superman, and upstart Marvel Comics’ hyperbolic offerings, but most of us ignored the Doom Patrol throughout its five-year run, perhaps discovering the oddball team during its 1977 Showcase revival, or in the early 1980s in the pages of The New Teen Titans. The Doom Patrol, now the subject of two DC Comics Archives editions (presumably with more to follow), commanded a loyal, but small, cult audience during its original run. Much has been written about the coincidental timing of the

Volume 2: Doom Patrol #90–97 DC Comics • 2003 Hardcover • 218 pages color • $49.95 USA

debuts of DC’s tragic team of societal outcasts—Robotman (Cliff Steele, a former daredevil whose body was destroyed in an accident, his brain being encased in a robotic form), Elasti-Girl (a babelicious starlet named Rita Farr who could grow or shrink), Negative Man (Larry Trainor, a living mummy from whom an electromagnetic super-being could burst forth), and their wheelchair-bound, big-brain leader, Niles Caulder, aka the Chief—and Marvel’s similarly themed X-Men, who first appeared three months after the DP (another famous DC/Marvel “who came first?” fluke, Swamp Thing and Man-Thing, is the subject of next issue’s “Greatest Stories

C o m i c s

i n

H o l l y w o o d

•

B A C K

I S S U E

•

8 9

Back Issue #5