Fluid Design

Dan Lemmon and Joe Letteri of Weta Digital discuss the development of the Kryptonian technology known as liquid geometry (a.k.a. liquid geo) showcased in Man of Steel.

(Image: Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Henry Cavill as Kal-El in Man of Steel, Warner Bros.)

Media Matters

MediAvengers, an amusing project by New Zealand artist Kimba McG, shows how the media within the Marvel Cinematic Universe cover the likes of the Hulk, Iron Man, and other familiar figures. More examples after the jump and on Facebook.

Outworldly Fashion

Film Sketchr chats with costume illustrator Phillip Boutte, Jr. (previous CBC coverage here), who reveals what sparked his design ideas for the Kryptonian Tribunal members:

“The initial point of inspiration, believe it or not, were the Skeksis from the movie The Dark Crystal. We wanted to capture their pompous attitude.”

On a related note, concept artist Steve Jung recently shared his vision of what one might see on a Kryptonian catwalk.

(Image: Kryptonian Tribunal members, Phillip Boutte, Jr.)

Weight Gain

Watch Kevin Durand suit up—and get down—as Fred Dukes (a.k.a. Blob) (above) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine with the help of the folks at Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc.

Earlier CBC coverage of Blob’s development here.

(Image: Marvel Entertainment/20th Century Fox)

Super Science

Daniel Engber and Erik Sofge throw some cold water on the various futuristic advancements featured in this summer’s movies, including Iron Man 3: 

“Iron Man’s jet boots work underwater, which ignores the fact that combustion-based jets drown when submerged.”

Along the same lines, Vsauce3 considers what would happen if Superman punched you in the face.

(Image: Mark Ruffalo portrays Bruce Banner attempting to improve the streaming quality of his Netflx account; Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures)

"Using Sound As A Weapon"

The team responsible for bringing sound to Man of Steel explains how they tackled the assignment, courtesy of Soundworks Collection.

G Spot

A little more than two months after being treated to a teaser for the upcoming live-action adaptation of Gatchaman, we have received an official trailer for the film. Consider yourself extra fortunate if you’re fluent in Japanese.

On a somewhat related note: there’s also now a primer kicking around for Tiger Mask, based on the manga series by Ikki Kajiwara and Naoki Tsuji.

(Image: theatrical release poster for Gatchaman, Nikkatsu/Toho)

Art Appreciation

The start of the summer seems like a good time to share some of the artistic discoveries we’ve stumbled across over the past few months. From laughing gas to liquid cement, Samuel Sheibert reviews some of the gizmos and gadgets from the 1960s Batman television series. Hanie Mohd adorns Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and other well-known comic book faces in sweaters and formal wear. Guy Bourraine, Jr. shows off his faux theatrical release poster for Batman Beyond. Mike Mitchell transforms a muscular looking chap into a variety pop culture icons in Super. Gotham City villains receive the mashup treatment, courtesy of Ginghasi. Luke Radl views Spider-Man through the eyes of Norman Rockwell. And we’re not quite sure what the Dark Knight is doing here.

(Image: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, part of the Disney high school prom series by Kathryn Hudson)

Women Of Steel?

Natalie Wilson praises Man of Steel for showcasing women in “important, non-sexualized, non-damel-in-distress roles” and Alyssa Rosenburg calls it the “most feminist action movie of the year,” but Matt Zoller Seitz expresses some doubts, especially about Lois Lane played by Amy Adams:

“Adams’ Lois is tough and smart but has no personality, only drive, and she’s not as intergral to the action as she seems to be on first glance; it’s telling that this film gives equal or greater weigh to the story of an understandably distrustful general (Chris Meloni) whose relationship with Superman lets him become the stand-in for a doubting Earth, a role filled by Lois in the 1978 film.”

He adds:

“Considering that every previous Superman movie put the courtship dance between men and women at the heart of its action—particularly Superman: The Movie, Superman II, and Superman Returns—the fact that Man of Steel has a No Girls Allowed sensibility seems like a deliberate creative choice, a way to reassure young male viewers accustomed to the glib swagger of Iron Man and the dire self-pity of Nolan’s Batman that this hero is very much in the same wheelhouse.”

(Image: Antje Traue as General Zod’s Sub-Commander Faora-Ul, Warner Bros.)

The High Cost Of Heroics

While debate continues (caution: spoilers ahead) over the unconventional ending to the epic battle between Superman and General Zod in Man of Steel, Buzzfeed has commissioned a study on what the superpowered slugfest cost the city of Metropolis:

“The toll is truly horrific: 129 thousand known killed, nearly a million injuried, and over a quarter of a million still missing.”

An initial estimate also found over $750 billion in property damage. The report, delivered in an editorial by Perry White of The Daily Planet, here.

(Image: the citizens of Metropolis are probably wishing that they lived in Gotham City right about now, Warner Bros.)

Actualizing Akira

Scott Green gathers together a collection of recently released concept art by the likes of illustrator Rodolfo Dimaggio and storyboard artist Jeffrey Errico for the now seemingly abandoned, live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira.

(Image: motorcycle design, Tommy Lee Edwards)

Super Psyche

The boys over at Broadcast Thought consider some of the emotional challenges Clark Kent faced while growing up, including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, risk-taking, and his own lineage: 

“Clark’s adolescence is a bit more complicated that that of a typical teenager. First, he’s adopted. As adopted children go through puberty, not only their bodies resemble their biological parents more, but they become capable of being parents themselves. This transformation raises questions about their own identity and can spur them to search for their parents. Also, as Clark’s body changes, he discovers emerging powers that are not only super-human, but super-scary. As if puberty wasn’t awkward enough already.”

(Image: Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel, Warner Bros.)

Coming Attractions: Batman Forever

Batman Forever, the third film of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman era, appeared in theaters on this date in 1995. The cast includes Val Kilmer (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Chris O’Donnell (Dick Grayson/Robin), Tommy Lee Jones (Harvey Dent/Two-Face), Jim Carrey (Edward Nigma/the Riddler), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian), Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth), Pat Hingle (Commissioner James Gordon), Drew Barrymore (Sugar), Debi Mazar (Spice), René Auberjonois (Dr. Burton), and Ed Begley, Jr. (Fred Stickley).

Bat Photos

Retronaut rounds up a collection of images from the set of the 1960s television series Batman.

(Image: Adam West reviewing a script on the set of Batman)

A Conceptual Hat Trick

Illustrator James Carson lent his considerable talents to the pre-production phases of Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

(Image: Black Cat, who was originally slated to appear along with Doctor Octopus and the Lizard in Spider-Man 2.)

Man Of Reel

Over at CraveOnline, Williams “Bibbs” Bibbiani and Witney Seibold look back at Superman’s film adventures in their 10-part Cinema of Steel series. The pair will examine a different theatrical release each day (parts one, two, and three here and here, and here) leading up to the arrival of Man of Steel on June 14.

(Shout-out: Superhero Hype)

"A Brutal And Surgical Display, Exuberant And Cold"

Last week, the Cannes Film Festival bestowed its coveted Palme d’Or upon director Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is the Warmest Colour based on the graphic novel Blue Angel by Julie Maroh. It is the first time that a film inspired by comics has ever taken the festival’s top prize. The jury also took the unprecendented step of extending the award, which traditionally goes only to the director, to actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux as well.

The movie, about a coming of age romance between two young French women, raised some eyebrows for its intense sex scenes. Maroh herself expressed some displeasure with how the subject was handled:

“The heternomormative laughed because they don’t understand it and find the scene ridiculous. The gay and queer people laughed because it’s not convincing, and [they] found it ridiculous. And among the only people we didn’t hear giggling were the potential guys [sic] too busy feasting their eyes on an incarnation of their fantasties on screen.”

Without having yet seen the film (it’s slated for release in France on October 9), we cannot comment on its content. But we are a bit dismayed that such a milestone achievement does not appear to have registered with those who report on the comics community.

(Image: Léa Seydoux as Emma and Adèle Exarchopoulos as Adèle in Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Sundance Selects)

A Moment On Screen

Tech Noir features a sweet little collection of animated GIFs known as cinemagraphs from a host of films, including Sin City (above), The Avengers, Batman Returns, Dredd, Iron Man, V for Vendetta, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.

(Shout-out: Laughing Squid)