Green Screen Goliath

The Grantland Channel serves up the third part of its series on the inner workings of ILM with VFX supervisor Jeff White recapping how the Hulk made his way into The Avengers. Don’t miss parts one and two.

Previous coverage of ILM’s work on The Avengers here and here.

Queen Of The Stone Age

Iconic screen star Elizabeth Talyor’s impressive resume includes starring roles in A Place in the Sun, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butterfield 8, Cleopatra, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? But around here, we’ll remember her best as Pearl Slaghopple (Wilma’s mother) in the 1994 comedy The Flinstones based on the eponymous animated series from Hanna-Barbera. The Academy Award-winning actress was born in London, England, on this date in 1932. She died in Los Angeles, California, on March 23, 2011 at the age of 79.

Those Krazy Kids

Rudolph Dirks, pioneering cartoonist and creator of the long-running comic strip The Katzenjammer Kids, was born on this date in 1877 in Heide, Germany. Dirks launched his strip in the American Humorist, a supplement of the New York Journal, on December 12, 1897 and was the first to employ word balloons for his character’s dialogue. In 1914, following a series of legal wranglings with his employers at the Hearst organization, Dirks created the strip Hans und Fritz (later titled The Captain and the Kids), which was nearly identical to The Katzenjammer Kids that Hearst had subsequently assigned to cartoonist Harold Knerr. Dirks died in New York city in 1968 at age 91.

The antics of twins Hans and Fritz proved to be so popular that less than a year after their debut the American Mutoscope Company’s released The Katzenjammer Kids in School, one of the first live-action films based on comics. In 1912, the Selig Polyscope Company produced a handful of Katzenjammer Kids shorts starring Guy Mohler as Hans and Emil Nuchberg as Fritz.

(Image: 1995 U.S. postage stamp featuring the Katzenjammer Kids)

Happy Birthday Jim Backus

The voice of Mr. Magoo (and millionaire castaway Thurston Howell III of Gilligan’s Island) would have celebrated his 100th birthday today.

Hyde And Seek

Special effects artist Steve Johnson and actor Jason Flemyng discuss the creation of Mr. Hyde for director Stephen Norrington’s 2003 adventure The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen based on the eponymous graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. Part two of the above video here.

Coming Attractions

Twentieth Century Fox released the comedy Monkeybone, based on Kaja Blackley’s graphic novel Dark Town, on this date in 2001. Directed by Henry Selick, the cast includes Brendan Fraser (Stu Miley), Bridget Fonda (Dr. Julia McElroy), John Turturro (voice of Monkeybone), Whoppi Goldberg (Death), Thomas Haden Chruch (Death’s Assistant), Ted Rooney (voice of Grim Reaper), Rose McGowan (Miss Kitty), Chris Kattan (Organ Donor Stu), Megan Mullally (Kimmy Miley), Giancarlo Esposito (Hypnos), and David Foley (Herb).

Faces of Steel

As a follow-up to the “Evolution of Superman’s ‘S’ Shield,” the fine folks over the Superman Homepage have compiled “The Changing Faces of Superman” as it has appeared in comics, animation, and live-action outings. A larger version of the chart may be found here.

Previous coverage of Superman’s ‘S’ here.

A Little Flattery Goes A Long Way

Filmsketchr stumbled upon some newly uploaded concept art by Tim Flattery featuring his work on the films Daredevil, The Incredible Hulk, and X-Men (above).

Street Scene

The creative minds at ILM discuss how they recreated midtown Manhattan digitally for a superheroic brawl in The Avengers.

Coming Attractions

Nicholas Cage blazed his way onto the movie screen as a motorcycle stuntman who makes a bargain with the Devil in Ghost Rider, released on this date on 2007. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson and based on the Marvel Comics antihero, the supernatural action film also features Eva Mendes (Roxanne Simpson), Peter Fonda (Mephistopheles), Sam Elliott (Carter Slade/Caretaker), Wes Bentley (Blackheart/Legion), Donal Logue (Mack), Brett Cullen (Barton Blaze), Matt Long (Young Johnny Blaze), and Raquel Alessi (Young Roxanne Simpson).

Slacker Fashion

Toronto-based storyboard artist Rob McCallum brings us a visual review of the stylish duds worn by the lovelorn hero of director Edgar Wright’s hyperkentic 2010 release Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

W. Watts Biggers 1927–2013

Co-creator of the 1960s animated canine superhero Underdog, William Watts “Buck” Biggers passed away on February 10 at the age of 85. In 1959, Biggers and artist Chet Stover established the animation studio Total Television, which created a number of characters including Tennessee Tuxedo, Go Go Gophers, and Klondike Kat before folding 10 years later. 

Between 1965 and 1984, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featured a giant Underdog balloon as part of the festivities. In 2007, the super beagle was adapted into a live-action film starring  Jim Belushi and Peter Dinklage with Jason Lee providing the voice of the four-legged crimefighter.

Coming Attractions

Ben Affleck plays blind lawyer turned crimefighter Matt Murdock in Daredevil, which was released by 20th Century Fox on this date in 2003. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson and based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, the film also features Jennifer Garner (Elektra Natchios), Jon Favreau (Franklin “Foggy” Nelson), Colin Farrell (Bullseye), Michael Clark Duncan (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin), Joe Pantoliano (Ben Urich), Ellen Pompeo (Karen Page), Erick Avari (Nikolas Natchios), Leland Orser (Wesley Owne Welch), Lennie F=Loftin (Detective Nick Manolis), Derrick O’Connor (Father Everett), David Keith (Jack Murdock), and Scott Terra (Young Matt Murdock).

Spencer Perry revisits the movie—warts and all—which he first saw when he was 13 years old.

Sauced Up Superheroes

TAT super hot pepper sauce takes on the Hulk, the Thing, and Superman in a clever ad campaign from graphic designer Cüneyt Özalp.

(Shout-out: The Orange)

May We Quote You?

“I arrived in town that afternoon with all the moxie of a cartoonist turned movie producer.” – Javier Hernandez. The creator of El Muerto and co-founder of the Latino Comics Expo (and our pal) reflects on the last 15 years as a comic artist and teacher, including how his supernatural hero became the subject of a live-action film. Here’s to his continued good fortune.

Coming Attractions

New Line Cinema released Son of the Mask, directed by Lawrence Guterman, on this date in 2005. A sequel of sorts to 1994 comedy The Mask and inspired on the comic book series from Dark Horse Comics, the film stars Jamie Kennedy (Tim Avery/The Mask), Traylor Howard (Tonya Avery), Alan Cumming (Loki), Ryan and Liam Falconer (Alvey Avery), Bear (Otis the dog), Ben Stein (Dr. Artur Neuman), Steven Wright (Daniel Moss), Bob Hoskins (Odin), and Kal Penn (Jorge).

Gloomy Doom

Concept artist Carlos Haunte stayed busy in 2006 by creating modified looks of Doctor Doom and the Thing for Fantastic Four as well as the Beast and Juggernaut for X-Men: Last Stand. A nice visual roundup from both films can be found here.

Dancin' Fool

That’s Barrie Chase cutting a rug with Alfred E. Neuman on the live television special Another Evening with Fred Astaire, which aired on November 4, 1959. And, yes, that is the dapper 60-year-old Mr. Astaire made up as the Mad magazine cover boy. Quint offers a behind the scenes look here.

Amazon Art

In 2011, writer and producer David E. Kelley attempted to bring Wonder Woman back to television. A pilot starring Adrianne Palicki was produced, though NBC declined the series. And while it still may be some time before we catch a glimpse of it, there’s always the production art by Tim Burgard and Court Chu to fall back on.

(Image: Diana Themyscira and her friends run laps on Paradise Island, Tim Burgard)

Coming Attractions

Republic Pictures released Captain America, its final superhero serial, on this date in 1944. The 15-chapter escapade features the first live-action adaptation of a Marvel Comics (known as Timely Comics then) character. Dick Purcell portrays the gun-totting(!) Captain America (a.k.a. Grant Gardner) with Lorna Gray as Gail Richards and Lionel Atwill as Dr. Cyrus Maldor (a.k.a. the Scarab). Other cast members include Charles Trowbridge (Police commissioner Dryden), Russell Hicks (Mayor Randolph), George Lewis (Bart Matson), John Davidson (Gruber). and prolific serial actor Stanley Price (chemist).

Note: the above trailer is from the serial’s 1953 re-release as Return of Captain America.

Speedsters And Spiders

Concept artist George Hull created some dynamite cotton candy visuals for the 2008 release Speed Racer (above), but he’s also offered a ringside seat to the final battle in The Amazing Spider-Man as well as a close-up look at some of Tony Stark’s high tech gear in Iron Man 2. Hull briefly discusses his background and career here.

Lurching Into Monday

As seems appropriate following the San Francisco 49ers’ Superbowl loss yesterday, it’s a damp foggy morning in the Bay Area. But we’re slowly rousing ourselves back to life.

"We Just Had This Painted, Daryl."

The Walking Dead gets in on the Superbowl commercial action, courtesy of Time Warner Cable. More Dead air here and here.

Superman Lives Lives On

Maybe it all started with Jon Schnepp’s desire to make a documentary about Superman Lives, but in recent days director Tim Burton’s unmade late 1990s superhero epic has received a surprising amount of coverage. Voices from Krypton looked back at their reporting on the aborted film production, special effects makeup artist Steve Johnson shared some images of the revised Superman costume, Nailbiter111 touted the work of concept art John Mann, and the Superman Homepage celebrated getting a hold of a script from 1997 by screenwriter Wesley Strick which Rob Bricken gleefully translated for the masses. Not bad for a movie that never got off the ground.

(Image: Nicholas Cage trying out some Superman attire, Warner Bros.)

You Axed For It

Director Walter Hill’s new action flick Bullet to the Head, based on the French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete by Matz (a.k.a. Alexis Nolent), opens today in the United States. IGN spoke with Hill and stars Sung Kang and Sarah Shahi as well as leading man Sylvester Stallone, who discussed what you don’t often see in movies: an ax fight.