Sean Hartter 1973–2013

If you’re unfamiliar with the work of illustrator Sean Hartter, you should immediately remedy the situation. His clever alternate universe movie posters offer a tongue-in-cheek spin on familiar flicks while paying homage to promotional art styles from the 1940s to the ’80s. (More CBC’s favorites after the jump.) Sadly, Hartter passed away suddenly on April 27. Those interested may contribute to the memorial fund set up to assist his wife and young sons with funeral costs.

(Shout-out: Capes on Film)

Coming Attractions: The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green

The gay romantic comedy The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green premiered at the Tribeca Film Festical on this date in 2005. Based on the eponymous comic strip by Eric Orner, the film features Daniel Letterie (Ethan Green), Diego Serrano (Kyle Underhill), Shanola Hampton (Charlotte), Meredith Baxter (Harper Green), David Monahan (Leo Worth), Dean Shelton (Punch Epstein), Scott Atkinson (Chester Bear), Richard Riehle (Hat Sister), and Joel Brooks (Hat Sister).

(Image: David Monahan as Leo Worth and Daniel Letterie as Ethan Green search for the graphic novel section of their local bookstore in The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, Regent Releasing)

Built For Speed

The visual effects gurus at BUF push the pedal to the floor in this seven-minute montage of their work on the hyperactive 2008 release Speed Racer.

Previous Speed Racer coverage here, here, and here.

History Of A Hero

A visual treat for Superman fans, courtesy of the fine folks at 8Ball.

The Sounds Of Silence

The creators behind the post-apocalyptic film Oblivion shed light on how they employed sound and music to set the tone of a decimated Earth.

Earlier Oblivion coverage here and here.

(Shout-out: Laughing Squid)

Coming Attractions: The Losers

Warner Bros. Pictures released the action film The Losers, based on the comic book series by Andy Diggle and Jock, on this date in 2010. Directed by Sylvain White, the movie stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Lt. Col. Franklin Clay), Idris Elba (Cpt. William Roque), Zoe Saldana (Aisha al-Fadhil), Chris Evans (Cpt. Jake Jensen), Columbus Short (Sgt. Linwood “Pooch” Porteous), Óscar Jaenada (Sgt. Carlos “Cougar” Alvarz), and Jason Patric (Max).

Earlier coverage of Jock’s art appearing in the film’s opening credits here.

(Image: Jeffery Dean Morgan as Franklin Clay and Idris Elba as William Roque work through some issues in The Losers, Warner Bros. Pictures)

A Rich Man's Game

Michael Moran notices that today’s superhero films appear less focused on costumed crimefighters helping the little guy and more concerned with the squabbles of wealthy protagonists:

“Money Supermarket threw together some figures on how much it might cost to become a superhero. Batman came out at around $690,000,000. The price of becoming Iron Man was an even more impressive $1,600,000,000.

Now, those numbers are fanciful estimates rooted in the weird science of superhero world, but they’re probably in the right order of magnitude. Until we find a planet populated by creatures who can fly and shoot lasers from their eyes, or an intersteller police force armed with near-omnipotent jewellery, money is the only real superpower.”

(Shout-out: Bleeding Cool)

(Image: Adam West as civic-minded millionaire(!) Bruce Wayne in Batman (1966), 20th Century Fox)

Product Placement

To help promote its high-speed Internet service, Verizon recently unveiled the television spot “Science Project.” A quick look behind the scenes here.

More Iron Man 3-related advertising efforts here.

(Image: Jaiden Lieberher as a young science whiz with a knack for making grand entrances, Verizon)

A Thunderous Take Down

Federico D’Alessandro presents a storyboard chroncile of the defeat of the enchanted construct known as the Destroyer at the hands of the mighty Thor in the 2011 superhero film Thor.

(Image: concept art for the Destroyer, Steve Jung)

Eternal Justice

Universal Pictures unveiled the first trailer for the comedic supernatural action romp R.I.P.D., based on the comic book Rest in Peace Department by Peter M. Lenkov. The film, directed by Robert Schwentke, is slated for release on June 28.

(Image: Ryan Reynolds as Nick Cruz Walker, Mary-Louise Parker as Procter, and Jeff Bridges as Roy Pulsipher in R.I.P.D., Dark Horse Entetainment/Universal Pictures)

It's A Bird! It's A Plane!

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the debut of Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. A musical montage of the character’s live-action film and television efforts here.

(Image: cover of Action Comics #1 (dated June, 1938) featuring the first appearance of the Man of Steel. Of the 200,000 copies originally printed, it is estimated that fewer than 100 remain in existence. DC Comics).

Product Placement

The fine folks at Lego offer up their take on the promotional posters for the upcoming Iron Man 3. Another reimagined version after the jump.

(Shout-out: Design Taxi)

Talking Heads

Ian Failes gets the lowdown on how the visual effects creators at Stargate Studios handled the increased number of up-close zombie encounters in the recently completed third season of The Walking Dead. A video overview of Stargate’s efforts here.

(Image: Maggie Greene (portrayed by actress Lauren Cohan) prepares to drive home her point in The Walking Dead, AMC)

Go Go Gatchaman

Fans of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman recently got their first tiny peek at the upcoming movie based on the anime series about a team of five young superheroes. Audiences in the United States may be more familiar with the adaptation of the series broadcast in the late 1970s and 80s under the title Battle of the Planets. Gatchaman, directed by Toya Sato, is slated for release in Japan on August 24.

(Image: clockwise from top, Tori Matsuzaka as Ken Washio, Ayame Goriki as Jun Ohtsuki, Tatsuomi Hamada as Jinpei Ohtsuki, Ryohei Suzuki as Ryu Nakanishi, and Go Ayano as George Asakura; Nikkatsu/Toho)

Bridge Traffic

Illustrator Fabian Lacey captures everyone’s favorite wall-crawler in action (above) saving folks on the Williamsburg Bridge in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). More of Lacey’s concept art here.

(Shout-out: Film Sketchr)

Coming Attractions: Brenda Starr

Following six years of legal wrangling over distribution rights, Brenda Starr was released in the United States on this date in 1992 with Brooke Shields cast as the intrepid journalist. Based on Dale Messick’s long-running comic strip Brenda Starr, Reporter and directed by Robert Ellis Miller, the film also features Timothy Dalton (Basil St. John), Jeffrey Tambor (Vladmir), Nestor Serrano (Jose), June Gable (Luba), Charles Dunning (Francis I. Livright), Eddie Albert (Police Chief Maloney), Henry Gibson (Professor Gerhardt Von Kreutzer), Ed Nelson (President Harry S. Truman), and Tony Peck (Mike Randall).

(Image: Timothy Dalton as Basil St. John and Brooke Shields as Brenda Starr, New World Pictures)

Into Oblivion

Director Joseph Kosinski and the crew of Oblivion guide you on 21-minute tour of a bleak, futuristic Earth and explain how they developed it for the movie screen. The film, based on Kosinski’s unpublished graphic novel, will be released in the United States on April 19.

(Image: promotional poster for Oblivion, art by Andrée Wallin, Universal Pictures)

The Legally Dead

Say you manage to survive a zombie apocalypse and help to rebuild society, would you still be legally responsible for your actions, no matter how well-intentioned, during the crisis? Could you find yourself facing a murder charge for having helped an infected friend commit suicide? Recently, the fine folks behind Broadcast Thought and Law and the Multiverse teamed up to tackle these and other undying questions raised by the series The Walking Dead.

(Image: walkers may be fined for wearing white after Labor Day, AMC)

Coming Attractions: Prince Valiant

Illustrator Hal Foster’s Arthurian comic strip hero Prince Valiant appeared in Technicolor and Cinemascope on this date in 1954. Directed by Henry Hathaway and Robert Wagner (Prince Valiant), Janet Leigh (Princess Aleta), James Mason (Sir Brack), Debra Paget (Ilene), and Sterling Hayden (Sir Gawain).

(Image: Robert Wagner and Janet Leigh get medieval, 20th Century Fox)

Winning Losers

Jock (a.k.a Mark Simpson) takes aim at the characters featured in the animated opening of 2010 action film The Losers, based on the eponymous comic book series by Andy Diggle and himself.

(Image: Pooch (played by Columbus Short) in the opening credits of The Losers, Jock, Dark Castle Entertainment/Warner Bros.)

Surf Spot

The initial encounter between Doctor Doom and the Silver Surfer in the 2007 superhero movie Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer plays out a tad differently as seen in the original storyboards (above) by illustrator Dean Sherriff and the final filmed version.

(Shout-out: Film Sketchr)

Coming Attractions: Hellboy

Columbia Pictures unleashed Hellboy on this date in 2004. Based on Mike Mignola’s supernatural comic book superhero Hellboy and directed by Guillermo del Toro, the film stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien), John Hurt (Trevor Bruttenholm), Rupert Evans (John Thaddeus Myers), Karel Roden (Grigori Efimovich Rasputin), Jeffery Tambor (Tom Manning), and David Hyde Pierce (voice of Abe Sapien).

(Image: Ron Perlman as Hellboy, Columbia Pictures)

Shameless Plug Of The Day

With its current exhibition Sam Kieth: Samplings and Dabblings, San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum tips its hat to the creator of the comic book series The Maxx. The museum will host a special reception with Kieth on Saturday, April 27.

(Image: original cover art for The Maxx #15, April, 1995, Sam Kieth)

Coming Attractions: Sin City

Director Robert Rodriguez took us on a tour of the mean streets of graphic novel Sin City by artist (and co-director) Frank Miller on this date in 2005. The film’s impressive cast includes Bruce Willis (Det. John Hartigan), Mickey Rourke (Marv), Jessica Alba (Nancy Callahan), Rosario Dawson (Gail), Clive Owen (Dwight McCarthy), Elijah Wood (Kevin), Benicio del Toro (Det. Lt. Jack “Jackie Boy” Rafferty), Alexis Bledel (Becky), Brittany Murphy (Shellie), Jaime King (Goldie and Wendy), Michael Clarke Duncan (Manute), Powers Booth (Senator Roark), Rutger Hauer (Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark), Nick Stahl (Roark Junior/Yellow Bastard), Michael Madsen (Bob), Devin Aoki (Miho), and Josh Hartnett (the Salesman). Quentin Tarantino directed a car sequence involving Owen and del Toro’s characters.

No Girls Allowed

Despite there being an array of popular, well-established comic book superheroines, Paul Shirley laments their absence on the big screen:

“It’s almost hard to believe that there a was a time when a studio wouldn’t touch a comic book film to save its life. Now, they’re fighting over the scraps of every property that ever saw print. Except, it seems for the female ones.”

He also finds the thought of equating superpowered women to eye candy to be tiresome:

“Exaggeration is a common factor in comics, so really, the argument that characters, be it male or female, are molded purely for sex appeal is a boring stereotype. There is a generality in terms of appearance that commonly applies to the medium, and that is that the heroes and heroines look their best. Y’know, like superheroes, not out-of-shape common folk who can barely run a mile.”

(Image: Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff (a.k.a. Black Widow) in Iron Man 2, Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures. In 2004, Lions Gate flirted briefly with the idea of a movie showcasing the Russian-born spy but the project never took off.)