Illustrated Attire

The Costume Designers Guild shines a spotlight on costume illustrator Phillip Boutte, Jr., whose comic book film credits include X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Jonah Hex, Priest, Captain America: The First Avenger, and the upcoming Man of Steel:

“I need to make sure my sketch is helpful to everyone. If it’s not going to help everyone down the line—I haven’t done my job. The illustrations have to be [fully] funtional.”

(Image: costume illustrations for Priest, Phillip Boutte, Jr.)

What's The Charge?

Law and the Multiverse examines the evidence to determine whether or not pilot Cliff Secord was guilty of murder in the 1991 pulp action film The Rocketeer.

(Image: Billy Cmapbell and Alan Arkin in The Rocketeer, Walt Disney Pictures)

Shameless Plug Of The Day

Though it’s a little outside of our usual coverage, we can’t help but gush about our friend Anel Muller’s new stop-motion exhibition Between Frames now on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. The show, which shines a spotlight films such as King Kong, Jurassic Park, James and the Giant Peach, and Coraline, continues through April 28, 2013. More details here.

Congrats, Anel!

(Image: perennial stop-motion duo Gumby and Pokey, Clokey Productions and Premavision)

Check Your Local Listings

ABC launched the premier episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, on this date in 1996. Based on the Archie Comics character of the same name, the sitcom also featured Caroline Rhea as Hilda Spellman, Beth Broderick as Zelda Spellman, Nate Richert as Sabrina’s boyfriend Harvey Kinkle, and Nick Bakay as the voice of the warlock-turned-talking cat Salem Saberhagen. The series, which lasted for seven seasons, produced 163 episodes and three television movies before ending its run in April of 2003.

In Search Of Blood

AMC and the American Red Cross are encouraging people to donate blood. They’re even offering a chance to win a visit to the set of The Walking Dead.

(Image: Norman Reedus, IronE Singleton, Andrew Lincoln, and Steven Yeun in The Walking Dead, AMC)

Scripting The Boy Of Steel

CBR spoke with screenwriter Stan Berkowitz at last weekend’s Retro Action-Adventure-Thon at the Paley Center in Los Angeles about his work on the sydicated television show The Adventures of Superboy (1988–1992):

“I think it got better as it went along. It didn’t become a sequential story; at that time it was really hard to do sequential stuff. Plus, our primary audience was children and we figured they would not be able to see everything.”

They also caught up with Michael Gray who played Billy Batson in the 1970s live-action series Shazam!

(Image: Gerard Christopher as Superboy in The Adventures of Superboy, Warner Bros.)

On This Date: September 25

1951 Mark Hamill was born in Oakland, California, and later blasted off for international fame as Luke Skywalker in George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy. His other roles include Max Reed in The Guyver (1991) and the Trickster in two episodes of the televsion series The Flash. In addition, Hamill has become a prolific voice actor in cartoons and video games and is most closely associated with Batman’s arch enemy the Joker.

1952 Christopher Reeve was born in New York City. His acting career reached new heights when he starred as the Man of Steel in director Richard Donner’s 1978 box office hit Superman. Reeve donned the red caped again for three sequels and would later guest star as Dr. Virgil Swann on the series Smallville. Reeve, who became a quadriplegic after he was thrown off a horse, became an activist and spokesperson for those suffering from spinal cord injuries and lobbied for continued research. He died in 2004 at age 52.

1957 Michael Madsen was born in Chicago, Illinois. He brought his rough, gritty persona to the 2005 neo-noir thriller Sin City as Bob, the double-crossing partner of Bruce Willis’ Detective John Hartigan.

1961 Heather Locklear was born in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Though best known for her appearing in a number of Aaron Spelling-produced television shows including Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, and Melrose Place, Locklear also starred as Abby Arcane in director Jim Wynorski’s 1989 outing The Return of the Swamp Thing.

1966 Jason Flemying was born in Putney, London. He has appeared in a number of live-action comic book adaptations such as From Hell (2001), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Kick-Ass (2010), and X-Men: First Class (2011).

1968 Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The rapper-turned-actor played as James Darrell Edwards (a.k.a. Agent J) opposite Tommy Lee Jones in three Men in Black films.

1969 Catherine Zeta Jones was born in Swansea, Wales. She took on the role of Sala in the 1996 superhero flick The Phantom based on Lee Falk’s eponymous comic strip.

1977 Joel David Moore was born in Portland, Oregon. He played Bardo in the 2006 Dan Clowes-inspired Art School Confidential and Zak in the 2007 adaptation of Javier Hernandez’s supernatural comic El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie.

1986 Nicole Fugere was born. She portrayed Wednesday Addams in the 1998 television movie Addams Family Reunion and in the follow-up Fox Family series The New Addams Family (1998–1999).

1998 The syndicated television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, based on the character created by James O’Barr, debuted. The show, which lasted for a total of 22 episodes, featured Mark Dacascos, Marc Gomes, Sabine Karsenti, and Katie Stuart.

2005 Comedic actor Don Adams died at the age of 82 in Los Angles, California. In addition to his starring role as slapstick spy Maxwell Smart in the 1960s television sitcom Get Smart, he also provided the voice for the animated detective Inspector Gadget.

2009 Touchstone Pictures released the science fiction crime drama Surrogates, based on the comic book series by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldale. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Boris Kodjoe, Trevor Donovan, and Rosamund Pike.

(Image: Jason Flemyng as Dr. Henry Jekyll in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 20th Century Fox)

Small Screen Breakthroughs

Peter White looks at what’s encouraging television networks to produce more animated superheroes:

“Across a wide group of consumers, superheroes currently wield not just powers of amazing strength, speed or intelligence, but great box office pulling power and TV wants a part of that.”

(Image: The 99, Teksheel Media/Endemol Worldwide)

Robot Wrangler

Nearly 10 years after constructing his own R2-D2, Mike Senna unveils his latest mechanical masterpiece: Pixar’s Wall-E.

(Shout-out: Justin Vactor at Screenrant)

Coming Attractions

New Line Cinema released the crime thriller A History of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg, on this date in 2005. Based on the eponymous graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, the film features Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, Ashton Holmes, Heidi Hayes, Stephen McHattie, Peter MacNeill, and William Hurt, who earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for his eight-minute on-screen performance. The movie was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Looking Back At The Future

Hanna-Barbera’s futuristic animated television series The Jetsons celebrates its 50th anniversary today. Though it has yet to receive a live-action adaptation, we felt that such a milestone was worthy of note. Matt Novak ponders at show’s significance:

“The Jetsons was the distillation of every Space Age promise Americans could muster. People point to The Jetsons as the golden age of American futurism because (technologically, at least) it had everything our hearts could desire: jetpacks, flying cars, robot maids, moving sidewalks. But the creators of The Jetsons weren’t the first to dream up these futuristic inventions. Virtually nothing presented in the show was a new idea in 1962, but what The Jetsons did do successfully was condense and package those inventions into entertaining 25-minute blocks for impressionable, media-hungry kids to consume.”

Speaking of Hanna-Barbera adaptations, Dave Trumbore explains why he believes that Jonny Quest should be worthy of consideration.

(Image: The Jetsons (George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, and Astro), Warner Bros.)

Check Your Local Listings

The short-lived television show Timecop, based on both the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme film of the same name and the 1992 Dark Horse Comics story “Time Cop,” premiered on this date in 1997 on ABC. The sci-fi action series, which ran for a total of nine episodes, featured Ted King, Cristi Conaway, Don Stark, and Kurt Fuller.

Sticking Up For The Man Of Steel

Tiger Kat makes her case for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Superman Returns:

“When you get right down to it, I think the things I like about these two films are basically the same: the fact that they explore, I mean really explore Superman’s relationship with earth in a sensitive way.”

(Image: theatrical release poster for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, 1987, Warner Bros.)

French Television Forges Ahead

Métal Hurlant Chronicles, a live-action series based on the eponymous French comics anthology created by Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Mœbius), Philippe Druillet, Jean-Pierre Dionnet, and Vernard Farkas, is slated to debut this month in France. The cast features Rutger Hauer, Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Kelly Brook, and James Marsters. A slightly longer trailer may be found here.

On This Date: September 20

1920 Famed television cartoon producer Jay Ward was born in Berkeley, California. Among the characters he helped popularize are Crusader Rabbit (the first animated series produced for television), Dudley Do-Right, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and George of the Jungle. He died in 1989 at age 69.

1940 Republic Pictures released the first episode of its 12-chapter serial King of the Royal Mounted, based on Stephen Slesinger’s action-adventure comic strip. Co-directed by William Witney and John English, the production starred Allan Lane, Robert Strange, Lita Conway, Robert Kellard, and Herbert Rawlinson. The serial was later edited together and released as The Yukon Patrol on April 30, 1942.

1947 Steve Gerber, co-creator of Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. The anthropomorphic Howard appeared in his own live-action film in 1978. He died in 2008 at age 60.

1947 Former golfer-turned-actor Joe Kirkwood, Jr., stepped back into the ring as the lovable comic strip boxer Joe Palooka in Joe Palooka in the Knockout. Released by Monogram Pictures, the third live-action outing for Ham Fisher’s heavyweight champ also included the return of Leon Errol as manager Knobby Walsh and Elyse Knox as Joe’s sweetheart Anne Howe.

1967 Kristen Johnston was born in Washington, D.C. She portrayed Wilma Flintstone (née Slaghoople) in 2000 family comedy The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas.

1976 Jon Bernthal was born in Washington, D.C. He appeared as Shane Walsh in the first two seasons of The Walking Dead.

1979 NBC launched Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the second television series based on Philip Francis Nolan’s iconic pulp and comic character Buck Rogers. A follow-up to the eponymous titled film, starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray, which had debuted earlier the same year, the show ran for two seasons with a total of 37 episodes.

1990 The Flash, based on the DC Comics character, premiered on CBS with John Wesley Shipp cast in the role of the Scarlet Speedster. Though it only last one season, the show managed to showcase a few guest star villains from the Flash’s rogues gallery including Michael Champion as Captain Cold, Mark Hamill as the Trickster, and David Cassidy as Mirror Master.

2010 Momentum Pictures released Tamara Drewe in the United Kingdom. Based on the eponymous comic strip by Posy Simmonds and directed by Stephen Frears, the romantic themed comedy featured Gemme Arterton, Roger Allam, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans, and Tamsin Greig.

Holy Dance Craze, Batman!

Adam West celebrates his 84th birthday today. What say we throw on some vinyl and shake out a little Batusi.

Back On The Beat

James Vance recently shared a rather in-depth look (here, here, here, and here) of the 1938 Republic Pictures movie serial Dick Tracy Returns starring Ralph Byrd and Lynne Roberts.

(Shout-out: Comics Reporter)

(Image: lobby card for chapter one of Dick Tracy Returns, Melange Pictures, LLC)

May We Quote You?

“And now, here’s something we hope you’ll really like!” – Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Emmy Award-winning voice actress June Foray, who puts the words in Rocky’s mouth and those of dozens of other animated characters, celebrates her 95th birthday today.

(Image: Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocky J. Squirrel from the opening of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Jay Ward Productions, DreamWorks Classics)

The Big Sleep

Luke Cope unveils his picks for the best death scenes in comic book movies. We would also like to add the less-than-glamous departure of would-be mob boss Dorian Tyrell in the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy The Mask and the final fate of King Leonidas in director Zack Snyder’s 2007 historical action film 300.

Coming Attractions

New World Pictures released director Terry Marcel’s Jane and the Lost City on this date in 1987. Based on Norman Pett’s British newspaper strip Jane, the film features Kirsten Hughes, Sam J. Jones, Maud Adams, Jasper Carrott, and Robin Bailey, and Graham Stark.

Designing Dredd

The fine folks at Framestore present a selection of their pre-production work (here and here) for director Pete Travis’ Dredd.

Girl Talk

A notable lack of upcoming films centered around superheroines leads mgeoff88 to call attention to six dynamic comic book ladies that Hollywood might consider bringing to movie screens. 

(Image: Spider-Woman, ratscape)

Art Appreciation

As the weekend puts its arms around us, we thought it might be nice to unwind by looking back at some of the comic book and cartoon-inspired art that’s caught our notice over the past few months.

Matthew Ferguson takes a minimalist approach to the Marvel Universe while Alex Tuis imagines a different bit of casting for Thor, Wolverine, and a few others. Over on the DC Comics side, Daniel Araya gives the Justice League a Pixar-like treatment. Lastly, we have an amazing size chart by Juan Pablo Bravo featuring 600 Hanna-Barbara characters.

We hope you enjoy checking out the works of these creators. And feel free let us know of any artists you find worthy of sharing with us.

(Image: The Incredible Hulk, Matthew Ferguson)

Coming Attractions

Palace Pictures released director Richard Stanley’s debut film Hardware on this date in 1990. The post-apocalyptic movie was based on the comic book story “Shok!” by writer Steve MacManus and artist Kevin O’Neill which appeared in Judge Dredd Annual 1981, though the creators did not originally receive credit when the film premiered. The cast features Dylan McDermott, Stacey Travis, John Lynch, Iggy Pop, William Hootkins, and Lemmy.

Law Students

Where does one even begin when it comes to Judge Dredd’s 35-year history? Ask the pros.

(Image: cover art for 2000 AD, Prog 1681, April 21, 2010, Ben Willsher)

Check Your Local Listings

Fearnet debuted the seven-part miniseries 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails on this date in 2007. Released shortly before the film version of the vampire comic book 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, the 30-minute prequel features Andrew Laurichas, Dani Owen, Marilyn Johnson, T.J. Zale, and Shawn G. Smitha.

Swimming Against The Current

Curtis Silver bemoans the fact that we may never see a live-action Aquaman film:

“The green scaled pants and orange Under Armor is iconic to the ocean hero. Unfortunately, this isn’t the bad-ass bullet-deflecting, tool and weapon hiding Batsuit, or the all-American uniform of Superman.”

And as a follow-up to his examination of the physical and mental strains that come with being a deep sea superhero, Southern Fried Scientist considers some of Aquaman’s more recent escapades.

(Image: Aquaman astride his seahorse companion Storm, The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Filmation)

Going Once . . . Going Twice . . .

As vintage comics and comic book art continue to draw big money from the auction circuit, Angela Watercutter examines some of what may be going on:

“With the advent of electronic versions of comics, [Michael] Zapcic suspects physical print runs will decrease, leading to a whole new reason for scarcity.”

(Image: original cover art for The Amazing Spider-Man #328, January, 1990, Todd McFarlane, Marvel Comics. The piece sold for $657,250 in July of this year.)

Check Your Local Listings

The ABC television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, starring Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane, premiered on this date in 1993. The show, which ran for four seasons, was fairly well-received and featured a number of guest star villains going toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel including John Shea as Lex Luthor, Howie Mandell as Mr. Mxyzptlk, Scott Valentine as Metallo, Sherman Hemsley as the Toyman, and Bronson Pinchot as the Prankster. The regular cast also included Lane Smith as Perry White, Michael Landis (later Justin Whalin) as Jimmy Olsen, Tracy Scoggins as Daily Planet columnist Catherine “Cat” Grant, Eddie Joes as Jonathan Kent, and K Callan as Martha Kent.