Smell the cilantro, Batman!

I wanted to get this up last week when it came out, but couldn’t find the time. Anyway, here’s a shot from Gail Simone’s Secret Six #2, and one of the most hilarious single panel’s in comic history!

Context: Catman is fighting Batman to keep him occupied as the Secret Six break into Alcatraz. Throughout the fight, Catman continually comments on how he smells cilantro or wonders if there is a Mexican restaurant nearby. Finally, Batman gets fed up and says, “If you must know…I had a burrito!”

Fantastic!

[DVD REVIEW] “Iron Man”

As if you really needed a reason to go out and buy “Iron Man” on DVD (check out my review of the flick here if you are curious why the movie is so awesome), I decided to give the special features a look and just reaffirm the obvious need for purchase of this incredibly rad summer blockbuster.

As a big fan of special features, “Iron Man” isn’t lacking in the slightest. The seven-part “Making of” documentary not only provides some amazing insight into the film, but does something I really wish more DVDs would do: put each aspect of the film into a chronological recap of the production. I hate when I have to click over to another featurette and sit through 15 boring minutes of interviews to gain the three I needed to learn about the making of the Iron Man suit. Blending all of these aspects together and taking the viewer from the first day of production to the final editing process was truly a treat to watch.

However, the real thing that set this documentary apart—as its good production quality and chronological nature don’t really place it too far ahead of other DVDs—is director Jon Favreau’s enthusiastic participation in the whole thing. Not only do you get to see Favreau morph from a hefty, bearded bear of a man to a svelte, clean-shaven Happy Hogan, but Favreau introduces most every part of the documentary at each location and even others up his anxieties and excitement about the film’s production in numerous interviews. His commitment to the film definitely shined through on the big screen and his commitment to “Iron Man” in its entirety—DVD and all—really puts this DVD’s headlining feature far above anything I’ve seen delivered in comic book movie special features so far.

The DVD also features a fun and interesting six-part look at the comic history of Iron Man and features interviews and insight on the Iron Avenger from legends like Gerry Conway and Gene Colan, and more recent scribes like Warren Ellis and Charlie and Daniel Knauf. It’s a great refresher course with loads of interesting things from creators for the big Iron Fan and a nice history for the newbie to ol’ Shellhead’s Marvel legacy.

The deleted scenes are best watched after the documentary, in my opinion, because insight into the making of the film is helpful when viewing the additional footage. The scenes were definitely deleted for good reason, as they all seem like they would have been extremely out of place in the movie, but really instills faith in Favreau for “Iron Man 2″ as you can see some goofy party scenes in Dubai—which, BONUS!, do feature the Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah—hit the cutting room floor.

It was a DVD already well worth buying, and the special features deliver hours of additional enjoyment for anyone who loved “Iron Man.”

How super is your squad?!

Just e-mailed over from the Marvel offices, this teaser image arrived alongside the cryptic message, “Are you ready to hero up?” Now, as a fan and collector of the Hasbro’s popular Super Hero Squad toy line—which features cute, kidsy versions of Marvel’s mightiest in a 2-inch format—the style of art used definitely looks like the characters on the toy packaging and the art released from the upcoming cartoon based on the figures.

After the release of this image—which, I think, has a comic book feel that is similar yet distinctly different than the few images released of the animated series—I have to wonder whether this is the first teaser to a Tiny Titans-esque all-ages book starring Marvel’s cutest toys…because it certainly looks like it…and that has this collector wondering just how super the comic squad will be?! Odds are: extremely super!

[DVD REVIEW] “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

While I thought “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a fair movie that didn’t live up to the original trilogy due to no fault of the actors or director, but based simply on the story, it’s 2-disc special edition DVD has the special features that deliver the real Indy goodness, but begs the question as to how the movie could have turned out so okay/mediocre when it seems the entire production had recaptured the magic of making the first three films.

Buying this single DVD may not be worth it, considering the inevitable 4-disc box set that will undoubtedly emerge right after you have, the 12-part production diary entitled “Making ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’” is well worth the cover price if you are set on un-box-set version of Indy’s fourth escapade. Put together with all the love and detail that the current fourth disc in the box-set containing special features on the first three flicks received, the in-depth look into each and every part of the production is an truly engaging look into how this film came to be. Whether it’s seeing a closing shot of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas riding off into the sunset in a vintage auto after filming “Indy” 4’s opening sequence or each and every interview demonstrating how truly badass Harrison Ford remains, diehards and casual Indy fans alike will love this well-constructed, near-hour-and-a-half long feature!

The rest of the special features are pretty standard fair—insight into special effect, props and the backstory behind the crystal skulls—but have enough fun moments to reward the DVD connoisseur who trucks through them all, including a great insight into aviation-enthusiast Harrison Ford’s help picking the airplanes that appear in the movie, as well as footage of whip-practices before filming!

In the end, it may not have been Indy’s best outing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recapture the magic that the production did with these great special features. A purchase might be an iffy move based on the guaranteed future box-set, but the bonus disc is well worth a rental at the very least!

More Colbert and Spider-Man!

Continuing the Colbert and Spidey news, here’s the first look at the Joe Quesada variant to Amazing Spider-Man #573, just released by Marvel…

HOLLA ATCHA BOY!

The recent relaunch of Deadpool has been quite the comic treat so far. Writer Daniel Way is exhibiting better control with ol’ Wade Wilson than…well, anything he’s ever written! By far his best work, and just a must-read (I’ll gush a bit more about it with a review tomorrow, so check back)!

I’m enjoying it so much that I decided these last two panels of issue #2 (which came out this week) had to get a call out in my “Great Comic Quotes” section, so here they are!

Great art by Paco Medina, as well!

Stephen Colbert meets Spider-Man!

Yep, the powerhouse pundit is set to meet up with the web-slinger in an 8-page back-up story in the double-sized Amazing Spider-Man #573 written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Patrick Olliffe.

Here’s the first look, straight from Marvel…

That’s it for now, though I’ve got tickets to see Colbert live in late October, so there’ll probably be a blog recounting of the experience. Stay tuned!

They’re the same thing!

I’m sure I am not the first one to make this observation, but it is really bugging me that I am not reading it in more places: CBS’s new show “The Mentalist” is the exact same show as USA’s “Psych!”

“Psych” (2006) is about a guy who’s uncanny powers of perception allow him to solve crimes.

“The Mentalist” (2008) is ALSO about a guy who’s uncanny powers of perception allow him to solve crimes!

In “Psych,” the lead—a private investigator—pretends to be a psychic to justice his abilities of perception.

In “The Mentalist,” a former mentalist (From Wikipedia, and yes, that’s good enough for me for our purposes here: “The term mentalist refers to entertainers whose performance appears to be based on ‘psychic’ abilities, featuring the ability to read minds, project the mind to alter the state of matter, foretell the future, and see distant and hidden objects.”) uses his powers of perception as a private investigator.

The only real difference? “Psych” is a comedy and “The Mentalist” is a drama.

Now, I’m not a huge “Psych” fan or anything, but it just boggles the mind that repackaging the same show for a new network isn’t being openly laughed about more. There’s egg on your face, CBS. EGG!

More Sketchy Galore!

Wizard Staffer David Paggi and former Wizard Staffers Rickey Purdin and Kiel Phegley have started a sweet sketch/art blog called Rowdy Schoolyard, which they’ve been updating super-regularly, so check it out!

Seeing their diligent posting of art made me realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted any of my doodles (or “cartoons, if you will—I will NOT go as far as calling it art), so I snagged a few drawings I did off the corkboard by my desk and scanned them in for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy!

Can’t quite remember how this one came about. I believe former WU assistant editor Josh Wigler and I were joking around about how to make some classic cartoon characters realistic and this is what came from it: Chuck “‘Nam” Brown.

I’m on a real Ghost Rider kick now thanks to Jason Aaron’s badass run on the book. I just got the new Mighty Mugg of the Spirit of Vengeance and then did this doodle the day after.

The story behind this one goes back to Wizard World Chicago, when I shared a hotel room with Staff Writer Kevin Mahadeo. While checking in, desk attendant Leah coined the term when asking, “So, looks like you’ll be sharing a room with Kevin…um…Mahoodoo.” I chuckled and said, “Yes.” And since that day, Kevin’s nickname has been Mahoodoo. Also, Kevin’s a big stickler for DC Comics continuity, thus the battle cry.

My Favorite Comic Covers: The First Installment!

Hey folks!
For no reason whatsoever, I remembered one of my favorite comic covers of all time and looked it up (it popped up in my head, so I followed the urge to take another look at it). Seeing it again got me pretty psyched and I wanted to share it…and thus this little blog feature showcasing my favorite covers begins!

The first inductee into my miniature “Hall of Some Recognition” is Wolverine (Vol. 2) #2 by Esad Ribic.

Not only does this cover come from back when Greg Rucka was kicking major ass on this title, but I think the image just speaks to anyone who’s ever felt beaten-down and misunderstood in their life, yet choose not to let it defeat them. Plus, it’s just a fantastic visual that really does a lot to illustrate the character of Wolverine—a guy who crops up everywhere—in a new (at the time) and interesting way, and those two aspects are the makings of a great cover that’ll always be among my favorites!