A near miss for Solomon Kane
The frustrating thing about Michael Bassett’s Solomon Kane film is that it comes so close to getting it right. The cinematography and gloomy atmosphere capture the somber tone of Conan creator Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane tales very well, and there is a scene in the film where Kane encounters a mad priest who keeps a “congregation” of gibbering cannibals locked in the basement of his ruined church that feels like it could have been directly adapted from one of the original stories.
James Purefoy (HBO’s Rome) is well cast as Solomon Kane. Even the film’s basic plot, in which Kane must battle a band of grotesque raiders led by an evil sorcerer to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a travelling Puritan family, rings true, and is similar to the plot of Howard’s “The Moon of Skulls.”
The problem is in the characterization of Solomon Kane himself. Howard’s character is a mysterious wanderer, a Puritan who fights evil for no other reason than his own righteous fury. The strength of the stories is in the visceral action as Kane fights his near-hopeless battles against exotic backdrops such as the Black Forest in Germany or the jungles of Africa. It’s not particularly highbrow material, but it is exciting entertainment.
The film introduces us to a Solomon Kane who is a brutal, vicious and greedy mercenary. While looting a castle of its gold in Spain, Kane meets “the Devil’s Reaper,” a creature who informs him that the Devil has laid claim to his soul. Kane manages to escape, and we next meet him several years later, living a life of quiet contemplation in a monastery, where he has renounced violence in an effort to redeem himself. The monks send him packing for reasons that remain unclear, and while travelling he falls in with a Puritan family. They are beset by raiders who kill the father and his young son, and kidnap the teenage daughter, Meredith. With his dying breath, Meredith’s father tells Kane that his soul will be redeemed if he rescues her.
This is all a fairly by-the-book Hollywood way to give the character a background and motivation that will be easy for the audience to understand, but it backfires. Kane’s reason for wanting to rescue Meredith now appears entirely selfish – it’s his own escape from damnation in the fires of Hell that he is fighting for. These waters are further muddied with a back story involving Kane’s father and brother, another attempt to give him a personal connection to the events going on around him.
There is a character-defining scene at the beginning of “Red Shadows,” the very first Solomon Kane story, published in Weird Tales in 1928. Kane comes across a young girl, dying in the road after having been attacked by brigands. “Men shall die for this,” he vows, and spends the better part of a year tracking down her killers. The thing that makes the character interesting is that he is so driven to avenge the girl’s death, in spite of the fact that he has no personal or self-serving reason for doing so.
The film really misses this fundamental character point, that Solomon Kane is simply a good man who stands against evil because he must. Like any hero should be.
– Jefferson Powers
Batman is dead…long live Batman!
I like Batman as much as the next guy. He’s a character with a simple, relatively believable back story and far and away the most impressive roster of villains of any superhero out there. The character’s continuous appearance for over 70 years in just about every media there is, from comics to movies to video games, is a clear testament to the versatility and longevity of the character.
But, perhaps as a result of that continuous, never ending flow of Batman material, I have never followed any of the monthly Batman titles for more than a handful of issues, usually when they get a writer or artist I particularly like or do a single story I find interesting. My favorite version of the character is the one presented in Batman: the Animated Series and its assorted spin-offs in the 1990s. I liked its more simple approach to Batman and his supporting cast, free of the complicated continuity of the DC comics universe.
It was this connection to continuity that kept me from reading much of Grant Morrison’s run on the regular Batman title, but when DC launched Morrison’s new series Batman and Robin, I decided to jump in, hoping that it would stand alone like his excellent All-Star Superman. It turned out that Batman and Robin would in fact be firmly entrenched in the DC universe, picking up soon after the largely unintelligible Final Crisis, but its premise was relatively simple. All the reader needed to know was that Bruce Wayne had died and former Robin Dick Grayson had taken over as Batman, with Damian, Bruce’s son and grandson of classic Batman villain Ras al Ghul, stepping in as the new Robin.
The thing I love most about the series is the juxtaposition of these two characters and the sharp contrast with their predecessors. Where Bruce Wayne was driven and overly intense, Dick Grayson is a bit more relaxed, yet unsure of himself. Damian’s Robin is no wisecracking sidekick, but an imperious little snot with an overblown sense of entitlement who nevertheless backs up Grayson as Batman. The interplay between the two characters is a refreshing change from the usual hero-sidekick stuff.
So I greeted the ads for the release of Batman: the Return of Bruce Wayne with more than a little disappointment. Dick Grayson’s Batman was just getting interesting, and now that wet blanket Bruce Wayne is going to come back and ruin everything. On the other hand, Grant Morrison is writing it, with an impressive lineup of artists including Chris Sprouse (Tom Strong) for the first issue and Frazer Irving (Seven Soldiers: Klarion) for the second.
The first two issues tell the story of a mysteriously resurrected Bruce Wayne who is lost in time with no memory of who he is. But amnesia can’t repress his need to see justice done, first for a tribe of cave men wiped out by their aggressive neighbors, and later in 16th century Gotham as he tries to put a stop to a trumped up witch trial. All the while, Superman and some of the Justice League chase him through time making cryptic comments about how something bad will happen if he makes it back to the 21st century.
It’s an intriguing story, covering a lot of the cosmic weirdness that fans of Morrison’s Doom Patrol and Invisibles should be familiar with. Even though the time travel story seems at odds with the usual Batman fare, the idea that Bruce Wayne is first and foremost a survivor is a strong one, especially when that very survival is the story’s underlying threat.
I’m sure the story will end with some kind of return to the basic Batman status quo, which is unfortunate but ultimately necessary. Staying simple and basically the same is what has ensured the character’s survival for this long, after all.
– Jefferson Powers
Marvel’s Avengers gets a new #1
I haven’t really been a Marvel fan since the early 1980s. I used to thrill to John Byrne’s Fantastic Four and Alpha Flight, Frank Miller’s Daredevil, Chris Claremont’s X-Men, Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi’s Cloak and Dagger… I even read Secret Wars II and ALL the crossovers.
But in 1986 when DC managed to poach a large amount of Marvel’s talent, I went with them, and found Byrne’s Superman and Miller’s Batman just as thrilling. For the most part I never looked back, a situation helped by the declining quality of most of Marvel’s output throughout the dark ages of the 1990s.
Since then there really hasn’t been much to lure me back to Marvel, with a few exceptions (Ed Brubaker’s incredible work on Daredevil and Captain America being chief among them). My taste for big crossovers has faded sharply since those heady Secret Wars II days, so even though I started reading Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers when it started back in 2004, it quickly sank into the fog of whatever summer “event” was going on at the time and lost me.
So it took a little work to convince myself to pick up the newly renumbered Avengers #1, by Bendis and John Romita Jr. I do have to admit that the collector’s nightmare of starting a series over with a new number one issue usually works on me – I’ll at least pick it up and look at it most of the time. And I’ve always found Romita Jr’s artwork to be very appealing, ever since he drew X-Men and Star Brand back in the glory days.
The classic Avengers team of Iron Man, Captain America (albeit the new one), Thor and Hawkeye are joined by Spider-Man, Wolverine and Spider-Woman, all favorites of writer Brian Michael Bendis and mainstays of the team since his New Avengers in 2004. It’s a treat to see Romita Jr draw them: his Thor is larger than life (even for a superhero), towering over the other characters, his Spider-Man is lithe and acrobatic, and he remembers that Wolverine is supposed to be short.
While I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to Wolverine being an Avenger, Spider-Man’s presence rings true and seems particularly important, as I imagine his jokey, carefree voice is closest to Bendis’ own. Bendis is a master of snappy dialogue, and he doesn’t disappoint here, although the sheer amount of witty repartee strains credibility a bit – nearly all the characters, not just Spider-Man, are a little too quick with the jokes. The “menace from the future” plot is extremely tired, but the surprise reveal at the end of the issue made it look like things may not necessarily be what they seem.
It was certainly intriguing enough to make me want to read the next issue, which is the ultimate goal of any monthly comic book.
– Jefferson Powers
Iron Man 2 Thoughts
[edited just to remove references to this being a review]
Here are my thoughts on Iron Man 2:
What I liked:
They beefed up all the secondary characters really well, I thought Nick Fury, Happy Hogan, Agent Coulson, Natasha Romanov, were all well fleshed out and while not the focus of the story, really added to it.
The initial 45 minutes were really exciting, the first action sequence was great, and the story was set up well.
The last 45 minutes were also action packed, and really moved well, better paced and better action than the last film’s conclusion.
All of the action scenes worked great, just like the first film.
Smart villains, I thought both Whiplash and Justin Hammer were good foes for Tony Stark, and I was really surprised that they didn’t have Mickey Rourke playing a simple dumb brute, he was a really smart adversary.
The performances were good all around.
The “after the end credits” scene was totally worth waiting for (I won’t spoil it here).
Good continuation of the story, it’s great to have the origin out of the way, and this really worked to move the story forward.
What wasn’t as good:
The middle 45 minutes dragged a little, I thought they really dragged out the scenes with Hammer and Whiplash, and the discovery of his father’s “discovery” was a little far fetched.
I would like to see more of the action scenes in the daytime, both films had the final battle take place at night, and I think that’s cheating, let us see the fight!
The “final” scene with the senator was a really strange moment to end on, it really just laid there as a scene, not an upbeat moment like ending with “I am Iron Man”, strange choice from Favreau.
I personally didn’t like that Tony and Pepper end up together at the end, it really didn’t seem to be leading that way, it would have made sense that Pepper and Happy had gotten closer in the time that Tony had disappeared, and there were several moments in the film that suggested that (this is what happens in the comics). It would better serve Pepper as a character if she stayed President while not being his girlfriend and he has to respect her that way, it would also grow Tony as a character.
I did think Sam Rockwell’s performance was a little over the top as Justin Hammer, he could have dialed it back a little and it would have meshed with the other performances better, especially in his scenes with Whiplash.
I thought Rhodey’s motivations are very unclear, I was never sure why he chose to do what he chose to do at any given time, he should have been developed better as a character as far as his background to explain betraying Tony.
While I thought her performance was overal pretty good, and above average for a love interest in a Superhero Movie, I got really annoyed with Gwynth Paltrow’s character’s continual response to a dangerous situation to be staring at it. She did the same thing in the first film. How about trying RUN AWAY FROM DANGER INSTEAD OF STARING AT THE THING ABOUT TO FALL ON YOU!
My final negative was the music, the first film really benefited from a very original music score by Ramin Djawadi, it really added to the feel of the film, made it fun, and I think it was a big part of it’s success.
For this film, Favreau turned to a composer he’d used before, John Debney, who is extremely experienced, but I think that was the mistake, the score didn’t add anything to the film, it sounded like any other movie, it had no distinct musical feel.
Just because the negatives outweigh the positives, don’t come away from this thinking I didn’t like Iron Man 2, I loved it, and plan to see it a couple more times. My overall feeling about the movie is positive.
I wouldn’t bother criticizing it this thoroughly if it wasn’t worth it as a movie.
Tease-o-rama
May 20, 2011. Put it on your calendar.
Categories: Blog Tags:
Free Comic Book Day – Saturday, May 1 – support your local shop!
This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. It is a day when you can walk into participating comic book stores and pick up a comic or two relating to stories/titles you know 
or take a chance on a publisher or title that you don’t know about. Expand your horizons and check out something dangerous. Something you wouldn’t otherwise read.
And just because it’s called “Free Comic Book Day” doesn’t mean that all comics are free. Last year, the first store that I went to had a buy one, get one free TPB sale. What a deal!
So, go out, grab a free comic or two and bring your kids. And, by all means, support your local comic book shop and buy some comics, t-shirts, trades, busts, etc., and let them know that you’ll be back throughout the year and not just one day out of 365. They’ll appreciate it.
Truly it is Up, Up and Away
Via Yahoo:
Superman comic sells for $1.5M, setting record
A copy of the 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 sold Monday for $1.5 million on the auction Web site ComicConnect.com. The issue, which features Superman’s debut and originally sold for 10 cents, is widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books.
There are about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to be in existence, and only a handful in good condition. The issue that sold Monday was rated slightly higher than the one that sold in February; it had been tucked inside an old movie magazine for years before being discovered.
I don’t know about you, dear Superherocinema.com readers, but if I had 1.5 mil to blow on a comic book, I should probably re-evaluate my life. I love it when comic books get great press like this (nary a Holy Cow to be found in the article) and the article comments on “pent-up demand” for ultra-rare comics, which is very cool that comic collectors like this are still out there in this economy. However, that being said, if anyone wants to spend $1.5M on a book that they will secret away to a vault, I posit this for you. Shouldn’t there be a comic book wing of a museum somewhere so that books like this and the Detective Comics that recently sold for $1,075,000 can be displayed and shared with the public? Rock and Roll has a museum…science fiction has a museum (it’s in Seattle)…why not the pop culture niche and phenomenon comic books?
I’d be happy to donate all my versions of X-Men #1 to help it get started.
Hulk vs. Thor VS Hulk vs. Wolverine
Back in the day when I first started branching out from reading Spider-Man comics, I was drawn in by a little limited series called the Inifinity Gauntlet. I was fascinated by everyday heroes fighting against and amongst cosmic beings. The thought of Captain America making a stand against somebody like Thanos was awesome and awe-inspiring. Now that you know my cosmic leanings, you may have guessed which of the two “movies” on this disc that I preferred.
While Thor clocks in as the longer movie of the two, it is totally worth it and makes quite the smashing punch. I’m not well versed in all the relationships in the Thor corner of the Marvel-verse, but I didn’t feel at a loss as it was easy to pick up on what was happening and who was involved with who, etc. It was amazing to think about how once Bruce Banner was removed from the psyche of Hulk that he might truly have no upper limits to his strength, endurance, and mindlessness for destruction. If Hulk can (Spoiler Alert!) beat the tar out of Thor and take out pretty much everybody in Asgard, how would the writers resolve this plot! Very well and by thinking about the Hulk’s Achilles Heel, that’s how. I am a big fan of cosmic/god-like characters with great action and Hulk vs. Thor delivered.
On the other hand, we have a more down-to-Earth “Hulk” story. I put Hulk in quotation marks because this story seems to focus more on Wolverine and his encounter with the Weapon X project with the Hulk thrown into the mix to stir up the pot. Now I love seeing Lady Deathstrike torn apart as much as the next guy, but I can’t be the only one who found the one scene with her and Hulk screaming at each other pretty funny, right? I appreciated seeing Deadpool getting his ass handed to him…even though he’s funny, it’s good to see him get a good pounding every now and then.
Overall, I like seeing the Hulk in vs. Wolverine, although it definitely felt like he was an ingredient and not the main course as he was in vs. Thor. I give the Thor segment 4 stars out of 5 and the Wolverine one 3 stars. May the Hulk continue to smash for many years to come.
The planet’s not called Hulk, but the movie title is…called Planet Hulk
I grew up loving Spider-Man. (A weird way to start a review of Planet Hulk, but go with me here). I started with issue 248 way back in the day and my mom purchased it for me at a local drug store. She said to go over to the spinny rack and pick one out. Sweet! My 8-year old eyes perused the racks and I had narrowed it down to the one with a bad guy looming over Spider-Man and one with a big green monster on the cover. I chose the webhead because the other one frightened me too much. Yikes!
I don’t have that same fear of the Hulk now that I did then, however, so I was able to really enjoy Planet Hulk. And this one was a great movie. It had an emotional core with the Hulk and Caiera and great fighting scenes in the gladiator-style arena. You can’t beat the ones in the beginning where the Hulk is just trying to get out and doesn’t play well with others, but when he joins the fight, it’s over pretty quick! Hulk does indeed smash.
One of the scenes that has stayed with me weeks after I have watched the movie and is the most heart-wrenching is when Caiera attempts to save a little girl from the second invasion of the spore-things. Truly sad and gives this film weight and makes it not merely a superhero movie, but a film with depth that will have you rooting for the Hulk and enjoying the beauty that is this movie.
Lego superheroes on Flickr – why didn’t they have these when I was a kid?
I found this via SciFi Wire and they are too cool. However, I think that the box of random Legos that I have at home are at least 4 generations before the came up with non-square and non-rectangle Legos. Has Lego technology really changed that much since the 80s when I thought it was too cool that I got a set of Legos that became an airplane when I went through the 30 steps? Yes, yes they have. Now you can put together the Batmobile in 15 and have Doc Ock’s arms twist in all directions as he chases after Aunt May. True love!
Loading ...