The Killing Joke, now a novel

For the October edition of The Big Thrill, I had the opportunity to interview authors Christa Faust and Gary Phillips about their novelization of the graphic novel The Killing Joke.

Take a look here:
http://www.thebigthrill.org/2018/09/up-close-christa-faust-gary-phillips/

Batman, Affleck & Miley

All this hype about Ben Affleck casted as the new Batman has been making the rounds since its release, only replaced by the Miley Cirus MTV VMA awards (All I’m going to say about the latter is that I hope no teddy bears were injured in the making of that show).

But back to Affleck. Hardcore fans have put up a fight, as usual. Can’t blame them as I think we, as readers or spectators, pretty much feel invested in those characters.

Of all the buzz, I can sum up the defense of Ben lies on three pillars:

1. He’s a competent actor.

2. He’s an above-average writer &

3. He’s the flavor of the year as a director.

All excellent points, I actually agree with all of them.

The case against him lies in bombs like Pearl Harbor, Gigly and, dare I say, Daredevil?

To me, however, the only objection I find against Affleck is the same I raised when Chris Evans was casted as Captain America: He’d already played another superhero! Since we live in the days post “An Inconvenient Truth”, I know green and recycle are the norm, but come on, couldn’t they find other actors to play the roles? Maybe Henry Cavill can recommend another great British actor to play Batman.

In my opinion, there should be a rule forbidding actors to play more than one superhero.

Some purists my plead that Robert Downey Jr. played an excellent Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man, and I wouldn’t argue, but Sherlock isn’t a superhero.

If they wanted to cast an older actor to make the role of a seasoned crime fighter against the newbie, then I would have recommended Jim Caviezel, not only is he a great actor, but he and Cavill played father and son in The Count of Monte Cristo.

However, the announcement has been made making the decision real. I trust Ben to pull an excellent job despite the bad comments against him.

Will the Green Lantern resurrect DC Comics-based movies?

I’m not going to pose for an expert in comic. I barely know enough to get me through a conversation without making a fool out of myself. On the other hands, motion pictures are my thing.

The past decade marked a breakthrough for Marvel. Spiderman, X-men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, even the not so popular Daredevil/Elektra combo performed really well at the box office. Look at the X-Men for instance; it appears they can’t go wrong. They put an older-looking actor to play a younger version of himself, and it was a hit! Now the first class broke the 100 million mark soon enough. In 2003 The Hulk tanked worst than Godzilla, but undeterred, the producers tried again within five years and the result was much more satisfactory. Now the ambitious multi-movie project of The Avengers is in the works. Thor & Captain American are all lined up and ready and we’re taking it. I mean, come on, Chris Evans is in good shape, but he already played Jimmy Storm! Couldn't they find another actor to play Captain America? And still looks Marvel will get away with it, they’re definitely soaring!

Meanwhile, DC Comic’s sole hit is Batman. Although Superman performed okay, it didn't fulfill expectations and the franchise was put on hold. There is a new rendering, following the gritty footsteps of Christopher Nolan’s Batman, titled The Man of Steel. Let’s hope he can fly.

Last weekend Green Lantern opened to 53.2 Million at the box office, but the critics were not kind to the Ryan Reynolds incarnation. It received mixed to bad reviews, and producers still counting the pennies to see if they can declare it a hit or a flop. Let’s give them another week.

The horizon looks promising with the most beautiful of super heroes, Wonder Woman. Now that the new generation is not familiar with Linda Carter’s role-defining acting from 70’s, public is ready for a fresh look. And the timing could not be more appropriate. The woman-as-action-hero road was recently paved with Lara Croft, The Bride who wanted to Kill Bill and Alice from Resident Evil to name a few. However, producers are making it for TV, early critics panned the costume, so she’s off to a rocky start. For Wonder Woman, it’s now or never.

The DC Comics vrs. Marvel is as old as comics themselves, and the jury’s still out on the verdict.