Reverend's Preview: Hero Worship

Caped crusaders of various eras and genders will once again invade the Anaheim Convention Center, as the second Anaheim Comic Con runs there April 29-May 1. Presented by Wizard World, a multimedia company devoted to pop culture, the first Orange County event in 2010 drew a legion of fans, artists and collectors.

"Anaheim Comic Con was the most anticipated and attended new event of the Spring, and we are thrilled to come back to the Anaheim Convention Center with one of the hottest new shows going,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO. “We will have an incredible array of celebrity guests, and many award-winning comic creators lined up.”

Superheroes have hit an all time high in terms of popularity. Whether on the printed page via comic books or graphic novels, on television (a new Wonder Woman series, starring Friday Night Lights' Adrianne Palicki, is due next season) or on the silver screen (see a list of upcoming superhero movies below), there is currently no shortage of fictional crime fighters vying for our attention. Their increased visibility in recent years seems to be a response to very real cultural needs such as the pursuit of justice and a heightened desire for national security as well as world peace. This may hold especially true for GLBT citizens. When we still don't have full equality in terms of marriage and other social benefits, or when homosexuality remains a criminal offense in some countries, who among us doesn't long for a hard-bodied man or woman with super powers in a form-fitting outfit to save us?

While nowhere near as gargantuan as the annual San Diego Comic Con that takes place each July, Anaheim's Comic Con will nonetheless feature many of the same talents and vendors that populate it. There are also more than 400 celebrity guests scheduled to appear during the Anaheim con's three days. Among these are the original TV Batman and Robin, Adam West and Burt Ward; John Schneider of The Dukes of Hazzard, Desperate Housewives and Smallville fame; True Blood's Michael McMillian; Nicholas Brendon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and, for the ladies, the lovely Claudia Christian (Look) and Erika Eleniak (Baywatch).

One great benefit of the Anaheim Comic Con over San Diego's I discovered last year is that the celebrities are much more accessible for conversations and autographs. Whereas one can wait in line for hours in San Diego, I was able to walk right up to Star Trek's Nichelle Nichol and "Catwoman" Lee Meriwether last year and had very pleasant, unrushed chats with both. I also got to take pictures of a very sexy attendee wearing a Captain Marvel costume that left nothing to the imagination!

Fans can also meet their favorite comic creators and artists, including Judd Winick (Power Girl, Justice League), William Stout (The Dinosaurs), Mike Grell (Green Arrow, Green Lantern), Bill Sienkiewicz (Elektra: Assassin), Ethan Van Sciver (Green Lantern, Superman/Batman), Mark Texeira (Wolverine, Moon Night), Michael Golden (Batman, Hulk), Greg Horn (Spider-Man) and, last but by no means least, openly gay Phil Jimenez (Amazing Spider-Man, Astonishing X-Men).

Children and adult attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite superhero, villain or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in costume contests. Event-goers may also try their hand at interactive product exhibits and shop for collectible comics, movie and television memorabilia, toys and games at more than 100 dealer booths.

Anaheim Comic Con is the fourth stop on Wizard World's 2011 North American tour. Tickets are available in advance online at the con's official site at a savings over tickets purchased at the door.

SUPERHEROES EXPLODE ON THE BIG SCREEN

Over the next few months, the largest number of comics-based spectacles yet released in one movie season will arrive in theatres. Holding out for a hero? Prepare to be rescued!

Thor (opening May 6): The mythic Norse god makes his movie debut under the direction of Shakespearean pro Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing) and with a cast that boasts Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Hot newcomer Chris Hemsworth plays Thor.

Priest (opening May 13): Paul Bettany (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) stars as a vampire hunter in this horror flick based on a Korean comic.  Star Trek's Karl Urban and Burlesque hottie Cam Gigandet co-star.

X-Men First Class (June 3): A reboot of the popular comics and movie series about warring mutants. Set in the early 1960's, the new film features younger versions of Professor X (James McAvoy of Wanted) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender from Inglorious Basterds) up against the Soviet Union and a villainous Kevin Bacon.

Green Lantern (June 17): Everyone's favorite hunky movie star, Ryan Reynolds, plays a military test pilot turned intergalactic policeman after a fateful encounter with a dying visitor from outer space. Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey, An Education) co-stars as the new hero's alien-infected nemesis.

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22): Chris Evans has already personified one classic hero, Johnny Storm, in the two Fantastic Four movies. Here, he faces his greatest challenge as a physically-enhanced soldier during World War II who must save America from an attack by Hitler's henchman, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving of The Matrix).

Cowboys & Aliens (July 29): The title says it all in this big-screen adaptation of a graphic novel series. Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig don't play superheroes, but they are the best hope for a wild west town besieged by nasty space invaders.

Conan the Barbarian (August 19): Hunky Jason Momoa is tasked with filling Arnold Schwarzenegger's loincloth in this new version of the classic sword and sorcery character.

And just wait until 2012, when new Spider-Man, Batman, Wolverine and Superman movies are all scheduled to premiere!

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.

Reverend’s Preview: Anaheim Comic Con

There will be more characters than usual roaming around the Disneyland Resort area this week, as the Anaheim Convention Center hosts the inaugural Anaheim Comic Con April 16-18. No doubt, a sizable number of GLBT comic book and pop culture fans will be among them.

One might think the massive Comic Con International held each summer in San Diego would have the southern California market cornered when it comes to superheroes, graphic novels, role-playing games and fantasy movies, as well as related toys and other memorabilia. Not so, according to the Anaheim event’s producer, Wizard Entertainment; as publisher of the pop culture magazine Wizard, the company knows well how keen interest is in more Comic Cons both locally and nationally. Wizard Entertainment presents several other such gatherings across the country each year.

Anaheim’s first Comic Con will be smaller than the San Diego event, but I welcome this as someone who has covered Comic Con International for several years now. Limited convention center space, parking and hotel rooms have made San Diego’s con increasingly difficult to attend. A formal proposal has been submitted to move Comic Con International to Anaheim in the future for at least one year, since the Anaheim Convention Center is a larger facility.

At press time, at least 150 celebrities and pop culture icons were confirmed to appear during the Anaheim Comic Con’s three days. They include Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner; Marvel Comics’ superhero creator, Stan Lee; Oscar-nominated actors Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica and Independence Day) and Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight); The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner; and Ilya Salkind, producer of Superman: The Movie and its first two sequels.

Other celebrities of more specifically GLBT appeal set to attend are the fabulous Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether, both of whom played Catwoman on the campy Batman TV series in the 1960’s (the late Eartha Kitt also served as the show’s feline femme fatale); Star Trek actress and GLBT supporter Nichelle Nichols; The Bionic Woman herself, Lindsay Wagner; Kathy Najimy of Sister Act and Hocus Pocus fame; sexy actor Kaj-Erik Eriksen (The 4400); pop music diva Taylor Dayne; and Linda Blair of The Exorcist, Roller Boogie and Chained Heat fame.

More than 400 exhibitor, celebrity and creator booths will be set up, giving attendees ample opportunity to peruse collectibles and pursue autographs. As at Comic Con International and other such conventions, guests are not only allowed but strongly encouraged to dress in costume as their favorite comic book, film, TV, game or other characters. There will be a costume contest on Saturday, April 17. Please note: There will be children present, so costumes must be kept “PG-13” with no nudity or anything too revealing. I anticipate there will be more than a few costumes inspired by Tim Burton’s current box office hit, Alice in Wonderland.

A feature unique to the Anaheim Comic Con will be a Horror Pavilion. Billed as “a celebration of all things gory and grisly,” the pavilion will feature writers, artists, actors and musicians who have contributed to the horror genre in comics, movies and TV. There are plenty of GLBT horror fans who will want to check the Horror Pavilion out … but don’t do so alone!

For complete information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit the official Anaheim Comic Con website.

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Reverend's Report from Comic-Con 2009

It's amazing how much more crowded Comic-Con, San Diego's annual celebration of pop culture, has gotten in a mere two years. This is likely due to heightened media attention from the likes of Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times, the latter of which now runs not only preview pieces but also a daily report from the con. I wasn't able to attend last year's event but had gone four years in a row prior. I never had to wait in lines as long nor be turned away from panels as often as I did this year.

Nonetheless, my partner (a.k.a. Movie Dearest's newest contributor, James Jaeger) — who is a truer connoisseur of comic books than I am — and I had great fun prowling the exhibit hall, checking out the costumes (OK, checking out the men in tights and/or hot pants), and attending those panels we were able to get into. A few other highlights for me:

— There were plentiful celebrity sightings and not just in conjunction with the sneak peeks of upcoming movies, most of which were impossible to get into. I saw babe-of-the-moment Megan Fox (the Transformers movies and next year's Jonah Hex) atop the multi-level Warner Brothers display, waving to the delight of the fanboys gathered below; the original Lt. Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, looking lovely if a bit overwhelmed; and the cast of the new Fox TV series Glee, including yummy Matthew Morrison (more on Glee in a bit).

The high point, however, was looking up from my cell phone in the exhibit hall after texting my partner about a rendezvous spot and finding Torchwood's Captain Jack Harkness himself, John Barrowman, undressing me with his gorgeous eyes! Like any gay fan of the polysexual BBC hero, I hightailed it over to say "Hi!" He was friendly, flirty and delightful as can be. I commended him on the excellent, just-broadcast-in-the-US Torchwood miniseries Children of Earth, and thanked him for his revealing TV special, The Making of Me, in which Barrowman explored the possible causes of homosexuality using himself as guinea pig. He's a great song and dance man, too, having appeared in numerous West End musicals and is the lead singing Nazi in the film version of The Producers musical.

— To the delight of the initially-dubious Fox TV execs present, the screening of Glee's second episode, "Showmance," and panel discussion with the cast and producers packed the hall and received a rousing reception. This was the episode's second public showing, after its debut last weekend before a much smaller crowd at Outfest. Glee is shaping up to be the hit of the fall season, although I'm not convinced it will be embraced by older — and straighter — viewers. As the panelists accurately stated over and over, "This ain't High School Musical." It's gayer, snarkier and generally smarter.

— Of the major upcoming movies trumpeted at Comic-Con, I'm most looking forward to the soon-to-be-released District 9; this fall's horror-comedy Zombieland; the occult western Jonah Hex (which looks and sounds more interesting than its fellow comics-inspired releases scheduled for next summer, The Green Hornet and Iron Man 2); Disney and Robert Zemeckis's 3-D take on A Christmas Carol; and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. I have yet to see the first Twilight movie, but the posters of shirtless hottie Taylor Lautner have me convinced the sequel is going to be awesome!


I'm scared of 2012, not because of the subject matter but because it appears completely overwrought, as well as the toy-based Stretch Armstrong, which sounds lame. What's next, Weebles?

— The 22nd annual Gays in Comics panel Saturday night brought Comic-Con 2009 to a close for us. This year's participants included stalwarts Andy Mangels, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone and Phil Jimenez, plus newbies Perry Moore and Sina Grace. Moore is author of the very good novel Hero, which features a teenager coming to terms with both his super powers and his homosexuality. He revealed Showtime may be picking up a proposed TV series based on the book.


Grace was the youngest panel member, and held his own impressively. I'm planning to get a hold of his self-published illustrated novels Books with Pictures and the Orange County-set Cedric Hollows in Dial M for Magic. All had typically honest and inspirational things to say about their professional experiences as gay or lesbian artists, writers and/or artists who inspired them, and their hopes for the future of GLBT comics.

All in all, another full and fabulous weekend was had at Comic-Con International!

Report by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Movie Dearest MySpace Friend of the Week: Rocketboy

Since launching our own MySpace page several months ago, Movie Dearest has had the pleasure of "meeting" many new friends -- almost 2,000 to date. Ranging from MD readers and fan-hosted "star pages" to fictional characters and movie/TV/theater fansites to actual celebrities and (go figure) porn stars, we have, to say the least, a very diverse set of acquaintances over at our second online home.

So to spotlight some of our "best" friends, we are introducing today a new weekly feature right here at MD (and "simulcast" on our MySpace blog): the MySpace Friend of the Week. (Our first idea was "Friend of the Month", but with 1,941 pals and counting, we'd never get through 'em all.) The purpose of this is, like the song goes, to "thank you for being a friend", and also to introduce these fine folks to possible new friends who like what they see. We sure do.

The criterion for being named FOTW is simple: standing out from the crowd. This may be through creativity in design and content of their pages, a certain level of humor about the whole "MySpace thing" (which, let's face it, is kind of silly when you get right down to it) and a true sense of friendship by way of comments and interactivity. That or they have a real hot picture.

Our first FOTW is Rocketboy, and he has all those qualities ... and a killer set of abs to boot (check out his peek-a-boo costume). Out of all the hotties that we discovered through our coverage of Comic-Con, he is definitely the hottiest. But he's more then just a pretty face and a rockin' bod, he's a superhero. Star of his own eponymous comic book (set to debut this October), Robby fights the Forces of Evil in his hometown of San Francisco. His rogues gallery includes his own mommie dearest, would-be Ruler of the Universe Queen Cherry, and the enigmatic GoGoBot (whose weapons include laser nipples and a hypnotic hip thrust). Of his many heroic deeds, likely his bravest was when he saved Christina Crawford from a runaway shopping cart. And that, my friend, truly makes you super in our book.

You can learn more about the adventures of Rocketboy (and his creators, Scotty Mullen and Michael Troy) at his official website, RocketboyWorld.com, and can befriend him right here at his MySpace page. While you're over there, stop by the official MD page and check out the latest weekly recap; in addition to the top ten stories of the past seven days, you can view exclusive MySpace-only pictures, such as more Comic-Con hunks and the Mamma Mia! boys gone wild.

And don't forget to become a friend of MD yourself, if you're not already. Who knows? You may find yourself the next Movie Dearest Friend of the Week!

Comic-Con 2008: Wrap Up

Comic-Con 2008 came to a close yesterday, which means it is time for some gratuitous shots of sexy costumes!

Continuing the tradition started last year, here's another 300 hunk, along with a bevy of comely Disney vixens, a studly Superman, a bearish Wolverine, and a whole pack of sexy Jesuses. If you ever wondered what is was like to be a superhero-for-a-day, Cinematical's buxom-for-a-day Elisabeth Rappe (that's her Lara Croft with the Hamlet 2 gang) blogs all about it over on her home turf.

Save for the Watchmen confab and that out-of-nowhere Tron 2 teaser (catch the covert footage online while you can), there wasn't anything all that earth shaking this year. That is, unless you count some paltry information about remakes (The Day the Earth Stood Still, Friday the 13th, H.R. Pufnstuf, Red Sonja, The Wolfman) and sequels (The Evil Dead, I Am Legend, Punisher: War Zone, Scream 4, Terminator Salvation) nobody really asked for, not to mention movies just begging to be franchises (GI Joe, RocknRolla, The Spirit, Twilight). And then there is always the tantalizing news of exclusive footage that no one outside of the Con can see for now (most notably, an extended trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which keeps appearing and reappearing on the net ... let me know if you find it). Most glaring was the complete lack of anything regarding the new Star Trek movie. It seems that now that Hollywood has more or less taken over the Con, the studios are holding all the cards ... and they're playing them very close to their vests.

Nevertheless, Moviefone has a pretty thorough overview of the entire geektastic weekend (including a tease about the two name actors who star in the fictitious gay porn flick Shut Your Mouth Before I F*** It in Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno). And for more photo galleries of the fantastic fashions on display, visit Cinematical.com.

UPDATE: Who were the "hunks of Comic-Con"? Visit Thompson on Hollywood to find out. And for more of the best in retrospect, Cinematical has posted their "first annual Comic-Con awards!"

Reverend's Report from Comic-Con ... in Absentia

At the end of Comic-Con weekend here in Southern California, I hate to admit that I didn't make it down to San Diego for the first time in five years. I was registered and planned to attend Friday at least, but I had to stay in Long Beach on-call for my hospice "day job." Granted, tending to the dying is infinitely more important than movie previews and guys roaming around in 300 attire, but I still hated not being able to be there.

Alas, all was not lost. As my mother taught me when I was a kid: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" So I created my own, individualized Comic-Con weekend, with enough superheroes and genre events to tide me over until Comic-Con 2009:

Watchmen: I had been most excited about going to the Watchmen movie preview at Comic-Con on Friday. The trailer is amazing (and I'll give a special blessing to the first person to respond with the name of the prior comic book-inspired film that the Smashing Pumpkins song used in the trailer comes from). But Friday morning I realized, "I've had the original Watchmen graphic novel on my bookshelf for at least two years and have never read it!"

So on Friday, I started reading it. I haven't finished it yet, but suffice to say I could see within the first ten pages that the kudos heaped upon it since its publication in 1986 are well deserved. Great writing meets great, cinematic art, which will hopefully translate well to the big screen next March. Big, blue, naked Dr. Manhattan (personified by the talented, hot and digitally enhanced Billy Crudup in the film) is enough to get me to buy a ticket!

The Dark Knight: All indications were that it would have a huge opening weekend, so I didn't rush to see the latest Batman adventure. At the risk of upsetting my fellow critics and fans who have been raving about it, I think it's a very good movie but also highly overrated, not to mention overlong. The best movie of the year and/or best comic book movie ever? I think not. It struck me more as a classic-style gangster film than a superhero saga. There is too much talk/philosophizing/ moralizing, and at least three subplots and plot twists too many.

Heath Ledger was very good in a different interpretation of the Joker (especially when one lays it alongside his performance in Brokeback Mountain), but he wasn't necessarily better in the role than Jack Nicholson or even Cesar Romero. I think his untimely death has a lot to do with the adoration his performance is receiving.

The best performance in the movie is actually that of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. I didn't expect Two-Face to be as significant in this film as he is, and it is really his story rather than the Joker's or even Batman's. I encourage my fellow critics and fans of the film to give the overshadowed Eckhart the accolades he deserves.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army: I knew nothing about Mike Mignola's comic Hellboy when the first film inspired by it was released in 2004. The character intrigued me, the movie engrossed me, and I was eagerly looking forward to the sequel.

As directed and largely designed by Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II is frequently beautiful to look at but lacks the creepy, apocalyptic spirit of its predecessor. It's more of a fairy tale about elves trying to overthrow the human race, and Hellboy's being the son of Satan doesn't figure into it much. Ron Perlman, however, continues to surprise and amuse as the big red bad boy trying to fit in and do good.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe: Comic-Con wouldn't be complete each year without The X-Files making its presence known, so I caught Mulder and Scully's new movie sequel to the TV series. I hadn't heard much about it in advance and had only read one review (which didn't reveal much), so I really didn't know what to expect.

Wow! Not only is I Want to Believe the best-written movie of the summer so far, treating a number of very serious current topics (including same-sex marriage) in a profoundly mature way, it is also very well-directed by series creator Chris Carter; wonderfully acted by David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and the supporting cast; beautifully photographed by Bill Roe; and brilliantly edited by Richard A. Harris. Oh, and it's as eerie, scary and teasingly romantic as the series' best episodes were.

It didn't do very well at the box office this weekend (even Mamma Mia! grossed more), so please get out there and see it. Be sure to stay through the end credits!

Clearly, one doesn't have to go to San Diego each summer in order to have a Comic-Con experience. But Comic-Con is unique, and I'll look forward to returning there next summer, along with 125,000-plus of the craziest and coolest people on the planet.

UPDATE: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The X-Files: I Want to Believe and The Dark Knightare now available on DVD from Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Franco as Ginsberg

Here's some unexpected queer cinema scoop from Comic-Con, of all places. While promoting his next movie Pineapple Express, James Franco revealed to MTV News that he has been cast as legendary "Beat Generation" poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl, an upcoming documentary by the award winning team of Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

Considering that it is a documentary, I'm not exactly sure how Franco could "play" Ginsberg; perhaps in reenactments and/or voice-overs. Interestingly enough, this will be the second time this year in which Franco went "gay for pay" on film. He will also portray Scott Smith, Harvey Milk's lover, in Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk, due this December.

Epstein and Friedman are no doubt familiar to Movie Dearest readers as the creators of such seminal gay docs as The Celluloid Closet, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt and, ironically, The Times of Harvey Milk. The latter two films won Academy Awards.

Jumpin' Jupiter

Of all the buzz-worthy properties buzzing about this year's Comic-Con, perhaps the buzziest is Watchmen, Zack Snyder's eagerly awaited big screen adaptation of the landmark graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Even with the first trailer still fresh in our minds, and the film's official website just re-launched, there was still plenty of other fresh information to impart to the fan masses at the Con. So much so that Cinematical posted not one but two reports on the official Watchmen panel. Highlights included:

- Extended clips showed why this movie won't be anywhere near a PG rating, including Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) "kicking lots of ass in Vietnam". (And remember, Dr. Manhattan is big, blue and bald. And naked.)
- A look at the mask of Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), which can change its freaky inkblot visage, in action.
- Regarding Patrick Wilson's Night Owl: "Yes, he does have a paunch." Too bad for us Wilson watchers.
- Some sexy moments between a redheaded Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter (a.k.a. the original Silk Spectre; that's her in the accompanying illustration, by artist James Jean) and a sleazy Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, who had this to say about getting into character: "I found getting in the costume and sticking a cigar in my mouth really got me in the mood to kill people".
- Most of the sets were real, not green screen, as in Snyder's 300.
- And finally: Matthew Goode (currently in Brideshead Revisited) was told this by a friend when he was cast as Ozymandias: "Looks like you're playing another gay, but this one's a stoner".

Watchmen opens in theaters March 6, 2009.

Wolf Blitzkrieg

The Wolfman crew were out in force at Comic-Con yesterday, and attendees not only got a look at the trailer (alas, not online as of yet), but also a bunch of information about the eagerly awaited remake of the Lon Chaney Jr. monster mash classic. Most reassuring was this comment from the new film's makeup maestro, Rick Baker: "the whole movie is a nod to the original".

The Wolfman, directed by Joe Johnston (Hidalgo) and starring Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving, is scheduled to open April 3, 2009.