TOP FIVE PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW 007 FILM

6. I'm not even mentioning the title. It doesn't bother me, even if I don't know what a Quantum of Solace is. I mean, I have a screenplay called Desperate Fences, so who am I to talk?

5. One of the least memorable actors to ever play a Bond villain.

4. Lackluster cinematography. It's Bond. The location-hopping is supposed to be part of the experience. It was boring.

3. No Moneypenny. Why? This can't be something they're building up to, can it?

2. Horrible, horrible action sequence direction. Everything is in close-up in lieu of being actually, oh, I don't know... any good? Pathetic. This from the same guy who directed the stunning action scene in Casino Royale with the spectacular fight in the construction scene and atop the crane?

1. Probably the worst Bond theme song ever. I mean, we're talking worse than Moonraker, License to Kill, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Think about what I'm saying here. They should have just used "I Know Your Name" from Casino Royale over again until they came up with something acceptable. Alicia Keys? Wasn't Wayne Newton available?

This is not to say I hated the film. I think most everyone gave excellent performances. The screenplay and story were fine. This one rests squarely in the director's lap. The financial success means the producers and/or the studio are less than likely to learn the lessons that need to be learned at that Casino Royale will remain the high water mark of the series. Too bad.

SECRET WARS RE-ENACTMENT

Not exactly something new on the web... It's been around for years. That said, it's still pretty funny!

Atlas, The Second Time Around

Recently I had the opportunity to revisit "Atlas, The Second Time Around," a feature I had written several years ago for Comic Book Marketplace with fellow contributors Mike Wilbur and Michael Naiman.

Besides the fact that it received a tremendously larger audience in Scoop compared with CBM's miniscule circulation, it was great to get the chance to correct some of the problems with my feature that I discovered only in the years after it was published.

The bulk of the article, though, wasn't changed. The descriptions of all the titles in the Atlas-Seaboard line (the part on which I collaborated with Mike and Michael the most) are pretty much as they were originally, minus an editorial comment or two we always thought inappropriate.

At any rate, if you want to read about an odd bit of comics history including Neal Adams, Larry Hama, LarryLieber, Jeff Rovin, Martin Goodman, Howard Chaykin, and many others, by all means check out the Scoop archives or click here.

We've had some really nice comments on it, too!

New, Free Superhero Film Online: THE LEAGUE

I wrote this for today's edition of Scoop, but I'm really taken with the project and want to continue spreading the word, so here ya go:

THE LEAGUE
What if superheroes formed a union at the end of the Golden Age? This bizarre question is the underpinning of a new project from filmmakers Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel. The duo has just announced the completion of The League, a brand new superhero noir short film.

The film can be viewed free of charge in High Definition at online at http://www.theleaguefilm.com/.

Produced under the banners of Windy City Pictures and the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, The League was mentored by acclaimed writer-director Tom Mankiewicz (Superman, Diamonds are Forever, Dragnet), and was created as a thesis film for Chapman University.

The plot centers around the 1946 formation of The League of Heroes in Chicago, which gives the country its first ever Superhero Labor Union. Founded by The Gray Raven, his kid sidekick Sparrow, and the amazing Blue Blaze, The League of Heroes gave the heroes real status with the police and the community. After 20 years, they’re about to expand nationally when an old foe shows up on the scene.

The poster for The League was illustrated with features artwork by outstanding comic book creator Eric Wight (Justice League of America, The Escapist, My Dead Girlfriend), who also notably provided art for the TV series The OC.

PLEASE PLEASE ME Still Rocks When Done Right

Probably the best performance I've ever seen of The Beatles' "Please Please Me" is by Paul McCartney. What's extra fun about it, for me, is that it's come to Paul after age 60 that he can get some guys together and really rock.

Pets.Com Sock Puppet Bailout?

TUCCI'S SGT. ROCK... well, ROCKS!

My good friend Billy Tucci's new comic book mini-series, Sgt. Rock - The Lost Battalion, debuted today, November 5, 2008, and it's been worth the wait.

Taking DC Comics' most iconic war comics character, Sgt. Rock, and infusing his story with the real life heroism of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (those Japanese-Americans who fought the Axis while there own families languished in FDR's internment camps without trials or even charges, simply for being of Japanese ancestry), Billy has done an amazing job.

He's been covered by a lot of online places, and he's written his own regular column for Newsarama. I've had the fortune to work with him on his own character, Shi, and in his film, some trouble of a seRRious nature, and I've been excited to see his drive and determination in taking on this project. I'm also happy to have written about this effort:

He poured his comic book experience and love of history into this one.

He became an ambassador from a region in France.

He hosted meetings with survivors of the 442nd.

He even got his hair cut for it.

Now he's on tour with the first issue.

JCV writes about CAPTAIN ACTION in November's TOY COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

The November 2008 issue of Toy Collector Magazine is now online and it features a look inside the world of Captain Action by yours truly. As always, the rest of the magazine's pretty cool, too, and you can either read it free online or download a free, print quality PDF version.