The Bum’s Rush #83

WARNING! None of the news or rumors you see here in The Bum’s Rush should be considered FACT until it actually happens. It might never happen. How do you know I’m not just making all this crap up? I could, you know. You’ve been warned!


This Title Is A Lame Joke About How The Superman Returns Sequel
Will Be Called Superman Returns Again Or Something Equally As
Witless That You’ve Probably Read A Million Times By Now

Next week sees the DVD release not only of Superman Returns but of the entire Superman seriesincluding Superman II - The Donner Cut, which will reveal for the first time what Superman II would have been like if original director Richard Donner had not been fired and replaced after having already shot most of the film. Yes, it’ll be a big day for Superman fans everywhere. Almost as big as the day the next Superman film comes out! Let’s do a little run down of everything we know about the forthcoming sequel shall we?

1. It’s been officially confirmed that Bryan Singer and crew will return to helm the sequel. Take that, Superman Returns naysayers!
2. The film’s title will be Superman: The Man of Steel.
3. The film will have a budget of around $140 - $175 million.
4. Singer has revealed that production on the film will most likely begin mid to late next year.
5. Brandon Routh says there’ll be more hitting!
6. That rumor going around about General Zod being the villain in the sequel? Well there’s another rumor that says don’t bet on it. But the villain in the film is still supposed to be an alien threat. Hmm, could it be… Braniac? I’d say yes. But I also believed it when they said Zod, so why the hell would you listen to me?
7. Release date, you ask? June 2009, I says.
8. But wait, what’s this? Apparently Singer has expressed interest in seeing the script for the upcoming X-Men spin-off, Wolverine! And Hugh Jackman has been quoted as saying, “there is a list and Bryan is, sort of, at the beginning of it, so, of course, he's in the loop. So, but, it is too early for me to say.” So is there a chance we’ll see more mutant mayhem from Singer before we get our Super-sequel?

The New Device

One of my biggest artistic influences is a brilliant artist by the name of Rian Hughes. His logos and cover designs have been especially influential on my own sense of design. He has, in my opinion, created some of the most memorable and eye-catching comic book logos and cover designs ever, from books like Wildcats Version 3.0 and The Intimates to the Bizarro Comics and Bizarro World anthologies to the upcoming Spirit ongoing series by Darwyn Cooke. As I mentioned in one of my earliest columns logo design is just as important to a comic book cover as the cover art itself and Hughes is one of the best in business when it comes to creating designs that stand out on the shelves.

Earlier this month, Hughes re-launched his website, adding tons of recent logos, designs, illustrations and a huge library of fonts that you can purchase directly from the site itself. The level of work, from the fonts to the photography is downright inspirational. If you’re a graphic artist, or you just appreciate really good-looking art and design, then do yourself a favor – CLICK HERE and check out Rian Hughes new site. You won’t be disappointed.

Speaking of Rian Hughes, I would kill to get a hold of the Dan Dare series he and Grant Morrison did together several years ago. So if you were wondering what you should get me for Christmas, well there you go. What do you mean you’re not buying me a Christmas present? Hmmph. And after all the things I’ve done for you.
 

The Dead Live!

Josh Howard and Viper Comics are producing a Nara (the lead character from the Dead@17 trilogy) action figure. The 8-inch vinyl action figure will be the first release from Viper Toys. Here are some shots of the rough sculpt which Josh recently posted on his MySpace page:

	Click on an image to view full size in a new window Josh also posted some information about the forthcoming action figure. He says that no release date has been set but it should be available in a few months. The figure will have at least four points of articulation. And yes, it comes with Nara’s ax. If sales are good then this could be the first in a series of Dead at 17 action figures. I really do hope this figure sells well. Not only because I love me some Dead@17 but because Viper Toys will probably do even more toys. And you know what that means right? EMILY EDISON ACTION FIGURES! Dude, that’d be awesome. I would definitely buy an Emily Edison action figure. And hopefully they’d do multiple versions, right? Cause then there’d be a version of Emily in the kick ass pulp inspired costume she wore at the end of the book! Oh… oh… and Badbot action figures! Goo… nerdgasm!* *The Editor apologizes for this total nerd freak-out. Rest assured it won’t happen again. Ah, who are we kidding… it happens every freakin’ week. Sorry, there’s nothing we can do.

Bad Apple

Speaking of Josh Howard, Viper just released a five-page preview from the forthcoming
The Lost Books of Eve:

		Click on an image to view full size in a new window The Lost Books of Eve, which follows Eve as she journeys outside of the Garden of Eden to locate her missing husband, Adam, is an ongoing bi-monthly series. The first issue should ship sometime in December. If those preview pages are any indication this book is going to look amazing.

Speaking of Segues… I Mean Apples

Sure, you’ve heard of 24 Hour Comic Day right? I thought so. But for the uninformed, 24 Hour Comic Day is a grueling right of passage for comic book artists who want to prove that they’re just as crazy as everyone says they are. You see, the 24 Hour Comic Day challenge is to sit down and draw a complete 24-page comic in 24 hours! Only the strongest (and most handsome) survive to tell the tale. Like I did. Why (pimp mode activated) you can even buy a copy of my 24 Hour Comic, God Of Rock, on this very website. 24 pages in 24 hours! Sounds almost impossible don’t it?

What if I told you there was a 24 Hour Movie Day. And on said 24 Hour Movie Day you were required to write, shoot and edit a short film and include in that film at least three required elements from a list of eleven that wouldn’t be revealed until the contest began. Well, it happened. A few weeks ago Apple () sponsored the Insomnia Film Festival inviting student filmmakers across the country to enter a contest to create their own short film in just one day.

But unlike 24 Hour Comic Day, in which your reward for completing the challenge is the satisfaction of a job well done, the Insomnia Film Festival will have an actual winner. Viewers (as well as a panel of judges) are able to vote on the videos posted on the IFF website and the winners will be announced on December 10th. The winners will receive a copy of Final Cut Studio, a copy of Shake, and an 80GB iPod. Voting is still going on right now and will be until December 5th.

I know that didn’t really have anything to do with comics per se. I just thought it was kinda neat. Plus I’m a little miffed that I didn’t get the chance to win no 80GB iPod for finishing my 24 Hour Comic. I knew I shoulda listened to my mom when she told me to give up my foolish dreams of drawing comics and try to make it in Hollywood instead.


In Case You Didn’t Know…

This book comes out next week:  (Click on image to view full size in a new window)



If you don’t buy it Will Eisner’s ghost will KILL you.

The Only Comics That Matter

Last Week –
Astonishing X-Men #18 by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday
Invincible #36 by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley
Union Jack #3 by Christos N. Gage, Mike Perkins & Andrew Hennessey

This Week –
Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood #1 by Chuck Dixon & Derec Donovan
Casanova #6 by Matt Fraction & Gabriel Ba
Godland #14 by Joe Casey & Tom Scioli
Daredevil #91 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark & Stefano Gaudiano
X-Factor #13 by Peter David & Pablo Raimondi

Next Week –
Batman/The Spirit by Jeph Loeb, Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone
Immortal Iron Fist by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja & Travel Foreman
Nextwave #10 by Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen & Wade Von Grawbadger



If you have any interesting news, rumors, lies, etc. about comics and think I should know about it too just email me at thesuperleezard@yahoo.com.

Read more dumb crap written by me at www.livejournal.com/users/superleezard.
 

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