The Bum’s Rush #58

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!

Alex Toth, 1928 - 2006

Alex Toth, the brilliant artist perhaps best known for the creation of characters like Space Ghost and Johnny Quest, passed away on Tuesday, May 27th. He was 78 years old. Toth influenced a great number of today’s most popular artists, from Bruce Timm to Alex Ross. Cartoon Network has revived his work for shows such as Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and Sealab 2021 and emulated in shows like The Venture Bros.

And you know what? The man died at his drawing table. His drawing table!

Rest in peace, Alex.

Holy Lipstick Lesbian, Batman!

So Batwoman’s coming back in DC’s 52. And she’s a lesbian. Personally I don’t understand why this is newsworthy, especially in the mainstream. It’s not like she’s the first homosexual character in comics. Not by a long shot.

Remember Northstar? He came out of the closet almost 15 years ago. What about former Flash villain, Pied Piper? He’s been out for almost 16 years. This is nothing new at all. Apollo, Midnighter, Maggie Sawyer, Renee Montoya… look, there’s a list of over a hundred gay and lesbian comic book characters right here.

So why is this such a big deal? That’s right, it’s not. It’s just a cheap marketing ploy to get attention for DC Comics. Which, you know, fine. Whatever mainstream attention they can get, more power to ‘em. However, there’s a lot more to an interesting character than their sexual orientation. But at the moment that’s all anyone is talking about and I could care less.

Besides, hasn’t Batman been gay ever since, like, the 60’s?

Corporate Intrigue Now, Alcoholism Later

Iron Man director Jon Favreau recently talked about the film with MTV, revealing his thoughts on how the film will play out, who will don the armor and when we’ll get to see Tony Stark get smashed.

Favreau says that the film, due to be released in the summer of 2008, will “take place in the present day, but there will be an origin story that has the old, gray Iron Man suit; eventually it will progress into more of the modern look."

He also reveals that Stark’s alcoholism is something that may rear its ugly head in a possible sequel to the film. The first movie will lay the groundwork for his eventual decline into alcoholism but will mostly deal with Tony Stark becoming Iron Man, creating and refining the armor and the politics that come into play within his company.

As for actors, Favreau is looking to cast a relative unknown in the role of Iron Man, saying “the success of ‘X-Men’ and ‘Spider-Man’ without being star-driven pieces reassures [executives] that the film does have an upside commercially.” Favreau would rather use the money he could spend on a “big name” and focus it toward the special effects side of the film.

A script for the film is currently being developed and the director will soon begin the process of casting. Shooting on Iron Man is set to begin in January of ’07. Personally I think this film is in good hands. Favreau’s a solid director, he seems to know what it takes to make a good film and he’s obviously a fan of the character. Plus, come on… he just looks so loveable. I can’t be mad at you Favreau… get over here ya big lug!

If anyone feels like putting his or her two cents in about this movie, Favreau’s listening. Just check out the Iron Man Movie MySpace Group.

Even Gødland Rested

Joe Casey and Tom Scioli’s brilliant Image series, Gødland, will be taking a three-month break to allow the creative team to take a breather and ensure that the second year stays on a monthly schedule. Issue 12 will ship this month and the series will return in October with issue 13.

Huh, a really great Joe Casey series that isn’t in danger of being cancelled? Who woulda thunk it?

Like Captain America, But With A Funny Accent

One of my favorite Marvel characters, Union Jack, will soon be getting a brand new mini-series written by Christos N. Gage, writer of the recent Deadshot mini-series for DC, and artist Mike Perkins, who also shares art duties on Captain America with Steve Epting. The series spins out of Union Jack’s appearance in the current Captain America story arc, “21st Century Blitz” and will revolve around an impending terrorist attack on London by several supervillains. Gage describes the series as “action-packed, like a James Bond movie with superheroes, but character is crucial to the story.” Hell. Yeah.

The Brave and The Bold

George Perez recently told Newsarama that he has begun work on the first issue of the long-delayed Brave and the Bold series (written by Mark Waid), however the series won’t be solicited until Perez has drawn at least three issues.

Perez also mentioned that he’d like to do a project involving the Legion of Superheroes after he completes his 12-issue commitment to Brave and the Bold, something to which both fans (and DC higher-ups) have responded with great interest. Does this mean that Perez might be up for drawing the regular Legion series? Cross yer fingers.

Keith Giffen, Madman

Writer/artist extraordinaire Keith Giffen sure is a busy man. He’s currently working on several ongoing comics, like Hero Squared and Blue Beetle, heading up the Annihilation crossover at Marvel and coordinating DC’s massive yearlong, weekly series, 52. And what’s more he’s doing the breakdowns for all 52 issues of that series! You can check them out here. It’ll be fun to see how these breakdowns progress over the next year. First person to spot the exact moment when Giffen loses his mind gets a free t-shirt.

Mmmm, CheeseWater

Be sure to check out the brand new webcomic, CheeseWater, by Stumblebum’s own Drew Clements and Bryan Hester. And I’m not just pimping this strip because these guys are part of Stumblebum, no. It’s a… hold on, let me get the script Drew sent me… “a laugh riot, the creative magnum opus of two of comics finest new rising stars.”

The Only Comics That Matter

Last Week –
Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3 by Bryan O’Malley

This Week –
Punisher: The Tyger by Garth Ennis and John Severin

Next Week –
Wonder Woman #1 by Allan Heinberg and Terry Dodson

Cannon God Exaxxion Stage 5 by Kenichi Sonoda

Soon –
Emily Edison by David Hopkins and Brock Rizy

If you know of 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.

My semi-daily webcomic, Der Wundervolle Bean, will be coming to an end soon. But you can still check it out here www.livejournal.com/users/der_magic_bean.



End of Line