I recently got a chance to interview Marvel Comics Editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. We spoke of a number of things happening in the Marvel Universe and in the latest Marvel film, Iron Man.

THE COMIC BOOK GUY: First off, you pretty early on seem to have taken, kind of an adversarial role with DC Comics. You kind of called them out, mostly like trash talking on a basketball court. Was this a conscious effort?

JOE QUESADA: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. By the way I made a pretty public statement pretty early on, before I got in to any schoolyard thing with DC. A sort of a malaise had fallen over the (comic book) industry and I remembered back when I was reading comics just as a hardcore fan was that there was sort of a battle line drawn in the sand. There were the DC people the Marvel people and a few that read both but there were tons of arguments. Like DC fans didn’t like Marvel fans and vice versa. And there was a definite rivalry between the companies.

It was a lot of fun, and at the end of the day you can’t have the New York Yankees without the Boston Red Sox. That sort of a rivalry just makes baseball more exciting.

So I felt that the rivalry needed to be sparked up a little bit. So I did a little bit of teasing and prodding more like what Stan Lee did back in the day. Back then he used to call them the Distinguished Competition and Brand X. so it was keeping in the tradition.

And lo and behold fans woke up and DC woke up a little bit so, I think competition is great. I think passion is a good thing. Specifically fandom. Passion among the fandom is, and by the was if passion means some fans say they hate the guy at Marvel because he’s saying mean things, that’s passion, you know. Have at it. That’s great, So long as you’re passionate about it, that’s great.

CBG: So knowing that this was coming, did you really early on resign yourself to that?

JOEQ: What’s that?

TCBG: The idea that you would be hated.

JOEQ: Oh yeah. One of the clearest things that anyone ever said to me when I took over this job was when Tom DeFalco, editor-in-chief before the guy that I took over this job, came into my office and Tom did this job for a long time. So he told me, “Just be aware that you need a really broad back to do this job. Because no matter how good your intentions are there will always be people who are going to see conspiracies where there are none. And going to blame you for things that are totally out of your control.”

So knowing that, and now having experienced that, I can increase circulation and improve the books a thousand-fold - and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that - but there’s always going to be people that are going to say, “He sucks.”

And that’s just fandom you know. I mean I’m a fan of comics, of sports and it just comes with the territory. Fans are very passionate. So you can either take it or you can’t, it just comes with the job.

To use another sports metaphor, there are people who say that certain athletes can’t play in New York because the fandom is just too passionate. And there may be some truth to that, but some of them can and do.

So knowing that, it was a simple decision to make.

TCBG: With that already behind you, that kind of feel for your job, does it make it easier to do something like “Brand New Day” where you know it will anger some of the fans?

JOEQ: Brand New Day was a bandage that had to be ripped off sooner or later. This isn’t something that just occurred to us here and we said, “We think it’ll work better to have him like this.”

This is something that every editor that I know of, every one for the last 10, 12, 15 years has wanted to unmarry Peter Parker again. And they either didn’t have that solution or they weren’t ready to do that yet because you knew that there would be a backlash from a certain segment of fans.

But one of the things that I try and advocate around here is that we do not publish in fear. We can’t. Once you start staring into the rear-view mirror you’re going to end up in an accident.

And Brand New Day was one of those things where we could easily have sat back and said, “Oh, I don’t want to get all those e-mails.” but at the you know what, it was what was best for that character in the long run. So let’s just do it. Lets get it over and done with.
To me, One More Day was less important, to me it was more important to get to Brand New Day. And I get tons of fan mail telling me, “I didn’t really like One More Day but now I’m loving Brand New Day and I understand why you did it.”

That’s really the ultimate goal and two years down the road, five years down the road, no one’s going to care. So long as we keep putting out good stories.

TCBG: Right. And I was one of those fans where it really bothered me. I mean Spidey is what brought me into comics. But the stories in Brand New Day have been really solid.

JOEQ: And there’s so much more we can do with Spider-Man that you can’t do with him married dot Mary Jane. We haven’t even scratched the surface we haven’t had any real romance brought up in the book. But there’s stuff coming down the pike where I just want to tell everybody what’s coming but I just can’t.

I also think that, at the end of the day, one of the things that has lots of the fans upset is, “How does this fit into my Marvel continuity world.”

Those answers are coming, we didn’t want to give them away right away. But those answers are coming don’t even panic. Believe it or not, it’s all under control.

TCBG: And you just mentioned romance right now. I don’t know if it’s how you guys are thinking of it but to me it felt like it was a conscious decision not to have any romance right away because it would kind of be like seeing a friend that just recently got divorced with someone else. It just kind of feels weird.

JOEQ: Oh yeah no, that’s absolutely true. Part of it is also, lets clear the deck, lets clear the air, we’re introducing a new cast. Lets let the writers have their way with it. Who does Pete meet, who does Peter run into, who does Peter have a crush on and who does he fall out of a crush on. It’s just letting that happen organically with our writers instead of being like, he’s going to date her, he’s going to break up with her.

And it’s part of the deccision to give the old Spider-Man villains a break, we’re introducing a lot of new villains. Not that Spidey’s villains aren’t great and we will bring them back, it’s just that they’ve been used so much lately. And not just with Spider-Man, throughout the Marvel Universe. So we just want to give them a break for a little while and bring on new characters and make the cast even bigger and thus the soap opera even bigger. So I’ve been pretty happy with the way that these guys have been taking the books.

It’s also part of taking the books thrice monthly and a single title instead of three separate titles. Bringing back what made Spider-Man so great, what made Marvel so great was there’s one life, Peter Parker and the other part of his life if the Amazing Spider-Man. So we’re really looking at the soap opera of this guys life.

TCBG: You mentioned the term soap opera and I think that’s really been done on Ultimate Spider-Man where you’re really involved in this guys life. If the Spider stuff happens of it doesn’t happen, you’re still engaged as a reader.

JOEQ: Exactly. And remember the first six issues, there was no costume and you were just engaged in the life of Peter Parker.

And that shows you that what I’ve always been saying is true. You need to care about the guy in the red and blue suit. You have to care about Peter Parker to care about Spider-Man, you need to care about Matt Murdock to care about Daredevil. They’re their alter-egos first and the superhero second.

TCBG: And that’s been coming up a lot with the reviews of Iron Man. Most of the reviewers have pointed out that it’s a long time before you ever see the suit.

JOEQ: Let me tell you, as a guy that’s seen the film about a dozen times at this point. From the very first iteration of the film, I keep telling people, “I don’t care if he ever puts on the suit.” Because Robert Downey Jr. just does such a great job of capturing Tony Stark. He does such an incredible job of making this multi-dimensional man that becomes this hero that the suit is secondary. You just want to see more Downey Jr. He really nailed what it is to be a Marvel hero, right at it’s heart.

TCBG: How did you feel about that casting when you found out?

JOEQ: I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

First of all, I happen to be a huge fan of his. So much so that I even watched Alley MacBeal to watch him. (both laugh)

So I was thrilled when I heard it. And it really was art imitating life at that point because in a lot of ways he’s lived the life of Tony Stark.

TCBG: And the whole cast if phenomenal. The lead cast has about 7 Oscar nominations among them?

JOEQ: Oh yeah, and I’ll go on record saying this. Aside from Downy doing an incredible job in this, it’s the first tie that I’ve seen a romance on the screen of a superhero movie that really touched me. Where I was like, “OK, I really feel this.”

There’s just some sort of a magic between him and Gwyneth Paltrow (as his personal assistant Pepper Potts) that really touched me.

TCBG: And that’s one of the places where the movie can feel outside of the standard context of the book. There’s been romance between Tony and Pepper in the past but it’s never seemed like it could last.

JOEQ: And it’s funny that they should nail this particular romance because the Pepper Pots Tony Stark romance isn’t like Peter and Mary Jane, Peter and Gwen, Clark and Lois, you know, it’s not a classic comic book romance. And yet they managed to take something like that and make is something really special.

Where Robert Downey Jr. has really captured the essence of the character, I think what Gwyneth Paltrow has done for us is that she’s given us a new look at Pepper Potts. Where we’re really looking at this going, “Wow.” this could be the case where an actor playing a character on the screen will probably effect the comic books because she she gave us a look at Pepper that we never saw before. We see her in the flesh now and I think that, invariably, will effect the way writers write her in the future.

TCBG: The movie has the modern Iron Man suit but I was wondering if at any point the Ultimate Iron Man suit was considered?

JOEQ: You know, that’s more of a question for our West Coast guys. The development guys and (director Jon) Favreau. What I do know is that Arnie Granoff, who was drawing Iron Man for quite a while was asked to design the suit. So I think they were looking at the standard version but that’s really a question for those guys.

TCBG: Sure. Speaking of the Ultimate Iron Man, there’s a few things in the Ultimate storyline there are elements of Tony Stark that makes him seem more tragic than in the standard storyline. Is something like that that is coming in the standard storyline?

JOEQ: In “Invincible Iron Man” we’re going to be revealing a lot of stuff about Tony. It won’t resemble Ultimates, it’ll be different, but there’s some stuff coming out about Tony that I think will reveal a lot.

TCBG: Well, they did shoot a cameo with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Is this kind of layng the groundwork because I noticed that the two Marvel movies have sort of a cross referencing.

JOEQ: Oh, you know … Is there a cameo somewhere? I have no idea of what you speak. (both laugh)

TCBG: All right. This is sort of a goofy question, you put out a song earlier this year called two weeks late …

JOEQ: Oh, actually that was last year. I put out a song to Marvel fans each year. I’ve done it five years in a row, unfortunately I didn’t get to do it this year. “Two Weeks Late” was a comment on late comics and fans were really getting up in arms so I put out this song.

It was for Christmas of 2006 but I put it out two weeks late so it was actually in 2007.
It’s just something I do. I used to do a musician for a living before I ever did any of this stuff so once in a while I like to get goofy with that.

TCBG: You have a history of actually standing behind the comics that are running late. A lot of the time it really pays off with a great comic. On a few occassions, like “Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk,” it just kind of stalled out in production. Is there any projection for when tht would be coming out or is it a dead project?

JOEQ: The current projection write now is that Damon (Lindelof) has handed in every single script except for the verly last. But that doesn’t really matter right now because Leinil (Francis Yu) is doing Secret Invasion.

My suspicion is that when Lenil get’s done with Secret Invasion, he really wants to finish this, so I think that this will be the next thing that he jumps on. And then we’ll be able to finish that and get the comics out.

So I know that Damon is pretty much done but he’s not really in a rush to get the last script out because we don’t have an artist for it now but I suspect that once Lenil is done we’ll green light it again.

TCBG: One thing that happened last year was a certain amount of “hatred” toward Iron Man. Was that something that was conceived before …

JOEQ: Oh yeah absolutely. We know which side of the registration act fandom was going to rally against so we knew we were putting Tony Stark into a really interesting position. But it was really a position that we thought was right for him.

What’s interesting about that is that is that shortly after, almost every single script we were getting in from our writers, nearly every pitch I was getting from our writers or young writers trying to get into the industry either featured Tony stark or had Tony Stark in a cameo. So at the end of the day I think its really been working out well for us in that he’s really the misunderstood hero in this whole thing. But it’s made him that much more interesting to all our fans out there and he’s literally in all out books at this point.

TCBG: Not knowing that that would be a by product, was that really a calculated gamble on your guys’ part, kind of casting him as the bad guy?

JOEQ: Well first of all, we didn’t cast him as the bad guy. When you look at the decisions he made … We didn’t take any side in this, we presented both sides of the argument with registration of not registering and everybody falls within those lines. But when someone, one of our characters says, “You know what, I think the government’s right” because of the climate of this country right now, most of our readership is going to say, “Oh, I’m not with him, he’s with the government.”

Say what you will but that happens to be what happened and we expected that. It doesn’t mean that Tony’s wrong, by the way. It doesn’t mean that the government is wrong either. In the storyline, Tony ended up being right but he made the tough call of saying, this is right for us right now.

So people might want to see him as a villain but that’s certainly not how he was cast in any of this.

TCBG: On that same level though, most of the best villains don’t think of themselves as “bad guys.” But I don’t’ think he was a “villain” I mean, he was going up against Captain America and it’s kind of hard to look like a hero while doing that.

JOEQ: Well yeah. (both laugh)

TCBG: Well if Cap were whacked out on drugs or something maybe but other than that you’re going to look like the bad guy. This next one is definitely a loaded question though. Are we going to see Steve Rogers return as Captain America?

JOEQ: Are we going to see Steve Rogers return? Quite frankly I don’t know. I mean, I’m looking at the next six months of books right now, I don’t see Steve Rogers anywhere. So I have no idea.

What I can tell you is that “Captain America” the book is doing incredibly well and Steve Rogers ain’t in it. We even have a new Captain America and Steve Rogers ain’t in that costume.

TCBG: Oh, and it’s being done really well by Ed Brubaker. And I think it’s really one of the best entry level books out there in that it’s not a traditional comic story it’s being written more like an espionage book.

JOEQ: And he’s managed to do one of the most difficult things in our industry which is making Cap, I mean he wears the American Flag, and he’s made him an interesting character that we want to read about.

TCBG: Well Captain America has traditionally taken an interesting look at our country I mean he had, well they never directly stated, but he had Richard Nixon as a bad guy.

JOEQ: You now, when a writer decides to go out on an edge, like Ed has, Captain America is a really interesting character. But when Marvel says, “We don’t want him to take a stand, we just want him to be a superhero,” that’s when the character has suffered. So that’s what I’m saying. It’s a little bit tough to write Captain America because you really have to have a little bit of chutzpah to be able to say I’m going to have the character stand for something.

Not everyone is going to agree but that’s what we’re going to do.

Again, everyone sees the American Flag and everyone has varying degrees when they see that. When I look at the American Flag, I think I’m as patriotic as the next guy and I have certain feelings. When my dad looked at it, I mean my dad fought in the Korean war, he feels, possibly similar to me but he feels something different. The same thing with my grandfather, he was an immigrant who came to this country and fought in World War II. So everyone who sees Captain America feels the same thing. They all see a piece of themselves in that character, so you’re never going to please everybody.

TCBG: Two more questions. One is about you. You’re probably about the highest ranking Latino in the industry right now. Do you feel a certain weight about that?

JOEQ: I don’t feel any “weight” about it. I feel a lot of pride. My father was very proud of his roots and made sure that I understood it completely but as far a weight, not really.
I mean Latinos, we’ve done really well in a lot of major industries. But at the end of the day I’m just a guy trying to do my job and if that inspires people that’s great, but really just trying to keep my head above water.

TCBG: My last question is really for you. At the end of interviews I like to turn over the floor in case there’s anything we forgot to talk about and something you wanted to say.

JOEQ: No I think we’re good. We covered a lot actually. (both laugh)

Marvel Comics’ take on the prince of power takes on some new twists in Incredible Hercules. When last we left Big Guy and Rusty … Sorry, Hercules and Amadeus Cho, S.H.I.E.L.D. had managed to kill Cho’s puppy. Enraged he set a virus loose through their computer systems. The series has been getting solid attention, so why not take a look below then come back Wednesday for my review.

When I saw that a movie about the folks that dress as superheroes on Hollywood Boulevard (“Confessions of a Superhero”) was about to drop on DVD I knew I had to check it out. The documentary is really one of my favorite films that I’ve seen recently and I highly suggest it to anyone with a DVD player. The film is moving, engaging and beautifully shot.

I got a chance to speak with the films director, Matt Ogens, by phone the other day. Read it, comment if you like, then buy or rent a copy of this film and see it.

The Comic Book Guy: First off I was wondering where you got the idea (to do this film)?

Matt Ogens: I was directing a commercial on Hollywood Boulevard and saw “the characters” hanging around and was drawn to them right away. I’ve driven by there a couple of times but, y’know, it’s like any tourist area. I didn’t really pay that much attention. But when I was up close and near them, I really wanted to know more. I was really curious, not so much about what they did on the Boulevard so much as, “What would draw someone to do that for a living,” “What are they like when they go home,” “Are they married,” “What do they do for a living besides this?” So that’s how I became interested.

CBG: And you decided to focus on the heroes just for consistency or something else?

MO: Actually, yes that’s exactly right. The first person I met out there was Chris Dennis who plays Superman and for whatever reason I was drawn to him so I knew he was going to be part of it. And yeah, it was for consistency. I thought that anyone in any generation would know who Superman and Batman were. They’re always redoing movies as well as comic books. Where as, if you do something on Marilyn Monroe or someone else, someone that’s younger may not know who that is anymore. And I thought “Superheroes are timeless and iconic” and I also thought they were pretty good metaphors for life.

CBG: And you did stick with superheroes with a long history. I don’t think any … Lets see Superman, Batman, the Hulk, they all have at least a 50 year history on them.

MO: Just coincidentally that they were ones that had long histories. That wasn’t necessarily by design. Actually we had a Spider-Man at first. And when we tried to include him in early cuts … He didn’t give us enough access and it just didn’t work. So then we picked up the Hulk. And we definitely met everyone through Superman, he was sort of our guide into that world. So we never really thought of it. I’m not a huge, huge comic book fan. I’m not an avid reader to where I knew when one character was created over another so it was just what I was drawn too. The characters, when I was a kid, that I knew of were those.

CBG: Yeah and Superman is pretty timeless.

MO: Exactly.

CBG: Um, Chris Dennis, I’m kind of curious about him. What was your take on him? Because he’s been doing this for an awfully long time. I get numbers that range from 2 years to 15 (years).

MO: I get different numbers too. (Both laugh.) I think he gives a different number every time he’s in an interview and someone asks him how long he’s been out there it changes. He’s told me from 13 to 16 years. I know he, allegedly, was one of the first ones out there. I wasn’t around so I can’t vouch (laughs) for exactly when he started but I do think he’s been out there the longest and is certainly, in the press, the most recognized. Whenever there’s any press or “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” or any press, they usually include him.

CBG: I noticed in the interviews after that there seems to have been a falling out between Chris and Max (Maxwell Allen who dresses as Batman) as well as, it seems like, you and Max.

MO: Yeah, y’know, towards the end of the filming there was already a falling out that was happening between Max and Chris. According to Max, at the time, Chris would get most of the press and I think Max started getting jealous. But Max felt like Chris was sort of hogging up the limelight for himself. So it was sort of starting in-fighting between them. But is was also at about this time that Max started drinking more and started getting in trouble with the law more so … It’s kind of a “chicken or the egg” sort of thing. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

You know, he doesn’t like how he was portrayed and it’s easier to be against me and against the film. What’s interesting is, whatever he said in the movie … it’s a documentary. That’s his thoughts. His opinions. His life. I’m not in the documentary and there’s no voiceover giving anyone else’s opinion so it’s a pretty objective documentary. There’s no way for me to really have injected my opinion unless I started editing up words to create something that didn’t happen but that’s not the case so I think it’s just easier for him to be angry at us. And as you see in the movie he is a character … by a character I don’t mean Batman, I mean Max himself, is a person who doesn’t seem to take a lot of self responsibility. Whether he’s getting arrested or whatever’s going on, he seems to blame everybody else. He blames (George) Clooney for his lack of acting work.

CBG: Yeah, I kind of caught that (in the film).

MO: Yeah, instead of … well, it never crossed my mind that he looked like George Clooney, until he said it. So it’s just, he’s just…You know, it’s a real great, I think, character study of different people and how to succeed. Because how I feel, as a director, is what I need to succeed is to work my ass off every day and to look at myself. And he’s someone that seems to think that you’re just supposed to get it right away and blame everyone else and, um, that’s how he lives his life.

CBG: He and Chris wind up, probably taking the lion’s share of the movie just because they’ve got…

MO: So much drama.

CBG: And one of the things that I notice is that both of them have somewhat questionable histories.

MO: Yeah absolutely.

CBG: The other two were straightforward. And Jennifer (Gehrt who dresses up as Wonder Woman) was kind of … Well she was in kind of a weird position in that she had so much drama going on in her life but it was, I don’t think it was so easy to show, because so much of it was internal.

MO: And it was real. But yeah, a lot of it was internal I mean, and she’s also younger so it’s probably harder for her to show certain things. She’s also a woman and the only woman in our cast so it’s probably harder for her to show certain things. But her, I guess you’d say character arch in the show is probably more traditional, normal. It’s almost cliché. Small town girl, prom queen, comes to the big city and is a small fish in a big pond. And then going through personal stuff with getting married and eventually getting divorced.

CBG: And being a woman it looked like it was a whole different world for her in the way she was seen and the way things were done. I mean there’s not a lot of pictures of girls ogling the guys as opposed to, there’s that one shot that of her that I think shows up twice in the film and I kind of cracked up both times where she’s getting something out of her car and the valets are kind of leaning over to get a look.

MO: That’s also probably why she makes more money than the guys on the boulevard.

CBG: Yeah, in my initial review, it’s one of those things that got cut out for space, but in my initial review I said that she’s a favorite of the guys in that she’s a good looking girl so they’re going to flock around.

MO: And give her the bigger tips.

CBG: Heh, yeah. But um, Max … sorry, I mean Joe (McQueen who dresses as the Hulk) is the character that got the least amount of time and it seems it’s because he had the most straight arch.

MO: Yeah, there’s a couple of reasons. One, he’s logistically weak because he’s the one that replaced Spider-Man and so we really didn’t have a lot with him. And he has a much straighter arch like you say. It’s almost more of a physical arch than an emotional one. The arch is sort of him getting that role. But at the same time, people seem to react, when we’ve had screenings, to him more than anyone else. He’s been the one that gets standing ovations and that kind of thing. He seems to be the most loveable character to other people.

(During the filming of “Confessions of a Superhero,” Joe McQueen lands a big part in a feature film.)

CBG: Well, I think, part of it is that you have the other two guys that have some questions.

MO: Yeah, the other two are definitely more complex and you need more screen time for them. To tell their stories.

CBG: And Joe is just pretty easy and he never seems upset. He never seems even a little upset.

MO: It’s interesting because that’s how I’ve always felt about him, and lately I’ve seen him be more upset and angry. And sort of seen more sides of him that we didn’t see during the filming but I sort of found after the fact, you know what I mean.

CBG: Yeah.

MO: It really surprised us. Like being down on himself for not acting enough or not making enough money, like if he’s out there and isn’t getting tipped as much as he likes. I’ve seen sort of flashes of things that surprised me and aren’t in the film because I never saw it during the filming. So I definitely see some frustrations in him.

CBG: Do you think it’s just the limited time since you had so little time with him during the filming, since like you said, you had to replace someone?

MO: It could be that. It could be timing. It’s just, maybe things were going better for him while we were filming. Maybe while we were there it was like, “Hey this is going on for me,” and then when the filming is done … It’s like, even when I did the documentary, after it’s done there’s a little bit of a, I wouldn’t say depression, but it’s something missing from your life. When you’re so used too… I worked on this for two and a half years, me and Charlie (Gruet) who produced it and (was the director of photography for) that. And there’s a little bit of something missing that you’re so used to that. And maybe it’s the same for some of these characters, particularly Joe. That, “Oh, they’re gone now.”

CBG: What has happened to these guys? Have any of them left the street?

MO: Well yeah, um, from that arrest, for Batman. Part of his, I don’t know if you’d call it probation or stipulation, is that he’s not allowed on Hollywood Boulevard for three years, until 2010. (At the end of the movie Max Allen, dressed as Batman, is shown to have been arrested for fighting with some construction workers over his use of their port-a-potty.) After he was arrested, they told him that and of course he couldn’t stay away. He went out there one week later, got arrested again.

(He) got beaten up in jail, pretty bad, he lost a tooth. And I think he’s doing security full time now because he’s not allowed to be on Hollywood, actually in Hollywood. He’s not allowed to be in that zip code.

Jenn is on the Boulevard a lot less now, very rarely. She is, gotten a couple of bit parts in some things, I think she got a bit part on “Mad TV.” She’s an extra a lot in some movies. She studies with The Groundlings which is a pretty famous um, I guess you’d call it an improv group …

CBG: I think Will Ferrell came from them didn’t he?

MO: Yeah, a lot of Saturday Night Live people did. I don’t know how involved she is but she does study there. I don’t know if she’s quote unquote, part of The Groundlings. But she studies there, she takes her acting seriously. She does little videos on YouTube, she has a new agent, she’s out there trying to do it. In the more traditional way.

CBG: She really did seem to be fighting for parts.

MO: She is in that in-between because she is a very pretty girl, but we’re in LA you know. There’s a million of them.

CBG: It was one of the comments that I made, while watching the film. This is going to sound really awful, I was surprised at how well she acted.

MO: Yeah, yeah.

CBG: You almost don’t expect them to have much acting chops because, like the “mayor of Hollywood says” they’re pretty much panhandling.

MO: It is. They’re not working for the city.

CBG: They couldn’t do this anywhere else.

MO: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Um, the Hulk (Joe McQueen) finished that movie, “Finishing the Game” so that was a legitimate movie. It was at Sundance 2007. Justin Lin directed it who had directed one of the “Fast and the Furious” movies (“Tokyo Drift”), he directed a movie called “Annapolis” a movie called “Better Luck Tomorrow.” Legit director. That came out, I think in December so that’s a legitimate movie that was in our film.

CBG: I do remember seeing the press material when it came out. When I saw that part in your movie, I definitely remembered that.

MO: Yeah, but Joe doesn’t have an agent. I don’t know how people get a hold of him always, his phone number changes sometimes. So I don’t know what he’s doing acting-wise. I know he’s trying. There’s something to be said for that. I know Chewbacca is living with him now, helping to pay rent I guess. Superman is really the one who’s status quo, same thing. Apartments filled with Superman stuff, there’s always press about him someone always wants to do something with him. There’s no roles that I know of but he kind of seems to be an optimistic guy, kind of even keeled.

CBG: It was kind of weird, because at some point in the beginning of the film I felt like he’d just kind of given up, like he’d just decided this is where I’m going to be the rest of my life. This is where I’m going to stay. Then later in the film you start to realize that this to him is a stepping stone, this is what he believes is going to help him move along.

MO: It’s interesting because I don’t look at what he does to try and make it as an actor as necessarily, I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but its not what I would do. In other words, he’s not taking acting classes. Forget about making it, just practicing your acting chops. I’ve never seen him go to auditions, that kind of thing. So I think he thinks some director is just going to drive by and just sort of pick him out and go, “We’ve gotta have him.” The only issue, which I talked with him about, is that on the Boulevard and any time he’s with his Superman outfit or at a Superman event, they’re only going to associate him with Superman. And there’s no roles for Superman unless you’re playing the lead role in a Superman movie. So sometimes I wish he would distance himself, I don’t mean from his day job, but just sort of being Chris Dennis. And I think there’s a little bit of, that he’s recognized so much as Superman and I’m playing armchair phsychiatrist right now, but maybe he feels like he’s unrecognizable without that outfit on. It’s kind of like Clark Kent you know, he kind of feels like Clark Kent. That no one is gonna know who he is. So except for Jennifer and maybe Joe, these aren’t the traditional ways to become an actor. If you look at Max at the end of the movie who says, “I’m a security guard now, maybe a director will see me and want to put me in a movie.” I don’t think if a director is on set, that it would even go through his mind to cast a security guard in his movie.

CBG: Yeah, cause there’s legitimate casting agencies.

MO: Yeah.

CBG: I did notice that the few times that you see Chris in civvies, so to speak, he’s still got the hair.

MO: Still got the hair, there might be a Superman shirt on.

CBG: Yeah.

MO: Listen, I followed these guys for two and a half years, I’ve maybe seen Chris out of his out fit, I’m not exaggerating, four times. One was traveling to Metropolis on a plane.

CBG: Yeah and he had that DC Comics tee shirt on, or rather a crew shirt.

MO: Exactly, so I’ve maybe, most of the time when I go over he’s right about to go out there or right at the end of the day when he still has his work clothes on. And right now when we’re doing interviews and promotions and stuff. So then it’s nice to have that because it’s part of the movie.

CBG: Yeah, well and at that point it’s almost his working clothes for this.

MO: Yeah.

CBG: I mean if this was 50 years ago you’d have to be wearing the riding pants, as a director.

MO: Yeah exactly.

CBG: I only had one more question and it’s about Chris. Why do you think he’s latched on so tightly to Superman?

MO: Ooo, that’s a good question. Um, I can only guess because I don’t know, I’m not inside his head. Maybe he identifies with him. Maybe he … You know, I think part of what I think my movie is about is people wanting to matter. Wanting to succeed but, part of wanting to succeed is wanting to matter, wanting to be something. Or maybe you need something tangable to hold onto. And maybe that’s it for him. Or maybe it’s as simple as, he just loves Superman. In other words, we all try to dig and dig … not just my movie but people in general … but why people do certain things. And maybe it’s just as simple as, he just loves Superman.

CBG: Well I’m not going to get on him for that, I do write s comic book column for God’s sake. (laughs)

MO: There you go. (laughs) He just takes it to a different level, but I think he does it respectfully and he really honors the character and he knows everything about Superman. For God’s sake he got married in a Superman outfit.

CBG: Yeah. And honestly, he’s got my favorite line in the picture where he’s walking with Ghost Rider, “No, his head’s on fire but he’s not smoking.”

MO: That’s my favorite scene.

CBG: It’s a great shot. Its such an odd deal in that you have, very much, a more modern hero and Superman is walking along with him trying to teach him the ropes.

MO: Yeah exactly. Totally unexpected. We had no idea that that was going to happen. And I love the part where Ghost Rider says … When Superman says you can’t smoke and Ghost Rider goes, “But he’s made of fire.”

(Both laugh.)

CBG: Well, I think I’ve got all I need was there anything you wanted to say?

MO: Just so everyone knows it just came out on DVD and one way to get it is through our Web site which is www.therealsuperhero.com. You can click through to Netflix and rent it or Amazon and buy it. But if you’re a Netflix subscriber or Amazon or whatever, you can go there and buy it. You’re not buying it from us going through there, it’s just to make it easier to click through. You can watch the trailer there and whatever.
Even besides the video there’s over two hours of bonus footage. Chris, Superman, and his wife Bonnie do the commentary not me. And there’s outtakes from Comicon, there’s some fun scenes in there.

CBG: I saw the John Schneider one and that really cracked me up.

MO: Yeah, and there’s some good stuff at Comicon as well. My favorite one is “When Bonnie Met Superman.” It’s where Chris and Bonnie are sitting side-by-side and they’re telling the story of how they met. And they each have their own version. And one is R rated and one is PG rated.

CBG: Yeah and her’s is such a …

MO: It’s a love story.

CBG: Yeah, her’s has this dreamy feeling and such and then he keep, “And what did we do. Tell them what we did.”

MO: He keeps interjecting.

CBG: It’s actually really fun. They definitely come off as a real couple at that point.

MO: Yeah, like they’ve been married for 50 years.

(Readers may also be interested in visiting the film’s MySpace page here.)

My weekly take on the comics on shelves and where I think you should spend your bread.

AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL 15

The one shot comic marks 10 years. The story of May “May Day” Parker, daughter of the retired Amazing Spider-Man Peter and his wife Mary Jane, struck enough of a cord with fans that the powers that be wanted more. A whole universe where the daughter of the spider went on to her own crime fighting career was created and marks a decade with this issue. Fun and touching at the same time, it’s a fun read and a fantastic intro to the universe where the heir to the red and blue tights swings on. This comic actually feels like she’s really a legacy to Spidey as it showcases the same “never give up” attitude that her father has shown time and time again in his own titles. Get it. … $3.99

FANTASTIC FOUR 552

551 ended with Reed Richards blowing Prince Namor’s head off with a big ol’ gun. The sequal to that is heavy hitting and has Ben Grimm, the Thing, in a knock-down-drag-out with Doctor Doom. And it’s just the middle of the story. You’ll love it then hate how long you’ll have to wait until next issue. Get it. … $2.99

GHOST RIDER 18

If you haven’t been reading Ghost Rider this is almost a usless issue, but it has a heck of a payoff so it may be worth the asking price If there’s another book on the shelf that you were looking forward to though, get that instead. Skip it. … $2.99

IRON MAN AND POWER PACK 2

I do dig fun, kid friendly books, and this one works really well. May be a little cute for those looking for a hard edged comic, but if you give it a chance you’ll likely dig it. Besides, this is a title that carries multiple pages of Mini Marvels which are a great bonus. Think about it. … $2.99

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK 6

Probably one of the silliest Hulk stories ever told. I can see the selling point as it has the feel of a DC Comic in the silver age, but I can’t recommend it as it wasn’t nearly as fun. Skip it. … $2.99

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS 4

Four stories at about a buck a piece, not a bad deal. The Hellcat story is probably my favorite and I would be willing to buy that on it’s own. Can’t say I have the same enthusiasm for the other 3 books, but they were a fun enough read for the price. Think about it. … $3.99

NEW WARRIORS 6

Digging the book and the story but not how they keep working the whole “mystery” behind who is banking the team. Still, a good read with solid characters. I think 2008 will really see this book taking off. Think about it. … $2.99

NOVA 9

After several really strong issues, this feels like a misstep. Not too fun and the “heavy” part of the story doesn’t really mean anything, even if you’ve been reading the book. Skip it. … $2.99

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL 14

WJ has been a fun book to read since it was revived but this son of Kraven story is really interesting and funny at the same time. Kraven the Hunter eventually went crazy but his son seems to be more mad and dangerous - especially without Kraven’s sense of honor - than his father ever was. From the first page to the last you don’t know the whole story, but you’re ok with that. I’d remind you to return for issue 15 as it seems this particular story is coming to an end, but one look at the last page and I think you’ll be back. Think about it. … $2.99

SPIDER-MAN FAMILY 6

Don’t dig the Manga story but it’s worth it just to see Thor as a frog again. I thought the storyline, originally run in The Mighty Thor, was silly as all get out. But it’s pretty funny in retrospect and it’s in that spirit that this tale is toad (yes, that is a horrible pun and was almost painful to use, but it was also irresistible).Lots of good stories for a reasonable price. Think about it. … $4.99

SPIDER-MAN/RED SONJA 5

There’s so much not to like about this and yet I kind of dug the story. This is the last book in the tale and ties everything up nicely. Think about it. … $2.99

ULTIMATE IRON MAN II 1

Loved it, you should pick it up. If you want to know more about what I thought of it, read the review. Get it. … $2.99

WOLVERINE 60

I don’t really like the art and the story is taking too long but this book indicates that we’re getting close to the end of this long and overly-convoluted story. Which will be nice. If you’re a hard core Wolvie fan, pick it up, if not, it’s not easy to pass up but don’t let the gorgeous cover fool you, it’s not a great story. Skip it. … $2.99

Starting a new regular feature here on Toon Talk. Thought I’d do a weekly quick view review of the latest titles. These are the books that just came out on Wednesday. In case you’re heading to the comic shop this weekend, this may give you an idea where to spread your bread.

ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST 2

Looks like this is going to be a fun comic book with whimsy and epic drama going hand in hand. If you didn’t think the idea of a rocket raccoon character was a great idea, you’re absolutely wrong. Think about it. … $2.99

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE ANNUAL 1 (SI:I)

Pretty standard origins issue with an interesting twist. But I don’t think it’ll really convince anyone that this is a must read comic. Think about it. … $3.99

HOUSE OF M: AVENGERS 2

If you thought that the House of M universe was more fun than the actual Marvel Universe, and at the time who would have blamed you, this is a fun comic to check out. Don’t think it’ll blow anyone’s skirt up, But it’s still pretty intriguing. Still, I’m getting tired of watching Tigra so horribly misused throughout the Marvel U. Didn’t need it to happen in an parallel U too. Think about it. … $2.99

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN 34

Really dig the Marvel Adventure line and this one proves a fun Spider-Man story. Peter Parker plays baseball in this issue and makes Flash Thompson jealous. Get it. … $2.99

MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE 6

This title is a revival of another Marvel Two-in-One title, it sticks to the format of rerunning two stories within one cover. This one collects Marvel Adventures Avengers #6 and X-Men First Class #6. I like the traditional U-Foes origin as opposed to the Adventures line telling but it’s still pretty fun to watch as is the run-in between the X-Men and a group of Skrull. Think about it. … $4.99

MS. MARVEL 22

Still digging on this title and this issue doesn’t disappoint. Enough fighting and sci-fi adventure for most comic fans. The story is a bit mired in a convoluted storyline but if you’re a fan of the character you’ll dig it. If not, it’s a terrible starting point. Get it. … $2.99

NORTHLANDERS 1

Takes a lot of guts to start a series with a hero you really have to work to like. But the writing is sharp (it’s Brian Wood, could you expect less) and it holds lots of promise. Definitely feels like the beginning pages of a great adventure. Get it. … $2.99

OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN 3

This is the kind of storyline that you’d usually have to go to indy comics to read but it’s lots of fun. Still pretty early in the storyline so it’s a good time to jump on and there’s only two back issues to track down if you want to get caught up. Think about it. … $2.99

SILVER SURFER: IN THY NAME 2

This title seems to be taking a great tac and is well worth a look. While many in Marvel have taken to looking at Surfer as a Zen master with the power cosmic, the character was deeply rooted in an immense feeling of solitude and even depression. This character is an idealist with a strong sense of right and wrong who travels the cosmos and constantly sees civilizations topple into barbarism while claiming themselves civilized. Much like Mr. Spock provided an outsider’s view of the human race, the intergalactic kahuna has provided a critique of humanity through his view on alien races. This title could show him in his original glory by reducing him to his core instead of the Budda many writers have penned him as recently. And the best part, this is being achieved while showing an alien race worshipping him as the second coming. Get it. … $2.99

THE ORDER 5

The fifth issue of this series doesn’t pull any punches while showcasing the pettyness of celebrity and the personal cost of such. And it manages to do this while logging a stunning entry into their storyline that is likely to up the stakes for this comic. Think about it. … $2.99

ULTIMATE X-MEN 88

Worth a read of you’re a fan of the title, and the numbers say you likely are, but not much action. This is a good title for cleaning up the storyline and getting ready for one that looks like it’ll be a lot of fun, but if you haven’t been following the story the biggest draw is a shot of the white queen in the skimpy duds she used to wear in the 1980s. Not a look worth the cover price. Think about it. … $2.99

WHAT IF? X-MEN - RISE AND FALL OF THE SHI’AR EMPIRE

Didn’t particularly dig the original story, dig the what if not at all. Skip it. … $2.99

WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH ONE-SHOT

Really dug it. This comic sets a lot of other comics in motion while tying up loose ends left in the wake of World War Hulk. Definitely a good comic. Don’t believe me, read the review. Get it. … $2.99

WYRMS 6

Interesting story but not really worth the cost unless you‘re heavily into sci-fi. Even then I don‘t really recommend it as there are several other titles that I think do a better job and are far less derivative. Skip it. … $2.99

X-MEN: DIE BY THE SWORD 4

Quite possibly one of the most convoluted premises - this storyline in particular - in comic book history. But still a load of fun. Think about it. … $2.99

I have to admit that I liked World War Hulk but mostly for the peripheral stories.

The main storyline with a ticked-off Hulk running around kicking everyone’s butt was pretty annoying actually. Truthfully, I found the Mini-Marvel where the rest of the heroes point out that there’s no reason for them to get involved if the folks that Hulk wanted revenge on would have just given themselves up.

And so I wind up wondering why the heroes wouldn’t have given themselves up. Other than it would have med the story much much shorter that way I mean.

But the storyline was actually pretty fun in that it made folks like a lot of characters that had kind of disappeared. The “Heroes for Hire” book was on the way out anyway, but instead of vanishing into the sunset the book went out in a blaze of glory. It also allowed for the creation of a new Goliath and three new titles.

The “World War Hulks: Aftersmash One-Shot” does a great job of giving Amadeus Cho and Hulk a great lead in to when the pair take over the Incredible title.

Starting in January you’ll be able to pick up “The Incredible Hercules” which will star the pair. Herc has really been given a boost by this storyline. Considered the third strongest character under only an enraged Hulk and Thor, this powerhouse has been given short shrift for years. But a boozing brawler with centuries of warfare behind him could really prove a great source for storytelling.

“Warbound” is another comic that will follow in the wake of the Hulk’s fall. The comic will follow the struggle to survive by the Hulk’s lieutenents. Not sure if this comic will be as fun as it seems it could be but certainly willing to take a look at it.

And it looks like Marvel will be giving the title “Damage Control” another run. The group was constantly underfoot during the whole Hulk Crisis, and it looks like Goliath is likely to be stepping into the team. The art is beautiful in the black and white preview that comes on the tail end of “Aftersmash” but it’s unaccredited within these pages. Still, if I had to make a guess based solely on the line work, I’d guess that they managed to get Adam Hughes for the title. I could be wrong, but that’s he guess I’ll make on the record.

These are three titles that look like they’ll be a heap of fun to follow. So keep your eyes peeled for them on comic book shelves everywhere.

With the fall of Hulk at the end of the company-wide World War Hulk storyline, it seemed that the world was now safe from the rampages of the immeasurably strong goliath.

Looks like we may have spoken too soon.

Come January 2 we’ll all be treated to a new Hulk in the new Hulk no. 1. This Hulk is to be ruby-skinned rather than the emerald skinned version that we all grew used too.

Truthfully, the big guy was never supposed to have green skin anyway as an ink error is what caused him to shift from gray to green in the first place. But there was something about the color that folks dug and so it stuck.

Now we’ll see the emergence of a new Hulk and hot on his trail will be She-Hulk, Doc Samson and Iron Man. There will be a murder of a longtime Hulk villain to boot.

The writing skills of Jeph Loeb will be joined by the pencils of Ed McGuinness so Marvel is sparing no expense in putting this book out. Loeb and McGuinness are well loved by fans and industry insiders alike.

On top of this, they’re putting out a variant cover done by their new exclusive artist Daniel Acuna.

Looks like it’ll be a fun ride.