Return of the Middleman

If you're like me and miss The Middleman, you're probably wondering what the deal with it is. Has it been cancelled or not?

Well, according to creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach, "Whatever future The Middleman has will depend entirely on sales of the DVD boxed set ... If the DVD sells well, maybe there will be an opening to bring the characters back in some form or another ... history has shown that this is a possibility."

In the meantime, Grillo-Marxuach is revisiting the characters one more time, but in comic book form. Which is cool since it started out as a comic in the first place. But what's extra cool for those of us who aren't familiar with the original comic (and, really, shame on us for that) is that the new graphic novel The Middleman: The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse will feature the TV versions of the characters. So instead of these unfamiliar faces...



...we'll get this one.



I miss you Wendy Watson!

Action Girl News: The Middleblog and Inside Man 2

Middleblog



Still no word (as far as I can tell) on whether there will be more Middleman, but I reckon that when there is, we'll hear about it first on the Middleblog. And until then, we can entertain ourselves by reading creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach's episode-by-episode annotations of the show's many pop-culture references.

Inside Man 2



Apologies for the lousy screen capture. I'm still trying to figure out how to do that.

Anyway, Spike Lee wants to make an Inside Man 2. It sounds like he's particularly interested in bringing back Denzel Washington and Clive Owen's characters in order to "develop their relationship further, but in a different standoff-like situation." The reason I'm mentioning it here though is to wonder whether Jodie Foster might also be involved. She was awesome in the first one, but ultimately she wasn't all that important or successful a character. I'd love to see her as more of a threat in the sequel.

The movie's being written by Terry George, which is exciting because he also wrote the excellent screenplays for In the Name of the Father and Hotel Rwanda.

Action Girl News: Scarlett Johansson Amazon movie, Middleman RIP?, Burn Notice novel, the insanity of ELA, and more.

Lorna the Jungle Girl vs. a giant cobra



Pappy's Golden Age Comics has the whole racist, only-slightly-less-sexist story.

Amazon

The guys who are writing the new Conan movie are also working on an action-adventure movie called Amazon that will apparently star Scarlett Johansson.

Can I just say that I'm about twelve times more excited about seeing Scarlett Johansson play an Amazon than I am to see someone besides Arnold Schwarzenegger play Conan?

Middleman RIP?

It could be too early to pronounce it dead, but I guess Middleman isn't doing very well and we should be prepared for the possibility that it won't be renewed. Which is really too bad because I started off being fond of the show and ended up falling in love with it. My fingers are crossed that - if it's not picked up again by ABC Family (which was always a weird fit anyway) - it'll find a home somewhere else with the exact same cast. Of course, I hoped that about Firefly too, but I'd rather be optimistic.

Honey West on DVD

Christopher Mills is always adding to my list of stuff to see and read. This time it's something new for the Netflix queue: a '60s private eye series about a martial arts-using action girl. Here's the show's intro:



Chuck's back



Speaking of martial arts-using action girls, Chuck should be back soon and you know what that means...



Hello, Sarah!

Burn Notice novel



Author Tod Goldberg talks about writing the first Burn Notice novel. He focuses mostly on his attitude-change towards tie-in novels in general, but he also talks about his love for the show and how writing the novel increased that.

Bookgasm reviews the book and says, "The highest praise one could give it would be to say it’d make a terrific episode. And it would. The worst thing is that’s not already an episode, but hey, it’s the next best thing."

I respectfully think Rod achieves even higher praise though when he says, "You can hear the actor (Jeffrey Donovan) speaking every word in your head, and Goldberg doesn’t miss a beat. The turns of phrase, the sarcasm, the devil-may-care attitude — he has it all nailed. Someone needs to put him on the writing staff, unless it means he wouldn’t have the time to crank out a couple more of these."

ELA

I have to end with this because I sure can't top it.

Awesome List: Oddly Normal, Wolves of August, Phil Jimenez, pacifist Hulk, Marvel Slurpees, and the Baby Orchestra

Oddly Normal

Caught up on some TiVo last night and got to see the episode of Middleman where Otis Frampton's Oddly Normal makes a guest appearance.



This was especially cool for me because my friend Jess Hickman is illustrating the next volume in the series, Fignation Times.



It doesn't look like Volume 3 is available on Amazon yet, but if you're going to be at San Diego Comic-Con, Otis will have a Limited Edition debut available for sale there. Make me jealous and check it out if you're there.



The Wolves of Odin



And speaking of friends with projects, Grant Gould's Wolves of Odin Vikings vs. Werewolves comic has a publisher and will debut in November. Grant will also be in San Diego and he'll have a Limited Edition Preview Book for Wolves with him. You will be hearing much, much more about this from me.

If you're not going to San Diego and still want a taste of the book though, Grant's running a Meet the Cast feature on the publisher's blog. So far he's introduced these two.

Phil Jimenez is way cool

I loved Phil Jimenez's work on Wonder Woman and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Wonder Woman Encylopedia he's editing.

I just discovered this Pop Syndicate interview where he talks about that project and what he's learned from it.

It’s been fascinating to see how historically the same sorts of stories have been told over and over again. I am not even sure creators between generations actually know this. They just think, “Oh my god I’ve got the perfect wonder woman story!” Like, “someone else is going to be wonder woman.” Only to find out and realize that in comic book history there have been 10 Wonder Women. Three of whom, mind you, are the golden age, earth 1 and post crisis versions. So there are three Dianas. But Wonder Woman has been replaced numerous times. Some cranky Amazon has said ‘I can do your job better than you can’ and has tried to orchestrate another contest. They get the outfit, they find out they are not suited for it, Diana gets the outfit back, - Artemis, Orana, another one from the 60s, Donna Troy, Circe. It’s interesting to me how the costume goes around. The point being that one of the things that has been fascinating me is sort of marking these story trends. And once the encyclopedia is done, I can honestly say that we never need to see another Amazon challenge Wonder Woman to the title, because it’s been done. Not because it’s not such a good story but because it’s been done over and over again.

He also talks about how he'd love a shot at drawing John Byrne's version of Alpha Flight. I'm so wishing I was in charge at Marvel right now.

The Hulk does not fight?

I've always thought this smiley, kiddie version of the Hulk was weird, but now I actually hate him. Again... so wishing I was in charge at Marvel right now.

Master of Slurp Fu



Totally by coincidence, I found two different galleries of two different sets of Awesome Slurpee Cups.

I just thought this was funny




There's more like it here.

Awesome List: Middleman, Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, Hulk cartoons, and more

Burn After Reading poster



From the Coen Bros. upcoming spy comedy. Gotta love that Saul Bass-inspired design.

Game of Thrones TV Show

I couldn't make it through the first book, but it looks like progress is being made on getting the story to me in a different form (because it's all about me). Novelist George R.R. Martin has the update.

Middleman



I've been watching ABC Family's new, comics-inspired series Middleman. It's too soon for a full review, so I'm just saying here that it's pretty awesome. The characters are charming and funny, the dialogue is clever, and the plots are insane. The pilot episode featured Chloe from 24 as a scientist whose supercomputer took over a gorilla's brain and turned him into a Tommy gun slinging mobster.

The only complaint I have is the Power Rangers-quality effects. I'm gonna stick with it a while and see if I can get past that though because otherwise I love it.

Oddly Normal

My friend and sometimes collaborator Jess Hickman was recently interviewed about her work on volume 3 of Otis Frampton's Oddly Normal series of fantasy graphic novels.

Essential Giant Monsters



I see enough Top Ten Giant Monsters lists that I don't usually link to them (or many other Top Ten lists at all, for that matter). Robert Hood's list is different. Rather than just assigning personal rankings to the multitude of giant monsters in the world, he's created a comprehensive list of what he believes are the essential movies in the giant monster genre. It's quite a check-list and would provide a good year's worth of viewing material for anyone hoping to see them all.

Here's a Top Eight list I can get behind though

Topless Robot's Top 8 Coolest Sesame Street Toys Ever. Admittedly, it's a nostalgia thing. I had and wore out nos. 1, 4, 6, and 8 as a kid.

The Lies of Locke Lamora



This is the second recommendation from the friend who also told me about Peter David's Tigerheart (which I picked up from David at Wizard World Chicago, by the way). My friend describes The Lies of Locke Lamora as a cross between Ocean's 11 and Robin Hood with some fantasy elements thrown in. Sounds good to me. (Although I much prefer the cover I posted to the garish one on the US mass market paperback.)

Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas

ABC is developing a show about a girl who finds an atlas of a secret world underneath our own. Whether or not the Harry Potter and Pan's Labyrinth comparisons are justified, it sounds tailor-made for me. And it stars the little girl from Silent Hill.

New Hulk cartoons



It was inevitable. And bring 'em on, I say. Even the Gamma Corps one where he's leading She-Hulk and Doc Samson into battle.

John Carter movie "update"

Not really an update; just a reminder that the format of the developing John Carter of Mars movie could be anything. Live action, 2D cartoon, computer animation... nothing's been ruled out. According to writer/presumed director Andrew Stanton, that will all be determined by the eventual script.