Comic Book Movie Poll

Wizard Universe has got a fabulous comic book movie poll! Go log onto their site and vote for your favourite answers!

I'll be commenting on which my selections would be within the post.

COMIC BOOK MOVIE POLL
Best actor? Sexiest heroine? Worst movie? Tell us what you think about your favorite (or least favorite) comic book movies!

Posted October 8, 2007 11:45 AM

Here at Wizard, our favorite types of movies are, of course, those based on comic books. We can be the biggest critics, but now, we’d like to hear what you think! We’ve assembled a few questions about comic book movies that have come out already and would like to know your opinions! Check for the results in the next Wizard Movie Spectacular issue, on sale Dec. 5th in comic book shops!

Of the following, which male actor gave the best performance as a superhero in a movie based on a comic book?
Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine in “X-Men”
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in “Spider-Man”
Ron Perlman as Hellboy in “Hellboy”
Welsey Snipes as Blade in “Blade”
Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman in “Superman”
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman in “Batman Begins”

This is a tough one. A VERY tough one. I'd have to think long and hard before actually voting for this one. I love Maguire's turn in Spider-man, just like I loved Jackman's role as Wolverine. But because Christopher Reeve preceded them a good 20+ years ago, that would have to be my vote.


Which of the following female actors gave the best performance as a non-superheroine in a movie based on a comic book?
Natalie Portman as Evey in “V for Vendetta”
Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo in “300”
Hope Davis as Joyce Brabner in “American Splendor”
Rachel Weisz as Angela/Isabel Dodson in “Constantine”
Thora Birch as Enid in “Ghost World”

Not much choice, eh? I really like Thora Birch in Ghost World, but this one would easily be Natalie Portman. And no, I'm not biased or anything. :p


Who is the hottest movie superheroine?
Helen Slater as Supergirl in “Supergirl”
Halle Berry as Storm in the “X-Men” movies
Famke Janssen as Jean Grey in the “X-Men” movies
Pamela Anderson as Barb Wire in “Barb Wire”
Jessica Alba as the Invisible Woman in the “Fantastic Four” movies
Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl in “Batman and Robin”

Ugh. Who's the hottest movie superheroine or who's the hottest out of all these women who HAPPEN to play a movie superheroine? Ask me ten years ago, I would have easily answered Alicia Silverstone. I didn't like Alba's bimbo-esque Sue Storm though, so I'm giving this to Famke Janssen, just because I loved her interpretation of Jean Grey...though Jean could have been so much hotter.


Which of the following is the best movie based on a Dark Horse comic book?
“Sin City”
“300”
“Hellboy”
“The Mask”
“Mystery Men”

Close one between Sin City and 300. And I really loved Hellboy too. But I think I'll go Sin City.


Which of the following has done the best job directing a comic book movie?
Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man” movies)
Christopher Nolan (“Batman Begins”)
Zack Snyder (“300”)
Guillermo del Toro (“Hellboy”)
Bryan Singer (“X-Men” and “X2”)
Robert Rodriguez/Frank Miller (“Sin City”)

Bryan Singer for sure. Not only did her predate the rest of the directors for comic book movies, he almost singlehandedly revived the genre with the success of X-men, after Batman and Robin pretty much crippled the comic book movie market. Plus Sam Raimi gets knocked down a few rungs because of certain scenes in Spidey 3.


Which of the following was the coolest shout-out to die-hard fans in a comic book movie?
The Fastball Special in “X-Men: The Last Stand”
Sentinel head in “X-Men: The Last Stand”
Stan Lee not being able to get into Sue and Reed’s wedding in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”
Uncle Ben telling Peter, “With great power comes great responsibility” in “Spider-Man”
The appearance of a dormant Roger the Homunculus in the BPRD headquarters in “Hellboy”
The appearance of Willie Lumpkin the mailman in “Fantastic Four”

Stan Lee not getting into the FF wedding was hilarious. Uncle Ben's speech to Peter was poignant and fantastic...just a classic moment. I hated the Fastball special. But I think, to answer the question, the coolest shout-out for comic book fans had to tbe the Sentinel head.


Which of the following comic book movie moments gave you the biggest goose bumps?
Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent ripping his shirt open to reveal the big “S” on his chest in “Superman”
Christopher Reeve as Superman heralding his return by saying, “General, would you care to step outside?” in “Superman II”
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine baring his claws for the first time during the fight in the seedy Canadian bar in “X-Men”
Michael Keaton as Batman saying, “I’m Batman” in Tim Burton’s “Batman”
The first time Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze transforms into Ghost Rider in “Ghost Rider”

The comic book movie moment that gave me the biggest goosebumps isn't one of the choices...it was in X-Men 2 when Colossus "armoured up" for the first time. But that isn't one of the choices, so I'll go with Christopher Reeve ripping his shirt open. Such an iconic image.


Of the following, which was the best one-liner in a comic book movie?
“You’re a d--k.” –Wolverine to Cyclops in “X-Men”
“What do they call you? Wheels?” -Wolverine to Prof. X in “X-Men”
“I’m giving away money, and where is the Batman? He’s at home, washing his tights!” –Joker to henchman in “Batman”
“Do you know why the number 200 is so vitally descriptive to both you and me? It’s your weight and my I.Q.” –Lex Luthor to Otis in “Superman”
“That’s a cute outfit. Did your husband give it to you?” –Spider-Man to Bonesaw McGraw in “Spider-Man”

"Wheels!" Easily, out of the other choices. There are so many more classic one-liners though, and I've got so many other favourites than those listed here.


Which superhero looked best in their panel-to-screen translation?
Daredevil in “Daredevil”
Ghost Rider in “Ghost Rider”
Superman in “Superman”
Batman in “Batman Begins”
Spider-Man in “Spider-Man”

Spider-man. Superman did look kinda cheesy in his costume even though he made everyone believe a man can fly. And while Batman really looks awesome, it's gotta be Spidey, simply because of the acrobatics involved when swinging around in New York City and the breathtaking camera angles.


Which is your favorite comic book movie city?
New York in “Spider-Man”
Gotham City in “Batman”
Gotham City in “Batman Begins”
Metropolis in “Superman Returns”
Sin City in “Sin City”

Sin City comes close, but let's go with the ONLY city listed there based on a real city: New York.


Which is your favorite headquarters in a comic book movie?
Xavier’s Mansion (“X-Men”)
Matt Murdock’s apartment (“Daredevil”)
Fortress of Solitude (“Superman” and “Superman II”)
BPRD headquarters (“Hellboy”)
The Batcave (“Batman”)
The Baxter Building (“Fantastic Four”)

Xavier's Mansion. Because we got to see so many cool cameos within the mansion. Plus, Danger Room!


Which of the following is the coolest comic book movie vehicle?
The Fantasticar in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”
Ghost Rider’s motorcycle in “Ghost Rider”
The Tumbler in “Batman Begins”
The X-Jet in “X-Men” and “X2”
The Batmobile in “Batman”
Green Goblin’s rocket sled in “Spider-Man”

I thought the Tumbler would look ridiculous before actually seeing the movie, but it came off really well. So that's my coolest comic book movie vehicle...mainly because that really could be something that could be developed in real life. For a long time, I thought the original Batmobile from Burton's Batman was awesome though. I still do...Tumbler edges it out though.


Which of the following comic book movies had the best special effects?
“X-Men: The Last Stand”
“Spider-Man 3”
“Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”
“Ghost Rider”
“Hellboy”

I'd actually have gone with X-Men 2. But since those are the choices...I think I've got to go with Spider-man 3 because of Venom!


Which is the best series of comic book movie films?
“X-Men,” “X2” and “X-Men: The Last Stand”
“Superman,” Superman II,” “Superman III” and “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”
“Batman,” “Batman Returns,” “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin”
“Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2” and “Spider-Man 3”
“Fantastic Four” and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”
“Blade,” “Blade II” and “Blade: Trinity”

OoOo...tough one. The first two Superman movies are perhaps the most iconic comic book movies of all time. But III and IV were just poo. I liked Batman, but being lumped with Batman and Robin means it's out of contention. Only watched Blade and not the other. Fantastic Four was ok...nothing spectacular compared to the rest. Even though X-Men 2 is probably my favourite comic book movie of all time so far, I'd have to go with the Spider-man series.


Which of the following theatrical releases was the worst movie based on a comic book?
“Howard the Duck”
“The Punisher” (1989)
“Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”
“Batman and Robin”
“Steel”

What, you mean there's a choice? Batman and Robin wins hands down EVERY TIME.


What is your favorite straight-to-DVD animated movie from the past two years?
“Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms”
“Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron”
“Ultimate Avengers”
“Ultimate Avengers II”
“The Invincible Iron Man”
“Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme”
“Superman Doomsday”

Really hard to choose, since I've only watched Ultimate Avengers I and II. I'll go with Ultimate Avengers though.


Who’s your favorite X-Men movie villain?
Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto in all movies
Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut in “X-Men: The Last Stand”
Brian Cox as Stryker in “X2”
Aaron Stanford as Pyro in “X2” and “X-Men: The Last Stand”
Tyler Mane as Sabretooth in “X-Men”
Rebecca Romijn as Mystique in all movies

Geez, the deck is stacked in this choice. Obviously Magneto.


Who’s your favorite Batman movie villain?
Jack Nicholson as the Joker in “Batman”
Liam Neeson as Ra’s Al Ghul in “Batman Begins”
Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in “Batman Returns”
Jim Carrey as Riddler in “Batman Forever”
Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy in “Batman and Robin”

As much as I liked Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Ra's Al Ghul, portrayed by Liam Neeson, wins hands down.


Who’s your favorite Spider-Man movie villain?
Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin in “Spider-Man”
Topher Grace as Venom in “Spider-Man 3”
Thomas Haden Church as Sandman in “Spider-Man 3”
Alfred Molina as Doc Ock in “Spider-Man 2”
James Franco as the new Green Goblin in “Spider-Man 3”

VENOM! Actually, no, because he wasn't given that much screen time. Topher Grace was awesome as a big jerkoff though. I'd vote for Dock Ock for this one.


Which was Stan Lee’s best cameo?
As a security guard in “Hulk”
As a hot dog vendor in “X-Men”
As a man dodging debris in “Spider-Man”
As Willie Lumpkin in “Fantastic Four”
As himself in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”

Hot dog vendor! I suppose his most SIGNIFICANT role would be as Willie Lumpkin, but hot dog vendor was the first classic appearance.

Watchmen Poster

Only two more years (less than that actually) before I get to see Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' epic Watchmen on the big screen!

Check out this new piece of Watchmen art by Dave Gibbons!

WIZARD INSIDER: 'WATCHMEN' POSTER
Original comic artist Dave Gibbons draws this first teaser poster for '300' director Zack Snyder's R-rated adaptation

By Kiel Phegley

Posted September 26, 2007 10:35 AM

Who watches the watchmen?

Hopefully, it’ll be movie audiences across the world by 2009. “300” director Zack Snyder finally breaks through years of Hollywood red tape to helm an adaptation of the seminal 1986 12-issue maxiseries by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, which brought new levels of sophistication and praise to comics. And while many fans worry no film could contain the many subtle layers and subplots inherent in Watchmen, Snyder proved his devotion at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego by announcing a cast of acclaimed actors such as Billy Crudup and Jackie Earle Haley as well as unveiling an original teaser poster drawn by Gibbons in the style of his original Watchmen covers. “I had talked to Dave before because I sent him a copy of the script and he actually drew some panels for me as storyboards,” recalls Snyder. “If you’re a fan, it’s like a lost cover. That’s what it feels like, and that’s what we’re going for.”

Below, Gibbons and Snyder give a rundown of how the poster came about, why President Nixon’s in the mix and what Alan Moore thinks.

THE HOOKUP
How exactly did Snyder persuade Gibbons to step back into the world he created 20 years ago? By living up to his potential. “I read the script and I had notes that it was quite a good script, so we spoke about me doing some conceptual work for the movie,” the artist explains. “I’m quite impressed by what he did with ‘300,’ and I’m impressed by his enthusiasm and understanding of Watchmen.”

FLASHBACK
Watchmen fans asking where this scene of an attack on Edward Blake (aka the Comedian) takes place in the comic should know that it’s not in there at all. “It’s actually the scene that comes before the first scene you see in the comic,” explains Gibbons. “It’s Blake being beaten up and thrown out the window before the smiley badge lands in the gutter.”

TRICKY DICK
Shattering across the background of Gibbons’ piece is a photo of the Comedian with President Richard M. Nixon. Snyder retains Watchmen’s story elements where it’s set in 1985 and the disgraced president remains in office. “In the graphic novel, when [Rorschach] picks it up, it says, ‘Shaking hands with the vice president,’” explains Snyder. “I switched it to Nixon because it’s more iconographic.”

EVERYONE’S A COMEDIAN
While the poster doesn’t contain any cast photos, actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who plays John Winchester on “Supernatural”) will be stepping into the role of the doomed Comedian once the cameras roll this month, and Snyder promises a fully realized set for the action rather than the CGI backdrops he used in “300.” “We’ve built these huge sets, like [Edward “Comedian”] Blake’s apartment and Adrian [“Ozymandias” Veidt’s] office, all of Moloch [the Mystic’s] places and stuff like that,” says Snyder, who calls the Vancouver backlot “Watchmen Headquarters.”

MOORE SILENCE
Even with Gibbons’ surprise involvement, fans shouldn’t expect to hear word one from Watchmen scribe Alan Moore, who’s publicly cut all ties to Hollywood adaptations of his comics. “I specifically had a conversation with Alan about it, and although he doesn’t want anything to do with it, he has no problem with me being involved with it,” Gibbons reports. “It doesn’t affect our friendship in the least.”

UNDER WRAPS
However, despite his involvement, Gibbons promises he won’t be spilling secrets of the film as production rolls along. “It’s weird. I get some information from Zack and [some from] off the Internet, like everybody else. So I forget what he said to me and what I read,” he laughs.

Zack Snyder prepares for "Watchmen"

Who watches the Watchmen?

Well, once the movie is released in 2008, every comic book fan on this planet who can afford to.

And probably lots of literary scribes who might want to compare the movie to the graphic novel.

And if Watchmen is going to be the blockbuster everything thinks it's going to be, a LOT of people are going to watch the Watchmen.

I personally can't wait to see Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' creations take to the big screen.

From Wizard Universe:


ZACK SNYDER PREPARES FOR “WATCHMEN”
Weeks away from filming, the “300” director opens up on Dave Gibbons’ teaser poster, his private stash of storyboards and what Rorschach looks like

By Kiel Phegley

Posted August 21, 2007 9:00 AM

Prepare yourself. It is happening.

With a cast announced and a website live, the long-awaited big-screen adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen will be heading to multiplexess nationwide in March of 2009. And while that’s still quite a ways off, the production is about to go full speed ahead with director Zack Snyder (“300”) at the helm. Weeks before filming begins, Snyder took a moment to share his thoughts on the fan reaction to Dave Gibbons’ exclusive movie poster, his plans to keep the movie authentic and why he won’t even guess what Alan Moore thinks of all this.

WIZARD: How are things going? Are you guys in the last mad dash before production?

SNYDER: Yeah. The whole thing is a mad dash, and so it doesn't feel any different. But it's fun. I'm going out right now to scout locations and look at some other s---. Good times. It's crazy.

We got a hold of this poster in San Diego, and everyone's flipping out about it. When did you start chasing down Dave Gibbons about doing something for the movie?

SNYDER: I had talked to Dave before, because I sent him a copy of the script and he actually drew some panels for me of a part in the script that I wanted him to draw out for me. He drew it up in panel form the same as a graphic novel, which was pretty cool. No one has ever seen [those drawings], but they will one day. Then while I was talking to him I said, “Hey, man, I'd love for you to do some concept art.”

Well, actually, it started with my other buddy doing a painting—I have it—of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped a bomb on the Japanese. So I had him redraw that painting, that poster with Sally Jupiter [aka the first Silk Spectre, to be played by Carla Gugino (“Sin City”)]. It says “Ms. Jupiter” on it instead of “Enola Gay.” It's a painting of the B-29 flying towards you where you can see the nose art, and then behind it is the atomic bomb going off. So we started talking about that first, and I was just talking to him about it conceptually. I said, “I'd love to see that.” He goes, “Oh, that's cool. Maybe I'll draw that.” Then as we started talking more he said, “Maybe we should get a real painting or a drawing from the graphic novel, or one that feels like it is.” I said absolutely, and then we started kicking stuff around. Then we got the call from publicity who said, “Hey, we should do something for Comic-Con.” We said, “Wow. We've already sort of been talking about something.” We hadn't put any pen to paper or anything at that point, and so then I got on the phone with him and said, “What about the stuff we talked about?” He sent me a sketch, and I saw it and I said, “Wow. Awesome.” Then [John Higgins] colored it, and the rest of it is history. I think that the only tweak that I had is that I wanted “God is real, and he’s American” in the little bit of text at the top of it.

Looking at the poster, I see a photo of Richard Nixon hanging in the background there, which is like a note to the fans saying that the movie is going to be set exactly as the book is.

SNYDER: Yes, correct. That's correct.

Was that you or Dave?

SNYDER: Well, that was me. The Nixon picture—in the graphic novel it says, “Shaking hands with the vice president,” right? I switched it to Nixon because it's more iconographic. It's easier to read. So then [Gibbons][ was like, “Okay, cool. Let’s get Nixon in there.”

The Comic-Con crowd went crazy for the poster. Have you gotten a response from anyone else as this has been spread around?

SNYDER: I have actually. I've gotten a couple of calls. There's this guy who wrote The Physics of Superheroes, James [Kakalios]. He came by and visited us, and I gave him a poster. He was like, “Oh, my God! This is cooler than science! This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!” And a few guys who have been working on the movie—because we've been so deep in it—I've said, “Hey, did you get a poster?” It's funny, the thing that's cool is the response: If you're a fan, it's like a lost cover. That's what it feels like, and that's what we were going for.

The poster is up on the movie’s website, but there's no message board or comment section where people can leave a response. I'm sure that there'll be more back and forth later on when you guys are more geared up, right?

SNYDER: Yeah. That's coming. That'll be coming too. We're going to start to develop the website. It's one of those things where when the website gets too tricked out too early and then people are like, “Oh, they haven't updated this website in like a year.” The movie doesn't even come out until '09 so it's quite a ways off.

Are you storyboarding with the original panels?

SNYDER: Yeah. I kind of storyboard. I draw. For instance, if I'm at a scene where Rorschach and Dan [“Nite Owl” Dreiberg] go to Happy Harry's to interrogate people, I have the script there while I'm going, and then I have the graphic novel which is the scene as well, and I kind of squish the two together. I change the script a little bit if I like a piece of dialogue that's in the graphic novel. Most of the dialogue is in the graphic novel, but every now and then I'll say, “Oh, we left this out. I wonder why?”—maybe it's time [issues] or whatever—and I'll kind of whack it back in. Then I'll look at the compositions that are in the graphic novel and the details that are in the frame, and then with the art department I'll say, “It'd be cool if we have this kind of whiskey or this light thickness to add in the background,” or whatever that little thing is. All those kind of crazy obsessive details, I try to whack those in as much as I can. Then I try within the scene, from time to time at least, to say, “This is a frame that's very similar to the kind of frame that Dave laid out” with Rorschach smashing the glass in the guys hand and the glass flying and the guy screaming, and so I'll grab that angle. Then I just put it in my book and cut out the frame. I glue it in my book next to the frame. That's kind of how I do it. Then I go, “Next shot.” We keep going, and if there's a frame that coincides I'll grab it, and if not I just try and get it close.

As you're going forward with the film are you doing more set dressing and more practical things? I mean, I'm just thinking in terms of the largely CG image of Rorschach with the “300” trailer.



SNYDER: Oh, yeah, we're building a huge backlot up here in Vancouver. It's a New York City backlot, and we're shooting tons of the movie on this. Then plus we're shooting—we've built these huge sets like [Edward “Comedian”] Blake's apartment and Adrian [“Ozymandias” Veidt's] office, all of Moloch [the Mystic's] places and stuff like that. His staircase is being built. All of that stuff is sets. Watchmen Headquarters.

Has any of the cast suited up yet?

SNYDER: No. I haven't seen anyone in their costumes full blown yet, but I have seen a lot of tests, and it's slowly getting closer and closer. Like I'll see Jackie [Earle Haley, who plays Rorschach] with just a white mask on and a hat and that’s it, and I'm like, “Ahhh, so close!” So it's slowly coming together. It's like they keep adding one more piece here and one more piece there. I've seen the prosthetics on Nixon, which are looking awesome. We were doing a full prosthetic on him so he looks like Nixon.

What's it like for you to be able to have Dave as a sounding board, asking what he thinks of the script and some of the visual choices your making?

SNYDER: I think that it's awesome to have that, because in some ways it does give me benchmark that I can understand whether or not I'm off the mark. I pretty much figure that he'd go, “No. I wouldn't say that. It's not right.” And you know what? He did give me some notes on the script, and they were all awesome, and I took them all. So it's good.

I know you're going to be answering this question for the next six months to two years. I know Dave told Alan Moore he was going to be involved with the movie. As you move forward are you hoping that Alan will one day see it?

SNYDER: Yeah. That's what I said at Comic-Con too. I think my big thing is that we totally respect his wishes to not be involved in the movie, and I totally get that. I'm just going to try and not make any assumptions about how he feels about the movie because I think that's a danger and exactly what he doesn't want. I hope, like I say, that he does get a chance to see it one day. My thing is, and I think that this is an important part of it, that I'm not trying to replace the book. My hope is that more people will read the book because the movie comes out. Maybe it's like a giant ad for the book.