Posts Tagged ‘ Walking Dead ’

Put aside four or five minutes, watch this, then count the days till the October premiere.

via

I had no idea that Lennie James was in the pilot – that guy just brings class to everything.

AMC also have a bunch of character images online (and there’s a gallery below).

Aside from an oddly-airbrushed Sarah Wayne Callies, they look good!

…seems to be coming along nicely. AICN has had a series of articles up, all loaded with some good information and pics, which I’ve attached below (click each pic below), but I don’t think I’ve communicated just how excited I am for this TV show.

Granted, it’s only got one season for now, and that season is only six episodes long, but the prospect of seeing one of my favorite comics translated to the small screen in a way which should (hopefully) do it justice is great, especially when you have Frank Darabont leading the way.

My only concern is that it might be dismissed as ‘that zombie show’ – and now I think of it, I’m not even sure that the word ‘zombie’ even appears in the comic – but as long as it’s well-marketed, that should be avoided. And as for who the walking dead really are, I can only hope that recognition plays into the series earlier than the comic.

Darabont says in one of the AICN articles that he currently plans for Rick and co to reach the prison at the end of the second season (assuming it’s renewed) – something that happens in the comic at the end of the second trade paperback collection. That’s promising to me for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on; while I don’t want the show to be a slavish adaptation of the comic – I mean, Lori’s character would get pretty damn grating very quickly – I do like the idea of sticking to the overall arc of the comic in broad strokes.

That said, I do wonder if certain elements might not suit a live-action show; Michonne’s character for example, with her ridiculous sword skills, or the General and his men. Even so I have faith that, if the show gets that far, these are hurdles Darabont is up to.

Yep, I’m looking forward to The Walking Dead. Are you?

I don’t really talk about The Walking Dead that much, or how much I love it, or how much I’m anticipating Frank Darabont’s take on the show for TV. I follow the book in trades, meaning I’m always at least six issues behind what’s on the shelves, and as a result I’m always slightly worried that someone’s going to swing by and post something like:

I don’t know, I was a fan right up to the point where the zombies started using machinery and ran Rick over with a combine.

- and then I’ll be spoiled for life, not to mention irritated beyond belief.

However it’s worth noting that this is probably the only book I buy the trade of the day it comes out, and have done since the first volume. It’s just that good.

One of the reasons why I’m looking forward to the greenlit AMC TV show is that I’m a big fan of Frank Darabont when it comes to character work amidst horrible circumstances – I mean, The Shawshank Redemption should be on everyone’s top ten movies list, and I think The Green Mile is generally underrated due to being a tad overlong. My main reason to be confident in his abilities, however, stem from The Mist, but that’s probably the subject of a whole other post.

My only reservation with The Walking Dead TV show is the casting. Rumor has it that Jonny Lee Miller is front runner for Rick, while ‘that guy from The Class‘ Jon Bernathl has been cast as Rick’s partner Shane. While I have no opinion of Bernathl (other than him being that guy from The Class, which isn’t really a good thing), I really can’t see Miller as Rick. It’s not that I don’t like him but I think of him in lighter roles, such as Eli Stone, rather than this. He always seems a little…I don’t want to say podgy, but soft maybe. Trainspotting was a long time ago, and Miller’s along way from Sickboy these days.

I can’t help but feel that this is a missed opportunity. You know who would have made a perfect Rick?

Similarly, I can’t think of a better Shane than…well, a guy best known for playing another Shane.

I mean, sure – Holloway may be reluctant to commit to another potential multi-year show, and Goggins has probably had enough of being called Shane, but they’d be perfect for the roles; of course, I suspect that they’d also be more expensive than Miller and that guy from The Class. so that’s certainly a factor.

Who do you think would make a good Rick or Shane? Or Lori for that matter?

Variety and THR are reporting that Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is heading to AMC under Frank Darabont, apparently as an ongoing series.

I don’t know about you, but coming from the network that has Mad Men (and I’ve heard good things about Breaking Bad), I think this is great news.

On a side note, if you only know Darabont from the excellent The Shawshank Redemption and pretty good The Green Mile, you really should check out The Mist. It was one of my favorite movies of 2007 (and I reviewed it here), and the ending especially packed a gut punch or three – I know that a lot of people complained that it deviated from the book, but honestly, I like the movie’s ending more.

Anyway – good news for Kirkman!

I know that I put up the pull list weekly, but I thought I’d just mention things that I follow/followed in trades as well…

Preacher – Yes, I know it’s done, and I finished it up pretty much at the time the last trade first hit, but it was a great series. Sure, there are moments where it’s bugfuck-crazy over the top (see: Arseface, Herr Starr’s continual degradation), but there’s a lot of good story there.

And personally I’m rooting for a Spike/Cassidy throwdown.

Punisher MAX – The Punisher doesn’t always work for me in the mainstream MU, but Ennis’ take on him off in his own separate continuity blows me away. From the Born mini that told of Frank’s time in Vietnam through the final story, Valley Forge, Valley Forge which revisited it, it’s about five years of the best hard-bitten crime and punishment stories you can hope for. It’s also the only real time I’ve seen Frank get any character development.

In fact it’s so good, I don’t think I’ll read it now Ennis is gone – I don’t think there’s anything left to do with the character.

Fables – I resisted Fables for the longest time for no good reason – and damn, I’m sorry I did. A great (and simple) premise with exiled fairytale characters living in New York becomes so much more as the reasons for their exile become clear, and war looms. On the down side, I missed out on years of this. On the plus side, I don’t have to wait between trades!

There are a few slow trades in the group, but none that make me regret buying them.

Starman – I missed the first few years of Starman back when it first came out, and then somehow, I missed the last six months. Sure, it’d be cheaper to go back and find the single issues, but I love these hardcover collections. There’ll be six in all, and they’ll look good on the shelf.

And the sheer depth of storytelling here will have me revisiting them time and again. Great stuff.

The Walking Dead – I love zombie movies. Love them. And this book just keeps on getting better and better. There really aren’t any more words to express how good this book is. Yes, it’s gory, bloody and full of strong language…

…but it’s fantastic.

Invincible – And at the other end of Kirkman’s spectrum is Invincible. Straight forward superheroics, the book is probably the heir to early Spider-Man in terms of balancing super-heroics and soap opera antics.

I’m a few books behind, but there’s plenty to catch up on.

I pick up other stuff too – I especially love the small format Boom! trades (check out 10, Talent, Hero Squared and Tag) and the Marvel Digest sized trades – but they’re the main ones I get the trades for regularly (or semi-regularly). I’ve also fairly recently got the first trades for Swamp Thing, Ex Machina (good) and House of Mystery (also good), so I expect I’ll be following along with them soon enough…

I’ve always wanted to get into Hellblazer, but I have no idea where to start. Any suggestions?

I don’t know about you, but when I see a cover like that, and a solicit that simply reads “The unthinkable”, I know what I think.

Zombie Carl, that’s what I think.

Just when you thought Rick’s life couldn’t possibly get any crappier…

It’s going to be a long wait till the trade on this one.

Happy New Year, everybody!

I hope everyone – like me – had a great Christmas and New Year and are now over the inevitable illnesses and hangovers.

Just a few random thoughts:

Namor looks to be getting his own series – something I’ve been advocating for a while now.

Black Panther hasn’t been as bad as I feared over the last few issues – I too was a little put out by the way Goliath was buried and I’m glad it’s a point that showed up here although I’m a little mystified by the grave still being open. That whole Panther-having-Black Knight’s Ebony Sword-thing is beyond annoying, though.

Teen Titans tied nicely into 52 with the story of how Kid Devil got his new powers. I also enjoyed the nods back to Underworld Unleashed – wow, was that really 10 years ago? Also nice to see former Starman artist Peter Snejberg again.

I’m still buying Supergirl, though I really don’t know why.

The first trailer for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer has hit and I like it a lot. Nay-sayers be damned! Click here to watch!

Walking Dead Vol 5 shows that Robert Kirkman is one sick puppy. Maybe there aren’t many women reading it and that’s why I didn’t notice a huge outcry about what happens to one of the main characters here, but…well, let’s just say it’s really not for the faint of heart. And I’m not even talking about what happens to Rick…pretty gutsy move, Aquaman-ing the lead in a book like this. Roll on Vol 6.

Indiana Jones IV goes into production in June this year!

Pride of Baghdad is beautiful and touching but – and I know I’m sailing against the tide here – I’m not entirely sure that it deserves all the praise heaped on it. It’s a pretty simple tale and there’s such a thing as too much message. I’m a pretty sharp guy and I don’t need to be hit over the head with a brick to get what the writer is getting at.

Same goes for Happy Feet – perhaps the scariest film I’ve seen in a long, long time. Seriously.

I am beyond happy that Veronica Mars was Herc’s number one scripted drama in 2006 over on AICN. And let’s use this as an excuse to have a picture of our eponymous heroine cheerfully cribbed from EOnline:

I switched to trades for an X-book, picking up the most recent volume of New X-Men. It read well and cost me less than the regular titles would and the world did not end. This may not be the last book I do this for…

Ed Benes’ fantastic art will only cover up the cracks in Brad Meltzer’s JLA for so long.

I fear for Mary Jane…