It's New Comic Book Wednesday again, and AMCtv.com is pleased to provide you with the second free installment of our exclusive online motion comic, The Prisoner: Book One: As the Air, Invulnerable. Last week you met Rebecca Meadows, an investigative journalist who throws herself into the world of Summakor in search of her sister. This week, she awakens in a Hospital -- one that viewers of AMC's miniseries may find hauntingly familiar. Is Rebecca The Village's newest resident dissident? Find out now! There will be ten chapters in all -- and you won't find them in your local comic book shop -- so be sure to log on to AMCtv.com every week for the latest installment!

Click here to see Chapter Two of The Prisoner graphic novel.

Every comic book geek knows that Wednesday is the most important day of the week because that's when the new issues hit the stores. Well, this Wednesday, AMCtv.com is is in sync with that venerable day. We hereby announce the launch of The Prisoner online graphic novel, an exclusive story set in the world of the AMC miniseries (premiering Sun., Nov. 15 at 8PM | 7C). Chapter 1, "Book One: As the Air, Invulnerable," follows protagonist Rebecca as she searches San Fran for her missing sister. You can check out Chapter 2 immediately following the miniseries finale on Tue., Nov. 17. A new issue -- there will be ten in all -- comes out every week thereafter. And the best part? It's totally free. Gentlemen, start your mouth-breathing!

Click here to see Chapter 1 of The Prisoner graphic novel.

The recent news that Marvel will be spinning off one of Spider-Man 3's chief baddies, Venom, for his own movie stirs up troubling questions: Will Topher Grace reprise the role? Do fans really want to see Venom as an anti-hero? Most importantly, which character will be next? With Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and director Sam Raimi only signed on for one more installment, you can bet Marvel's looking for other ways to extend the franchise. So let's take a look at a few Spider-man characters who could carry their own movie.

Aunt May (Rosemary Harris)
Who: Peter Parker's beloved aunt and provider of home-spun wisdom and flapjacks
Supporting Cast: Peter, Uncle Ben (in flashbacks), obscure ear-wiggling comic book paramour Willie Lumpkin
How to spin her off: It's Murder, She Wrote meets the Marvel Universe when May turns amateur sleuth in order to learn Spider-Man's secret identity. Will she uncover Peter's secret and get her award-winning apple crumble ready in time for the neighborhood bake sale? And is that Stan Lee, reprising his role from Fantastic Four as May's mailman suitor Willie Lumpkin?

Continue reading "Venom Is Spider-Man's First Spin-Off. Who's Next?" »

Comic book movies aren't always about spandex and capes and superfluous cleavage. There's a whole subset of four color cinema that's legitimately scary (and I don't just mean Peter Parker's swing dancing in Spider-Man 3). You can look no further than the classic Tales from the Crypt comics to know that comics have deep roots in horror, and Hollywood is all too happy to accommodate with flicks like 30 Days of Night and Blade. I've rounded up the scariest of the lot for the perfect Halloween marathon -- and I've even included drinking games! Of course, we would never condone the imbibing of alcoholic beverages on Halloween, so use the Superman energy drink instead.

Blade II (2002)
This one is easily the best Blade flick, and quite possibly the scariest comic book movie ever made thanks to director Guillermo del Toro's terrifying vampire creations. These super-mutated Reapers are so freaky, they force Blade to team up with other vampires (and you know how he feels about them.) Far more crazed and animal-like than today's teenage vamps, these bloodsuckers wouldn't be caught dead sparkling in the sunlight and pining over their human girlfriends. Take note, Stephenie Meyer.
Drink: Every time Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) delivers a surly quip like, "Better get you some sunscreen, Buttercup."

From Hell (2001)
Though I'd rank From Hell somewhere below Sleepy Hollow (but above The Corpse Bride) on the Johnny Depp Halloween movie spectrum, the Hughes Brothers's underrated 2001 Jack the Ripper tale still works for some real scares. It only slightly resembles Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's massively dense comic, but the cast is stocked with some great British actors, the atmosphere is appropriately moody, and Depp as an opium addict makes for some great unintentional hilarity (all but essential during a horror marathon).
Drink: Any time Heather Graham loses her shaky "cockney" accent.

Continue reading "Ten Creepy Comic Book Movies to Make Your Halloween a Super Scream" »

They say a man's home is his castle. That's doubly true if the man lives underground surrounded by bats. The best lairs reflect a superhero's character and provide a place to keep cool gadgets and vehicles. And they don't have to be some elaborately created Hall of Justice -- some of my favorite hideouts can blend into any suburban neighborhood. Let's take a look at five of the best super-domiciles, and also five that are in serious need of renovation.

5. Skull Cave, The Phantom (1996)
While not the most discreet hideout (nothing says "secret headquarters" less than a structure that resembles your belt logo), I have to give the Skull Cave points for sheer ridiculousness. First of all, The Phantom sits on a throne. That's more than a little awesome. Billy Zane's flick did a pretty decent job of recreating the many features of the Skull Cave, like the Chronicle Chamber where Phantom keeps the journals of past Phantoms, and the Treasure Rooms which house some of the world's greatest artifacts.

4. Aunt May's House, Spider-Man (2002)
Where else can you get flapjacks and hide out from the Green Goblin? It's not the most elaborate lair, but who would suspect that the amazing Spider-Man lives with his elderly aunt in Queens? Peter Parker's dingy apartment with that creepy Mr. Ditkovich in Spider-Man 2 had nothing on May's cozy abode. And for somebody trying to get by on Peter's salary, it offers Spidey by far the most bang for his buck. Manhattan rents are enough to make any hero turn to a life of crime

Continue reading "Home Is Where the Hero Is - The Best and Worst Comic Book Movie Lairs" »

When Disney's $4 billion acquisition of Marvel was announced last month, fans were understandably anxious: Would Wolverine start palling around with Goofy? Would Punisher join the High School Musical kids for some high-spirited kick-lines? Most importantly, will Disney respect the legacy of Marvel's beloved heroes? Well, I'm here to tell you that most of the concerns are unfounded. Aside from Disney's promise to leave Marvel to its own creative devices, when you compare the Disney classics with Marvel's slate of cinematic heroes, the two are more alike than not. Let's take a look at a few things the House of Ideas shares with the House of Mouse.

Orphans
A preponderance of heroes in both Disney's and Marvel's slate share a disturbing trend in parentage -- or lack thereof. Is Bambi -- arguably Disney's most famous orphan -- really all that different from Spider-Man? Bambi's loss gives him the strength to fight off cocky deers and save his beloved Faline, while Peter Parker blames himself for the death of his Uncle Ben and resolves to use his powers for good. ("With great power, comes great responsibility.") Tony Stark, Wolverine, Aladdin, Mowgli -- all orphans, all heroes.

Continue reading "Don't Fret Disney's Marvel Merger - Mickey and Spidey Have Loads in Common" »

Fall is an interesting time for comic book movies. With the big budget superhero spectacles out of the way, Hollywood rolls the dice with non-traditional genre fare. Mysteries, animation, cautionary scifi... anything is possible. Sometimes, the gamble pays off, producing a gem like American Splendor. Other times, we get Samuel L. Jackson in a fur coat in The Spirit. Here's a preview of the comic book movies Hollywood rolls out this season.

Whiteout
The comic: Tough-as-nails federal marshal Carrie Stetko investigates the first murder case in Antarctica, all the while hiding from her troubled past. Two volumes of Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber's gritty crime series have been published, the second of which follows Carrie's pursuit of killer Russian mercenaries. Sharp, take-no-guff Carrie is just one of the many rich female characters Rucka (the current writer of the current Batwoman-centric Detective Comics) has granted the discerning comics reader.

The movie: Though the movie sticks fairly close to the first mini-series, the cold pun-heavy critical slams should give you a sense of its quality. Whiteout on the big screen is a B-movie potboiler with some decent special effects (and a gratuitous shower scene) that lacks both the gritty intensity and realistic feel of the series. Gabriel Macht replaces the more interesting female British special agent -- who in the comic forms a close and possibly romantic bond with Carrie. (Along with The Spirit, Macht is dangerously close to becoming comic book movie poison.)

Continue reading "Surrogates and Sherlock - Previewing Fall's Superhero-Free Comic Book Movies" »

Ah, the arrogant supervillain. Is anyone more in love with the sound of his own voice? Hurling witty bon mots and dastardly threats may not physically harm the hero, but the right line can mean the difference between becoming the next Joker... or the next joke. Here are ten that strike fear in the hearts of heroes.

10. "My name is Freeze. Learn it well, for it is the chilling sound of your doom." (Mr. Freeze, Batman & Robin, 1997)
"Chilling." Get it? Because he's Mr. Freeze! Honestly, any of the many ridiculous ice puns in Akiva Goldsman's "brilliant" screenplay for Batman & Robin could be on this list. But this one is so wonderfully awful it somehow becomes good before going back to awful. And the fact that it's delivered in a barely decipherable Austrian accent is just (forgive me) icing on the cake.

9. "We are the future, Charles. Not them. They no longer matter." (Magneto, X-Men, 2000)
The great Ian McKellen has a way with a words ("You shall not pass!"), making even the most pedestrian comic book movie dialogue sound like Shakespeare. (I'm looking at you, X-Men 3.) More than a cheap threat, the line sums up Magneto's belief in mutant superiority over mankind. When McKellan is on screen, everyone else is extinct.

• Greatest Films, Greatest QuotesA major compilation of memorable movie quotes (with audio clips) from major movies.
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• Great Last LinesThe last thing you hear can make or break a film. Don't believe us? Here's proof!
• Supervillain ThreatsHalf of a bad guy's appeal is the way he verbally taunts the good guy.
• '80s Movie Quotes QuizThe rad decade has plenty of catchphrases and quips. Bueller? Bueller?
• Hilarious Quotes in the Movies QuizSometimes the funniest lines are the inappropriate ones. But who said what?
• The Mafia Movie Quotes QuizSometimes words cut as well as guns in The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, and Carlito's Way.
• Your Favorite Movie QuoteWant to share your favorite movie quote of all time? Now's your chance!

Continue reading "The Ten Most Dastardly Supervillain Quotes " »

As we wrap up a seriously ho-hum summer movie season, I find it helpful to look back at the blockbuster summer of 1989. While Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon 2, and Ghostbusters II tore up the box office, one motion picture event towered above them all. Yes, it's been 20 years since Tim Burton's Batman swooped into theaters and changed comic book movies forever. It was the year's biggest hit, grossing over $250 million and inspiring a wave of unparalleled merchandising and hype. Let's stroll back to that fateful summer as I recount its top "Bat-mania" moments.

Prince Teaches Batman How to Dance
Though Tim Burton would later express his unhappiness with having to insert Prince's songs into the movie, The Artist's pop soundtrack was a bona fide hit. While the album is no Purple Rain, it did give us dancing Batmen, Jokers, and Vicki Vales in the 6-minute-and-45-second gem that is the "Batdance" video. Somehow this amalgam of movie audio and Prince beats made it to the top of the charts before eventually getting knocked down by Richard Marx. It was a different time, folks.

Continue reading "Celebrating 20 Years of Bat-Mania (Tim Burton Edition)" »

Comic creators are an odd lot. Take for instance the upcoming biopic about Superman co-creator Joe Shuster's secret life as a fetish artist: It seems the Man of Steel's pop dabbled in S&M superhero tales after his work with Big Blue. But Shuster's hardly alone in his eccentricities. Looking over past depictions of cartoonists on the big screen, one finds plenty of oddballs to keep him company. Here are the best movies about the geeky weirdos who devote their lives to the drawing board.

Monkeybone (2001)
Based on the graphic novel Dark Town, Monkeybone is populated with the sort of eye-popping visuals that made director Henry Selick's A Nightmare Before Christmas a modern classic. And it's no mere visual feast -- the creepy world of "Downtown" that Brendan Fraser's comatose cartoonist finds himself trapped in is meant to represent the artist's repressed id. (Meanwhile, the mischievous Monkeybone is a stand in for his, well, you fill in the blanks.) True, the movie falls apart once Monkeybone enters the real world, but Chris Kattan saves it as a remarkably nimble deceased gymnast.

Continue reading "Five Comic Book Artist Movies Even Freakier Than Superman's Shuster" »