THE MAN OF STEEL RETURNS AT THE END OF 2012 / 2013

New Info on the Superman movie reboot/sequel...
Hollywoodreporter.com and several other movie news sites have aired articles that dictate a new director has been nabbed to bring back the red-caped hero hopefully in December, about two years from now.

Zack Snyder has been highlighted as the visionary director of the Superman reboot by executive producers Christopher Nolan and David Goyer [who also wrote a script for the movie]. For those of you who don't know who Zack Snyder is, he's the guy who directed 300 and The Watchmen. Thus Zack is notoriously known for producing intense action scenes, slow-motion sequences and R-rated battles that leave you cringing and longing for more at the same time.

But Zack's style isn't all about blood and gore. He actually directed the new owl-filled 3D animated movie called with "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," which is currently in theaters. According to movie-gowers, that flick doesn't have a single human being in it... its just a cartoon filled with.... Owls.... lots of creepy big-eyed Owls.

It is common knowledge that Zack excels when he's asked to produce unbarred action movies.
And therefore, most fans are already wondering just how far he is going to be allowed to push the creative envelope on the remake featuring DC comics' famous mild-mannered boyscout, Clark Kent. I have a strong feeling that if Zack is allowed to have his way, Superman is going to be using four-letter curse words when he gets hit by a Kryptonite bomb launched from the invading battle cruiser of General Zod. Yes, Zod has been tagged as the villain for the forthcoming movie reboot, although the actor for the role is yet to be announced.


I do believe it is Brandon Routh [pictured on the left] that will play the role of the super-strong hero; the same guy who stared in the 2006 movie remake titled Superman Returns.



I'm not sure what sort of input the guys at DC Comics are going to have on this movie sequel, but maybe they'll be called upon to provide consultancies on what would be best for the franchise, so that they can intertwine it with some special-event comics. Or maybe the guys at DC Comics swill be boycotted completely, so that ZACK WILL HAVE TOTAL CREATIVE FREEDOM.

In fact, DC Comics has been passing through there own personal woes as of late. Those who are keeping up with the legal side of things are aware that the heirs of the Superman character and trademark have been battling arduously to regain ownership of all the original characters based in Metropolis that their father/grandfather created for DC Comics many years ago.

Super Origins and Entertainment Milestones.
Some people don't realize exactly how iconic Superman is, or how great of a cornerstone in the entertainment industry that the franchise is, within and outside the borders of the US. Superman was created back in 1932 by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster. They both sold the rights of the character to Detective Comics in 1938 [and that company later became known as DC Comics]. Then DC Comics slowly expanded the character's supporting cast, powers, and heritage throughout the years. And Superman became more than a household name, per his brave, bold and heroic persona.

An animation director named Max Fleischer later brought the first Superman Cartoon Series to a national TV audience back in 1941. And this was only the beginning of the plethora of animated and live-action productions that would be tied to the famous Man of Steel:




Most people born in the 90s are more familiar with the interpretations done by artist/producer/director Bruce Timm, who brought a very edgy style to the animated franchise:

 


Actor Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was known as one of the most memorable representations of Superman, as he stared in 4 super-movies that aired in theaters between 1978 and 1987. According to reputable sources, despite the fact that Christopher was 6 feet 4 inches tall, back in 1977 he was really skinny, and had to "buff-up" a bit for the role. And the truth was, he was never really a comic book fan... But that didn't stop fans from falling in love with him and his heroic character.

Christopher was just one of those guys that was born to play a particular role on the big screen. In my opinion, he is just as unforgettable as Neo [played by Keanu Reeves], and just as perfectly suited in terms of his mannerisms that fit the desired persona of the protagonist.
The image to the left showcases Clark Kent and Superman in the early super-movies; yet I never could understand how the workers, editors, publicists and reporters at the focal towering Daily Planet building [who published newspaper articles with pics of Superman in them all the time] were never able to see through those big nerdy glasses, in order to discern the true identity of the famous hero.

Somebody Saaaave Meeee...
Many animated and live-action TV series featuring the caped hero from planet Krypton have been released over the years, and one of the popular ones that reached syndication was called Smallville: featuring the early life of Clark Kent on a farm in Kentucky, and his eventual transition to the big city of Metropolis, where he becomes a clandestine caped-crusader. It was developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Miller. Staring Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Smallville is officially the longest running comic book based series in television history [it started back in 2001 and its 10th and final season began in March 2010].

Smallville was definitely a show for teenage chicks who drooled over Tom's good looks and cool down-to-earth persona. And Tom was wowing the ladies long before the Twilight saga hit theaters.

The peculiar thing about this series is that beyond wearing the traditional blue and red attire in selected in the forms of a t-shirt and a jacket, Clark never wears the iconic re and blue spandex outfit that the Superman comic character made famous. Yet he does start wearing a dark t-shirt with the superman "S" logo on it and a long dark trench-coat in later seasons, in order to present a more tough-guy image.

Several famous comic characters make guest appearances in this series [like The Flash, Black Canary and Green Arrow], and there's even a young affluent, ambitious and rather devious Lex Luthor in that TV series, expertly played in  all the seasons by Michael Rosenbaum. [On a side note, Michael is also the voice of The Flash in the popular Justice League cartoon series produced in conjunction by WB and DC Comics].

The Smallville series was very well done, having a masterful fusion of drama, romance and heroic action intertwined into it.



The clip above shows how the writers of the Smallville series were able to engrave even the Justice Society of America [legendary team from the superhero annals of DC comics] into the hit TV series in its 9th season, which originally aired last year I believe.


There is a McDonalds restaurant in every city on every continent. Yet Superman is more popular than Ronald McDonald around the world.... and Ronald is one hell of a famous guy. And if DC Comics looses the current stretched legal battle, then it just might be the end of their usage of Superman as a character in their DC Universe - Since the new trademark owners will be free to start their own comic company and create their own new adventures/bad guys for Superman to interact with. Hell, they could even change his costume if they want to.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out, while hoping for the best.

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**EDIT: AUGUST 2011**

UPDATES ON THE NEW SUPERMAN / MAN OF STEEL 2013 MOVIE

More details on the Superman Movie Remake have been released over the past view months. And the movie, slated to be released in 2013, has been scooping up a stellar cast. It is currently filming, and its being directed by Zack Snyder [the guy who directed 300, Watchmen, and the garbage sci fi flick Suckerpunch]. The Man Of Steel will be played by Henry Cavill, and earlier today a preview image was released on the web from Paramount Pictures.

I'll post more relevant details on this flick, as time goes on...

**EDIT: NEW DETAILS POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 2011**

Here are some new pictures from the production set of the forthcoming "New Superman 2012" / The Man Of Steel Movie [which is currently slated for release in 2013]. And they show a Superman costume that appears to be similar to the outfit designed by Jim Lee for the "New 52" DC Comics revamp.

 

 

Not sure how comfortable Henry Cavill is in that new tight Superman costume, which has peculiar fibers; its not smooth like the costume that Christopher Reeves utilized about a decade ago. And it looks like the cape is a removable accessory. According to notes from casting interviews released to the Web, there are two alien villains in the forthcoming Superman Reboot. 

The first bad guy is General Zod: He was once a Kryptonian Military General who led the army on Krypton who turned renegade, aiming to take over the planet and replace the Ruling Council with himself. Zod is going to be played by Michael Shannon.

And the second villain is a female named Faora: She is the man-hating right-hand-woman and second-in-command to General Zod who tried to help him overthrow the Ruling Council on Krypton. And she is played by Antje Traue.

Blog Home page: http://www.dsngsfm.blogspot.com

Blog article with info on the proposed Justice League Movie: http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com/2011/04/announcement-on-justice-league-movie.html

UNBELIEVABLE STAR WARS THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D NEWS

The George Lucas Legend slides into 3D...

According to a recent article published online via the Hollywoodreporter.com on September 28 2010, George Lucas has received a ton of inspiration from the success of 3D movies like Avatar and ... well mainly Avatar:
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-- Sources indicate that George Lucas is set on rereleasing the "Star Wars" franchise in new 3D conversions beginning in 2012. Although 3D versions have been rumored for some time, Lucas purportedly was waiting until there were enough screens available to make the release a sizable event. Fox, which released all six original "Star Wars" films, also would release the 3D versions.

  

  


[Above: Darth Maul vs Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, two of the film's main Jedi masters]

Star Wars Episode I, "The Phantom Menace," would be first movie cruising out of the star-dock during early 2012. After that, each film would be released in order at the same time in consecutive years, depending on how well the first rerelease does.

Each conversion takes at least a year to complete, with Lucas overseeing the process to make sure each is as perfect as possible. He has said that the "Avatar" experience convinced him that "Star Wars" is ready for the state-of-the-art 3D treatment.

Starting with "Phantom Menace," Lucasfilm would use several higher-end conversion houses to work on the project. By late winter or early spring in 2012, the exhibition industry should have all the 3D screens anyone could want for such a release.

At present, pics are limited to 2,000-2,500 3D locations owing to an insufficient installed base of projectors and screens. Movie theaters are adding 3D screens at a clip of 500 a month in the U.S. Foreign exhibitors also are pushing into 3D as quickly as possible now that financing for the installations is flowing.

Also pushing the timetable is a potential breakthrough in 3D TV technology. With Samsung penetrating the market with 50,000-plus 3D-equipped sets and Sony recently sending its version to market, the home-viewing experience could be primed for 3D DVD versions of the films by the time the new 3D theatrical releases have run their course.

Lucas purportedly is lining up the theatrical rereleases as a lead-in to the ultimate home-viewing experience. Beyond that, the property would launch to other 3D media.

In the meantime, Lucas plans a comprehensive Blu-ray Disc set of the six films next year, which would include upgraded picture and sound quality, new deleted scenes and special features.--
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Now stop the presses... I said stop the damn presses, people....

Q: IS GEORGE LUCAS REALLY GOING TO SUBJECT US TO AN OVERLOAD OF THE 6 "ALREADY SEEN MOVIES" BOTH AS COLLECTIBLES AND AS THEATRICAL RE-RELEASES??
A: Apparently he is. 

Frankly, I don't know why he's doing this. I do not know George Lucas personally, and therefore, I can't really discern the inspiration for his trend of thoughts, and his consequent actions. Some say he is too rigid and pedantic about handing over the Star Wars legend to other writers, who will carry it forward. And some critics believe that George doesn't really have a future vision for the series beyond the "Death of Darth Vader".

But the bottom line is this: as true fans of the Star Wars franchise [which is still ahead of Transformers and Harry Porter in terms of its cumulative profits] we would all like to see EPISODE 7 and not more colorful remakes of Episodes I to VI.

For those of you that aren't current with the direction the Star Wars series has been taking over the past 3 years, they've started a 3D animated series titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars which takes place between the movies tagged as Episode II [Attack of the Clones] and III [Revenge of the Sith]. According to the official series chronology, there is a 3-year gap between those movies, released in theaters around the world in the years 2002 and 2005 respectively.


Star Wars Cartoons that you may not have seen...

In fact, there was a 3D animated movie released in theaters back in 2003 titled Star Wars: Clone Wars, [the word "The" is the only discerning prefix here between two different movies, so stay with me] and that 3D movie didn't do too well, in comparison to its many live action predecessors.
Although fanboys praised that 3D animated feature, the parts of it I saw eventually [via Youtube] were really not that impressive, in terms of action sequences. In my opinion, there was a 2D cartoon version of Clone Wars released as 5-minute episodes [tagged as a microseries by its producers, and released as 25 brief episodes/chapters from 2003 to 2005]. It aired on the popular cable channel Cartoon Network several years ago. And those series of shorts were completely phenomenal, in terms of the action and dynamic setup.
Each of the chief jedi [military generals in the republic army, ahead of the millions of white-armored clones] received showcases in the brief episodes, letting fans see a glimpse into their personalities and abilities, tied to their distinct training regiments. Since every sith/jedi apprentice has a master, their dueling style is undoubtedly tied to their tutor. In the episodes, Yoda, Obi Wan, Mace Windu, Shaak Ti and Anakin all get to show off their fighting/leadership skills, and despite the fact that it was drafted traditionally, this cartoon series was one of the best I've seen. Scout through Youtube and you'll see more clips of that show.

The popular femme fatale named Asajj Ventress [a dark jedi aka a sith, who becomes Anakin's arch nemesis for many years] was also introduced in this stunning series.

BTW Anakin Skywalkerjedis to be trained by three different masters at disparate stages in his life: Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda and the SithSidious [the elusive villain often called the Emperor of the evil Galactic Empire] all imparted knowledge and skills to him. And Darth Vader later mentored a secret apprentice named Starkiller - in a novel/video game spin-off tied to "The Force Unleashed" series.

Apparently that brief 2D cartoon series was completely boycotted as an official historic record, once the "introductory" Star Wars: The Clone Wars 3D animated movie hit theaters back in August of 2008 [the movie I mentioned at the top paragraph, an shown on the left side].   
I've tagged it as "introductory", because it became the flagship of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars 3D cartoon series that started in October 2008 and have been airing in 13-episode seasons since then.

Its cool stuff... Yet to be honest with you, if you are familiar with the live action movies and George Lucas' legend, you know exactly what is going to happen in the Star Wars 3D cartoons; you know who is destined to die, and who is destined to become a bad guy. Thus you really don't have to expect anything extraordinary, because the cartoon is set between movies that have already been launched in theaters about 5 years ago... the same movies that Lucasfilm Inc. want to convert into 3D live action feature films in 2012.

I could dive into an angry verbal conundrum right here, but I digress. If you love Star Wars, just keep loving it. And if you don't like what they release, then just don't support it... You can support DSNG instead, knowing that the DSNG sci fi saga is going to be completely unpredictable, and the fusion of action & romance will keep you coming back for more :)

Cool Links:

Artwork of Sexy Jedi Babes, Aayala and Asoca: http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com/2011/02/jedi-babes-part-2.html

DSNG Chronicles Book 1 [Part 1 of 6 ebooks available at Amazon]: HERE  

 

Link to the New DSNG sci fi series article [posted on Saturday]: HERE

SCANNING THE TRON LEGEND - PART 2

TRON Movie Preview continued

Here are recently released movie screenshots, along with a brief cast listing. On the left side is the movie character's name, and on the right side is the name of the actor/actress.

Kevin Flynn, played by - Jeff Bridges
Sam Flynn - Garrett Hedlund
Alan Bradley - Bruce Boxleitner 
Quorra - Olivia Wilde
Jem - Beau Garrett
Castor - Michael Sheen 

[You may need to Click on the "Read More" link to view the rest of this blog article!]

SCANNING THE TRON LEGEND - PART 1

TRON Legacy Movie Preview [plus a review of the original TRON]

I remember seeing clips of this sci fi movie earlier in the year and thinking... WTF?
Honestly that's exactly what crossed my mind. While seated in the movie theater anticipating an action flick, a very brief clip of the forthcoming TRON Legacy movie was presented. It looked more like a video game on the big screen to me, more than anything else. Somehow the comprehensive vision I got was that the movie was all just a big race at night, conducted by a spunky hero fighting droid bad guys that could shatter like glass.

But I have to admit that the futuristic motorcycles in the trailer looked cool. The neon glows etched into the machines and the bodysuits worn by all the characters was also a cool touch. And since the scale of the digital world where 90-percent of the movie takes place was extremely epic, the trailer did trigger that inner geek within me, tapping into the same well of emotion that gives me a longing to behold larger than life sci fi worlds.

So what is TRON? 
Released in 1982, TRON is American action science fiction film that was produced by Walt Disney Studios. It was definitely a deviant vision, an anomaly in the world of giant talking mice, crystal heels and innocent fairy tales.
TRON was directed by Steven Lisberger and it was one of the first films from a major studio to use extensive computer graphics in order to contrive the interactive world of the characters and the characters themselves.

The focal character of the movie was named Kevin Flynn, who was a young gifted software engineer that worked for a software corporation called ENCOM. Kevin was a video game designer with dreams of starting his own firm.
Kevin got screwed by his rival, another programmer named Ed Dillinger, and Ed presents Kevin's work as his own. Ed gets promoted and Kevin keeps getting demoted, till he becomes the head of a local arcade center, tied to his company ENCOM.
All the main characters in this movie have their real-selfs, and their digital-personas.

Kevin later tries to hack into the mainframe of ENCOM, to find evidence that will prove Eds duplicity. His digital worm program, named Clu, is discovered and erased by the Master Control Program, the MCP.
The MCP is in league with Ed; and it tells Ed that it wants to dominate the Pentagon, in order to control the entire USA.

But some guy that works for ENCOM called Alan Bradley [who was locked out of the mainframe the same time that Kevin was locked out] comes to confront Ed, and tells him that he, Alan, was working on a security program named TRON, and he really needs access back into the system.

Ed claims he'll look into it, but the MCP tells Ed that he doesn't want to be monitored by a security program.

With the aid of his girlfriend Dr. Lora Baines [her digital-persona is called Yori], the new guy, Alan, goes to warn Kevin about the vile schemes of Ed.
Soon the three heroes, Kevin, Lora and Alan [aka TRON] break into a laser lab at ENCOM headquarters, and try to hack into the system, in order to shut down the MCP. And from that point, the adventure in the digital realm soon unfolds.
Lora has designed a system for literally digitzing humans, making them virtual-personas. She attempts to transfer Kevin into the mainframe of ENCOM, but the MCP somehow intervenes as the hacking procedure is flowing; and Kevin is zapped by a laser and transferred directly into the digital world,  where he is both a slave and a competitor. Now Kevin becomes Clu, his digital-persona.

Following a series of battles, Clu meets TRON and Yori and they start working together to shut down the MCP's main operating system.

Ed's evil digital personal is called Sark, and with the aid of the sovereign MCP, Sark and his forces strive to crush the three heroes in the digital world. Later TRON has a showdown against Sark, and he eventually prevails [even after the MCP turns the loosing Sark into an evil giant], with the aid of his two allies.

And at the end, Ed's initial scheme of intellectual property theft is revealed, the evil MCP is shut down, and Kevin is set to become the new CEO of ENCOM. I skipped a lot of details in this quick review, but I'm sure you get the picture.

[You may need to Click on the "Read More" link to view the rest of this blog article!]

MECHA DESIGN - PART 2

Here's the colored version of the Spider Mech Design:

The inked version is below in the previous post. Stay tuned for more cool designs and artwork.

EDIT:
More MECHA concept artwork is available here: http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com/2010/09/mecha-genre-preview-part-2.html

MECHA DESIGN - PART 1

Fusion Concepts.. and Robots that Defend the Universe
I recently showcased a MECHA review regarding the cool Tachikomas, from the Ghost In The Shell anime series. And the peculiar thing about mobile MECHs is that their mechanical designs can be based upon a variety of natural foundations, ranging from crawling and flying insects to quadrupeds and mystical creatures. Even prehistoric animals can be a blueprint source for designing advance MECHA.

[You may need to Click on the "Read More" link to view the rest of this blog article!]

DSNG ARTWORK SEXY ANIME PROMO VIDEO

Did this video last week... its the second of two AMVs [fan videos] showcasing some of my classic digital artwork, showcasing busty anime chicks. Both videos are available at YouTube. Just head over there and search for "DSNG ARTIST" .


DSNG ARTWORK AND ANIME AMV by johnnygg88

Video artwork role call:
Naruto, Hinata, Tenten, Betty Rubble, Wilma Flinstone, Tinkerbell, Haruka May, Sakura, Orihime & DSNG BOOK1 and BOOK2 Covers.
Most of the sexy / voluptuous pics are available in my old Deviantart gallery, as high-res images. But you may have to be a member to see some of the images archived at that Web site: http://www.dsng.deviantart.com/
 

[Yeah, Orihime was given big boobs in the pic above on purpose; consider it a publicity stunt, as the poster was used in an ad campaign last year, over at DA.]

   

 

More art available at the Blog home page: http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com/
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EDIT: [Updates Done in June 2011] --> More Pics have been added to this article, showcasing Naruto anime cartoon characters. And these classic poster/pinup images date back to 2008 and 2009:

    

List of the characters shown above: Naruto, Hinata, Tenten [or Ten Ten], Ino, Temari, Sexy Yoruichi and Nami from the One Piece Steampunk anime. More characters are below!

       

 

       

Shown Above, from top left to right: Mrs. Incredible [aka Elastigirl from Disney cartoon], Nel Tu from Bleach, Rukia [busty, big boobs] and Yoruich [big booty] - they are also from the Bleach anime.


Most of these digital pics are tagged as busty/sexy anime artwork, and they also fall into the category of Cheesecake art. I did an extensive blog article on that particular art-style, which was posted over here: http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com/2011/04/fanart-of-elena-eden-and-article-on.html

Check it out!

SPACE COWBOYS

This particular sub-group of sci fi is extremely popular and it is often tagged as "Space Western". There have been several movies, books and cartoons that have focused upon presenting a fascinating fusion between American Western security officers set in futuristic worlds, where their mission is to maintain law and order.

[You may need to Click on the "Read More" link to view the rest of this blog article!]

THE MECHA GENRE PREVIEW PART 2 [PLUS MORE TRANSFORMERS]

New Mecha Artwork!
This is something I recently did; a sentient robotic morphing unit designed for my DSNG sci fi e-book series. Maybe it will be converted into a comic book instead... we'll see. The robot-mode and the vehicle-mode are shown, along with the inked prelims.

The name of this robot is Buster SRM#05, and it is my original creation. It has 3 modes: sports car, hovercraft and droid. The twin blasters upon its frontal hood are retractable, and they are used as arm-mounted weapons in its droid-mode. Buster SRM#05 [or "Buster" for short] has one monocle, which I believe is a cool touch... and yes, my robot is cooler than Robocop :)



Got some inspiration for coloring styles in Photoshop CS3 from a guy named "Citiclown" over on Youtube. If you've got about 8 minutes, check out his work:




The tough thing about drawing MECHA/ robot art is that it takes time. And depending upon where you source your basic inspiration from, it may take you even longer to contrive your desired robot sketch upon a sheet of paper [or directly into your artistic software, via graphite pen & tablet]. For example, there are many classic robot cartoons that feature transformable MECHA, such as the Gobots, King of Braves and Transformers. And the Transformer franchise has shown over the years that it is possible to reinterpret classic robot designs in a wide variety of ways. In fact, after the blockbuster Transformer movie in 2007, a new category of robots tagged by fanatics as the "Bayformers" were introduced [named after the phenomenal film's director, Michael Bay]. And the very classic robots from the 1980s animated version of Transformers are called "Generation One" [or G1].
 

  

Pencil pic & an inked pic of Bumblebee I did earlier in the year; both are tied to the movie franchise. In the TF films, there is a tendency to display inner gears and mechanized sub-systems that coherently result in the giant robot's motion. It's a novel idea, but extremely taxing from an artistic perspective.

[Above: posters/wallpapers of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. This version of Prime is based upon the classic cartoon version, dating back to the 80s. The two Autobots shown above are featured robotic characters in the forthcoming Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon movie slated for release in the USA on June 29, 2011].

Just take a look at the classic Optimus Prime [G1/Generation 1] and compare it to the ROTF* movie version beside it. [Note: I did not draw these two pics; they're presented here as references].

   

*ROTF = Revenge of the Fallen. Scroll down or search for "MECHA" and you'll see more art samples from my portfolio in this blog.

BTW, if you are curious about the true forefathers of the giant robot genre, then I strongly suggest you visit Wikipedia and read this article about a great Japanese man named Go Nagai [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Nagai]. He was born in 1965, and he's still alive today. And he was the artist/author that created one of the first successful super giant robot comic books [a black and white manga series] featuring humans that sit within cockpits of giant Mecha units. And his manga series was later converted into a hit anime series. He created Mazinger Z, known as Tranzor Z in the USA.

The latest giant Mecha anime series based on the works of Go Nagai is called Mazinkaizer SKL [it is an OVA cartoon series, and its the 11th interpretation of Mazinger Z series, which was created back in 1972]. And this OVA is slated to be released towards the end of 2010.


More Transformers / Giant Robots Artwork in this blog: http://dsngsfm.blogspot.com/2010/09/mecha-genre-preview.html