The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[Corleone]

Fans of comics legend Alan Moore and fans of Victorian fiction alike will be pleased to hear of Sean Connery's latest which is yet to hit our screens (for title see subject). I love Alan Moore's comics but i haven't actually read this one. I'm Contemplating buying it so I'd love to hear the opinions of those who have read it. Also anyone who wants to dicuss the forthcoming movie feel free post here.

[Ryall]

I'd say, first, buy the comics -- they're among the best stuff Moore's done in years.

And then I'd say go see the movie without thinking too much about the comic. The comic uses all figures from British literature, but the movie's added Dorian Gray, and Tom Sawyer (America represent!) as an FBI agent. No idea how the movie will be, I just don't think anyone should expect a really faithful adaptation.

Back to the comics, though--totally worth reading. There's a sequel out now, too, centered around H.G. Wells' WAR OF THE WORLDS.

Around the time of the movie, we'll have a whole COMICS 101 column dedicated to discussing the comics and the movie if you want a little more of a primer.

[Adam_Poch]

The comic books are brilliant. The movie looks unspectacular.

[Corleone]

I did think Dorian Gray was a bit of an oddball seeing as he dies at the end of the book and, although he remains young far longer than he should, i didn't think he he lived an abnormally long life by any means. I just figured the project was obviously surreal and not to be taken literally (which isn't hard to do when the characters are fictional anyway) so that it wasn't worth being anul about such things. But now i see, its nothing but typical Hollywood hijinks that places him in the merry band of misfits.

As for Tom Sawyer, I hadn't made the connection between the "international spy: Thomas Sawyer" shown on the website and Twains little mischief maker. Now that I have it seems positively ludicrous and my expectations for the film have dropped considerably. It seems the producers may have been more attracted to the one minute pich than to the original story, but we live in hope. It would be refreshing to see Sean Connery in a film thats actually good again.

[Gheorghe_Zamfir]

The trailer looks like typical summer fare to me too, which is dissapointing given that the source material actually could have made for a good adaptation. LXG isn't my favorite Moore book by any means, but I did like it, and its easy to see the potential for a good movie in there, but the trailers just make this look more this year's Wild, Wild West.

But, on Tom Sawyer, Twain actually wrote another Tom Sawyer book called Tom Sawyer, Detective, where Tom Sawyer was a lawman, and seeing as I believe the movie's setting has moved from the book's London to New York (I think I heard that some where), Tom Sawyer isn't that big a stretch (well, they're all pretty big stretches, but him no more than the others).

And Gray isn't the only character in the movie or Moore's comic that should be dead if we are going by their literature, though I'm not sure of the point of adding him, or Sawyer, even if it can be justified I can only imagine giving the characters that were already in the book dimension in an hour and a half movie is going to be tough enough without arbitrarily throwing more guys into the mix, but eh, I'll probably still see it.

[DangerSeeker]

Dorian DIES?!?!?! Damn, I was 2/3rds through, now I'll just give up.
The thing that gives me hope on this movie is James Robinson. His comic work is amazing. Starman is one of my all-time favorite books, and so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. Of course, Frank Miller did write RoboCop 2 & 3, so I have the grain of salt ready.

[Dave]

i'm going to venture near Blasphem here, but i think that Robinson is a better writer than Miller. I don't know about movie scripts, i'm just talking comics. Really looking forward to him and Tony Harris tackling Starman agian in a few weeks.


Here is where i think the marketing is going wrong on LXG (god that is a horrid horrid title). In the trailer i saw, and there maybe a new one out by now and i haven't seen it, they just cut it together like anyother summer team movie. I think that they should have told the audience who these people were. Something like "the greatest literary heros together to stop an ... whatever it is, Mustache or Fu Manchu or Van [censored] or something." anyway i think they should play up the literary angle of this and not just the cool effects. Because honestly not much of the moviegoing public knows the source material.

[Ryall]

"The thing that gives me hope on this movie is James Robinson. His comic work is amazing. Starman is one of my all-time favorite books, and so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. Of course, Frank Miller did write RoboCop 2 & 3, so I have the grain of salt ready."

Yeah, and if you've ever seen Robinson's movie COMIC BOOK VILLAINS, you'll be even more skeptical. I LOVED his STARMAN run, but this movie is such a badly written, self-loathing piece of garbage. Basically, Robinson's saying that if you read comics, you're a social misfit and possible murderer (which, to be fair, is also the point of M. Night's UNBREAKABLE). The movie doesn't play like a parody, really, it just speaks of contempt for comic fans.

Still, that aside, he's always been an admitted fan of Alan Moore, so hopefully he did a good job with the source material on LEAGUE.

[DangerSeeker]

They're coming back? Jack's back? I may need to have words with my local retailer if he forgot to mention this to me. I'm sure he ordered it, and maybe it's a surprise, and maybe I'm just misunderstanding what you said. Huh?

Haven't seen CBV, but I heard it was pretty rough. I guess everyone needs to vent, but where's the line? Avoided it so it wouldn't ding his reputation.

[Dave]

ok, before you hypervenilate, It's a Golden age Starman story, and a backup in the JSA miniseries coming out soon. I don't know the name of the series right off hand but the books start with the whole team and then break off into individual team member books, then tie up the thing again with a team book. kind of like what started the JSA series in the first place. Anyway the Starman Story is to be in the Star Spangled Kid (or Stargirl whatever) issue. Also providing a backup is Micheal Chabon, he of the Kavalier and Clay fame, but i don't know which one.

Now as far the Jack series goes, Tony Harris has said recently that he and James have got the basic story laid down for the "Jack goes to the Orient" story that will eventually happen, but they aren't close to setting a publishing date for that yet, but it seems like this backup story has really juice both of them up for it so soon i hope.

BTW, Tony Harris website is
www.jollyrogerstudio.com (http://www.jollyrogerstudio.com) if you want to look on there for it from the horses mouth.

Walker

[DangerSeeker]

Sweet. Not hyperventilating. Normal ventilating. Won't hold breath. In the words of the Frantics: "If this is the album you've been holding your breath for, this is dedicated to your memory."

[Dave]

well, it's always good to find another Starman fan out there.

[BOP TILL U DROP]

someone made a thread about this peice of crap movie? wow. sorry, i dont want to offend anybody.