SDCC 2016: Shout! Factory Adapts Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues Into Weird Motion Comic Animation Thing

Having watched every Marvel one of these that Shout!Factory did... I will tell you right now that they're all terrible and just a motion comic that you have no control over. That and it's Dynamite so nothing suggests that this is going to be any better, but hey if you like that trailer then you'll be pleased to know that the "animation" will continue to move and look like that and the voice acting will be just as terrible. I wonder how many more announcements Dynamite has? I think this is going to drain their year for sure. From Dynamite:

Dynamite Entertainment and Red Sonja, LLC, are proud to announce that leading multi-platform entertainment company Shout! Factory has adapted the critically acclaimed Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues storyline written by Gail Simone (Batgirl, Secret Six) and illustrated by Walter Geovani (Vampirella, Witchblade) into a full-length animated feature. Measuring 72 minutes in length and featuring voice acting (including the talented Misty Lee of Ultimate Spider-Man), sound effects, and music, the Red Sonja film transforms the seminal, epic comic book series' artwork into a thrilling experience of motion and sound. The film is available in Blu-Ray and DVD formats on August 2, 2016.

In the Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues film, the crimson-tressed heroine intends to pay back a blood debt owed to the one man who has gained her respect... even if it means leading a doomed army to their certain deaths! Who is Dark Annisia, and how has this fearsome warrior accomplished what neither god nor demon has been able to do: force Sonja to her knees in surrender? An epic tale of blood, lust, and vengeance, Queen of Plagues takes the She-Devil with a Sword from the depths of her own grave to the heights of battlefield glory.

Writer Gail Simone says, "Red Sonja's my favorite character, and seeing my words and the dazzling art of Walter Geovani brought to life has been absolutely thrilling. It's just a big, fun, sexy, sweaty epic with the best sword and sorcery character of all time!"

"We were fortunate to work with Gail and Walter as they had an incredible run on Sonja that had incredible critical acclaim," says Nick Barrucci, Publisher and CEO of Dynamite. "That we could work with them to create this movie to reach a larger fan base is incredibly rewarding."

"Queen of Plagues is one of the best books we have ever put out," says Luke Lieberman, President of Red Sonja, LLC. "It is new canon. Gail and Walter did an amazing job, and Shout! Factory brought the pages to life!"

Shannon Kingston, voice actress on the film, says, "This was up there as one of my favorite acting roles! Getting to bring the words of the great Gail Simone to life was an honor and so much fun. Her writing is so relatable, and funny when it's called for! I'm hoping to do the next two books!"

Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, based on a high-fantasy swords-and-sorcery heroine created by author Robert E. Howard and adapted to comics by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith in Conan the Barbarian #23 (1973). Her immense popularity led to solo appearances in Marvel Feature (1975) and a self-titled series in 1977. Red Sonja has become the archetypical female warrior of fantasy literature: fierce, capable, and stunningly beautiful. Since 2005, the character has had many successful ongoing series, miniseries, one-shot comics, and crossover appearances through publisher Dynamite Entertainment. The popularity of the character has led to a 1985 live-action feature film (starring Brigitte Nielsen) and appearances on merchandise including statues, busts, barware, t-shirts, and an upcoming video game.

Titan Is Turning The Raid Into A Comic

I love Raid and Raid 2. They're great martial arts/action movies. They have a little bit of every action genre and that's what makes the great. They do not have great stories. The story is very simple and generic. There were massive improvements for the second film, but nothing that I would shit my pants to see in a comic book. I'm not excited about this. It will all depend on the art, but for the most part what makes Raid work is that it's a movie. I don't know why Titan is only going for licensed properties lately, but it's really not appealing to me anymore. From Titan Comics:

Titan Comics are thrilled to announce that The Raid is punching its way into comic books, in late 2016. Titan is working closely with the director Gareth Evans (The Raid, The Raid 2) and XYZ Films to develop all-new stories featuring characters from the series.

Premiering in 2011, Indonesian martial-arts movie The Raid (also known as The Raid: Redemption) sent pulses racing at the Toronto International Film Festival and secured unanimous critical praise, rocketing to cult film status across the world. 

The movie captured audiences with its boundary-pushing, inventive choreography and piston-pumping narrative where a lone, isolated SWAT team are trapped by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs inside a tenement block, and they have to fight through to the top.

Directed by Gareth Evans and produced by PT. Merantau Films and XYZ Films, the high-octane franchise has garnered great success since its release. The first film had 10 nominations at the 2012 Maya Awards. It was followed, in 2014, by The Raid 2, which featured the character of Rama returning to battle against corruption in his own police force.

“At Titan we’re thrilled to be publishing The Raid comic books,” said editor Martin Eden. “Gareth is a visionary and a huge talent. It’s a pleasure to work with him on developing his characters for the comic book page. We promise to deliver the same thrilling, fifth-gear adrenaline that fans have come to expect from the franchise.”

Titan’s The Raid comics are set to debut soon. Look out for more announcements about the creative team shortly.

Sequart's Image Comics Documentary Released Through Shout! Factory

Sequart Organization and Respect Films are proud to announce that Shout! Factory has picked up their documentary, The Image Revolution, for distribution! The Image Revolution examines one of the most important and daring moves in comic book history. In 1992, a group of top-tier artists left Marvel Comics to create their own company… a company that continues to influence mainstream comics and culture to this day. Image Comics was more than just a publisher, it was a response to years of creator mistreatment, and it changed comics forever.

The Image Revolution tells the story of Image Comics, from its founders’ work at Marvel, through Image’s early days, the ups and downs of the ’90s, and the publisher’s new generation of properties like The Walking Dead. It’s the amazing account of a dynamic group of upstart comics entrepreneurs battling against not only major companies, but sometimes each other.

Click HERE to order the DVD from Amazon.

Also available from Sequart’s film division:

Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods – This master of comics psychedelia is one of the medium’s most popular writers, and one of the most controversial. Equal parts philosopher, rock star, and chaos magician, Grant Morrison has used his comics to change both himself and his audience. He is a man living on the border between fiction and reality, and this is his story.

Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts – This documentary focuses on the career and worldview of comics’ very own Internet Jesus, Warren Ellis. The film also features interviews with many of Ellis’s artistic collaborators. (If you’re interested in digging deeper into Ellis’s life/work than an 80-minute documentary can go, check out this book Sequart published that is transcribed from nearly ten hours of interviews with the man!)

Diagram for Delinquents – In 1954, psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham wrote a scathing indictment of comics called Seduction of the Innocent. His book’s central premise is that comic books were the leading contributing factor to juvenile delinquency. That same year, Wertham testified at special hearings on comic books at the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the United States. Comics were on trial! Diagram for Delinquents captures the zeitgeist of late 1940s and early 1950s America and investigates how the funny books found themselves on the fire.

Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men – During his 17-year run with the X-Men, Chris Claremont took the title from the brink of cancellation to it being the best-selling comic of all time. He co-created more iconic characters than any comic book writer since Stan Lee. Today, the “X-books” remain a massive franchise that spans comics, movies, video games, and TV. But unlike most properties, the X-Men we know and love is mostly one man’s vision. Using high-profile interviews, Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men explores the behind-the-scenes development of notable characters like Wolverine, Storm, and Phoenix, as well as the challenges of creating art within a corporate system.

Worst of 2015: Worst Comic Book Movie or TV Show

In our opinion you can't have a "Best of" list without the "Worst of" to go with it. Welcome to our worst picks of 2015. Think of it like the Razzies for comics. Each writer will make their own pick so sit back enjoy "Worst Comic Book Movie or TV Show".

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KEVIN: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Marvel Studios)

Give the ole CBMFP a listen this week to hear Kevin's pick!

STEVE: Supergirl/"Flarrow"

Vapid swill wrapped up in empty platitudes to impress the rubes.

DUSTIN: All Comic Book TV Shows (ALL)

I stopped watching everything on network tv because they're all shitty. Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Agent's of Shield. They all suck a big one. I can't wait for Lucifer and I hope it makes it to six episodes before getting cancelled becuase it's called "Lucifer."

ASA: Gotham (Fox/WB)

Oof, what to say that has not been said before. Portraying Gotham city without Batman might work (see Gotham Academy and Gotham Central), exploring the early days of Batman might work, focusing on Batman's villains might work, but Gotham simply does not work. Trapped in the awkward intersection between the camp of the last live-action Batman tv show and the dark atmosphere of Nolan's films, Gotham diappoints on every level. Further, while I would normally not claim that staying loyal to the source material is a must for adaptations like this, it betrays the fundamental wrong-headedness of the creators that they seem incapabale of using any of the material that makes the Bat mythos so interesting. At least we got Daredevil this year.

DAVID: Gotham (Fox/WB)

I cannot stand this show. The first season was so bad that I couldn't bring myself to return for the second entry, especially when other comic-book shows with a similar tone such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones are so superior in every way. FOX have taken the fantastic source material (Brubaker and Rucka's Gotham Central) and stripped it of anything interesting or believable. How anyone is still left to defend this mess of a show is beyond me.

Best of 2015: Best Comic Book Movie or TV Show

Welcome to our end of the year list! Unlike other sites, we give all of our writers the opportunity to make their own picks. What you'll read below and on the rest of the site is a list of each individual writer's picks. As much as we like making our choices, we love hearing yours so let us know what you'd pick for the "Best Comic Book Movie or TV Show" below in the comments.

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KEVIN: Daredevil (Marvel Studios/Netflix)

Listen to Kevin talk about Daredevil on this week's episode of the CBMFP!

ASA: Daredevil (Marvel Studios/Netflix)

In my humble opinion, prior to 'Daredevil' there had never been an excellent superhero tv show. While the CW may have popularized the concept with its candy-colored soap operas, Daredevil legitimized the superhero show in one week of madcap binging. Paced like a highbrow premium cable show, Daredevil incorporated all of the grit and characterization that have made the comic a fan-favorite. Perfectly cast and containing the MCU's first truly memorable villain, Netflix's first Marvel show soared to new heights. Further, perhaps most cheeringly, the show managed to achieve this quality without compromising on any of the comic's most important qualities.

JAMES: Daredevil (Marvel Studios/Netflix)

Daredevil was beautiful, magnificent and well done on almost every single level. The fictional "New York" in this show is becoming a real place to me filled with supers and hardcore baddies. I can only hope that it continues to impress. It is rare to have a show where you can feel for both the good and the bad alike. It feels complete. Daredevil has brought a gritty realism to a comic live action show where so many others have failed.

STEVE: Jessica Jones (Marvel Studios/Netflix)

While slow and repetitive at points, this series had great writing and some of the best use of framing I've seen on TV all damn year. It actually made me want to go back and read Bendis' Alias, which, given how little I like reading that particular chatty-cathy of a writer, is saying a lot. This is the superhero show we deserve, and makes everything on the CW/CBS - especially Supergirl - look like the trash it really is.

DAVID: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel Studios/ABC)

Of course Daredevil and Jessica Jones were fantastic shows, I wouldn't argue anything otherwise. However, I feel like Marvel Studios' first foray into the world of television needs someone fighting in its corner as well. I'll be the first to admit that the first season of Agents of SHIELD was mediocre at best, but with season two the show really came into its own. The characters grew into genuinely interesting personalities, while the plot was more engaging than ever with twists and turns aplenty. Season 3 is yet to make its way to the UK, although from what I've heard the show is stronger than ever - easy to believe considering just how exciting the Season 2 finale ended up being. Those who understandably gave up on this show during its weak first season, I hope will come back and give Agents of SHIELD a second chance.

AUSTIN: One Punch Man (Viz/Madhouse)

I have been enjoying Jessica Jones. Daredevil was a huge deal for me, since he's my favorite superhero ever and a decent live-action adaptation was a long-time coming. But the One Punch Man anime adaptation is the most fun I have had watching anything in years. From the scorching opening theme, to the high production quality, to simply getting to watch Murata's punishingly superior art come to life in real-time, this show is killer.

DUSTIN: One Punch Man (Viz/Madhouse)

I was actually surprised by this one. Over the years I've made a rule for myself, that if I begin with the manga, I don't watch the anime. I couldn't help myself on this one and I'm glad I did because I love the anime. Be it for some different reasons than the manga, but I love it. Madhouse also redeemed themselves in my opinion after delivering some sloppy shit previously.

Henry Rollins talks about his role in Ian McGinty's WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE animated short

Modern Prometheus production company has released a video interview with icon Henry Rollins about his role in the company’s debut animated short film WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE from Ian McGinty. Rollins plays Frank, a lesser Nexus demon in the WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE short film, which takes viewers along on the adventures of Kit, a lovable kid with a monstrous secret: his dad is the Great Shadow King -- and Frank’s boss -- and he wants Kit to take over the family business of destroying the world. The animated short is based on Ian McGinty’s WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE, the creator owned comic book series by Z2 Comics; the series’ first issue is now available at local comic stores and online. In the newly released interview, Rollins says, “I think Frank has a stressful job...I would not be surprised if Frank was a straight up opera freak.” The Henry Rollins interview about WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE is available on YouTube.

The WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE animated short is widely available on YouTube. Modern Prometheus’ sister company Z2 Comics recently kicked off its new fall periodical line with the first issue of the WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE comic book series, now available at your local comic shop and online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8pWbTKAps

New Documentary Shows that 'Superman is Real'

The trailer for the new documentary film LOOK TO THE SKY has debuted online. The not-for-profit film features the uplifting true stories of young people who have demonstrated the “Superman spirit” in life-threatening situations, physical challenges, loss and through heroic acts of community service.

The film also explores the cultural meanings of Superman and whether the character has continued relevance in contemporary society.

The official Trailer can be viewed on the film's Indiegogo page at http://igg.me/at/supermanisreal  or on Vimeo:  https://vimeo.com/138808132.

“For many of us, the world seems very dark,” filmmaker Brett Culp said.  “It’s easy to feel that noble heroes like Superman have vanished from the earth.  We want to show that the hope this character embodies still exists, and we believe this heroic spirit is most clearly seen in the hearts of the heroic young people who are shaping the future.  Our goal with LOOK TO THE SKY is to help renew our faith in tomorrow, for ourselves and our communities.”

Culp’s previous film – LEGENDS OF THE KNIGHT – screened in over 100 cities around the world, raising more than $75,000 for charity.  The charitable goals remain the focus of the upcoming film LOOK TO THE SKY, which will be available for charity and educational screenings.

Over the past year, Culp and his team have filmed in 14 cities, capturing the stories of inspirational young people and experts on superhero stories, psychology and literature.

The film is being produced through The Rising Heroes Project, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization founded by Culp and his wife, Tricia Culp.  The organization is focused on creating uplifting and educational films to inspire personal growth, community service and positive engagement in viewers of all ages.

The production team for LOOK TO THE SKY is now raising funds through Indiegogo to finish the film. The campaign gives supporters of the project the opportunity to pre-order copies of the finished film and other incentives as a way of funding this documentary project.

Release date of the film will be Fall 2016.

Lionsgate Teams with Double Take for Film Adaptation of Z-Men

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, is teaming with comic book publisher Double Take (2T), a subsidiary of leading video game developer and publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), for the film adaptation of the graphic novel Z-Men, the two companies announced today. Written by preeminent zombie creator Jeff McComsey, Z-Men is the flagship title in Double Take’s recently launched universe surrounding the classic horror franchise Night of the Living Dead.

“We’re delighted to expand our relationship with our friends at Take-Two by partnering with their comic book arm, Double Take, in bringing Z-Men to the big screen,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger. “We continue to diversify our portfolio with films adapted from novels, video games and board games and look forward to translating 2T’s graphic novel into a spine-chilling film for moviegoers and comic book fans alike. It is yet another example of the strong underlying intellectual property on which our film and television content is based.”

“We are pleased to expand our partnership with Lionsgate, who has the right team to bring to life on screen what Double Take brings to life in comics,” said Double Take General Manager Bill Jemas. “We look forward to seeing Lionsgate’s creativity transform the Z-Men story into an exciting feature film, and everyone on the Double Take team is incredibly enthused at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The deal was orchestrated by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President of Business & Legal Affairs Patricia Laucella.

Z2 Comics Publisher Josh Frankel & Sridhar Reddy Launch Modern Prometheus Production Company

The publisher of Z2 Comics, Josh Frankel, and independent filmmaker Sridhar Reddy (7x6x2) announced today the formation of a new production company, Modern Prometheus. Frankel and Reddy will both serve as Co-Chairman and will be responsible for sourcing and developing comic book intellectual property and overseeing media finance, operations and production. Modern Prometheus will have a first look option for all Z2 Comics publications, including their recently announced line of creator owned comic books and their expanded graphic novel slate.

Modern Prometheus already has film and television projects in varying stages of production, including:

• A WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE animated pilot, based on the upcoming Z2 Comic book series by Ian McGinty, with an ensemble cast including iconic musician Henry Rollins. McGinty is serving as writer and showrunner and the pilot is slated for completion in the fourth quarter of this year. WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE features the adventures of Kit, a lovable kid with a monstrous secret: his dad is the Great Shadow King and he wants Kit to take over the family business of destroying the world. The first issue of the ongoing comic book series will be released by Z2 Comics in October 2015.

• A live action adaptation of ONE TRICK RIP-OFF, the New York Times bestselling graphic novel from Eisner Award-winning writer/artist PAUL POPE (Batman: Year 100, THB, Heavy Liquid, 100%). Pope is Executive Producer on the film. The screenplay by Sridhar Reddy tells the story of young lovers Tubby and Vim who want to escape the mistakes they’ve made, the lives they’ve lived, and the city weighing them down. Their plan is simple: all they have to do is rip-off Tubby’s pals, the One Tricks - the toughest street gang in the city. If they pull it off, they’re set for life. If not, their lives won’t matter much anyway.

“Today’s announcement has been in the works for almost a year,” said Josh Frankel. “It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work but just the start of what we plan to do.”

“As a producer and independent filmmaker, my focus is on the creative process to ensure that the vision of the writers and artists translate to other platforms--from the first draft to the physical production of the final media product,” said Sridhar Reddy. “We’re incredibly blessed to launch Modern Prometheus by collaborating with two amazing creative voices, Paul Pope and Ian McGinty.”

“Z2 Comics is committed to publishing the very best writers and artists in the comic book industry,” said Frankel. “Modern Prometheus will work in tandem with those creators so that their singular visions are celebrated in the translation of their comics. When creators are actively involved in the media adaptation, the fidelity to the source material - and everything that makes it exciting and vibrant as a comic book - ends up on the screen.”