Commando: Another crazy idea!

[stevezodiac]

When I go into Smiths I am always attracted to the covers of the Marvel and DC comics (UK reprints). Would it not be a good idea for DC Thomson to elbow their way into this market by reprinting classic Commando stories - in full colour - in this format? The fact that US comics are 32 pages and Commando is 64 makes it ideal for putting two Commando pages onto each US comic page. They could call it Commando Classics or Classics from Commando (or any other title with the word Commando in it) Then again they may think Commando is a word that doesn't register with kids so could call it Mayhem? (just joking). They charge 2.50 for the US style mags so would have to have a comparable price to cover costs. I did buy the Marvel Legends mag for a while as Iron Man and Captain America are my two favourite Marvel characters and I was keen to see how they were doing. But what's this about Samuel L Jackson playing Nick Fury in the Iron Man movie, is that true?

[felneymike]

Well colourising the old Commandos would be too much work, plus Commando itself is 50% reprint anyway these days (something some people moan about but it's ok with me, a 17 year old comic i haven't read is still one i havent read. Though when the reprints start to be from 2006 onwards i might not like it so much)

[Lew Stringer]

Thing is, those Commando strips are drawn for black and white. Adding colour to them could make them look very muddy and cluttered. If they were drawn for colour, the artists would use less shading for example.

Besides, what's wrong with black and white adventure strips? Colour is often very over-rated and in most instances has added nothing extra to British adventure comics. (Exceptions being people like Mike Noble or Don Lawrence who had excellent colour sense, but adding colour to a Don Lawrence strip that he'd intended for black and white would do it no favours at all.)

Colour started to dominate British comics in the late 1980s/early 1990s when Marketing decided that their "research" had found that kids could no longer cope with black and white strips. I remember how garish Buster became after that decision was made. And full colour didn't do Victor much good. Funny how many modern kids are snapping up Manga though, - books that are entirely in black and white!

Lew

[stevezodiac]

The best black and white comic art i've ever seen is by Gonzalo Mayo when he drew El Cid for either Eerie or Creepy in the 70s, stunning.

[Captain Storm]

I agree with the black and white scenario.It lends itself brilliantly to certain strips that need to convey a sense of eeriness and/or mystery.Color if used in the proper context can aid the visual medium but if transposed onto older material can often appear garish and out of place.Older strips such as Scream Inn,Adam Eterno,Charlie's War would lose much of their attraction if colorised.But that's just my opinion,

a Cautious Cap!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I've seen the 'IRON MAN' movie [twice] ---it's very good....SAMUEL JACKSON isn't in it, however.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

correction...I went back to see 'IRON MAN' for a THIRD time today, and the girl at the kiosk advised me to stay til after the credits...SAMUEL appears in a short appearance as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent NICK FURY [though obviously he looks nowt like the comic character, also don't bother waiting through all the credits...it's not worth waiting on.]

[stevezodiac]

Told you so - I rarely make mistakes. A friend reminded me that the Kingpin was played by a black actor in the Daredevil movie. What's that all about? Seems a bit condescending toward minorities if you ask me. "Look we're giving you a white man's role in a movie just to make you feel better about yourself." The PC brigade don't realise that every time they fall over themselves to help black people they're almost treating them like invalids, as if having dark skin is something for them to feel sorry for. Twits.
Sorry, turned into Steve's soapbox, Excelsior!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

HOLLYWOOD in particular often strain to make sure a token black player is included in many productions...but since actors like WILL SMITH take centre-stage in many productions, it hardly feels like the balance is uneven...

----also, there's an EDDIE MURPHY comedy coming up, that heavily resembles 'BEEZER'S ' the 'NUMSKULLS' in concept, with tiny beings [including a mini-Murphy] steering MURPHY'S character...yes, this DOES look as bad as it sounds.......

[Lew Stringer]

..SAMUEL appears in a short appearance as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent NICK FURY [though obviously he looks nowt like the comic character,

Actually Sam Jackson looks exactly like the "Ultimate" version of the character because that's who the artist based him on! (Samuel L. Jackson is a comics fan himself by the way.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Nick_Fury

Lew

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

sorry, LEW....the NICK FURY I remember belongs back in days of ODHAMS.......decades before I knew of SAMUEL'S existance! I assume this is a 'new' souped-up version you are referring to......I prefer my comic-heroes to look larger-than-life, [an impossibility for even the planet's greatest actor ]-----also CGI still looks unconvincing in most cases, no matter how much cash they throw at it......99% of actor's portrayals of established comic-book heroes always appear feeble in comparison, in my way of thinking.

JACK NICOLSON'S 'JOKER' looked nowhere near as striking as the comics version, nor did CHRISTOPHER REEVE come anywhere near the muscle-bound impossibility of the 'SUPERMAN' comics I remember.

sorry if this all sounds a bit cynical!

[stevezodiac]

I watched the first Spiderman film and the CGI totally put me off. Also i thought the casting was terrible, Toby Maguire is nothing like Peter Parker and the girl who plays Mary Jane can't hold a candle to the one we saw on the last page of Spiderman 40, 42? as drawn by John Romita. "Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot" i'm afraid the actress doesn't hit it by a long shot - something about those weak teeth. (Sorry I can't remember her name). Never did watch the two sequels nor the FF films. I'd rather read the comics - they have more magic.

[Lew Stringer]

sorry, LEW....the NICK FURY I remember belongs back in days of ODHAMS.......decades before I knew of SAMUEL'S existance! I assume this is a 'new' souped-up version you are referring to......

Yes I was there for the sixties Nick Fury strips too. Follow the link I provided, which explains everything. The Nick Fury in the movie is based on the version from Marvel's alternate "Ultimate" universe. He's been around for six years.

I'm not taking sides on which version is "better", just explaining why Jackson is playing him on screen.

Lew

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I did actually follow your link, LEW....to me, the original NICK FURY comic character was striking enough in the first place, and doesn't need altering....I have nothing against the use of coloured actors or characters in comics/films, but I would prefer more unique, original characters from every race.....black or white, it doesn't matter.

[Sidnny]

I watched the first Spiderman film and the CGI totally put me off. Also i thought the casting was terrible, Toby Maguire is nothing like Peter Parker and the girl who plays Mary Jane can't hold a candle to the one we saw on the last page of Spiderman 40, 42? as drawn by John Romita. "Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot" i'm afraid the actress doesn't hit it by a long shot - something about those weak teeth. (Sorry I can't remember her name). Never did watch the two sequels nor the FF films. I'd rather read the comics - they have more magic.

Sorry, Steve. But I must disagree with you about Spider-man. The three films so far released are in my list of all great movies. I thought Toby Maguire makes a great Peter Parker and as well as the rest of the cast. I do agree though about Mary Jane (played by Kirsten Dunst) who doesn't match the comic version at all. It is not just the way she looks but her character as well (so it isn't all Kirsten's fault). But saying that, I still like her in it.

I also like the two FF films.

With me, I don't try to make too many direct comparisons between the films and the comics (though they have done a very good job with Spider-man). The only thing I generally don't like is when they change the formula. If I was a film producer, I would try to keep the film as faithful to the comic strip as possible. There have been cases when this hasn't happened.

Classic example: Judge Dredd.

I enjoyed the film as long as I didn't compare it with the comic. As soon as I did that, it fell well short. The biggest one being that you were allowed to see Dredd's face!!! A big no-no. And Dredd smiling!!??