|
|
|
Posts Archived Under Batman
You've been there; you do all the work and someone else takes all the credit. Believe it or not, there are folks out there who are more than happy for that to happen. We refer to the ghostwriter, whose anonymous work we celebrate this week.
We're not talking about Stephen King or Dean Koontz, who write stories about ghosts; we mean writers who turn out stories for other people, who then put their own names on the work.
While the practice is far from a recent invention (there are well-meaning folks who think that William Shakespeare ghosted for the Earl of Oxford or Christopher Marlowe), it's most common in genre fiction and biography (where the words "with" or "as told to" are the giveaways). During the McCarthy era of the 1950s, numerous scripts were written by blacklisted writers, but credited to "fronts."
There are "house names," too. Such writers as Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon never existed, but were used by publishers to give characters a brand identity. And then there's the case of Bob Kane. The "creator" of Batman was notorious for almost never writing or drawing the Caped Crusader, but for farming out the work to more talented individuals like Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, and Dick Sprang.
The next time you're haunting your local bookstore, check those acknowledgments; otherwise you may never know whose words you're reading.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Authors, Literature, Writing and Editing Services, Literary Genres, Writing Workshops and Seminars |
|
Archived under: Authors, Batman, Books, Comic Books, Fiction, Ghosts, Literature, William Shakespeare, Writers, Writing |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
The death of Captain America
made The NY Times' front page
(Provided by Nick Douglas) |
When Captain America "died" last March, there wasn't a comic book fan alive who didn't know he'd eventually return. When Cap reappeared earlier this week, though, it wasn't Steve Rogers (the real Cap) behind the mask; it was his former partner, James "Bucky" Barnes (who had previously been dead since 1945).
In the world of comics, "death" is usually no worse than a bad cold. The list of characters who have been bumped off only to return would fill a small book. Superman's 1993 death caused national mourning until he came back a few months later. The Joker was killed in his first battle with Batman in 1940, but got better. X-Men member Jean Grey was dead -- for a while, and Spider-Man's Aunt May is no longer pushing up daisies. Green Arrow got himself resurrected, and Green Lantern came back by popular demand. Even Captain America himself was dead before -- blown up in 1945, returned in 1964.
In the 70-year history of comic book superheroes, only two characters have been allowed to rest in peace: Spider-Man's Uncle Ben and the Flash. Of course, an alternate version of Ben has been seen more than once, and the rumor mill has it that the Flash is soon to return. Seems like St. Peter needs to install a revolving door on those Pearly Gates.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Captain America, Comic Book Characters, Comic Books, Superman, Spider-Man |
|
Archived under: Batman, Captain America, Comic Books, Dead Celebrities, Death, Entertainment, Retcon, Spider-Man, Superheroes, Superman |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
The original teaser trailer for next weekend's "Cloverfield" was brilliant. Shown before the blockbuster "Transformers," it was hard to tell exactly what it was at first: a commercial for alcohol? A frat-party home video? But it soon became clear -- especially once the Statue of Liberty's head crashed onto the street -- that this was an ad for a major motion picture. Everything else about it was mysterious, though: No recognizable actors. No clue what the "monster" was -- or even if there was a monster. Not even a title.
Fast-forward six months -- just a week away from its theatrical release -- and we're still in the dark as to what "Cloverfield" is about, or even what it is that's attacking New York City. But will the mysterious trailers and teaser sites be enough to lure moviegoers to see it?
The producers should pray for a better turnout than they got for 2006's "Snakes on a Plane." Dozens of fan-made parodies of the horrible horror film sprouted on the Web months before its release. But when it hit the theaters, nobody showed up, proving that a huge Web presence does not guarantee ticket sales.
However, knowing your audience can make all the difference in the world. One of next summer's most anticipated movies, "The Dark Knight," has a huge batch of viral websites that have super-nerds everywhere salvating with anticipation. Viral online marketing can be a wonderful idea for movies -- as long as there are no snakes involved....
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Cloverfield, The Dark Knight, Snakes on a Plane |
|
Archived under: Advertising, Batman, Cloverfield, Entertainment, Marketing, Movie Trailers, Movies |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
Our childhood crush on Billy Dee Williams may have been based on his performances as the oh-so-smooth Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars movies, but we like to think that even as nerdy children we could recognize real talent. And Mr. William December Williams is no one-trick pony. He started as a fine (and we do mean fine) artist, taking acting gigs to pay for his paints and canvas. He found success in films like "Brian's Song" and "Mahogany" (and a handful of cheesy '70s blaxploitation flicks) before donning the blue cape that would make him an icon for children of the '80s. Next came "Dynasty," "Batman," and "Secret Agent 00 Soul" on celluloid, a series of memorable beer commercials, two sci-fi suspense novels, a romance novel, and a return to his original passion: painting. Williams still finds time for the occasional TV cameo, though. We were delighted to see him pop up on "Lost" last week -- at least partly for the reassurance that he's still as cool as ever. Today we raise a cold Colt 45 and toast Billy Dee on his 70th birthday. We can only hope to be half as smooth at his age.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Billy Dee Williams, Lando Calrissian, Star Wars Movies, Batman (1989), Celebrity Artists |
|
Archived under: Actors, Advertising, Batman, Beer, Billy Dee Williams, Entertainment, Movies, Star Wars |
| Post a comment (1) | Email this posting |
Tim Burton's "Batman" may have jump-started the comic book movie trend, but the "X-Men" and "Spider-Man" movies raised the bar for all comic-based projects to come. Hollywood is finally taking the genre seriously, hiring respected directors to film rich stories with complex characters. Currently, over a dozen comic book films are in the works, and this weekend's "Sin City" brings the gritty look of Frank Miller's graphic novel series to the screen in a comic adaptation like none before.
Suggested Sites...
|
|
Directory categories:
Comic Book Movie Genre, Superhero Movies, Comic Books |
|
Archived under: Batman, Comic Books, Entertainment, Movies, Superheroes |
| Post a comment (0) | Email this posting |
|
Technical Writing Jobs
Search Technical Writing Jobs in DC on Washingtonpost.com's Job Guide.
www.washingtonpost.com...
|
Cadillac of Washington
Washington Cadillac invoice prices. Cadillacs on Bailout clearance.
Washington.CarLeasingS...
|
Local Phone Book
Find businesses and people anywhere in the US. Local search.
Yellowbook.com
|
|
