Some people have e-mailed and asked what happened to the
Friday C2F wrap. Others have wondered what all that "countdown"
business was in the Monday-Thursday wraps from last week. And most surmised
correctly that I got caught up in "Blackout 2003" (coming soon to a
theater near you, no doubt) and, on Friday, was unable to post a C2F update (or
do anything else that would be associated with modern civilization).But the
electricity and bandwidth is flowing once again, so I now present you with what
was intended to be Friday's Comics2Film entry on CBR.... Â
THE LAST
C2F UPDATEOver six years. That's how long I've been writing Comics2Film. And those are
Internet years. Given the lifespan of most websites, Internet years are like dog
years. You have to multiply by seven.
Now, after six years, two months three weeks and a few days (or about 43 dog
years), you are reading the last Comics2Film update. It's been a great, exciting
run for me personally but I've decided that the time is right to move on.Â
Back when I started, nobody was paying close attention to the weird little
sub-genre of movies that are based on comics. Hollywood was making them, but
with gems like "Batman and Robin," "Steel" and
"Spawn" filling the silver screen, who could bother to care? Me, I
guess.
Here we are six years later and comic book movies are a big deal. We've had
five major studio releases culled from comics already in 2003 and one indie release
collecting all kinds of awards before it even began it's limited run this weekend
(speaking, of course, about "American
Splendor"). The comic-to-film has undeniably arrived.
For me, a comic geek who grew up on a steady diet of Spider-Man and Hulk,
I've had a ringside seat watching my favorite characters make the transition.
Now that my two favorites have hit theaters in a big way (say what you will
about "The Hulk," but that watching him taunt soldiers with the broken
cannon from a tank is more than enough to keep this fanboy grinning) there's a
definite feeling my work is done.
While I wonder if anyone's gotten rich writing news for the Internet, I will
say that creating and working Comics2Film for six-plus years has been one of the
most rewarding experiences of my life. It has opened doors for me that I never
even knew were there (much less pondered unlocking them). It's put me in
contact with many interesting, cool and just-plain-nice people in both the
comics and film industries.
Before I sign off I'd like to name many of these people who have helped out
along the way.
First up I'd like to thank Jonah Weiland for playing host to Comics2Film as a
column and, more recently, a daily feature at CBR. Besides becoming a good friend
and Jonah's enthusiasm and professionalism continue to make CBR the comics site
you HAVE to visit.
I'd also like to thank the secret society known as Forum X, who has offered
steadfast support to C2F in recent years. Forum X can now be revealed to include
Dave Richards, Adam Thur, Kevin Leung, Rhonda Hearon, Zac Pensol, Joe Hendren,
Thom Stricklin, Mikey Mason, Jason Lethert, Christian Koch and Damon Schmidt.
I'd like to thank my internet hosts at Nexcess.net
as well as Netmegs.com and BoilingPoint.com
before them, who gave me more breaks than a struggling webmaster deserves.
Finally, like a bad Oscar speech, I'd like to name as many of the people who
have had an impact on the C2F effort over the years as I possibly can, with
preemptive apologies for those that I've missed. That would include Sean Jordan,
Valerie Thorpe, Peter Briggs, Ben Myron, Michael Shuken, Evan Charnov, Patrick
Sauriol, Dave Elliott, Keith Giffen, Kevin Feige, Steve and Dorothy Gerding, Hans Rodionoff,
David Engel, Shannon Denton, Daniel Alter, Beau Smith, Scott Rosenberg, David
Tischman, Carleton Smith, Marcelo Gomes, Mark Jones, Heidi and James Meeley and Brian Pate. Many, many more, I'm
sure.
So what does the future hold?
You'll continue to get breaking news on comic book movies right here at CBR.
Jonah will be making an announcement about a regular new comic-to-film feature soon.
Comics2Film.com will
continue on as a largely fan-run entity. It'll still have links to comic book
movie news on other sites and the rich, well-organized archives the site is
famous for will continue to grow. The fan art community and message board communities will
remain there as well, along with the usual contests and giveaways.
As for me, well, you haven't heard the last from me. I've been lucky enough
to see a number of promising opportunities come my way in the past few years,
and I aim to make good on them. As CBR has reported the first such project is a
comic called "Young
Ancient One" for Marvel/Epic. And who knows...if a movie scoop just happens to
fall my way you may read a C2F update here and there as well.Â
Until then...I'll see you all at the movies!