• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Comics for Beginners

How to Write & Draw Comics

  • Contact
  • About
  • Faqs
  • Log In
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Comics Crash Course
  • Blog
  • Videos

Warner Brothers

Sandman the movie

by Palle Schmidt 3 Comments

joseph-gordon-levitt-sandmanJoseph Gordon-Levitt, who recently played a major role in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, has signed on to work on another comics adaptation – this time as a producer and director. He is teaming up with screenwriter David S. Goyer (known for Blade and Nolans Batman trilogy) to produce an adaptation of Neil Gamain’s Sandman, the acclaimed Vertigo comic, for Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. So far there’s no word on wether Gordon-Levitt will be in the movie as an actor, but perhaps we’ll see him as Morpheus himself? He certainly has experience with working inside a dream through his role in Inception and has proved himself a very capable director with this year’s Don Jon.

Sandman is yet another graphic novel of epic proportions to be transported to the screen in recent years. The adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen got massive critizism, not just because Zack Snyder was directing, but simply because many believed it sacrilege to tamper with the perfect genius of the source material. So far there doesn’t seem to be flame wars going on concerning Sandman, but what are your thoughts? Is Sandman “unfilmable” or can Hollywood do it justice?

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Alan Moore, Batman, Christopher Nolan, comic book adaptations, David S. Goyer, Don Jon, Hollywood, Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, movie, Neil Gaiman, Sandman, The Dark Knight Rises, Vertigo, Warner Brothers, Watchmen, Zack Snyder

ProFile: Mike Cavallaro

by Palle Schmidt Leave a Comment

ProFile-Mike-Cavallaro

Mike Cavallaro is from New Jersey, where he attended the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon Art, and has been a working cartoonist for over 20 years. His clients include DC Comics, Marvel, Image, First Second Books, Archie, MTV, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, and others. Mike’s comics include Parade (with fireworks), Nico Bravo & the Celestial Supply Shop, The Life and Times of Savior 28, with J.M. DeMatteis, Foiled and Curses, Foiled Again, with Jane Yolen, Recognition for Mike’s work includes YALSA’s “Great Graphic Novels For Teens” list, a Will Eisner Comics Industry Award-nomination, a Junior Library Guild selection, and others. Mike resides in New York City and is the vice-chairman of the National Cartoonists Society, Manhattan Chapter.

What made you decide to work in the medium of comics?

I was always interested in art, primarily illustration, and the more fantastic and unreal, the better. By the time I was graduating high school, I had already been working at my local comic shop for four years — it was my first job. My favorites were artists like Barry Windsor Smith, John Buscema, Frank Frazetta, Joe Kubert, Los Bros Hernandez, and of course many others. It was obvious that I was going to pursue some kind of art, and I guess I chose the one I was most influenced by at the time: comics. While other kids were applying to various colleges, I only applied to one place: the Joe Kubert School. After that, it was all comics, all the time, for the next couple years, and I guess it’s been that way ever since — pretty much the last 20 years.

What part of the process is the most challenging or frustrating to you?

All parts! Seriously, I suppose there are different degrees of “frustrating”. I mean, I’m frustrated by lettering because I don’t really want to do it, so it feels like sort of a drag to me. But, on my creator-owned stuff, there’s no one else to do it, so I gotta. But that’s more about tedium than anything else. There’s the frustration you feel when you can’t draw something the way you want and you’re erasing a hole into the paper and wasting time. But that’s somehow different. It’s not tedium, it’s coming face-to-face with your limitations and learning how to either exceed them or circumvent them in some way.

All-in-all though, the thing I find most challenging with comics is the writing. There was probably a point when I was discovering comics where I’d buy something just because it looked amazing. That’s not enough for me anymore. I need a story I’m interested in or I can’t be bothered. So I believe story (not just writing, but STORY: art and words working together) is the most challenging and important part of the whole thing.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring comics creator, what would that be?

Be versatile. Don’t just do one thing, one way. Be able to shift gears, employ multiple techniques and styles, and have a command of all aspects of comics making: writing, pencilling, inking, lettering, and coloring.

Follow Mike’s work at  mikecavallaro.com

Filed Under: Pro Tips, ProFile Tagged With: Archie, career, comics, creativity, DC comics, drawing, First Second Books, Foiled and Curses, how to, Image Comics, improving as an artist, J.M. DeMatteis, Joe Kubert School, learning, making comics, Marvel Comics, Mike Cavallaro, MTV, National Cartoonists Society, Nico Bravo, Parade, pro tips, The Life and Times of Savior 28, tips for making comics, Warner Brothers, Writing

Ben Affleck as… Superman?

by Palle Schmidt 3 Comments

Hi, I'm Batman. And Superman. And Daredevil...
Hi, I’m Batman. And Superman. And Daredevil…

There has been a lot of debacle over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming Zack Snyder movie Batman vs. Superman, but no one seems to akcnowledge Afflecks earlier superhero performances.

No, I don’t mean Daredevil. The reviews and word of mouth has been so bad that I spared myself of that one (wish I had been smart enough to do the same with Die Hard 4 and 5). But who knows why that movie tanked? All of it can’t be on Affleck.

I think what a lot of people have forgotten, is one of Affleck’s finest performances was in fact as… Superman. In the 2006 thriller Hollywoodland, Affleck plays the 1950’s TV Superman actor George Reeves, a not very talented actor and pretty boy. And – surprise -Afflecks nails it!

When I first heard of Affleck’s Batman casting, I thought (and perhaps secretly hoped) that it was a joke. But then again, casting is somebody’s else’s profession, not mine. Would I have cast Michael Keaton as Batman, a comedy actor? Christian Bale, a skinny, blonde brit? Would I have cast Heath Ledger as The Joker? Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman?

The answer to all of the above would be a roaring NOO! And I would be wrong.

And what about the seemingly obvious, spot-on casting, such as Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Or Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in the first Spiderman movie. All they had to do was paint his face green – Boom! And yet in the movie, Dafoe’s was not the most impressive of performances. Largely because they chose to put a full face helmet on him…

Movies turn out for the worst for a million reasons. Casting is but a small part of it. Script and director is much more important. Maybe we should give anyone involved the benefit of the doubt, and maybe stop bitching about stuff that is beyound our control.

Does the casting of Ben Affleck take anything away from our enjoyment of Batman as a comics character, or even earlier incarnations? Come on. It’s just a movie. DC and Warner Brothers don’t care what we think, as long as they sell tickets. What we CAN do, is stop buying their crap JUST because it has Batman in it, and do a little research, find the good stuff and vote with our wallets.

I  just think there should be a limit to how many iconic superheroes one actor can portray. Three strikes and you’re out!

Here’s what former Batman, Val Kilmer says, and I concur:

ben-affleck-as-batman-internet-reactions-40

Who would you see as Batman, or any other superhero, if you had a say in the matter?

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Batman, Ben Affleck, casting, Christian Bale, DC comics, Heath Ledger, movies, Robert Downey Jr., superhero movies, superheroes, Superman, Val Kilmer, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder

Primary Sidebar

Hours of Premium Content

ComicsCrashCourse

Try the FREE 7-day Comics Course

Creator Profiles

Interviews with Creators

The CFB Podcasts

Find them here.

Comic Creators eBook

The Comic Creators eBook

Footer

Check out more resources

Bundles of quality content available, check how to write comics and how to make your comic book artwork look great or find tips and tricks on the blog.

Latest from the blog

  • Video: How to get Story Ideas
  • Video: The Benefit of Being a Nobody
  • Video: Why Creatives Hear Voices
  • Digital Tools for 2021
  • The Most Badass Tools for Inking Comics
  • Why Creative Restrictions are Good for You!
  • How to Write a Great Story – and Stick the Landing

Contact us

If you have questions or issues please contact us.

Official mail: mail(at)comicsforbeginners.com

Feel free to connect on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Copyright © 2023 · ComicsForBeginners by Palle Schmidt Log in