USTownhall RealStories presents Nick Purpura of Jim Hanley's Universe
Written by Scott Katz
Sunday, 07 August 2011 22:37
Recent news from the comics industry – particularly DC Comics' May 31 announcement that it will be relaunching its entire line of superhero titles in September with new number one issues – has rocked comics fandom and has made headlines across the country in various entertainment-related websites and publications including USTownhall.com.
We wanted to go beyond the marketing hype and get a retailer's perspective on all of this in order to gauge just how effective, or risky, this bold move may be and what it, and other annoucements made recently – such as offering comics in digital format simultaneously with their print versions – mean for comics fans and for the comics industry as a whole.
Toward that end, we sat down for an extended interview with Nick Purpura, the General Manager of Jim Hanley's Universe. Since Jim Hanley's Universe first opened its doors in 1985, it has become one of New York City's – and the country's – most preeminent retailers of comic books, graphic novels, and related merchandise. Mr. Purpura himself has been an enthusiastic advocate and cheerleader of the comic book artform during his long career at Jim Hanley's so his observations and insights are of particular interest both to comics fans and to the companies who put a lot of time and money into their publishing initiatives.
This interview was filmed in Jim Hanley's Universe's Manhattan location on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 and will be posted here in four parts. Enjoy part one now, and keep checking back during the week as we upload the remaining segments.
If you are in New York City, be sure to visit Jim Hanley's Universe at either of their two locations: 4 West 33rd Street (opposite the Empire State Building) in Manhattan, and 299B New Dorp Lane in Staten Island. Go to http://www.jhuniverse.com for more details.
• Do comic book movies still bring people into stores?
• Do DC and Marvel do a good enough job in bringing in new readers?
• Updating old properties for today's audience
• Comic fans getting upset by revamps
• Internet spoilers' effect on fan reaction and sales
• No more guaranteed trade paperback collections from DC
• Done-in-ones vs. writing for the trade
• Trade paperbacks that need to be available in print
• Secret Wars as a gateway comic for lapsed readers
• DC's new 52 titles: a recommendation from Nick
US Townhall RealStories presents BATMAN movie producer, Michael Uslan
Written by Scott Katz
Sunday, 14 November 2010 19:28
We had the pleasure of sitting down to talk with one of the most successful producers in Hollywood: Michael Uslan, who is the Executive Producer of the Batman series of films that began with Tim Burton's imaginative take on the character back in 1989 and continues to this day with Christopher Nolan in the director's chair.
Mr. Uslan is a longtime fan of comic books, and he acquired the rights to produce Batman movies back in the late 1970s. We spoke about his 10+ year journey to get Batman on to the big screen with Tim Burton's 1989 smash hit, Batman. There's a new Batman film due in Summer 2012, The Dark Knight Rises, and director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale will both be back to deliver another thrilling installment in the successful franchise.
Among Mr. Uslan's other film projects are the Swamp Thing movies and its associated cable television series, The Spirit, Constantine, Catwoman, and National Treasure. Another of Mr. Uslan's many accomplishments is that he is the first person to teach an accredited course on the serious study of comic books – "The Comic Book in America" at Indiana University.
To listen to the interview, click the "play" button on the graphic below.
Television trailers: AMC's THE WALKING DEAD Season 2
Written by USTownhall staff
Sunday, 31 July 2011 13:28
AMC's hit television series The Walking Dead returns for its second season on Sunday, October 16, 2011.
THE WALKING DEAD Season 2 trailer
Review: SECRET AGENT CORRIGAN vol. 2
Written by Scott Katz
Thursday, 16 June 2011 00:00
Now this is what adventure looks like!
Like a well-deserved left cross to the kisser, the stories presented in X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan, volume 2 (of a projected five volumes) satisfy on a visceral, straight-to-the-point level. In each arc of the classic newspaper comic, which in this volume first saw print between September 1969 and April 1972, a week's worth of strips is used for set up, and then it's full steam ahead as the action plays out in brisk fashion over the next two-and-a-half to three months. Secret Agent Corrigan is unadorned meat-and-potatoes adventure so in terms of plotting, there isn't really any new ground covered here. We have the usual hallmarks of the genre: women kidnapped, guy gets mixed up with the mob/syndicate, people staging their own kidnapping or attempts on their lives for personal gain only to have it backfire, hero gets mixed up in political hotspots around the world, and the like. However, a master storyteller like Archie Goodwin, the writer on the series from 1967 to 1980, knows why these plots work and exploits them to their fullest potential in the limited space available to him. If you're a fan of those great half-hour television dramas of the 1950s – such as Dangerous Assignment or Patrick McGoohan's Danger Man – you will love Corrigan.
In the best tradition of the iconic newspaper adventure strips, Goodwin's laconic FBI agent Phil Corrigan muscles his way balls-first into one deadly situation after another propelled by pure testosterone and the desire to get the job done. He's a guy's guy in a way that seems quaintly retro when contrasted to the way men are depicted in the media today, but Corrigan's uncomplicated sense of himself is very refreshing because of it. Goodwin's stories are elevated to a new level by his collaborator Al Williamson, an illustrator squarely in the Alex Raymond tradition of more realistic figure drawing.
It must have been quite a daunting task to follow in the footsteps of two legendary creators of genre fiction, but that is exactly what Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson set out to do when they took over this classic comic strip which began life under the name Secret Agent X-9.
Above: strip from September 4, 1969, "Prince Kasim" storyline [Image provided by The Library of American Comics]
Secret Agent X-9 began publication as a daily newsapaper comic strip on January 22, 1934 and lasted until February 10, 1996. What makes X-9 stand out from among the many other action-adventure comic strips that populated the newspapers back in the 1930s was its pedigree. The creators of X-9 were no less than Dashiell Hammett and Alex Raymond. Hammett is widely recognized as one of the progenitors of the genre of hard-boiled detective fiction. Athough he wrote only five novels, Hammett's influence is far-reaching as his works – which include the creation of Sam Spade for The Maltese Falcon and Nick and Nora Charles for The Thin Man – have been adapted to film and television numerous times over the decades and are known worldwide. The artist on the strip Alex Raymond is no less a luminary in his own right being the creator of the seminal space fantasy comic strip
Flash Gordon. Interestingly, Raymond's Flash Gordon and Hammett's Thin Man novel saw print on January 7 and January 8, 1934 respectively – a scant two weeks earlier than their collaboration on Secret Agent X-9 – quite an historic month for the two! However, in spite of the talent of the creators involved, the strip was not a big hit for them and both left after about a year.
X-9 continued through the decades in the hands of several creators, most notably artist Mel Graff who drew the strip for about 20 years and gave X-9 his real name of Phil Corrigan.
When Goodwin and Williamson took over in 1967, they brought a pedigree of their own. Al Williamson made his mark as artist on some of the most notable comic magazines of all time including EC's Weird Science and Weird Fantasy as well as Creepy and Eerie, the flagship magazines of EC's spiritual successor Warren Publishing. Archie Goodwin is recognized in the comics industry as being one of the finest writers and editors that the medium has ever produced. Like Williamson, Goodwin made his reputation at Warren's Creepy and Eerie, but as head writer and editor. For Marvel Comics, Goodwin served a short stint as Editor-in-Chief during the 1970s and later inaugurated the Epic Comics line which was Marvel's creator-owned imprint. For DC Comics, Goodwin wrote or edited a number of Batman-related projects and created the 1970s Manhunter character who appeared in a classic serialized story in Detective Comics with art by Walt Simonson.
Above: Williamson's expert use of black & white on display in sequence from March 7, 1972 during the "Doctor Seven Returns" storyline. [Image provided by The Library of American Comics]
So do the talents of Goodwin and Williamson compare favorably with X-9's creators Hammett and Raymond? It's almost blasphemous to say this, but in some regards, they actually exceed them. Hammett's dialogue has more wit of course, but Goodwin's pacing is superb, and he manages to maintain an ever-present sense of tense urgency throughout the stories. In reading the 280 pages of stories that comprise this volume, one continually feels swept up in a tornado of gunplay, fists, leaps, and one death-defying scenario after another. Goodwin's terse dialogue and quick cuts are at times too good – you have to force yourself to slow down to admire the crisp, drool-worthy black-and-white art of Al Williamson – but don't fail to do so. Williamson is a master craftsman who lays out the breathless action to perfection and excels at balancing light and dark in each panel in order to create convincing depth and texture. He is an illustrator in the classic sense in that he brings all his considerable skills to the forefront in service of the story rather than resorting to over-obvious flash that only serves to call attention to the artist at the story's expense. Aspiring artists, and quite frankly, many of today's top comic book artists, will find a lot to learn here from basic figure rendering to advanced composition and layout. As a team, Goodwin and Williamson mesh flawlessly. They are clearly of one mind working toward a common goal: delivering a narrative gut punch – a giddy thrill ride of action, excitement, narrow escapes, exotic locales, and femme fatales.
The eleven capers presented in X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan volume 2 are as follows (unofficial story titles provided by us for convenience):
"Prince Kasim" - Corrigan's wife Wilda is kidnapped by Prince Kasim of the Middle Eastern nation of Turistan to be his wife as he ascends to the throne.
"Byron Jagger" - Spy novelist Jagger tries to goose sales of his book by faking attempts on his life and saying they're the work of Cain, a notorious spy thought dead who Jagger claims is still alive. Turns out Jagger is correct, and Cain decides to silence the writer for real.
"Clete Bowman" - Bowman decides to give up his failed acting career for a shot at real money by becoming a courier for an espionage ring trafficking in stolen defense plans.
"Gorstrom" - Big game hunter and syndicate bigwig Gorstrom hunts the biggest game of all on his private Caribbean island – Phil Corrigan, who is playing bodyguard to government witness Karen Holt.
"Charlene Amberson" - Rich girl Amberson arranges her own kidnapping to score some cash to run away with the guy her father disapproves of. The ruse turns deadly when the couple's cohort decides to make the kidnapping real.
"Jonas Branveldt" - Corrigan heads to the South American jungle of Arumba to find the notes of presumed-dead Dr. Branveldt who made a discovery that could make atomic weapons obsolete. What he finds is a very much alive Branveldt along with a lost valley unchanged since the Mesozoic era filled with danger – and dinosaurs! Exceedingly entertaining story with page after page of bravura Williamson art.
"Doctor Seven" - Corrigan meets recurring enemy Dr. Seven and his henchwoman Lushan for the first time as our FBI guy gets loaned out to the CIA to track down US space satellites knocked out of orbit and brought to the nation of Kalipur.
"R. Barcroft Baxter" - Movie producer Baxter seeks to undermine Galaxy Studios head Kay Stirling in order to take over the company and run it as a syndicate-controlled enterprise.
"General Drax" - Corrigan is assigned to bodyguard Drax, the dictator of Balkania under threat of assassination, as he prepares to address the United Nations.
"Jonas Garth" - Corrigan heads to the African nation of Ukhari on the trail of Jonas Garth, a treasure hunter who is wanted for murder back in the States.
"Doctor Seven Returns" - Blamed for Corrigan's defeat of Dr. Seven, Lushan trades information about Seven's next scheme for Corrigan's protection.
Once again, The Library of American Comics has outdone itself on this compilation using thick matte paper for the best combination of readability and durability. An essay by Goodwin's wife Anne T. Murphy opens the book with insights into Archie and Al both individually and as creative partners. The strips themselves were reprinted from Al Williamson's personal proofs provided by his wife Cori, and are of uniformly excellent quality resulting in the definitive showcase for what is considered to be the last great action-adventure newspaper strip. A must-buy for any lover of American newspaper comic strips.
Weekend Box Office Summer 2011
Written by USTownhall staff
Sunday, 08 May 2011 20:21
Summer movie season officially kicked off on Friday, May 6, 2011, and we'll be bringing you the actual box office results for the domestic market (USA+Canada) each Monday in an easy-to-read chart. Which will be the hits, and which will be the bombs? Follow your favorite movies throughout the summer and see whether they live up to box office expectations.
In this final weekend of the summer movie season, The Help surges almost 37% to capture the top spot for a third straight week. This uniquely American tale isn't really translating overseas, but its bargain-priced $25 million budget has been recouped a few times over anyway.
2
The Debt
(Focus Features)
$12,851,600
debut
$14,753,014
3
Apollo 18
(Weinstein/Dimension)
$10,705,556
debut
$10,705,556
4
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(20th Century Fox)
$10,325,485
+16.4%
$162,550,178
5
Shark Night 3D
(Relativity)
$10,126,458
debut
$10,126,458
It's got sharks. It's got 3D. It just doesn't have an audience. Along with Judy Moody, Relativity chalks up another bomb in this bummer summer.
6
Columbiana
(TriStar)
$9,570,213
-8.1%
$24,132,335
7
Our Idiot Brother
(Weinstein Company)
$7,038,249
+0.4%
$17,273,593
8
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
(Weinstein/Dimension)
$6,801,885
+13.2%
$31,201,190
9
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
(FilmDistrict)
$6,382,227
-25.1%
$17,822,416
10
The Smurfs
(Sony Pictures)
$5,724,093
+20.4%
$133,676,705
11
Crazy, Stupid, Love
(Warner Bros.)
$4,261,090
+37.1%
$75,464,794
12
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
(Warner Bros.)
$3,401,110
+32.6%
$375,552,093
We were wrong. Potter logs yet another week in the top 12 thanks to the four-day weekend.
Great word of mouth continues and The Help has the smallest drop in the top 10 allowing it to remain on top and hold off three new releases.
2
Columbiana
(TriStar)
$10,408,176
debut
$10,408,176
3
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(20th Century Fox)
$8,867,741
-45.0%
$148,674,018
4
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
(FilmDistrict)
$8,525,728
debut
$8,525,728
5
Our Idiot Brother
(Weinstein Company)
$7,011,631
debut
$7,011,631
Lackluster debut for this Paul Rudd comedy that is getting some good reviews. However, it was made on an impossibly miniscule production budget of $5 million, so it might actually make a small profit during its theatrical run.
6
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
(Weinstein/Dimension)
$6,007,180
-48.4%
$21,990,229
Another failed remake.
7
The Smurfs
(Sony Pictures)
$4,754,766
-39.1%
$125,948,234
8
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
(Lionsgate)
$3,185,094
-68.2%
$16,660,669
There won't be a sequel to this $90 million budgeted disaster. The audience simply didn't care about this film.
9
Crazy, Stupid, Love
(Warner Bros.)
$3,108,178
-35.2%
$69,732,502
10
Fright Night (2011)
(Disney)
$3,103,227
-59.8%
$14,281,778
Another of last week's openers that suffered a huge dropoff. We'd like to hope that this signals the ending of the 80s remakes, but we know better – especially with both Footloose and Dirty Dancing coming up.
11
30 Minutes or Less
(Sony Picutres)
$2,687,165
-58.0%
$31,789,438
12
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
(Warner Bros.)
$2,564,370
-43.2%
$370,805,062
The final Harry Potter flick logs its final week in the top 12, and will likely top out around the $375 million range domestically. Add about $1 billion more in international sales, and this last chapter goes out with a bank.
Logs a second week at the top in spite of an almost 50% drop. On track to make $160-170 million.
2
The Help
(Disney)
$26,044,590
debut
$35,918,416
Excellent debut for this civil rights drama. Will undoutedly recoup its meager $25 million production budget.
3
Final Destination 5
(New Line Cinema)
$18,031,396
debut
$18,031,396
New Line went to the well once too often as the fifth installment opens weaker than any of the previous four.
4
The Smurfs
(Sony Pictures)
$13,733,081
-33.7%
$101,778,741
Superb holdover vaults the kiddie favorite over the $100 million mark. Also doing quite well overseas, which is no surprise given the international appeal of the property.
5
30 Minutes or Less
(Sony Picutres)
$13,330,118
debut
$13,330,118
Comedy caper failed to find an audience and will likely drop out of the top 10 in a week or two.
6
Cowboys and Aliens
(Universal)
$7,811,305
-50.3%
$81,674,015
7
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
(Warner Bros.)
$7,251,414
-41.7%
$357,337,355
8
Captain America: The First Avenger
(Paramount)
$7,210,902
-44.6%
$156,971,108
9
Crazy, Stupid, Love
(Warner Bros.)
$7,054,228
-41.3%
$55,526,524
10
The Change-Up
(Universal)
$6,306,645
-53.4%
$25,838,850
11
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
(20th Century Fox)
$5,961,231
debut
$5,961,231
Glee's appeal extends beyond television to music, but stops at the cinema with a dead-on-arrival opening weekend outside the top 10.
Box office came in about the same as Thor in May, but had a larger audience due to fewer people opting to see it in 3D.
2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
(Warner Bros.)
$47,422,212
-72.0%
$273,539,281
Enormous drop in box office, but mitigated by the record-breaking first weekend.
3
Friends with Benefits
(Sony Screen Gems)
$18,622,150
debut
$18,622,150
Could not have ranked higher than third given the competion, and box office was on par for a film of this type and stars of this caliber. Did only $1.1 million less than Ashton Kutcher's & Natalie Portman's No Strings Attached.
4
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
(Paramount)
$12,051,735
-43.5%
$325,841,185
Already 2011's highest grossing movie, but Harry Potter just might unseat it before each ends its theatrical run.
5
Horrible Bosses
(Warner Bros.)
$11,884,319
-33.1%
$82,566,703
Doing slightly better than fellow R-rated, high concept comedy Bad Teacher did at this point. Both will likely cross the $100 million mark domestically.
6
Zookeeper
(Sony Pictures)
$8,702,055
-29.4%
$59,206,255
$80 million budget greenlit when it was thought that Kevin James was a movie star after Paul Blart hit big two years ago. James did not deliver the goods a second time.
7
Cars 2
(Disney-Pixar)
$5,655,857
-32.7%
$176,375,295
Not a good summer for Disney toons as both Cars and Winnie the Pooh are performing below expectations.
8
Winnie the Pooh
(Disney)
$5,162,046
-34.3%
$17,594,297
Is Pooh past his prime? Not doing well either domestically or internationally.
9
Bad Teacher
(Sony Pictures)
$2,610,925
-49.3%
$94,365,688
Should just make it over the $100 million mark if it can stay in theaters a few more weeks.
10
Midnight in Paris
(Sony Pictures Classics)
$1,804,662
-3.8%
$44,783,206
Woody Allen's biggest hit in years holds relatively steady in its tenth weekend.
11
Bridesmaids
(Universal)
$1,325,985
-23.0%
$163,832,870
Sleeper hit of the summer stays in the race in its eleventh weekend. With a $32.5 million production budget, Bridesmaids has already made tons of profit.
12
Larry Crowne
(Universal)
$1,019,475
-61.7%
$34,327,405
High profile failure for stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.
Obviously the best debut of the year, but does noticeably less than the previous entry in the series. It's not accurate to call this an underperformer, but it's another franchise that is seeing diminishing returns this summer.
2
Cars 2
(Disney-Pixar)
$31,629,695
-52.2%
$122,560,310
Big drop considering it's $200 million production budget.
3
Bad Teacher
(Sony Pictures)
$17,261,534
-45.4%
$62,707,505
Holding over quite well. Made on a miniscule $20 million budget, Bad Teacher will make a tidy profit just on theater grosses alone. DVD, pay-per-view, and cable revenues are just gravy.
4
Larry Crowne
(Universal)
$16,098,795
debut
$16,098,795
Surprisingly low number considering the star power here, but it was made on a $30 million budget, which makes it a worthy investment.
5
Super 8
(Paramount)
$9,527,129
-20.8%
$110,070,156
6
Monte Carlo
(20th Century Fox)
$8,588,318
debut
$8,588,318
7
Green Lantern
(Warner Bros.)
$7,928,176
-56.0%
$103,616,460
Once again, GL has the steepest drop in the top 12, and it lost many 3D screens to Transformers.
Just-ok debut for the latest Pixar feature in terms of audience attendance.
2
Bad Teacher
(Sony Pictures)
$31,603,106
debut
$31,603,106
R-rated comedy came in around expectations. Opened better than Bridesmaids, and if word of mouth is strong, it can be another sleeper hit.
3
Green Lantern
(Warner Bros.)
$18,028,056
-66.1%
$88,989,477
The news keeps getting worse for GL as it suffers the largest percentage drop in the top 12. Will likely not even hit the $120 million mark domestically. Foreign box office is likewise lackluster. Won't get anywhere near recouping its $200 million production budget in theaters.
4
Super 8
(Paramount)
$12,028,092
-44.0%
$95,114,324
In contrast to GL, Super 8 will break even on its $50 million production budget with theatrical grosses alone.
5
Mr. Popper's Penguins
(20th Century Fox)
$10,145,662
-45.0%
$39,293,341
Not a terrible drop, but considering how low opening weekend was, this really does count as a high-profile bomb for Carrey.
Relatively soft debut given the hype. A manageable budget of $50 million may still allow a profit to be made even before it gets to DVD and cable.
2
X-Men: First Class
(20th Century Fox)
$24,128,986
-56.2%
$98,023,335
Standard drop for the genre. First Class will likely top out at under $160 million domestically.
3
The Hangover Part II
(Warner Bros.)
$17,667,329
-43.7%
$215,727,461
Even with another big drop, Hangover II has already more than doubled its $80 million production budget.
4
Kung Fu Panda 2
(DreamWorks)
$16,543,166
-30.7%
$126,813,240
5
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
(Disney)
$10,945,764
-39.0%
$208,873,258
6
Bridesmaids
(Universal)
$10,066,290
-16.4%
$123,815,865
7
Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer
(Relativity Pictures)
$6,076,859
debut
$6,076,859
Looks like the summer will be a bummer for Judy after all. Will likely not even get to $20 million.
8
Midnight in Paris
(Sony Pictures Classics)
$5,830,723
+110.5%
$13,909,196
Woody Allen's latest opens wide and becomes his highest grosser since Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Still needs to make more than $10 million to exceed it, though.
9
Thor
(Paramount)
$2,435,215
-42.7%
$173,664,723
10
Fast Five
(Universal)
$1,727,330
-45.4%
$205,094,205
11
The Tree of Life
(Fox Searchlight)
$827,009
+33.8%
$2,361,655
Terrence Malik's latest, which stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, is doing nice business at fewer than 50 theaters domestically.
Prequel entry becomes the worst opener in the series. Excellent film may prove to be a costly failure given its $160 million budget.
2
The Hangover Part II
(Warner Bros.)
$31,381,234
-63.5%
$185,808,194
Huge drop considering it was a comedy, a genre which tends to hold over better in succeeding weeks
3
Kung Fu Panda 2
(DreamWorks)
$23,887,914
-49.9%
$100,028,372
4
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
(Disney)
$17,954,603
-54.9%
$190,200,880
Box office has been very lopsided for this film. It's already made $615 million overseas, but this fourth entry will undoubtedly be the lowest grosser domestically.
Toward that end, we sat down for an extended interview with Nick Purpura, the General Manager of Jim Hanley's Universe. Since Jim Hanley's Universe first opened its doors in 1985, it has become one of New York City's – and the country's – most preeminent retailers of comic books, graphic novels, and related merchandise. Mr. Purpura himself has been an enthusiastic advocate and cheerleader of the comic book artform during his long career at Jim Hanley's so his observations and insights are of particular interest both to comics fans and to the companies who put a lot of time and money into their publishing initiatives.
We had the pleasure of sitting down to talk with one of the most successful producers in Hollywood: Michael Uslan, who is the Executive Producer of the Batman series of films that began with Tim Burton's imaginative take on the character back in 1989 and continues to this day with Christopher Nolan in the director's chair.
Now this is what adventure looks like!
