Production on Dark Matter will be uniquely challenging for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that my long-time writing and producing partner, Paul, won't be making the move to Toronto to show run the series with me. Instead, he'll come down for a week of meetings in November, return for prep…
October 21, 2014: Introducing Jay Firestone! Notes! And carpet heaven!
As we head into prep on the first season of Dark Matter, I thought it might be nice to introduce you to some of the people who work behind the scenes to bring you (what will no doubt become) your new favorite new scifi series. Now people have often asked me: "Joe, what does a producer…
October 20, 2014: Early prep on Dark Matter begins!
Okay. I may not love where I'm presently living and I may hate the weather and the Toronto traffic but, boy, am I looking forward to production on Dark Matter's first season. Yes, of course I'm thrilled that I'm about to start prep on my very own show, but experience has taught me that, at the…
October 17, 2014: Prepping for the Toronto move! And a modest mailbag!
That's it. We're out of time. Ready or not, we are on a plane and Toronto-bound tomorrow morning. I'm super anxious about flying with the dogs - but have done my best to prepare them for the four and half hour in-cabin flight. I spent an hour on the phone with Air Canada, making the…
October 16, 2014: Dark Matter! Casting! The Ramp-up! Oh, and my birthday!
So now that it's official, I can finally talk about my new show, Dark Matter, and my plans for the series and this blog in the lead-up to season premiere (sometime in 2015). As most of you know, while I was working on Stargate this blog offered fans a peak at the inner workings of the…
October 15, 2014: Dark Matter!
Big news! I'm not crazy after all - http://tvline.com/2014/10/15/syfy-acquires-dark-matter-graphic-novel-adaptation/ http://www.gateworld.net/news/2014/10/stargate-producers-bring-dark-matter-to-syfy/ So I DIDN'T imagine the whole thing. Unless, of course, this is also part of my elaborate, ongoing hallucination and those url's actually link to the live cam of a cat hotel in Cornwall. But, just in case, I'd like to thank a few of the…
August 5, 2014: Top 12 Superheroines in Need of the Big Screen Treatment!
With the news that Sony is fast-tracking a superhoine movie that will hit the big screen before the turn of the decade (http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=41823), I thought this would be a good time to weigh in with my suggestions for My Top 11 Superheroines in need of the big screen treatment! Just in case the studios were wondering...…
June 23, 2014: Top 10 Worst Supervillain Names!
10. Paste Pot Pete Look out! He's going to start shooting paste. Out of his pot. Oh, that Pete. 9. Crazy Quilt Not to be confused with The Master Duvet. Presumably, grandma helped him with his costume. 8. Rainbow Raider Guard your rainbows! As if those damn leprechauns weren't bad enough. 7. Polka Dot Man Winner of Mrs. Haversham's…
June 22, 2014: Top 10 Worst Superhero Names!
10. The Whizzer AKA "The Yellow Streak"? Does the W on his chest stand for "wee"? 9. Matter Eater Lad Look at him go to town on that chain link fence! Bombs, bullets, getaway cars - there is no limit to his amazing powers of consumption! Unless, of course, he gets full. 8. Aqualad Batman…
June 17, 2014: Back on the mean streets of Sesame!
Well look who it is. If it isn't our old friend Cookie Monster who, only last summer, announced he was through hosting our weekly Supermovie of the Week Club and done penning reviews of such big screen classics as The Dark Knight, Spiderman, and Abar: The First Black Superman. Well, what a difference a year…
June 5, 2014: What’s the deal with Archie Andrews?
Seriously? What the heck is going on here? Last time I read I checked in on the gang from Riverdale, these were the type of shenanigans they were getting into: And then, somewhere along the line, things took a darker turn for Archie Andrews (or, one could argue, a lighter turn for Frank Castle) and…
April 30, 2014: Conspicuous Consumption! Richie Rich sticks it to the little guy!
If I had to pick one comic book that I considered "the weirdest" growing up, it would have to be Richie Rich. The title character was described as "the poor little rich boy" but I never found anything remotely poor about him, either literally or figuratively. I suppose, one could make the argument that deep beneath…
April 28, 2014: A Trip Down Memory (Lois) Lane! Comicdom’s Most Dated – the awesome, the atrocious, and the quaintly antiquated!
"They sure don't make 'em like they used to" goes the old adage, and nowhere is this more evident than in the ever-evolving world of comic books. From Superman battling nazis to Spiderman meeting President Obama, comics have a rich tradition of embracing history and reflecting social and cultural norms. What was perfectly acceptable ten, maybe…
March 30, 2014: Happy Birthday, Batman!
The caped crusader is 75! Let's celebrate the big day with some of Batman's most memorable covers... Does that skunk contain a kryptonite bomb? The superboys, always comparing the size of their…uh…diamonds. You can tell they've hit rock bottom by the little hobo sack on sticks they're carrying. While no actual crime has been committed,…
December 26, 2013: Akemi’s superhero breakdown!
I asked my Japanese girlfriend, Akemi, to identify some of comicdom's most famous superheroes. How'd she do? Not bad. Not bad at all... How'd YOU do?