COMIC BOOM: Once Relegated to the cultural underground, comic-book writers are being tapped as Hollywood’s latest cash crop

Spawn comic-book creator-turned-film producer Todd McFarlane is proud of his unlikely $70 million empire. “I have banks bugging me to spend money,” he cacks. And he’s not the only one with a burgeoning bankroll: McFarlane is sharing in the recent windfall for comic-book writers, and underclass historically looted–without any payoff–for their ideas.

“All the studios had to offer me was money,” says McFarlane, who was already a millionaire before Holloywood came knocking. “But I had the number-one-selling comic book in the nation.” With that kind of leverage, McFarlane stuck a savvy deal with New Line, one that afforded him unheard-of control: merchandising rights, executive producer privileges, and cash rewards that would kick in once the film’s gross passed the $35 million mark, according to McFarlane. “Spawn,” to his delight, made $55 million.

His exploits are emblematic of a shift for many comics insiders from autographing comic books to signing movie deals. To wit: “The Tick” cerator Ben Edlund has signed on to write and direct a remake of the 1964 B film “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians;” former “X-Men” scribe Scott Lobdell has a five-picture producing deal with Miramax’s Dimension Films; and Neil Gaiman (”Sandman”) has three scripting gigs–including first dibs on directing the film adapation of his comic “Death: The High Cost of Living.” Even the respected Frank Miller (”SinCity”), who walked away form Hollywood after cowriting the “RoboCop” sequels, is back, adapting his “Ronin” comic for director Darren Aronofsky (II). “When you’re writing a screenplay, you’re pretty low on the pole,” laughs the older, wiser Miller. “I’ve come back with a different attitude–not attaching myself to the point where my entire ego depends on a project.”

One power broker who has helped open the Hollywood gates is producer Don Murphy (”Natural Born Killers”). He has deals with comic alums Gaiman and James Robinson (”Starman”), and is currently courting Grant Morrison (The Invisibles), who’s interested in writing original movie scripts. “Anytime you give anybody a shot [at scripting or directing], you’re taking a chance on them. But with these guys, your gut instinct is a little bit stronger,” Murphy says. “A good comic is like a storyboard to a good movie.”

This logic now has extra financial juice thanks to the major success of “The Matrix” writer-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, former comic-book writers themselves, who commissioned comics veterans Geof Darrow (”Hard Boiled”) and Steve Skroce (”SpiderMan”) to storyboard their $170 million-grossing film. And the timing couldn’t have been more opportune. With comic-book sales in a slump (the top-selling “Spawn”, for example, now sells about 100,000 copies annually, compared to 750,000 in ‘92), writers are frustrated with grinding out up to four titles per month–to a shrinking audience, no less–just to make a decent living.

And they weren’t the only ones looking for a change. “Hollywood seems like it’s bereft of original ideas,” says director Kevin Smith (”Dogma”), who, aside form penning comic books of his own (including “Jay & Silent Bob” and “Daredevil”), is executive-producing “Preacher,” based on the comic by its screenwriter Garth Ennis. “Some of the most original stuff out there is coming from comic books.”

Once the pastime of prepubescents, comics experienced a renaissance in the ’80s, during which time monosyllabic exclamations (Pow! Bam!) gave way to mature storytelling rooted in satire, self-reference, and noir. “In 1991, nobody in the studios had heard of you,” Gaiman says. “But all of their assistants were reading your work.” Still, few in the film industry seemed to care–until they did the math. “These guys come cheap,” Kevin Smith says.

And they are coming willingly. “Special effects have made it possible to make movies [look] like comic books,” says Grant Morrison, whose “The Invisibles” is speculated to have influenced “The Matrix.” “And the people who make comic books are starting to say, ‘I don’t need to do this on paper [anymore.’” Hollywood, it seems, shares the sentiment.

Two White Dopes in a B-boy Stance
by: David Bry

Straight outta Jersey and coming to a theater near you,Silent Bob and Jay are out to save the world – and get a littlethree-way interracial girlie action while they’re at it.

For the past five years, a pair of small-time weed dealersnamed Silent Bob and Jay have been making their fellowNew Jerseyites awfully proud. We Garden Staters havelaughed with them and cried with them as they’ve smokedand joked and shamelessly propositioned women inconvenience-store parking lots, indoor shopping malls,and the red leather booths of 24-hour diners. Afterlighting up a trio of films by writer/director Kevin Smith(Clerks [Miramax, 1994], Mallrats [Gramercy, 1995],and Chasing Amy [Miramax, 1997]), the delightful duofind themselves charged with saving mankind from theforces of evil in this month’s controversial religious epicDogma (Lions Gate).

Fresh from Sunday church services with costars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris Rock, thestoner celebs sat down for this rare interview. Silent Bob (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Smith) was as silent as ever. But the eloquent Jay talked a true-blue streak about life’s essentials – gangsta beats and three-way sexcapades.

Back when Clerks came out, you guys were banging your heads to death metal. In Dogma, though, you’re hip to the hoppa and you just don’t stoppa. Have blood-curdling guitar solos been replaced by block-rocking breakbeats in the soundtrack to your lives?

Nah. Shit’s all good. We still respect metal. Like King Diamond and Blackie Lawless. Those guys are hardcore. But we’re more down with the flava. I listen to a lot of Puffy, but Silent Bob’s into the old-school shit. He knows all the words to Run-D.M.C.’s “Peter Piper” and he still has a Stetsasonic poster hanging on the wall at our crib.

Wow. That is down. Have you ever used your rap acumen to seduce a Nubian princess?

What’s a Nubian?

The term “Nubian” refers specifically to the descendants of the ancient kingdom of Nubia, which was located in what are now southern Egypt and northern Sudan. But it’s frequently used to describe any person of African descent.

Oh, hells yeah! I like my chocolate brown. Biggie here likes his chocolate with nuts. Nootch! [Silent Bob elbows Jay.] The guy’s got, like, no sense of humor.

Foxy Brown or Lil’ Kim?

Lil’ Kim, man! You see what she was wearing on the MTV Video Music Awards? Her titty was hanging out, and only the nipple was covered. I was at home praying that shit would fall off!

You win a dream date with tough-but-tantalizing rhyme siren Eve. What gift do you bring to her doorstep?

Lil’ Kim. So we could get a little of that three-way action going. A rap sandwichSwith white meat inside. You know what I’m saying? Boo-ya!!

What would you cue up on the stereo for such a session?

I’d be down for some 2 Live Crew ‘n’ shit. [Sings lyric from “C’mon Babe”] “Then lick my ass up and down / Lick it till your tongue turns doo-doo brown!” Tubby here’d probably pop in some fucking Barbra Streisand bullshit, and the hoes would book. I control the beats in our house.

You guys must have spent a lot of time in Dogma’s on-set massage trailer. When your hunky Hollywood costars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck go Good Will Humping, who’s packin’ the bigger rifle?

Matty’s hung like a porn star. He’s got a hog that won’t quit. It looks like he’s riding one of those deli salami rolls. Asslick (that’s what I call Affleck) he’s all nut sack. Seriously, it’s no meat and all potatoes with that guy. But what the hell, right? I mean, it don’t stop him from getting laid. Ever. The dude’s a pimp.

You two appeared in the critically acclaimed film Chasing Amy, a serious examination of the problems our society has with nontraditional sexual orientations. Why do you guys dig lesbians so much?

Because you can watch, like, 50 lesbians going at it and you never have to worry about seeing some dude’s boner popping up and looking back at you. I don’t wanna see that, not even my own. I keep my eyes closed when I’m in the shower, ‘cuz I don’t wanna see no dick at all.

I’m a little surprised to hear that, Jay. Toward the end of Dogma, an omniscient apostle[played by Chris Rock] reveals that the majority of your sexual fantasies actually involve men. Is your perpetually woman-hungry persona merely a facade?

That was just wrong. Fuck guys, man. I hate guys! I love women! I hate every man alive.[Silent Bob raises his finger and glares at Jay.] Oh, right. Except [Ice] Cube. ‘Cuz Cube knows the real deal. [Sings] “Life ain’t nothin’ but bitches and money!” That shit is deep. But me like guys? Never happen. [Pause] Unless it was that guy in The Crying Game [Miramax, 1992].

You mean Jaye Davidson, who played that gorgeous transvestite and had everybody fooled for the first half of the movie?

[Shaking his head] No, Forest Whitaker. My man is sweet!

Tail Lights Fade

1999 · 87 min. · LBX · Rated: R

Action/Adventure · Release Date: 2/22/00 · SRP: 24.99 · UPC #0-31398-7280-23

When Ben gets busted for drugs, his sister decides to get rid of the evidence in Canada. Her boyfriend goes along to improve their relationship and and his friend seizes it as an opportunity to race cars and cut work for awhile. Directed by Malcolm Ingram.

Got back from Europe late yesterday. Had a blast with the wife for a baby-less week of sleeping until at least nine a.m. For those so inclined, I urge you to reproduce, as babies are cute and fascinating. However, get as much sleep as you can before you spawn. You’ll miss it.

England (my gland, your gland, whatever) was great. Nonstop interviews with interesting cats who had interesting things to say about the film (though, for those who would cast living poop in a movie one day, you might want to think twice; walking shit doesn’t go over big in the UK.) Saw the mag reviews of the flick already (Total Film – 2 stars; Empire and Film Review – 3 stars; Q and Uncut – 4 stars (and film of the week/month status; heard the Loaded review was pretty good too). Nice stuff all around (and some nice features in some of those mags as well; thanks, folks.) The FilmFour folks are great, and their campaign is quite cool and different. They’re also offering a ‘net screening for the hardcore UK fans (all three of them) that you can score tix for by hitting their official site. They’re unsure of how many folks will turn out for this screening, so if you’re on the fence about going, I say give it a shot. Chances are, you’ll get in.

Got to have some dinner with Alan while I was there. He’ll be heading stateside soon for lots of ‘Galaxy Quest’ press. He’s doing Conan mid-December. Watch for that appearance.

Did ‘The Big Breakfast’ with the incomparable Johnny Vaughn. The man’s a genius. I wish I lived in England for no other reason than to watch his show every morning.

Got to meet the board’s own Boyd as well, who’s writing for Heat magazine (which is kind of like Entertainment Weekly, but British.) We spent most of our interview disecting this board and its comings and goings. Fun stuff, that.

The weirdest and most memorable moment of the UK leg came while I was mid-interview with a music mag, and suddenly Gabriel Byrne pops his head in to say ‘hi’. I was nearly speechless. I mean – this is Mister ‘Miller’s Crossing’ we’re talking about (”I was just in the neighborhood, feeling a little daffy.”) He said he dug the flicks and was off just as quickly as he came, with me only able to sputter how much of a ‘Miller’s Crossing’ fan I was. Weird, small world.

After that it was off to Paris for a four day stay at the Bristol Hotel, where Jen and I ate the best food either of us have ever tasted (and believe me – I’ve tasted me some food in my day; often too much.) It was such an exquisite culinary experience that I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to slum it again with the bland, boring shit that passes for cuisine hear in the states. If you ever get a chance, go to Paris and eat at the Bristol. I suggest the filet of beef.

The press there was cool, but awkward – as English is no journalists’ first language, and I’m too fucking American to bother learning a foreign tongue (damn to hell our global arrogance.) Saw the French poster, which has the movie subtitled as ‘God and His Pals Finally Land on the Earth’. God bless the French. They’re so… French.

The other celebrity meet-and-greet on the trip was Eddie Izzard, who was doing this same French talk show I was on. The strange thing is that I’d picked up all his concert shows on tape while I was there and was watching and re-watching them prior to learning we’d be dressing room neighbors. If you haven’t caught his HBO special ‘Dress to Kill’, please do. The man is a brilliant comedian. Fucking brilliant. I was reduced to fanboy mode shaking the dude’s hand, and found myself babbling in his presence, proving once again that the only thing that seperates me from you guys is luck and timing and not much else. I, too, can be just a big, goofy geek sometimes – especially in the presence of someone I admire and respect. Like Izzard.

Or my wife. And what a wife she is. Excellent traveling companion, our for Ms. Schwalbach. I’d recommend her to you, but she’s all mine, thank God. So back off.

Got to shop in Paris. Hit some comic book stores where I found the French editions of the Daredevil stuff. I bought a few copies for the grandkids I hope I’ll have one day – sort of a “Gather ’round, youngun’s, and let Grandpa Kev tell ya’ll ’bout the time I wrote me one of them Eur-o-pean comic books” thing.

Did the most American thing I could while I was there as well, by spending a day at Disneyland Paris – the third happiest place on earth. You can buy beer in the park, which could only make something like Mister Toad’s Wild Ride (which – yes – they have) even more interesting. If you go, though, you’ll want to skip the park food – particularly the Mexican restaurant. It was – shall we say? – fucking gross (the food, not the park; the park was the same as it is here in the U.S., only much smaller.)

All in all, a great trip. The movie seems to be playing well over there, so hopefully, it’ll pan out for the foreign distribs.

A shout-out to James, our hand-holder who made us feel right at home in a land very, very far from Red Bank. Cheers.

And that’s about that – at least for now. Missed you guys, missed NewsAskew (as much as you think you’re addicted to that site, imagine how much I need a daily fix of Brad and Chris’ scoops.) Glad to be back in Jersey. Glad to be back here. Glad the movie’s still playing. Glad to see the baby again.

Heck – just glad in general, I guess

Q. I just saw “Dogma.” If it is blasphemous, it is Catholic blasphemy and God is not angry. Kevin Smith makes (perhaps unintentionally) four important points about God: God is incomprehensible, absent, strange and love. Very sound theology. Also, Catholic theology does work–or at least do the stories on which it is based.

A. Not all films with Catholic themes are so knowledgable. I just saw “End of Days,” in which Arnold Schwarzenegger does combat with Satan. The theology is not sound, but the plot is certainly incomprehensible, absent and strange.

“Just in time for the holidays, director Kevin Williamson hasreleased a potty-mouthed movie called Dogma that purportedly takes onthe Catholic church. The movie stars couple Ben Kingsley and Matt Damonas a pair of angels–but they’re no angels! Instead, they carry guns andcurse. I’m not a Catholic (I was raised a decent Lutheran), but I don’tthink it’s appropriate to mock a religion like that. Shame on Williamsonfor his bad taste and questionable judgment!”