Tag Archives: Constantine

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Justice League: Dark – Review

Are you a fanboy or fangirl who misses NBC’s short lived series about DC’s magical bad boy John Constantine? Then you need to get your hands on the recently released Justice League: Dark, DC’s latest offering from their animated film division. Constantine lead Matt Ryan returns to voice the character, who is the focal point of a new group of magic-based heroes brought together by Batman to deal with a problem out of the Justice League’s wheelhouse.

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Ryan brings all the charm that he brought to the live action series to this voiceover work. He is definitely the standout in this movie and I am hoping this is not the last time we find him voicing Constantine.

The movie borrows from the early issues of the New 52 comics series Justice League: Dark. The team includes fan favorites like Zatanna, Deadman and Etrigan the Demon, and more obscure heroes like Black Orchid too.

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The screenplay was written by legendary Justice League writer J.M. DeMatteis, and directed by DC Animation all-star Jay Oliva. Right there, you know DeMatteis is bringing both great humor and great drama to the script and Oliva is bringing the insanely well choreographed fight scenes that he’s known for. Neither gentleman disappointed. It’s interesting watching this movie with its more mystical fight scenes. I feel like this is out of Jay Oliva’s usual domain, which usually leans heavily on martial arts.

Producer James Tucker continues to prove why he was Bruce Timm’s rightful heir to the DC Animation throne. The worldbuilding that started in Justice League: War continues here, with a huge leap in characters this time. Most Justice League movies give us one or two new characters, but this movie gives us a whole squad (and brings in John Stewart briefly too!). Characters like Zatanna and The Demon haven’t been seen in animated fare since the JLU days.

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Like every other DC animated movie, the special features are as good as the main movie. We get a Swamp Thing featurette on the Justice League: Dark disc. Swamp Thing’s co-creator, Len Wein, and a host of other creators who worked on the character are interviewed. The best part was listening to how Len Wein gushed over Kelly Jones when Kelly was first coming up in the industry, and how happy he was to work with him the recent Swamp Thing comic series.

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I really liked Justice League: Dark, and definitely recommend buying it. There is a limited edition version that is worth picking up if you can find it. It includes a John Constantine figurine in the art style of this movie. Amazon has it for sale here.

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NYCC’16: Sitting Down With Matt Ryan and the Team Behind Justice League: Dark

This January, DC Animation is spotlighting the occult heroes of the DC universe in Justice League: Dark. Like the team in the comics, this team deals with cases in the magical realm, cases that the main Justice League team isn’t adept at handling. Executive Producer James Tucker, Director Jay Oliva, Batman voice actor Jason O’Mara, Constantine voice actor Matt Ryan and character designer Phil Bourassa held a panel on Saturday on NYCC’s Main Stage and also sat down with The Beat beforehand to talk about the upcoming animated movie.

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If there is anything about Justice League: Dark that people are talking about, it’s that Constantine TV series star Matt Ryan was cast to play Constantine in Justice League: Dark. When asked if it was difficult to play Constantine as a voice actor as opposed to live action, Matt Ryan replied, “Ultimately the DNA of the character is the same. I love the character so much. There is so much more to explore with him. With a character like that, I just feel lucky that I had the opportunity to play him. I thought about taking a trenchcoat with me to wear in the booth. I feel blessed to play him again.”

If Matt Ryan could play any other DC character? “Wonder Woman.” That’s right. Wonder Woman. You heard it here first.

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Director Jay Oliva felt very lucky to get Matt Ryan cast as Constantine. He elaborated, “I never know what I’m going to be working on until they drop a script on my desk. They said you’re going to do Dark, and I asked if Swamp Thing was in it, and they said yes, and I asked is Constantine in it, and they said yes, and I asked if I could get Matt Ryan, and they said yes.”

Speaking of Swamp Thing, Jay confided that “We were trying to do a Swamp Thing direct to video for years and it never came to be,” so he was very happy to be able to include Swamp Thing in this movie. Designer Phil Bourassa did about a dozen concept drawings when coming up with the look of Swamp Thing for the movie. “I was just having so much fun with it. Finally, I had one I really liked and that’s the one I pitched to James Tucker and DC, and that’s the one they went with,” Phil said. Would he change the look for a Swamp Thing solo movie?  “If we were to do a solo film with Swamp Thing, we might take a different approach. With these characters, they’re the freaks and the monsters. They’re more off the wall and bizarre. There’s much more latitude, like when we’re introducing villains. but we turn it on its head because they’re the heroes,” he elaborated.

As for the designs of the characters, “With Dark, I wanted to show what I would like to see in a live action version of these characters.” In regards to the special effects designs in the movie, Jay Oliva said, “I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan, so for the look of the magic, I looked at my old video games and took what I liked from them.”

Batman is the Justice League main team member who is also on the Dark team. Batman voice actor Jason O’Mara has played Batman in seven animated movies now. When asked what separates his portrayal of Batman from others who have donned the mantle of the caped crusader, O’Mara responded, “It’s the only one where he’s a father. In the Justice League, Batman can give out orders knowing that they’re adults, but sending your own son into danger, that’s a different thing.”

Who is Jason O’Mara’s favorite portrayal of Batman on-screen? Michael Keaton. O’Mara elaborated, “I always felt that Michael Keaton had a great balance. He was dark, but had a wry, mercurial sense of humor. I felt the other actors either went too much one way or the other. In Justice League: Dark, there’s a lot of opportunity for Batman to throw out some glib comments. I like my Batman. It’s in its own little corner. We’re in uncharted territory right now, in regards to his relationship with Damian. I’m interested to see where we’re going to go next with that.”

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Executive Producer James Tucker with the promo poster for Justice League: Dark.

James Tucker said that his goal when taking the reigns of the animated DC universe from Bruce Timm “was to bring in more characters into TV. The best way to do it was to introduce them in existing titles. That’s the goal of using the main headliners to jumpstart the other franchises.” Will we see other mystical DC heroes like Lucifer brought into the animated universe anytime soon? James Tucker said, “Lucifer? Buy this one. We’ll get a sequel, and then yeah, sure. Yay, devil.”

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 71 – So Much TV News! Flash! Arrow! Agents of SHIELD!

There is so much comic book related TV news in the new episode of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast! Find out which shows are returning next fall, and which aren’t (Constantine, RIP)! Plus, Billy and Dave give you their picks on what comic books should be picking up this Wednesday, and review Avengers: Age of Ultron, iZombie Vol 3 and Secret Wars #1! This episode is jam packed with content! Give it a listen!

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Note: This episode contains spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 43

It’s Tuesday night aka podcast time! In the latest installment of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, Billy and Dave preview new comics coming out Wednesday, October 29, 2014, including the smells-like-weed Harley Quinn Annual #1 from DC Comics.

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The guys also review a lot of comics. They’ve both been digging into the Marvel Comics Unlimited app, so get ready for reviews of comics new and old. And since there was a new issue of Multiversity last week, get ready for the guys to go deep into detail on Multiversity: The Just #1. Plus, hear the guys’ thoughts on the pilot of Constantine and the Avengers trailer!

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NYCC 2014 – Thursday Panel Highlights

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Have you looked at the panel list for New York Comic Con 2014? There are A LOT of panels this year! Yes, there are a lot of panels every year, but I feel that this year there are more, a lot more. Wading through the entire list of panels can be time consuming, so that’s why we’re here to give you our picks for the not-to-missed panels of NYCC 2014!

In past years, the Thursday panels have seemed like little more than afterthoughts. That’s not the case this year, with big names presenting big things on the first day of NYCC!

The doors to NYCC open at 12 noon on Thursday, giving you a full hour to buy exclusives, pick up merch and autograph tickets, and check out the show floor before heading to the first panels of the con at 1 PM.

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Walt Disney Studios Presents an Exclusive Look at Tomorrowland and Walt Disney Animation Studios Presents a Exclusive Look at Big Hero 6 – Main Stage 1-D

I’m surprised this panel isn’t on Sunday, aka Kid’s Day, because it would be PACKED! As it is, I’d still expect a crowd, as you’re getting previews of both Tomorrowland and Big Hero 6, AND Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams (Big Hero 6) and Brad Bird (Tomorrowland) will be at this panel! If those names don’t ring a bell, Don Hall and Chris Williams directed a little movie called Frozen, and Brad Bird directed two of my favorite animated movies ever, The Iron Giant and The Incredibles.

1:00 PM – 1:45 PM – Friend of Comic Vine – 1A21

I consider myself a Friend of Comic Vine. I’ve helped update their wiki, participate on their message boards (though sadly not as much as I’d like to recently), and even wrote an article that’s currently sitting on their front page. I’ve met EIC Tony Guerrero and Gregg Katzman before (both of who are great guys). If you’re an active user of Comic Vine, I would consider this a can’t-miss panel, as it’s your chance to meet your fellow Viners in person. Not to mention that Brian Buccellato, Jimmy Palmiotti and Josh Fialkov will be there too.

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM – Game of Thrones Fan Forum – Featuring Kristian Nairn and Natalia Tena – Empire Stage 1-E

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Hodor! Osha (or Tonks for you Harry Potter fans)! Both will be at this panel dedicated to our favorite HBO show. A word of warning – if you haven’t read the books, be wary about attending this panel. Spoilers abound when fans start asking questions.

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM – Doctor Who Comics Panel – 1A10

IDW recently launched two new Doctor Who series, one focused on the 10th Doctor, David Tennet, and one focused on the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith. And right around NYCC, another series featuring the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will launch. This panel will have writers Nick Abadzis, Robbie Morrison and Rob Williams, and artist Simon Fraser. Plus, every attendee will walk out with some Doctor Who swag.

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM – ComicsPro “So You Want to Be a Comics Retailer?” – 1A05 

Are you thinking about quitting your day job and following your dream to talk and sell comics all day? If so, this panel is for you. Actual comic book retailers will be on hand to answer your questions. Come prepared.

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM – 50 Years of Fandom! How Comics Took Over the World – 1A06

I was ready to write this panel off until I saw that the panel guests included Maggie Thompson and Michael Uslan. This should be a very informative panel about the history of comic book conventions in particular and fandom in general.

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Skybound’s The Walking Dead – Empire Stage 1-E

If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead from Image Comics, this is a must-go-to panel for you! Robert Kirkman will be there! Do you need another reason? No, I didn’t think you did.

5:00 PM – 5:45 PM – Image Comics – I is for Immersive – 1A21

This panel had me at Jamie McKelvie. The former artist of the dearly missed Young Avengers, and current artist of the excellent Image Comic, The Wicked + The Divine, will be on hand. I’m guessing Wicked + Divine writer Kieron Gillen will be there too, though he’s not listed as of yet (but will be at NYCC). Also at this panel: Brandon Montclare (Rocket Girl), Kelly Sue Deconnick (Pretty Deadly) and Kyle Higgins (C.O.W.L.). Head here straight after The Walking Dead panel.

5:15 PM – 6:45 PM – Design Your Own Cape with Art Force Five – Family HQ 1C02

If you’re bringing your kid with you to NYCC on Thursday, take them to this! Your kid (and you too, why not?) can design his or her very own superhero cape, picking out the color and the emblem. Don’t have a kid? I don’t think you need one to attend this, and everyone needs a cape!

The show floor closes at 7:00, so you can either head home, head to an after party or head to these late panels.

6:45 PM – 7:45 PM – Adam West & Batman: The Complete Television Series – Main Stage 1-D

The Adam West Batman series is finally coming to DVD and Blu Ray this fall with an official release from Warner! I. Cannot. Wait.

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7:15 PM – 8:00 PM – Firefly Online: Bringing Back the Verse – 1A06

Firefly is back! Yes, it’s as a video game, not a TV show, but it’s a video game that you and all your browncoat friends can play together. Plus, Andrea Romano will be on the panel. Andrea Romano makes every panel better. Hmmm…I wonder if they’ll be giving out beta keys.

7:15 PM – 8:00 PM – Bleeding Cool – The Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll of Comics Revealed – 1A24

Start you day with a Comic Vine panel and end it with a Bleeding Cool panel. Bleeding Cool has picked up on stories we’ve run here, but that’s not why I’m recommending this panel. Rich Johnston is a very entertaining and very polarizing fellow in the comics industry. I have nothing but love for Rich, as Bleeding Cool is a site I check daily. This should be a VERY fun panel, full of rumors and innuendo.

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM – Sketch Fighter – 1B03

Well, this looks like a lot of fun! Comic book artists and stand-up comics will go head-to-head in what appears to be a Win, Lose or Draw type game show. Plus, all the art made during this show will be auctioned off at the end, with the money going to The HERO Initiative. No word yet on what artists on participating

8:30 PM – 10:30 PM – WB Preview Night Screening – The Pilot Episode of Constantine and the Season Two Premiere of The 100 – Main Stage 1-D

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It’s a WB double feature! Want to see the pilot of Constantine two weeks early? Go here! I wonder which they’ll show first. I’m hoping it’s Constantine, just because I’ve never seen The 100. I wouldn’t be surprised if they show The 100 first, knowing that most people are showing up to see Constantine.