#mark verheiden

[balu8]

Predator: Cold War #1

by Mark Verheiden; Ron Randall; Steve Mitchell; Chris Chalenor/Rachelle Menashe and Keith Bayne

Dark Horse

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Mask (1994)

If you were born in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, you idolized Jim Carrey at some point. In second grade, my class received an assignment to write a biography on our favorite Canadian sports athlete. I didn’t have one so I asked the teacher if I could do mine on Jim Carrey (he was born in Ontario). Four of my classmates asked the same thing. Carrey’s big break was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective but that film has aged so dreadfully its finale is unwatchable – even if you keep in mind it was made 30 years ago. A much better way to indulge your nostalgia for the comedian is to revisit Dumb and Dumber or today's movie: The Mask.

Insecure bank teller Stanley Ipkiss (Carey) finds a magical mask in the Edge City river. After putting it on, the mask transforms him into a green-faced, zoot suit-wearing extrapolation of his inner self. With his newfound powers and confidence, Ipkiss gets even with those who’ve wronged him and romances Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz), the beautiful singer at the exclusive Coco Bongo club. In the process, he crosses paths with gangster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene).   There have been several attempts to make a live-action Looney Tunes film, none as successful at bringing the series’ violent slapstick sense of humor to life as The Mask (and with Coyote vs. Acme being shelved by David Zaslav, that won't change anytime soon). Putting on the mask does more than alter Ipkiss’ appearance and give him the confidence to say and do what he’s always wanted to; it allows him to pull giant mallets out of thin air, survive explosions, re-inflate himself after being flattened, move so fast he looks like a spinning tornado, etc. Jim Carrey excels at playing loud, outlandish catchphrase-spewing characters, making this superhero origin story (the film is based on the Dark Horse comic by Mike Richardson) the perfect vehicle for him. He also fares quite well as lovable loser Stanley Ipkiss. He has great chemistry with the most memorable character in the film: Ipkiss’ dog, Milo. As far as movie pets go, there aren’t many who have as much personality as this adorable, occasionally aggressive, mischievous and deceptively smart (for a dog) Jack Russell Terrier. The pooch may not have a character arc, but its multiple gags build upon each other and Milo plays a critical part in the story.    If you expected me to name Cameron Diaz as the co-star with whom Carrey has the best rapport, I’m getting to her now. The two actors have chemistry but they don't quite sizzle like they should. Or maybe it’s that Diaz (in her film debut) is so stunning that a part of you dismisses any sparks between them – she should be with you. After donning the mask, Stanley howls like the wolf in 1943's “Red Hot Riding Hood” while he watches her perform at the Coco Bongo. You’ll be right there along with him. Seeing her, you remember the first time you saw Marilyn Monroe. All you can say is “Wow!”, which makes you all the more grateful to see that she can keep up with the dance numbers and comedic sequences. As a memorable aspect of the film, she’s got stiff competition between Carrey, the dog and the special effects but she nonetheless stands out.    The Mask is a pretty standard superhero story that’s elevated by its willingness to go all the way with its cartoon motif, the unforgettable one-liners and memorable characters. On top of everyone previously mentioned, there’s Lieutenant Mitch Kellaway (Peter Riegert), the police officer who suspects Ipkiss – even though no ordinary man could pull off the moves he pulls -, his dopey partner Detective Doyle (Jim Doughan) and several big scenes that will stick with you long after the film is gone. Partially because they are funny but also because they showcase the film’s use of music, dance and cartoon logic.    Special effects can often date a picture. Even if those are still (mostly) convincing, jokes that haven’t aged well can make you regret you ever hit "play". The Mask makes extensive use of special effects. They still hold up. When it comes to the jokes, the film does it right. There is a point where a mask-wearing Ipkiss starts turning into a Pepe Le Pew type… but the fact that he’s too much and that his overly aggressive would-be romantic gestures make Tina uncomfortable are both acknowledged and part of the gag.

I must’ve seen The Mask over a dozen times as a kid (mostly in French and on VHS) but that was years ago. I thought I only remembered the broad strokes but nearly everything came flooding back as soon as I started watching. Part of that I can attribute to repetition but also to the fact that this comedy is packed with memorable scenes, lines and characters. It holds up. (October 5, 2024)

[the-gershomite]

Predator Concrete Jungle -Trade paperback 2012- originally 4 issues in 1990

script by Mark Verheiden

pencils by Chris Wagner & Ron Randall

inks by Sam De La Rosa, Chris Warner & Randy Emberlin

colors by Chris Chalenor

letters by Jim Massara & David Jackson

cover by Den Beauvais

[vintagewarhol]

[smashedpages]

Happy birthday to Mark Verheiden!

[nerds-yearbook]

TEC agent (also known as timecop) Max Walker went back to 1929 to arrest his former partner who was taking advantage of the stock market crash. Walker learned his former partner was being pressured by a senator running for President in their own time. (Timecop, flm)

[smashpages]

Out this week: Borealis #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): 

Crime and the supernatural collide in this three-issue miniseries by screenwriter Mark Verheiden, Battlestar Galactica actor Aaron Douglas and artist Cliff Richards. The story features an Alaskan state trooper who is pulled into an investigation involving  a series of brutal murders and a frightening legend.

See what else is arriving in comic shops this week.

[comicarthistory]

Page from Superman #219. 2005. Art by Ed Benes.

[onlylonelylatino]

Green Arrow and Speedy by Louis Williams

[cinesludge]

Movie #46 of 2024: Timecop

McComb: "Look, don't expect to be my Chief of Staff if my slamming your face into the side of the car is gonna turn you into a sniveling worm."

[balu8]

Aliens Vol.2 #1

by Marh Verheiden; Denis Beauvais and Bob Pinaha

Dark Horse

[adamwatchesmovies]

Timecop (1994)

I think we’ve finally done it: we’ve found a good Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. While Timecop may have more than a few logical shortcomings, it delivers what you want from a mid-90s action film and unlike Bloodsport or Double Impact, this is the kind of picture you’d watch as a kid, revisit years later and find it still (mostly) holds up.

In 1994, we've developed the ability to travel through time. This prompts the Justice Department to establish the Time Enforcement Commission (TEC) to stop temporal criminals from altering the future. As police officer Max Walker (Van Damme) debates joining the force, he is ambushed outside his home and his wife (Mia Sara) is murdered. Ten years later, Max discovers that the man in charge of the TEC, Senator Aaron McComb (Ron Silver), has been blackmailing agents to set himself up as the next president of the United States.

Timecop begins with a cool premise. Anyone who’s seen a big company start from nothing has thought “What if I could go back and invest in them when their stocks were cheap?” From there, you can just picture the kind of scenes we'll get: as TEC agents rush to preserve the present while future weapons blast through speakeasies, time travelers pretend they're fortune tellers, etc.

Another strength is the film’s self-awareness. In any other movie, Max would have to figure out who the puppet master behind his wife’s murder and the blackmailing is, only finding out during the second or third act. This is despite the audience taking one look at Ron Silver and screaming “Guilty!” In Timecop, Max learns Senator McComb is dirty immediately. The problem is that time travel is such a powerful ability that you can’t just go and arrest him. If Max makes one wrong move, someone might travel back to 1994 and have him erased! Not that the film is all that cerebral. In fact, the time travel is a block of Swiss cheese compared to what we saw in Terminator 2 (released three years earlier).

The appealing premise of Timecop and the easily-fixable flaws make it a prime target for a remake. An example of a logical hole that needs filling is the TEC itself. There is more than one scene where Max returns from the past to find the future altered. He’s never briefed to find out if his (supposedly successful) mission has completely mangled history. Another flaw is the time travel mechanism itself. When you go to the past, you hop onto this high-speed canister thing that fires itself forward on rails. To return, you use a device you can carry on your person. Either make it consistent or explain why we have both. Finally - and this is going to hurt the Muscles from Brussel’s fans - there's Van Damme. He’s… fine in terms of conveying emotion but several action scenes feel like they’ve been inserted purely to show off the man's ability to do the splits or his muscles.

While Timecop doesn’t explore its time travel premise to the fullest and it doesn't take much effort to find an aspect of it that doesn't hold up, you could say that about many pictures featuring someone traveling to the past. The bad guys are sufficiently slimy and dispatched in memorable ways. The film understands what you want to see and then delivers. Sometimes, that’s enough. (November 12, 2021)

[the-gershomite]

Predator: Cold War -1991-

Dark Horse comics (1-30 of 98) trade paperback

script art by Mark Verheiden

pencils by Ron Randall

inks by Steve Mitchell

colors by Chris Chalenor & Rachelle Menashe

letters by Clem Robins

cover by Ray Lago

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

PERFECTION INCARNATE -- BIOWEAPON SECURED.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on the added panel in the Library Edition reprint of "Aliens: Nightmare Asylum," a.k.a., "Aliens: Book Two" and "Aliens, Vol. 2: Nightmare Asylum," a four-issue limited comic book series that was first published by Dark Horse Comics from August 1989-May 1990. Artwork by Den Beauvais.

Source: https://avp.fandom.com/wiki/Aliens:_Nightmare_Asylum.

[coverpanelarchive]

Action Comics Weekly #639 (1989)

[nerds-yearbook]

With cover date March, 1989, DC Comics relaunched "The Phantom" comics line. ("Guns", The Phantom, Comic, Event)