Transgender Actress Laverne Cox To Star In New CBS Legal Drama ‘Doubt’.
Amidst all the debate about trans folk that clouds the news or your Facebook feed, thankfully we have actress Laverne Cox making headlines in a positive way. It was announced this week by CBS that Laverne will be starring in a new legal drama coming this year titled ‘Doubt‘. This marks the first time a broadcast TV series will have a transgender person playing a recurring transgender character.
The show will now star Katherine Heigl & Steven Pasquale as they are replacing the actors who starred in the original pilot episode. The only person to star in this new pilot and the first pilot is Laverne Cox. Cox will play an Ivy League lawyer named Cameron Wirth. The main story focuses on Heigl’s character and the relationship between one of her potentially guilty clients (Pasquale). I’d imagine Laverne’s character will play one of lawyers in the boutique firm that Heigl’s character runs.
This is also the second time that Laverne Cox will be on a major network this year. She’s been preparing to take on the iconic role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox’s ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show‘. With roles on Netflix, CBS, and Fox as well as major films, Cox is covering all sides of the entertainment industry.
With the addition of ‘Doubt‘, the 2016-2017 CBS season continues to grow. It joins other shows that include reboots of ‘MacGyver‘ and ‘Training Day‘; Matt LeBlanc’s ‘Man With a Plan‘; and Joel McHale’s ‘The Great Indoors‘.
The news is out, Supergirl will be getting a much-deserved season 2. The catch is she and her crew will be flying over to the CW. While the move to the smaller network might at first seem like a demotion, it’s actually good news. The maid of might was never a great fit for CBS. Here’s why she’ll fly higher in her new network home.
We get to see more Supergirl. Sure Supergirl season 1 wasn’t perfect, but the show has a lot of heart and good fun pure adventure moments. It will be great to see how they take the characters in season 2 and beyond. Hopefully, the CW will help the stress the fun and adventure.
The CW, which is becoming the DC channel, understands the superhero genre. Yeah sure CBS is the C part of the CW, and the head of CBS controls programming for the CW, but it’s still a better fit. The lesser powers that be at CW seem to relate to comics better than those CBS. As does their basic fan base. Hopefully, this will lead to a Supergirl that is more super. For instance, as stated in the dc.wiki.com Superman and Supergirl have no need to breathe and can travel faster than light when in space. She should not be threatened by quicksand or even flying in space. Plus, yeah while it was nice to be saved by “everyday people” Supergirl should never be saved by a hose and water.
Less pressure and more flexibility at the CW. The CW doesn’t demand “Big Bang” or “NCIS” numbers. This is the home (well with the WB) where Smallville ran for ten seasons, and Supernatural has run for a dozen seasons despite neither of them being a “Nielsen hit”. Supergirl was CBS’s second-highest rated new show with a 2.4 rating in that coveted 18-49 demographic. Still, that wasn’t good enough for them. If CBS had owned Supergirl, they probably would have kept the show. The $3 million licensing fee CBS had to pay made Supergirl a bit too expensive for their tastes. There will be none of that at the CW.
We will get to see more cross-overs. Now that Supergirl is shooting in Vancouver with ‘The Flash,’ ‘Arrow,’ and ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,’ it should make cross-overs much easier to do. Ideally, they would still keep Supergirl in her own world. After what just went down in Arrow with Dark dropping a nuclear weapon, it’s hard to believe that could happen in a world that has Supergirl or Superman. Also hope they don’t go overboard with guest visit cross-overs. Still a couple a season could make for good television. For instance Vibe meeting Martian Manhunter has amusing written all over it. Gee, with Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, Atom, Martian Manhunter we have the making of an excellent Justice League. Can a Green Lantern be far behind?
We get a full season 22 episode order. The writers and crew know from the start they will have 22 episodes to explore and expand on the world they built-in season one. Thus allowing them to plan accordingly. Who knows they may even figure out how to deal with the Superman issue.
Since the Angry Birds game release in 2009 it has become a pop-culture phenomenon. The game being downloaded 12 million times within ten months. It has been licensed to be made into toys and theme park attractions, been turned into a Finnish TV series and now made into a Hollywood film. But can a simple game be made into a compelling movie?
Red (Jason Sudeikis) is a short-tempered bird who lives in a tropical paradise. But after one incident too many Red is sentenced to anger management, spending his free time with the other misfit birds – Chuck (Josh Gad), a super-fast, inpatient bird, Bomb (Danny McBride) who blows up if upset or startled and Terence (Sean Penn) a very menacing large bird that doesn’t say much. When the pigs lead by Leonard (Bill Hader) land on the bird island he offers the hand of friendship, Red is the only bird who does not trust the new visitors and along with Chuck and Bomb, Red sets out to find the legendary Mighty Eagle to figure out how to get rid of the green-skinned swine.
Video games have a notorious reputation for being poorly translated onto the big screen. Even the best adaptations like Prince of Persia, Mortal Kombat and Silent Hill are either bang-average or only obtain a cult audience. Angry Birds has a thin premise, some limbless birds being flung at poorly constructed buildings to kill some limbless pigs. This shows in the movie as it tries to pad itself to run over 90 minutes. The movie has to use a number of montages and fantasy cutaways to extend itself – which proves that this product was devoid of ideas. Once or twice is okay but the movie relies on these techniques too much.
The Angry Birds Movie was written by Jon Vitti who has an impressive TV resume working on shows like The Simpsons, The Critic and the American version of The Office. But his filmography is not something to shout about – the only movies he has worked on being two Alvin and the Chipmunks sequels. Vitti and directors Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly (making their directional debut) give the movie a Looney Toons, slapstick – characters can shake off explosions to the face and be thrown into buildings without much problem. But because of the thin story, the movie would have worked better as a series of shorts than a feature film. The movie also suffers the curse that inflicts a lot of family movies – a reliance on using pop-culture gags that will date the movie quickly – such as references to photobombing, Instagram and things like Fifty Shades of Grey. The movie references The Shining, something that younger members of the audience are not likely to know. These sort of things are just lazy attempts to appeal to the adults in the audiences.
Red’s story arch is a little like Shrek in his first movie – he is an outsider who lives away from the rest of society and loses his home because of some outside force. Like the green ogre Red has anger issues and The Angry Birds Movie shares the Shrek movies fondness for pop culture humor.
The Angry Birds Movie does have an impressive voice cast and despite the film being a blatant cash-grab, the actors actually put effort into their performances. The main trio were perfectly fine, Sudeikis being the put-upon Red but still being sardonic, Gad has form playing animated characters – this time being a maniac but annoying ball of energy and McBride was a loveable lug. Peter Dinklage was a fun presence as the egotistical Mighty Eagle – he was basically a Zapp Branagan like figure and Dinklage was a lot more committed to playing the bird than he was playing a robot in Destiny. Maya Rudolph was the other major actor, playing a good-natured hippie who finds it difficult to deal with Red’s cynicism. Rudolph has some decent comedic timing, but the character was unremarkable.
The animation is of a good standard – it was bright and colorful, and there is great detail on the birds with their feathers. It was fluid, working particularly well when the movie is like the game where the birds are slingshot at the pigs’ hometown. It’s not Pixar or Dreamworks level, but there was talent that worked on the movie. The animation on the pigs was the weak point because they looked too smooth and simple compared to the details on the birds.
The Angry Birds Movie is a cash-in that has come too late: Angry Birds has passed the peak of its popularity. The film adaptation could easily have been a lot worst considering the flimsy source material, but there was some effort put into the production. In the end, this is a movie that has little reason or merit for it to exist.
Actors and directors get the credit and awards when they produce a memorable depiction of a character or setting on screen, and the rising popularity of online casino such as casinoonline.co.nz is ensuring that gamblers and casinos are what they are choosing to depict these days. On the silver screen casinos mean high-wire risk-taking, danger, glamour, and drama, giving them a great chance of being memorable. These are three of the best characters from Hollywood casino films.
The whole of this classic 1965 Steve McQueen film revolves around gambling, but it is the conclusion and the final hand against Lancey ‘The Man’ Howard (Edward G Robinson) that people remember. The Kid’s ‘bad beat’ loss is one of the great downer endings in movie history, but few could argue that it doesn’t provide a memorable conclusion to the film.
James Bond – Casino Royale
This 2006 Bond film starring Daniel Craig reinvented the franchise, and the casino shows the changes. Firstly, Bond plays Texas Hold’em, not baccarat, and secondly, he drinks Heineken rather than Martini. However, it is the genuinely nail-biting gaming duel with Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre that really makes this scene a winner.
Ace – Casino
This 1995 Las Vegas-set epic was the last collaboration (so far) between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, and it is full of memorable casino scenes. However, the one that seems to be remembered is when Ace (De Niro) spots a customer with his shoes off and feet up on the table in his casino – and has his heavies deal with him. Then the unfortunate customer receives a second going-over from Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci). It’s brutal, but unforgettable.
As you can see, whether it is poker, blackjack or roulette, there are memorable performances from Hollywood, but who out of these three would you put your money on in a battle of poker?
The mark of a truly great show comes not in the beginning when it’s ensnared your eyeballs but in the home stretch when it’s ridden those eyeballs far longer than they’ve ever meant to be ridden and yet you’re still yearning for another mile. I’m not quite comfortable calling this the ‘home stretch’ for Game of Thrones but, with a rumored 13-14 episodes left after this season, I’d say that’s a fair assumption. The genius of ‘Book of the Stranger’ is that it’s a connective tissue episode that is able to wrangle all sorts of emotional energy under the necessary plot mechanics. Like Breaking Bad or The Wire before it, Game of Thrones is able to treat every story beat like an ace up its sleeve.
Jon Snow insists that his turn as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch is finished. He has given up Longclaw to Dolorous Edd and intends to walk south because it must be warmer than at The Wall. Jon understands that the consequence for his actions in bringing Wildings south of The Wall was his murder and he refuses to be in a position to make that same mistake again.
Until Sansa Stark trots through the front gates of Castle Black and sees her brother for the first time in years (since season one). I’m not sure that Sansa and Jon have actually shared a frame of screen time together but the combined histories of these characters and their family carry an immense weight and it was an honest-to-goodness series payoff to see these two finally come together. The weight of the world lies upon these characters’ experiences and we as an audience carry that with them so that the moment they finally embrace is one of catharsis and true emotion which stands as a highpoint for the series*
At Castle Black we also see what consequence personified looks like as Brienne of Tarth meets Melisandre. Melisandre, infamously known for birthing the “smoke monster” which assassinated Renly Baratheon and backing Stannis Baratheon until Brienne killed him in the battlefield. No character in this show goes without meeting their maker or undoer and Melisandre’s fall from grace still isn’t complete. Sure, she may have resurrected Jon Snow but her comeuppance for the horrors she forced via the hand of Stannis have yet to be answered for. Melisandre and Brienne have much more to discuss.
Elsewhere, Robert Arryn has been left to slowly, slowwwlllyyy mature into the Lord of the Eyrie. When our great trusted friend, Littlefinger, returns bearing a falcon as gift to Robert, we’re reminded just who is actually in control of this important section of the world. Armies under Littlefinger’s control are a force to be reckoned with and it’s to be sure that whoever Baelish sees fit to raise his name in Westeros, he’ll back with that force.
Across the Narrow Sea, Tyrion’s ruling in Daenerys’ place has seen great blowback from not only the Masters in Essos but from his own counsel; Messandei and Grey Worm, both former slaves, want Tyrion to be the logical continuation of Dany’s stance on slavery. Tyrion, always the diplomat, understands that compromise is the way to peace and offers the same Masters who once held him in chains a deal to abolish their practices within seven years. Messandei and Grey Worm couldn’t be more appalled, yet stand at Tyrion’s side when dissenters come to decry Tyrion’s diplomacy with the Masters.
Tyrion’s actions since taking lead in Meereen are inarguably brash and arrogant but that is the exact attitude that served Tyrion to his highest political advantage in Westeros. I’d wager that sort of luck wouldn’t continue but Tyrion’s the type of character to keep playing aces even when we’ve seen them all played in front of us.
Back at the Red Keep, the High Sparrow has his claws sunk into Margaery Tyrell and allows her to see her brother for the first time since their imprisonment. The Sparrow is so cunning and malicious under the pretense of fealty to the Seven that his presence lingers over every inch of footage we see at King’s Landing. Margaery believes she has the upper hand against the High Sparrow and tries to convince Loras to hold fast to his beliefs. But Loras is finished. He has never been an exceptionally strong character and is always tied directly to the happiness and power of those around him. He doesn’t understand the consequence of giving up his considerable skill and strength but Margaery does. She has always been the stronger sibling despite Loras’ record in battle.
Theon, finally arriving back home at the Iron Isles cedes to his sister that he doesn’t deserve to be King. She has always been the stronger, smarter Greyjoy and he will back her in this endeavor which she will have to take up against at least one of her uncles**. Seeing the look on Theon’s face as he learns his manhood (re: his penis and testicles) has previously been sent to Asha and their father long before his unceremonious return was one of pure agony and I once again was hoping for some Theon redemption.
Checking in quickly with Ramsay Snow*** we see that he likes to skin his apples like he enjoys flaying his people. In an unfortunate but ultimately predictable bit, Osha is killed by Ramsay as she tries to seduce him like she would a Theon or some other simple schmuck in Winterfell or north of The Wall. It’s a harsh loss but one the show hasn’t been lamenting for a couple of seasons now. Osha is now far out of her league when it comes to dealing with Ramsay and doesn’t understand how this sort of psychopath works. She puts up a valiant effort but comes very short of granting the viewers’ wishes…
…Which Jon Snow agrees to take upon himself. Please, cue the excitement bell for Jon Snow featuring the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings vs. Ramsay Snow and the Boltons of Winterfell.
Rounding out ‘Book of the Stranger’ is the biggest ace the show has played since Tyrion killed his father.
It would be wrong to simply call Dany a damsel in distress as Jorah and Daario come to her aid in Vaes Dothrak. Yes, she’s captive and yes, there are two men who love her coming to set her free. But this is so much more than that. Season five was incorrectly maligned for having Dany captured by the Dothraki and setting her two heroes on a mission to find and rescue her.
The true consequence of Dany’s capture isn’t the death of the Dothraki but actually the total and complete paradigm shift in Dothraki culture. Like the change in slave laws in Essos, this action won’t go quietly into the night but it’s a sincere and powerful start to something greater as Dany walks from a Khal-killing blaze completely unharmed and naked to her people. When Dany entered the tent in which she so greatly disrupted Dothraki culture previously, she knew she had the upper hand. The Khals met to determine Dany’s ultimate fate and decided, due to her insubordination, that she would be raped by each Khal and bloodrider and horse (if there was anything left of her). In the end, the Khals were mistaken to believe their actions against The Mother of Dragons, The Breaker of Chains and The Unburnt would go without consequence.
Daenerys walks from the holocaust Unburnt, looking upon her newest people and army with which she’ll use to retake hold over Essos and eventually Westeros.
If only it were that easy on Game of Thrones. I’ll sit and bask in the joys and peaks this show gives me any day, but I feel like the shoe is about to drop hard on someone we love very, very soon. The story, the writing and the direction of this season has been surprising and exciting thus far. I see no reason for that to end anytime soon as these characters with rich histories and experiences continue to intersect and shape the ending to the TV version of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘Game of Thrones’:
**In another book-related note, the Greyjoy Kingsmoot occurs before Theon ever becomes free of Ramsay Snow’s clutches and provides some of the more interesting, if not painfully drawn-out political conversations in George R.R. Martin’s novels. The fact that Theon is behind Asha before the Kingsmoot takes place, I think helps the audience understand the importance of her winning the position over any of her uncles.
A reboot of Dungeons and Dragons is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Variety is reporting that Rob Letterman is on board to direct the film for Warner Brothers. The studio has remained committed to this project for some time but faced delays due to a lawsuit between Sweetpea Entertainment and Hasbro over who controlled the sequel rights.
New Line Cinema released the first Dungeon and Dragons film in 2001, and it drew mixed reviews and underwhelming ticket sales.
Rob Letterman most recently directed Goosebumps, which exceeded expectations at the box-office and has already been asked to helm the sequel for Sony Pictures.
Letterman started his directorial career in animation and is responsible for such films as Shark Tale and Monsters Vs. Aliens. His first foray into live-action films was the 2010 reboot of Gulliver’s Travels. From Gulliver’s Travels, he moved on to Goosebumps, which was his most successful live-action film to date.
Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis along with Courtney Solomon and Allan Zeman of Sweetpea Entertainment will produce the movie. David Lee Johnson has already written a script. Warner Brothers hasn’t announced any casting decisions, or any release dates yet.
Who would you want to see cast in the Dungeons and Dragons reboot?
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely the type of gal who needs a little blood and raunchiness in her horror movies. Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy films with elaborate story lines, inspirational character development, and plots that just deliver an overall feel good feeling, but when I’m watching horror these are just the least of my concerns.
Hailing all the way from Turkey, spawns the 2015 gory foreign horror film Baskin. For those who are faint at heart, or cannot stomach the idea of being an adult and reading subtitles for an hour and a half, this is not the film for you. Although some critics have labeled it as another “torture porn” flick, it’s seriously not to that extent but sinister in its own special way.
Baskin depicts a chilling nightmare of tale about a group of regular run of the mill cops, who encounter one of the worst back up callings of their lives. Although the story is laced with heavy usage of unclear dream symbolism and hints of stereotypical evil inspired superstitions, the movie slowly unravels an unforgettable hellish pit of intense gore and things you would rather not see bump in night.
The environment was very reminiscent of the ominous Silent Hill video game atmosphere, in the manner of each corner turned becoming creepier at each step. The mysterious tones may be off putting to some viewers as some need clear cut to the point answers within the first 15 minutes of a film, but I truly adored the anticipation of trying to figure what exactly my eyes are watching. It was as if a survival horror game had a love child with Clive Barkers’ Hellraiser but had some foreign brutal flare tossed in the mix.
Along with just beautiful overall cinematography, the movie had killer ambient yet industrial soundtrack in which was perfectly placed in the corresponding scenes. I also really enjoyed the overwhelming sense of hopelessness throughout the journey as well as not having any serious emotional ties to these very humanistic characters. Director Can Evrenol does a fantastic job of portraying a sense of universal yet American “bro-ship” among the group of cops which seamlessly tie into their utter vulnerability and delivers a terrifying lucid representation of the absolute worst things to witness on your first night on the job.
One thing to reflect upon when watching this movie is definitely Turkish culture. Although the majority of the film appeared quite Americanized from my point of view, it definitely took the idea of evil into its own hands. According to Seçkin Sarpkaya who is a researcher in Turkish culture, the word “yek” translates into “demon” or “devil” in old Turkish. Even more interesting is that “yek” derives from the word “yemek” which means “to eat”, and putting those two connections together presents cannibalism.
“In this text the demons that called “yek” are demons/monsters that wait at the crossroad, eat human flesh and drink human blood, wrap the guts of humans to their bodies, horrible faced, shout with ugly voices, hold tridents and flags in their hands, in the shape of a black giant, with fire-colored and tressed and beautify their bodies with venomous snakes.”
However without bringing any other spoilers to the table, this is the type of film cult horror movie fans have been waiting for! Baskin is available on multiple streaming outlets such as YouTube, Amazon, Google Play and iTunes, but will not be available on DVD until later this year.
It comes with great sadness to report on the passing of one of the great writers and artists Darwyn Cooke has passed away. This came not long after his family made a public statement on his recent arrival to a palliative care center to receive treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. The tragic news came from the blogAlmost Darwyn Cooke. His passing occurred at around 1:30 a.m., and Cooke was surrounded by friends and family in his home in Florida.
Cooke’s portfolio included many works that came to signify why it is we read, cherish, and idolize superheroes. Cooke worked for several comic book imprints, but his seminal works were within the DC pantheon. These works included taking on Will Eisner’s legendary character, The Spirit, a Batman/Spirit miniseries, Before Watchmen, and his most famous and revered work, DC: New Frontier. New Frontier, heavily inspired by the look and feel of the Silver Age of Comics, was even adapted into an animated film by DC.
Though the aesthetics of gritty and hard-hitting stories have been the current vogue of comic book series, it is important to remember why it is we look up to heroes in the first place. His use of vibrant colors in contrast to the blackness of night captured the very essence of good versus evil that has defined superheroes everywhere. They remind us of the potential we have to achieve dreams and goals we would never dare to try to accomplish.
Credit: DC Comics
Though we will never face a sentient island bent on wiping out all of humanity, costumed robbers, or meta-humans waging battle throughout the city streets, we still use these figures as the golden bar of who we want to be. Darwyn Cooke perfectly captured the majestic quality of what makes these heroes heroic.
No matter how terrible the enemy, how little there was of a chance of victory, or the cost to save another life, you knew these heroes were going to do what was needed to save the day. And you were rooting for them from the first splash page to the final fin of the story. That was all the result of Darwyn Cooke’s incredible ability to connect us with his characters, both in his writing and his artwork.
Credit: DC Comics
His stories did not shy away from controversial discourse, and he did not hide how these heroes were flawed. Even his darkest stories had a rough beauty to them. You could never turn your eyes away from the page as the story unfolded. Yet, even in the darkest of times, you never lost faith in the protagonist. They were the guiding light in a dark storm, and in those special moments in time, they were even real, for that brief, yet beautiful space of time.
Darwyn Cooke’s passing is a terrible loss to comic book fans, artists, and those who simply love a good story. He was and always will be, in my opinion, one of the exemplary craftsmen of sequential art. Our hearts, our condolences, our prayers, and our sorrow goes out to his friends, colleagues and family.
Marvel and ABC announced that they would not be being renewing Marvel’s Agent Carter for a third season earlier this week. This was not much of a surprise to most people since the ratings haven’t been very good from the beginning and the second season was not as strong as the first. However, the fans behind Agent Carter are vocal and very passionate about this character. Peggy Carter is the first women to helm her own Marvel property in the MCU era. It was a period piece looking at how women were treated in post-Word War II America. I can personally attest that when I attended San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con in 2015 there were a lot of cosplayers dressed as Peggy. There was even a flash mob of Peggy when Hayley Atwell and the cast were doing a signing at the Marvel booth.
No one should be surprised that someone has made a petition two days ago to see if we can find another home for the show. Right now the obvious contender is Netflix since they already have a partnership with Marvel and have been known to save shows in the past (Arrested Development, The Killing, Community). The comment section of the petition is littered with people talking about how important Peggy and Agent Carter is to them.
“I am signing because agent Carter is probably one of the only shows that shows women in such a positive light. It gave a character who started out as a love interest a true story and a positive role model for women,” wrote one comment.
“We need Peggy Carter. She represents everything that girls today are just now learning. Peggy Carter teaches girls that they are worth something. No other Marvel hero does that. Taking Peggy away from us takes away the role model so many look up to,” said another.
The petition has also even found support in Ms Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson.
At the end of the day will this make a difference? Probably not since star Hayley Atwell is already signed for another show on ABC but it’s nice to see so many people come out to support this character.
Darwyn Cooke had a vision of the DC Universe that was uniquely his own, yet embraced by everyone. Once you saw his timeless designs and concepts for Batman, Catwoman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or any other character, you immediately adopted his jubilant interpretation of these heroes as your own and wanted more. His take on the most iconic heroes in the world were breathtakingly direct and elegant, powerful and cool. His were some of the most beautiful, fun DC superhero images we have ever seen.
“Darwyn Cooke lived life like a character from a Micky Spillane novel, a throwback to a bygone era that was, more than occasionally, reflected in his work,” said DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio. “He was both compassionate and combative, approaching everything he did with a tenaciousness and temerity that is now unheard of in a world afraid to offend. The simplistic brilliance of his art and the natural flow of his storytelling not only elevated but enhanced all projects he touched and his passion and love of comics was reflected in every panel of every page. Working with Darwyn was not without its challenges. There were times we’d spend hours arguing over story then go months without talking, but we always found our way back, drawn together by the common bond and friendship comics creates. This is an industry-wide loss that I feel personally, but the sadness is mitigated in the knowing that the beauty and grace of his art will forever stand the test of time and be a monument to all that is great about comics.”
Darwyn was one of our medium’s true innovators. A gifted artist and master storyteller, Darwyn began his career as a magazine art director and graphic designer. After answering an ad placed by Warner Bros animator Bruce Timm, Darwyn entered the world of animation, where he contributed to such shows as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Men In Black: The Series. From there, Darwyn made the leap into print comics, where his character design was never more effective, enduring or entrancing. It was the look and honest simplicity of his characters for which Cooke became famous—as first seen in his breakout work Batman: Ego published over 15 years ago today and then followed up by his popular and critically acclaimed work on Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score and The Spirit. Even after 15 years, Darwyn’s design for Catwoman is still the one used today in both comics and inspired the look for Catwoman on the hit TV show, Gotham.
An Eisner-award winning artist and accomplished writer, Darwyn has been a much-loved and respected member of the comics community. He lent his signature retro style to all corners of the DC Universe, from Jonah Hex to Before Watchmen to Vertigo Comic’s The Twilight Children and, of course, his masterwork, DC: The New Frontier. His bold, direct style, often compared to the works of Joe Kubert, Alex Toth and Jack Kirby, reflected his down to earth, no nonsense personality. Darwyn Cooke always claimed that he was a lucky man to have such a wonderful family, friends, and such a wonderful life. He lived that life with the same brilliance and fearlessness that so permeated his work. And for those of us who knew this one-of-a-kind and genuine soul, we were lucky as well.
