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John Carter (Barsoom) to a Edgar Rice Burrough's fan a good movie.

soundmotor said:
I saw the film in the theater without regrets. I liked it a lot and it is too bad there will not be more.
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I did some reading on this last night and there might be. Although the movie didn't do well box office wise here in the US it did do very well overseas.
Perhaps they do more "book reading" over-all overseas than we do here.
 
dosmalo said:
Doesn't Disney do the Marvel flicks? If so - meh, we don't need no stinkin' Disney!:smoke:
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Disney owns the trifecta: Pixar, Marvel, and Lucas Film. Oh yea, and ABC TV. But, Disney is pretty hands off with those studios, allowing them creative freedom. I just don't understand how they can be so hit and miss, with their own material. Though, while I didn't love John Carter, I do love the Marvel flicks. Those have been amazing. Kevin Feige can do no wrong. :D
 
I thought the film was strong on special effects but weak on everything else.

If they could have made it look more like the Frazetta covers and a bit more campier maybe it would have been better. To be honest I can't remember that much about it. A successful film would have made some new John Carter fans.

I remember seeing the third Star Trek movie release in 1984 and liking it the best of (then) three movies. To me it reminded me of a sort of second-rate third year series Original Star Trek episode...that is why I found it the most fun. The recent Sword Of Shannara catastrophe is an example of losing the feel from the original story. I don't think the Carter movie got the feel of the books. But I can't even remember if I read any of them so I might not be qualified to judge.
I think there might have been a John Carter comic book in the 70s.

I want to say that the comic book company that put out the Twilight Zone comic books in the 70s had a John Carter of Mars series that they put out. Gold Key? I should google but sometimes I like to let my memory tell me.
 
icenine said:
I want to say that the comic book company that put out the Twilight Zone comic books in the 70s had a John Carter of Mars series that they put out. Gold Key? I should google but sometimes I like to let my memory tell me.
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Had to be. If you wanted to read any comics with any kind of real literary significance it was Gold Key Comics.
 
I have a fairly good collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs writings. The Pellucidar novels of which a total of 7 where published, I have all but the 7th, Savage Pellucidar (1963) published 12 years after ERB's death and are a collection of short stories he wrote in the 1940's. With the exception of a 1st edition copy of Tarzan of the Ape none of ERB's book have much in the way of collectors value and even then not much unless you have a signed copy.

I really think that the only way we are going to see a good cinematic version of any of the ERB's science fiction books is to have it done in Japanese style anime preferably by a Japanese animation studio. Imagine a anime "Princess of Mars" done in the style of Frank Frazetta. :bowdown:

frazetta-jc1.jpeg
 
dosmalo said:
Had to be. If you wanted to read any comics with any kind of real literary significance it was Gold Key Comics.
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DC Comics was the main state side publisher they did Carson of Venus, Carter of Mars, Tarzan etc. However the best are the adult comics put out by publishers like Dynamite Comics which was founded in 2004. Imagine this image in a anime style cartoon. This cover is the way ERB envisioned his characters.

6a0105369aa6eb970c01a73dc89591970d-pi
 
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IMO the one regular comic book artist that got closest to Frazetta was Gene Colan with Marvel.
I always thought his work was amazing too.
 
transmaster said:
The Pellucidar novels of which a total of 7 where published, I have all but the 7th, Savage Pellucidar (1963) published 12 years after ERB's death and are a collection of short stories he wrote in the 1940's. With the exception of a 1st edition copy of Tarzan of the Ape none of ERB's book have much in the way of collectors value and even then not much unless you have a signed copy.
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I'm trying to remember if I ever read all of the Pellucidar books? I don't think I have. Plus, I'm not sure about the Venus books either. But, I started reading Burroughs in the mid 70's, so it's been a while. Whether I've read them or not, they'll seem new, when I restart them.

The problem with Burroughs, like Robert E. Howard, they were basically pulp writers. They won't be held in high esteem, regardless of how commercially successful they were. No matter the fans. Though, at least Burroughs has Tarzanna! Not too bad.

transmaster said:
I really think that the only way we are going to see a good cinematic version of any of the ERB's science fiction books is to have it done in Japanese style anime preferably by a Japanese animation studio. Imagine a anime "Princess of Mars" done in the style of Frank Frazetta.
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Well, we at least have "Fire and Ice", until then. And if you don't know what that is, find it and watch it! A Ralph Bahski directed animated fantasy film, drawn and animated in the style of a Frazetta painting! A pretty decent story too. Worth a watch. Director Robert Rodriguez is a huge Frazetta fan, and has been working on a live action version of Fire and Ice, for some time now! I hope it see's the light of day soon!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085542/

http://io9.gizmodo.com/sonys-letting-robert-rodrgiuez-finally-make-fire-and-ic-1673094147


poster-2225.jpg
 
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dosmalo said:
Had to be. If you wanted to read any comics with any kind of real literary significance it was Gold Key Comics.
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Yes I think in the 70s Gold Key put them out in small half-comic book sized anthologies that were reprinted from the 60s. Yeah the Twilight Zone series had some good stories.
 
As far as I know the Carson on Venus was just one book but a good one.
As far as I'm concerned someone had a marketing brainstorm when they published these with Frazetta covers. I had already been an Eerie and Creepy fan which used a lot of Frazetta artwork on their covers and even a PSA ad in the back about quitting smoking (remember the surfers? one too "winded from the smoke?")
I probably wouldn't have been as interested in these E. R. B. books had they another artist's work.
Something about the Frazetta's set the stage for the stories in each one.
I'm being a little biased here but I don't think anyone has ever come close to Frank Frazetta. Lots of imitators but never a duplicator.
Like Burroughs and Howard, he was a one of a kind and they all went together like bread and butter.
 
I read the first 3 Carter books and loved them.

I wish the movie would have just kept with the first book. I think it would have made a better movie. Seemed like they were combining 3 books into 1 movie.
 
dosmalo said:
As far as I know the Carson on Venus was just one book but a good one.
As far as I'm concerned someone had a marketing brainstorm when they published these with Frazetta covers. I had already been an Eerie and Creepy fan which used a lot of Frazetta artwork on their covers and even a PSA ad in the back about quitting smoking (remember the surfers? one too "winded from the smoke?")
I probably wouldn't have been as interested in these E. R. B. books had they another artist's work.
Something about the Frazetta's set the stage for the stories in each one.
I'm being a little biased here but I don't think anyone has ever come close to Frank Frazetta. Lots of imitators but never a duplicator.
Like Burroughs and Howard, he was a one of a kind and they all went together like bread and butter.
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There were 5 of the Carson Venus books.
I just reread the Barsoom books, and now I'm finishing the various Rick Riordan Demigod novels. I think I might start those Venus books next.

As to Frank Frazetta, he was just an amazing painter and illustrator. Such energy, motion, and use of color. Incomparable. I fell in love with his work, from the very first cover I saw of his. Heck, I think I joined The Science Fiction Book Club, since Frazetta was illustrating a lot of the book covers, being featured as Books of the Month selections. If anyone hasn't seen it, the Frazetta: Painting With Fire (2003) documentary is a must see. It's a good look at Frazetta's background, as well as showing his influence in the movie industry.
 
jimfet said:
I liked the movie alot. If you would have heard nothing from the critics, I think it would have been a hit.
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Critics where swooning over the movie "Interstellar" which I thought was one of the worse Science Fiction movies I have ever seen. The Hans Zimmer soundtrack couldn't even save it.
 
transmaster said:
Critics where swooning over the movie "Interstellar" which I thought was one of the worse Science Fiction movies I have ever seen. The Hans Zimmer soundtrack couldn't even save it.
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jimfet said:
I liked the movie alot. If you would have heard nothing from the critics, I think it would have been a hit.
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Very much agree with these comment(s) concerning pretty much everything now-a-days with the so-called critics but personally I enjoyed Interstellar (maybe because I was at home watching it and it was so weird) and I like John Carter also more than likely because I was familiar with the story line (wonder how many critics have read the books?) but I also liked Gravity and I saw that one at the theater.
I know there was a lot of dissension with Gravity here on AK after it opened but....I kind of liked that one too.
I'm not real good with just giving myself up and going with something but I did that one and enjoyed it.
 
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