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Well, congratulations, on this book, Election Daze: What Are They Really Saying? This is about your 400th book right? |
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Uh, I can't count, but this is one that's very close to my heart because it's, I think a very funny book, and it's something everybody's interested in, photographs of all the people involved in the election campaign today with my own dialogue balloons over their heads as to what I think they might be saying or perhaps what they should be saying. |
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Yeah but this is, looking through the book it's exactly, I mean it very much has that feel of a comic book. |
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Well that's the whole idea, see comic books are so easy to read and they're so enjoyable really so I figure if you can do a real book and make it as easy to read and as enjoyable, and even funnier than your average comic book, you're home free. |
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Well you mentioned it, people know you for, for the satirical commentary you write and everything and I know Iron Man you hadn't seen before going to [the premiere], humor-wise, writing-wise did it live up to what you'd hoped for? |
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Iron Man was just great, just great, and of course, my cameo was so superb it just made the movie. |
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It was, now we talked about how we thought they cut out your line (SL: They did) they did. |
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I've consulted my lawyers and we'll see how it shakes out. |
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You chastised Jon Favreau afterwards right? (SL: laughs) |
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Funny thing is, he wrote the line! And then he cut it out. (Intv: I'd give him a hard time) Maybe I didn't say it well. |
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Well now all these characters that you've created over the years, they're all coming to life right now, and in a big way especially in the next couple years leading up to The Avengers, did you ever in a million years imagine that it would take this long to make these movies? Or is this the right time for them to be movies? |
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Well, I never even thought that they would be made into movies until a few years ago, they couldn't do it earlier because they didn't have the special effects. Today, I was talking to a number of directors and they all said the same thing, 'There is nothing you can imagine that they can't put on the screen now.' So this is the perfect time obviously for comic book movies, I'm sorry, superhero movies. |
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Now are you gonna go start creating something new? Have they said, 'hey, maybe we need some new ones' to continue beyond The Avengers? |
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I'm working on that now, we have, I have a new little company called POW! Entertainment, and we have a um, a first look deal with Walt Disney company and we have three movies now being developed at Disney and I'm doing a few superhero projects for television so, I try to keep my hand in. |
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Now are you working with Richard Branson, is that true? |
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Uh yes, oh that's another thing, we made a deal with Virgin, Virgin Publishing and I'm gonna do a line of comics for them another universe, I mean I've done the Marvel universe, why stand still? |
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Exactly yeah, no when I talked to you last year one of the, I think those three that you were working on maybe for Disney was going to be Jessica Simpson, is that still happening? |
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No, no that was another thing that didn't have to do with Disney and that is still something that, that's a little further down the line, its hard for me to keep track, there are some things that are immediate, some we get into right after that, and some that, if we ever get to them we'll do them. |
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I'm really curious about your take on the evolution of superheroes, how have you seen them change through the years? |
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Well, now that everybody knows there are older readers, they're written in a more sophisticated way then they had been years ago, but other than that, I mean, they're the same, it's the same good versus evil, a guy with superpower, fighting a super villain who hopefully has even more superpower to make it interesting and I don't think that formula will ever change. |
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Though with the guys of Iron Man, he's not, he doesn't really have the superpowers, he's a self-created superhero? |
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That's right, there are those too, but, the thing that he created, gives him superpower, when he's in that iron armor, he is, well he's as much of a superhero as anybody could be. |
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Quite possibly the best superhero yeah, last thing I wanna ask you, this documentary that you're working on, about yourself, what's it like going back and looking at all the stuff you've done in your life? |
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Well I haven't really been doing that, I'm not really doing the documentary, somebody else, in fact I was a little embarrassed by it, but they insisted and they've been working on it for a year and a half and they're doing all the research and looking at the old stuff, I have no idea where they are or what they're doing, but they hope to have it finished perhaps even in time for the uh, Comic-Con in San Diego this July which is very exciting to me, I can't wait to see it. |
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Yeah, well, there will be a big Marvel presence there I understand so that'll be quite thrilling for everyone to see that, take on you. |
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Uh you're right, there will be a Marvel presence, and a POW presence and a Virgin presence and a Disney presence and I try to be involved in a lot of different things. |
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It's so crazy I mean pardon me or asking how old are you 83? (SL: 85) 85, this is a whole second wind of your life right? |
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That's cuz I'm a late model 85, no but its fun. |
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Well thank you so much congratulations on the book always a pleasure speaking with you, take care, have fun with these guys today. |
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And if you wanna really ingratiate yourself with me, you'll send me a tape or a DVD, you know where to reach me? (Intv: We do) |