Laugh Tracks

Pooch Café Creator Inks Movie Deal with Sony!

Great news to follow-up yesterday's post (and demonstrating why creator blogs are such a good thing). This morning Paul Gilligan announced on his Pooch Café blog that he has reached a movie deal with Sony, producers of the CG films Open Season and Surf's Up, to bring a computer-animated Poncho and the rest of the gang to the big screen!

Fans know Pooch Café is full of material - the Poncho/Chazz/Carmen triangle, Poncho and friends plotting against the neighborhood cats, Poncho's field trips with Fish. And who isn't already dreaming about a "fully-operational" Cat-Catapult in the film's final act?

Keep watching Paul's blog and this one for updates, as the next year or so will see the first stages of development, including story and character designs. Congratulations, Paul!

New Line picks up Drafted from Devil's Due

More GoComics movie news today, as New Line has picked up the film rights to Drafted, one of the newest titles from comic book publisher Devil's Due. Drafted is one of the featured titles in the Devil's Due collection that will be available on mobile phones in early 2008 through the GoComics mobile comic book reader. (Read The Hollywood Reporter's New Line story here and the GoComics-Devil's Due mobile announcement here.)

In Drafted, an alien race makes contact with Earth only to bear the grim news that another alien race has plans to invade and destroy humankind. Earth's inhabitants have no choice - they must prepare for war or face certain destruction...

Lio Coming to the Big Screen!

Its debut last year was the buzz of the comic strip industry. Now in its second year, Mark Tatulli's Lio is making headlines once again, as Variety reports that the wildly popular dark comic strip is being optioned for a live-action feature film! Producer David Kirschner, whose credits include the "American Tail" and "Curious George" films, will bring Lio to life with the help of producing partner Corey Sienega. Read all about it here.

Lio has been a huge hit since it debuted in 100+ newspapers in May 2006. Since then the strip's audience has grown to include the readership of 275+ newspapers all over the world. The first Lio collection, Happiness is a Squishy Cephalopod, was released in August.

TMNT Movie Prequel Comic Books on Your Mobile Phone!

Leading into the highly-anticipated new TMNT film, Mirage has produced five comic books based on the pre-production and back-story notes of director Kevin Munroe. Each comic spotlights one character - Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo and April O'Neil - and follows them into the beginnings of the film.

The first two prequel comics will be available on mobile phones March 22nd (the day before the film hits theatres) from GoComics:

Raphael - Story by Steve Murphy with art by Fernando Pinto. Prequel #1 focuses on Raphael's growing disillusionment with his brothers and sensei, his increasing use of violence and the strange discovery that might provide the solution to his problems. Not to mention lots of kick-butt dark-of-night ninja action! (Sample page below)

Michelangelo - Story by Jake Black with art by Mr. Exes and Ryan Brown. Prequel #2 focuses on Michelangelo's secret identity as the children's entertainer Cowabunga Carl! When a purse-snatcher interrupts Carl's gig at a hockey game, can nunchaku ninja action and Casey Jones be far behind? It's a face-off, and in more ways than one!

More TMNT movie comics will follow on mobile in the weeks to come. The TMNT movie prequel comics will join the GoComics Mobile Comic Book Reader archive, which already features the current Tales of the TMNT series and special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issues.

To get TMNT comic books, wallpapers, games and more on your mobile phone, visit www.gocomics.com/TMNT. You can also download an assortment of comic books for your mobile phone at www.gocomics.com/comicbooks.

All images © 2007 Mirage Studios, Inc.