§ While America has been been locked in a massive ideological battle over birth control and offensive radio show hosts of late, in Canada, they have even more powerful and shocking issues that galvanize a nation to action. Namely, network Global TV was forced to apologize for failing to warn viewersthat an episode of Family Guy included a scene where Bugs Bunny died a grisly, lingering death.

The CBSC investigated an episode of the show that ran on July 23 at 5 p.m., in which “there was a spoof of a Bugs Bunny cartoon in which Elmer Fudd shot Bugs at close range with a rifle. Bugs screamed and gripped his chest as blood poured out of him. He died in a prolonged and dramatic manner, after which Fudd Twisted Bugs’ neck and dragged Bugs’ lifeless body by the ears through a pool of blood.” It wasn’t the violence that bothered the regulator, but the lack of warning. “The panel finds that the scene was definitely somewhat gruesome and uncomfortable to watch,” it wrote. “It recognizes, however, that the scene was intended to satirize the violence found in that type of cartoon program. The gag was somewhat tongue-in-cheek since Family Guy itself is an animated program that sometimes contains violence.”


Just how squeamish about cartoon violence are Canadians? The link to a (now removed) YouTube video of the scenes in question was labeled as follows:

The controversial scene from “Family Guy” for which Global TV has been told to apologize. WARNING: Contains graphic cartoon violence.


“Graphic Cartoon Violence.” A problem for our times.

§ Sean Kleefeld looks at that whole “New” Shazam business:

I’m a bit torn on the issue. On one hand, DC is essentially giving fans what they want. What they’re willing to pay for. There was a great deal interest, as I recall, when they turned Mary Marvel evil. You can’t really blame DC if they focus on the iterations of the characters that sell. On the other hand, I don’t think anyone at DC can really see any difference between Superman and Captain Marvel. To be fair, there is a bit of nuance there and it’s not helped by the fact that Captain Marvel was a very direct response to Superman’s initial success. I feel like that both DC and fans are responsible for this new Shazam.

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Never-before-reprinted 27-year-old comics by Larry O’Neil and Dean Haspiel.

§ Sequential Tart hosts a roundtable asking: Is Manga Dying?

bolivar rubin archaia

§ It is optioning season again! The WB has picked up BOLIVAR, a dinosaur graphic novel by Sean Rubin which Archaia will publish in 2013. It is planned as an animated film. And yes, the PRE-PUB option is back! Akiva Goldsman, Kerry Foster, PJ Bickett, and Stephen Christy are all on various branches of the producer tree.

Written and illustrated by Sean Rubin, the graphic novel centres on a young girl named Sybil who moves to New York and finds out her neighbor is Bolivar, the last living dinosaur.  Despite Sybil’s persistent efforts, Bolivar refuses to befriend her. The dinosaur is somewhat of a recluse, tucked away from the world Sybil so desperately wants him to explore with her.  He soon realizes how much she means to him and that he would risk everything for her.

§ Likewise, Radical’s long vigil of publishing comics seems to have paid off, as Dwayne Johnson is now attached to Brett Ratner’sHERCULES adaptation.

Scribe Ryan Condol adapted Steve Moore’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian War, which debuted in May 2008 via Radical Publishing. MGM’s Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman will produce with Peter Berg and his Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, as well as Barry Levine of Radical Pictures, whose Jesse Berger will executive produce.


§ Julie Taymor’s lawsuit over the Spider-Man musical is getting nasty with tons and tons of dirt being uncovered in court papers:

In her new court filing, Taymor also singles out Bono and Edge for particular criticism. She says they failed to attend rehearsals and she cites e-mails beseeching them to deliver improved lyrics and music. “I have been at it on [Spider-Man] nonstop,” reads one of those e-mails. “We need you. It is not easy to change anything, but now I think it is a matter of lyrical and musical changes ” Taymor says that Bono and the Edge were out on tour with U2 at the time, and that caused damage. According to Taymor’s court brief, “The producers’ effort to hold Taymor responsible for damages for failing to make improvements to the show as an author ignores the reality that the conduct of Bono and Edge — the musical’s other primary creative team members — severely hampered timely improvements to the musical.”


According to another filing, Bono arrived at a crucial meeting about attempting to salvage the production with several supermodels in tow and already a few beers to the wind. That is not how you show up to save the show, Bono!

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§ A new kid’s book about a cat with poop on its feet, by some of the folks behind the UNSHELVED webcomic.

1 COMMENT

  1. Although, to be fair, the reason why we Canadians spend so much time fretting over animated deaths of animated wabbits is because our radio show hosts are less offensive and our massive ideological battle over birth control has, largely, been won.

  2. Isn’t the ideal for all of us to live in countries where “graphic cartoon violence” is what we get worked up over? I think that says far more about how awesome Canada is rather than anything bad about the country.

  3. Just so Mr. Kleefeld knows: this fan didn’t want evil Mary Marvel. This fan wanted to see her go through this phase and get through to a brighter side. Unfortunately, when every ongoing comic has the attention span of a mini-series, and multiple creators get their spin on a character without editorial planning, you get train wrecks like the Marvel Family.

  4. Yep, that’s us. Overreacting to something so unimportant while ignoring the larger issues affecting the world.

    Like Superbowl nip-slips. Right?

  5. QUESTION: Are they referring to the show not having a rating or warning in front of it the way we do in the US? Here, each episode opens with a warning about drugs, violence, sex and language. Do they not do that there in general? Or do they rate/warn about shows but — in this one case — did not?

    —————

    Am I the only one who thinks that, if this sort of thing offends you that you shouldn’t be watching Family Guy? The show routinely contains violence and humor that is inappropriate for children and those who are sensitive to vulgarity, violence and language.

    It’s not like this show just came on this year and no one knows what to expect. This is a big, high-profile show that owes its existence to sophomoric humor and pushing boundaries.

    Frankly, I saw that episode and didn’t think it particularly memorable compared to many of the other episodes I’ve seen.

    In other words, this is much ado about nothing.

  6. Here in Canada, the kinder and gentler nation, we prefer to have disclaimers and warnings on our cartoons, and not on our hockey games, which every child already knows will contain high speed action, instant replays and plenty of punching.

  7. Doesn’t Family Guy get immediate airings up in the Great White North? That scene is from the Family Guy movie, which came out waaaay back in 2005, and has been airing in syndication ever since. I’m surprised this is just now becoming an issue.

    Poopy Claws, eh? They must have met my cats!

  8. As a Canadian, I have seen that episode of Family Guy a dozen times, and have no idea why this is suddenly an issue.

    Also as a Canadian, I have been more distracted by the likelihood of our government having rigged the last election to notice.