Monday, December 5, 2011

Too Far?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4RIyK-5lX0&feature=related

Seeing as our class is predominantly female (sorry Volkan,) we all probably know and love Chad Michael Murray and his good lucks from [sappy] teen romcoms such as Freaky Friday or a Cinderella Story or from the hit TV show One Tree Hill, not my favorites although I must admit to having been addicted to some seasons of the show growing up. So, what does this kind of actor have anything to do with comics?

It turns out that Chad is releasing his first graphic novel entitled "Everlast." The above youtube link is of his interview discussing the release of his novel at the New York Comic Con. It was inspiring to hear him discuss his entry into the comic book world, which definitely mirrored my journey through this class. He says, "Graphic novels and comics were a whole new world for me...I had no idea how incredible it was." Although I experienced very much of the same sentiments, I don't know how I feel about this actor in particular writing this seemingly dark graphic novel.

The plot revolves around a looming apocalypse and one soldier's journey to find all the people who are destined to survive doomsday. He deems it his mission to take all these individuals to a place called "Haven." I wonder why he would name it that (I hope you caught the sarcasm.) On a similar note, this soldier's last name is Everlast. Perhaps another coinky dink?

In the interview, Chad discusses his inspiration for this comic, describing an incident with a Jehovah's witness who preached about the coming apocalypse from which this novel stems. With 2012 being the predicted end of the world and coincidentally this novel being released in this time, it just all seems so fabricated to me. Furthermore, in the interview Chad already discusses the coming of a sequel, but how does this make any sense if the first one isn't even released yet?

Even when bringing our attention to Chad's new appearance, the only word that comes to mind is fake. With his new grungy long hair and gothic emblem around his neck, I can't help but question if this is really what he is all about? Is he is taking advantage of his fame and entering the comic industry solely because it was previously unexplored by actors of his genre or is his recent love for comics really inspiring his actions? What do you guys think - has Chad taken this a little too far?

2 comments:

  1. Maybe it's something he's always wanted to do. I've seen celebrities do a lot of things similar to this. He's basically expanding his brand, more power to him. As long as he doesn't make women look easy and slutty I'm fine with it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'd be really interested to see this actually. On one hand, it really could be something he's always wanted to do and his fame has given him the opportunity... or he just wants to make money. Either way, this should be very interesting. I can't think of another celebrity similar to him who has ever done something like this.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.