Miami Vice digital comic

[Payback22]

Stumbled onto this yesterday and found it interesting. Not sure if this has already been posted somewhere, but I wonder if anyone here has heard of or read any of these MV digital comics from Lion Forge. It appears to have began last year.

 

 

 

http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/03/04/miami-vice-comic-debuts-from-lion-forge-this-week/

 

 

http://comicsalliance.com/miami-vice-makes-its-comic-book-debut-preview/

 

 

http://www.lionforge.com/shop/miami-vice-issue-1/

 

 

[Tony D.]

Those cartoon people don't look anything like Sonny & Rico.

 

All the girls wouldn't be in love with Don Johnson if he had a face like that!  UG !   

[Jerry B.]

Bleah!

[Vice Immersion]

I've read about the comic somewhat, but I haven't actually read the comic itself, and I remember reading this online article:

http://nerdist.com/interview-jonathan-london-on-his-new-miami-vice-digital-comic/

 

The comic book series only lasted for about 8 issues as seen on Amazon (you can read some of the Amazon user reviews there if you're curious):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/175-1728181-8702139?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lion+forge+miami+vice

 

The team behind the comic seemed well-intentioned (underlined the interesting parts of the above online article) in wanting to resolve plot lines and relationships from the TV series:

-----------------

Nerdist: Tell us about your new Miami Vice series. Where does it fit into the continuity of the existing series?

Jonathan London: This is a new Miami Vice original story that takes place between Seasons 1 and 2 of the original ’80s TV show. I’ve been friends with the guys at Lion Forge for a few years and we’d been wanting to work together for a while in some capacity. When they told me that they’d secured the rights to several NBC Universal TV properties from the ’80s, I immediately asked which ones. The only one I cared about was Miami Vice. Out of any of the shows from the ’80s, Vice really exemplified the era and you still see its influence in things like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Archer. So many big actors and creators cut their teeth on Miami Vice, and hopefully it works the same way for me!

This first storyline starts off right where Season 1 of the original show ends. All of the episodes are streamable on Netflix, so it’s been very helpful in getting reacquainted with the characters and what storylines might still be worth exploring. That’s not to say that you need to have ever watched a single episode of the show or be a big fan. Our story starts slowly, introduces all of the characters, and then starts picking up speed as the case picks up. I love how much of a procedural the original show was, and we’ve worked really hard to keep that voice and style. But obviously with comics, there are a lot of things we can do in the story that they couldn’t afford to do on TV, so expect our boat chases, car chases, and action scenes to be a bit bigger!

 

N: What about the world of Miami Vice excited you as a writer? Did you do all your writing wearing a sharp pastel blazer and t-shirt ensemble?

JL: I was just excited about celebrating the era of the ’80s and exploring the relationship between Sonny and Tubbs and the rest of the team. They don’t always get along, especially in those first two seasons where our story takes place. TV in the ’80s was a lot different than TV today, and the storylines weren’t as airtight from week to week or season to season as they are now. They were more episodic. Sometimes characters and plot threads would just pop up and disappear randomly from episode to episode, like Sonny’s off and on romance with Gina or the change in boats, cars, and weapons between seasons. Most of these were caused by production reasons, but I’m making sure that our issues, although they can 100% exist on their own and be fun, fill in a lot of those gaps for old school fans in order to bring a modern “binge viewing†feel to the story. They’ll read the book and suddenly be like, “Ah ha! So that’s how Tubbs went from the sawed off shotgun to the pump shotgun in between seasons!†It will make the gap between seasons pretty seamless, and as a modern TV fan, I love the chance to do that.

I didn’t dress in a blazer when I was writing the issues but I would stop from time to time to play with the mini Hot Wheels car I got of Crockett’s black Spyder. That car is always within arms length when I’m writing, just in case I’ve gotta take it for a spin around my desk!

--------------------

N: Are there a set number of issues or is this an ongoing series?

JL: We’re putting out eight issues and then a bigger one shot called Brotherhood that Carl’s drawing that explores Sonny’s relationship with his previous partner Eddie, who Jimmy Smits played in the original pilot. It also shows Tubbs’ relationship with his older brother Rafael. Both relationships ended in tragedy in the pilot episode, and fans of the original show never got much more information beyond that. I’m really excited for people to read that story, because it’s got a lot of revelations that tie into both the original TV episodes and our eight issue comic series. Plus, it has some Yakuza in it and swords, so it’s not all drama and flashbacks! Once everything is published digitally, we’ll get a nice collected trade that can sit handsomely on the shelf next to your Miami Vice DVDs. Hopefully, you put them between Seasons 1 and 2! And of course if these do well, there will be more Miami Vice issues down the road!

--------

 

Anyways though, this one shot called Brotherhood didn't seem to materialize.

 

 

 

...Then it was horribly "remixed" (heavily stylized) in an attempt to reinvigorate sales I assume.  Then covers like this:

 

 

Were transformed into this:

 

 

Here's a couple of articles about the "remixed" version:

https://lionforge.clickfunnels.com/optin491401

http://www.newsarama.com/23606-miami-vice-remix-comic.html

 

I quickly scanned the second article for the "remixed" version... and these pieces stood out (I underlinded the interesting parts):

 

-------------------------

Nrama: What's interesting about Miami Vice is, as a concept, it was grounded in the flashy but real-life underworld. But now you guys are adding in hints of the supernatural into this story, particularly with Crockett and Tubbs facing off against the undead. What made you guys decide to, well, remix the property like this?

Denton: I’m going to turn this over to Joe and Jim but we already had our great digital series by Jonathan London, Geanes Holland, Derec Donovan, and art directed by Carl Reed. That’s set between Seasons 1 and 2 of the TV series so this was always going to be something different. From the beginning, I told Joe and Jim not to hold back. To keep it true to the spirit of such a great property like Miami Vice but to forge new ground like the show originally did. I think we have a book that shows our love for Crockett and Tubbs and gives you a familiarity but at the same time takes you someplace you’ve never been. Forge On!

--------------

Nrama: Do you each have a favorite Miami Vice episode from the original series?

Casey: The one where James Brown is an alien.

Mahfood: Yeah, the James Brown one is obviously the best thing they ever did. Second to that is the original pilot episode. I remember as a kid all the hype around that. I watched it the night it came on and it just seemed so dark, edgy, and ultra-cool at the time.

------------

 

Uh.... so they are remixing the comic to add supernatural elements into it?  Weren't those the same elements (like sci-fi) that most Miami Vice fans hated?  And the "James Brown one is obviously the best thing they ever did.  Second to that is the original pilot episode." comment.  UH.... What???   I seriously hope they're joking on that in saying that "Missing Hours" was better than "Brother's Keeper".

 

...Looks like history is being repeated here with the comics imitating the television show in adding those bizarre elements to reinvigorate interest. ...And looking at the amazon site, it still seems this "remixed" version is continuing since the last issue (#4) was released just a few days ago (June 15, 2015).

Edited June 19, 2015 by Vice Immersion

[Mr. Calderon]

I've read about the comic somewhat, but I haven't actually read the comic itself, and I remember reading this online article:

http://nerdist.com/interview-jonathan-london-on-his-new-miami-vice-digital-comic/

 

The comic book series only lasted for about 8 issues as seen on Amazon (you can read some of the Amazon user reviews there if you're curious):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/175-1728181-8702139?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lion+forge+miami+vice

 

The team behind the comic seemed well-intentioned (underlined the interesting parts of the above online article) in wanting to resolve plot lines and relationships from the TV series:

-----------------

Nerdist: Tell us about your new Miami Vice series. Where does it fit into the continuity of the existing series?

Jonathan London: This is a new Miami Vice original story that takes place between Seasons 1 and 2 of the original ’80s TV show. I’ve been friends with the guys at Lion Forge for a few years and we’d been wanting to work together for a while in some capacity. When they told me that they’d secured the rights to several NBC Universal TV properties from the ’80s, I immediately asked which ones. The only one I cared about was Miami Vice. Out of any of the shows from the ’80s, Vice really exemplified the era and you still see its influence in things like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Archer. So many big actors and creators cut their teeth on Miami Vice, and hopefully it works the same way for me!

This first storyline starts off right where Season 1 of the original show ends. All of the episodes are streamable on Netflix, so it’s been very helpful in getting reacquainted with the characters and what storylines might still be worth exploring. That’s not to say that you need to have ever watched a single episode of the show or be a big fan. Our story starts slowly, introduces all of the characters, and then starts picking up speed as the case picks up. I love how much of a procedural the original show was, and we’ve worked really hard to keep that voice and style. But obviously with comics, there are a lot of things we can do in the story that they couldn’t afford to do on TV, so expect our boat chases, car chases, and action scenes to be a bit bigger!

 

N: What about the world of Miami Vice excited you as a writer? Did you do all your writing wearing a sharp pastel blazer and t-shirt ensemble?

JL: I was just excited about celebrating the era of the ’80s and exploring the relationship between Sonny and Tubbs and the rest of the team. They don’t always get along, especially in those first two seasons where our story takes place. TV in the ’80s was a lot different than TV today, and the storylines weren’t as airtight from week to week or season to season as they are now. They were more episodic. Sometimes characters and plot threads would just pop up and disappear randomly from episode to episode, like Sonny’s off and on romance with Gina or the change in boats, cars, and weapons between seasons. Most of these were caused by production reasons, but I’m making sure that our issues, although they can 100% exist on their own and be fun, fill in a lot of those gaps for old school fans in order to bring a modern “binge viewing†feel to the story. They’ll read the book and suddenly be like, “Ah ha! So that’s how Tubbs went from the sawed off shotgun to the pump shotgun in between seasons!†It will make the gap between seasons pretty seamless, and as a modern TV fan, I love the chance to do that.

I didn’t dress in a blazer when I was writing the issues but I would stop from time to time to play with the mini Hot Wheels car I got of Crockett’s black Spyder. That car is always within arms length when I’m writing, just in case I’ve gotta take it for a spin around my desk!

--------------------

N: Are there a set number of issues or is this an ongoing series?

JL: We’re putting out eight issues and then a bigger one shot called Brotherhood that Carl’s drawing that explores Sonny’s relationship with his previous partner Eddie, who Jimmy Smits played in the original pilot. It also shows Tubbs’ relationship with his older brother Rafael. Both relationships ended in tragedy in the pilot episode, and fans of the original show never got much more information beyond that. I’m really excited for people to read that story, because it’s got a lot of revelations that tie into both the original TV episodes and our eight issue comic series. Plus, it has some Yakuza in it and swords, so it’s not all drama and flashbacks! Once everything is published digitally, we’ll get a nice collected trade that can sit handsomely on the shelf next to your Miami Vice DVDs. Hopefully, you put them between Seasons 1 and 2! And of course if these do well, there will be more Miami Vice issues down the road!

--------

 

Anyways though, this one shot called Brotherhood didn't seem to materialize.

 

 

 

...Then it was horribly "remixed" (heavily stylized) in an attempt to reinvigorate sales I assume.  Then covers like this:

 

 

Were transformed into this:

 

 

Here's a couple of articles about the "remixed" version:

https://lionforge.clickfunnels.com/optin491401

http://www.newsarama.com/23606-miami-vice-remix-comic.html

 

I quickly scanned the second article for the "remixed" version... and these pieces stood out (I underlinded the interesting parts):

 

-------------------------

Nrama: What's interesting about Miami Vice is, as a concept, it was grounded in the flashy but real-life underworld. But now you guys are adding in hints of the supernatural into this story, particularly with Crockett and Tubbs facing off against the undead. What made you guys decide to, well, remix the property like this?

Denton: I’m going to turn this over to Joe and Jim but we already had our great digital series by Jonathan London, Geanes Holland, Derec Donovan, and art directed by Carl Reed. That’s set between Seasons 1 and 2 of the TV series so this was always going to be something different. From the beginning, I told Joe and Jim not to hold back. To keep it true to the spirit of such a great property like Miami Vice but to forge new ground like the show originally did. I think we have a book that shows our love for Crockett and Tubbs and gives you a familiarity but at the same time takes you someplace you’ve never been. Forge On!

--------------

Nrama: Do you each have a favorite Miami Vice episode from the original series?

Casey: The one where James Brown is an alien.

Mahfood: Yeah, the James Brown one is obviously the best thing they ever did. Second to that is the original pilot episode. I remember as a kid all the hype around that. I watched it the night it came on and it just seemed so dark, edgy, and ultra-cool at the time.

------------

 

Uh.... so they are remixing the comic to add supernatural elements into it?  Weren't those the same elements (like sci-fi) that most Miami Vice fans hated?  And the "James Brown one is obviously the best thing they ever did.  Second to that is the original pilot episode." comment.  UH.... What???   I seriously hope they're joking on that in saying that "Missing Hours" was better than "Brother's Keeper".

 

...Looks like history is being repeated here with the comics imitating the television show in adding those bizarre elements to reinvigorate interest. ...And looking at the amazon site, it still seems this "remixed" version is continuing since the last issue (#4) was released just a few days ago (June 15, 2015).

 

 

 

Ah...the "James Brown´s episode"...this explain all....  LOL