La Voz

More and more often, Hollywood looks to comic books for new material. This is why the 21st annual Wondercon comic book convention, held in San Francisco from March 2 to 4, was the place to fi nd updates and previews.

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The panel for "300" began with a video message from the man himself, Frank Miller. "Every nation has had its own Thermopylae: the 47 ronin of Japan, the Alamo for America, and the brave 300 of Sparta," said Miller, who is recovering from a broken hip.

Director Zach Snyder, actor Gerald Butler and actress Lena Headey answered several questions from the audience such as "how faithful were you to Frank's material in the comics" to awkward comments like "I think you're so hot in a cod piece."

When asked about being around so much testosterone on set, Headey played it smooth. "I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning," said Headey. "But it got boring after a while."

Lena Headey will play the lead in the "Terminator" spinoff "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." You can now dine in hell with the Spartans everywhere.

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Director Stephen Hopkins, producer Joel Silver, actor Idris Elba and Academy award-winning actress Hilary Swank were all on hand to answer questions about the new disaster movie, "The Reaping." The fi lm is about a small Louisiana town that is suddenly overwhelmed by the ten biblical plagues.

Production for "The Reaping" came to a halt after Hurricane Katrina stormed into the shooting locations last year. "People lost their friends, pets, and hope," said Hopkins. "People began questioning their faith after the hurricane hit, and that's one of the big questions in the picture."

When asked how she prepared for the role after acting in movies such as "Million Dollar Baby" and "Freedom Writers," Swank said she had to fi nd the truth and honesty within the characters.

"This is a genre I haven't really stepped into," said Swank. "I read the script on a plane ride back home and I decided that I wanted to take the challenge." "The Reaping" will claim your fi rst-born on April 6 of this year.

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John Dolmayan took a break from drumming for "System of a Down," to talk about his new project, Torpedo Comics, a comic book retail Web site that is set to come out in November.

Q: What got you into comics? A: "I love Silver and Bronze Age comics because that was the stuff I grew up on. One of my childhood friends took me to a comic book store when I was 12 years old and I've been in love with it ever since."

Q: Tell me more about your Web site. A: "The Web site is called Torpedo Comics. We have over 10 million comics in a warehouse that will be available for purchase online. We'll start out with just comic books and then expand to other stuff like toys, statues, indie press and manga.

"We want to make it an interactive site. It will be very fan-oriented. The launch date is Nov. 1, 2007, and at this point we're open to any suggestions."

Q: You're a freakin' rock star, so why comics? A: "Well, when I'm not on tour, I'm always going to conventions. I've been going to cons for over 10 years and over time I've collected enough to fill a warehouse."

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