The Leading Man (comics)
Encyclopedia
- For the 1996 John Bon Jovi film, see The Leading ManThe Leading ManThe Leading Man is a 1996 British romantic drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1996 but was not released in the United States until March 1998. The film is set in London in the winter.-Plot:...
The Leading Man is a 5-issue limited graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
created by B. Clay Moore
B. Clay Moore
B. Clay Moore is an American comic book writer, best known for the series Hawaiian Dick.-Career:Moore first achieved notoriety as the writer and co-creator of Hawaiian Dick, first published in 2002 by Image Comics...
and Jeremy Haun
Jeremy Haun
Jeremy Haun is a freelance comic book artist based in Jopin, Missouri. Since 2002, Haun has worked for Image, IDW, Oni, DDP, Top Cow, Marvel and DC.-Career:...
for Oni Press
Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read...
in 2006 and later compiled in one volume in 2007. Also is known as the first full-color series from the publisher. Actually Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
is working in a film adaptation of this comic book, with Justin Lin
Justin Lin
Justin Lin is a Taiwanese American film director, best known for his work on Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious franchise and the television show, Community.-Life and career:...
as director.
Plot
This is the story of Nick Walker, a successful Hollywood movie actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who is also is a superspy working for The Agency, a secret security organization, as a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
. Nick is filming a movie in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he gets the mission of make a recon an underground base from Code Black, a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
organization, under a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in a small village in France, close to the place whe he was filming his last movie. But he doesn't counted with various unexpected problems: the actress and his co-protagonist Kim Carlisle followed him in his recon mission, Alison Frost who's also an actress of his film is revealed as other The Agency spy, and he's captured by Code Black. Now, Nick has to manage how to get freed and stop Code Black to accomplish their plans.
Main characters
Nick Walker: Nick is a famous Hollywood actor who has a double life: in one side, hes a successful movie starMovie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
, and for the other, he's a secret spy working for The Agency. He approached the filmation of his last movie to recon a Code Black secret undergound base close to the set, but things goes wrong and he was caught by Code Black members and taken as hostage, but finally manages to escape.
Kim Carlisle: Kim is a television actress who co-starred the film and has a crush with Nick. Enough of being rejected by Nick to go out with her, Kim followed him to the cave where Nick has to recon the underground base, when she was caught by Nick, who was unaware of her presence. After that incident, she involves more with Nick and later helps Travis and Alison to rescue Nick when he was caught by Code Black.
Alison Frost: Alison is the other actress apart of Kim which works with Nick in the movie they're filming in France. But after a while, is discovered that she's another secret agent for The Agency as well Nick is. With the help of Conrad and Sarah, they planned how to rescue Nick after being prisoned by Code Black squad.
Travis Conrad: Walker's "right hand". Travis is the personal assistant and old friend of Nick, who helps him with his missions with equipment and information. Also, he's the one who tells Kim all the story about him and The Agency to avoid she makes more questions and keep her in silence.
Sarah Diamond: Walker's personal stylist and her best friend, she's one of the few characters who knows about Nick's double life as a secret agent and helps him along with Travis. She's the only character that uses glasses and is a cold person.
Olivier Foley: One of the heads of The Agency and Nick's boss, who also works as his representant agent. Olivier sends Nick to the recon mission, as well he manages the production goes to France, the place where Nick has to make the recon mission.
Coronel Maxwell: Member of Black Code organization, former CIA agent and leader of the training operation, it's a man with just one eye, and a big scar in right eye. He discovered Nick, Kim and Alison tresspassing his training facility in France and captured Nick.
Cardinale: Her real name is unknown. One of the Maxwell's trainees and the only woman in the group. A blonde short hair young girl with a sadistic manner who's the favourite of the group of Code Black assassins in training. She knows about pop culture and is the few who recognizes Walker as a famous actor.
Reception
In general, The Leading Man received good reviews from the public and the critic. Static Multimedia wrote: "The Leading Man is a good solid piece of work by both writer and artist with promise for the future." Static Frontier wrote: "It's a perfectly packaged concept for a comic, and one of writer B. Clay Moore's trademark moves is taking pop culture icons and concepts and tweaking them beyond our expectations, then adding a healthy dose of dry or surreal humor to make it all click. No less is true of The Leading Man. Jeremy Haun's art is tight, a perfect fit for the spy/thriller genre. Nick has flare to spare, and the reader sees confidence in his every move, thanks to Haun's dynamic pencils."But not all the critics are favourable for this comic. Playback:stl wrote: "Overall, The Leading Man feels amateurish and unfocused. The story has a great deal of potential, but does not live up to it in this volume. Where it should have been quick-paced and funny, the plot drags and falls flat. It is essentially as shallow and forgettable as those action movies it pokes fun at."
The movie
In 2011, Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
got the rights to convert The Leading Man into a live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
movie, and later was confirmed Justin Lin
Justin Lin
Justin Lin is a Taiwanese American film director, best known for his work on Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious franchise and the television show, Community.-Life and career:...
(Fast and Furious franchise
The Fast and the Furious (film series)
The Fast and the Furious is a series of action films that focuses on street racing and heists. Produced by Universal Studios, the series was established in 2001 with the eponymous first installment, which has since been followed by four sequels, and two short films that tie into the series...
) as the director.