Burlyman Entertainment

Burlyman Entertainment is a comic book company created by The Wachowskis, best known as the writer/director duo behind the Matrix Trilogy.

Burlyman Entertainment
IndustryPublishing
Founded2004
FounderThe Wachowskis
Key people
Spencer Lamm (editor, writer)[1][2]
Geof Darrow (creator, writer, artist)[3]
Steve Skroce (creator, artist)
ProductsComics
WebsiteOfficial website

History

"Burlyman" was The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions' production codename. According to the films' visual effects supervisor John Gaeta, the title is a reference to a film they all loved; the Coen brothers' Barton Fink. He points out that the Wachowskis agonized and struggled to make the Matrix films, just like Fink had to, to write "The Burlyman" screenplay, a wrestling picture.[4] In the introduction to The Matrix Comics Vol. 1 anthology, editor Spencer Lamm recounts an alternative origin what the Watchowskis ostensibly told him: that The Burlyman was the name of the Watchowskis' first script, a wrestling picture; that Lana Wachowski had not seen Barton Fink because it was subtitled (and when corrected, didn't want to see a movie that sounded like it should be subtitled); and that Lilly Wachowski had seen it and felt that it would have been a good movie if it had at least some wrestling in it.[5] Despite the story, the Wachowskis are familiar with the film and included it in a list of films for people who "want to understand Hollywood".[6]

Burlyman Entertainment first started as the publisher for The Matrix Comics series started by the Wachowskis, which was published into two separate volumes. Burlyman Entertainment also published some new, non-Matrix related comics: Shaolin Cowboy, written and drawn by comic book artist Geoff Darrow, who also served as the conceptual designer for the Matrix Trilogy, and Doc Frankenstein, written by the Wachowskis and drawn by Steve Skroce, the storyboard artist for The Matrix trilogy, and previously worked with the Wachowskis on the comic book series, Ectokid.

Since the start of the company, the release of the two ongoing series was irregular, with a professed bi-monthly release schedule that was not fulfilled. Following the release of an issue in December 2007, the company did not release anything for many years afterwards, leading to speculation it had become defunct. In August 2010, comic book creator Geof Darrow stated the company was still going and Steve Skroce was drawing a new issue for Doc Frankenstein, with plans to collect all issues in graphic novel form.[7] In January 2014, Darrow reiterated that Burlyman is not dead, explaining that periods of inactivity are due to the Wachowskis being busy making movies, and adding that as far as he knows the Doc Frankenstein arc will be completed in 2014.[8]

In June 2014, Steve Skroce was interviewed revealing Doc Frankestein is indeed being collected in two parts the second of which includes the final two issues,[9] while Burlyman Entertainment's webshop was updated to include a message stating they're still in business and "big things [are] ahead".[10] It was later announced that part two of the trade will be released in 2015,[11] but this was later delayed to 2016.[12] A trade of Shaolin Cowboy was also announced for release on December 3, 2014.[13] The rights to the Shaolin Cowboy issues published now belong to Dark Horse Comics who published them in 2018 under the title Shaolin Cowboy: Start Trek.[14]

Oversized deluxe hardcover editions for The Matrix Comics and Doc Frankenstein (completing the story) have been announced for release in November 2019.[15][16]

Among its seemingly canceled projects, the first volume of The Matrix Comics featured an advertisement for The Art of The Matrix Reloaded, Revolutions. During initial testing a dummy version of the Reloaded book came at 588 pages, bigger and thicker than the original Art of The Matrix book.[17] After Geof Darrow suggested that the books have been canceled due to their immense size and thus cost compared to the perceived demand,[18] the last update on the books status was in 2006 in the form of a forum post by editor Spencer Lamm declaring that they had been sidetracked by the V for Vendetta: From Script to Film book and that they had yet to fully develop the idea of how to create the two Art books.[19][20]

Appearances

The company made an appearance at the 2004 Comic-Con in San Diego which included an actual "Burly Man" (looking very much like their company mascot), and two "Burly Babes" passing out giveaways branded with the company logo and ongoing series' titles. Later, the Wachowskis appeared and asked questions from the audience, making it one of their few public appearances over the last decade.

In the movie V for Vendetta, posters for a film 'Burlyman 7' can be seen in the background of a tube train and several street scenes.

Titles
gollark: But *now* information is more widely replicated, isn't it?
gollark: But there are loads of random search engine caches and stuff which might store your datas.
gollark: I mean, archive.org stores basically anything of significant interest, but it does respond to copyright and stuff.
gollark: The question is, though, how easily can such a feat be replicated nowadays?
gollark: I should post some information a few people are mildly interested in, then remove it al to annoy them.

References
  1. "The Creators of the Matrix Return to Comics". burlymanentertainment.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  2. "V for Vendetta: From Script to Film: Spencer Lamm: 9780789315038: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  3. "Burlyman Entertainment". Facebook. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  4. "Wired 11.05: Matrix2". wired.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  5. "The Matrix Comics Graphic Novel Vol. 1: Burlyman Entertainment Shop". archive.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  6. "Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer Talk Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer". Collider. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  7. "Chicago Comic-Con 2010: Geof Darrow - Broken Frontier - Comic Book and Graphic Novel News & Community - Articles and Interviews". brokenfrontier.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  8. john siuntres. "Word Balloon The Pop Culture Interview Podcast: Word Balloon Podcast Geof Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy & Chris Roberson & Dennis Culver's Edison Rex". wordballoon.blogspot.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  9. "What's Up Doc? - Steve Skroce Talks Doc Frankenstein - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  10. "Sorry,Burlyman Entertainment Shop is closed for maintenance". burlymanentertainment.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  11. "Steve Skroce and the Return of "Doc Frankenstein"". comicbookresources.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  12. "Any more news on that Doc Frankenstein... - John-Pierre Newman - Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015. "It's almost finished being coloured, it's depressing how long it's taken but we had to get a new colorist because the last guy just stopped doing it. So it looks like next year."
  13. "FREE 8 page preview of the forthcoming... - Burlyman Entertainment - Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  15. https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191655
  16. https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP191654
  17. "The Last Free City - View topic - The Art of the Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions". thelastfreecity.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  18. ""Art of Matrix Reloaded & Revolution (p.k.a Just Met Geof Darrow)" - MFN Forums". archive.org. Archived from the original on August 3, 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  19. Martin Zwirner. "Weitere News". matrix-architekt.de (in German). Retrieved 21 October 2014. 17.5.2006: Matrix-Bücher.
  20. ""Art of Matrix Reloaded & Revolution (p.k.a Just Met Geof Darrow)" - Page 15 - MFN Forums". archive.org. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
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