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84-486: Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters (often abbreviated to ARBBH ) is a creator-owned American funny-animal parody comic book series created by Don Chin. It was one of a number of parodies of Mirage Studios ' hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, itself a parody of popular eighties comics such as Frank Miller 's Daredevil and Ronin ; others included Naive Inter-Dimensional Commando Koalas and Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos . The series

168-580: A box-office flop . Also that year, Van Damme acted in the war film Legionnaire . Despite a $ 35 million budget, it was not released theatrically in the US, only overseas. In 1999, he starred in Universal Soldier: The Return , (1999), where he returns as Luc Deveraux . The movie did poorly at the box office debuting at #4. That year he also starred in Inferno (1999). Released in 2001, Replicant

252-412: A Belgian-French drama film starring Marie-Christine Barrault , and Rutger Hauer . In 1980, he caught the attention of Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anderson and multiple European champion Geert Lemmens. Both men tabbed Van Damme as an upcoming prospect. Van Damme retired from competition in 1982. During his early life, he sold flowers in restaurants, and got a loan to open

336-523: A Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title in 1978. At the age of 16, he took up ballet , which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet "is an art, but it's also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport." Later he took up both Taekwondo and Muay Thai . Among his acting heroes growing up were Charles Bronson , Bruce Lee , James Dean , Montgomery Clift , Steve McQueen , Jean-Paul Belmondo , and Sylvester Stallone . At

420-531: A U.S. teenager who learns karate and defends his martial arts dojo against a Soviet martial artist played by Van Damme. Both Vann Damme and McKinney were set to also star in No Retreat, No Surrender 2 , but backed out. He worked for director John McTiernan for the film Predator (1987) as an early (eventually abandoned) version of the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall . As

504-567: A black belt, but an Oscar." Also in 2008, he starred in Isaac Florentine 's The Shepherd: Border Patrol . He then reprised his role as Luc Deveraux alongside Dolph Lundgren in the 2009 film Universal Soldier: Regeneration , directed by John Hyams . The film was released theatrically in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and directly to video in the United States and other parts of

588-623: A comeback to fight former boxing Olympic gold-medalist Somluck Kamsing . The fight was a focal point in his ITV reality show Behind Closed Doors . The fight has been repeatedly postponed, with many critics doubting it will occur, especially due to the difficulty of booking the venue. In 2012, he acted in the Russian comedy film named Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon , and U.F.O. He starred in Dragon Eyes , Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning , and Six Bullets . Also that year, he starred as

672-414: A gym to save some money before his move to the United States. Aptly titled California Gym , it was opened in 1979 and catered to "karate, dancing, aerobics, bodybuilding – everything". Van Damme adds that "I wrote special training programs for people, and it was a very upbeat atmosphere with music". At its peak, California Gym was making $ 15,000 per month; "when I decided to sell my gym my father thought I

756-476: A half foot tall anthropomorphic humanoid Hamsters who could talk and stand upright. Their capsule later crashed down near a Tibetan monastery where, seen as being the result of some ancient prophecy , they were adopted by Master Lock and his fellow mystic warrior monks and trained in the martial arts . Their training complete, they were sent back to the United States to fight the forces of evil, although they often seemed to inadvertently cause as much chaos as

840-580: A limousine driver and private karate instructor. He described his early days in the United States as being particularly difficult – excluding $ 2,000, he had placed all of his money from the sale of his gym into a European bank; thus, he struggled financially. To ensure his own emotional wellbeing, he would go for runs every night in Santa Monica. After that, he would train at the world-renowned Gold's Gym . This routine reportedly helped him survive for many years. He actively participated in casting calls and had

924-543: A match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship. Van Damme had a 1977 victory over Teugels. Teugels was coming off an impressive showing at the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations World Championships four months earlier, and was favored by some to win this match. According to reports, and Patrick Teugels' own interview (with photos), Teugels lost to Van Damme by TKO in the 1st round. Teugels

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1008-423: A more physically imposing actor was needed to make the creature appear threatening against the team of soldiers. The role eventually went to Kevin Peter Hall. After Predator was a success, Van Damme said that he appreciated the movie and that he had no regrets about missing that role. Van Damme's breakout film was Bloodsport , which opened on 26 February 1988, based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux . It

1092-474: A movie and were willing to invest money, but required additional funding. Armed with this, he approached producers and suddenly found that all his phone calls were being answered. Of course, his intention was simply to meet the person and put his name out there, as opposed to securing illegitimate deals. In the 1984 action film Missing in Action starring Norris, which was also released by Cannon Films , Van Damme

1176-533: A pin-up gallery. A four-issue 3D limited series (featuring art by Ty Templeton ) and spin-off solo series Clint soon followed. The ongoing success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a multimedia franchise extended the concept's life, with the one-shot The Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre the Japanese Invasion further parodying the influx of manga titles to America. The Hamsters were also part of Eclipse's shared universe , appearing in

1260-855: A prominent example of creator-owned comics publishing. Propelled by star power and upset that they did not own the popular characters they created for Marvel, several illustrators, including the X-Men ' s Jim Lee , The New Mutants / X-Force ' s Rob Liefeld , and Spider-Man ' s Todd McFarlane formed Image, an umbrella label under which several autonomous, creator-owned companies existed. Image properties, such as WildC.A.T.s , Gen , Witchblade and especially McFarlane's Spawn provided brisk competition for long-standing superheroes. Many popular creators followed Image's lead and attempted to use their star power to launch their own series; ones for which they would have licensing rights and editorial control. Chris Claremont , famous for his long run as

1344-624: A small role in The Exam , a Turkish comedy-drama film directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak . Also that year he starred in Until Death . Van Damme returned to the mainstream with the limited theatrical release of the 2008 film JCVD , which received positive reviews. Time Magazine named his performance in the film the second best of the year (after Heath Ledger 's The Joker in The Dark Knight ), having previously stated that Van Damme "deserves not

1428-505: A specific routine. On Wednesdays, he would purchase the Drama-Logue magazine; then Thursday mornings, he would send out his picture and resume in response to advertisements. He was willing to try anything to achieve success, even going so far as to fabricate a story. He would call movie studios and claim to be an actor from Brussels with an investor from Hong Kong. He also instructed a friend to play along and act as if they wanted him to star in

1512-467: A total of $ 30,102,717 in the US. Retrospective critics perceive it to be a fun action film, with good comical moments, and a good performance by Van Damme who plays two distinct characters. In 1992, he starred in one of the biggest blockbusters of the year in the sci-fi action picture, Universal Soldier , directed by Roland Emmerich for Carolco . Van Damme (as Luc Deveraux ) and Dolph Lundgren (as Sergeant Andrew Scott) play U.S. soldiers during

1596-475: A variety of jobs to support themselves. Their first job working on a film as extras in the hip hop dance film Breakin' (1984), made by Cannon Films ; they are seen dancing in the background at a dance demonstration. Around that time he developed a friendship with action martial art film star Chuck Norris . They started sparring together, and Van Damme started to work as a bouncer at a bar named Woody's Wharf, owned by Norris. He also supplemented his income as

1680-620: Is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels , his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate school at the age of ten, which led Van Damme to hold the rank of 2nd- dan black belt in karate , and compete in several karate and kickboxing competitions. As a teenager, he won the middleweight championship of the European Professional Karate Association in 1979 and the Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title in 1978. With

1764-465: Is credited in the stunt team crew. That same year he also had a role in the comedy short film Monaco Forever . Corey Yuen 's martial arts film No Retreat, No Surrender , which premiered On 2 May 1986 in Los Angeles , was his first sizeable role when he was cast as the Russian villain. It starred Kurt McKinney , and was released through New World Pictures . McKinney stars as Jason Stillwell,

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1848-496: Is from Brussels and bilingual, and his mother is Flemish (Dutch-speaking). Van Damme was brought up Roman Catholic. His paternal grandmother was Jewish . He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shōtōkan karate school. His styles consist of Shōtōkan Karate and Kickboxing . He eventually earned his black belt in karate at 18, and earned the rank of 2nd- dan black belt . He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to

1932-717: Is the second collaboration between Van Damme and director Ringo Lam , and the fifth time that Van Damme has starred in a dual role . It co-stars Michael Rooker . Also that year he starred in The Order , directed by Sheldon Lettich , and written by Van Damme. In 2002, he starred in Derailed . In Hell is a 2003 American prison action film directed by Ringo Lam . It is the third collaboration between Van Damme and Lam. Van Damme plays an American working overseas in Magnitogorsk , Russia. That same year, he employed his dancing training in

2016-552: The Target: Airboy special and the crossover limited series Total Eclipse . The publisher would also collect the first four issues of the regular series in the trade paperback Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters - America the Beautiful . Chin retained rights to ARBBH , and the characters' further adventures were subsequently published by Parody Press . On March 30, 2007, it was announced that Dynamite Entertainment has

2100-509: The Buster Brown name and title and the copyright on the strips it published, but the characters themselves were too intangible to qualify for copyright or trademark. This freed Outcault to continue the strip in the American as long as he did not use the Buster Brown name. Creator-owned titles began to appear during the late-1960s underground comix movement; these themes were exemplified in

2184-625: The DC Universe . In 1994, Dark Horse Comics founded the Legend imprint in part to provide star creators like Frank Miller and John Byrne an avenue for creator-owned projects. Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg ( French: [ʒɑ̃ klod kamij fʁɑ̃swa vɑ̃ vaʁɑ̃bɛʁɡ] , Flemish: [vɑɱ ˈvaːrə(m)bɛr(ə)x] ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme ( French: [vɑ̃ dam] , Flemish: [vɑn ˈdɑmə] ),

2268-527: The Pittsburgh Civic Arena , where a gang of terrorists are holding U.S. Vice President and several other VIPs hostage in a luxury suite during a game. The movie was a modest success. In 1996, he starred and directed The Quest . The film, though it under-performed domestically, did better internationally at the box-office and was a commercial success. That year, he appeared in the TV show Friends in

2352-521: The Vietnam War who end up shooting each other dead after Devereaux discovers that Scott has gone insane and resorted to mutilating civilians . They are later reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers and sent on a mission. At the 1992 Cannes Film Festival , Van Damme and Lundgren were involved in a verbal altercation that almost turned physical when both men pushed each other only to be separated, but it

2436-445: The splits while perched with each of his feet on the outer rearview mirrors of one semi-trailer truck and one box truck moving backwards, which he describes in the commercial as "the most epic of splits". The video quickly went viral around the web, receiving more than 11 million views in three days, 35 million in the first week. It was dubbed as The Epic Split . Swelter is a 2014 American action film where he plays one of

2520-615: The "Local 2 — Milwaukee" branch of the UCWA, and the UCWA brand appeared on a number of comix from that era. Cartoonists' Co-Op Press was a 1973–1974 self-publishing venture by cartoonists Griffith, Spiegelman, Kim Deitch , Jerry Lane, Jay Lynch , Willy Murphy , and Diane Noomin . Like Rip Off Press, it was founded as an alternative to the existing underground publishers, which were perceived as not being honest with their accounting practices. The short-lived genre publisher Atlas/Seaboard Comics , which operated from 1974 to 1975, offered some of

2604-522: The Bill included giving creators proper credit for their characters and stories, profit-sharing, distribution, fair contracts, licensing, and return of original artwork. Through a series of meetings, a document was finalized at the "Northampton Summit" held in Northampton, Massachusetts , and signed by all in attendance. Scott McCloud was the principal author of the Bill; other artists and writers participating in

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2688-535: The Bill's creation included Dave Sim , Steve Bissette , Larry Marder , Rick Veitch , Peter Laird , and Kevin Eastman . In the end, however, many prominent comic book professionals, including some involved in its drafting, hold that the Creator's Bill of Rights itself had little or no impact on the industry. In 1990, Creator's Bill of Rights signatory Kevin Eastman founded the creator-friendly Tundra Publishing to embody

2772-620: The Duck writer Steve Gerber clashed over issues of creative control, and Gerber was abruptly removed from the series. This was the first highly publicized creator's rights case in American comics, and attracted support from major industry figures. Gerber subsequently launched a lengthy legal battle for control of Howard the Duck, culminating in a 1981 lawsuit. In 1980 , Marvel created the mature readers anthology Epic Illustrated , offering its writers and artists ownership rights and royalties in place of

2856-476: The Japanese Invasion , feeling the only positive was that it could potentially mean the end of the franchise. When Chin circulated a press release in 1990 looking for a new publisher for the series, Thomas Harrington took aim at the series in his Amazing Heroes editorial, calling the series as having a "one-half joke gimmick", while claiming that most of those who had bought the comics regretted their purchases and had merely done so as speculators rather than due to

2940-580: The age of 12, Van Damme joined the Centre National de Karaté (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team; he later trained in full-contact karate and kickboxing with Dominique Valera. According to Van Damme, "it was tough growing up. I was kind of geeky, and physically I was not gifted". At

3024-699: The age of 15, he started his competitive karate career in Belgium. From 1976 to 1980, he compiled a record of 44 victories and four defeats in tournament and non-tournament semi-contact matches. He was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979 at La Coupe François Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels. He placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). At

3108-498: The artist, who can earn additional income from art sales to collectors. Beginning in the 1980s, several new publishers and imprints went into business, offering comics writers and artists the opportunity to have their work published while retaining the copyrights to the characters and the stories. Publishers like Pacific Comics and Eclipse Comics were strong promoters of creator-owned superhero properties; their enticement of popular creators (such as Kirby) to their pages helped push

3192-499: The artists to retain their original artwork, giving creators the option to gain extra income by selling the pages to collectors. Nonetheless, Warren Publishing retained all creator's rights. As James Warren once told artist Bernie Wrightson : . . . I don't own the originals but I do own the rights. That means everything. Every printing right imaginable. Do what you want with the originals—put 'em in your closet, hang 'em on your wall, give 'em away, sell 'em, but, if you sell your work and

3276-566: The changing standards of the comic book industry. In 1906, Richard F. Outcault took his creation Buster Brown from the New York Herald to the New York American . Outcault had not applied for a copyright to Buster Brown, but asserted a "common-law title"—what comics historian Don Markstein asserted is one of the earliest claims to creators' rights. The court decided the Herald owned

3360-428: The company's mistreatment of him. Best-selling creators like Alan Moore , Frank Miller , and many other stars became vocal advocates for Kirby. Neal Adams also petitioned to have his Marvel originals returned, and the pair won their battle in 1987, when Marvel returned original artwork to him and Kirby, among others. This decision helped lead to the modern industry's standard practice of returning original artwork to

3444-590: The computer animation film Kung Fu Panda 2 . In the film, he voices a character who helps the heroes of the previous film. That same year, he co-starred with Scott Adkins in Assassination Games . Also in 2011, he played a role in the French comedy Beur sur la ville . Also that year, he starred in his own reality TV show Behind Closed Doors . The show showcases his family life, his personal troubles, and an upcoming fight. Since 2009, he has been planning to make

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3528-734: The desire of becoming an actor in Hollywood , he moved to the United States in 1982, where he worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988). He became a popular action film star and followed up with commercially successful films such as Cyborg , Kickboxer (both 1989), Lionheart , Death Warrant (both 1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run , Hard Target (both 1993), Timecop , Street Fighter (both 1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest , which marked his directorial debut , and Maximum Risk (both 1996). He achieved sex symbol status in

3612-461: The film was "the first movie to demonstrate that Van Damme was more than just a flash-in-the-pan "Karate Guy" who would never rise above simplistic low-budget karate movies." It also featured rear nudity from Van Damme which Lettich says "became a very memorable moment for the ladies in the audience, and for the gay guys as well. Showing off his butt (clothed or unclothed) almost became a signature trademark of his after that." In 1991, Double Impact

3696-411: The film. Also that year, he was seen as part of Kam Sing's ring crew when Kam Sing fought against Jomhod Kiatadisak . He also appeared in commercials for Coors Light beer, showing him on a snow-covered mountain wearing a sleeveless denim jacket, and for the washing powder Dash. On 21 October 2012, he was honored with a life-size statue of himself in his hometown of Brussels . He told reporters during

3780-513: The first American film from director John Woo . Also released that year, he starred in Timecop , playing a time-traveling cop. Directed by Peter Hyams , the film was a huge success, grossing over $ 100 million worldwide, and remains his highest-grossing film in a lead role to date. Also that year, he starred in Street Fighter , written and directed by Steven E. de Souza for Universal and based on

3864-440: The first choice to play the titular Predator character, with the intent that he would use his martial arts skills to make the alien an agile, ninja -like hunter, but after few days shot, he left the film. It was reported that he constantly complained about the monster suit being too hot and causing him to pass out; he allegedly also voiced reservations about only appearing on camera in the suit. Additionally, it became apparent that

3948-477: The first two issues of the 3-D series and the first issue of Clint for Amazing Heroes , Gerard Jones criticised Chin for his over-reliance on cheap pop culture references and felt the property "everything that's worst about the current comic book humor scene" and would later use it as a negative comparison while positively reviewing Chin's fantasy series Enchanter . Thomas Dean was similarly unimpressed with The Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre

4032-560: The formation of Rip Off Press , the United Cartoon Workers of America (UCWA), and Cartoonists' Co-Op Press . Rip Off Press was founded in 1969 by four men—two of whom were cartoonists Gilbert Shelton and Jack Jackson —as a sort of cartoonists' cooperative , an alternative publishing venue to burgeoning Bay Area publishers like the Print Mint , Apex Novelties , and Company & Sons . The United Cartoon Workers of America

4116-521: The ground. In addition, Adams, along with the Joker creator Jerry Robinson , notably and vocally helped lead the lobbying efforts that resulted in Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster receiving decades-overdue credit and some financial remuneration from Superman publisher DC Comics . Marvel Comics had a mixed history of responding to the issue of creator's rights. In 1978, Marvel and Howard

4200-407: The guy you sell it to sells it to the next guy and he sells it to the next guy and he sells it to the next guy—all the way down the line—and if the 17th guy who buys it, prints it somewhere without my permission, I'm going to hold you responsible. By 1975 or 1976, both DC and Marvel also began returning artists' original pages to them. During the 1970s, artist Neal Adams was politically active in

4284-440: The highest rates in the industry, plus return of artwork to artists and author rights to original character creations. Up to the mid-1970s, most comic book publishers kept all original pages, in some cases destroying them in lieu of storing them safely. By 1974, James Warren 's Warren Publishing began changing the industry's work-for-hire dynamic by offering higher page-rates than DC Comics or Marvel Comics , and allowing

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4368-451: The ideals of the Bill from a publishers' standpoint. As part of the initial group who "got together to form the" Bill, Eastman felt obligated to expand it beyond theory and into practice, providing a creator-friendly forum for comics creators to work for a publisher while maintaining ownership of their work. Tundra went bankrupt in 1993. In 1992, a number of popular Marvel artists formed their own company, Image Comics , which would serve as

4452-570: The industry, and attempted to unionize its creative community. Adams attempted to form the Comics Creators Guild , with a contentious meeting in May 1978 attended by Cary Bates , Howard Chaykin , Chris Claremont , Steve Ditko , Michael Golden , Archie Goodwin , Paul Levitz , Bob McLeod , Frank Miller , Carl Potts , Marshall Rogers , Jim Shooter , Walt Simonson , Jim Starlin , Len Wein , and Marv Wolfman . The effort failed to get off

4536-528: The industry-standard work for hire contracts. The success of Epic Illustrated led to the 1982 formation of the long-running imprint Epic Comics , which specialized in creator-owned titles. Around this same period, however, industry legend Jack Kirby , co-creator of many of Marvel's most popular characters, came into dispute with the company over the disappearance of original pages of artwork from some of his most famous and popular titles. Kirby had quit working for Marvel in 1979, angry over what he perceived as

4620-399: The issue to the fore and put pressure on industry giants Marvel and DC. The alternative and independent publishers Fantagraphics and Dark Horse Comics entered the field during this period as well. Creator-owned properties allowed series to continue with multiple publishers as circumstances required; Usagi Yojimbo for instance has been published by four succeeding publishing houses. In

4704-518: The lack of creator's rights in British comics. In 1985, he noted that he had stopped working for all British publishers except IPC , publishers of 2000 AD , "purely for the reason that IPC so far have avoided lying to me, cheating me or generally treating me like crap". He joined other creators in decrying the wholesale relinquishing of all rights, and in 1986 stopped writing for 2000 AD as well. Moore's outspoken opinions and principles, particularly on

4788-539: The late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 1993 and 1998, three Hong Kong filmmakers collaborated with Van Damme for their debuts in Western cinema: John Woo , Tsui Hark , and Ringo Lam . After a decline in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he returned to prominence with the critically acclaimed crime drama JCVD (2008). His big return to the action genre was in The Expendables 2 (2012), in which he starred as

4872-439: The main villain in The Expendables 2 . The film series follows a mercenary group as they undertake a mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against a rival mercenary (Van Damme). The film was a success, grossing over $ 310 million worldwide, and was his big return to the action genre. Empire ' s Nick de Semlyen praised Van Damme's "grandstanding, plutonium-crazed baddie" and Lundgren's "action-troll" as high points in

4956-468: The mid-to-late 1980s, creator ownership became a cause célèbre among many comics creators, including those working in the dominant genre of superheroes . Creators' repeated clashes with DC Comics , First Comics , and other publishers led to an industry-wide debate about the issue; and in the fall of 1988, DC revised the company's work-for-hire agreements to give more power to individual creators. Writer Alan Moore became increasingly concerned at

5040-464: The most successful action stars of all time. Outside his film career, Van Damme has publicly supported various conservationist causes and animal rights organisations. Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, on 18 October 1960, in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe , Brussels , Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and florist . His father

5124-652: The music video for Bob Sinclar 's "Kiss My Eyes". His 2004 film was Wake of Death , an action film directed by Philippe Martinez . Ringo Lam was the original director, but he left the project after a few weeks of filming in Canada. It co-stars Simon Yam , Valerie Tian, Tony Schiena , etc. In 2005, he played himself in the French film Narco . In 2006, he starred in Second in Command directed by Simon Fellows, and The Hard Corps directed by Sheldon Lettich. In 2007, he played

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5208-406: The quality of the work. Creator ownership in comics In some fields of publishing , such as fiction writing , creator ownership has historically been standard. In other fields—such as comics, recorded music , or motion pictures —creator ownership has traditionally been uncommon, with either work for hire or publisher purchase of the material being standard practice. This article traces

5292-538: The rights to reprint the comics, write new comics, and produce collectables based on the property. It was written by Keith Champagne with art by Tom Nguyen, and the first four-part miniseries was published between January and June 2008. In 1977, NASA launched a space probe containing four hamsters to destroy a mysterious mass of radioactive, gelatinous substance that was hovering around the Earth's atmosphere. Exposure to this strange "Cosmic Jello" mutated them into three and

5376-521: The start, Vertigo founding editor Karen Berger was committed to creator-owned projects, working on several "[her]self with new writers and artists" as well as established names, with the express intention of "trying to bring new people into the industry, as well as use some of the best creators in comics". In addition to creator-owned series set in their own continuity , such as Enigma and Fallen Angel , DC published several creator-owned series, such as Sovereign Seven and Xero , that were set within

5460-452: The subject of creator's rights and ownership, would see him burn bridges with a number of other publishers over the course of his career. In November 1988 , a number of independent comic book artists and writers drafted the Creator's Bill of Rights , a document designed to protect their rights as creators and aid against their exploitation by corporate work for hire practices. Issues covered by

5544-511: The success of Bloodsport , Cannon Films offered him the lead in Delta Force 2 , American Ninja 3 or Cyborg , a cyberpunk martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun . He chose Cyborg which premiered in 1989. The film was a low budget box office success and led to two sequels, neither of which Van Damme appeared in. Cannon used Van Damme again in Kickboxer released that same year. It

5628-592: The terrorists, criminals and other "vermin" they fought. The four lettuce-loving Hamsters were named after actors from action and kung fu movies - Clint Eastwood , Chuck Norris , Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan . When the series was revived in the 21st century the original quartet were joined by a new generation of Hamsters: Lucy (named after Lucy Lawless ), Rock ( Dwayne Johnson ), Arnold ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ), Jean-Claude ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) and Steven ( Steven Seagal ). Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters has received largely negative reviews. Reviewing

5712-651: The three-day tournament, he defeated 25 opponents before losing in the finals to teammate Angelo Spataro. On 8 March 1980, in Brussels, Belgium, he competed against his former teammate Patrick Teugels at the Forest National Arena on the undercard of the Dan Macaruso-Dominique Valera Professional Karate Association Light-Heavyweight World Championship bout. Prior to this match, Teugels had defeated Van Damme twice by decision, including

5796-541: The two-part episode " The One After the Superbowl ". He also starred in Maximum Risk , the first American film directed by Ringo Lam , and their first collaboration. The film was mildly successful at the box office. He followed up with Double Team (1997), a sci fi action film with basketball superstar Dennis Rodman . It was Hong Kong director Tsui Hark 's American debut. In 1998, he and Hark reunited on Knock Off ,

5880-652: The unveiling, "Belgium is paying me back something, but really it's to pay back to the dream. So when people come by here, it is not Jean-Claude van Damme but it's a guy from the street who believed in something. I want the statue to represent that". In 2013, he acted in the comedy Welcome to the Jungle . Also that year , he played the main villain in Enemies Closer , an American action thriller film directed by Peter Hyams . On 13 November 2013, Volvo Trucks released an advertisement on YouTube that shows Van Damme doing

5964-544: The video game. It was poorly received critically. Though a commercial success, making approximately three times its production cost. Van Damme and Hyams re-teamed for Universal's Sudden Death , released in 1995. Van Damme portrays a French Canadian -born firefighter with the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau who suffered a personal crisis after he was unable to save a young girl from a house fire. Now removed from active duty, he has become demoted to being fire marshal for

6048-603: The villain, opposite Sylvester Stallone 's character. From thereon, he continued starring in action films and doing extensive voice work, appearing in the well-received Enemies Closer (2013), The Bouncer , Kickboxer: Retaliation (both 2018), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), and Darkness of Man (2024). In television, he starred in the Ridley Scott -produced Jean-Claude Van Johnson (2016-2017). Regarded as an icon of action and martial arts cinema, his films have grossed over $ 1 billion worldwide, making him one of

6132-406: The world. Since its release, the film has received mostly positive reviews, with praise towards the performances and surprisingly high production values. In 2010, he directed himself in the barely released Full Love . That same year, he turned down the role of Gunner Jensen in the first instalment of The Expendables and the role went to Dolph Lundgren . In 2011, he voiced Master Croc in

6216-485: The writer of Uncanny X-Men , created Sovereign Seven for DC ; Joe Madureira , also made popular by Uncanny X-Men , launched Battle Chasers for WildStorm Productions ; and Kurt Busiek , Alex Ross , and Brent Anderson created Astro City for Image. DC's Vertigo imprint, launched in 1993, was the company's first successful attempt to routinely publish creator-owned series (right from its launch with Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo 's Enigma ). From

6300-510: Was a ladies' man, [but Van Damme] appeals to both men and women. He's an American hero who fights for justice the American way and kicks the stuffing out of the bad guys." In reality, Van Damme had begged for a starring role; at the point of casting, he was homeless, sleeping in cars and garages, and sometimes had to resort to stealing food to survive. Also in 1988, he played another Russian villain in Black Eagle , opposite Sho Kosugi . After

6384-595: Was an informal union organized in 1970 by cartoonists Robert Crumb , Justin Green , Bill Griffith , Nancy Griffith, Art Spiegelman , Spain Rodriguez , Roger Brand , and Michele Brand . Members of the UCWA agreed that all cartoonists would demand the same rate per page of comics, whether they were stars like Crumb or being published for the first time. They also agreed to not work for any publisher who had "cheated" other cartoonists. Dennis Kitchen 's Kitchen Sink Press formed

6468-468: Was believed to have only been a publicity stunt. Universal Soldier opened in theatres on 10 July 1992, a moderate success domestically with $ 36,299,898 in US ticket sales, but a major blockbuster worldwide, making over $ 65 million overseas, which earned the film a total of $ 102 million worldwide, on a $ 23 million budget. He was considered to play Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man and

6552-631: Was briefly considered for the role of Michael Cheritto in Heat . In 1993, he made a cameo in Last Action Hero , and starred in Nowhere To Run . The film was the first in a three-picture deal between Van Damme and Columbia Pictures and his fee was $ 3.5 million. Columbia said the film is "true to his audience and goes beyond his audience." In 1994, he starred in Hard Target for Universal Pictures ,

6636-400: Was crazy. He said, 'What the hell are you doing? You have the best gym in Brussels. You have a sports car, a beautiful apartment, you’re making so much money that you can have anything you want — and now you’re going to sell your business and go to America'. He was very upset". In 1982, he and childhood friend Michel Qissi moved to the United States in the hope of working as actors. They did

6720-584: Was first published by Eclipse Comics in 1986 as one of a number of black-and-white parodies on the market at the time. The initial artist was Patrick Parsons (under the pseudonym Parsonavich). The book went on to be a regular series, running for 9 issues; from ARBBH #6 art duties were taken over by Sam Kieth . From #8 Mark Martin contributed back-up strips, including political satire Ronnie & Gorby and parody-of-a-parody-of-a-parody Adolescent Radioactive Big Butt Hamhocks . The final issue included work by Kieth, Martin, Chuck Fiala and Ken Meyer, as well as

6804-570: Was highly successful, returning over $ 50 million on a $ 3-million budget. The film started the Kickboxer franchise . He did not appear in any of the film's four sequels, though he did return as a different character in the reboot series. In 1990, he starred in Death Warrant , the first script credit for David S. Goyer . Also that year he starred in Lionheart . Lionheart was directed by Sheldon Lettich who had co-written Bloodsport , and said

6888-504: Was kicked in the nose and was unable to continue as a result. In a 2013 interview, Van Damme called this fight his most memorable match. He began his full-contact career in 1977, when Claude Goetz promoted the first ever full-contact karate tournament in Belgium. From 1977 to 1982, he compiled a record of 18 victories (18 knockouts) and one defeat. In 1979, he had an uncredited role in André Delvaux 's Woman Between Wolf and Dog ,

6972-404: Was released. Directed by Lettich, it features Van Damme in the dual role of Alex and Chad Wagner, estranged twin brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. Upon its opening it received mixed reviews. The Los Angeles Times said the film "delivers the goods", while Variety didn't like the plotline and predicted a flop. The film grossed $ 23,683,813 in its first 28 days. It made

7056-534: Was shot on a $ 1.5-million budget for Cannon. The film is about U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux (played by Van Damme), trained from his youth in the ways of ninjutsu by Senzo Tanaka, who takes the place of Tanaka's deceased son Shingo in the illegal martial-arts tournament Kumite in Hong Kong . It became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. Producer Mark Di Salle said he was looking for "a new martial arts star who

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