If you’re a fan of anime, or even of animation in general, then you probably know who Hayao Miyazaki is. And if you don’t, then shame on you. Go do your research. Miyazaki is a legendary anime director who co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed some classic animated movies such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, among others. Miyazaki‘s movies should be in your DVD collection, but if they’re not, then you can watch some of them for free on Google video. You can watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and Castle in the Sky. These are excellent movies, and if you haven’seen them yet, then you can watch them here. And even if you’ve seen them before, they are worth watching again.

ComiXology, one of the leading platforms for digital comic book distribution, has added another publisher to it’s line-up. Image Comics enters the digital market with the launch of the Image Comics app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The app was developed on the comiXology platform, and gives fans will access to the creator-owned comics that Image publishes.

Among the independent content now available digitally are Image’s most popular titles, including Savage Dragon, Chew, Battle Pope and Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood. The Image Comics app will also be the first to feature Haunt, the comic book collaboration between industry heavy weights Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman.

“With the launch of the Image Comics app, we have an opportunity to provide our creators with the digital support that, for many of them, was unattainable before,” says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. “comiXology has established a very impressive track record of bringing independent content into the digital world. Today represents a milestone in our growth as a company and enables us to increase the availability of the fantastic titles we publish.”

“Our partnership with Image is indicative of our shared vision to help independent creators thrive in the traditional print community as well as the explosive digital marketplace,” adds David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “The demand for creator-owned content is at an all time high, and we are thrilled to be able to provide fans with what they want. We’re lucky now to work directly with Image and to offer the creators a clear path to the digital market.”

You can purchase your comics in the Image app, or on the Comics by comiXology app. And the comics will be available under “My Comics” in both apps and on the web at comics.comixology.com. The Image Comics app is available to download for free from the iTunes App Store. Individual issues for ongoing series are priced for $1.99, and Image will be offering fans free issues of several popular titles, along with sneak peeks of upcoming titles, and other exclusive content.

You can check out the selection of Image titles available by going to the Image section of the store here.

Lock your doors and windows and grab a baseball bat, the zombie apocalypse is coming to your livingroom. AMC has announced that its new series, The Walking Dead, will premiere on Halloween night, Sun., Oct. 31 at 10PM-9C. The pilot will be a 90-minute episode, and subsequent episodes will be one-hour long presentations.

But don’t worry. On Halloween night, those are just trick-or-treaters at your door. Or are they?

AMC has this four minute trailer available on their website. I’m looking forward to this series.

Warner Bros. is releasing a complete series box set for their futuristic animated show, Batman Beyond. Taking a look at the future for DC Comics’ Dark Knight, Batman Beyond: The Complete Series presents over 52 episodes of the hit series, as well as all-new bonus featurettes and a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet. Batman Beyond: The Complete Series will be distributed by Warner Home Video on November 23, 2010 as a nine-disc limited edition DVD set for $99.98 (SRP).

Batman Beyond: The Complete Series follows Terry McGinnis, an ordinary teenager whose father was mysteriously murdered. Suspecting foul play at his father’s company, the Wayne/Powers Corporation, Terry meets Bruce Wayne and learns of a secret identity hidden for decades. Now too old to don the cape and cowl as Batman, Wayne refuses to help – so Terry does what any brash young kid would do: steal the Bat-suit and take matters into his own hands! Vowing to avenge his father’s death, Terry dons the high-tech suit tricked out with jet packs, a super-sensitive microphone and even camouflage capabilities in search of his father’s assassin. It’s 52 action-packed episodes following the adventures of the partnership between an ex-crime fighter and his apprentice, starring Will Friedle (Boy Meets World) as Terry McGinnis and, reprising his seminal role, Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Bruce Wayne.

Casting throughout the series’ 52 episodes featured award winners from feature films, primetime television and the Broadway stage – from Paul Winfield, Stockard Channing and Seth Green to William H. Macy, Wayne Brady and Teri Garr – not to mention George Lazenby , Dan Castellaneta , Jodi Benson , George Takei and Henry Rollins.

An all-star production team was headed by executive producer Jean MacCurdy and producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and Paul Dini. Writers on the series included Burnett and Dini, as well as Stan Berkowitz, Bob Goodman, Rich Fogel, Hilary Bader and John McCann.

Included in the beautifully custom designed package is a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet with the inside perspective and artwork from the vaults especially compiled by DC Comics for this release.

Three new bonus features created specifically for the Batman Beyond: The Complete Series are:

• Tomorrow Knight: The Batman Reborn
  The Batman Beyond creative team gives you a peek into the character of Terry McGinnis, and what made him worthy to become the new Caped Crusader.
• Gotham: City of the Future
  A look at Gotham City, circa 2039, and how the team built a realistic vision of the near future while remaining true to the city they created in Batman: The Animated Series.
• The High Tech Hero
  Explore the technology behind the Bat-suit, its amazing powers and the real world science that inspired it.

The collection will also contain the DC 75th anniversary documentary, Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics.

“Batman Beyond was a landmark series as it created altogether new directions for the iconic character, and added dimensions for fans both old and new to the Batman mythology,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. “Warner Home Video is proud to release this important series in an all-encompassing box set, just in time to make a perfect holiday gift for the ultimate fan.”

Mimoco, the makers of designer flash drives, is releaseing a new wave of Star Wars USB flash drives. The latest wave is an Empire Strikes Back themed release in celebration of the movie’s 30th anniversary. This line-up of MIMOBOTs features Yoda, Wampa, Snowtrooper, Hoth Luke and exclusive to Celebration V was a Lobot drive.

MIMOBOT flash drives are offered in memory capacities ranging from 2GB to 16GB and come pre-loaded with exclusive MIMOBOT-themed content like wallpapers, screensavers, avatars, and videos specific to each character. MIMOBOT flash drives carry a $39.95 price tag and can be purchased online at www.mimoco.com and at fine retailers worldwide.

The Lobot drive was a special limited edition of 1,000 units, which was made available exclusively at Star Wars Celebration V.

If you’ve ever been to Disney World, and you’re a Star Wars fan, then chances are that you’ve rode the Star Tours ride. Well, the classic ride is getting an upgrade, and there will be a new promo video that fans will see while waiting in line for the ride. Here’s a look at the new video that was unveiled at Celebration V.

Hannover House, the entertainment distribution division of Target Development Group, Inc., announced that they have entered into a development venture with Vancouver-based Red Bear Entertainment, for Terminator 3000. The project is being produced as a 3D animated feature film with an estimated $70 million budget. And the movie will feature the characters and general plot points of the orignial Terminator movie. Eric Parkinson, the C.E.O. of Hannover House, was previously the C.E.O. of Hemdale Home Video, Inc. and Hemdale Communications, Inc., and handled the distribution of the original Terminator movie.

There aren’t many details for Terminator 3000, but the company has stated that they are aiming for a PG-13 rating, so they will be looking to minimize the level of violence in the movie. Hannover House and Red Bear Entertainment is proposing a January, 2011 start, and they will release details of the production timing, financing and principal production personnel in advance of their start.

However, controversy is arising around this announcement. Hanover is laying claim to rights to produce animated Terminator material, but another company, Pacificor, actually owns the rights to the Terminator franchise. And they have sent a cease and desist letter to Hannover House. The letter states:

“We recently became aware through various online media reports that Hannover House, purportedly a division of Target Development Group, Inc. (“TDGI”), entered into a purported feature film development venture with a Vancouver based entity, Red Bear Entertainment, for “Teminator 3000” an animated feature film based upon the characters introduced in the original Terminator movie.

This knowledge came as a surprise to Pacificor. It did not license or authorize any such development or film. Indeed, it has not been contacted by Hannover House, TDGI, Red Bear Entertainment or anyone else seeking such a license or approval.

While some of the reports we have seen mention that Pacificor “retains approval and licencing authority…” over the proposed project, a reasonable inference drawn from the reports is that such approval has been obtained. Otherwise, why would the “development deal” have been entered into in the first place and why would the reports mention a proposed January 2011 start date for production?”

Hemdale produced and distributed James Cameron’s original Terminator feature, but in 1990 they released the sequel rights to Carolco, which later transferred the rights to Halcyon Media. Halcyon went bankrupt and placed the Terminator rights up for auction. Santa Barbara based Pacificor, LLC purchased those rights at the auction in January. However, Parkinson claims that when rights to the Terminator property were sold to Carolco, animation rights weren’t included in the deal. And he insists that he was given the animation rights when he left Hemdale. Further complicating the picture is that even if Hanover does have the animation rights to Terminator, Pacificor still retains approval and licensing authority over the proposed Terminator 3000 project.

“The animation rights were excluded when Hemdale sold Terminator to Carolco and when I left Hemdale,” Parkinson said. “Part of my settlement was that I got those rights. However, the way the rest of the contractual rights are written, it would be dangerous for us to do this without Pacificor’s approval. They have certain intellectual rights. The best way to put it is, they can’t make an animated film without me, and we might not be able to make it without them. We are in discussions with WME (the agency in charge of the rights), and hope we can deal with this expeditiously.”

It seems that Terminator 3000 is stuck in limbo for now, but Parkinson remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached.

“We’ve arranged a meeting, we’ll show them our money and if the rational brain prevails, they’ll take the deal. If not, I can’t do it without them. You’ll have a follow-up next week that we are either holding hands, or not doing the film. At least we now have our meeting. I hope they will can think outside the box, because if we can make a movie that delivers a $20 million to $30 million rights payment, that is an income source they didn’t realize was possible. If not, it was a good idea anyway.”

The comicbookmovie.com site has posted this pic of Kilowog from the upcoming Green Lantern movie. This gets me even more excited for the movie. Kilowog is one of my favorite Lanterns, and it looks like they are doing a bang up job of bringing him to the screen. Just the fact that we’ll see him is awesome. And this now brings up the possibility that we’ll see even more Lanterns in the movie. I wonder who else we’ll get a look at? I can’t wait.

This is something that I just stumbled across, in April Discovery Communications announced that they will launch a new cable network, The Hub, a multi-platform joint venture with Hasbro, Inc. The cable television network will feature original programming as well as content from Discovery’s library of award-winning children’s educational programming; from Hasbro’s rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The network’s goal will be to entertain, enlighten, empower and educate children and their families.  The Hub lineup will include animated and live-action series, specials and game shows, and the network will extend its content through a robust and engaging online presence. The Hub will launch October 10, 2010 (10-10-10) reaching approximately 60 million U.S. households on what is currently Discovery Kids channel. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com.

Now, why is this news on a geek site? The Hub will air reruns of Transformers Generation1 and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. I think that its long over due for these two classic series to have another run on TV. And I’m surprised that neither the Cartoon Network or Boomerang have been showing these. These are two series that have endured the test of time with a strong fan base that seems to grow with time. And why its great that these two classic cartoons form the 80s will be shown again, that’s not all. There will be two new animated series, Transformers: Prime, and G.I. Joe: Renegades, that will be airing their first season of 26 episodes each on The Hub this fall.

There hasn’t bee a whole lot of details released about either show so far, but a partial list of voice actors for the series has been announced.

Transformers Prime

Cast includes: Peter Cullen (“Transformers” Trilogy – Optimus Prime), Frank Welker (“Transformers” Trilogy – Megatron), Gina Torres (“MadTV”), James Remer (“Dexter”), Josh Keaton (“Justice League: Circle of Two Earths”), Kevin Michael Richardson (“The Batman”), Markie Post (“The Fall Guy”), Jeffrey Combs (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Produced by Hasbro Studios.

G.I. Joe Renegades

Cast includes: Charlie Adler (“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”), Lee Majors (“Six Million Dollar Man”), Clancy Brown (“Shawshank Redemption”), Jason Marsden (“Batman: The Brave and the Bold”), Johnny Messner (“Tears of the Sun”) and Kevin Michael Richardson (“The Batman”) Produced by Hasbro Studios.

I think its awesome that Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, two voice actors from the origianl Transformers cartoons, will be reprising their roles of Optimus Prime and Megatron. And one of my personal favorites, Jeffrey Combs, who was pitch perfect as The Question on Justice League Unlimited, will take on the role of Ratchet.

Radical Publishing and Disney announced their collaboration on a film adaptation of Oblivion, based on an illustrated novel by Radical Publishing. Oblivion was created by Tron: Legacy director, Joseph Kosinski, was written by Rex Mundi creator, Arvid Nelson, and illustrated by Andrée Wallin. The movie version of Oblivion will be directed by Kosinki and will be produced by Radical’s President and Publisher, Barry Levine, along with Kosinski. Radical Studios’ Executive Vice President Jesse Berger is signed on as Executive Producer. Kosinki is repped by Verve and Anonymous Content while Radical is repped by CAA and David Schiff.

In a future where the Earth’s surface has been irradiated beyond recognition, the remnants of humanity live above the clouds, safe from the brutal alien Scavengers that stalk the ruins. But when surface drone repairman Jak discovers a mysterious woman in a crash-landed pod, it sets off an unstoppable chain of events that will force him to question everything he knows.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Joe Kosinski on Oblivion,” said Barry Levine, president of Radical Pictures. “Joe is one of the most creative forces in filmmaking today. From the moment he teamed with Radical to produce the book and film, he had such a clear vision of the Oblivion landscape and universe. Add to that Joe’s successful partnership with Disney on Tron: Legacy, and you have all the ingredients for a phenomenal action/adventure film.”

Oblivion, the 128-page illustrated novel, will be released in Summer 2011 and will feature prose, combined with over 40 fully painted landscape renderings. Oblivion will be distributed worldwide through Random House.

Fans are encouraged to visit the Radical Publishing websites www.radicalpublishing.com,www.facebook.com/radicalpublishing and www.twitter.com/radicalcomics for more information.

Adult Swim has a crush on comic book character Scott Pilgrim. They’re crushing so hard that they have commercials announcing that Adult Swim wants to marry Scott Pilgrim. The commercial is to promote an animated short that is a flashback from volume two of the Scott Pilgrim comics, and will air in two parts on the Cartoon Network between two commercial breaks on August 12 between 12 and 12:30 AM.

“Being huge fans of the comic, and very excited about the film, we asked if we could produce an animated short in the style of the comic,” Adult Swim producer Jason DeMarco said. “The filmmakers and Bryan Lee O’Malley were into the idea, so we actually made it!”

The short, titled Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation is animated by Titmouse, Inc. and the live action film’s cast provide voiceover work for the short. Michael Cera and Allison Pill voice their characters from the film, Scott Pilgrim and Kim Pine, respectively, while Mae Whitman and Jason Schwartzman voice two characters that don’t appear in the live-action movie. Whitman is Lisa Miller, a friend of Scott and Kim’s, and Schwartzman is Simon Lee, a villain who has the hots for Kim.

The four-minute shorts show the beginning of the friendship between Scott and Kim, who ends up becoming the drummer in Scott’s band, Sex Bob-Omb. The short begins with Scott and Lisa meeting for the first time outside of the principal’s office. The animation style is heavily influenced from creator Bryan Lee O’Malley’s art style in the comic book, and there is a continuity bond between the novels, the film and the short.

If you happen to miss Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation when it premieres on Adult Swim you can catch it online at the Adult Swim website and the Scott Pilgrim and Adult Swim Facebook pages.

Variety is reporting that Watchmen producer Lloyd Levin has picked up the rights to Matt Wagner’s Mage: The Hero Discovered; the first part of the Mage comic book trilogy that began at Comico in 1984. Mage: The Hero Defined, the second part of the trilogy came out from Image in 1997, however, the third and final part, Mage: The Hero Denied still has not been released. Levin will have the rights to the entire 15-book run that makes up the Hero Discovered arc.

Mage is the story of Kevin Matchstick, a man who learns that he has superhuman powers and gains a magic baseball bat while attempting to defeat an evil being called the Umbra Sprite. It is later revealed that his baseball bat is actually the legendary sword Excalibur, which has taken on a new form, and that Matchstick is  a new incarnation of King Arthur.

Mage has always been a favorite book of mine,” said Levin. “It’s one of the great untapped comic books from the ’80s renaissance that also spawned Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight.” Levin will produce the film alongside Eureka co-creator Andrew Cosby.

“It’s a great that Lloyd is taking on this material because his approach (to comic books) is to capture the essence of the original source material,” added Wagner. “The timing is good, too, because in the past, (filmmakers) tried to fix the material. Now they try to adhere to the material.”

Mage was previously optioned by 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder, but the movie was never put together. Levin will now finance the development and production of Mage. And he is no stranger when it comes to adapting comic books to the screen. Levin has previously produced Hellboy, The Rocketeer, Time Cop and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, in addition to being attached to produce an adaptation of Terry Moore’s Echo.

The news was released a few months ago that a new animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, will be coming to Disney XD next year, and will be based on the comic book series by veteran writer Brian Bendis. Now, more news about the show was announced at Comic-Con International. Ben 10 creators Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle, the team collectively known as “Man of Action” will be joining the project alongside Bendis himself.

And even bigger news for animation fans is that  veteran writer and producer Paul Dini will be joining the Ultimate Spider-Man team. Dini is known for his work on some incredible shows such as Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, the ABC television series Lost, and the Batman: Arkham Asylum video game.

MTV News has this interview with Dini who explained some of the team’s plan for the series and how it will differ from recent and existing Spider-Man cartoons. He also dropped some hints about what the upcoming “redefinition” of Peter Parker will entail.

MTV NEWS: First off, I have to ask about the roles you and the rest of the “Ultimate Spider-Man” creative team will play in the series. This is an all-star team, after all…

PAUL DINI: We’re really all just going to go off each other’s energy. Brian’s work is a great part of the inspiration for the series, and the Man Of Action writers are going to handle the bulk of the episode scripting. Everything is going to be produced under the watchful eye of Jeph Loeb. We had an early meeting last week with myself, Jeph, and a few of the directors and designers, and I think every body’s on the same page with what we want the show to look like and the feel of the show.

MTV: Given the title of the series, everyone expects it to be an animated version of Brian’s comic book series. Will it be an adaptation, or will it keep certain elements and go off in its own direction?

DINI: It’s 50/50. There are elements that are going to come directly from the comics, and there are elements that are just going to take it into an entirely new and different direction — and yet, they’re going to harken back to that particular iteration of Spider-Man.

MTV: How will it differ from recent and existing series, like “Spectacular Spider-Man”? Is there something that’s going to distinguish the “Ultimate” adventures of Spidey from the “Spectacular” stories?

DINI: We’re going to be pairing him up with new and different Marvel characters. There’s going to be a lot of guest-star action, and there’s going to be a redefinition of Peter Parker within the Spider-Man world. We’re going to change a few things — nothing too dramatically, but you look at the Spider-Man concept from the early ’60s and you take a look at where teens are now, and you realize you can’t really go back and redo what was done so well in the comics. You have to ask, “What if this was all happening today? How do you redefine ‘With great power comes great responsibility?’ How do you redefine the villains of that world and the supporting characters?”

You also don’t want to repeat the same old tropes. As much as I love elements of Spider-Man’s past, I don’t really want to go back in and retell the Gwen Stacy and Green Goblin story in animation just so I can do my take on it. I don’t want to redo the first Spider Slayer story. I don’t want to redo some of those classic Lee/Romita and Lee/Ditka stories just for the sake of seeing them rendered in animation. For now, I just want to approach Spider-Man with fresh eyes, taking a few things we know about him and just doing a new spin on the concept. I think old-time fans will find what we’ve done with the character to be pretty good and thoughtful, because we’re not out to junk-up Spider-Man. That’s not our intent.

MTV: You’ve said what you don’t want to do, but what’s the general approach toward “redefining” Peter Parker in “Ultimate Spider-Man?”

DINI: It’s sort of like what Brian did with the whole ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ idea. He just looked at it from a new perspective. There were things that made the fans sort of sit up and say, ‘Hey, I never thought of that before, but it really does work with Spider-Man’s universe.’ That’s the same thing we’re doing here.

We’re also taking a much different approach visually with the way we show how Spider-Man moves and works and acts within this new world. It’s going to be a complete change as far as the visualization of what it’s like to be Spider-Man.

MTV: So much of your career has focused on Batman and the DC heroes. What’s the appeal of Spider-Man for you?

DINI: I love Spider-Man, and I’ve never worked with the character before. It’s fun to try something new. There’s a different energy to Spider-Man than there is to Batman. Batman is dark and moody and spooky, and in some cases, methodical. There’s more of an element of a procedural around Batman, and there’s all sorts of great things you can do within his world. In animation, when we first rendered Batman’s world at Warner Bros., we were able to make it very dark and noir-ish and grim, which all takes its cues from Batman’s character.

Spider-Man’s world is more chaotic, more kinetic — it’s almost like stream of consciousness. You have to really put yourself in that mindset to tackle Spider-Man effectively. If you’re redefining the character that way, you want to redefine his world along those lines as well, and move things along and make it a lot faster. He’s a character who makes mistakes and has to go back and set things right and then continue on. He’s somebody who’s constantly thinking on his feet and trying to figure this out, because he hasn’t been doing it as long as Batman — it’s all new to him. It really is “great responsibility.” As cool as it is to be Spider-Man at times, there’s also a price to pay for that — and he has to learn to balance things out.

MTV: As far as timing and stories go, how many episodes are you planning for the first season?

DINI: There’s 26 episodes in front of us, and we’re breaking it into two increments.

“I’m not going to be able to say too much but [the episode] definitely [has] a lot of Clark and Kara discovering their past and what she’s found while she’s been away for the year about their family,” said Vandervoort. “People have always wondered why Clark can’t fly and that’s going to be kind of discovered in this episode. It’ll be good. It”ll be the usual banter between [Clark and Kara] as well.”

The first episode of the tenth season will have an unusual returnee. John Schneider will reprise his role as Jonathan Kent in an episode titled “Lazarus.” He is also expected to return in at least one more episode during the season. I think that Schneider was great in the role of Pa Kent, and I was very disappointed to see him killed off during season five. The title might hold a hint to how they’ll orchestrate his come back, that is if you’re a big fan of the Batman comic books, but that’s just speculation for now. I wonder if this will be a straight-up-honest return, or if there’ll be twist to the newly returned Jonathan Kent? I also wonder if he’ll be back for good, or if he’ll return to the beyond by season’s end?

And while there is a lot of good news, there’s also some disappointing news. Michael Rosenbaum has previously stated that he will not reprise his role as Lex Luthor. He left the show at the end of the seventh season. And another actor played Lex in a brief appearance during season eight, where Lex was apparently killed in a n explosion. However, it was later hinted that Lex was still alive.

The actor of steel himself, Tom Welling, told MTV News that he’s a cheerleader for Rosenbaum’s return. “I want to see Lex [Luthor],”Welling told said. “I want to see him come back. In the show, he’s still alive. He’s just not around. But I want to see Michael [Rosenbaum] and I want to see Lex Luthor. I want to know how that relationship really turns out. Because that’s the big relationship that I believe propelled Clark to become Superman.”

I agree that the relationship between Clark and Lex was one of the most interesting things about the earlier seasons of Smallville. And Rosenbaum was great in the role. Lex should be back for the final season. And he should be in the last episode. It wouldn’t be hard for them to write up an explanation that uses plastic surgery or a clone as a reason for another actor to play Lex for the final season, but it wouldn’t be the same. I hope that Rosenbaum will have a change of heart and will come back for one final season.

Among other rumored guests, Sahar Biniaz is said to be appearing as Hawkman’s long lost love Shayera, also known as Hawkgirl, who was referenced in the episode Absolute Justice. And Michael Shanks will be back to reprise his role as Carter Hall/Hawkman. Geoff Johns hinted in his Twitter feed that Darkseid and the forces could appear in the tenth season. Blue Beetle, the Jaime Reyes version, is said to appear in an episode alongside Booster Gold. And Bradley Stryker is rumored to appear as Floyd Lawton, known in the DC Universe as the assassin Deadshot.

It looks like Smallville is pulling out all the stops for its final season, and is going to go out with a bang.

The 10th season of Smallville will debut on Friday, September 24.

NetDragon, the developers who are also creating online games for both Dungeon Keeper and Ultima in Asia, has a Transformers MMO in the works. The game is said to be out next year, though few other details have been released at this time. One curious thing is that  Asian, North African, Middle Eastern and Russian have been mentioned as territories that would receive the game, but the U.S. seems to be left out for now.

“Transformers is already a household name in China, and we are extremely honored to be able to join hands with Hasbro to bring the excitement and fanaticism of Transformers into the online gaming sector” said NetDragon’s Liu Dejian.

Its hard to say much when nothing is known about the game at this time, but its an interesting idea. My big question is what version of the Transformers will be featured in the game? Will the robots in disguise be modeled after the ones that have appeared in the recent movies, or could we see some classic generation 1 Transformers? My vote is for G1. I’m really not a fan of the recent movie versions of the Transformers, and if that is what they’ll look like, then I would lose a lot of interest in playing this game.

Marvel has released a teaser image for the upcoming Avengers #4, and this story looks like it has a whole lot going on. Front and center is Ultron, who can carry a comic by himself. He’s destroyed countries. He’s a nightmare. He’s one of those villians that make you say “Oh, $H!T” when you see him.

And if Ultron isn’t enough, we have Dr. Doom down in the right hand corner. And a bit above Doom is the Juggernaut. And you can see Magneto below Ultron’s right arm. What’s with all of the baddies? I wonder if it has something to do with Kang the Conqueror who is featured in the middle of the image. Kang is a big time Avengers villain himself, but it becomes more interesting with what’s around him. There’s Cyclops in his original costume near the lower left corner. You have Giant-Man knocked out on the left. And that’s not a character and costume that has been seen in a while. And there’s a few others in there that I’m not sure if they were deceased, or are possibly wearing old costumes. At any rate, this looks like a big story.

AVENGERS #4

On-Sale-8/25/10

$3.99

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS                                                                                                                                                                                            Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.                                                                                                                                                                                          Variant Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.                                                                                                                                                                                            Women of Marvel Frame Variant by JIM CHEUNG

The trailer for The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has been released. I don’t know abotu the theme song for this show. It sounds like an 80s power ballad type of song, and I’m not sure if it works all that well for me. However, it looks like this could be a pretty cool show.

The Thor trailer has been circulating out of Comic Con international. I just watched it, and it looks amazing. I’m getting jazzed to see the Thor movie next year. And I love Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson. The Destroyer lands and he has this nonchalant, been-there-done-that attitude about it. I like that nothing phases him. He may have small roles in these movies, but I like the way he plays it, and how he brings a little humor to the part. I can’t wait for next May.

Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and Watchmen, is promoting his next movie, Sucker Punch. The movie is coming form Warner Bros., and its an action flick that has plenty of girl power with Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jaime Chung, Abby Cornish, and Carla Gugino in the cast.

Sucker Punch is set in the 1950s, and follows a girl who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. To try and deal with the pain she hides in an alternative reality of her own imagination. And in that world she begins planning her escape, which calls for her to steal five objects to get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.

Sucker Punch hits theaters on March 25, 2011.

The concept sounds interesting, and visually the movie looks incredible, but I wonder how well all of the elements will come together. The trailer looks like a dream. A frantic dream that is a mix of a 1940s vision of the future type of sci-fi, dragons and samurai fantasy, and plenty of big special effects and big explosions. It looks awesome. I just hope that the story is as least somewhat cohesive and interesting. At any rate, it looks like an entertaining movie. I’m already buying popcorn.

If you’re running out today to buy the latest Warner Brothers/DC Comcis direct-to-DVD animated movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood, then there is big news for you coming out of Comic Con International. Under the Red Hood had its premiere at the mega comic book and media convention, and it was followed by a panel discussion after the screening. During this panel it was confirmed that Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will be out this September, although that is old news at this point. However, that was followed by the news that All Star Superman, the highly acclaimed story by Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, will be made into an animated film. And if that isn’t enough, producer Bruce Timm announced that the iconic Batman: Year One storyline by Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli will be made into a feature-length animated film in the near future.

All Star Superman is a story that has received much love from comic book fans, and it could make for an excellent movie. However, I wonder  what the art direction of the movie will be. If they try to create character designs based off of Quietly’s art from the comic books, like it was done with the Ed McGuiness art on Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, then I have some reservations about this movie. I have not been a fan of Quietly’s work, and I don’t know if it will translate well to animation. To me his people can seem “puffy” and I’m not big on his look. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how this one develops.

On the other hand, I think that Batman: Year One is huge news. This is one the most celebrated storys in the history of comic books, and most definitely one of the top three Batman stories, ever. Year One helped to revitalize Batman, it helped make a star out of Frank Miller, and it helped to change the look of the comic book landscape. If they’re doing adaptations, then I would have preferred to see this one first over a couple that they did before it. Batman: Year One is one of my all-time favorites, and I can’t wait to see it animated.

At the Comic Con International convention, Joe Quesada held a Cup O’ Joe panel to talk about some of the happenings at Marvel. During the panel he showed the above images on a screen while saying, “We received some intellectual property from Disney. Now, we’re not going to talk about it, but we’re just going to show you these pictures.” Gasps were heard in the crowd.

As he said, no information was given at this time, but it seems clear that Marvel will be bringing CrossGen, or at least some of their properties to Marvel. I’m wondering if Marvel will bring all, or just some of the former CrossGen titles over the the House of Ideas? Will they be using the CrossGen imprint to publish these comics under, or will it simply be under the basic Marvel banner? And will they keep these titles in a separate universe, or will they some how be merged with the mainstream Marvel Universe? It’ll be interesting to see what happens with these comic books.

Here’s a trailer for the animated The Goon movie. The movie is based on The Goon comic book by Eric Powell that is published by Dark Horse Comics. The Goon is something of a pulp flavor comic with a supernatural slant to it. The trailer makes it look like the movie will be all kinds of awesome.

This image from the upcoming Thor movie has been floating around. This “sword in the stone” image hints at the bit of Arthurian legend that is mixed into Thor’s mythology. As comic fans know, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, can only be lifted by someone who is “worthy” to wield it.

A Contract with God, the landmark graphic novel from legendary comic book master Will Eisner, is being adapted into a live action feature film. The announcement came from the film’s producers at Comic-Con International.

Considered to be one of the most influential graphic novels ever written, A Contract with God explores stories and memories from Eisner’s childhood growing up in a New York City tenement, in an innovated comic book format. The book is an anthology of stories that show the brutality, fragility, and tenderness that exists among people living in close quarters during challenging economic times.

The movie will cover the four chapters of the graphic novel, with a different acclaimed independent director handling each chapter. Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer), Tze Chun (Children of Invention), Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy), and Sean Baker (Prince of Broadway, MTV’s Warren the Ape) will be bringing the seminal comic work to the screen. Darren Dean (Prince of Broadway) will produce and adapt the graphic novel for the screen.

The film adaptation of the comic will be produced under the auspices of the Eisner estate in the spirit of the original work. Bob Schreck, a 30-year veteran of the comic book industry and Michael Ruggiero, former head of original programming at STARZ, will serve as Co-Executive Producers. Black Squirrel Films Co-Founder Tommy Oliver will serve as Co-Producer and Mark Rabinowitz, Co-Founder of indieWIRE.com, will serve as Associate Producer.

Focusing on the immigrant struggle, A Contract With God takes a look at prominent themes across four separate but related stories that are set in a New York City tenement in the 1930s. The four chapters are: A Contract With God (Rivera), The Street Singer (Chun), The Super (Jenkins) and Cookalein (Baker). Each filmmaker brings a different approach, which will capture the diversity, style and essence of Eisner’s story. Nat Sanders (Medicine for Melancholy, Hump Day) will serve as editor on the entire film.

The announcement regarding the film adaptation of A Contract with God was made at the 22nd annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, which honors creative achievement in American comic books including induction ceremonies into the comics industry Hall of Fame, the first time such an announcement has been made at the Eisners. Will Eisner was a regular participant in the award ceremony until his death in 2005.

Darren Dean said, “I look forward to finding the fine balance of offering Eisner fans a very faithful interpretation of his work and allowing the voices of these strong and competent filmmakers to be heard. We are all approaching the inaugural stage of this project with respect, honor and anticipation and hope that the fans will welcome us with both faith and scrutiny. This is for them, as much as any of us.

Bob Schreck said, “Getting to know Will Eisner was one of the great honors of both my personal and professional journeys. We are all well aware that the work ahead has a very high bar of excellence to aspire to set by Mr. Eisner’s pioneering achievements in storytelling.”

Tze Chun said, “Before I became a filmmaker, I wanted to be a comic book artist, and I spent many nights poring over Eisner’s Comics & Sequential Art. The book should be mandatory reading for every person who wants to be a storyteller regardless of his or her intended medium. Eisner’s magnum opus, A Contract With God, is a master class in visual storytelling — groundbreaking, humanistic, moving, and rich in detail. Within these four short stories, Eisner creates an entire world. I’m very excited to be a part of the team that will bring this film to life.”

Key roles will be cast in the coming months with principle photography set to begin in 2011.

The 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners

Best Short Story

“Urgent Request,” by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The Eternal Smile (First Second)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

Captain America #601: “Red, White, and Blue-Blood,” by Ed Brubaker and Gene Colan (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series

The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image)

Best Limited Series or Story Arc

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best New Series

Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)

Best Publication for Kids

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best Publication for Teens

Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)

Best Humor Publication

Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrm vs. the Universe, by Brian Lee O’Malley (Oni)

Best Anthology

Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe Keatinge (Image)

Best Digital Comic

Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart, www.sintitulocomic.com/

Best Reality-Based Work

A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Adaptation from Another Work

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album-New

Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzuccheilli (Pantheon)

Best Graphic Album-Reprint

Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Strips

Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books

The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia

A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer

Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel) Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)

Best Writer/Artist

David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)

Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction

Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Best Cover Artist

J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)

Best Coloring

Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Northlanders, Luna Park (Vertigo)

Best Lettering

David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com

Best Comics-Related Book

The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Publication Design

Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC)

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award

Vault of Midnight, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Hall of Fame

Burne Hogarth
Bob Monatna
Steve Gerber
Dick Giordano
Michael Kaluta
Mort Weisinger

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award

Jeannie Schulz

Bill Finger Award for Achievement in Comic Book Writing

Otto Binder, Gary Friedrich

Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer

Award

Marian Churchland (Beast)

List provided by Comic-Con International

A series of promo posters for the upcoming comic book movie Red have been released. The movie is based on a comic by Warren Ellis, and the action-comedy has quite a cast. Check out the posters.

In the comic books the Hulk has been the host to some different personalities over the years. And in Hollywood the Hulk has almost as many different personalities tryign to get inside his head. It has been made certain that Edward Norton won’t return to the role of Bruce Banner when The Avengers come ot the big screen. And Eric Banna was left out after the first Hulk movie. However, the jade giant hasn’t run out of talented actors yet. It is beign rumored that Mark Ruffalo has been offered the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers.

Ruffalo appears in the recent film The Kids Are Alright, a movie that is generating some Oscar buzz, and has shown plenty of personality, charm, and acting chops in past movies such as The Brothers Bloom, 13 Going On 30, and We Don’t Live Here Anymore.

Some sources are saying that he is now in late-stage discussions between Marvel and his brand-new agency United Talent to play the part of Bruce Banner. However, other are reporting that while Ruffalo does have an offer to play the rampaging hero, he has not decided whether he wants the role, and hasn’t even met the film’s director, Joss Whedon yet. Talks are underway for the actor and the director to meet sometime soon.

I have been a fan a Ruffalo’s for awhile now, and I think that he is a brilliant choice for Bruce Banner. Since Edward Norton won’t be back, I’m hoping that things work out and Ruffalo takes on the role. He may not be a superstar, but people who know movies know that he’s a top talent. This is a great chance for Marvel to score another top actor for its movies.

Then there’s the idea floating out there that Isaiah Mustafah, the actor in those comical Old Spice commercials would like to play Luke Cage. When he’s not selling deodorant he’s been commenting and answering fans questions on Twitter  (http://twitter.com/OldSpice), his most recent twit is pure gold. And he’s been doing some video responses on Youtube as well (http://www.youtube.com/user/OldSpice#p/p). The above video relates to him playing the part of Power Man.

It seems crazy on the surface, but who knows. Its not unheard of for actors to get their start in commercials, and we don’t have much to go by with him yet. If not Power man, maybe he could get a shot at playing Mr. Terrific.

We have a full cast photo for the upcoming comic book/horror TV series The Walking Dead. I’m looking forwatd to this show.

Fanboys can get a glimpse of the brightest day when they pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. EW is giving a behind-the -scenes look at the making of next summer’s Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds.

Reynolds will be playing Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who becomes an intergalactic superhero when he puts on the cosmic power ring. While he has experience in the superhero realm from his role as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, playing Green Lantern involved some major challenges, like getting hurled through the air on a wire at up to 60 feet per second to create the illusion of flight. “The first time you do it, you’re seriously considering an adult diaper,” Reynolds says. Even with the roles unique challenges, he couldn’t resist the chance to play the beloved DC Comics hero, whose power ring can conjure virtually anything he can dream up. “Will and imagination are his superpowers,” Reynolds says. “We need a circus of Timothy Learys to think of things Hal would invent with his ring.”

Judging by the cover, we’ll get a sneak peek at Green Lantern, plus other geek projects, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Thor, Tron: Legacy, The Walking Dead. And what’s that about a new Buffy!? Grab the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, flying to stands on July 16.

The Los Angeles Times gives us this photo from the set of Thor. The big three of Asgard, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, and Sir Anthony Hopkins’s Odin will stand together, for a moment at least.

The L.A. Times also reports that Thor, as well as Captain America: The First Avenger, will have a 3-D release. However, neither film is being shot in 3-D. Post production work will transform the movie into a 3-D display, much like it was done with Clash of the Titans. According to Marvel Studios Executive Kevin Feige, “In being able to think in 3-D from the start — and having every bit of our special effects rendered in true 3-D — we have the opportunity to do it right.”

Joining Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, and Tom Hiddleston, will be  Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Kat Dennings as Darcy, Idris Elba as Heimdall, and Jamie Alexander as Sif. Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano and Joshua Dallas make up the Warriors Three. And the cast is rounded out with Rene Russo as Frigga, Clark Gregg as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson, and Stellan Skarsgard as Professor Andrews. Colm Feore also has an undisclosed role as a villain of some sort. Thor crosses the Rainbow Bridge into Mid-Guard theatres on May 6, 2011.

Harvey Pekar, the comic book writer known for American Splendor has passed away. Cleveland Heights police captain Michael Cannon said that Pekar suffered from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure, and depression, but his cause of death is unknown. An autopsy is being planned. He was 70.

Pekar’s wife called the police to their home around 1 a.m. His body was found on the floor by the bed. His wife offered that he was in good spirit when he went to bed around 4:30 pm on Sunday.

Instead of following the trend of super-heroes that dominates American comics, Pekar’s American Splendor was an unglamorous and honest autobiographical portrayal of his life. He chronicled his life as a file clerk in Cleveland, as well as his relationship with his third wife, Joyce Brabner. His 1994 graphic novel, Our Cancer Year, detailed his fight with lymphoma.

Pekar didn’t draw the comics himself, instead he collaborated with artist such as his friend R. Crumb, who drew the first issue of American Splendor in 1976. In 2003 the comic was made into a critically acclaimed movie starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar. “Harvey was one of the most compassionate and emphatic human beings I’ve ever met,” Giamatti said. “He had a huge brain and an even bigger soul. And he was hilarious. He was a great artist , a true American poet, and there is no one to replace him.”

Lucy Shelton Caswell, curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University said, ” He will be remembered as an innovator who wrote stories about ordinary things that were then illustrated by some of the most notable cartoonists of the late 20th century. People identified with what he was writing about and the stories that these people were drawing because it was so ordinary.”

Harvey Pekar brought something special to comic books. Instead of taking off for distant worlds or high fantasy, he gave people a real and honest look at himself. His work was personal, and it was brave for him to let others share in it. And he showed that an independent creator can contribute something of value to comics. He may not have reached stardom or wealth with his comic books, but what he gave to us is invaluable. He will be missed.

Here’s a poster and a trailer for the next Harry Potter movie. Were heading into the last two movies for this franchise, and there is a very ominous tone being set for the end of Potter.

Columbia Pictures has done what no super villain has been able to accomplish. They lifted off the mask of Spiderman, and revealed that it is Andrew Garfield.  Garfield has been cast to play Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, in Marc Webb’s reboot of the Spiderman movie franchise.

Here’s the full press release:

ANDREW GARFIELD CAST AS PETER PARKER IN COLUMBIA PICTURES’ NEXT INSTALLMENT OF SPIDER-MAN

After a comprehensive worldwide casting search, Andrew Garfield has been chosen to portray Peter Parker when Spider-Man swings back onto the screen in 3D on July 3, 2012. The new film will begin production in early December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.

Today’s confirmation culminates what has been one of the most eagerly anticipated casting announcements in recent memory. Bloggers, pop culture speculators, and everyday fans have pored over and analyzed every conceivable online rumor in an attempt to discover the identity of the next actor to play Peter Parker. Garfield will immediately begin preparing for the coveted role.

The Spider-Man franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.

On selecting Garfield, director Marc Webb said, “Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”

Commenting on the announcement, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures said, “Spider-Man is a classic superhero — a young man who balances his responsibility to serve humanity and crush evil with the shyness and normalcy of someone struggling to find himself. The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.”

Producer Avi Arad added, “I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.”

Producer Laura Ziskin said, “We are thrilled to have Andrew Garfield for this new incarnation of Spider-Man under Marc Webb’s direction. We were fortunate enough to meet with a group of fantastically talented young men. In the end, we all agreed that in addition to being an extraordinary actor, Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth, and pathos, along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen.”

The selection of Garfield was revealed at a press event in Cancun, Mexico for international journalists attending a media tour promoting upcoming films from Sony Pictures Entertainment. B-roll footage of the announcement will be available via satellite later this evening — see uplink times coordinate information below.

Garfield is fast becoming one of the most respected and sought-after young actors working in the industry today. In a short career, spanning only five years, he has already been directed by, and starred alongside, some of the greatest names and received a BAFTA for a role that won him international praise.

Garfield most recently worked with director David Fincher on the upcoming film The Social Network. He previously starred for Spike Jonze on his robot love story I’m Here, which premiered at Sundance this year. He plays the lead male opposite Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go, due for release later this year.

Other notable screen credits include Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus playing opposite Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and the late Heath Ledger, Robert Redford’sLions For Lambs, where he starred alongside Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep; Revolution Films’ Red Riding Trilogy – 1974 directed by Julian Jarrold, where he lead a stellar cast including Rebecca Hall and David Morrissey, and his unforgettable portrayal of a young ex-con in John Crowley’s Boy A, for which he earned the best actor BAFTA in 2008.

Garfield’s career began in theatre and in 2006 his performances in Beautiful Thing (Sound Space/Kit Productions), The Overwhelming, and Burn / Chatroom / Citizenship (Royal National Theatre) won him the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer at the Evening Standard awards and the Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics Circle Theatre Awards. Other notable theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (Manchester Royal Exchange) and Kes (Manchester Royal Exchange), for which he received the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Manchester Evening News Awards 2004.

And here’s a video of the casting announcement:

I am always eager to see what is next in line for the direct-to-DVD animated movies that Marvel and DC have been doing. And while I’m waiting for Batman: Under the Red Hood to get here, I’m already being teased by DC next project. Thier next movie will be Superman/Batman:Apocalypse. This story will adapt the Supergirl storyline from Jeph Loeb’s run on Superman/Batman. And what could be better than Superman and Batman teaming up? Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy are returning to their voice acting roles as Superman and Batman, along with  Summer Glau (Serenity) providing the voice of Supergirl.

And continuing the line-up of DC Showcase shorts to accompany the movie will be a Green Arrow story.

Here is the full press release:

THE END IS NEAR!
WORLD’S FINEST WAGE WAR WITH DARKSEID IN ALL-NEW DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGNAL MOVIE SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE AVAILABLE FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO SEPTEMBER 28, 2010!

Andre Braugher, Summer Glau, Ed Asner join popular voices Kevin Conroy & Tim Daly; New DC Showcase  GREEN ARROW on Special Edition Blu-ray & 2-Disc Special Edition DVD

To save an earthbound Kryptonian, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight unite once again – this time to battle the powerful forces of Darkseid – in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, the ninth entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming September 28, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The highly anticipated, full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD as well as single disc DVD. The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.

Fan favorites Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Kevin Conroy (China Beach) return to their seminal roles as Superman and Batman, respectively. The celebrity-laden guest cast is headed by Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) as the daunting Darkseid. Sci-Fi heroine Summer Glau (Serenity/Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) provides the voice of Supergirl, and seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up) reprises his Superman: The Animated Series/Justice League role as Granny Goodness.

Based on the DC Comics series/graphic novel Superman/Batman: Supergirl by Jeph Loeb, Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is produced by animation legend Bruce Timm and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Tab Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist).

After a spaceship splashes down in Gotham City Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as those of the Man of Steel. The Kryptonian is soon revealed to be Kara, cousin of Superman, who takes her under his wing to educate her about the ways of Earth. However, the villainous Darkseid has other plans. Seeing an opportunity to finally defeat Superman, Darkseid abducts and gains control of Kara, utilizing the powerful Kryptonian to do his bidding. It’s up to Batman and Superman to save Kara, but they’ll have to take the fight to Darkseid within his hostile world – where unknown, deadly threats lurk around every corner, including a brainwashed Kryptonian able to match Superman blow-for-blow.

In addition to the feature film, the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD include the third DC Showcase animated short, Green Arrow. Screenwriter Greg Weisman’s story finds Oliver Queen at the Star City International Airport to pick up his girlfriend, only to be forced into action as Green Arrow to protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his old nemesis Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. The short features the voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) and Malcolm McDowell (Entourage). Bruce Timm is executive producer.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse 2-Disc Special Edition DVD features more than 1 1/2 hours of exciting extra content, including:

• Feature film (est. 75 min)
• DC Showcase: Green Arrow (10 min)
• Sneak Peak at the Next DC Universe Animated Original Movie (10 min)
• Featurette: Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton – A comprehensive look at The Maiden of Might from her introduction in the classic age of comics to her death in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event to her appearance on Smallville and beyond.
• 2 bonus episodes from animated television series handpicked by Bruce Timm

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ will include more than 2 1/2 hours of intriguing bonus features, starting with all of the content available on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD and adding:

• All-New Featurette: The New Gods. A primer on the wealth of material and stories contained in the New Gods series, along with a deeper understanding of why these characters – and especially Darkseid – are so memorable and important to the DC pantheon.
• All-New Featurette Pods
• Orion – The mightiest warrior on either New Genesis or Apokolips, Orion follows an almost Shakespearean arc culminating in the slaying of his father, Darkseid. This mini-featurette shines a light on this classically tragic character.
• Mister Miracle – This mini-featurette focuses on the greatest escape artist the universe has ever known and how he was traded in a peace effort to be raised by Darkseid, the enemy of all New Genesis.
• 2 additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
• Digital copy on disc of the feature film

“Great things happen when powerful entities come together, and the partnership of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation is proud to continue this popular film series by once again uniting the two most popular characters in the DC Universe in a story that truly tests their strength, trust, loyalty, ingenuity and heroism,” said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President Production, Warner Premiere.

“It is a testament to the larger-than-life nature of Jeph Loeb’s blockbuster storylines that two of the first nine DC Universe movies are based on his work,” said Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse lets us see Superman and Batman in action side-by-side again, but this time along with Supergirl and one of DC’s greatest villains, Darkseid.”

“Just as Superman and Batman stand atop the DC canon of characters, so do the respective seminal voices of Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy in the hearts and minds of fans. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will no doubt please comic-centric and mainstream audiences alike – particularly in the performances of Daly and Conroy opposite dynamic actors like Andre Braugher and Ed Asner, and fanboy favorite Summer Glau,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brands.

To tell the truth, I thought that Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was only a so-so movie. It was alright, but  I wasn’t really swept away by it. And because of that I would almost rather see them do a different movie next, before going back to the Superman/Batman comics for another movie. And after Public Enemies and the upcoming Under the Red Hood, I would like to see them do another orignal story, like they did with Crisis on Two Earths, rather than adapting another comic book story.

Still, I love comic books. And I love animation. So, this is a movie that I have to check out. Original or adaptation, these animated movies have been good over all, and I’m always looking forward to the next one.

Loeb, who has made his name known as a writer for comic books and as a television producer, has been named the head of Marvel Entertainment’s new television division. As executive VP and head of television for Marvel, Loeb will oversee the development and distribution of new live-action and animation series for TV and direct-to-DVD releases. He will report to Dan Buckley, publisher and president of print, animation and digital at Marvel.

During the 80s, he earned writing credits on the movies Teen Wolf and Commando. Later he could become one of the first writers to cross over from Hollywood to comic books. As a comics writer he has worked with some of the major flagship characters at DC and Marvel, including the X-Men, Batman, Superman and the Hulk. One of his best known works is the Batman: The Long Halloween mini-series that collaborated on with artist Tim Sale.

Loeb also has stayed active in television, having worked as a writer and producer on Smallville and rising to the role of co-executive producer on NBC’s Heroes.

“His work in the comic book field is in a class of its own,” said Marvel Studios executive VP and creative committee chairman Alan Fine. “Jeph’s work on multiple award-winning television series and popular films has shown fans worldwide his ability to deliver thrilling entertainment in a number of media.”

Marvel Studios’ executive VP and creative committee chairman Alan Fine said Lobe’s “work in the comic book field is in a class of its own.”

Given his experience in television, as well as comics, Loeb seems to be a good pick to head up Marvel’s TV department. And its not surprising that the Disney owned Marvel Entertainment would make a move like this. This is what the merger was all about. Tapping into the well of Marvel characters for Tv and DVD productions. I’m excited to see what Marvel projects we’ll be seeing in the future.

I’m not going to go too far out one way or the other until I see this movie, but it looks like it could be pretty good. I don’t mind that they’re adding some humor to it, in fact it might be a stand out comedy/action movie. I could be benefiting from the fact that I don’t know much about the Green Hornet, so maybe die-hard fans will have a problem with it, but I’m willing to give it a chance. I just hope that it doesn’t get too-too silly. And I’m not thrilled to see that its coming out in 3-D.

As far as I know this movie wasn’t shot in 3-D, or planned to be in 3-D, but they are adding the 3-D effect afterwards. Other movies have been doing this since Avatar showed that its possible to bring in a boatload of money with a 3-D movie. However, Avatar and our other success story, How To Train Your Dragon, were conceived, planned, and created as 3-D movies from the get go. Other movies that have tried to cash in on the new trend by adding 3-D as an after thought have failed in their use of the technology. I’m not going to come down on Green Hornet yet, but the track record of others hasn’t been good. Trying to shoe-horn your movie into 3-D just doesn’t add anything to the experience. These movies would be just as well off staying as a 2-D movie.

Anyways, The Green Hornet looks decent and I’m on board to check out the movie.

Comic book publisher, DC Comics, is partnering with ComiXology and the PlayStation®Network for two separate digital comics distribution deals, which launched on June 23. In addition, a DC Comics App for the iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch is available allowing consumers an easy way to access DC Comics’ content. The announcement was made by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

“At DC Comics, it has been a top priority that DC forges a meaningful, forward-looking digital strategy,” said Jim Lee, Co-Publisher, DC Comics. “As both a comic book creator and Co-Publisher, it was incredibly important that our plan includes not only creator incentive payments, but also an innovative component that supports comic shop owners. We see digital as an opportunity to grow our entire business.”

Both the ComiXology and the PlayStation Network Digital Comics launch offerings will include classic titles from DC Comics, Vertigo and WildStorm, such as Batman: Hush, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Fables: Legends in Exiles and Planetary: All Over the World and Other Stories. Both programs will share a tiered pricing format, with digital comics priced from $.99 to $2.99 per issue. The Justice League: Generation Lost mini-series will be available through both platforms on the same day that each issue’s print edition goes on-sale, and both the digital and print editions are priced at $2.99. Several comics will be available for free with the launch, including the first installment of the ZUDA series Bayou and select stories from Batman: Black & White.

To further promote the announcement, DC Comics is offering a free 10-page preview of the 700th issue of Superman available through both platforms on the day that the issue is going on sale in comic book stores. The 10 page story is a prelude to writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Eddy Barrows’ highly anticipated Grounded storyline that will be published in Superman which will examine how Superman sees America, and how America sees Superman.

“’Grounded is a major turning point in the history of Superman,” said Dan DiDio, Co-Publisher of DC Comics. “This storyline has the potential to generate national headlines and bring new readers the series.”

The ComiXology program will launch with over 100 issues, from DC Comics, Vertigo and WildStorm, including the first issue of All Star Superman. Beginning with launch, one issue of Neil Gaiman’s critically acclaimed Sandman will be available digitally exclusively through ComiXology each week and over 100 additional issues from the company’s diverse imprints will be made available through the ComiXology program each month.

The digital comics, priced from $.99 to $2.99 per issue, will be available through:

•                DC Comics app for the iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch;

•                DC Comics-branded storefront, located in the Comics by comiXology app for the iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch;

•                DC Comics-branded storefront on the web at Comics.comiXology.com.

•                www.dccomics.com, later this year.

“Once readers download an issue, they will be able to read it on all DC Comics-branded Comics by comiXology-supported platforms,” said David Steinberger, CEO of ComiXology. “DC’s taking a bold approach to platform convergence, and we’re thrilled to be their solution of choice.”

Staying true to ComiXology’s support of comic retailers, DC’s partnership with ComiXology also includes a first-of-its-kind Retailer Affiliate Program, which will collect a portion of digital revenues to be invested back to and on behalf of comic book retailers in a variety of initiatives.

“The ComicsPRO Board of Directors is looking forward to continuing our dialog with DC Comics to figure out how their digital strategy can lead to new customers for storefront retailers,” said Joe Field, owner/operator of Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, an Eisner-Award winning comic book shop in Concord, California. “We’re pleased to be part of this important conversation about the future of the comics business.”

The PlayStation® program will launch with over 80 issues from DC Comics, Vertigo and WildStorm, including the first 25 issues of Superman/Batman. Comic book titles based on videogame properties, including Free Realms, God of War and Resistance, will be made available digitally exclusively on PlayStation®Store for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Over 50 additional issues will be made available each month, priced from $0.99 to $2.99 per issue, available through PlayStation Network.

“With the PlayStation Network digital comics available for all PSP models, the user is able to explore a huge range of more than 1600 comics and we look forward to working with DC Comics to continue to add even more titles,” said Susan Panico, senior director, PlayStation Network, Sony Computer Entertainment America. “PlayStation Network is the premiere entertainment destination and we are excited to provide users with exclusive content and continue to expand our growing library of comics.”

DC Comics is working with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution to leverage its global digital platform expertise and key partner relationships with companies such as Apple, Microsoft and other online distributors. Through these efforts WBDD will help DC Comics grow their digital publishing business.

“We’re very pleased to be working with the exceptionally talented team at DC Comics to help bring digital comics to consumers,” said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “This innovative offering breaks new ground, and makes some truly great works available in digital form for the first time.”

“Today’s launch provides an additional opportunity to convert new readers and recapture lapsed readers while serving existing fans,” said John Rood, Executive Vice President, DC Entertainment. “We look forward to working with our partners in the industry—the creators, the retailers and the fans—as we experiment with our digital strategy, in a manner that remains additive to our traditional business models.”

X-Men: First Class now has an arch villain. According to Entertainment Weekly, Twentieth Century Fox is in negotiations with German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender to paly the role of Erik Lensherr, the man who will become Magneto. He might be familiar to you thanks to his part as Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. Fassbender has also gained attention for his appearances in Band of Brothers, Jonah Hex, and his role in last year’s indie film Fish Tank.

And that’s not the only addition being made to X Men: First Class. Benjamin Walker, star of the Public Theater’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, is set to play the Beast. 

Walker is a Julliard grad, and has been making a name for himself on the New York theater scene. Walker has a few more performances left at the Public Theatre, and then he will be taking on the X-Men role. The not for profit theater is planning to move to Broadway this fall, with the hopes that Walker will rejoin them when he’s done with First Class at the end of the year.

While Fassbender and Walker seem to be locked in for the movie, there are other casting rumors going around. Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) is reportedly in talks to play Mystique, while I have heard conflicting rumors that Rosamund Pike (Surrogates) is in talks to play either Moira McTaggert or Emma Frost. While Aaron Johnson (Kick Ass) is in talks to play a young Cyclops.

X-Men: First Class will be directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass). The film will show the early relationship between Charles Xavier and Lensherr, two young mutants who are first discovering their powers. They start out as the closest of friends, working together to stop a huge global threat. They later become enemies, leading to an eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

Production is set to begin this summer in London. X-Men: First Class is scheduled for release on June 3, 2011.

Dark Horse Comics is teaming up with Toshiba, and USA Today for a new program that will bring comics to your desktop, doorstep, and even digital TV. Following up on the success of USA Today’s Wednesday Comics program, it was announced that the nation’s top-selling print newspaper will again showcase comic books. The program will feature exclusive and all-new original content from Dark Horse Comics’ top properties and creators across a variety of media platforms.

“As an entertainment company, Dark Horse prides itself on pushing the boundaries with groundbreaking creators and content,” said Mike Richardson, president and publisher of Dark Horse Comics. “We’re excited to continue this tradition by showcasing some of our most exciting stories in this all-new program with these great partners.”

“As a leader in home entertainment built on Toshiba’s rich 130-year history of groundbreaking technologies, we are proud to associate our products, including our new LED HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players, with the compelling and legendary Dark Horse brand,” said Maria Repole, vice president of communications for Toshiba. “This truly exciting campaign will help Toshiba build a connection with a passionate group of consumers eager to experience fresh content in innovative ways.”

“USA Today is excited to be partnering with Toshiba and Dark Horse on this innovative program. It’s a terrific example of how USA Today can take exclusive content and turn it into a compelling cross-platform reader experience,” said Susan Lavington, senior vice president of marketing for USA Today.

The DH:HD (Dark Horse: High-Def) program kicks off with an exclusive look at best-selling author Janet Evanovich’s first graphic novel, Troublemaker, in USA Today. The newspaper and Toshiba will maintain momentum by continuing to showcase Dark Horse’s content online, in print, and at the Comic-Con International in San Diego and New York Comic Con. In October, Dark Horse will roll out a series of all-new stories created exclusively for the program.

Granted, they’re screen tests, and the actual designs and quality of the finished show might differ from this test set-up, but this is something to get you excited about the prospect of a new super-hero TV show.

Game Informer has announced that there will be a video game based on the comic book series Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The comic is entrenched in retro video game culture and indie rock ‘n roll as the main character sets out to defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil ex-boyfriends. The game from Ubisoft is a tie-in to the upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie adaptation starring Michael Cera, and is a download-only game on the PlayStation Network. The game is a timed exclusive on PlayStation 3 that will be released in August, to coincide with the movie’s release, and sometime after the game could become available for the Xbox 360.

The game is a four-player brawler featuring Scott Pilgrim, his love interest Ramona Flowers, and Scott’s band mates Kim Pine and Stephen Stills as playable characters. And Ubisoft teased that there could be other unlockable characters, modes, and levels, but it looks like there won’t be online play.

The levels in the game are said to follow along with the book volumes, such as world three taking place inside the club where our heroes take on rival band The Clash at Demonhead just like in Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness.

According to Game Informer, Combat covers all the brawler bases with two attack buttons, blocks, throws, counters, ground strikes, weapons, jumps, dashes, and grapples. You can also taunt, summon a mystical ninja, and resurrect knocked out players. As you defeat enemies, you’ll gain experience and cash. The former grants you new moves upon leveling up (like an air recovery or spin attack) and the latter can be spent at River City Ransom-esque shops integrated into stages. Items like food and accessories are available here alongside straight up attribute boosts to strength, defense, speed, and willpower. Another feature is that Scott and Kim had entirely different move sets.

With Paul Robertson at the helm of art direction, these stills have a retro feel to them. The pixelated look and game design reminds me of Golden Axe and Castle Crashers. I think that Scott Pilgrim will be similar to these two games.

It sounds like the game will be faithful to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic book series. And the game is definitely modeled after the comics, as opposed to being based on the the movie. It sounds like the game will have plenty of inside references, while being a solid brawler with cool pixel art.

WizKids/NECA and CBS Consumer Products announced that they have made an agreement that will allow WizKids/NECA to create HeroClix branded  miniature games that are set in the Star Trek universe. The License will include all of the Star Trek television shows and feature films, and the game will be sold both physically and digitally.

“Star Trek changed the way people think about the future,” said WizKids/NECA President Lax Chandra. “We are thrilled at the opportunity to marry our innovative game design and exceptional miniatures with the incredibly rich Star Trek franchise.  We believe HeroClix and the Star Trek Universe are ideally suited for cooperative gaming and table top miniature simulation and will speak to gamers in a new and compelling way.”

WizKids/NECA will have their first Star Trek game released around Christmas, 2010 with additional expansions to follow.

From what I understand this will be a vehicle based game, and not one that features characters. A space fleet battle game could be pretty cool. I’ll be interested to check this one out. I would expect to see more information about this game during the summer conventions.

I thought it was cool when I heard about the reboot of the Thundercats cartoon, but that news has been one-upped. Voltron: Defender of the Universe will return to TV with a new animated series on Nicktoons. And it will be accompanied by a new toy line from Mattel.

Voltron’s rights holders, World Event Prods and Classic Media, had originally been planning on rebooting the property with a feature length film. However, the movie idea is being scrapped in favor of a cartoon series on TV.

80s icon icon Voltron will be joining an icon from the 90s for a revival party. Billionaire Haim Saban bought back The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Disney last month for about $100 million to reboot as TV shows on Nickelodeon and toys.

Scheduled to begin next year, Nicktoons will air 26 half-hour episodes of Voltron Force, a cartoon about five space explorers who pilot robotic lions that combine to form Voltron, an invincible guardian sworn to defend the Universe.

The new series aims to remain faithful to the old show, however, there will be new recruits fighting alongside the original characters. The new cartoon is coming during the the 25th anniversery of the original, and it is the first Voltron TV project in 10 years.

WEP and Classic Media (“Casper the Friendly Ghost,” “Where’s Waldo?”) will produce the toon with Kickstart Prods. (“Wolverine and the X-Men”). Classic Media is shepherding international distribution, merchandising and licensing deals.

Mattel will tie-in with the anniversary to launch toys based on the classic Voltron line, as well as action figures and play sets designed around an edgier, and more modernized robot. So far there isn’t a release date for the toys.

“What’s paramount is getting the toys right,” Ted Koplar, president of St. Louis-based WEP told Daily Variety. “They’re pretty involved toys that have to transform and fit together.”

WEP and Classic Media had been developing a live action feature for some time but screen writers, including Justin Marks, have yet to get the right feel for the movie. This is the opposite approach that Hasbro took with Transformers and G.I. Joe. They relied on the first films in those franchises in 2007 and 2009 to introduce new toys for the lines.

The return to TV makes sense for Voltron. Transformers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe were introduced to kids via shows that were produced by Hasbro and Mattel as a way to sell toys. “It’s an exciting way to introduce the brand to a generation that isn’t familiar with ‘Voltron,’” Koplar said.

I’m all for a remake as long as its handled well. Voltron was one of my favorites as a kid, so I’m very interested to see what the new series will be like.

I’m wondering how Dum Dum will figure into this movie. He’s a character that is in the current Marvel comics, and never received any age reducing formulas like Cap and Nick Fury, so he couldn’t have been around during World War II. I guess the movies are allowed to do a little re-writing of Marvel history, but that means we won’t see Dum Dum in any of the movies set in the present. Unless Dum Dum makes appearances in Captain America: The First Avenger in flash forward types of scenes, which would be interesting to see.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeremy Renner is in final negotiations to join The Avengers movie. Rejoice people, because one of my big hopes for the Avengers movie seems to be coming true. It is being said that Renner will play Marvel’s avenging archer, Hawkeye.

Renner will join a team that so far will include Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man/Tony Stark, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and possibly Don Cheadle as War Machine. The involvement of the Hulk in the Avengers remains speculation at this point. The Hulk may be in the movie, but at this stage there is no deal that would bring back Ed Norton, who starred as the emerald giant in 2008′s The Incredible Hulk.

It looks like indie comic book character The Crow will be taking flight again. Stephen Norrington is directing the reboot of the film franchise, that is reported to begin shooting sometime soon. He is also script writer on a screenplay which is said to be finished, and is generating some excitement.

Edward Pressman, who produced the previous Crow films, has been collaborating with Avatar production designer Rob Stromberg on some illustrations that are “quite different from Alex Proyas’ approach with the original Crow.” Casting announcements are expected to be released soon as the new movie moves closer to becoming a reality.

“[We've got an offer out] to a major actor and things are moving ahead very aggressively, with the aim of doing the film this year,” Pressman told MTV News. He also revealed that the film’s setting will differ from the original version of The Crow, although it will still draw from the gritty city elements of the Brandon Lee original film.

“The setting is the southwest — the Mexico/Arizona area — and an urban [setting], Detroit or Pittsburgh or something like that,” he described. “There are two locations that the film is set. Its initial platform is in the southwest and then it moves to the big city in the north, middle or eastern America, and then back.”

Norrington’s treatment of the Crow mythology will also differ from the past movies. “The Crow itself is a creature in this movie, it’s not just a bird,” said the producer. “It’s got a personality and a character. Not like Godzilla exactly, but it’s very different [and has] a more active role in the story.”

“Obviously it’s a different time and a different idea, but I think Stephen is a very talented fellow and I’m very excited to work with him,” said Pressman. “I think it’s a very different conception [than the original film]. After the first Crow, there were so many other films that were inspired by it, by its look. Steve is an artist himself, and he’s created a very different visual idea.”

The Crow is about a young couple, Eric and Shelly, who are assaulted by a gang after their car breaks down. Eric is paralyzed and helpless to watch as his fiancee is beaten and raped. The two are then left to die on the side if the road. Eric is resurrected by a crow, and sets out to enact vengeance on their murders.

James O’Barr created the comic in 1989 as a means of dealing with his feelings in the wake of his girlfriend’s death at the hands of a drunk driver.  He first published the title through Caliber Comics. The series moved to Kitchen Sink Press from 1996-1998 followed by a The Crow/Razor one-shot crossover from London Night Studios. Also in 1998, Random House released The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams, a prose anthology edited by Ed Kramer and O’Barr with stories by Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, Alan Dean Foster, Jane Yolen and Gene Wolf. The most recent comics’ stories came from Image as a ten issue series in 1999.

Here’s some big news for fans of 80s nastalgia, Warner Brothers has announced that they will produce a new Thundercats animated series that will begin airing next year. Fan of 80s cartoons will be anxious to jump on board for a new Thundercats cartoon, but even those who aren’t familiar with it can get excited about the prospect for a new epic fantasy/action series. Here’s the press release:

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) has begun production on “ThunderCats,” an all-new animated series for Cartoon Network, based upon the iconic 1980s action classic. “ThunderCats” is the newest series from WBA, joining “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” which was recently renewed for a third season, and the following forthcoming programs: “The Looney Tunes Show,” “MAD,” “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” and “Young Justice.” The announcement was made today by Sam Register, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.

“In addition to being Warner Bros. Animation’s first anime series, ‘ThunderCats’ marks our most ambitious foray yet into fantasy,” said Register. “The realism and dynamic visual style we’ve achieved are sure to thrill viewers, and the cool weapons, vehicles and technology should help the show appeal to a diverse audience.”

The 21^st century reimagining of the series marks a creative collaboration between WBA and Studio4°C, one of the most vibrant animation studios in Japan, with credits including “The Animatrix,” “Gotham Knights” and “Halo Legends.” WBA is working closely with Studio4°C, utilizing the latter’s expertise to give the “ThunderCats” characters a new cutting-edge look while remaining true to the compelling storylines and mythology of the original series.

“We at Studio4°C are excited to be in this creative partnership with Warner Bros. Animation to bring ‘ThunderCats’ to life,” said Eiko Tanaka, President and CEO, Studio4°C. “This collaboration combines the strengths of our two companies – high production values and great storytelling – toward reintroducing this classic fan-favorite to a new audience.”

Roaring to life through WBA and Studio4°C’s use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, “ThunderCats” characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.

The new “ThunderCats” will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost – takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.

“ThunderCats” is executive produced by Sam Register (“Teen Titans,” “Ben 10,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”). Michael Jelenic (“Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “Wonder Woman”) and Ethan Spaulding (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) are the producers.

Production in beginning in Atlanta for AMC’s adaptation of the Robert Kirkman comic book series The Walking Dead. The first season will consist of six episodes, and is being written, produced and directed by three-time Academy Award-nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile). The Walking Dead follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who are traveling in search of a safe haven after a zombie apocalypse takes over the world. The AMC website has these production shots on their website. This is looking like it could be a very good show.

It seems like its been a while since I’ve heard of anything from Frank Miller. The prolific comic book writer and artist has been one of my favorites in the past, but its been a couple of years since his last project, All-Star Batman and Robin, was unceremoniously dropped, and I haven’t heard of anything from him since then. That was until today, when Dark Horse Comics announced that they’ll begin hyping Miller’s next work by releasing a Xerxes lithograph this October.

Xerexes will be a prequel to the comic book series 300, that was later turned into a hit movie by Zack Snyder. It appears that the comic will be the story of the Persian king and is carrying the tagline “They Were 300. He was one.” The story will published as a six-issue miniseries by Dark Horse in 2011, but at this point no release date has been set.

The 24″ X 36″ lithograph can be ordered from the Dark Horse website. It will be drawn by Miller and colored by Dave Stewart, and it will comes in two forms, a $25 regular edition and a $100 edition that will be signed by the artist, and limited to 100 copies.

“The story will be the same heft as 300 but it covers a much, much greater span of time,” Miller told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s 10 years, not three days. This is a more complex story. The story is so much larger.”

“The Spartans in 300 were being enclosed by the page as the world got smaller,” continued Miller. “This story has truly vast subjects. The Athenian naval fleet, for instance, is a massive artistic undertaking and it [is] dwarfed by the Persian fleet, which is also shown in this story. The story has elements of espionage, too, and it’s a sweeping tale with gods and warriors.”

“The story is very different than 300 in that it involves Xerxes search for godhood,” continued Miller. “The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he well on his way to godhood by the end of the story.”

“To me [Xerxes] is such a pivotal character and in this story I get to explain him so much more fully,” explained Miller. “I do my best to crawl inside his head rather than have him be this iconic force that simply commands this huge army. There are many scenes with him alone or just with his people. There’s an extended scene set in Persepolis, for instance, where he takes power and there are several scenes where he is going through his transitions and he’s shown speaking to his mother and his wife and with all of that he becomes that much more interesting as a character.”

Xerxes may be the focus of the comic, but Miller revealed that two additional characters from 300 will return for cameo appearances, the malformed Spartan traitor, Ephialtes and King Leonidis. The story will also feature the Greek warlord Themistocles as the protagonist. Themistocles played a large role in the creation of the Athenian navy which will be seen in the climactic sea battle at the end of “Xerxes.”

“There is an aftermath that is like an extension of 300 because 300 ended so abruptly with all of them getting mowed down by arrows,” said Miller. “I do get into what happened after that and what the entire thing means to Xerxes. Xerxes is a megalomaniac and takes everything as a sign of his godhood. I’ve known people like that.”

I’ve enjoyed Frank Miller’s work, and he remains one of my favorites in the comic book industry. I just wish that there was a little less time in between projects for him. I don’t begrudge him for wanting to try his hand at movie making, but I am glad to see him return to comics. I would like to see it happen a little more often.

While it seems that Marvel has been getting all of the head lines concerning comic books being adapted into movies, Warner Brothers continues to develop projects for their DC Comics properties. Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, revealed to investors that they were close to giving The Flash movie a green-light. And while there aren’t any details at this early point in development, Meyer has said that other super hero properties are in the works. Christopher Nolan is reported to be directing Batman 3 for a July 20, 2012 release, and he will produce a new Superman movie, rumored to be titled The Man of Steel, for the 2012 holiday season. David Goyer, who teamed with Nolan as a writer on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight will be a writer on both upcoming films. Meyer also revealed that the studio is planning films based on Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Mad Magazine characters.

There’s not much to go by at this point, but plenty to be excited about. Another movie in the Batman franchise will be highly anticipated. Superman Returns was a disappointment for most people, but having the team of Nolan and Goyer on the project gives me a lot of hope for the next Superman movie. Wonder Woman could be the next big thing if its handled well, but Auqaman is a bit of a head scratcher for me. There is a huge upside for Warner Brothers if they can make a profitable movie from one of their below marquee characters, but can they pull it off? It seems that comic book writers and editors have trouble figuring out what to do with the character, that Aquaman solo titles don’t seem to fair well for too long. And he has become an easy target for jokes about his low status and lameness in the super hero world. It could be interesting to see what they do with the movie. I hope that they come up with a good idea, and really put some time into developing a solid script.

Peter Keefe, an animation executive and producer who was the creative force behind the iconic children’s TV series Voltron, died May 27 of throat cancer in Rochester, N.Y. He was 57. His trademark black handlebar mustache, long blond hair and cowboy boots became as well known in the business as his creative and marketing savvy did. That was complemented by a rich vocabulary that made him seem like a larger than life character.

Keefe has been a prolific producer who has created, produced and sold more than 600 half-hours of children’s and family entertainment programming. These shows were watched by hundreds of millions of viewers, and made  hundreds of millions of dollars. During the ’80s, Keefe adapted the anime series Go Lion and Dierugger into the single story line that became Voltron. The show debuted  in U.S. syndication on Sept. 10, 1984, and Voltron: Defender of the Universe quickly rose to become the No. 1 nationally ranked series in kids syndication during the 1984 and 1985  seasons. It also became a merchandise juggernaught that drove retail sales for licensed products into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Shown in more than 100 countries, the series remains widely recognized icons of the era, and it inspired other genre mega-hits such as Power Rangers and Pokemon. Keefe later created Denver, the Last Dinosaur, a U.S./France animated co-production that debuted in the U.S. in 1988 and went on to air in more than 90 countries.

In 1989, Keefe and longtime associate Brian Lacey formed Zodiac Entertainment, a joint venture with Central Independent Television in the U.K. Under the Zodiac banner, Keefe created and produced such animated series as Widget, The Mr. Bogus Show and Twinkle. And Widget has been hailed as the first animated series aimed at kids to blend entertainment with pro-social and -environmental messages. He also produced and marketed Nine Dog Christmas, a 2005 animated holiday special that was broadcast on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on Disney Channel in Europe and Asia. And he leaves as his most recent creation, Z-Force (Zodiac Force), is now in development. The show is an animated series that features 12 action heroes based on the ancient Oriental Zodiac.

Keefe, who was born in Rochester, began his showbiz career as an on-camera movie critic for a PBS outlet in St. Louis. In 1983, he became vp and executive producer for World Events Prods., also in St. Louis.

Keefe is survived by his wife, Pamela Mills Keefe; his mother, Anne Keefe, a former talk show host at KMOX-AM St. Louis; his stepson, James; and five siblings, sisters Lisa, Kittie and Mollie and brothers Tony and Chris. He died at Mollie’s home in Rochester.

It seems that these stories of creator and entertainer passings have been coming kind of frequently lately. Voltron was a favorite of  mine as a kid, and it was one of the premiere shows of its time. Keefe definetly left his mark in the business, and in our popular culture. I’m sad to hear of his passing.

Marvel Studios has hired Drew Pearce to write the screenplay for the planned Runaways movie. He may still be unknown to comic book fans, but he has experience with producing superhero work. Pearce is a British writer who created No Heroics, a UK comedy series about a bar that’s a hangout for superheros who aren’t allowed to use their powers while knocking back pints. Pearce will draft the Runaways script for Pete Sollett (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist), who is set to direct.

Runaways has become something of a  cult favorite comic book (created by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughan). The comic, and live action movie, is about the children of super-villains who try to use their evil powers for heroic purposes. I’m not familiar with the comic, but I’m all for more comic movies. And I’m hoping that No Heroics makes it to the U.S., either on BBC America or DVD, because it looks like it could be pretty funny. Here’s a peek:

X-Men: First Class will tell of the beginnings of the X-Men story that everyone has come to know. The movie is set before Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr take on the code names of Professor X and Magneto. They are being depicted as two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Early in their lives they were the closest of friends, and they have come together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. During this time a rift pushes the two of them apart, and begins the war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

Fox is fast tracking the production. Matthew Vaughn is set to direct, with Bryan Singer, who conceived the story for First Class, producing along with Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg.

The production is being planned for a summer start in London, with an expected release date of June 3, 2011.

Here’s a few sneak peeks at images from the Jonah Hex short that will accompany the Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD. This looks to be first class animation, and Warner Brothers is bringing in some cool talent on the project. The Jonah Hex story is being scripted by renowned author Joe Lansdale, and it will be starring the voices of Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Linda Hamilton (Terminator), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Michael Rooker (Days of Thunder).

The basics of the story is that bounty hunter Jonah Hex always gets his man, that is until this time when someone else gets to him first, a murderous madam who wants to steal more than just her bounty from Jonah Hex. Based on the award winning comic book, DC Showcase: Jonah Hex will be rated PG-13.

Batman: Under the Red Hood,  along with the DC Showcase: Jonah Hex short, arrives in stores on July 27, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video.

Jonah Hex has always been a character that I like, and I am psyched that they are including this short on the DVD. I love that they are including these  DC Showcase stories with the main feature. Some of these characters like The Spectre and Jonah Hex may not be really well known, and they aren’t the headliners that some other characters are. So its great that there is an outlet to get some animated goodness of these characters, even if its not a full-length movie. Adding the DC Showcase to their line of direct-to-DVD movies is a great idea, and it looks like they are continuing to create awesome work on these productions. I’m looking forward to this one, and I hope that the line continues.

Todd McFarlane, one of the most popular artists in the comic book industry, will be making an appearance at Book Expo America in New York City. BEA is being held at the Javits Center on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, and Image Comics will be exhibiting there along with Diamond Book Distributors.

McFarlane, the creator of Spawn and one of the founders of Image Comics, will be at the booth booth (#4558) for an exclusive signing from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Complimentary copies of the first HAUNT trade will be available during the signing. Image will also distribute copies of various Image Firsts titles throughout BEA.

“As the comic book culture continues to outgrow its historic roots of the comic book store, a big movement has been made towards book stores,” says McFarlane. “Book stores have now become fertile ground for people like myself, and I need to make sure I get out there, put my best foot forward, in terms of making presentations to the stores and letting retailers know what’s coming out. Now, they’re arguably just as many consumers coming to bookstores for comic product as comic book stores. They’re an extremely important part of our business.”

In Japan a couple was wed by the iFairy, a 4-foot-tall robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails, that is bolted down in a sitting position on top of its computer. The robot is manufactured by Kokoro, and the company states that this is the first time that a wedding has been led by a robot.

The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo. The iFairy wore a wreath of flowers on her head, and conducted the ceremony on the roof of the restaurant. Although, the robot did have some human assistance. She was connected by wires to a control unit a few feet away. The human operator hid behind a black curtain where he remotely clicked commands into the iFairy’s computer.

With the government actively supporting the growth of the robotics field, Japan has developed one of the most advanced robotics industries in the world. Industrial models have been standards in factories, and now Japanese companies are making a push to have robots placed into everyday life. Honda makes a child-shaped robot that walks, and other companies are developing robots to entertain the elderly, or to play baseball.

Kokoro is a subsidiary of Sanrio Co., which owns the rights to Hello Kitty and other Japanese characters, claims that their goal is to “touch the hearts of the people. They also make giant robotic dinosaurs for exhibitions, as well as lifelike androids that can smile and laugh.

According to Kayako Kido, a spokesman for Kokoro, the iFairy sells for around $68,000, and there are currently three models in operation in Singapore, Japan, and the United States.

I dug up a couple of videos about the iFairy on YouTube. The first is a video of the recent wedding ceremony, and the second is a presentation of the iFairy at a trade show.

Earlier this year, Vincenzo Natali, the director of “Splice” and “Cube” had said that he would love to make a movie based on Alan Moore’s run on the Swamp Thing comic book.

However, complicated rights issues are blocking that from happening. Natali has told MTV News, “Unfortunately, there is no ‘Swamp Thing’ movie in the works right now because of all the legal entanglements involved with that particular property. I’m told it won’t happen any time soon.”

He continued on to say, “Everyone wants the Alan Moore version,” he said. “[But] it’s tricky because Alan Moore has very negative feelings toward the film industry … he’s not shy about it. I honestly don’t even know all of the complexities of the legal issues surrounding it, but I know they are complex.”

“It’s really unfortunate, because in my mind, Swamp Thing is one of the great DC characters. In particular, the Alan Moore version of Swamp Thing is so fascinating and totally original, unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a movie before.”

“I’d like to do it, but it ain’t going to happen soon,” he concluded.

However, Swamp Thing isn’t the only comic book property that he’s interested in. Natali offered that he would like a chance to make a movie based on the Canadian super hero team, Alpha Flight.

“For those who don’t know, Alpha Flight is a Canadian superhero group and it was drawn by one of my favorite Marvel artists, John Byrne,” he added. “He’s a genius.”

Natali stated that he’s neither approached Marvel about an Alpha Flight movie, nor has Marvel approached Natali, but the idea of a superhero group with ties to a country outside the U.S. appeals to him.

“I thought that would be interesting, to give a little Canadian angle on the superhero mythology,” he explained. “It’s an interesting group and it had a lot of different members, so you can take it in a number of different directions. I think it would be cool.”

As interesting as it may be, the current flood of comic properties making the jump to the big screen makes him pause.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m a little intimidated right now,” said Natali. “I feel like the world is slightly overcrowded with superheroes, and maybe I’d like to wait a little while before putting my toe into those waters.”

Alpha Flight may not be the world-renowned superstars of comic books, but they are a pretty cool group of characters. I’m all for seeing a movie with this team if you have Sasquatch, Guardian, Vindicator, Snowbird, Puck, and Box. And you have to have Box. I think that Alpha Flight is under rated. And I would like to see someone take on an Alpha Flight project that highlights these characters and pushes them to the top.

Mark Hamill is bringing an adaptaion of his comic book The Black Pearl to theaters. Hamill, who will forever be remembered as playing Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, and who stole the show on the small screen when he provided the voice of the Joker on Batman the Animated Series, announced at the Cannes Film Festival that he will direct the movie.

“It’s kind of daunting,” said Hamill, who is directing for the big screen for his first time. “The pendulum swings from great confidence to what did I get myself into?”

Hamill created The Black Pearl comic book with his cousin Eric Johnson. Originally the writing partners crafted The Black Pearl as a screen play, however, Dark Horse Comics was interested in the project and asked them to turn it into a graphic novel. It ended up being published as a 5-part mini-series.

The comic book is about Luther Drake, an average person who is thrust into the center of a media frenzy after he saves a woman from being abducted. An event that leads him to take on the role of a costumed vigilante.

Last year Marvel announced that it would partner with a new player to the video game market, developer Gazillion Entertainment.  The two companies agreed on a 10-year deal to produce online multiplayer titles based on Marvel’s vast library of iconic characters.

Now Gazillion Entertainment has shared the first details of its upcoming massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on the Marvel Comics universe.

Super Hero Squad Online will be a kid friendly, browser based, MMO based on the cartoon series on the Cartoon Network. Players will assume the role of any of the dozens of Marvel heroes available. Among those listed in an official release are Spider-Man, Iron Man, War Machine, Hulk, Wolverine, Invisible Woman and Silver Surfer. Gazillion began working on the game last year at its Amazing Society development studio in Issaquah, WA. Marvel landmarks such as The Daily Bugle and Stark Tower. Super Hero Squad will also include fully customizable headquarters players can design and invites friends to visit. The game is expected to launch “sometime in 2010.”

Practically coming out of nowhere, Gazillion is unveiling itself as one of the most ambitious game startups in the world. The new privately-held MMO game publisher, based in San Mateo, CA, has 300 employees, and is focused as a pure play company developing online game worlds for the mass market. They are working on game projects based on licensed properties from Marvel and LEGO, as well as its own original properties.

“It’s a brand new property that presents their entire roster of characters like Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic Four, and Captain America in a stylized, exciting way that’s appealing to young audiences as well as fans of all ages,” said Rob Hutter, President and CEO of Gazillion. “Marvel thought this would be a great casual MMO to enter the market place and focus on the mass market before thinking hard about bringing the big Marvel Universe MMO to PC and consoles over the next few years. As we started working with them, we started attacking the casual MMO audience, the conversations quickly broadened and this deal came about.”

Hutter said Super Hero Squad will be a “freemium” MMO game that’s supported through in-game micro-transactions with an allowance model. Players can explore much of the world for free, but also opt to enter into a monthly currency program that allows in-game virtual purchases at a value price.

However, Super Hero Squad Online is just the beginning. After failed attempts at developing a MMO with Vivendi Games and Microsoft, Marvel Entertainment will be working with Gazillion to develop and publish a Marvel Universe MMO featuring the publisher’s iconic universe of more than 5,000 characters. This deal includes elements of its films and animated series. Gargantuan, a California-based development arm of Gazillion, is currently working on a PC and console version of the game. Gargantuan is one of Gazillion’s four wholly owned MMO game developers. (Slipgate Ironworks in San Mateo, CA, which is working on an original MMO game, is the fourth.)

“Despite the tough economy, the videogame industry continues to grow, and MMO games for mass audiences represent the next big opportunity for the upcoming decade,” offered Hutter in the official company press release. “This is particularly the case for established global entertainment brands like Marvel, which possess hundreds of millions of touch points with fans worldwide. The next step is exceptionally high-quality MMO entertainment for these franchises, and that’s our mission at Gazillion.”

“We’ve been working quietly over the past three years in stealth mode putting together studios and a team to go after what we see as a key opportunity over the next decade — bringing the MMO format to the mainstream audience,” said Hutter. “To accomplish this we think you need to do two things — create really high quality titles running on rock solid operations and execution capabilities and partner with household brands or worldwide global brands that have hundreds of millions of touch points with fan bases and provide a terrific installed base of enthusiasts to come in and participate in an MMO game.”

“We have a dedicated studio working on the Marvel Universe game and I think people are going to be pretty excited to learn who’s piloting that project,” said Hutter. “We have a great team that has a history of building great entertainment for the core gamer. What we’re really trying to do is create a game that will satisfy the core in a very persuasive way, but also bring in fans who have different types of play styles. We can build a very large and robust Marvel Universe with incredible amount of support from fan bases of different types, which means a bigger experience with more expansions for core and non-core alike. We don’t think the two are mutually exclusive.”

To ensure that the core gamer is part of the equation, Hutter has been assembling a team of MMO game developers from some of the top publishers in the business. He’s pulled folks from Blizzard Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Cryptic Studios and NCsoft. Steve Cartwright, design & production principal, was a co-founder of Activision and later worked at Midway Games and Electronic Arts. Serdar Copur, producer, was the lead producer on City of Heroes/Villains at Cryptic Studios.

Ralph Guggenheim, exec.producer of episodic content, was a co-founder of Pixar and an executive producer at EA. Ed Hocking, quality assurance manager, held the same position at Sony Online Entertainment. Jim Pearson, lead concept artist, was an art director at Pixar on Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo. Richard Rowan, Regine Weiner, director of Game Services, previously served as the customer service director for Turner Games and was a manager at Disney Online. John Yoo, lead systems designer, was lead designer at Perpetual Entertainment for Star Trek Online and also oversaw the virtual economy at Blizzard Entertainment for World of Warcraft.

In addition to developing the actual games, Gazillion has spent the past three years building the front-end and back-end architecture that allows its studios to share resources seamlessly. Hutter said that each time a build of a game is made, the team is actually accessing that build inside the studio from data centers worldwide. Gazillion has the technology capable to make everything from full streaming 3D world MMO experiences to engaging in-browser experiences for the PC. Down the line, when the next generation of consoles support in-browser experiences, Hutter said his team will be read for that, as well.

The Super Hero Squad game sounds like a fun start to Marvel gaming. Especially for the kids that its aimed at. And the build your own headquarters feature sounds awesome. However, the big news here is the revival of the Marvel Universe Online game. I can’t wait!

NECA/Wizk!ds has released an advertising poster for the next expansion to their HeroClix collectible miniatures game line, titled Web of Spider-Man. The new set will be Spidey-themed, as the poster touts that you will be able to collect Spidey, along with his villians and allies, and this will include versions of characters from Marvel Comic’s Dark Reign and Siege story lines. And we will get the first HeroClix version of the Red Hulk.

Another interesting thing is the Amazing Fantasy 15 Spider-Man. This looks like a cool figure, but I wonder if there’s anything out of the ordinary in how it plays. It looks like it would be larger than other figures. It fact, from this picture it looks more like a diarama piece than a playing figure. And this is the exclusive mail in figure that you can only get if you buy “a brick”, that is a case of the Web of Spiderman booster boxes.

Web of Spiderman will be out in August, and it loks to be pretty cool.

An image of the Destroyer has leaked from the set of next year’s Thor movie. And from the looks of things, they’re doing a pretty impressive job of bringing out this Thor foe. It wasn’t too long ago that I was looking through some Marvel character profiles and I thought to myself that the Destroyer is a character that should make a reappearance.

Basically, the Destroyer is an enchanted suit of armor. Under Odin’s command, the greatest metalsmiths in Asgard created the suit as a weapon to protect Earth. However, Loki would take control of the armor and turn it against Thor. The Destroyer has the power to take on Thor, and could possibly kill him. I don’t know what the story will be behind the Destroyer showing up in the movie, but it looks like there’s at least one kick ass villian on tap for Thor. There should be a big knock-down-drag-out battle in store for Thor when his movie hits the big screen. And it looks awesome.

Sarah Wayne Callies, who played Dr. Sara Tancredi on the TV series Prison Break, has landed female lead in AMC’s new show The Walking Dead. Based on a popular comic book by Robert Kirkman, Callies will portray Lori Grimes, the slowly-unraveling wife of the show’s hero, Rick (Andrew Lincoln).  Along with Lincoln, she will be joining a cast with Jon Bernthal, and Jeffery DeMunn. Frank Darabont is helming the show that is being adapted from the Image comic book series created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore.

The Walking Dead follows a group of people struggling to survive in a world that has been overrun by zombies. Callies’ character is the wife of police officer Rick Grimes (Lincoln), who flees with their son Carl during the zombie apocalypse, and tries to reach the presumed safety of Atlanta. They are accompanied by Shane (Bernthal), the partner of her husband, who lays comatose. Finding the city overrun with the undead, Shane gathers a group of survivors who set up camp on the outskirts of Atlanta, where they’re eventually joined by Rick.

So far AMC has made a commitment for six episodes that will air in October as part of an annual Fearfest horror marathon. Dexter producer Charles Eglee will be joining Kirkman, Darabont, and Gale Anne Hurd as producers on the series. AMC president Charlie Collier offered, “AMC strives to make original shows that play like movies and The Walking Dead is a perfect complement to the network’s celebrated movie franchise, Fearfest, which has always been an important destination for our audience. With its depth of story and the remarkable talent attached, The Walking Dead gives us an opportunity to raise the bar significantly within this popular genre, and continue our commitment to being the home of premium programming on basic cable.”

The Cartoon Network is bringing more comic book goodness to the small screen. Two properties from DC Comics, MAD Magazine and Young Justice will be given the animated treatment.

MAD MAGAZINE will be an animated sketch-comedy series produced by Warner Bros. The series is said to use a mix of animation styles and employ twisted humor to take a look at movies, TV shows, games, and pop culture. DC’s blog, The Source, offered some insight from Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment, “You can expect to see some familiar faces on screen and big names behind the scenes. The show will unleash MAD’s irreverent take on pop culture and today’s headlines, and feature classic characters including Alfred E. Neuman and Spy Vs. Spy. Our partners at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network are helping DC Entertainment revitalize the cherished MAD brand across all media.”

Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken) and Mark Marek (KaBlam!, The Andy Milonakis Show) are the producers.

Young Justice will be produced by Warner Bros. Animation and is based upon the comic book characters from DC Comics.The show will feature Robin, Superboy, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Artemis and Aqualad in the team-up of young heroes. It seems that part of the underlining theme of the show will be the young heroes facing the challenge of trying to prove themselves, to their parents, teachers, mentors and possibly most important of all, to themselves. They’ll have to deal with coming of age in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets.

“There’s much more to come from DC Entertainment,” said Geoff Johns, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer. “This is just the beginning.

This is sending my geek meter off the charts. Another comic book cartoon is an awesome prospect. And given that so far DC/Warner Bros. have a super track record when it comes to bringing their super heroes to the world of animation, I have high hopes for this series. From the character designs in the poster it looks we’ll see animation similar in style to past series that were developed by Bruce Timm. There isn’t much to go by so far, but these characters look fantastic. And the possibilities for villains and guest stars that could appear is really exciting.

The Blackest Night series of toys from DC Direct continues with two more waves of action figures that were revealed recently. DC Direct continues to produce some fantastic looking figures and these next two waves look incredible.

BLACKEST NIGHT series 7 includes:

Red Lantern Mera – 6.5” h

Sinestro Corps Member Arkillo – 7.5” h

Black Lantern Superman – 6.75” h

Black Lantern Terra with Scar – 5.5” h (Terra), 4.5” h (Scar)

BLACKEST NIGHT series 8 includes:

Orange Lantern Lex Luthor – 6.75” h

Sinestro Corps Member Scarecrow – 6.5” h

Black Lantern Black Flash – 6.75” h

Indigo Tribe The Atom – 6.75” h

All of the figures feature multiple points of articulation, a display base, character-appropriate accessories, and comes in 4-color clamshell blister card packaging.

Of particular note I think are the Lex Luthor and SCarecrow figures. These two look evil.

And finally Arkillo! After Sinestro, this would of been the second figure that I would of had made after the Sinestro Corp War story was published in the Green Lantern comics. We might of had to wait a little bit, but now its finally being made.

Series 7 goes on sale November 24, 2010, and series 8 goes on sale December 8, 2010.

Listen up True Believers, Marvel Studios has announced that there will be a new Spider-Man animated series titled, Ultimate Spider-Man, and it is set to begin in the fall of 2011 on Disney XD. This cartoon series will feature a teenage Peter Parker much like the Ultimate Spiderman comic book does.

“Ultimate Spider-Man will be a unique journey exploring our favorite web-slinger as he teams up with other fan favorite Marvel Super Heroes in never before seen stories with a new life filled with great challenges, new friends, intense action and character growth,” said Eric S. Rollman, the president of Marvel Animation.

This is the very thing that I expected to see after the Disney/Marvel merger. Disney mining the Marvel Universe for properties that they can develop into television shows. Its no big surprise that they would start with Marvel’s biggest flagship character, Spiderman, who is a big pop icon recognized around the world. And of course its being created for one of Disney’s channels. More animated super hero action on TV is awesome and I can’t wait for the new series. I hope that Marvel/Disney continue on with Marvel’s program of producing direct to DVD animated movies. I’m guessing that it is a market that Disney will want to continue to go after. Perhaps now they’ll start off as TV movies first, and then get a follow up DVD release, but I think it will continue. Now I wonder if Disney will start producing features films of the Marvel characters as well?

Jon Favreau has used his Twitter feed to confirm  that Harrison Ford is set to co-star in Cowboys & Aliens. The movie will be Favreau’s next project, and it is based on a graphic novel that mixes together the western and science fiction genres. The graphic novel is set in Arizona during the 1800s, where a skirmish between cowboys and Apaches is interrupted by the crash landing of a space ship. The alien intruders set their sites on taming the Old West, and they set out to enslave everyone. Now the cowboys and Native Americans must join forces and turn their six-guns against the alien invaders.

Favreau had teased the announcement of Ford joining the cast by tweeting, “Some very cool Cowboys & Aliens casting news coming soon…”  And then later tweeted, “Please stop asking if Harrison Ford is in Cowboys & Aliens. Okay? He is. Please don’t tell anybody.”  Although Ford’s role in the movie is still yet to be decided.

Cowboys & Aliens is set to be released in theatres on July 29, 2011. Shooting is expected to begin this July.  The film co-stars Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde and the screenplay was written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek) and Damon Lindelof (Lost). The original graphic novel was written by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

Gamers saw the blackest night when WizKidz, the creaters of the collectible minatures games genre, closed its doors. However, there was a ray of hope when Necca took over the games license from Wizkidz, and ressurreccted the company name and popular HeroClix game. Now gamers will see the brightest day when the DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter Game is released.

The starter game will include everything a player needs to play HeroClix:

Seven 3D HeroClix miniatures with character cards. The seven figures will be Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and deputy lantern figures of Lex  Luthor, Mera, Scarecrow, Wonder Woman, The Flash and The Atom. An all-new map of the Green Lantern Sciencells on Oa. A 2010 HeroClix Complete Rulebook. Six Object Tokens. Twelve Terrain Markers. And Two 6-sided dice.

The DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter Game is the first completely new HeroClix product from WizKids/NECA. The set will feature super-high resolution digital sculpting, and it will be in stores May 12, 2010.

I am geeked for this box set. The Violet Lantern Wonder Woman and Indigo Lantern Atom are okay, but not really knocking me over.

However, the Green Lantern with the giant fist energy projection, and the Yellow Lantern Scarecrow look pretty cool.

The sculpt and paint job on the Blue Lantern Flash looks amazing.

And the Orange Lantern Lex Luthor, with the energy projection power suit surrounding him in clear plastic is freakin’ awesome. This is a must have set of figures.

One of the most sought after characters in the history of comic books will finally return to print. This June, Marvel Comics will bring Marvelman back to comicdom with the release of MARVELMAN CLASSIC PRIMER #1.

Marvelman is a character who first appeared in 1954, and he would gain wide acclaim in the 80s and 90s while under the guidance of writers Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. In the mid-90s a complex knot of legal rights issues buried Marvelman. The character dissappeared and hasn’t been seen since, nor has there been any reprints of the Marvelman comics, and the original issues have become scarce. Despite not being seen of heard from, the legend of Marvelman continued to grow, and comic book fans longed to read the comics that caused such a stir in comic book fandom.

With the legal issue apparently cleared, Marvel will publish a commemorative one-shot featuring interviews with creator Mick Anglo, renown writer Neil Gaiman, and others who contributed to this character’s history over the years. The book will also include all-new pin ups of characters from the Marvelman universe by superstar artists Mike Perkins, Doug Braithwaite, Miguel Angel Sepulveda, Jae Lee, Khoi Pham and Ben Oliver. The issue will feature two covers, one with the art of Mick Anglo and another with the now-iconic rendition of Marvelman by Marvel Editor-In-Chief and superstar artist,Joe Quesada.

Marvel will folow up  MARVELMAN CLASSIC PRIMER #1 with the debut of MARVELMAN FAMILY’S FINEST #1, an ongoing series that will be reprinting Marvelman’s greatest adventures for the first time in the US. And there will also be a hard cover collection called MARVELMAN CLASSIC  vol. 1 that will reprint Marvelman’s earliest adventures in chronological order.

Marvelman is a legendary character that comic book fans have not been allowed to see in ages. And even though he hasn’t been around, people have not forgotten him. In fact the fanfare over Marvelman has continued to grow to epic proportions. Now we will finally get to see what it is all about. The long awaited return of Marvelman is going to be a big seller for Marvel. And I am eager to buy these books to explore this long lost hero.

MARVELMAN CLASSIC PRIMER #1
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Cover by JOE QUESADA
Variant by MICK ANGLO
$3.99

DC Comics is continuing one of the coolest, and most natural promotions for comic books, when it will again make the Green Lantern power ring available to fans along with a Flash ring. When THE FLASH #1 and GREEN LANTERN #53 are released in april they will carry the BRIGHTEST DAY banner on their covers, and an offer for the FLASH and GREEN LANTERN rings to qualifying retailers.

The quailfing offer will be similar to what DC did when it offered the Spectrum Lantern Rings to help promote comics that were crossing over woth the Balckest Night event. A purchase of 10 copies of THE FLASH #1 will allow retailers to order the FLASH promotional rings. A purchase of 10 copies of GREEN LANTERN #53 will allow retailers to order GREEN LANTERN promotional rings.

On DC’s The Source blog, Dan DiDio said “These rings are not only very cool, but they’re a big thank-you to our fans, who’ve helped make BLACKEST NIGHT a huge success. We’re hoping we can all keep the momentum going once the BLACKEST NIGHT ends and the BRIGHTEST DAY begins.”

Geoff Johns added that “One of the many great Flash Facts about DC Comics is that they actually do support the retailers with promotions like this that not only make our whole business a bit more fun, but also bring the promotion to every single reader. Of course, the proof is in the content and I couldn’t be prouder of the work Francis Manapul and I are doing on THE FLASH and Doug Mahnke and I are creating on GREEN LANTERN. Thanks to everyone, retailers and readers, for an amazing 2009 and here’s to an even better 2010!”

And DC wants you to add yet another ring to your collection. There will be a White Lantern promotional ring connected to retailer orders for BRIGHTEST DAY #1. For every 25 copies of BRIGHTEST DAY #1 ordered by 4/15, retailers can order one bag of 50 White Lantern rings at a cost of $8 per bag.

As you may know, DC Direct has a BLACKEST NIGHT spectrum lantern power ring set that has already been solicited. The set features every color Lantern ring with a light-up capability. And if you’re worried that you might need to spill out more money to complete this set with a new White Lantern Rign, don’t worry, the White Lantern ring will be included at no extra cost.

The rings in the set (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, black, and now White), instantly light up with a long-lasting LED bulb when you slip the ring on your finger. The light is also said to depend on your mood, although I’m not sure what that means yet. There is a way to turn the rings off if you want to conserve power, but don’t worry the batteries can also be changed by using a special key included with the set. The rings come packaged in a deluxe window box to make a display when they are not being worn.

THE FLASH #1 and the FLASH rings are scheduled to arrive in stores on April 14. GREEN LANTERN #53 and the GREEN LANTERN rings are scheduled to arrive in stores on April 21. The Spectrum ring set goes on sale July 7 and will cost $ 59.99 US.

These rings are a great item of comics fans, and the light up rings are especially cool. I’ve already pre-ordered a set of the light ups and I can’t wait to get them.

Comic book properties have been very popular as source material for movies and tv series, but not every project has been rushed to our screens. Marvel has had an Avengers animated series in production for the past couple of years. And this fall it will finally see it hit the airwaves. Marvel Animation announced way back in 2008 that it was teaming up with Film Roman for “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” Details about the show were kept under wraps for quite some time (IMDB still doesn’t have a listing for the show),which is a big achievement in today’s information age, but information on the show has been assembling as the series launch approaches.

The animated series will feature the classic Avengers, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the series will be airing on Disney XD. This is exactly why Disney purchased Marvel, so that they could tap into Marvel’s creative properties as a source for TV shows and movies. The Disney Channel’s Entertainment President, Gary Marsh, has even offered up that the network has been searching through Marvel’s library of some 7,000 characters in an effort to find the next “Spider-Man.” ”The Avengers” will debut this Fall on Disney XD as a way to prime younger audiences for 2012′s live-action “Avengers” movie.  ”The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” is currently slated to premiere with 26 half-hour episodes.

Newsarama has an interview with Phil Lamarr (check it out), who will be providing some voice work on the series. The interview offers a little info about the new cartoon, but some things are still unknown about the show. One of the more interesting things said is that they are currently recording for season two of the series, even though season one hasn’t even begun to air yet. It looks like we can count on seeing quite a bit of Avengers action over the next couple of years.

Action Comics #1, one of the holy grails of geekdom, has sold for $1 million dollars. This sale leaps over previous record sales in a single bound. The comic, which was published in 1938 and features the first appearance of Superman, was sold by a private seller to a private buyer. The two parties wished to remain anonymous.

The sale took place through the auction site comicconnect. com. Stephen Fisher, the co-owner of the site, said that the seller was well known in New York for having a top flight collection. And the seller was a familiar customer who had previous bought a lesser grade copy of Action Comics #1.

“Its considered by most people as the most important book,” offered comics enthusiast and System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan. “It kind of ushered in the age of the superheroes.” Dolmanyan is also a comics dealer who owns Torpedo Comics, and last year he brokered a deal to purchase a copy of Action Comics #1 for a client with a $317,000 price tag.

This copy of the comic book inflated to the million dollar mark due to it being in better condition then other copies. The book was given an 8.0 grade which rates it as being in “very fine” condition. The high rating is increasing rare for the comic book which is believed to have only around 100 copies in existence.

Even for a rare and historical comic like Action Comics #1, it seems insane to pay a million dollars for it. However, the really crazy part is that this is the second copy that the person has bought. There’s only 100 copies in known existance and this person has two of them? Stop hording the Action Comics! Sheesh.

Cawley Entertainment Company and Retro Film Studios, LLC announced today that they have secured the rights from the Dille Family Trust to create and distribute a whole new web series based on the  “Generation One” Buck Rogers franchise. Cawley is best known for his massively popular web series New Voyages – Phase 2, a series based on Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek.

Buck Rogers was originally created in 1928 by Philip Francis Nowlan, later, the character became serialized by John F Dille of the Dille Syndication Company. Over their have been various incarnations of the character on television, movies, radio and in books. However, this will be the first live action series of Buck Rogers in nearly 30 years, and the first web based series of the characters.

Executive Producer James Cawley will start by telling Buck’s origin story from the perspective of a 22 year old. He leaves World War One and is propelled into the 25th Century.  “We will be using the technology we have today, to present The Original version of The First Sci-Fi Hero ever!  Previous filmed incarnations never really captured the original Buck from the comic strips, which is what we aim to do” Franchise owner, writer and game designer, Flint Dille will be an Executive Producer and Consultant, and will be instrumental in keeping true to the Buck Rogers mythos. Charles Root & Gary Evans who have been instrumental in the success of “New Voyages” will also be serving as Co-Executive Producers for Retro Film studios.

Cawley says he plans to bring “every attention to detail and historical accuracy of the comics to the series”. “We’ve got our Buck and some other key characters and are in talks with actors who have serious science fiction credentials to join the show” The series has received a boost by adding well known Star Trek designer and illustrator Andrew Probert to the production team.

Cawley has said that the extent of Probert’s involvement still needs to be worked out, but his conceptual design experience will contribute significantly to the Buck Rogers production. “As far as ‘joining the team’… I’m happy to do so and even happier to be a contributor to Buck Rogers,” commented Probert.

Another huge addition to the show is Gil Gerard. Gerard is a veteran television and screen actor, and of course he played the title role of Buck Rogers in the 1979 movie and TV series. The movie premiered in March of 1979 and became one of the highest grossing pictures of that year. Afterwards he then went on to star in the NBC television series, which ran from 1979 through 1981.. He will be a regular on the internet series, and will also serve as Co- Executive Producer. Gerard recently visited Retro Films Studio to pass the torch to the new Buck Rogers, Bobby Quinn Rice. Gerard offered Rice advice and his best wishes during their meeting.

Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century, the Internet series, is currently in pre-production. They are planning to begin airing episodes in 2010, and they have the ambitious goal of producing 20 episodes per year. Recently they have released this teaser trailers for the show.

Buck Rogers is a classic character. Bringing him back and doing a good job of it has to be a large task. I’m hoping that we will get a fun and quality production so that we can enjoy more Buck Rogers well into the future. And I still love the opening to the 1979 Tv series.

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Film Junk is reporting that there may be a little movement on the Samurai Jack feature film, based on the popular animated TV series, that has been in development since 2007. The show’s creator, Genndy Tartakovsky will write and direct the movie that will be a continuation of the TV serties for Frederator Films. Tarakovsky was previously on board for the The Power of the Dark Crystal, but with that project being postponed indefinitely, he could put his concentration back on Jack.

According to a post on the Frederator Films blog, J.J. Abrams was revealed to be a huge fan of Samurai Jack, and is now co-producing the movie through his company, Bad Robot Productions. Having a big “name” like Abrams attached to the movie should give a big boost to finally seeing a Samurai Jack movie. In addition to that, Paramount Pictures will distribute the movie, which gives me hope that it will actually end up in theatres and not simply a direct to DVD release.

Samurai Jack was about a samurai warrior in ancient Japan who embarks on a mission to defeat the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku. Before Jack can complete his task, though, Aku catapultes him thousands of years into the future. Jack finds himself in a world where Aku now enjoys complete power over every living thing. So Jack continues on his quest to defeat Aku, while righting the wrongs that have been done by his enemy along the way, and to find a way back to his own time.

Samurai Jack was an incredible cartoon. It had a unigue and dynamic style that set it apart from everything else. The episodes were fun adventures that combined a bit of fantasy with sci-fi. And I don’t think that the show ever had a proper ending. Its surprising that Tartakovsky hasn’t been involved with many projects over the past several years.  Samurai Jack ended its run in 2004, at that time he worked on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars mini episodes that ran on Cartoon Network from 2003-2005, Then he was part of a short lived show called Sunday Pants, and in 2006 he worked on a pilot for a show that never launched Korgoth the Barbarian. Then nothing. I am a big fan of Tartakovsky’s work and would love to see more from him. I don’t car if th movie gets a theatre released, or if it a direct to DVD release, let’s just hope that we finally get a Samurai Jack movie.

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Here’s the first poster for Iron Man 2. Man I can’t wait for May.

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Jessica Alba is teaming up with her Sin City director Robert Rodriguez to acquire the rights to The Insiders, a series of Belgian graphic novels. Rodriguez will be a producer on the film, and has Mabrouk El Mechri (JVCD) set to direct.

Alba will play Najah Cruz, a Columbian orphan who was raised and trained by a Medellin drug cartel family. Set to become one of the family’s soldiers, Najah disappears during th fallout of a raging family feud. When she resurfaces she is a rebel fighter who is as deadly as she is beautiful, with the weapons expertise and combat skills of a James Bond. The White House blackmails Cruz to take on a secret mission to infiltrate a global criminal organization composed of businessmen and politicians. Through this mission she becomes the bodyguard of the organization’s leader.

The Insiders first debuted in 2002 from Jean-Claude Bartoll and Renaud Garreta. The series of graphic novels encompass eight volumes that have been released in France. Recently, Cinebook has brought the first volume of the series titled Insiders: Chechen Guerrilla, to America.

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Somebody’s thinking ahead. Iron Man 2 isn’t even here yet, but already there is some speculation about Iron Man 3. The rumor has started that Shell Head’s arch foe, the Mandarin, will make his entrance in the next Iron Man movie.

Faran Tahir, who played Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings, the terrorist organisation that captured Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie, has been speaking about his character becoming the moustached-super genius. ”At some point, they want to introduce Mandarin into the storyline and my character, like Mandarin, was the leader of the Ten Rings,” said Tahir. “We’re leaving it open because, partly, it makes good business sense for us to leave a little bit of uncertainty for people to speculate on.”

He continued, “He [Favreau] has known for a long time where he wants to take it and I don’t want to speak for him, but my feeling is that the second movie didn’t want to just follow a singular storyline. They wanted to expand the characters to show that it’s not a linear saga like Lord of the Rings. There’s a linkage somewhere in there, but the big idea is to do at least one more Iron Man movie and then go into The Avengers.”

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IDW Publishing and Desperado have announced a publishing agreement that will bring Desperado’s impressive roster of talented creators and expansive catalog of books to IDW under a new imprint.

Desperado Publishing was formed in 2004 by comics veteran Joe Pruett, as a venue and outlet for creators who have a strong, and passionate desire to see their own personal creative visions and inspirations brought to life on the printed page.

At Desperado Publishing, artists and writers are only limited by their imaginations, as no boundaries or conditions are set upon them to stifle their craft. The publisher does not believe that to be successful a specific genre or formula must be followed. Instead, their only criteria is one of quality. The company philosophy is to bring fans the BEST comic book creators possible and give them a playground in which to play. In that regard, Desperado Publishing has already become home to a number of the industry’s TOP talent. And their titles have been nominated for five Eisner Awards, and won two since 2007.

In late 2004, Desperado Publishing found a like-minded partner in Image Comics and formed a partnership for both companies. Desperado Publishing separated from Image in July of 2007. Recently, Desperado has shifted towards a more boutique style of publishing that centers on Art Books and graphic novels.

“We are very excited to have Desperado join us,” said IDW chief operating officer, Greg Goldstein. “Desperado’s books and roster of creators are both very impressive, and as an IDW imprint, Joe will have the flexibility and support to expand both. It’s really a win-win situation.”

IDW’s new imprint will continue to offer the high quality books and feature the talented creators for which Desperado is known. The 2010 line up already includes industry greats, such as Dave Dorman, Tony Harris and George Perez. These books, as well as Desperado’s comics and graphic novels, will be released under the new imprint.

“I was sold from the first conversation,” said Pruett. “If there was one company that I would admit to being envious of, it would be IDW. Watching them transform from a start-up company to the present-day publishing beast has been nothing if not inspiring. Everything about IDW speaks to how much they love this industry and love what they are doing. We at Desperado look forward to a long, prosperous relationship. As the famous quote goes, ‘I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’”

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; Fox’s Angel; the BBC’s Doctor Who; and television’s #1 prime time series CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for ComicMix.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release.

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Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs The World are already heading to the big screen, and now another unorthodox superhero is preparing to hit the theatres in 2010. Griff the Invisible is an indie super hero movie that is currently shooting in Sydney, Australia.

“Footsloggers and soldiers of fortune, priests, poets, killers and cads — they fight for a future Galarchy, for cash, for a cause, for the thrill of adventure. Culled from the forgotten and unwanted of three galaxies, they are trained to be the most elite, and expendable, of fighting forces. Sometimes peacekeepers, sometimes shock troops, the Legion is sent into the Galarchy’s most desperate internal and external conflicts. Legionnaires live rough and they die hard, tough as tungsten and loyal to the dirty end.” 25 years ago this opening was presented to comic book readers who opened Alien Legion.

Alien Legion was published by Epic Comics, a creator-owned imprint under Marvel Comics. The book was launched in 1984 as the pet project of series creator Carl Potts. The dirty dozen type team of aliens traveling through space, and having sci-fi/war adventures has developed a cult following over the years. With tales of war and space exploration, the series redefined the military science-fiction genre. The comic was popular with the readers who helped make it the longest continuously running series to come out of Epic Comics.

“I think what registered with readers is that idea of America’s melting pot in space,” offered Potts. “Different cultures, religions, races, all working together. These differences are a source of strength but also cause problems. I extrapolated on that and thought ‘what would happen if you put that idea into a military unit?’ I wanted to put it in a pressure cooker to test the theory.”

Chris Warner, one of the artist on the series, is amazed that the comic has remained popular after all these years. “I’m always surprised at how many die-hard Legion fans are still out there. The book really was ahead of its time, and those original readers recognize that and still carry the flag for the series.” Potts agreed that the series was ahead of it’s time. “One of the things we did that was ahead of our time was that we weren’t afraid to kill off major characters if the storyline dictated. We didn’t have any Star Trek ‘red shirts.’ There was no cannon fodder among the story characters. To maintain a level of realism, the idea was to occasionally have characters you’ve grown to know get killed or maimed.”

And now Dark Horse Comics is calling the Alien Legion to service one again. This week Dark Horse will release Alien Legion: Omnibus Volume 1. The collection is reprint over 300 pages of the original series in paper back format for $24.95. However, Legion fans aren’t regulated to only reliving war stories from the past. Dark Horse will bring a new four-issue limited series to the front lines in 2010. The new comic series calls some former service men back to duty. Writer Chuck Dixon and artist Larry Stroman return to Legion in the lead creative roles and Carl Potts will handle the inking duties.

The release of the compilations and the new comics is fueling new hope that there will be movement on an Alien Legion movie. ”Alien Legion has been optioned for some time,” says creator Carl Potts. “The script is currently in its third rewrite.” The writing team of Derek Haas and Michael Brandt (Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma) are reworking the script for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney. Potts is enthusiastic about this collaboration. ”The success they’ve had with blending CGI and live-action characters in The Pirates of the Caribbean series could translate easily to an Alien Legion film.”

“Legion is painted on an immense canvas,” he continued, “and today’s effects can really carry that off. The themes and characters have a lot of depth and resonance, and ultimately that’s what storytelling is about. Good stories are always good stories.”

And if the creator has his way, we could see much more of Alien Legion. “I really see this as having franchise potential,” he says. “Films, books, TV and video games – Legion‘s one of those properties that would work well in any medium.”

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Gravel the comic book series by writer Warren Ellis and artist Mike Wolfer, has been optioned by Legendary Pictures, the same production company of Superman Returns. The acclaimed author will apparently be taking a much more active role in the project than he has with some of his previously optioned books.

According to Variety, Ellis will write the first draft of the Gravel screenplay. Gravel has appeared as multiple limited and ongoing comics series that have been published by Avatar Press. Ellis will also be an executive producer on the film.

Gravel follows a soldier in the British S.A.S. who moonlights as a for-hire “combat magician.” Ellis debuted the main character, William Gravel, during the 1999 Strange Kiss miniseries, which was followed by Stranger Kisses, Strange Killings and the subsequent ongoing Gravel series.

Ellis has become well known for his work on the popular comic book series Planetary, The Authority, Transmetropolitan and Astonishing X-Men. And he has been increasingly in demand in Hollywood. Ellis has worked on anime adaptations of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine and Iron Man, and there are movies in development based off of his comics series Ocean and Red.

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Pre Production for the comic book movie Red has attracted a team of talented actors to the project. It has been reported that Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Mary Louise Parker, and  John C. Reilly have joined the project. And now Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, and Brian Cox have expressed interest in joining the film. It remains to be seen if every member of this massive ensemble will  make it into the movie, but its making it sound like this movie could be a big deal.

Red is based off the three-issue comic miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. The story centers on a former black ops agent (Willis), who has been retired, but now has younger, more high-tech assassins showing up to kill him. There is some intrigue added by the White House some how being involved in the nefarious scheme.

Its being speculated that McMahon would take on the part of the Vice President with a dark side who is at the center of a shadow conspiracy. As for the other new cast members, Borgnine is said to play an agent who is the keeper of the CIA’s darkest records, while Dreyfuss will be a wealthy man who builds a fortune out of lucrative government contracts. Cox plays a former Cold War spy and the nemesis of Willis.

Principle photography on the film will begin in Toronto before moving to Louisiana with an eye on a release in 2010. Robert Schwentke has been to direct the movie, but he sends up some red flags with thoughts on the movie. He has said that the tone of the film would be much lighter than Ellis’ original story.

“I love the script,” Schwentke said. “It’s very funny, which the comic book isn’t. I like switching gears and this is a movie that allows me to do something light hearted in tone and is also an action movie.”

Schwentke claims that the change in tone is necessary due in part to the short length of the original three-issue miniseries. With a shorter comic book series to base the movie on, screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber have had to expand the script in order to have a large enough story for the big screen. One of the areas that is being expanded is the back story of Willis’s character, which was not explored in the comics.

We all know that there are changes when you adapt material for movies. Whether its comic books, novels, an autobiography, whatever, there isn’t an exact page to page translation from the source to the screen. Changes will be made, and in cases like this you need to add more to it in order to fill out a feature length movie. However, the goal is to capture the feel and the spirit of the original material. And it seems like they are doingthe exact opposite with this movie. It bothers me is that they are changing the tone of the source. That seems like something that would really take the movie away from what the comic book was supposed to be. I won’t be too hard on it until I see the movie, but I don’t like the sound of changing the tone that was intended by the original creators.

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Just a quick post here to show another poster for the upcoming comic book movie Kick Ass.

26 years after it’s original release, a new chapter is being written for Space Battleship Yamato, one of the most popular space operas ever to come out of Japan. On December 12, Space Battleship Yamato: Rebirth will premiere in Japan. The Space Battleship Yamato saga began in 1974 out of a collaboration between Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto. The series was released in America as Star Blazers. The new film has been in development hell as far back as 1992, with a lengthy copyright lawsuit between Matsumoto (of Galaxy Express and Daft Punk) and Nishizaki being a major part of the hold up. Nishizaki’s arrest and incarceration on drug and weapons charges did not help matters either. The copyright lawsuit was eventually settled in Nishizaki’s favor in 2004, and he was later released from prison in 2007. Now audiences can finally find out what happened to our heroes and heroines after the defeat of the Deingili, and the subsequent detonation of the Yamato in the last movie.

The new movie is set 17 years after the events of Final Yamato, with the Earth is once again imperiled. A roving black hole is moving through the galaxy, leaving a swathe of destruction in its wake and it is on a collision course with Earth. A planet-wide refugee operation is undertaken with the goal of getting everyone to the planet Amahr, a quick 27,000 light years away. Unfortunately, the villainous SUS Empire is standing in the way. After the first transports are attacked, Susumu Kodai a.k.a. Derek Wildstar, takes command of the newly recommissioned Yamato and sets out to, well, save humanity.

Fans of the original series may note that some of the art designs for the characters and the ship have changed. That is the result of the copyright lawsuit which stipulates that while Nishizaki owns the name Yamato, as well as the plot and characters of the original series, Matsumoto owns the conceptual art, character and ship designs from the original series. In other words, there is a good reason why the Yamato’s famed cannons can now fire multiple times instead of just once. Incidentally, Matsumoto, who many fans see as the real force behind the success of the original series, is working on his own Yamato project. There aren’t any details on that project at this time.

Space Battleship Yamato: Rebirth might not see an American theatrical release, but hopefully we’ll see a DVD in the Spring. You can check out the trailers below.

Star Blazers is a classic. And its one of the shows that helped to bring anime to America and make it popular here. Its great news that there will be another chapter to this space faring, sci-fi classic. It will be unfortunate if we don’t see a theatre release in America, but I’m excited to see an eventual DVD release.

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Here’s a trailer for the remake of Clash of the Titans that will be in theatres on March 26, 2010. I’m looking forward to seeing this.

Posters and a trailer for the upcoming Kick Ass movie have been released. Matthew Vaughn will be directing the movie adaptation of the comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita. The story of Kick Ass revolves around a boy who decides to become a super-hero and to fight against crime. Kick Ass dramatically satirizes comic book tropes and superhero conventions.

The film is starring Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Kick Ass is scheduled to open on April 16, 2010.

The movie Kick Ass comes in the wake of Wanted,  another movie adapted from a comic book by Mark Millar. The story revolves around Dave Lizewski, an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero. He makes this decision despite having no powers, training, or even a meaningful reason to do so.

There are four movie posters. Each one features a different character fro mthe movie in a similar pose, and standing against a similar background. The four are meant to be connected together to form one panoramic shot. Click on each section of the above poster to view a larger image of the individual posters.

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A movie project based on Sgt. Rock, the World War II hero from DC Comics, has been lingering in development for quite some time. Sgt. Rock seems to be gaining some momentum to move forward, and he might be moving into the future.

Chad St. John, who wrote the spec The Days Before, is scripting the new version of the movie, with Francis Lawrence attached to direct. Joel Silver, who has been steering the project for nearly 20 years, is teaming with Akiva Goldsman, who recently boarded as producer, to bring the project to the big screen via Warner Bros. Silver Pictures’ Andrew Rona also is producing, and Weed Road’s Kerry Foster is exec producing.

Sgt. Frank Rock was the leader of the infantry unit called Easy Company. He first appeared in a 1959 issue of Our Army at War and was made famous by the work of writer and artist Joe Kubert. In 1977, the comic was renamed Sgt. Rock and ran until 1988.

Silver and the studio have been trying to make a big-budget action adventure movie in the vein of war movies like The Dirty Dozen. The idea was to feature American derring-do in a World War II setting. However, its been hard to get support for a big budget war movie when period war movies have not been popular in Hollywood for years. Also, American jingoism went out of style after the events of 9/11. Even this summer’s G.I. Joe movie dropped the toy’s “A Real American Hero” tagline and made the action team internationally focused. The new idea is to move Sgt. Rock into the futrue. The studio is hopeing that this will solve the dilemma.

Top Cow comics has partnered with online comic book distributor Instock Trades to offer free Witchblade trades. Top Cow wants to shake the reputation that Witchblade has as being only a T & A book. To do this they are encouraging people to read Witchblade Vol. 10 or 11 for free. These free copies are of the original printings of the Witchblade trades that contain Ron Marz’s first two story lines.

To take part in the special offer go to Instocktrades.com and order any book, not just one from Top Cow, and then you can add either Witchblade Vol. 10 or 11 to your order for free. Instock Trades is a discount distributor that offers up to 40% off of it’s books. There is a $4 shipping charge on orders, but that can still be a bargain. And if you place on order for $50 of more then shipping is free.

Instock Trades has a large catalogue of books offered at a discounted price. There are a lot of great books, and a lot of great bargains here. And if they are going to to throw in a Witchblade book for free, then now is a great time to pick up some books. You can’t beat free. And if you haven’t tried Witchblade before, then this is a good way to give something new a try.

Check out Witchblade Vol . 10

Check out Witchblade Vol. 11

March of 2010 will see a remake of the 1981 fantasy epic Clash of the Titans. The movie tells the myth of Perseus, and his quest to battle both Medusa and the montrous Kraken in order to save the Princess Andromeda. Some early posters for the movie have been leaked.

I think that there is a definite 300 feel to these images. You can view the rest of the posters and pictures from the set of the movie here.

Joel Eisenberg and Timothy Owens` EMO Films has formed a specialty division, EC Film, Radio and Television, Ltd., in association with rights-holder William M. Gaines Agent, Inc., to exploit the notorious EC comics library in all related media platforms. Titles included in the deal are Tales From the Crypt (based on the original works, as opposed to the HBO intellectual property version), Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, Weird Fantasy, Shock SuspenStories, Two-Fisted Tales and the remaining horror, science fiction, crime, humor and dramatic library, with the exception of Mad Magazine, which is owned by Time-Warner.

The deal was brokered by Eisenberg and Cathy Gaines-Mifsud, the daughter of EC publisher William M. Gaines, representing William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. Corey Mifsud, Cathy`s son, has been assigned VP of Development for the new company. William Maxwell Gaines is widely considered one of the most influential figures in comic book history. Gaines’ father, M.C. (Max) Gaines, was the publisher of Educational Comics (EC), offering such parent-friendly fare as Picture Stories From The Bible. When the elder Gaines died in 1947 as a result of a freak boating accident, the younger Gaines, who was studying to become a chemistry teacher, unwillingly took over the family business. Losing most of the old guard and hiring an anti-establishment band of writers and artists, Bill canned the educational titles, changed the E in EC to Entertaining, and focused his efforts on maintaining a primary line of horror, crime and science fiction books.

The new EC was an immediate though short-lived smash. By 1955 a festering backlash against comics, spearheaded by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, had picked up steam. Though Wertham argued that comic book violence led to juvenile delinquency, the EC brand was not all blood and guts. Stories about racism, substance abuse and war crimes were glossed over, however, by the lurid imagery of the line`s most successful titles. A Senate investigation followed, which led to the end of the classic EC era.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity for EMO Films,” says Eisenberg. “The amount of source product here is staggering, and we look forward to both developing projects in-house and setting up the material with outside entities.” EMO Films recent release, the Columbine-themed “April Showers,” has set sales records on its digital release platforms.

EC was a revolutionary comics publisher that changed the comic book industry. They did phenomenal work that has stood the test of time. EC was famous for their snap endings. The twists that they turned their stories on, along with the incredible artwork that they produced, created weird and creepy worlds that enthralled readers. There have been movies and TV shows based on EC comics in the past, most notably the Tales from the Crypt franchise. I like the idea of revisiting EC comics. Let’s hope that the new projects can capture a piece of what made the comic books special.

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Blackest Night #4 rises to the stands  this month, and with it DC’s undead comic book event crawls to the half way point. Issue 4 picks up where issue 5 left off. Flash, Mera, and Atom were left to face the Black Lantern versions of some of their  former friends and team mates. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the JLA morgue comes back to life with former villains who join the ranks of the Black Lanterns. Things look bad when the Atom leads Flash and Mera through a daring escape.

The trio regroups and try  to steady themselves for the battle ahead. The Flash takes off across the globe to rally the heroes on Earth, and to warn them about what they have learned. The Black Lanterns are feeding off of their vicitims’ emotions. To fight the Black Lanterns, they have to keep their emotions in check.

Meanwhile, Mera and the Atom join the Justice Society in a battle against risen former Society members, and former Freedom Fighters. The battle focuses on a fatal match-up pitting the Black Lantern Atom of the Golden Age, against the Atom, Damage, and Atom Smasher. At the climax of the battle another hero falls, and the Black Lantern rings announce that they have reached 100% power.

The Flash seems to be drawn to Coast city where he witnesses the next step in the Blackest Night. Death comes to Earth. Scar, with the captured Green Lantern Guardians in tow, transports the Black Power Battery to earth, where it stands over a cemetery in Coast City. Black Hand is there to raise another villain of the Green Lantern Corps, but even more chilling is the what happens at the end. Black Lantern rings raise the dead of Coast City.

Coming to the half way point in the series, issue 4 sets out a few more pieces, and raises the stakes for the heroes. The heroes have been overwhelmed at every turn. And until this point the Black Lanterns have been unstoppable, but the heroes now know that they do have a weakness to light. Alan Scott was able to give the Black Lanterns pause, but couldn’t stop them. The Green Lanterns look to be the only ones who can stop the Black Lanterns, but other light powered characters might be able to slow them down. The heroes have also learned that the Black Lanterns are being fueled by the emotions of the people around them. If they can keep their emotions in check, then they can take an advantage over the Black Lanterns. Scarecrow demonstrated this when he is ignored by a Black Lantern.

Blackest Night 4 continues to carry the story along. The heroes are desperately racing to try and find away to stop the Black Lanterns. The heroes learn that they can use a couple of things against them, but at this point they are still barely able to hang on. And just when it looks like they might be getting somewhere, they are thrown back again. Not only has the source of the Black Lantern’s power moved to Earth, but its taking root in Green Lantern’s home city. The Black Lanterns are driven by the emotions that they draw from the people around them, and this move is sure to cause a strong emotional response from Hal when he returns.

I’m hooked. This has been an intense story, and each issue has kept me on the edge of my seat. We’re seeing pieces of where the story is going, and what the heroes need to do in each issue. I think that this is keeping the story moving, keeping things interesting, and keeps amping up the action. Blackest Night is one of the best stories of the year.

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“In terms of CGI, there are over 90 cuts that have been altered and enhanced. And with extensive use of filter effects and colour correction techniques throughout the rest of the film, it’s fair to say that pretty much the entire movie has been enhanced in some way.”

Some of the changes might appear to be pretty jarring.

Original 1995 Version

2.0 Version

Original 1995 Version

2.0 Version

Original 1995 Version

2.0 Version

Original 1995 Version

2.0 Version

I don’t know why they would go back to mess with this film. The original movie was ground breaking, and featured amazing animation. I don’t know why you would make changes to that. And looking at these still images, I think that I’ll prefer the original version. There’s a quality to the 2-D animation that the 3-D animation can’t copy. It just doesn’t have the same feel to it. I’ll have to watch the movie to see how it comes together, but looking at these stills I get the feeling that  the 3-D might feel slapped on and unnecessary. I don’t know why they would mess with a classic.

More screen shots from both versions can be seen here.

Variety has reported that the seminal anime movie Ghost in the Shell is getting a live-action, English-language remake. The project is being produced by DreamWorks, with the plan to make the futuristic police thriller as a 3D live-action film.

DreamWorks has tapped screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis to adapt  the Japanese manga property. Kalogridis was the writer and executive producer on Martin Scorsese’s upcoming thriller “Shutter Island,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Kalogridis was also a writer on the short lived remake of the Bionic Woman TV show. Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul of Seaside Entertainment are attached to produce and originally brought the project to DreamWorks.

Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell is a cyber-punk future story about a cyborg named Motoko Kusanagi who works for a Japanese Public Safety division known as Section 9. She is mostly composed of mechanical components with only her brain remaining organic. The title is a reference to whether or not she has a soul (the ghost) within the shell of her synthetic body. Motoko often even wonders if her memories are also manufactured and nothing about her is real. The character has been used in many different ways, so it’s not known if DreamWorks plans to create their own story based on the manga or if they may remake one of the pre-existing anime movies.

Ghost in the Shell was first published in 1989. It went on to generate two more manga editions, three anime film adaptations, and an anime TV series. The second anime film, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, was released in the U.S. by DreamWorks in 2004.

Kalogridis wrote Night Watch with director Timur Bekmambetov, which got Timur noticed and lead him to a job directing Wanted and producing 9. Kalogridis also scripted the not-so-popular films Alexander and Pathfinder.

Ghost in the Shell is a legendary anime movie. And in an even broader scope, it is a high mark for the cyper-punk and sci-fi genres, as well as setting a standard for incredible animation. This remake has a lot to live up to, but it has the potential to be something that will blow people away. I have high hopes for this movie.

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The Cartoon Art Museum released this press announcement about of fund raiser that they will be holding in cooperation with Pixar Animation Studios. Its a bit pricey, but it sounds like it could be a lot of fun. And remember, its not so much about spending the money for a night out, its about supporting a charity.

Spend the day at Pixar Animation Studios For the Sixth Annual Cartoon Art Museum Benefit!
Saturday November 14, 2009

The Cartoon Art Museum, the only museum in the western United States dedicated to all forms of cartoons and comics, is delighted to host its sixth annual benefit on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Pixar Animation Studios. From Pixar’s inception in 1986 with the premiere of its iconic short film, Luxo Jr., to the studio’s latest full-length feature, Disney•Pixar’s Up, Pixar has wowed and charmed the world with its incredible computer animated creations. This year, there are two great ways to experience the magic of Pixar up close and personal at the studio’s Emeryville home:

The Family Fun Tier (1:00 – 4:00 pm)
The Family Fun Tier is designed for families to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the world of Pixar. Entry includes the chance to get up close and personal to rarely seen Toy Story art, sculptures, and other items from the Pixar archives and experience a gallery exhibition featuring stunning pre-production artwork from Up. Family Fun Tier members will also be able to participate in a Silent Auction to bid on original and signed works by Pixar creators. Pixar artists will be on hand to teach kids how to draw Pixar characters. Finally, a selection of Pixar short films (including One Man Band, Lifted, Presto, Burn-E and several Cars Toons) will be showing in Pixar’s state-of-the-art screening room in a continuous loop.

For this Tier, doors open at 1 pm. Tickets are $35 for an individual or $100 for a Family Four Pack, which includes entry for 2 adults and 2 children under 18 (or 1 adult and 3 children).

The VIP Screening Tier (11:00 am — 4:00 pm)
The VIP Screening Tier is designed for the biggest fans to help support the Cartoon Art Museum and to experience Pixar’s state-of-the-art digital theater. Entry includes access to everything from the Family Fun Tier plus access to Pixar’s Studio Store where guests can purchase Pixar items at employee prices. The centerpiece of the event is a noon time 3D screening that includes the rarely seen Cars Toon Tokyo Mater, and the feature film Toy Story 2. The screening will be hosted by Dr. Michael B. Johnson (Pixarian and CAM board member), who will lead a Q&A session along with several other Toy Story 2 crew members. The VIP Screening Tier also includes an offering of light lunchtime snacks, treats and conversation with the speakers and other Pixar employees.

For this Tier, doors open two hours early — at 11 am. Cartoon Art Museum members can purchase tickets for the reduced rate of $99, while the non-member rate is $149. Save money and become a member of the Cartoon Art Museum today! Reserved rows for ten are available for $1,500. Treat your friends or employees to an evening of animated fun.

Pixar Animation Studios is located in Emeryville, California. Free parking is available on site. Call 415-227-8666, ext. 300 to purchase tickets.

Tickets will not be sold at the door.

About the Cartoon Art Museum
Founded in 1984, the Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to cartoons and comics. The Museum was started by a group of cartoonists and collectors who wanted to share their appreciation of this unique art form with the rest of the world. The Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, study and exhibition of original cartoon art in all forms to benefit historians, cartoonists, journalists, artists, collectors and the general public.

About Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. Creator of some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL•E, and most recently, Up. The Northern California studio has won 22 Academy Awards® and its ten films have grossed more than $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The next film release from Disney•Pixar is Toy Story 3 (June 18, 2010).

Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
415-CARTOON http://www.cartoonart.org/

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm
Admission: $6 General, $4 Students and Seniors, $2 Children (6-12 years old), Free for members and Children under 6

Check out our blog:
http://cartoonart.livejournal.com/

Join the Cartoon Art Museum MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/cartoonartmuseum

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First they made energy drink shots in bottles shaped like potion bottles that any worthy dungeon adventurer would be carrying. Now the makers of the Mana and Health Energy Potions are making the Blood Energy Potion bags.

They bill it as being the world’s first synthetic blood beverage, but these pouches actually contain a fruit pouch flavored drink. Each pouch is said to contain 4 hours of energy, along with protein, and electrolytes. The Blood Pouch Energy has drink has been developed with a similar nutritional makeup to real blood, as well as having a similar color, look, and consistency.

The pouches are designed to look like transfusion bags, and they are resealable. This is a crazy product, but at the same time its kind of cool. This will be a great prop for people to add to their horror game sessions, or for people to add to the ambiance of their Halloween parties. I think its great that they’re making containers that can be used as props in different genres.

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