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Aside from being the writer behind the enduring and influential American Splendor, Harvey Pekar was also a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman, Dave’s talk show that ran on NBC from 1982 to 1993. In a time when any mention of comic books in mainstream media was incredibly scarce, that an underground creator could get such exposure on national TV was unprecedented. Not that he didn’t earn his spots — his appearances were definitely memorable.

Two more appearances after the jump.

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DC’s offical blog The Source has been on a tear today, updating with a veritable cornucopia all sorts of juicy pre-Comic-Con announcements of new projects.

Paul Cornell, already on Action Comics, is also doing six issues of Knight and Squire, Britain’s answers to Batman and Robin, seen recently in plenty of Grant Morrison Batman comics. The exactly title of the miniseries doesn’t seem to be official yet — it may just be “Knight and Squire,” or maybe something more conceptual. Seems like a pretty natural pairing, given how Knight, Squire and Cornell are all British (warm Captain Britain and MI:13 memories, anyone?). That may seem like a simplification of things, but listen to Cornell himself, quoted on The Source: (more…)

In even more “X-Men: First Class” casting news, it looks like Kevin Bacon may be joining the cast as an unnamed villain, along with Lucas Till as Havok.

According to Deadline, Kevin Bacon is in final talks to play an unidentified villain in the film, who, according to rumor, will pose a threat to the X-Men and their nemesis Magneto.  This news is hot on the heels of the casting of Caleb Landry Jones and Nicholas Hoult as Banshee and Beast, respectively.

Also coming down the pike are reports from Entertainment Weekly that Hannah Montana: The Movie star Lucas Till will be playing Havok in the film.

Interestingly, the EW report also seems to debunk the casting of Aaron Johnson as Cyclops, stating that while the actor was seen with director Matthew Vaughn, the two were not in discussions relating to any part in the film.  The article also states, “Still, my sources tell me to keep in mind that these parts may not be the actual characters in the movie. Instead, this could be part of a misdirection campaign to keep some surprises from X-Men fans.”

So what do you think?  What does it all mean? Will Havok, Banshee, and Emma Frost be in the film at all?

By now you’re familiar with the situation regarding Edward Norton, who played the title role in 2008′s The Incredible Hulk, not coming back to play the Hulk in 2012′s scheduled Avengers film, even though he apparently wanted to. Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige has weighed in, as has Norton’s agent Brian Swardstrom. Now Norton himself has contributed his thoughts, via a letter to his fans on Facebook:

Looking to pose in Wolverine’s movie jacket? Looking to meet Dan DiDio or Joe Quesada at SDCC?

Check out the Hero Initiative. They’ve got tons of stuff up on their eBay account right now in preparation for Comic-Con International in San Diego.

I particularly find the meeting with X-Men producer Tom DeSanto, seen above, where you can take a photo in the Wolverine movie jacket. And meeting with the head honchos of Marvel and DC? Who wouldn’t want to do that? Click here for everything Hero’s got in store.

Sad news this morning for the world of comicdom, Harvey Pekar has passed away early this morning.

Pekar is best known for his autobiographical American Splendor. In 2003, the series inspired a critically acclaimed film adaptation of the same name in which Pekar was played by actor Paul Giamatti.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce Brabner, and their foster daughter Danielle.

So readers and fans, do you have a favorite Pekar moment? Tell us how he might have affected your lives.

A God Somewhere
Written by John Arcudi
Illustrated by Peter Snejbjerg
Colored by Bjarne Hansen
Lettered by Wes Abbott
Published by DC/Wildstorm

You, like all of us, have probably occasionally wondered what it would be like to have superpowers.  I certainly have.  It seems like it would be fun, maybe even heroic.  Of course, then I think more about it and realize that we all have our own personal biases in life, about driving habits (oh, to heat vision the tires of some of those New Jersey drivers!) or food or politics or religion, and really – superpowers seem like a very bad idea.  How many people are really that altruistic in real life?

John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg apparently think like I do.  Their new graphic novel, A God Somewhere, tell readers of Eric Forster, a young man mysteriously bestowed with amazing powers.  With Eric becoming something more than human, Arcudi wisely frames the story through the perspective of Eric’s best friend Sam, along with Eric’s brother Hugh and sister-in-law Alma.

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Has Jason Aaron discovered the secret of Alan Moore’s writing?: Maybe. (Via Comics Reporter)

“Caped Crusaders Face Jell-O Shots in Superhero Crawl”: Wired covers a superhero bar crawl, complete with a Q-and-A interview with Gator Lanphear and Matt Goedert of Reno, Nevada’s Drunken Justice League. “Most of the heroes seem to be affected by Jell-O shots,” they say. “It’s their kryptonite, so the villains are always trying to buy them multiple rounds.”  I hope Lex Luthor is taking notes…

“Cavs owner’s letter mocked for Comic Sans font”: Writing for CNN, John D. Sutter examines the reaction to Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s angry letter in reaction to basketball player (and comic book character!) LeBron James leaving Cleveland. (Thanks to Mark Coale at The Beat for reminding me of the existence of 2004’s King James)

But there is no defense for Comic Sans: In a regular column entitled “In Defense of the Medium” (Comics still need defended?), Primary Ignition’s Chris Kromphardt expresses surprise at the hatred everyone’s least-favorite font, Comic Sans, generates. Of course I notice he didn’t do his whole column in Comic Sans…

America…?: “EXCLUSIVE: Possible Captain America Filming Location Found!”

So does Brian Michael Bendis: “Old Spice Guy Isaiah Mustafa Wants To Be Luke Cage”

What’s on the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack, and how it came to be: On his blog, Bryan Lee O’Malley, the comics creator who is probably having the best summer, discusses what was ultimately included on the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World soundtrack. It was, appropriately enough, a competition between Edgar Wright and O’Malley—click to see who got the most points! (And if, like me, you’ve had “Invaders Must Die” and “It’s Getting Boring By The Sea” stuck in your head simply from watching the trailer, you’ll get a lot out of this post).

Oh wait, I can’t go a whole post without talking about Wonder Woman’s new costume, can I?: Here’s the latest response from Project: Rooftop, featuring several artists drawing the new costume (“Like a lot of official redesigns, this one’s looking stronger as more artists tackle it,” writes Dean Trippe), and some pretty amusing cartoons submitted to P:R, which include Superboy and Big Barda’s reactions. In other P:R news, they’ve just announced their next superhero costume redesign contest: Captain America.

…and scene. The roll-out of this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego programming is pretty much done, with the final day unleashed this morning. As is the usual case with Sunday, it’s a bit lighter than the other days, but still boasting plenty of worthwhile ways to spend your time. Full list here!

10:00-11:00 Smallville Screening and Q&A— Comic-Con favorite Smallville returns for its last visit to Comic-Con in advance of the show’s 10th and final season, as showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson join star/executive producer Tom Welling and series stars Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, and Justin Hartley to talk about the year ahead, answer fan questions, and give an exclusive sneak peek at clips from the final season. From Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink in association with Warner Bros. Television, Smallville airs Fridays at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 7. Ballroom 20

This panel is doubly bittersweet for Smallville devotees: it’s for the last season and Allison Mack (who plays fan favorite Chloe Sullivan), isn’t scheduled to be there.

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The “Marvel Comics Writers Unite!” panel Saturday at Comic-Con would have been interesting anyway, given the mix of high-profile industry names sharing the dais: Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Mark Waid, pictured, and Chris Claremont. But things got a little more interesting late Friday, when Waid tweeted that, as of that day, he had “stopped reading super-hero comics.” He soon elaborated: “there is a new, recent cynicism to many of them that I find exhausting and mean-spirited and uninspiring and life-denying,” though he did give props to the work of Grant Morrison and Ed Brubaker, as well as Matt Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man. (more…)

aka, Kid Notorious.

I’ve been a fan of this guy for a few years now, and I see his resume keeps growing and growing. He has done covers and sequentials for the independent comic, The Uniques, as well as doing a lot of work 5Finity sketch cards for Dead@17, The Pro and the “Pulp Girl”s line. He’s been experimenting more and more with markers and as the Batman Beyond above shows, he’s getting damn good.

I love his layouts and compositions. It’s not over-crowed and never boring. You can see the image above, “Shadows of Gotham” bigger here, just to get the scope of color detail.

Just comes to show you there is some SERIOUS talent out there, just ready to break out.

Deadman Wonderland Vol. 2
Written by Jinsei Kataoka
Art by Kazuma Kondou
Published by Tokyopop
Review by Julie Opipari

From the back cover:

As Ganta begins to understand his new disturbing power, he becomes more determined to destroy the Red Man. However, his strange abilities prove to be an obstacle to Chief Makina who is resolute in maintaining peace and order in her territory. With conspiracy and monstrous attacks from every angle, Ganta manages to arrive at Ward G, a mysterious, detached location in Deadman Wonderland where the horrendous bloodbath continues…

This is such a fun series! I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I do, and I am so glad that I decided to read it. Ganta is a wonderfully plucky hero, and even though he is always at a disadvantage, he keeps plugging away at discovering why he was framed for murdering his classmates. He is trapped in a nightmare that seems to have no escape, and reading along as he careens from one death defying episode to the next kicked up my heart rate. I would have keeled over and died of a heart attack if I was stuck in the same situation as Ganta! Once I picked up this volume, I could not put it down again until I hit the last page.

Now, even though I find the series exciting and a thrill a minute, I am not going to say that it always makes sense. There are a couple of times where logic goes completely out the window, but with the proper amount of belief suspension, you too will just breeze over these much too convenient or confusing plots twists. This is a summer action flick in manga form, so just go along with the flow for maximum enjoyment.

I am fuzzy on the whole “Branches of Sin” infection, but it is pretty cool when Ganta and Senji use their blood as weapons. Though it is something that can backfire quickly, as Ganta discovers, honing the ability to use your blood to slash your opponent to ribbons has got to be one of the coolest attacks, ever! Think about it! Just give yourself a paper cut, and you can take down your enemies by fashioning a blade of death out of your own blood! So cool!

The art is another positive of Deadman Wonderland. The action scenes are chaotic and exciting, and the character expressions leave no doubt about how anyone is feeling. Frightened, angry, determined; Ganta experiences a wealth of emotions as he tries to keep from getting himself killed. I love the character designs as well, and feel that they fit the story to a T.

Deadman Wonderland is a non-stop thriller, packed with action and mystery. There is so much going on, you won’t want to put the book down until you hit the last page. Then you will want the next volume. Too bad it’s not due out until the end of September!

When Julie Opipari isn’t mucking around the barn, she can be found trying to make a dent in the massive pile of manga that keeps following her home from the bookstore.  Not wiling to admit she has a problem, she blissfully continues to anticipate the latest releases despite the cries of agony from her credit card.  She cheerfully blames her addiction on the stresses of college and post traumatic work disorder, and is grateful that her family grumbles only occasionally about the amount of time she spends buried in her books. In addition to reading Your Manga Minute every Wednesday, you can read more of Julie’s work on her blog, Manga Maniac Cafe.

"Hulk sad."

Film rumor website HitFix has confirmed, in a statement from Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige that Ed Norton will not be taking part in the upcoming “Avengers” film, due for release in 2012.  According to the statement, the decision was not based on Norton’s salary, but rather “rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.”

Norton, who portrayed the jade giant as well as his human alter-ego Bruce Banner  in 2008′s “Incredible Hulk” was involved in an infamous spat with Marvel Studios and director Louis Leterrier over the final cut and direction of the film that nearly caused the production to be scrapped.  It is little surprise that Marvel chose to move in this direction due to their artistic differences, and Feige also assures that they will “announce a name actor who embodies these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.”

In more positive news, Feige’s statement confirms that all other principle cast members, including Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth are all still on board with the production. Black Widow was not yet confirmed as appearing in the film, though rumored, and the same can be said about The Hulk.

So, who should take Norton’s place?  Feige’s announcement specifically states that they will be hiring a “name actor,” so unknowns are off the table.  Speculators, start your engines!

Read Feige’s full statement, as well as a response released by Norton’s agent which seemingly confirms Joss Whedon as The Avengers Director, after the break.

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Over at Ted Naifeh’s website, the artist posted some images that give a hint of the things to come in the last chapter of the Good Neighbors series by scholastic, which is written by Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles). For those of you unfamiliar with the Good Neighbors series, it centers around a young woman named Rue, who turns out is half faerie and soon finds herself in the middle of a magic war for power. Naifeh is most known for his horror/fantastical style that echoes something out of “Pan’s Labyrinth”, and doesn’t disappoint with the pages he’s shown.

With the fantasy tale coming to a close, I’m sure Black and Naifeh will no doubt pull out the stops to deliver a modern day fantasy masterpiece.

Film industry rag Variety is reporting that further classmates for the upcoming Matthew Vaughn helmed “X-Men: First Class” film have been cast, namely Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee, and Nicholas Hoult as Beast.

Both announcements are very interesting, as the casting of Nicholas Hoult as Beast basically puts the final nail in the coffin on previous cast member Benjamin Walker taking the role, as reported by Newsarama here.  Further, the inclusion of Banshee is an interesting choice, as most X-Men fans undoubtedly know that he was not a member of the original team, though he did appear as a villain in an early story.  This will also mark Banshee’s first appearance on film.  Will it be as a villain, or a hero?  Only time will tell.

Nicholas Hoult and Caleb Landry Jones join a cast that already includes Michael Fassbender as Magneto, James McAvoy as Professor X, and possibly Aaron Johnson as Cyclops.

In the universe of DC Comics, the land of Atlantis was the nexus of magical energy on Earth. Eventually, disaster struck and land sank beneath the sea. Some Atlanteans survived this, though. The twin cities of Poseidonis and Tritonis now lay at the bottom of the ocean, protected by transparent domes. The people of Poseidonis used advanced science to obtain gills, enhanced senses and stronger, tougher bodies; while mystic forces transformed the Tritonians into actual mer-people. Members of the royal family born with blonde hair, an unusual trait among Atlanteans, often had a strong talent for magic. A blonde-haired monster named Kordax could even command sea life.

Thousands of years later, Atlanna of Poseidonis ran away from home and obligation. Near a place called Mercy Reef, she met Tom Curry, a reclusive lighthouse keeper, and the two fell in love. They married and had a son named Arthur, a blonde child with a special bond to the sea. After both of his parents were gone, Arthur went out into the world, eventually finding Atlantis and learning that its people saw him as a cursed freak due to his hair.

Thanks to his unique heritage, Arthur Curry had near-bulletproof skin, enhanced senses, superhuman strength, increased vitality, and was able to communicate with all forms of sea life. Seen as a freak by Atlantis and the surface world, he made the ocean itself his home and dedicated himself to protecting its creatures. Occasionally, he would venture onto land and fight super-villains, which helped him gain a reputation as a hero among the public and earned him the name “Aquaman.”

As a founding member of the Justice League of America, Aquaman’s fought costumed villains, aliens, demons and mad gods. A while back, he actually died only to later be resurrected by strange forces. Forced to reconsider his place in the world, he now travels the world with his former wife Mera, a warrior from another dimension, once again at his side.

So let’s look at what kind of wardrobe is worthy of the king of the seas.

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Saturday is traditionally the biggest day at Comic-Con International in San Diego attendance-wise (though they’re all pretty much equally big at this point), where walking around the convention center floor goes from “a struggle” to “nigh-impossible.” So it makes sense that Saturday is also the biggest day, programming-wise. And this year is as much of a doozy as you might expect. Yep, full schedule here, somewhat randomly selected highlights below. As is the trend this year, a lot of the bigger panels aren’t actually at the convention center, but at the nearby Hilton. Woop!

10:00-11:00 Marvel Comics Writers Unite!— The third in Comic-Con’s series of “Year of the Writer/Comics Writers Unite!” panels focuses on Marvel Comics and includes Comic-Con special guests Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, Thor), and Chris Claremont (X-Men Forever, X-Women) in a discussion with writer Mark Waid (Amazing Spider-Man, Irredeemable). Room 6DE

Pretty interesting mix of folks there, given the different eras of Marvel they represent, especially having current Uncanny X-Men Fraction writer up there with Claremont. (PS, what’s up with the “this is what you might know them from” things in parentheses? Is X-Women, released this week, really one of only two things that should be listed in Chris Claremont’s credits?)

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Take their teaser for “X-Men” #2.

I read the first issue. It was okay. Buck up, little campers!

As if he doesn’t have enough to do with his editorial duties and co-captaining and playing shortstop for the DC Bullets, Adam Schlagman also plays softball occasionally with the crew at Seamless Web, and he arranged to pit his teams against one another Thursday afternoon in Central Park.  Schlagman, fortunately, remained loyal to the Bullets and was in his customary third spot in the line-up.  However, Seamless Web had trouble mustering enough players for the game, so four members of the DC squad played for the opposition, giving each team a complete ten-player roster.

Though the Bullet volunteers played well for Seamless Web, it wasn’t enough to overcome a Bullet team hungry to snap a two-game losing streak.  Scoring in five of their six innings at the plate, led by Adam “no sympathy even if they are my other team” Schlagman’s 4-4, two-homer day (plus he scored four times, drove in four, and doubled) the Bullets didn’t give their opponent a moment to breathe.  Even with a late-inning defensive meltdown to make the score look more presentable, DC came away with an 18-12 win.

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