Return of the Dapper Men artist Janet K. Lee is bringing her unique styles to Marvel Comics with a five-issue adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, starting on March 2 and written by Nancy Butler. That same month, she’s illustrating the Marvel Universe’s most famous Emma — the White Queen, Emma Frost — on a variant cover for Uncanny X-Men #534, out on March 23. Check it out after the jump!

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Programming note: the latest installment of Marvel’s “Next Big Thing” calls with the press is tomorrow, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m. eastern time and is with writer Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev on their new Moon Knight ongoing series, scheduled to debut in May. As always, Newsarama will be both on the line with the creators and covering the whole thing live, so be sure to check our front page tomorrow afternoon for all that, plus some brand-new art from the series.

The full (and suitably enigmatic) Moon Knight “All the Avengers You’ll Ever Need” teaser is after the jump (the unlettered and black-and-white versions were posted by Maleev over on the Bendis board, too!). And if you have any ideas for insightful, Moon Knight-specific questions to run by Bendis and Maleev (plus Marvel’s senior vice president of publishing, Tom Brevoort, who will also be on the call), feel free to let us know in the comments. (Though each reporter usually only gets to ask two questions, so, y’know, no guarantees.)

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When we last talked to Jim McCann, he advised that he couldn’t talk in too much detail about Hawkeye: Blindspot, the four-issue miniseries he’s writing that’s starting later this month, because it would spoil the happenings of Widowmaker #4. That comic came out today, and McCann opened up about the upcoming story’s hook in a USA Today article. Spoilers after the jump, yup.

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You’ve seen the movie, you’ve read the magazine articles, now you’ve got the opportunity to see the life of Hunter S. Thompson in graphic novel form.

And this isn’t your Entertainment Weekly-style, Bluewater Productions biography either. Written by Will Bingly and illustrated by Anthony Hope-Smith, Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter S. Thompson is published by an independent graphic novel house in London called SelfMadeHero.

Over the course of Hunter S. Thompson’s extraordinary life he was publically branded a bum, a vandal, a thief, a liar, an addict, a freak and a psychopath. Some of these were true. Yet, even when compared to the most significant figures of the 20th century, his legacy remains a brilliantly vital force. This is his story – the story of a troubled kid who went on to become an international icon, a story that plumbs the darkest depths of American society and charts the now-legendary adventures that birthed Gonzo journalism and a lifestyle beyond imagination.

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Johnny Storm may be gone, but the Fantastic Four is living on, with Marvel releasing a new character redesign by Marko Djurdjevic. Featured in this lineup is Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Thing and — perhaps not surprising to many — the Amazing Spider-Man.

“The point of these new costumes is to really hammer home that everything is fresh and new in the series again — and that it feels like a black-and-white world, following Johnny’s death,” Marvel Tom Brevoort SVP of Publishing wrote in the image above. “Marko Djurdjevic took my suggestion of ‘white outfits’ and ran with it. The hexagonal emblems were all him.”

What say you on all this? Are these monochromatic outfits a fashion faux pass, or is this redesign as Fantastic as the team who inspired them? Only one thing’s for certain — Spider-Man is going to have to get a bigger closet. What say you, Rama readers? Sound off!

It looks like the Paul Tobin-written, David Baldeon-illustrated Avengers Academy/Spider-Girl/Young Allies vs. Arcade story will finally see print this May, now in the form of an 80-page one-shot titled Avengers Academy Giant-Size #1, complete with a new Ed McGuinness cover and a cover price of $7.99. The comic was originally announced in late September of last year for release in January 2011 as the Avengers Academy, Spider-Girl and Young Allies annuals, and later was solicited for February and March as a three-issue miniseries titled Arcade: Death Game.

News of that plan being scrapped surfaced via February’s Diamond cancellations, with Marvel senior vice president of publishing Tom Brevoort indicating on his Formspring account that the publisher was “simply retooling the package to make it more likely to do well.” No word yet on if the Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel (Captain America: Theater of War) co-written back-ups originally announced as part of the annuals will be included in Avengers Academy Giant-Size #1.

Marvel’s official press release dubs the comic an “80-page extravaganza,” referencing DC Comics by stating the story is “the size of FOUR of our competitor’s books.” Our interview with Tobin on the story is here, Marvel’s press release and a full look at the McGuinness cover follow after the jump.

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Everyone appreciate Matt Baker: Both David Brothers and Sean Kleefeld have produced pieces about Baker, one of the all-time best good girl comics artists, and one of the relatively few black artists working in the Golden Age.

Disappointed with the lack of Disney material on today’s funnies pages?:D23 offers classic Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Scamp strips on a daily basis. (Via Flog)

Well, if she plays herself, she’s already got the initials for it: “[Lindsay Lohan] to star in next Superman movie?”

Ask and you shall receive, I guess: Back in September, I wondered aloud if I was crazy to want to read a comic book based on video games based on comics, since games like that Batman: Arkham Asylum look kinda interesting to me, but I’m not a game player anymore. If you’ve checked the main page already, then you’ve no doubt seen that DC is indeed publishing a comic based on the games. It looks like it will bridge the two games, which likely means it may appeal to the folks who are fans of the games as much as (or more than) folks who are looking to the comics as substitutes for the games (like me!), and they’ve got an ideal creative team (guy who wrote the games writing, concept artist for the games drawing). The most relevant, non-fan element of the announcement is how DC is marketing and publishing the comics electronically and on paper—that frightens and confuses me, but I am easily frightened and confused by electronics. Someone else can probably make sense out of it, and declare it a great idea or not.

Each of these are about 1,000 times funnier than the atual cartoons: Editorial cartoons explained. (Via Comics Reporter)

Denys Wortman’s New York
Written & Illustrated by Denys Wortman
Edited by James Sturm & Brandon Elston
Published by Drawn & Quarterly

Collecting nearly 300 drawings of New York City during the 1930s and 1940s, Denys Wortman’s New York accomplishes many things – not the least of which is renewing interest in a nearly forgotten cartoonist. Wortman spent thirty years drawing cartoons for New York World, yet until just a few months ago, his work seemed relegated to history’s forgotten file folder. Fortunately, James Sturm – cartoonist and proprietor of the Center for Cartoon Studies – uncovered some of Wortman’s work, tracked down the cartoonist’s son, and found a massive trove of illustrations and drawings.

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Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last week I devoted the column to Valentine’s Day to give you time to buy something worthy of your sweetheart/friend/yourself. It’s freaking cold here in New Jersey so this week I decided to think warm by searching for some epic nerd hats. And I think you’ll agree, they are epic.

IT’S A TRAP! Stay warm on your favorite ice planets (or New York City) with this delightfully realistic Admiral Ackbar crocheted hat for $20. User karenjcreations also has a more subtle, yet equally cool, Stormtrooper hat for $18. She also carries a Wicket-inspired hat for $23 that I’m slightly scared of. Perhaps you’re a bigger Star Trek fan. How about a Command Colors hat for $20 from user CutieHats?

You didn’t think Norse Gods wore their helmets all the time, did you? User bettyhess has created this amazing Thor helmet hat for the viking deep inside. It’s a little pricey at $75 but for the worthy, worth every penny. And if you really want to think warm thoughts, perhaps this Hellboy inspired hat from user QueenViktoria for $30 might do the trick. Complete with mutton chops.

Speaking of mythological creatures, how’d you like to scare the crap out of everyone with this delightful Cthulu ski hat/mask? For just $20 it could be yours. User CraftyPA was nice enough to create a mouth hole underneath the tentacles so you can still enjoy some cocoa on the slopes. Maybe you’d prefer something sweeter and less…evil, try this adorable Nerdy Hello Kitty hat for $30 from Motherofthree7515.

You’ll easily show where your brand loyalties lie if you wear this highly realistic Mario hat from user theheadsaid. For $35 you’ll be saving Princesses in no time! Or go for a Ninja Turtle for $23.

Only a certain breed of fans will get the significance of my last (and favorite hat) of the bunch. User knitsbysarah has created a beautful Doctor Who Seal of Rassilon beret for $36. And seriously, if I didn’t already own like six winter hats I’d be picking this one up for myself. For the more outspoken Whovian, a TARDIS hat by amlowi for $14.99.

A few of these hats are specified as children’s but almost all of the sellers say they can make them in any size you need.

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!

Henry Rollins as Kilowog. Yes, the legendary punk rocker/spoken word artist/actor/radio host/frequent talking head on VH1 shows is going to be voicing the famed Green Lantern trainer in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, the latest DC Animation straight-to-DVD release, set for June 7 of this year (10 days before the live-action, Ryan Reynolds-starred Green Lantern film hits theaters, and that’s not at all a coincidence).

Want more awesome and surprising casting news? Pro wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper is voicing bounty hunter Bolphunga. Roddy Piper, Henry Rollins and power rings: these are the kinds of things in life worth getting excited about.

Of course, the big news is that professionally handsome and charming actor Nathan Fillion, star of Castle and Firefly and a fan-favorite choice for the Green Lantern film while it was in early development, is voicing Hal Jordan. (In 2009′s animated Green Lantern: First Flight, Law & Order SVU‘s Christopher Meloni played Hal.) Elisabeth Moss voices Arisia, continuing the mini-trend of Mad Men actresses popping up in DC Animated projects (Christina Hendricks plays Lois Lane in All-Star Superman, which is due to be released on Feb. 22.)

For even more Green Lantern: Emerald Knights casting bits, the full press release follows after the jump.

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The Internet is full of unauthorized fan-made animations of varying quality, but when the fan in question is a professional animator — in this case, Robb Pratt, a Disney veteran who’s worked on Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and more recently the Disney XD hit Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil — the results can be particularly memorable. Thus Superman Classic, a one-minute short posted Sunday that’s quickly going viral on the usual sources. It’s a Golden Age-y take on familiar Superman trappings — the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Superman fighting a giant robot — all in under a minute, with the rest of the video Pratt giving a bit of a behind-the-scenes. As a bonus, ’80s Superboy actor John Newton voices Clark.

Here’s the clip:

Written and created by Brian Andersen, art, colors and letters by the talented Celina Hernandez. For more So Super Duper go to:www.sosuperduper.com!

Television’s most porous protagonist comes to comics, this time in his very own comic book, thanks to his creator Stephen Hillenburg and comics editor Chris Duffy (former editor of Nickelodeon Magazine). The bi-monthly SpongeBob Comics will feature a who’s who of contributors, including James Kochalka, Graham Annable, Hilary Barta, Jacob Chabot and Gregg Schigiel. That’s a heck of a creative line-up, so here’ shoping SpongeBob’s book lasts longer than some certain other underwater comics characters’ books usually do.

All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #4: Each issue of Sholly Fisch and Rick Burchett’s new volume of the all-ages Batman team-up title has been better than the previous one, so I’m looking forward to seeing how long they can keep that streak going. Hopefully at least one more issue, as this one’s a Valentine’s Day related issue, featuring Batman and Wonder Woman getting married.

Batman and Robin #20: After a three-issue delay, the previously announced Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason creative team shows up for the official beginning of their run.

Cinderella: Fables Are Forever #1: Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus’ Fables spin-off must have done fairly well for Vertigo, which explains the launch of a new six-issue mini by the team.

DC Comics Presents: Wonder Woman: This installment of one of DC’s almost-trade collections contains a few issues form the beginning of writer Erik Luke and pencil artist Yanick Paquette’s run on Wonder Woman—including a two-part story entitled “Trinity” and featuring Batman and Superman. This week also sees the release of DC Comics Presents: Green Lantern: Fear Itself, a DC Comics Presents reprinting of a 1999 original graphic novel by Ron Marz and Brad Parker, set in three different eras and featuring three different Lanterns. (By the way, if that sub-title sounds familiar, Don MacPherson notes that Marvel’s been promoting the hell out of it, having attached it to their upcoming crossover event storyline thingee, in one of those strange coincidences the company’s sometimes share). Both books are 95-pages, and cost $8.

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What was once “very likely” is now “yes definitely.” How I Met Your Mother‘s Cobie Smulders is officially on board as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the 2012 Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers film, says Variety.

Smulders emerged as the front-runner on Saturday, after Samuel L. Jackson revealed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that producers were auditioning “female sidekick” for his Nick Fury. This helps balance a heavily male cast that previously counted only Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow as a known major female player. Maria Hill was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Finch, having first appeared in New Avengers #4 before becoming interim executive director of S.H.I.E.L.D. during Civil War. The character is currently appearing in the Bendis-written, John Romita Jr.-illustrated Avengers flagship title.

Smulders is familiar to Whedon fans — she was reported as a front-runner for the role of Wonder Woman when the writer/director was attached to that property; her How I Met Your Mother co-star is Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Alyson Hannigan, and the show has seen several Whedon vets show up as guest stars, including Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker and Morena Baccarin.

Right role? Right casting? Let us know your thoughts.

Roger Hargreaves’ beloved children’s book series Mr. Men is being adapted into an animated feature by Fox.

Almost every kid I knew had one of these (if not more) books lying around the house. You remember, Mr. Tickle, Mr. Nosey, Little Miss Sunshine, etc. Well according to the Hollywood Reporter, producer Shawn Levy is joining Twentieth Century Fox Animation to bring us an animated adaptation of the British author’s works.

Levy, who is best known for directing and producing Night at the Museum and its subsequent sequel, does not have a director or writer attached to the project as of yet.

This isn’t the first time the Mr. Men have been animated, this will actually be the fifth adaptation, although the previous efforts have been for television. The first was produced in 1975 by Flicks Films and broadcast by the BBC, the second, in 1983 and also by Flicks Films, featured the Little Miss characters. In 1995 came Mr. Men and Little Miss which was aired in the US as well as the US. And finally, the Cartoon Network got a hold of the franchise in 2006 and created The Mr. Men Show with Renegade Animation.

Hargreaves wrote 48 Mr. Men books and 42 Little Miss books until his son Adam Hargreaves took over after his death in 1988. Since their inception in 1971, they’ve become a pop-culture phenomena and a standard in children’s books. Throughout the years artists have created their own Mr. Men in an homage to the creator and series. Last year someone even did a huge series of superhero characters in the Mr. and Miss likeness.

This is the end, my friends. Smallville is coming to a close, and just as pretty much everyone suspected, it will be ending with a big two-hour finale. Officially announced today by the CW, the big finale hits Friday May 13, 2011.

Hopefully the fight between Clark Kent and Darkseid will be longer than the 2.5 second fight against Doomsday, and maybe will even see Clark don the iconic costume.

Check out the full official press release after the jump!

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Now here’s a “get” that I doubt anyone saw coming: Congressman John Lewis of Georgia is going to co-author a graphic novel entitled March, to be published by Top Shelf. This will be the first time “the first time a sitting Member of Congress has authored a graphic novel.” No artist has been named yet, but Top Shelf says candidates are actively being considered, and the book is scheduled for tentative release next year.

What if Image Comics failed to ship Spawn and nobody noticed?: Retailer/blogger Mike Sterling talks about some recent goings-on in funny books, including the fact that it took him so long to notice how incredibly off-schedule Spawn had gotten (And keep in mind, this is a blogger who is both the world’s most vocal All-Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder fan and used to celebrate Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk Day, the annual observance of when the next issue of that miniseries should have shipped. Also: Science.

“Tubby is such a powerful, hilarious and multilayered character that his supporting cast pales in comparison”: Rob Clough discusses John Stanley’s Tubby comics in the course of reviewing Drawn and Quarterly’s Tubby entry into their John Stanley Library collection. And I’m linking to it, because I love Tubby Thompkins (I just finished Dark Horse’s Little Lulu’s Pal Tubby collection last night, and Clough’s right—Tubby does overwhelm the narrative when he’s the star and doesn’t have Lulu to balance him. Still, too much of a good thing is better than not enough of it. Er, when it comes to comics, anyway). Clough’s piece is part of a series on D+Q’s JSL books; here’s the first one, on Nancy Vol. 2.

Did you know Misty Knight used to rock a pretty awesome belt-buckle?: Well, she did.

“These two. Yeesh“: Chris Sims discusses the absolute worst couple in all of comics history (if not the history of the world), and I bet you can guess who it is before you click on the link.

Chuck Dixon, with a fantastic find: Check out his blog to check out Art Adams model sheets for the alien monsters that were the primary antagonists in DC’s mid-’90s summer crossover, Bloodlines. Those comics are pretty maligned these days, but Teenage Caleb liked most of the ones he read, and Grown-Up Caleb still thinks concentrated efforts to create new characters is a postive thing for publishers as old as DC. Also, those alien monsters are pretty cool, a mix between fossilized dinosaurs and Giger-style aliens.

Speaking of DC crossovers…: I know it shouldn’t, given how long I’ve been following this industry now, but the fact that they’ve already got action figures based on Flashpoint, a miniseries/line-wide crossover event that hasn’t even published its first issue yet, kind of surprises—and dismays and depresses—me.

I am truly heartbroken at this moment. BBC News has reported that Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series of novels, has died after a heart attack at age 71.

Jacques is very much the reason I’m even typing this on this website today. My love for fantasy, my fueled imagination, they were born in the halls of Redwall Abbey, the mountain peak of Salamandastron (also the title of my favorite in the series, pictured above), and the trees of Mossflower Woods.

The well-crafted world was just the tip of the iceberg, though, as it was the incredibly relate-able characters that made these stories great. These warrior mice, these foul searats, these noble Badger Lords and their military genius Long Patrol rabbits… they all spoke with a level of humanity untouched by other stories written for children. As I grew older, I continued to read the new books for quite some time, and while I eventually fell out-of-touch with my friends at Redwall Abbey, I never forgot what they meant to me.

I was truly privileged to have met Jacques at a reading and signing once. He was gracious and kind, a man astounded by these people coming to him and telling them how he had touched their lives through his written word. He also taught me how to properly say “Mattimeo” and “Salamandastron.”

I’ll even admit that my confirmation name of “Matthias” came to me first because of these novels. We have lost a true and amazing literary talent today, and I want to express my love and thanks for the stories that will live on forever after.

Palookaville #20
Written & Illustrated by Seth
Published by Drawn & Quarterly

Joining the ranks of Chris Ware and Los Bros, Seth converts his long-running comic book serial Palookaville to an annual tome with its 20^th installment. Like Ware, Seth opts for the striking hardcover package, meaning it’s a little pricier, but he’s clearly intent on making the package worthwhile.

Palookaville #20 comes with an eye-catching design and plenty of great features. Seth’s introduction explains the rationale behind the new format while lamenting the passing of the traditional comic book leaflet/pamphlet/insert-your-preferred-term. An extended installment of his ongoing “Clyde Fans” serial proves, if you’re new to the story as I am, difficult to entire immerse yourself in, but the quality of the cartooning is evident at a glance. (And I’m sufficiently intrigued to be very jazzed for an eventual collection of the entire saga.) Sketchbook pages; a long look at “Dominion”, Seth’s hand-made cardboard city, and its various exhibits; and a contemplative, verging-on-but-not-quite-falling-into despondence autobiographical sequence round out the package.

Seth’s a superb cartoonist, approaching each of his stories with an austere documentarian’s eye. There are no fancy tricks – just careful composed images and plenty of amazing details in both script and artwork. His evident interest in the development, culturally and architecturally, in his native Canada’s last century underscores all of his work, and nothing here changes that focus.

Despite “Clyde Fans” ongoing nature, Palookaville #20 is surprisingly inviting. Seth’s precise grids make it easy to fall into the tone and pace of each narrative, and his spare scripting and smooth, detailed illustrations capture the sense of his lost souls moving unsurely onto the next stage of their lives.

The second quarter of the Super Bowl also contained a Thor 30-second ad, too, and here it is! (WARNING: Shirtless Chris Hemsworth within; Newsarama is not responsible for subsequent swooning.)