So many of you have been asking for my thoughts on the new costumes we’ve been seeing in some superhero films. Well, Grace Randolph of Beyond the Trailer and Marvel.com’s The Watcher wanted to discuss that very same topic with me. Witness as we team-up to discuss the Green Lantern movie, the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger, and what we know of the Avengers film.

Last week, we checked out several of the designs that will be featured in DC’s relaunched universe, the DCnU. Although DC is now telling us that most of its previous history will be intact, the previews show that several of these characters are definitely getting new origins and altered pasts and nearly all of them are getting new outfits. Confusion aside, let’s check out the new fashion styles of some of these characters.

MR. TERRIFIC

In the 1940s, Terry Sloan was a prodigy and a polymath who decided to use his various skills to help others. As a costumed crime-fighter, he not only took down villains but also attempted to serve as a role model for people, advocating high standards of morality and “fair play.” Many decades later, Michael Holt, a genius and skilled combatant, followed Terry’s example and became the new Mr. Terrific. Along with his own skills, Holt relies on special technology he’s developed, such as his flying “T-Spheres” that can access databanks, act as communicators and project holograms.

Okay, is there a rule in the DCnU that you’re not cool unless you have red eyes? It seems to be happening with a lot of folks. I like that Michael Holt will still be with us in the DCnU. And, truth be told, this costume isn’t all that different. But I miss the jacket. Although Michael does take the concept of “fair play” seriously enough to get a tattoo, I’m never a fan of a design that involves bare arms but has gloves. And not crazy but the little changes they made to the mask, I dug how it looked before. (more…)

With Oracle gone from the DCU, it was only a matter of time before the Birds of Prey put their headquarters in the Gotham Clocktower up for sale. Did you know it actually resided in Brooklyn, New York?

Located at 1 Main Street in Brooklyn, the building overlooks the Manhattan Bridge and the New York Harbor. I’m not making this up. There actually is a Clocktower building. In fact, I was just telling Gail Simone about it last week. I see the building while driving into Brooklyn to see my boyfriend and every time I thought, “Man, I gotta look up that building so I can write about its amazing likeness to the Birds of Prey headquarters.” The last time I drove by, I even thought how cool it would be if the clock part of the building was an actual apartment. Sure enough, this listing popped up on Yahoo news.

The actual Clocktower portion of the building holds a triplex penthouse apartment. In 2009, the asking price for the whole shebang? $25 million. Well a few months ago it went back on the market (I can’t believe there weren’t any takers!) for a mere $23.5 million. Turns out, the wealthy Gothamites, I mean, Brooklynites, weren’t biting on the 7,000-square-foot abode. So they decided to try something else.

The gigantic apartment is now for rent instead. For $50,000 a month. Well in THAT case! *reaches into pocket*

Currently, the Clocktower apartment sits atop Brooklyn’s most-expensive real estate list. The website Brownstoner writes, “According to StreetEasy, second-place honors go to 11 Cranberry, which can be had for $22,000 a month.” More details from the New York Times, “The main floor of the sleek modern apartment is dominated by four working clocks housed in four 14-foot-high round windows, which provide nearly unobstructed views (except for the clock faces) out to the four points of the compass.

“The 3,000-square-foot main floor has an open living room, dining room and kitchen with 16-foot-high ceilings,” writes the NYT, “There are three bedrooms on the 2,300-square-foot second floor (watch your head as you walk along the exterior walls), and on the floor above that, a 988-square-foot open loft with a 15-foot ceiling. Finally, up a narrow staircase at the very top of the building is a tiny windswept crow’s nest.”

There’s no name listed on the building, just a company. But that’s classic Oracle. I’m sure the real ownership runs through several dummy companies anyway. And just for the record, there’s an elevator in the apartment.

If you like hearing a grown woman cry, follow me on Twitter. I’m weeping over this. And buying a lottery ticket.

Earlier this month, we gave you seven reasons why Superman would be single in the post-Flashpoint DC Universe, and recent Dan DiDio comments in NBC’s “PopcornBiz” site seem to back that theory up. Says the co-publisher:

Let’s just say it’s being reexamined, because it’s something that I think is something that is so valuable to the character’s story that you really want to explore all facets of it. Not just as it exists currently.

Some folks have interpreted this as definitive confirmation that the 15-year Clark Kent and Lois Lane marriage (originally inspired by the Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV series) is donezo, but seeing as how Action Comics has been established as at least initially taking place in the past, maybe he’s just unmarried in that book. After all, marriage is a facet of the relationship. Grasping at straws? Maybe. We’ll see for sure in September.

Even though Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit has been filming for some time now, two new roles have just been cast.

Earlier today, Deadline reported Immortals star Luke Evans would take on the important role of Bard the Bowman in the two-part film. “It seemed evident that the Welsh actor was going to win one of these roles that involve a competition between multiple young thesps,” writes Deadline, “He was a finalist to play the lead in Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Legacy that went to Jeremy Renner [Newsarama note: odd coincidence of bowman here], and was a finalist for the role of Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, which went to Joel Edgerton.” Are you happy he landed this role instead?

Evans’ character Bard has a, shall I say, rocky relationship with the next character cast?

And just minutes ago, Deadline broke another bit of Hobbit casting news. This time for one of the most iconic roles, that of the great dragon Smaug. Fans have been wondering for some time who would land the coveted role, voiced by Richard Boone in the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated film.

The voice-acting and motion-capture role for The Hobbit has gone to none other than Benedict Cumberbatch. The actor has recently shot into wider popularity thanks to the BBC hit Sherlock, by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat. “[Cumberbatch] is already on the picture, providing the voice of the character Necromancer,” says Deadline.

Are you as excited by this casting news as I am? I have to say, I’m particularly fond of Cumberbatch. If you haven’t seen Sherlock yet, I highly recommend it.

Here’s a question I’ve seen raised in a couple of places about the DCU relaunch that I’m not sure I’ve seen answered yet: What happens to all the unpublished work that’s set in the “old” DCU? It sprang back into my mind when Rich pointed out that the originally solicited story for Superman/Batman #85 turned into a completely different story by a completely different creative team by the time it appeared in stores yesterday, making me wonder “Will the original story – if it even exists – ever see print? And if so, where?” With continuity being at least partially rewritten in light of the conclusion of Flashpoint, how much material is DC essentially writing off as unpublishable… and where was it originally going to turn up? Somewhere, down the line, I can see there being a fun “Greatest DC Universe Stories Never Told” collection coming from this…

Is it just me, or is Marvel really doubling down on their chances of success with the last couple of new title announcements they’ve made? Avenging Spider-Man isn’t just another Spider-Man book, it’s hit-franchise Spider-Man + hit-franchise The Avengers. Wolverine and the X-Men isn’t just another X-Men book, it’s hit-franchise X-Men + hit-franchise Wolverine (I admit, I would’ve been more excited if Marvel had called the book The X-Menning Wolverine, but apparently “X-Menning” isn’t a word). I can’t help but wonder if this is an attempt to emphasize the combined star power inherent in both books that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious to non-regular readers as a way to differentiate the books from the “regular” titles (Remember when we had the Astonishing line for that? My, that only seems like a year ago or so that they came up with that idea).

It reminds me of Superman/Batman when it launched, the idea of “Two of your favorite series! Together!” as some kind of all-star bonus book, but within the regular continuity for those who care about that kind of thing. A monthly “event” book, as some would no doubt call it, but I can’t help but wonder how sustainable such an approach is in the long term. Superman/Batman lost its “event” status pretty much as soon as Jeph Loeb left the book, becoming a (occasionally, very enjoyable) modern day World’s Finest; how long will Avenging Spider-Man last before becoming just another Spider-Man title? Once the “Schism” storyline has run its course, what makes Wolverine and the X-Men any different from Uncanny X-Men, Astonishing X-Men or X-Men: Legacy?

“Beware my banjo.” Between this and The Onion video from yesterday, Green Lantern is taking some licks in the world of comedy Internet videos.

Mums the word. That’s been the motto for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises so far. Since filming began we’ve have very tiny bits of information leak out but it seems something big has finally made its way to the internet.

The information isn’t a specific location or plot point per se but opens the flood gates for speculation. For those who think they can avoid it until the film’s release on July 20, 2012, I’ll put the exact information under the cut. SPOILERS FOLLOW. (more…)

How’s this for timing? Earlier today, we posted an article with Brian Michael Bendis telling Newsarama to expect Powers casting announcements soon, and this afternoon, Deadline reports that 11-year-old Bailee Madison has been cast as Calista, a young girl introduced in the very first Powers comic book story arc, Who Killed Retro Girl?. This is the second confirmed casting, joining Charles S. Dutton as Captain Cross. Surely more announcements are soon to follow.

Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline — the holy trinity of movie industry news outlets — are all saying it: Russell Crowe is on board Man of Steel as Superman’s Kryptonian biological father, Jor-El.

Jor-El has a rather notable legacy on film, having been portrayed by Marlon Brando in the original 1978 movie Superman. Brando reprised the role posthumously in 2006′s Superman Returns through the use of archival footage.

And hey, part-time musician Crowe reportedly released a 1982 single called, “I Just Wanna Be Like Marlon Brando,” so maybe this casting is the payoff to some type of 30-year plan. Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill in the title role, is scheduled for December 2012.

TALES OF MR. RHEE is from . . .
Dirk Manning (Writer)
Josh Ross (Artist)
Austin McKinley (Colors)
Jim Reddington (Letters)
Image Comics/Shadowline (Publisher/Overlord)

Something very curious about the just-released-this-week solicit for Batman Incorporated Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition:

The first seven issues of the hot new series are collected in this new, deluxe edition hardcover!

The first seven issues? Of a ten issue series? With a very, very clear breakpoint built in after the sixth issue? I wonder what that means for the chances of collection for those final three issues – for that matter, does a seven issue collection hint at some editorial concern that the book will manage to ship its remaining four issues within the next three months? (It’s due to double ship in August, to round out the current run) – or should we expect to see those three collected with the debut issues of the “second season,” due to start at some point in 2012?

Over on her blog, the spectacular Colleen Coover presents her “Unofficial, Unsanctioned Unsolicited. Done for fun” version of Superman’s Ex-Girlfriend, Lana Lang. Let’s just say that the bar has been set pretty high for the September relaunch.

Go, read. Right now. And, DC? You should really think about getting Colleen to do something for you guys really, really soon.

Oh, there is so much to unpack from the latest round of DCnU interviews, especially Vaneta’s one with Eddie Berganza and Bob Harras. In particular, this bit:

Harras: I think there’s an overarching discussion. This was a well-thought-out approach to all our characters across the line. But we also looked at events that happened in the past that we wanted to incorporate into current storylines that were going to be part and parcel into our ongoing stories.

So we really did take everything very seriously and looked at big events like Blackest Night and Brightest Day, and wanted to make sure those stayed a part of our stories.

Berganza: Right. The ones that really impacted people, like Death in the Family and Killing Joke. The ones that even people outside regular comic readers know. People know something happened to Barbara Gordon, that the Joker shot her. That counts.

Harras: So we looked at all these characters and really said what we’re going to weave in and what we’re going keep and what we’re going to move forward on.

Nrama: So to clarify, the storylines you’ve mention, like the Killing Joke and Death in the Family, are definitely part of history going forward?

Harras: Yes, and in fact, they’re even important starting points for some of the storylines we have.

Here’s my very straightforward question: What is the point of a reboot, if you’re not going to dump the more confusing, convoluted parts of a character’s past to make them easier to understand for new readers? Keeping The Killing Joke in continuity but having Barbara Gordon as Batgirl? That means you’re either saying “Oh, sure, the Joker shot Babs, but he didn’t actually cripple her” – in which case, why make a point of keeping the story in continuity, instead of just coming up with a new, similar backstory for the character? – or “Yeah, she was crippled but she got better,” which is… really not a very good idea. Or A Death In The Family?!? You’re rebooting a universe and not getting rid of a character dying and then coming back to life because another character punched the walls of reality? Seriously?!?

I still am very much in favor of the reboot, and think that it’s a brave and bold move by DC (Pun initially not intended, but then embraced wholeheartedly), don’t get me wrong. But the increasingly obvious way in which DC is trying to have it both ways – “It’s a reboot! New readers can start here with this all new beginning! But all of the old stories still count!” – is distressing, and really sounds as if we’re headed towards a new wave of post-Crisis confusion.

The Batgirls. Just two of our top missing heroes over at the main site (click here for the full countdown). As we’ve done before, we thought now would be a good time to reach out through our cosmic treadmill-connected computer here at Newsarama HQ and ask these characters themselves what they think of being excluded. Some of them had a lot to say, some of them were just too shocked to say much at all. See what they think after the break, then tell us what YOU think.

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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 went old-school with classic Nintendo items but this week was, I guess you could say, chosen. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps are flying into theaters this week for the first time and I can barely contain myself. Here are a bunch of unique Green Lantern items I found for you.

Every Lantern Corps has a ring but what if you had one ring…to rule them all? Check out this Sterling Silver Green Lantern Corps Ring that includes ALL the Corps’ symbols. User blackmore5253 (is that their Sector number?) can make this in sizes 6-15 for $69.99. And comic/genre fans will want to check out other items in the shop as well methinks…

Second best thing to having a Ryan Reynolds of your very own to hug and squeeze? This adorable GL Plushie is from user Googooli. It’s 10 inches long and only $6! How can you resist those pink cheeks?

For aspiring comic artists, check out this Vintage Green Lantern Recycled Comic Book Sketchbook. Made using Green Lantern Corps #211 from 1987, user crabappledesign threw in the front and back of the comic as well as a few ads to the overall design. $18

Want something a little different to show your GL pride? How about this Green Lantern Wall Art. Made from wood by user Sanchezz for $25.

And just for the sheer ridiculousness of it, a Green Lantern Lantern. User erindara will send this one to you for $75. In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, I’ll have my Green Lantern Lantern to keep things bright!

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!

By now you may have seen the (apparently legit) Avengers promotional poster displayed at the Licensing International Expo, on sites like Comic Book Movie or elsewhere. If not, here it is! (Click to enlarge.)

So, yeah, it’s not a “real” movie poster or anything like that, more like the kind of images that are going to appear on action figure packaging and notebooks and stuff like that. But still, a couple of important things here: It’s been said that Captain America will have a different costume for The Avengers than he wears in next month’s Captain America: The First Avenger — so is this it? If so, definitely looks like a reasonable facsimile of the classic Cap look, while still being practical-fied for movie purposes — actually kind of a hybrid of his First Avenger look and the comics outfit, which seems to make sense.

Second point: Hulk appears to be sans pants, though that’s probably just a result of the low quality of the image. Feel free to discuss that, and anything else from that image, in the comments.

Look at that image of Captain Atom, from the cover of  – hey! – Captain Atom #1. Is that a mohawk?

If it is, the odd thing is that he won’t be the only redesigned DCU character to think that it’s still the late 1970s, because there’s also OMAC…

He, at least, has historical reason to have the ‘hawk. But maybe this is the start of a new trend? Perhaps it’s a subtle hint that things are really different in the new DC Universe. And if so, where will it end? There is, of course, only one answer to that question:

Are you ready for the Mohawk World That’s Coming?

Heidi highlights a postcard mailing campaign highlighting gender inequality in the American comic industry that leads, via Tom Spurgeon, to this site, which describes itself as “an online storehouse for information about and experiences of women and transgendered comics creators” based on “original research conducted in the public realm and by students of the Ladydrawers class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.” It’s related to a course at the SAIC, apparently, and also a teaser for a book on the subject due later this summer. All of which is well and good, but there’s something really odd about the first piece of research released on the blog. Described as “data we collected on the most recent 30 titles released in North America,” I’m not entirely sure what it actually is – DC Comics is entirely unrepresented outside of Vertigo, and release dates on the other books range from 1998 through this month, with no seeming pattern as to why some titles appear and others don’t.

I’m hoping that it’s literally just a case of the wrong file being linked to, as opposed to surreally random research, but either way: This isn’t a promising start for a project that would at least be interesting, and at best be a necessary eyeopener to publishers, especially in light of the news that DC’s DCU relaunch will only feature one female writer or artist across 52 titles.