Underground Toys has unleashed images from their upcoming action figure line based on the current Doctor Who series, starring Matt Smith as the manic eleventh Doctor, and Scottish beauty Karen Gillan as his headstrong companion Amy Pond.

The line of 5-inch figures will be available this summer, and will also include other characters from the first five episodes of the 2010 season. Underground Toys doesn’t have pictures of the product on their website yet, but you can find pictures where I did, at Toy News International.

Dear DC,

I can imagine Marvel’s “Blackest Night for The Siege variant cover exchange” press release didn’t sit too well with you folks at 1700 Broadway. All the same, I bet you’ve probably thought it over, sent out a few interoffice emails, and maybe called a meeting or two to discuss how you would respond to it, and in the end, decided to take the proverbial high road. That’s a commendable stance, and one you can’t be faulted for taking. But I for one would like to say a few words on behalf of taking the low road.

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So, Marvel sent out a press release today announcing that they’ll trade a Deadpool variant cover of Siege #3 for every 50 stripped covers from DC’s Blackest Night tie-ins that retailers send in. Neat idea. But you know what would be an even better idea, Marvel? How about instead of Blackest Night tie-ins, you let retailers send in stripped covers from Dark Reign: Lethal Legion, Dark Reign: Zodiac, and all those other Dark Reign minis you guys published a few months ago? At least the Blackest Night books are selling. No one gave a rat’s ass about Dark Reign.

I hate to be that guy–you know the one–but the cover for the new issue of Toyfare has a major mistake on it:

Here we see the B.J. Penn figure from Jakks Pacific’s UFC line choking out the Chuck Liddell figure from the same line. The problem is that Penn and Lidell fight in different weight classes–Liddell is the former UFC light heavyweight champion, while Penn is the current UFC lightweight champion (and former welterweight champion). So, while in the early days of the UFC, it was perfectly acceptable for fighters in different weight classes to fight one another (hello, Royce Gracie), these days, Penn and Liddell would never fight in a sanctioned match. You fail, Toyfare.

All kidding aside, Jakks has done an awesome job with these UFC toys, and judging by how scarcely they seem to show up in the local toy aisles, they seem to be pretty successful as well. Jakks produced toys based the WWF/WWE for thirteen years before Mattel got the rights to the wrestling juggernaut starting this year; so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with one of the world’s fastest growing sports.

Will 2010 be the year DC Comics surpasses Marvel as the top publisher in the industry? I ask this because in my secret identity as a mild-mannered comic shop employee, I have a front row seat to watch industry sales trends as they happen. Being around comic book fans forty-plus hours a week, seeing their buying habits and talking about comics with them, in addition to getting to learn about the retail side of the industry in one of the country’s top comic shops (insert shameless plug) gives you a unique perspective on the comics biz.

If you take a look a recent sales trends–ICv2 and The Beat are great resources for retail news–you can see the potential for a reversal in the familiar trend of Marvel kicking DC’s collective butts up and down the sales charts. Blackest Night has been a sales bonanza for DC, surpassing last year’s Final Crisis event in performance and reader excitement. It’s by far the hottest selling comic being published today, and it’s allowed DC to dominate the top of the bestseller charts for the past couple of months now. (The six bestselling comics in October, as well as seven of the top ten selling books for November, belonged to DC.)

If you look at what we know is upcoming in 2010, a reversal of fortunes between DC and Marvel seems very possible. Marvel’s next big event is Siege, ostensibly the wrap-up to several years worth of ongoing plotlines that the Marvel Universe proper has revolved itself around. You would think that years of build-up and major events (Civil War; Secret Invasion; Steve Rogers’s death; etc.) would translate into massive anticipation for what comes next, but there honestly doesn’t seem to be much of a buzz surrounding the story among the clientele where I work. Instead, I get the feeling that fans are growing indifferent towards the current direction of the Marvel Universe, and are less excited about Siege itself than they are what it represents as the potential end of a story that’s worn out it’s welcome. I guess we’ll find out on Wednesday, when the first issue of Siege hits the stands.

DC counters with The Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series by Grant Morrison, which begins in April, a month after Blackest Night ends. Captain America Reborn has been Marvel’s biggest success for the past few months, and given the similarities between the two projects, it seems safe to say The Return of Bruce Wayne will be a big hit, too. If DC can manage to carry their momentum through the end of Blackest Night and into TROBW and beyond, then Marvel may need to start getting used to watching DC’s tail lights for a change.

Today saw the release of the DVD for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the much-maligned summer blockbuster based on the enduring Hasbro toy line. I resisted seeing this when it was in theaters over the summer because the previews made it look like baby vomit, and I had no desire to spend ten bucks and a couple of hours in a movie theater to have my intelligence insulted, no matter how desperate I was for air-conditioning. Thank goodness for Redbox, because I only had to pay $1 to have my intelligence insulted in the comfort of my own home.

Actually, I didn’t think G.I. Joe was really all that bad. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a lousy film, it just wasn’t the crime against humanity I was expecting it would be. It helped a bit that I didn’t go in to the movie expecting to see the G.I. Joe from my childhood. Director Stephen Sommers and crew aren’t interested in that G.I. Joe, they would prefer to create a G.I. Joe for the new generation. And that’s fine, and in that sense, they’ve mostly succeeded. I can see kids going street rat crazy for the movie, what with the nonstop violence, copious amounts of explosions, not-very-funny one-liners and hot ninja-on-ninja action.

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A Nightmare on Elm Street in HD

Michael Bay has made a name for himself by doing two things: blowing shit up, and producing crappy, unimaginative remakes of classic horror flicks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hitcher, The Amityville Horror, and Friday the 13th. (Actually, his Friday the 13th was superior to the original films, but that’s not saying a lot. The original Friday series sucked hard.) Next year, Bay once again dives headfirst into creative bankruptcy with his production of the Samuel Bayer-directed remake of Wes Craven’s classic A Nightmare On Elm Street.

As a longtime Nightmare fan, I’ve been dreading this movie ever since it was announced. The original is one of the most enduring horror films ever created, and Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger has become an iconic figure in movie history. So while I understand why the movie is being made ($$$), I seriously doubt anyone has ever watched Craven’s original version and thought, “Hey, this movie really needs to be remade, because it sucks.”

Now that the trailer for Bay/Bayer’s quasi-reimagining has been unleashed, we’ve had our first glimpse of what the movie will be like. And since I have a tendency to be a judgmental ass, I figured I would share my initial thoughts about the movie.

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Hasbro’s Mighty Muggs Spider-Man toy

David LaFuente’s Ultimate Spider-Man

Am I the only one who thinks they look pretty similar to each other?

Comic book movies have been big business for Hollywood for years now, and the trend won’t be stopping anytime soon. At this rate, even Forbush Man will be optioned for a trilogy. (Hey, he was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, y’know.) Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher is in development (again), and since we’ve already talked about who should be cast in that film adaptation, why not do a little fantasy casting for Ennis’s current project (with the always awesome as hell Darick Robertson), The Boys?

Billy Butcher: Clive Owen

When you want a tough, rugged, charming, British leading man capable of kicking ass and taking names, who do you go to? The name at the top of my list is Golden Globe-winner and Oscar-nominee Clive Owen, who showed his action star chops in movies like Sin City and Shoot ‘Em Up, and has the charisma and good looks to play the smooth-talking leader of the Boys. (Just ask your girlfriend.)

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The 2009 Harvey Awards nominees were announced this morning. Congratulations to all the nominees; this must be an exciting day for everyone who received a nod. I do have a few thoughts on some of the nominees, and since I can, I’m going to share them with you, my faithful readers.

BEST ARTIST

Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press

BEST LETTERER

Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM – PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED

AMELIA RULES!: FUNNY STORIES, Renaissance Press

Don’t dismiss the kid-friendliness of Amelia Rules!, because it’s one of the best comic books being published today. Jimmy Gownley is a master at mixing humor and gravitas to create hilarious and heartbreaking stories that can be enjoyed and loved by people of all ages. And the characters are instantly endearing. If you don’t fall in love with Amelia after reading just one issue, then you must be a robot or something. If you haven’t read Amelia Rules! yet, give it a shot, and then you can thank me later for the recommendation.

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL

BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY!, Tim Rickard, Tribune Media Services
GET FUZZY, Darby Conley, United Features Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate
THE NORM, Michael Jantze, Uclick Gocomics
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, Stephan Pastis, United Features Syndicate

These days, it’s very difficult to break into the syndicated comics biz. The newspaper business is dying a slow death, daily comics are becoming less of a priority for them, and there are way too many crappy old comics past their expiration date wasting space simply because the newspaper editors are too afraid or too lazy to get rid of them (I’m looking at you, For Better Or For Worse). So I have tremendous respect for Tim Rickard for the success he’s had with Brewster Rockit. That being said, how the $@#% did it get this nomination? In my opinion, it’s a painfully unfunny comic, and it’s not remotely as good as the other four nominees. There are so many other strips that are more deserving of that nomination. Hell, I’d give it to Blondie just for John Marshall’s gorgeous inkwork. Is there something about Brewster Rockit that I’m just not understanding? Could it be that it’s the Andy Kaufman of daily comics, in that it’s so unfunny it turns around and becomes funny?

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY

LOVE AND ROCKETS, VOL. 3 #1, Fantagraphics Books

Hell yes. As painful as it is to wait a year for new Love and Rockets now that the Hernandez brothers have switched to an annual format, it’ll be worth the wait if each issue is going to be as good as this one. Jaime Hernandez created the best superhero story of 2008 for this issue, and it should be required reading for anyone who reads or creates comics.

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY

NASCAR HEROES #5, NASCAR Comics

WTF? I didn’t realize this comic book even existed. And with all due respect to the creators of this comic, I’m having a difficult time wrapping my brain around the idea that a comic book devoted to a competition where the winner is the person who can make the best left turns could deserve a Harvey Award nomination. Are any of you reading Nascar Heroes? If so, I’d really like to hear your opinion of it. Is Nascar Heroes a hidden gem in the world of comics?

So there you go. Feel free to share your own opinions, particularly if you disagree with me or want to talk about something I didn’t cover.

Steve Weintraub has an interview at Collider.com with Johnny Depp, who’s working the publicity circuit for the Wednesday release of Public Enemies. The interview covers a range of topics from his love for director Tim Burton, and their upcoming collaborations like next year’s Alice in Wonderland and the planned-but-not-in-production-yet Dark Shadows. He also had something to say about the possibility of a fourth Pirates of the Carribbean:

On Pirates, Johnny said, “What we’re trying to do is just get a script in order and make sure it’s the right thing to do. If we can get a great script it’d be a ball.”

Go read the entire interview for more from Depp. It’s a good little read.

I’m sure a lot of you are rolling your eyes over the idea of yet another Pirates movie. I’ll admit, the sequels weren’t nearly as good as the original, which was pretty damn awesome. Dead Man’s Chest was boring as hell until the climax, but I thought At World’s End redeemed the franchise enough to make me want to see another sequel. And don’t even try to deny it; you know you’d still go see another one too, even if you thought the sequels were crap.

And though I’ve never been on an acid trip, I think seeing Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is going to be about as close as you can get to one without actually dropping acid.

One of my favorite things about watching Marvel superhero movies is seeing what Stan Lee is going to do in his obligatory cameo. Let’s face it, the only good thing about the first Fantastic Four movie was seeing Stan The Man playing Willie Lumpkin. Now, word has leaked out regarding who Smilin’ Stan will be playing in Iron Man 2. The info comes from Collider.com, so I’m not sure how reliable it is, especially considering they’ve admitted straight up they’ve only got one source for the news. Nor will they give any hints as to the source’s identity. That’s some bad journalism, right there. But, the news sort of makes since in context with his cameo in the first Iron Man flick, in which he played a pseudo Hugh Hefner. So if you don’t mind getting this little bit of casting info spoiled for you, click on this link to find out. If you don’t want to know, then just ignore this post and move on to the next post. I’m sure it’s a good one.

It reads like a headline from The Onion, but it’s not: Screenwriter Zak Penn, who’s handling the script for 2012 super-movie starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, talked at the Los Angeles Film Festival recently about the difficulties in writing the script for a movie that has to tie into preceding movies made by other filmmakers:

“They’re doing Captain American and Thor first, and then Avengers is coming out… They want to see that they’re all connected… I’m taking a meeting next week with the Thor and Captain America people, and we are all going to get together, and I will see what is going to happen… We all have the best intentions, and it still might suck.”

Before you get your Underoos in a bunch, just relax. He’s not making a prediction about the film’s quality, he’s merely warning about the possible outcome for a movie that has to be so heavily coordinated in order to even be made. On the other hand, Penn did have various roles in writing Last Action Hero; Inspector Gadget; Elektra; Fantastic Four; X-Men 3; and The Incredible Hulk; so you can draw your own conclusions.

Story source courtesy of SCI FI Wire; the snark is all mine.

Did Michael Bay kick Manohla Dargis’s kitten or something? I had to ask after reading the New York Times critic’s review Of Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Here are some of the “highlights”:

1. The very first sentence refers to the movie as “cretinous”.

2. Star Shia LaBeouf is described as a “professional doofus”.

3. Co-star John Turturro is labelled to be “embarrassing”.

4. The reviewer strongly intimates that the script is racist, due to the personalities of some of the new characters.

5. Finally, there are more than a few condescending comments directed at the film’s intended audience.

You need to read the entire review to get the full effect.

Now, you have to expect a certain amount of snottiness and arrogance from the Times. That’s just how they roll. Today, I was talking about the review to a rather educated friend who reads the Times on a daily basis, and he compared the review to a personal attack on Bay. Did Dargis go a little too far with some of the review’s negativity? At what point does a review cross from being merely scathing to outright venomous? What say you, gentle reader?

Do you remember earlier this year when The Dark Knight was snubbed for a Best Picture nomination by the Oscars, despite being the highest-grossing movie of the year, one of the best-reviewed movies of the year, and featuring what is arguably one of the greatest performances in motion picture history? And do you remember how damn near everyone who saw the movie thought it got screwed? Well, if there was a silver lining in the situation, here it is: The New York Times is reporting that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will now be nominating ten films for Best Picture, instead of the traditional five. And it’s partly thanks to The Dark Knight.

From the article in the Times:

“We will be casting our net wide,” Sidney Ganis, the academy’s president, said in announcing the change at a morning news conference at the group’s headquarters here.

In a question-and-answer session that followed the announcement Mr. Ganis said, “I would not be telling you the truth if I said the words ‘Dark Knight’ did not come up.”

This is a pretty big deal when you think about it. How often have genre movies, comedies, and animated films gone without Best Picture nods due to the Academy’s refusal to acknowledge anything but period pieces and stuffy, bloated dramas? Yeah, the change is a few years too late, but better late than never.

You might recall a discussion we had a few months ago about the initial round of teaser posters released to promote G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. I wasn’t very impressed with them, due to what I felt was an overall lack of style and creativity. some of you disagreed, or at the very least weren’t too bothered by the posters. With the movie’s August 7th release date approaching, Paramount has released a new batch of posters for us to enjoy, examine, scrutinize, and otherwise kvetch about. Go forth and check them out at Yo Joe! Magazine and follow along with the commentary. Let’s start out with the one that has the hot woman on it, shall we?

Sienna Miller as The Baroness

Ah, Sienna Miller. Looking at her here, I have only one thing to say: Man, Jude Law is an f’n moron. I confess that as a knee-high nerdling in the 80s, I never found the Baroness to be particularly attractive. Maybe it was the creepy, European accent that turned me off. Or the fact that she was just a shrill, unrepentant witch. Whatever the reason, I never developed a fanboy crush on her like a number of other Joe fans. (For the record, my heart belongs to Zarana.) But I have a feeling that the lovely Ms. Miller is going to change all of that. This is a fantastic poster, with Miller rocking the classic Baroness look in a dynamic, exciting pose.
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If you’ve been following the recent goings-on in the Marvel Universe, then you know the score: Norman Osborn, having “singlehandedly” saved the Earth from the Skrull invasion, is now officially the man in charge of keeping the American citizenry safe and secure from danger, with the help of his own brand of Avengers. This major change to the Marvel U’s status quo, dubbed Dark Reign, has had one major inherent flaw from the very beginning: Osborn is formerly and publicly known as the villainous Green Goblin, and his Avengers are a team of felons, murderers and psychopaths secretly posing as bonafide heroes.

Ronin, leader of the underground band of Avengers, publicly called out Osborn on national television in New Avengers #50 and reminded the general public that maybe having a known whack-job in such a high position of authority isn’t the best idea in the world. This bold move forced Osborn to respond to Ronin’s charges in a sit-down TV interview in Dark Avengers #5. Did Osborn, and by extension Dark Reign mastermind Brian Michael Bendis, succeed in explaining away the huge gap in logic that put a murderer like Osborn in charge? Your mileage may vary, but I’ll tell you what I thought about it after the jump.

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From Newsarama’s brand-spankin’ new exclusive preview of September’s Superman family titles:

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Gary Frank & Jon Sibal
Covers by Gary Frank
Hot on the heels of their acclaimed run on ACTION COMICS, superstars Geoff Johns and Gary Frank reunite to present a 6-issue event that spells out the definitive origin of Superman for the 21st century – and it all starts with a gigantic 48-page issue! Chronicling Clark Kent’s journey from the cornfields of Smallville to the skyscrapers of Metropolis, you’ll witness a whole new look at the beginnings of Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Metallo, Jimmy Olsen, the Parasite and more! It’s a look at the mythic past of the Man of Steel with an eye toward the future!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 10 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Gary Frank), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Gary Frank). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale September 23 • 1 of 6 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US

It’s got a great writer/artist team, so it’ll definitely be worth a look. But now what am I supposed to do with my copies of John Byrne’s The Man of Steel, Mark Waid’s Superman: Birthright, and that one story with the shiny cover where Jeph Loeb decided life on Krypton really was like the Silver Age Krypton?

Three great, A-list actors with nerd street cred are all celebrating birthdays today. So let’s all join in and wish happy birthdays to:

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The website Topless Robot (*hee hee hee*) along with Dragonball The Movie are both reporting that James Marsters has confirmed that he will begin filming a sequel to Dragonball Evolution as early as late this year.

Wait a second… James Marsters was in the Dragonball movie? James Marsters, the guy whose presence saved the last couple of seasons of Buffy from completely jumping the shark after the Scooby Gang left for college? The same James Marsters that kicked ass as Braniac on Smallville? This James Marsters?

Come on, dude. You’ve built up enough geek credibility between Buffy, Angel, and Torchwood to get roles in better movies than that. How about lobbying for the role of Hawkeye in the upcoming Avengers movie? Or maybe you can get your old pal Joss Whedon to talk Time-Warner into making a Starman movie? You’d be great as Jack Knight.

And another thing: A Dragonball sequel? Sure, why not? Don’t let the fact that Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 13% fresh rating, or the fact that it only made $54.7 million worldwide, despite having a budget of allegedly $100 million, stop you from making what will likely be a horrible film that even the makers of Ishtar will laugh at.