Color me a little disappointed here. The Daily Blam reports that during the Television Critics Association press tour, the Powers pilot that was greenlit may not be picked up after all for the 2012 television season. The show would feature Jason Patric as Detective Walker, Lucy Punch as Detective Pilgrim and Charles S. Dutton as the head of a homicide police precinct. The pilot also stars Carly Foulkes as Retro Girl, Bailey Madison as young orphan Calista, Titus Welliver as Triphammer, and Vinnie Jones as, you guessed it,  mobster Johnny Royale.

Everything seemed to be in place, so what exactly happened? “[It's a] fairly substantial rewrite,” FX president John Landgraf explained, adding that much of the pilot would have to be re-shot. “Right now we’re in the process of deciding whether to pull the trigger on that re-shoot.” After filming had completed late last year and the network screened the show, screenwriter Charles Eglee was brought back to perform rewrites on the script which would retool major aspects of the pilot that didn’t quite mesh well. The Hollywood Reporter described the project as “still in limbo.”

This really is a shame, especially with the success of The Walking Dead and Smallville‘s 10 year run, I think this program would be a great addition to any line-up FX might have planned. Maybe a lead in to the second season of American Horror Story?

Readers and Powers fans, what do you think about this situation?

Looks like the former house of Smallville is looking for another bullseye.

Deadline is reporting that the CW is finalizing a deal for a Green Arrow pilot, presently called Arrow. Written and executive produced by Green Lantern co-writers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, and Fringe and Vampire Diaries writer, Andrew Kreisberg. This would take place outside comic canon and focus much on it’s own mythology, though I’m sure with nods and certain details from the Green Arrow comic origin.

Now take into consideration that there is still a Deadman pilot in the works and developing a series based on a DC property to succeed the departed Smallville is a priority for the CW this development season. No word yet if Justin Hartley will sling the bow and arrow again this round or if they are looking to start from beginning and start fresh.

So readers, what do you think of this matter? With NBC passing on Wonder Woman, and Smallville gone, is there room for the Emerald Archer on your tv screens?

Anne Hathaway, who, if you don’t know by now is portraying Selina Kyle/Catwoman in next summer’s The Dark Knight Rises, spoke to LA Times Hero Complex with some interesting things to say about how her portrayal will be different from other versions, but still true to the essence of who Catwoman is and how she is influenced by Gotham City.

“What’s come before doesn’t limit or even affect this new version. It doesn’t affect me because each Catwoman – and this is true in the comics as well – she is defined by the context of the Gotham City created around her. Catwoman is so influenced by Gotham and whoever is creating Gotham at the time… You have to live in whatever the reality of the world is and whatever Gotham is.” She continues with how Heath Ledger’s now legendary performance is on par with what she’s aiming for. “Gotham City is full of grace. You look at Heath’s performance as the Joker, there was a lot of madness there but there was also a grace and he had a code there. There’s a lot of belief and codes of behavior in Gotham and my character has one, too. A lot of the way she moves and interacts with people is informed by her worldview. Chris has given us all such complex, defined, sophisticated worldviews that it’s just a matter of doing your homework and getting underneath the character’s skin.”

Interesting way of putting Ledger’s performance. Something I hadn’t ever really thought of since Joker practically got rid of any beliefs about criminals and their methods as he brought a more chaotic feel to the crimeworld. Hathaway also goes into her motivation of the way she’s going about the character as film siren Hedy Lamarr was a key influence on the Catwoman character. “I know this sounds odd, but her breathing is extraordinary,” Hathaway said. “She takes these long, deep, languid breaths and exhales slowly. There’s a shot of her in [the 1933 film] ‘Ecstasy’ exhaling a cigarette and I took probably five breaths during her one exhale. So I started working on my breathing a lot.”

Also over at the interview, there is a scene synopsis that is only hinted in the newest trailer that gives more details about Catwoman and Bane’s rapport and that DKR might draw more influence from the Batman arc “Knightfall” than I had certainly anticipated. Spoiler Alert now has been initiated.
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Following the events of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March of 2011, famed cosplayers across the world joined in to create the Cosplay for a Cause 2012 Cosplay Calendar. What started as a rare feat, has become a popular staple during conventions over this past year.

Allow me to give you the rundown: when displayed, will open to 11×22, so each image is displayed at 11×17. Better yet, they’ve made it easier for you to remove the photos in case you frame or pin up your favorite ones. Even better? 100% of the proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross and help aid the relief effort.

They are just a few hundred short of a complete sell out from the few thousand they started with. So if you’re thinking about starting your New Year off right with these lovely and talented designers, you can buy it on their site where you can learn more about them and their cause.

Now this is something I can get behind. Joe Eisma, one half of the tag team that created critically-acclaimed Morning Glories, put this up over at his DeviantArt. It’s a nice little mash up of the Morning Glories gang with the Peanuts crew. ” Had this idea for awhile, but never got around to it until now,” Eisma stated on the post. “Would love to do more of these fun things with the Morning Glory Babies as time permits!”

Morning Glories is one of the most talked-about books on the market now. So if you’re looking for getting something for a person interested in getting into comics, but fear they might not be that into capes, I recommend this one.

Rumors, Facebook statuses and Twitter updates have been circulating from the comic community that Captain America co-creator Joe Simon and famed comic artist Eduardo Barreto have died.

We’re trying to confirm and Newsarama will update more as information is available.

update: Via ComicsBeat, Simon did pass away as with confirmation from Simon’s son’s Facebook. He was 98 and leave behind a legacy that is unlikely to be repeated. Also have confirmation that Barreto has passed away as well, sadly at only the age of 57.

The world of professional wrestling has a cast of characters not so different than comics. You have your heroes and villains, both fighting for domination, or a championship. Legendary comic artist Jill Thompson has been busy designing ring attire for WWE superstar, Daniel Bryan (aka former residential indie legend, Bryan Danielson). Blog@ talked to Thompson about the inspirations that went into the designs, as well discussed her love of the sport, and whether she’d ever step into the ring.

Blog@: Who approached who on designing Bryan’s ring gear?

Jill Thompson: Bryan approached me. I would have never thought to do it if he hadn’t contacted me. I ‘armchair design’ some gear during shows, you know…you see someone who could use some pizazz or some color….everyone ‘s got black trunks because they are a tough guy…which gets a bit boring for me as a viewer… However I’ve never sought out anyone to ask them if I could redesign their gear.

Blog@: Bryan has a history of pretty simplistic attire, Jill what was your artistic approach to his designs?

JT: He asked me to design something cool, but to continue to use his colors of maroon and white. He said “Make me look like a superhero.”  and, as far as superhero gear goes, I’m a fan of stuff that looks wearable. I like to make things that look fashionable and functional, based on real world clothing.  So, I took my cue from Bryan’s name, “The American Dragon”. I thought to myself, what’s an American Dragon? A mythic powerful beast? Yeah, but taken to another more symbolic level? It’s a Hot Rod. A Muscle Car. Something that has great power and is uniquely American that the rest of the world still looks at and goes, “Aww Yeah! That is awesome!”

And Bryan has a classic American guy look. Like a Paul Newman. He’d look just fine sitting behind the wheel of a ’67 mustang or something. White t-shirt and jeans kinda timeless American style. I wanted to mix all of those elements up with a little bit of Evel Knieval thrown in for good measure. The first gear I designed for him was the boxer style hoodie jacket with the white stripes and flames. Just like the hood of a Mustang. The Dragon logo is an homage to the Mustang grill ornament and the lettering style is based on the Ford Mustang logo. I added hot rod style flames into it because I love how those things look and I thought it added another subtle Dragon-y element to it. I also design with the idea that these jackets (not the trunks or kick pads) could be worn outside the ring. I want Bryan to look at it as something he  could wear as civilian clothing.

Yeah, I know it’s got his name on it…but it has to. I’ve also sent him a few tshirt designs based on his gear. I want fans to see his gear and think, “Damn, I want a jacket like that!” That first jacket, in my notes, I was suggesting a soft fabric, like a really light hoodie material, lined with a jersey knit t shirt type fabric with no cuffs on the sleeve. But the gear maker chose another material. Leather or something. Which looked cool as well…it’s odd. You picture something in your head, but you don’t really know if the type of fabric you see in your head exists. Or if the gear maker has access to a a huge variety of fabric. Not everyone lives in the Garment District of NYC. How do designers get textiles made? Thats what I need! Access to a textile factory! And all of the subsequent gear I’ve designed since then, I’ve based on that first concept as well, just tweaked it in different ways. I’m trying to keep his closet full of a wide variety of outfits!

Blog@: For those that might not know, you’re actually a really big wrestling fan. How long have you watched wrestling programs?

JT: I remember watching  boxing and wrestling once with my Grandpa. It was on a Sunday and it was on a black and white TV. I didn’t know the difference between boxing and wrestling because of the ring, y’know. But I remember sitting on his lap and him being so animated the chair tipped over with both of us in it. Then he took out his false teeth and laughed and scared me silly! And the funny thing is- that could have been three separate instances, but I remember them all as one now. The next time I watched in earnest was when Hulk Hogan was blown up all over the world in the ’80′s. And then I didn’t really watch again until one Saturday morning when Brian [Azzarello] found it on my TV and we watched together. So that was mid 1990′s. I remember the debut of Mankind very well. All of those promos leading up to his debut, with him in the cellar, and there were rats and stuff and he was rocking back and forth…and then pretty much every Monday night more or less since the mid 90′s.

And, before you ask– No. I was NOT into the NWO. Sorry, everyone. I hated them. They stood around and did nothing as far as I was concerned. I liked the Guerreros and Rey Mysterio and other guys in WCW. In fact, my heat with them was so real I made Brian turn the channel when they came on. And I think that’s right about when  Steve Austin ‘broke’ into Brian Pillman’s house and Pillman had a gun out to defend himself. The soap opera lover in me was kinda hooked on that but at the same time I would get pissed at all of those type of  gimmicks on one level saying…”Oh, that guy’s got a gun and we hear a shot and then we just cut back to the ring announcer? Oh, Please, that’s so fake! How can they even show that!?”  But I got lost in the story quickly and forgot my cynical ways.

Blog@: Using the current WWE Superstar roster, whose gear would you love to design? What about anybody else from the indie scene? Colt Cobana, maybe?

JT: I’m happy designing Bryan’s gear for as long as he wants me to. It’s a good mix. I don’t  have ideas for random guys on the roster. It just happened that comics and wrestling mixed together in the right way for us. I work well off of a mutual admiration type of relationship. He knew my work and was a fan of it and was a fan right back.  He had an established gimmick that he was going to keep. He knew what he liked and gave me some direction. It’s important that the character be there for me to create something. And I’m really lucky that he’s liked most everything I’ve designed for him. Its really thrilling to see my drawings come to life. This latest set of gear has really gotten some nice compliments.

There are some guys who have asked me to design something, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to come up with anything! I’m also not a great logo designer, so when someone wants their name all fancied up, I might do better to send them to a logo designer or graphic designer. Just so they will get the best job. I mean I can do a little of that, but, it’s not something I think about all the time and I have no idea how to do stuff on the computer in photoshop and the like and that seems very computer necessary. I did design a couple of ring robes for Christopher Daniels. He was looking for something when he was in ROH. Something that would compliment his existing gear. I like what I designed for him, but I think his character in TNA has gone in a different direction. I’ll get to something for Colt one day. We’ve talked about it. A singlet of some sort. He’s got definite ideas of what he likes. I haven’t clicked with the right thing yet for him. But you never know.

Blog@: Wrestlers usually portray characters that are larger than life, do you think there is a correlation between the entertainment aspect of wrestling and super hero comics?

JT: I think that’s an easy answer: of course there is. Visually, the way the characters and the wrestlers look. The physicality of it, the costuming, the promos… all portrayed in the wrestling ring, which is kind of like a comic panel, if you think about it. And the characters break outside its panel borders on a regular basis. The commentators are the captions. The promos are the dialogue or in some cases monologue. All that talking works better in wrestling than in comics, because the voice overs don’t interfere with you being able to see the actual wrestling, the way it would if it was word balloons.

Blog@: Jill do you think that there’s a hidden wrestling superstar within you?

JT: Hidden? You do not know me well, sir!  I’ve got an affinity for the theatrical! I love to entertain an audience though a story and I’ve always been fairly strong… But the cardio! Lord, that’s some intense cardio!

Blog@: Do you have any more designs for Bryan in mind? Maybe something specific for a future world champion?

JT: There are three that have been on TV and two more in the works. When they come to me, I illustrate them, write notes on them and then send them to Bryan. He let’s me know if he likes them and then he gets them made. There are a couple cool ones that could be made in time for Wrestlemania!

Artist Robbi Rodriguez has been making a name for himself as of late. Aside from independent hits such as Tek Jansen, Moon Lake, and the upcoming Polly and the Pirates 2, he’s also joining Rick Remender on Uncanny X-Force and Vertigo title, The Unexpected. Rodriguez has been promoting the sequel to his creator-owned Frankie Get Your Gun. Blog@ talked to Rodriguez and discussed “FGYG2″ and his influences behind his storytelling process.

Blog@: Robbi, you’ve been promoting Frankie for a while now. The first part came out last year or so, for those unfamiliar with Frankie and why she has to get her gun, can you fill us in?

Robbi Rodriguez: Yeah FGYG is an acid western. It’s about the subject of revenge and just what are the ramifications from those actions. Its follows the typical hit list formula at the very beginning, but I start it out at the end of the list. It follows Frankie Kansas, a child born with the soul purpose to seek retribution of a gang of land grabbers from years past. The thing is Frankie is autistic and that handicap has been used to her advance on her campaign over the years by her trainer, Jericho Topo, a ex-war vet. And it will be needed as her last target , Bastin Window, an immortal space god trying  to make out of town as he’s doubled-crossed one to many folks. But at its heart it’s also about some Mother-Daughter relations. I grew up in a house of women and seeing first hand a woman finding her identity with a mother’s preset obligations. I found it could be the foundation hell of a story. Especially one with basically two female leads.

Blog@: Interesting that you’d make Frankie autisic, any reason on why?

RR: That’s an aspect I took from the 70′s Hong Kong and Japanese films. The protagonist in those films always have a handicap. The one-armed boxer for example that actually serves as an advantage. And with all the films in the revenge genre they always have this one-tracked mind or presented as a thoughtless killing machine. While she is not thoughtless at all, she is presented to her world as one.

Blog@: Like “The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi“?

RR: Exactly.

Blog@: The art style is very kinetic here. What are some influences on your style and the visuals you used?

RR: This is basically the voice that has been trying to get out for a while. “Polly 2″ was the hill I needed to climb to find it. I alway wanted to do something like this because this was something I was not seeing out there while I was originally working on it. I am a huge Jamie Hewlett fan, and as you can see by the work, a huge Tank Girl fan, too. Thus the nod with Frankie’s look. I wanted to see comics like that again. I mean you see it in most indie books, but I wanted to bring it back to genre comics. Not just a slice of life about nerd pop culture. And I also wanted to bring that energy of the 70′s low budget genre pics. I guess what they call “Grindhouse”. I grew up on that stuff. Dawn of the Dead is the point I wanted to hit.  Its so over the top, but at the same time it’s so down to earth. I wanted to bring the attitude of a Hewlett and [Katsuhiro] Otomo with character interaction of a [Alex] Toth and [Dave] Mazzucchelli.

Blog@: So where are you taking Frankie and company in Part 2?

RR: Issue two recounts the story of the train ride out of town. It’s the beginning of the race for Window. All the parties are showcased and what they have to lose. My wife was looking over the end of the issue and she was shocked by a direction I took. I knew I was on to something here. It’s an issue to show that there are no black and white hats here. They are grey in their own way.

Blog@: And you’re planning on making this a web series, correct?

RR: This was always planned as a digital comic from the start. Back in ’05 when I just heard the rumors of an Apple tablet reader. It will be online for free at Frankiegetyourgun.com every Wednesday, 2-5 pages a week. But also a magazine-sized version of the issues as well. Then down the line, a hard cover collection with an EP from this great band called Married with Sea Monsters.I wanna use the Radiohead/NIN model. Value for value. Support it in a way you see fit. If you want to chip a buck or buy a book, rad. If you just wanna just read the book, hey just spread the word. It will also be on Four Studio’s Double Feature with 50 pages at 99 cents.

[Blog@ notes: Robbi even made a "trailer" for FGYG2: click here]

It was recently announced that Dr. Who would finally make his way to the big screen in what appears to be the start of a movie franchise. Director David Yates, who was behind the last four Harry Potter movies would helm the project. Now, it doesn’t have a release date just yet as Yates told Variety they are now looking for writers and it may take “two to three years” to get it just right. He and Jane Tranter, head of L.A.-based BBC Worldwide Productions are making sure they appeal to long-time Whovians, as well American audiences not that familiar.  However, the “British sensibility” won’t be lost, “but having said that,” notes Yates, “Steve Kloves wrote the Potter films and captured that British sensibility perfectly, so we are looking at American writers too.”

No word yet if current Doctor, Matt Smith, will be involved to some capacity, but since this is being seen as a big budget reboot exclusively for the big screen, I doubt it. Especially Yates made it clear that his movie adaptation would not follow on from the current TV series, but would take a completely fresh approach to the material. I’m sure a plethora of Who fans feel confused and concerned about this, but it gives non-Who fans a chance to jump on without worrying about 40 years of continuity. Then again, one of the characters greatest attributes is his continuity and how he draws from his previous lives, but if you can have Smallville and Superman Returns at the same time…

So if they are starting over again, and having an older Doctor, can we just sign Alan Rickman or Ian Holm up already?

In an interview with VH1, current Dr. Who, Matt Smith revealed he will be leaving the show after the 2012/2013 season. He mentions he wants to take a stab at Hollywood and give American cinemas a try.

Interestingly enough  this would place the regeneration of the next Doctor right in the 50th anniversary season of 2013.

At the age of 26, Smith was the youngest Doctor to be casted, only 3 years shy of Peter Davidson when he was cast in 1981. When Smith began the role at of the previous season, he received a mixed reaction from fans, mostly because the previous actor, David Tennant was so well loved by audiences. However, with the BBC’s expansion to American television providers and not having to deal with an airing delay, Smith has gained quite a following and in some eyes, surpasses Tennant’s popularity.

While this is hardly set in stone, it does seem like Smith has already decided that he’ll be done playing Doctor after next season.

So Whovians, are you ready to see Matt off yet and to bigger things, or are you still wanting more?

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has made a comic that teaches the importance of being prepared…for anything. Even back in May, the CDC posted advice on their blog about such a possible event. Now they are following up with a comic book demonstrating how one could be prepared against zombies and tornadoes and various hazardous situations.

“I think this has to do when one CDC worker said to prepare for anything…including zombies,” says former CDC associate Lisa McCarty, who has experience dealing and educating CDC standards on preparedness. “I think its fun and imaginative and helps people learn how important preparedness is for any occasion.”

I’ve heard the comic was passed around NYCC last week at the “Zombie Summit: How to Survive the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse” panel,  but those who missed out on that, can read the comic (for free) online. It’s an interesting approach to teaching groups about such things and even if zombies aren’t your thing, I’m sure there’s something any reader can find educational in the pages.

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that in the newly-relaunched Catwoman #1, Ms. Kyle and Batman have a “shared moment”.  It has readers and creators alike creating quite the buzz online. Here at Newsarama, we’ve had our share of debate on the situation, even including Judd Winick’s defense.

But I haven’t seen anybody’s commentary like this. Over at Eric Canete’s blog, he has drawn a page depicting his take on the Morning After, which is shown above, in addition to some insightful thoughts.

It could be argued that if I don’t like it, then I don’t necessarily need to read it. That’s very valid.

Ah. Fanfic porn. I love you.

Of course there’s a level of tongue and cheek here, but I think he gets this point across.

DragonCon.

As a native Atlantian and connoisseur of geek culture, there is almost nothing I look forward to more than DragonCon. There’s costumes on parade. Great comic creators. And quite frankly, it’s ruined every other con for me. Everything else seems so tame by comparison. Not dull, but not as exciting. Though, I will say WonderCon this past year and NYCC 09 stand out as really good times. Though DragonCon continues to top itself every year.

I’ve had this discussion before about good ole D*C: it is NOT simply a comics convention, it is an across-the-board-genre convention. Once a year, Anime, Dr. Who, horror, and comic fans all converge into downtown Atlanta. That being said, I do tend to concentrate on the comics area. Probably the highlight for me each year it just to hang out with the slew of talent Atlanta has. For almost 20 years, Gaijin Studios was the studio to belong to. It produced such alumni as Adam Hughes, Cully Hamner, Georges Jeanty, Jason Pearson, Dave Johnson, etc. Early last year, it closed its doors, but rumor has it, there is a Gaijin 2.0 in the works.

So what is it about Atlanta that attracts such top talent? It doesn’t have a huge studio presence of the big two that say New York or Los Angeles has, yet the creators that call Atlanta home is astounding. At DragonCon this past week, I sat down with some of comics’ top names, and some up and comers about Atlanta and what makes the city such a hub bub for comics and comic professionals.

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The Hollywood Reporter is stating that Stan Lee Media Inc is suing the producers for the newly-released (and box office disappointing) Conan the Barbarian and seeking to get 100% of the movie’s gross. The reasoning behind it is because SLMI had the Conan rights since 2000 and when the company went bankrupt, the rights were protected, however, a former attorney for Lee allegedly made an illegal deal to grant the rights to Nu Image/Millennium Films, which produced the new “Conan”.

The company claims that the transfer of the “Conan” character is void because at that time in 2002, “the shares of Conan Properties and all other assets of SLMI were part of a bankruptcy estate and protected from unauthorized transfer by the automatic bankruptcy stay.”

SLMI says that the defendants obtained relief from the automatic stay in March 2002 by getting a judge to sign off on a “Settlement Approval Order” but that this order was itself void because the defendants didn’t provide notice and give 1,800 SLMI shareholders an opportunity to protect their interests by opposing the motion to transfer Conan.

Yet, in 2002, after Conan Sales Co. reacquired the rights to Conan, it sold those rights to a Swedish company called Paradox Entertainment, which has spent the last decade attempting to revive the character in video games, comics, etc. In its lawsuit against Conan Sales Co., Paradox, and others, SLMI is demanding it be restored the rights over the franchise and the defendants turn over all the proceeds from the movie.

Most interesting of all, SLMI is still in the process of suing Stan Lee himself and Marvel Entertainment for the rights to such their most prominent (read: marketable) characters as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Fantastic Four and many of the other major characters in the Marvel Universe.

So what’s your take on this, readers? I thought the estate of Robert E. Howard owned the rights to Conan and his world. Just bizarre. As of today, Conan The Barbarian has only grossed $10 million, a tenth of its budget. I haven’t seen any marketing for the movie, either, so that’s not a surprising number, but disheartening as I kind of dug it.

Since DC announced earlier in the week that Barbara Gordon will return as Batgirl, there has been an outpouring of support from fans and creators, both talking about their fondness for the character. Newsarama’s own, Jill Pantozzi even started an Oracle Draw-a-thon. Oracle gave a voice to many readers, and artist Phil Noto created this digital piece portraying Oracle saying farewell.

From Phil Noto’s Tumblr:

“Oracle 1989-2011 – My first job in comics was creating covers for DC’s Birds of Prey and and over the the course of 24 issues I drew this lovely lady a lot. And then I did some brief interior work on the Cassandra Cain Batgirl and finally did the first run of covers for the Stephanie Brown incarnation. They’ve all been great Batgirls much like Steed’s partners in the Avengers. I’ve done numerous pieces of Babs as Batgirl more so for the retro iconography and the aesthetic look of the black, yellow and red then her actual persona as Batgirl. Honestly in terms of fictional characters, I always just considered her to be Oracle. I, like many others, am very sad her to see her go, but if there’s anyone to keep her spirit alive as Batgirl once again, Gail Simone is the one to do it.”

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Noto and Babs.

Henry Cavill’s foe has been named, and it is Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) who will don the mantle of General Zod in the upcoming Superman reboot, which is now called Man of Steel. On the choice of casting Shannon, director Zack Snyder commented “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t.” He continued with praise for Shannon. “Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”

I haven’t gotten around to seeing Revolutionary Road yet (yeah, I’m a bit behind), but friggin’ love “Boardwalk”. With Zod cast now, there’s no doubt it will give something for Superman to hit…and hard. Though, I don’t want this to become an overdone slugfest with just Superman in name. I think it’s interesting they took the Dark Knight route with the simple and mysterious Man of Steel title.

So what do you think, readers? Will you kneel before anticipation, or do you think it’s too soon for Zod?

Shout! Factory and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) announced today a deal to bring the renowned classic animated series M.A.S.K. to the home entertainment marketplace. Under its multi-year agreement with FME, Shout! Factory will be the exclusive home entertainment distributor with digital rights to the first 65 action-packed episodes of M.A.S.K. (known to fans as the original series aired in 1985) in North America.

“This deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises continues to build on our proven success with some of the premiere animation and family-friendly brands in the marketplace. We are delighted with this opportunity,” state Shout! Factory founding partners. “M.A.S.K. has been one of the fan favorite classic animated series in TV history, with a highly successful presence in many countries across the world.”

Siegel stated, “FME is dedicated to bringing content from our extensive catalogue, including a classic series like M.A.S.K., to the home entertainment marketplace. We are thrilled for Shout! Factory to bring this long lost, retro series from the 80’s to its fans in North America.”

Popular animated television series M.A.S.K., debuted on television and in wide syndication during the 1980s, features M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand), a secret organization led by Matt Trakker that fights crime in an unusual way. By donning specially charged masks, they have extraordinary powers to fight the villains of V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). In addition to the masks, our heroes and their counterparts have super vehicles capable of a wide range of defensive and offensive actions, from changing a car into a jet or becoming a submarine. Throughout the years, M.A.S.K. boasts a large fan following and spawned a series of toyline, comic books and video games.

It is always good when those who can, do.

Recently, famed Gothamite artist Dustin Nguyen, posted on ebay a seriously super piece. It’s an 11 x 17 watercolor and acrylic painting which was the variant cover for Superboy #3. Nguyen talked to Blog@ about the piece and the fact that all proceeds are going to the Japan relief and the Red Cross. “One of the very few times I’ve strayed away from Gotham. I was aiming for something a bit iconic and striking in palette,” Nguyen said. “I just want to raise as much as I can for the cause.”

Another known artist is the ever-popular Adam Hughes, who will be taking donations, with a minimum of $5 for a head sketch on Saturday and Sunday for the first hour of C2E2 this weekend. All proceeds going to aid Japan. He will also be there at WonderCon the following week, with the same stipulation.

I love when the comic community can come together like this and aid those who could really benefit. I won’t make it out to C2E2, but I will definitely be at WonderCon for Hughes’ line.

Update:

Artist Kenneth Rocafort (Velocity, Madame Mirage, Action Comics) has posted in his blog that he is running an auction for a rare sketch with all the proceeds going to benefit those who have suffered from the Japan tragedy. All the details are on the mentioned link and the winner gets the sketch as well as a receipt from the Red Cross. The auction will run until the 23rd of March and will be dealt similarly to how the Haiti relief auction was handled. The Dr. Strange above is a sample of the work the winner would receive.

It has been a few decades since we’ve had Conan the Barbarian on the big screen, and more than a year since Jason Momoa was cast as Robert E. Howard’s classic character. We’ve seen a few shots here and there, and now there’s finally a teaser via Yahoo! movies.

Well it certainly teases, that’s for sure.

So we’re still getting a sword and sorcery vibe still, but nothing really solid to the plot. This whole not showing but telling approach worked for The Dark Knight, but here I’m just confused. What do you readers think?

Good on you, Google.

You might have noticed today while going to the internet’s most famous search engine, that the banner is honoring Will Eisner, one of the quintessential contributers to the comic medium. The image above showcases Eisner’s most famous creation, the pulp hero, the Spirit. Eisner passed away six years ago, though today would have been Eisner’s 94th birthday.

If you’re not familiar with Eisner’s work, you might want to look into A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories, as well as Comics and Sequential Art, which is still used today as an exemplary study for comics and illustration.

Here’s to you, sir.