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.

Whoa. What?

Helloooo…Ma Kent?

Deadline has reported that Academy Award-nominated actress, Diane Lane has been cast as Martha Kent in the upcoming Superman film. “This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman,” stated director Zack Snyder. “We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination.”

This is definitely a different vision than Phyllis Thaxter, who played Ma Kent in the Richard Donner film, and Eve Marie Saint who portrayed the character in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. With the casting of Kevin Costner as the possible Pa Kent, I guess this is a good match, just a bit different from what I’m used to imagining.

What do you think, readers? I love Unfaithful, the movie Lane earned her Oscar nomination for, and she definitely has a range. I’m excited to see what Snyder has up his sleeve.

Looks like your TV could get a lot more powerful.

Confirmed on both his Twitter and Facebook page, Brian Michael Bendis announced that his and Michael Oeming creator-owned series, Powers, was greenlit for a pilot on FX. No word yet on a time frame or any specifics, other than the project will be written by Charles H. Eglee and directed by Michael Dinner.

Powers tells the story of detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, that were devoted to special investigations dealing with crimes based about “powers” or super-powered individuals. The series was originally published by Image from 2000-2004, and later moved to its current home at Marvel’s Icon imprint.

The series is being co-produced by Sony and FX Productions.

So, Rama readers, what do you think of this development?

Whoa.

Recently over at Jill Thompson’s twitter, the famed cartoonist and comic artist posted this painting of Wonder Woman that she had done. But what does it mean? Blog@ had the chance to speak with the acclaimed creator on her thoughts about the design and could this be the beginning of something?

What some people might not realize is that Thompson’s first gig into mainstream comics was actually on Wonder Woman in the early 90′s. “Well, getting to work on an iconic character right off the bat, with a comics legend like George Perez writing the story is a pretty great memory,” Thompson stated. “I remember tackling a page that had something like 19 panels on it. I doubt if I’d be able to do that now!”

I love Thompson put a little Greek homage into her design here. I think it’s a good balance of armor and a bit of the flair from the original design. “I think Wonder Woman is a strong, sexy warrior,” she said. “A hero. But also very regal. I was doing a character design to go along with a pitch I’ve had in for a OGN at DC for a while, so it’s not a redesign because I was trying to say something current costume – it was one of the ways I’d approach it in the story I want to tell.”

In addition to Thompson not deviating from the famous color scheme, she adds a bit of practicality to the costume. “If you’ve ever worn a bustier [author's note: I have not, but I can imagine what it is like] and moved your torso in it, you’re not going to be able to do much practical fighting if there aren’t any straps. I love to design clothing. I’d give her lots of variations on a theme. Nothing drastic, but focus on her as the costume and not just the costume as the costume.”

Another thing I really dig is how she incorporated a bit of might and magic into this design. She then states what and who Wonder Woman is to her. “I think she’s someone who is sure of herself. She’s a warrior who operates on her own set of rules. She’s been raised by warriors, and she’s royalty, so I think that gives her an air of superiority that maybe hasn’t been addressed. She’s commanding. I’d love to do that.” She continues with “I showed her having slain the creature because I love mythos, magic and adventure, and my story has a good deal of that in it.”

I can’t be the only one out there that thinks this would be a great idea. Jill Thompson is hardly a stranger to magic and myth. Add an Amazonian super heroine in the mix, and you’ve got gold. What do you think, readers?

It’s been a while since Ted Naifeh has dabbled in the world of his series Courtney Crumrin.

Over at Naifeh’s site, he presents a few preview pages for the upcoming for the upcoming Courtney Tales 2. Newsarama has got the exclusive interview with Naifeh, as well as the first look to the cover, as well as the official name: Courtney Crumrin Tales: The League of Ordinary Gentlemen.

Blog@: You’ve written another Aloysius story before, what made you want to write another about Courtney’s mysterious uncle?

Ted Naifeh: The first one was really part one of a two parter. I wanted to resolve that story, and this book does exactly that.

Blog@: Without giving too much away, where does this story take Aloysius?

Naifeh: The story explores the roots of my little magical world, where it came from, why it’s there, and what Aloysius’s role is in it. Aloysius is a pretty mysterious character in the main series, and I wanted to reveal some of his secrets. I’d like to think this story addresses why he’s such a lonely old man.

Blog@: Does this tie into any of Courtney’s adventures?

Naifeh: It will in the next Courtney adventure. I start digging more deeply into the back story of Courtney’s world, the community of witches and warlocks in the town of Hillsborough. Some of what comes up will have direct bearing on Courtney’s life.

Blog@: Who are some of the new characters we’ll get introduced in this tale? Any old favorites coming back this round?

Naifeh: One of the characters I had fun with in the last story was the pulp hero Goose Daniels. But since he was transformed into a goose at the end, I needed a replacement. So he has a confederate that comes looking for him, and ends up getting press-ganged by the Anti-Sorcery Society to take his place. Another character that shows up is Aloysius’s grandmother, who was briefly mentioned in Courtney vol 3 as the first witch in Hillsborough. It’s through her that some of the world’s back-story is revealed.

Blog@: Do you feel your style has evolved since last dabbling with Aloysius?

Naifeh: I tried to make it as similar as possible, but I’ve acquired new influences, and I can’t help it if they shine through a bit. It’s not a jarring difference, at least. Just a bit better.

Blog@: Tell us about some of those new influences.

Naifeh: In my promotional trips to Europe, I had had the honor of being exposed to some truly amazing artists. Sergio Toppi is a real artist’s artist. He’s been around forever, and you can see his influence on Bill Sienkiewicz as well as french artist Phillipe Druillet, who I used to adore back in the early Heavy Metal Magazine days. The new one is named Roger (which sounds much more romantic with a French accent), artist of Jazz Maynard (ditto). His lines are so incredible, so elastic yet under precise control.

Blog@: You took a break for a while doing Good Neighbors with Holly Black, how does it feel coming back to the world of Crumrin?

Naifeh: Like returning home, really. Courtney’s world is as comfortable to me as my own bedroom. I’m looking forward to adding some new flourishes. But I really had a ball working on Good Neighbors, trying out some Toppi-style line work (which was ill-advised, but I eventually got some really nice results out of it), and getting to do real fingers instead of Courtney’s spikes or Polly’s nubs.

Blog@: Do you foresee an end to Courtney and Alyosuis’ tales?

Naifeh: I foresee a stopping point. But that doesn’t mean I’m done with them forever. In this new volume, I added a single story element that completely changes their world, and that makes me want to explore the world a bit more. I have a definite conclusion for the Courtney Crumrin series, which is pretty final. But it’s not like Courtney’s going to die or anything. So we’ll see. As for Uncle Aloysius, this second volume concludes the Anti-Sorcerer Society storyline. I’d love to continue his adventures if I have time. But I want to explore new worlds as well. Princess Ugg is calling to me, demanding that her story be told. And there are others.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but there’s this little event going over at Top Cow now called “Artifacts”. Ring any bells?

Sarcasm aside, one of the great selling points on Artifacts isn’t just the fantastic story (so far) that’s being architectured by Ron Marz, but he’s working on a rotating team of artists. Recently it was announced that Jeremy Haun (Detective Comics, Berserker) will join the rotation, picking up where Whilce Portacio leaves off.

Blog@ spoke briefly with Marz about the artists he’s been working with and the great chemistry between story and art, as well as working with Jeremy Haun.

Blog: Okay, so, first it was Michael Broussard, then Whilce Portacio, and now Jeremy Haun — who approached who about working on Artifacts? You or Jeremy?

RM: Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik was the matchmaker here. When he knew Jeremy was signing an exclusive with Top Cow, Filip called me up and asked what I thought of Jeremy taking the last on the third arc of Artifacts. Took me all of two seconds to say yes, as Jeremy is somebody I’ve been wanting to work with for a while. We actually talked about working together last year, but I don’t think either of us expected it to fall into place this quickly.

Blog@: Some say Whilce Portacio is doing some of his best work in a long time working on Artifacts, what is it about this story you think that elevates these artists to a whole other level?

RM: I certainly agree, I think this is some of Whilce’s strongest stuff ever, but I’m a bit biased obviously. Whoever I’m working with, whatever project I’m working on, a big part of my job is to play to the artists’ strengths and give them something they’re excited about drawing. Comics are a visual medium, so the scripts need to be as visual as possible. Otherwise, what’s the point? I also think you have to mention Joe Weems on inks and Sunny Gho on colors. They’re both bringing their best as well, so they make a great team with Whilce.

Blog@: Who’s on your shortlist of the artists you’d love to have on the final installment of Artifacts? Or do you already have somebody in mind?

RM: My shortlist has one name on it for who should draw issue #13, and that’s who’s drawing it.

Artifacts: Volume 1 is on sale now.

It’s hardly breaking news anymore that the Spider-Man musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has had it’s streak of setbacks and upsets ranging from constant delays (again pushed back to debut March 15th) to injuries and drop outs (remember when Alan Cumming was supposed to be Green Goblin?). Now, it’s hit another setback, but something…positive?

According to Deadline, former Sensational Spider-Man scribe Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has been signed to do some re-writes. I’d say since one of the major negatives of the show has been it’s lack of having that authentic Spider-Man voice, I can see why they opted for a re-write.

With Turn Off The Dark being bombarded with mostly disappointed reviews, Bono and The Edge brought in their producer as well to up the oompf factor in the music. But with the production tittering the $65 million dollar mark, and already the punchline for many late night shows and SNL itself, has it already tarnished its image?

What do you think, readers?

A month ago, Marion Cotillard announced her pregnancy, so in many fans eyes, that took her off the short list of potential femme fatales when it was announced back in November that The Dark Knight Rises (aka Batman 3) would have two female main characters. Well according to French news site, Le Figaro, that doesn’t seem to be stopping her at all.

In case you don’t speak French, I had Google Chrome help me out with that: “Marion Cotillard in “Batman 3″. The actress, who is expecting a child in the spring with Guillaume Canet, will be scarce this year. She’ll do a single film and her choice fell on Batman 3.”

Now, it’s already speculated that she’ll portray Talia al Ghul, Ra’s al Ghul’s (Liam Neeson from Batman Begins) daughter, but nothing is confirmed so far, especially even if she has a role. Personally, Talia makes the most sense here as Nolan’s trilogy comes full circle. Sure, Catwoman/Selina Kyle, played by Anne Hathaway, is more of a lover, but Talia has always come across as a genuine threat. Could a cameo by Liam Neeson be in the works, too? What do you think, readers?

The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters July 20th, 2012.

By Lan Pitts and Zack Smith

Two years ago, Wednesday Comics took the business by storm with its breath of fresh air approach to comics as it collected stories from various creators, touching on characters from Superman to Batman, to lesser known characters like Kamandi (well, lesser known to most people outside comic readers). It is confirmed that there is a sequel in progress, with Steve Rude working on a New Gods story. With that in mind, we took the liberty to come up with some pretty interesting combinations and dream teams that we’d love to see in the upcoming WC2.

Evan “Doc” Shaner on Captain Marvel: Shaner came to my attention last summer when Jeff Parker told me he was going to be huge; shortly after that, I was alerted to his gorgeous Captain Marvel pieces on his site and on ComicTwart. Not only does he have a great style for the character combined with a deep and abiding love for his mythology, but several of his pieces work as beautiful stand-alone Sunday pages themselves — just check out this masterpiece from last September. The man’s practically doing the job already. Might as well pay him for it.  – ZS

Mike Carey and Fiona Staples on Zatanna: It’s hardly any secret I’m a fan of Zatanna. While she finally has her own ongoing, I’d love to see Mike Carey (The Unwritten, X-Men) teamed up with Mystery Society artist Fiona Staples. Staples has been on the cusp of superstardom for a while now as she also worked on DV8 with Aaron Williams and a few covers for Superman/Batman. Both Carey and Staples have dabbled with supernatural forces on their resume and I would love to see them work together on a Zatanna strip. It could be quite magical. — LP

Paul Pope on the Atomic Knights: All right, this is a repeat creator from the first round, but Pope’s Adam Strange was one of the absolute joys of the series — a creator bringing his voice and visual style to a classic character, with surprises and fun throughout. Afterward, it occurred to me that he would be a perfect fit for the characters who shared reprint space with Adam Strange in STRANGE ADVENTRES in the 1970s — the absolute weirdness of their one cover appearance has haunted me since I was a kid (I’m meaning to commission Matt Kindt to do a recreation of it next time I see him at a con).

So obsessed am I with Paul Pope rendering giant Dalmatians and mole men that I started a Facebook group for this last year. As it happenes, I asked Mark Chiarello about this at one con, and he loved the idea — as did Pope when I brought it up to him at another show a few months later. In fact, he raved about DC’s hardcover reprint of the series, and even drew a quick Atomic Knights doodle. There’s only two caveats — first, Pope wants to get his long-gestating Battling Boy done, and second, Pope says that Dan DiDio is protective of the Atomic Knights and Kamandi, and already turned down a Pope/Brian Azzarello Kamandi proposal (you can see those pictures onlinehere). Give the man a chance, Dan — he’ll craft the most memorable story with those characters since the Silver Age.– ZS

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“Avenge”

Today, the Captain America: The First Avenger poster splashed onto the internet, showcasing Chris Evan’s more serious side. We get a great look at the shield and costume, sans mask, and what looks like a battlefield atmosphere. I’m sure some non-believers are having a change of heart after seeing this.

The more I see of this movie, the more anticipation builds. It’s going to be a damn good Summer.
What do you think, readers?

Long been rumored for the role for quite sometime now, English-born Henry Cavill has finally landed the role of Superman/Clark Kent, according to Deadline. Turning away from the younger men in their 20′s, both Reeve and Routh were 26 and 24 respectively, Cavill will be 28 this year and almost 30 by the time the movie comes out, which fits the criteria of what the WB were looking for this time around.

“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen,” said director Zack Snyder, who is helming the reboot. “I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry.  He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”

While not a complete unknown commodity that some movie studios like to cast for such a major role, Cavill is a relatively blank slate when it comes to the movie-going public at large. His biggest role to date has been on the cable TV series The Tudors, and he has a starring role in the upcoming Greek god epic Immortals as the warrior Theseus.

This isn’t the first time Cavill’s name has been brought up to play Superman  — back when Brett Ratner and McG were in talks to helm a Superman flick prior to Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, Cavill was a frontrunner in the role that ultimately went to Brandon Routh when Singer came onboard. After that film didn’t live up to Warner Bros. box office expectations – especially in light of the success of the Batman films — the studio went about assembling a new group to rehabilitate their franchise. Although this will be Cavill’s first time as a superhero, he started in previous comics-to-film flick Stardust and his work in the upcoming Immortals film should do much to introduce him to genre fans.

Okay readers, we now have our Man of Steel. Snyder has the confidence in Cavill’s performance, what do you think of the choice?

Additional Reporting by Chris Arrant

Get ready for gold…Booster Gold.

Earlier this week, both KryptonSite and popular soap site Soaps.com reported and confirmed that soap star Eric Martsolf (Days Of Our Lives) will take up the role of everybody’s futuristic hero/showboat, Booster Gold. The episode, appropriately called “Booster”, is written by DC’s CCO, Geoff Johns, and directed by Tom Welling.

It’s also been confirmed that Jaime Reyes, the current Blue Beetle, will appear in the episode as well, played by actor Jaren Brandt Bartlett. As for what else there is to expect from the episode, Johns says we’ll see Blue Beetle’s origin, Booster’s first meeting with Clark and Lois, and “maybe a cameo by someone from Kord Industries.” After that tease, it was revealed that Ted Kord (Blue Beetle II) will be in the episode in some way, played by Sebastian Spence

Please and thank you.

In the vein of comic creators Art Spiegleman, Alan Moore, and Daniel Clowes, comic writer and contemporary literary legend, Neil Gaiman, will voice himself on The Simpsons in an upcoming episode.

Last week, Gaiman posted a few pictures on this twitter feed giving hints on what he was doing that day.

First hint:

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By Zack Smith (above art by Evan “Doc” Shaner)

As you may have seen, on our main page we’ve been writing a LOT about Captain Marvel. As we talk with many of the character’s biggest fans and creators, something occurred to us – if Captain Marvel gets his own series again, who would be the best creative team to handle it?

So, we came up with 15 “Dream Teams” based on creators who’ve publicly stated they want to work on the character, or whose styles might be a good fit. Which would you be most likely to read? Pick below!

1.) Jeff Parker and Evan Shaner
2.) Gail Simone and Michael Oeming
3.) Mark Waid and Mike Norton
4.) Geoff Johns and Brent Anderson/Alex Ross
5.) Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart
6.) Jeff Lemire and Cully Hamner
7.) Darwyn Cooke
8.) Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover
9.) Joss Whedon and Eric Wight
10.) Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee
11.) Sean McKeever and Ted Naifeh
12.) J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog
13.) Kurt Buisek and Geroge Perez
14.) Paul Dini and Stuart Immonen
15.) Tom Peyer and Rags Morales

Is there a creator we left out? Would you rather mix and match some of these creative teams, so different writers are working with different artists? Or is there a classic Captain Marvel team you’d like to see return?

Let us know in the comments below! Shazam!

Over on DeviantArt, they are hosting an Inception comic cover contest, with some pretty impressive entries. Over at Studio Revolver member Tariq Hassan’s blog, he had posted his entry into the contest. Not too bad for something put together in about five hours. It’s simple, it’s direct, and Hassan’s style comes through.

According to Hassan, DA provided a script that explains the moments before Inception movie starts.  Basically the end scene of the script is the beginning of the movie – it details how Cobb and company got into Saito’s head.

Now that’s the sort of comic I can get into. Be sure to check out the rest of the entries, as well as Tariq’s blog. Both are full of crazy talent.

Looks like the David E. Kelley planned Wonder Woman tv series is “not moving forward”, reports Entertainment Weekly. Apparently, their sources told them that all the major broadcasters have passed on the project. NBC was the final network that declined to bring back the super heroine. Of course, Warner Bros. TV has said they are not giving up on this, but it is definitely on hold.

Outside of her appearing on DC animated’s Justice League franchise, Wonder Woman has not appeared in live action since the 1976-1979 series starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Steve Trevor, respectively.

I just don’t get this. Smallville ends in a few months and this would have been the perfect heir. With Batman: The Brave and the Bold on the air, with a Green Lantern animated series coming soon as well, I’d gladly settle for a Wondy animated series at this point.

Will the bad luck ever end for this production?

Entertainment Weekly has reported that actress Natalie Mendoza, who was in the role of Arachne, a villain created solely for the musical, is about to leave the show. The New York times stated that she was on a vocal rest, but other reports indicate she was severely shaken when her co-star, Christopher Tierney, was injured after a critical accident. Mendoza was also injured herself a while back during the November 28th performance, suffering from a concussion, when she was struck in the head by a rope holding equipment while she was offstage.

Mendoza’s rep wasn’t available for comment and Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark is still slated to open February 8th.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark injuries continue: First, Natalie Mendoza, who plays Arachne, was hit on the head by a rope at the first preview and suffered a concussion that put her out for about a week. Not too long after that, Kevin Aubin, an aerialist, broke both his wrists in November during a presentation, and then, in a separate incident, while rehearsing the show, another actor broke his foot.

Following the news about the musical being delayed yet again, there are a plethora of news reports are coming in about yet another accident, this time involving a major scene. It happened during the middle of second act when a cable was reported as to have  snapped. The as-yet unidentified actor fell into the pit in front of the stage, which is about twenty feet down. Reports from the scene claim audience members heard screaming, followed by a shout for someone to call 911. The show was eventually canceled.

BroadwayWorld spoke to an eyewitness about the accident. “The person taken away was the person playing Spider-Man at the time. He tried to get up and stagehands told him not to move.” The witness went on to saying, “I was in the audience and I’m an NY EMT. Although I am not involved with the care of the patient they didn’t use a back-board and collar so they don’t suspect spinal injury.”

The show’s producers were not immediately available for comment.

In case you missed the Golden Globes nomination announcements this morning, the film adaptation of RED, written by Warren Ellis and art by Cully Hamner, was nominated for Best Picture  in the Musical or Comedy category.

Blog@ spoke to Cully Hamner and wondered what was going through his mind this morning on the hearing of the news. “Well, how’s that to wake up to?  A surreal cap to a surreal year,” Hamner stated. ”My congrats to Summit, DC, and everyone from the producers, writers, director, and cast all the way down the line to the crew.  Well-deserved, guys.”

Okay, technically, it’s 11 days in so I apologize for my tardiness.  You might recall Neill Cameron’s Santa Sketch Fest for last year, and believe me, there were some pretty funny/disturbing stuff going on. Though yesterday’s post put my Christmas mood into overdrive.

Kirby Santa, requested by Chris Sims.

Mr. Cameron has been taking requests this year as he did last year, but to qualify for something like this you have to buy one of his comics (which you can do here). If your request goes up, you get the comic as well as the original art of your suggestion. Sounds like a win-win.

I think that there is no reason why a Kirby-esque Santa shouldn’t have his own limited series. You can follow Neill on his blog and watch the Santas march on.