Marvel has released what I believe is the third trailer for Wolverine and the X-Men, the animated series set to debut Jan. 23 on Nicktoons.

It looks surprisingly good — good enough that those tired of seeing Wolverine everywhere may overlook his front-and-center role in the cartoon. Hey, how else are they to capitalize on that Wolverine movie?

You can watch the trailer after the break. Marvel’s website also offers a brief behind-the-scenes video with some of the voice cast.

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Marvel’s god of thunder is hitting the big screen and the TV set.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Animation is developing a 26-episode Thor series that will launch in fall 2010, a few months after the debut of the live-action film in theaters.

The trade paper reports the cartoon “will take place in various worlds — from mountainous landscapes to places of icy mists and fiery voids — and will include many of the comic’s supporting cast, including Balder the Brave, the Warriors Three and Thor’s evil adopted brother, Loki.”

Thor will join an animated Marvel roster that includes The Black Panther,  Wolverine and the X-Men, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Marvel Super Hero Squad and, in 2011, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Plot synopsis released for X-Men Origins: Magneto

The latest issue of Production Weekly includes a plot synopsis for David Goyer’s planned X-Men Origins: Magneto — one that includes an altered role for a certain bald telepath:

“The original X-Men film began with a prologue that showed the character as a child being led to a concentration camp by Nazis and that is the period in which the Magneto film will take place. This setup will allow a future villain to at least flirt with the designation of protagonist since the character will be seen almost exclusively in his formative years. The storyline will heavily involve Professor X, the wheelchair-using X-Men leader. That character was a soldier in the Allied force that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war and while they bond over the realization that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies.”

According to David Bentley of the Coventry Telegraph, an early draft of the script featured Charles Xavier as a staff member at an Israeli hospital, not as an Allied soldier.

It’s unclear when Magneto will begin production. In August, Goyer said he hadn’t decided whether to tackle this project or The Invisible Man next.

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The Daily Cross Hatch offers the first of a three-part interview with the Black Hole creator about that seminal book and also his contribution to the new animated film, Fear(s) of the Dark:

In its most elementary sense, sequential art can almost be seen as a storyboard for animation. It seems like a fairly logical step to make.

Well, it was funny—at this point, I feel secure about writing comics. I’ve been writing comics long enough. It’s not easy, but it’s a domain I understand and feel comfortable with. So, when I started out, I came up with a storyline and wrote that out and broke it down into storyboards. All of that felt comfortable and familiar. But the minute we moved onto the next step, I felt like I was in deep trouble, because there’s an absolutely different sense about how a story is told when it’s moving. This is a very different process, which I quickly found out. That’s what was interesting too, was that there was an understanding that myself and other artists involved hadn’t done animation before. We hadn’t directed before.

• Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch blog shares the Dr. Manhattan character banner from the Watchmen movie.

• In his weekly Q&A column on MySpace, Joe Quesada spends the entire column answering fan questions, as his regualr partner in crime, Jim McLauchlin, just had a new baby. Congrats to the McLauchlin family and their new son, Logan.

• Johanna Draper Carlson shares the process she went through in judging the Isotope Award For Excellence in Mini-Comics, and lists five other contenders she liked.

• SLG shares progress on the creation of their new retail store.

• This list of 50 facts about Barack Obama says the U.S.’s new president is a fan of Conan the Barbarian and Spider-Man.

• Early Star Wars storyboards. Via.

• 14 movies have been submitted for the Oscar’s best animated feature category, including Wall-E, Kung Fu Panda and the unreleased Bolt.

• Season premiere updates … Lost returns Jan. 21, and 24 returns Jan. 11.

Josh Brolin still isn’t sure about Jonah Hex

There was at least some truth to the rumor-mill report last month about Josh Brolin playing Jonah Hex in the upcoming Mark Neveldine-Brian Taylor adaptation.

Brolin, star of W. and No Country for Old Men, is mulling over the part but he hasn’t — in the words of the original story — “locked down the deal.” IESB says nothing has been signed, and Collider reports Brolin may end up working on a Tony Scott movie.

The Warner Bros. adaptation of the DC Comics Western anti-hero was announced in July 2007. In March, producer Andrew Lazar said he wants to film Jonah Hex in New Orleans, for a potential 2010 release.

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• Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons talks about catching Alan Moore’s typos, the miniseries’ colors, the movie adaptation, and audience reaction to seeing a naked Dr. Manhattan on the big screen: “He’s somebody who, by the force of his will, has reconstructed his body, so you’re not looking really at a naked man; you’re looking at a model of a naked man. I know that’s a rather fine distinction.” [Vulture]

• Cairo and Air writer G. Willow Wilson discusses those titles, superheroes, the Standard Attrition message board and group blog, and guerilla marketing. [Heavy Ink]

• The Dresden Files author Jim Butcher chats about bringing wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden to comics. [Sci Fi Wire]

• Best-selling author Stephenie Meyer rattles off some of the inspirations for her insanely popular Twilight vampire epic. Who would’ve guessed X-Men cartoons and and the Iron Man movie would be on the list alongside Jane Eyre and Anne of Green Gables? [EW.com]

• Ned Beauman celebrates Garth Ennis’ reinvention of Marvel’s Punisher. [Guardian]

• FEARnet profiles Devil’s Due Publishing, focusing on the company’s horror titles. [FEARnet]

Sure, you can dig out your DVDs of Great Pumpkin and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, but what if you’re jonesing for some Peanuts on the bus ride to work? Well, the Schulz family and Warner Bros. Motion Comics has anticipated the problem and produced 20 new three-to-four minute cartoons featuring Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang, and made specifically for the Web, cell phones and iPods. The Associated Press has the details:

The videos are all new, made with Flash animation and new voices. Even though it’s new technology, attention has been paid to maintaining the integrity of the strip and its beloved animation specials.

“You’re not trying to change it,” said Jeannie Schulz, widow of the Peanuts creator. “You’re trying to keep it the same and freshen it.”

For a limited time, you can download two episodes for free, but only at iTunes. Otherwise, individual episodes will be priced at 99 cents each, or you can buy the full season for $7.99.

NPR, meanwhile, has an interview with the late Charles Schulz’s son Craig, where he talks about how they found the voices for the new animated shorts and the strip’s legacy. He also talks about how he can see his childhood reflected in the strip, in the way that his father drew certain backgrounds and objects that mimiced their own home, a fact I found more fascinating than anything else in the interview.

Marvel Animation has canceled the planned Hulk: Gamma Corps television series, and will fold the work into the recently announced The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Marvel Animation Age reports the decision was made during Gamma Corps‘ pre-production because executives “saw the chance to tell bigger stories that reached far beyond Hulk’s universe.”

“It became apparent to us that the creative work that was being done to bring Hulk’s world and his villains to life was too good to relegate to his universe alone, and would be much better suited as part of an full-on Avengers scenario,” Marvel Animation’s Joshua Fine tells the fan site.

Hulk: Gamma Corps, which always was contingent on the performance of The Incredible Hulk movie, would have teamed the Green Goliath with other gamma-fueled characters, such as She-Hulk and Doc Samson.

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is scheduled to debut in 2011.

Cartoonist Roger Langridge shares some comic strips from Nickelodeon Magazine, featuring Spongebob Squarepants reimagined as several different comic strips, like Terry & the Pirates and Peanuts (above).

Via Drawn

The new Cartoon Network show Batman: The Brave and the Bold swaps the traditional noir tinge of such Batman cartoons like the original animated series and Batman Beyond (we’ll just forget about the recent “The Batman” OK?) in favor of a more sunny, pop art approach, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.

Not that I have anything against the previous series — I think they’re great fun — but I’ve really had my fill of uber-serious Batman. I was talking to a fellow blogger the other day who told me he feels like he never needs to read another Green Lantern comic again. I sorta feel the same way about gloomy Batman, the Dark Knight movie notwithstanding.

Which is a roundabout way of me saying that if you prefer your Batman grim and gritty, you’re probably not going to like this cartoon. If, however, you like fun, action-packed cartoons that avoid camp while still managing to not take themselves too seriously, you’ll enjoyBatman: The Brave and the Bold. (more…)

• The webcomic Bellen! by Box Brown has been dressing up as other webcomics for Halloween. The first week included homages to Pictures for Sad Children, Octopus Pie, Cat and Girl, Diesel Sweeties and American Elf (above).

• A Thomas Weisel Partners analyst upped Marvel’s rating to “overweight,” saying the company’s unexpectedly strong performances have been undervalued.

While Marvel’s stock is doing about as well as any other company’s stock right now, the analyst said the sell-off “discounts its strong movie performance this summer and an improved film distribution deal.” He also said that Marvel Chairman David Maisel has said there will be no disruptions to the company’s 2010 film slate as a result of the crisis in the credit markets.

• Colleen Doran provides a list of agents currently accepting graphic novel submissions.

• A Space Ghost episode is turned into a puppet show. Brilliant.

• Not comics: Rest in peace, Tony Hillerman.

• Hey, look: a free David Heatley comic strip. Via Bully.

• BuddyTV’s John Kubicek chats with Cassidy Freeman, who plays the female Lex Luthor replacement on Smallville.

Judging from response to Chris’ post last week on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, there’s a lot of interest in the new animated series, which debuts Nov. 14 on Cartoon Network. So, here’s a little more from the show: 11 character images of Aquaman, Batman, Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Plastic Man and Red Tornado, and character descriptions of the same.

The latter will put to rest any questions as to whether Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, or simply one of the former versions in the new costume:

El Paso, Texas native Jaime Reyes thought the closest he would ever get to Batman was the posters adorning his walls, but when a mysterious alien technology turned him into the hero Blue Beetle, the fanboy’s wildest dreams became a reality. Jaime can’t help but tackle every mission with wide-eyed wonder and brings a youthful buoyancy to even the toughest fights.

And Aquaman? “The barrel-chested King of Atlantis.” I’m not sure that anyone’s been described as “barrel-chested” since the heyday of Gentleman Jim Corbett.

Geekanerd rolls out its list of the “Top Ten Rogues Galleries in All of Geekdom” — TV cartoons and superhero comics, in any case — and, perhaps unsurprisingly, bestows the highest honors on Batman’s villains.

What may come as a surprise, however, is the blow delivered to Spider-Man’s foes. Blogger Degan swears this isn’t “just nerd-baiting”:

He’s one of the best and most unique superheroes in comics-so why doesn’t he have any unique villains? The Vulture, The Rhino, Dr. Octopus, The Lizard, The Scorpion, The Chameleon, (you see the pattern?) I get it… he’s a spider-does that mean he has to fight every member of the damned animal kingdom? Sure sure, there are others, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Mysterio, Sandman, Electro… but really are any of them that unique?

The tenure of new Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has been dealt its first political casualty: his comics-reading time.

The self-professed otaku, elected last month after the surprise resignation of Yasuo Fukuda, complained Sunday in a stump speech that, “It’s hard to read comic books as my time is now restricted.”

“This is already Sunday this week,” Aso told a crowd in Tokyo’s famed Akihabara district. “I’ve read Sunday and Magazine of the last week but haven’t got to Jump and Morning.” (He was referring to three major manga anthologies for boys, and one for men.)

It’s no coincidence that Aso chose the pop-culture paradise as the backdrop for his first street speech since taking office on Sept. 24. He used it as a platform from which to hail manga and anime as key exports.

“Japan’s subculture of animation has been overwhelmingly accepted in the world,” he said. “Japan’s culture is not only kabuki or no play. Comic books, our subculture power, have been widely read in not only Asia but Europe, the United States, Latin America.”

Marvel.com shares a trailer for the upcoming Hulk vs. animated DVD, featuring the Hulik smashing his way through Thor and the rest of Asgard:

The DVD comes out in Jan. 2009.

So we got a big package from Cartoon Network at work yesterday and waddya think was inside?

Yes, it was indeed the press kit for their newest show, Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Enclosed were not only an episode screener and CD of press materials but four snazzy notecards (envelopes included) to send to friends and relatives, no doubt as to ensure that they’re made aware of the show’s arrival as well.

Anyway, I thought I’d take the liberty of posting the card covers here for everyone to enjoy. Hit the link to see the other three.

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– The marketing juggernaut continues: Sam Thielman talks with Art Spiegelman about the latter’s new book, Breakdowns.

– The comic strip Rhymes With Orange has a new Web site.

– Chris Arrant profiles Faith Erin Hicks and her new comic The War at Ellsmere.

– Eddie Campbell guides you through Comic Book Morality 101.

– Todd Allen looks at some of the new Webcomic offerings from Shadowline, Liquid and Marvel, and smells trouble … for them.

– Chip Zdarsky shares his ideas for Marvel Comics and it’s totally NSFW (hat tip: Heidi).

– Brigid Alverson writes about plans for the upcoming Haruhi Suzumiya manga.

– Spurious has an interesting essay on Charles Crumb, Robert’s late, tragic older brother.

– Erin Finnegan looks at Tokyopop’s release of Otsuichi’s Goth novel and manga.

– Richard O’Connor blogs about working on an animated They Might Be Giants video with Kim Deitch.

Warner Bros. picks up film rights to second Nolent comic

Comic creator Alexis Nolent’s Headshot has been snatched up by Warner Bros. Headshot, or Du plomb dans la tête in French, is a graphic novel series that was published in France by Casterman and drawn by Colin Wilson.

As we mentioned back in March, Nolent’s Cyclopes is also being adapted into film by Warner Bros. Meanwhile, Nolent’s The Killer is being adapted at Paramount.

The Ticker

• The big Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game hits North American stores on Nov. 16 and European stores on Nov. 21, just in time for the holidays.

• If you live in Canada, you can watch for several of the upcoming Marvel Comics animated shows, like Iron Man, Avengers and Wolverine, on Teletoons next year. [Variety]

• An animated Hot Wheels show will rev its engines on the Cartoon Network next year. [Variety]

Rumor No. 1: No country for old gunslingers

First, a word of caution: If your name is Thomas Jane, you probably shouldn’t read this.

Now that that’s out of the way, Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere reports that Josh Brolin (W., No Country for Old Men) has signed on to star in Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s Jonah Hex film.

Wells follows that with a denial from Brolin’s representative; still, he insists he was told “the deal was locked down last night.” So, make of that what you will.

The Warner Bros. adaptation of the DC Comics Western anti-hero was announced in July 2007. In March, producer Andrew Lazar said he wants to film Jonah Hex in New Orleans, for a potential 2010 release.

Brolin has appeared in at least three Westerns: the TV series The Young Riders, the miniseries Into the West, and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men (a modern Western).

Rumor No. 2: With this ring …

He’s no David Boreanaz, but the latest rumor is that Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling is a Warner Bros. favorite to play Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern movie.

That’s the word from Latino Review, at any rate.

Gosling, 27 — the same age as Hal Jordan in the film — is probably best known for his roles in Fracture, Half Nelson, The Notebookand … TV’s Young Hercules.

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