So early next year, when Smallville gets their second half of Season 9 under way, there’s the little matter of an episode written by Geoff Johns and featuring key members of the Justice Society (with the one-word title of “Society”). Well, the show’s producers, in their ultimate wisdom, decided that it was too good to confine to one episode, and it’s getting a second part entitled “Legends.”

And with this two-parter, the ever-reliable Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly reports that a veteran Justice LEAGUER will be in on the action: J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter! Self-professed comic book geek Phil Morris will be reprising his role as the Metropolis police detective for the first time this season.

So between Superman (Clark Kent), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) and Det. John Jones, and Hawkman (Carter Hall), Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson) and Stargirl (Courtney Whitmore), we’re looking at the first live-action crossover between the JLA and JSA!

Warner Home Video keeps putting all of DC Comics’ animated properties on DVD, and my shelving may need a expansive upgrade. Courtesy of TV Shows on DVD (THE BEST website devoted to, well, TV shows on DVD), WB made available a press release on their latest offering from Super Friends: Season 1, Volume 1.

You can read the press release for all the details of this January 5, 2010 release, but the main gist of this is that we finally got the “Wendy & Marvin Years,” the ones that first put Super Friends on the map. I believe they are also the only SF episodes narrated by the late great Ted Knight, a voice acting staple of DC Comics’ animated output in the 1960s. My only complaint at the moment is the DVD cover art. I never have a problem with the classic stock art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, but considering that every previous release did something a little more original, refurbishing art from the actual series, this seemed like an uncharacteristically lazy way to go. Plus I can get real nitpicky and point out that the Wonder Woman on this cover is sporting a costume that did not grace the pages of her own comic until almost 10 years later. Considering that this volume has the distinction of featuring Wendy Marvin & Wonder Dog (not to mention guest appearances by the Flash, Green Arrow and Plastic Man), it’s a shame they didn’t work with that into a more unique cover design.

but this time, to DVD.  Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is coming Spring of next year, and I could not be happier.

An original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne
McDuffie (Justice League) rooted in DC Comics’ popular canon of
“Crisis” stories.

Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern) is executive producer.
Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern) and Sam Liu
(Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) are co-directors.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” Lex Luthor arrives
from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save
his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters
with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What
ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that
threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by
Owlman, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

All-star voice cast led by Mark Harmon (NCIS) as Superman, James Woods
(Ghosts of Mississippi) as Owlman, Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law &
Order) as Lex Luthor, William Baldwin (Dirty Sexy Money) as Batman,
Gina Torres (Serenity, Firefly) as Super Woman and Bruce Davison
(X-Men) as the President.

Oh MY yes. The art style looks amazing and that Owlman is top-notch. The voice cast looks impressive as well and I can’t wait to see further additions to it later on.

Now only if we can get that “Judas Contract” up and running…

I declare this to be wonderful and optimistic news.

The Walt Disney Studios, in collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, and the upcoming The Hobbit), is launching a new production label called Disney Double Dare You (or DDY), to create new animated films for audiences of all ages.

Del Toro added, “As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition. To partner up with The Walt Disney Studios, with the support of Dick Cook and John Lasseter, is to belong to a storytelling partnership that I admire deeply. It is a true honor. I look forward to coming up with fresh and original stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the storyboards.”

Oh God, yes. Now, I think the name is a bit weird, but I think some great features are on the horizon with this deal.

EW announced that this season of Smallville will have a new guest star - Julian Sands (24, Warlock, Ocean’s 13) who will portraying a young Jor-El, Clark’s biological father. Now, we’ve never seen Jor-El, only heard his voice (Terrance Stamp of Superman II fame. Ironically plays Superman villain, General Zod).

He’ll appear sometime in November, but you don’t have to wait that long for the new season of Smallville to start. Smallville’s ninth season kicks off Friday, Sept. 25 at 8 pm.

Those attending the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con would serve themselves well to check out a party happening over that weekend. Fresh off a website overhaul, pop culture headmistress (and longtime Newsarama supporter) Whitney Matheson is hosting her Pop Candy Comic-Con Meetup. Held poolside at the Hilton San Diego Bayside (next to the convention center), most anything Ms. Matheson arranges promises to be a fun, sexy time.

Go to this link for details on this gathering Saturday, July 25th!

Mez-itz 6″ rotocast vinyl collectibles that are cool by design.

seriesOne of Mezco’s designer vinyl line presents Hellboy & Abe Sapian. These figures, based on the character designs from the film Hellboy 2:The Golden Army unleash the potential of the Mez-itz designer figures. Applying the essence of these dynamic heroes onto the canvas like Mezitz vinyl Mezco produces something exciting and original.

These two figures are exclusive to Toys R Us and ToysRus.com.
They can be purchased at

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3684540

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3684541

or at your local Toys R Us retail location.

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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SLG Publishing will provide a unique opportunity for those interested in breaking into comics with its latest Creator’s Studio series event on May 16 held at The SLG Art Boutiki and Gallery in San Jose. For only $15 admission, you get to attend a day long event chock full of industry tips and culminating with a live drawing demonstration by the artist of the Eisner Award nominated humor series Chumble Spuzz, Ethan Nicolle.

“The revival of the day-long event was a big success,” said SLG President and event organizer Dan Vado. “We had one guy come all the way from Oklahoma just for the seminar. I think we may have hit on something and the upcoming events can only get better.”

The tentative panels for Creator’s Studio IV include:

Preparing a Proposal - Taught from the SLG Publishing perspective, Dan Vado will go over what should and should not go into your written project proposal to a comics company. Also covered will be what to put into your portfolio and how to handle yourself when you are planning to show your work to editors at a convention.

Good Design/Bad Design - SLG Art Director Scott Saavedra goes over good and bad design choices and how they apply to comics and graphic novels.

In addition to being SLG’s Art Director, Scott is the creator of Comic Book Heaven, a book series that looked at comics from the Golden and Silver Age with an eye towards examining the goofier aspects of those books.

Conjuring a page - Artists in semi-residence Ethan Nicolle sits down at his drawing table and demonstrates his drawing and storytelling techniques. This is an interactive demonstration, questions are encouraged. Ethan will show how he breaks down a page and take a page of script and show and explain his thought process for creating a finished piece. Ethan is the Eisner Award nominated creator of Chumble Spuzz and is one of the funniest and most inventive creators to hit SLG Publishing in a long time.

The Creator’s Studio seminar is not a how-to-draw class, a certain amount of proficeincy on the part of attendees is assumed. While some attention will be paid to the basics of drawing, for the most part this session will be devoted to storytelling and design. Recommended age for this seminar is 16 or older.

Cost for the event is $15, tickets should be purchased in advance at www.slgcomic.com/workshops or at http://cstudio4.eventbrite.com

The SLG Gallery will be open late the night before the event as the site has become an official venue for Left Coast Live, a downtown San Jose music festival. More information for that event can be found at http://www.leftcoastlive.com. “Anyone coming a long distance for the event should make a point of stopping by, we will be letting Creator’s Studio attendees into the gallery free,” said Vado, ” we will have loads of live music going on until late that evening and the downtown itself should be pretty jumping.”

For more information about SLG Publishing or the Creator’s Studio series contact Dan Vado at dvado@slgpubs.com or call 408-971-8929

The Mothership reported today about the latest news regarding the official summer release date of Green Lantern: First Flight on blu-ray and DVD.

Yahoo! Movies now has the first trailer for the animated film, I think it bodes well for the 2010 live-action film.

UPDATE:

Our home base at Newsarama has since added the First Flight trailer.

It’s been years in the making, but Planetary #27 may make its triumphant return in 2009!

Wildstorm announced a new “creator-driven” series of books at the ComicsPRO conference in Memphis that will make their way into stores in 2009.

One of the questions discussed is the legacy of Grant Morrison, whose WildC.A.T.S. and Authority relaunches were left unfinished. Hank Kanalz of Wildstorm said that WildC.A.T.S. “will be completed as a graphic novel, and will be solicited when it’s complete.”

The Authority, meanwhile, will be completed by Keith Giffen and a number of different artists.

In addition, Kanalz announced several new series.

PS238’s Aaron Williams will team up with Fiona Staples to create North 40, which deals with a Midwestern town and its hidden book of nightmares; Red Herring, by Dave Tischman and Philip Bond, will be a series of miniseries logged as “Daily Show meets X-Files”; David Lapham will create Sparta, a magical story about a town built around a football team; and Jeff Mariotte will mastermind Garrison, an FBI procedural tracking down a serial killer.

[Via Nerdage in Memphis.]

Nikki Finke got two Iron Man 2 scoops today, reporting that two on again off again rumors have come true. Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johannson will both be playing Russians in the sequel to last year’s Robert Downey Jr saving flick.

After at first being low-balled by the studio to the tune of $250K, Rourke has signed on for the role of the Russian villain in the sequel after his agent David Unger got the quote up to a “significant” level…

Now I’m told that Emily Blunt won’t be in the sequel and Black Widow will now be played by Scarlett Johannson. (Interesting because Scarlett actually screen-tested for the role and didn’t get it.)

The exact “Russian villain” wasn’t specified, but was earlier rumored as Crimson Dynamo or Whiplash. Finke reports he is starting research on all things Russian during his convenient trip to the country promoting The Wrestler.

Rourke’s casting has since been confirmed by Variety, who stated he’ll be playing Whiplash, but with “elements” of Crimson Dynamo, implying some sort of combination of the characters. They also noted his presence and interaction with Downey Jr. during awards season may have been a factor.

So, now that it’s as official as it can be without a press release, what do you think? Did Marvel Studios make the right choices here? Can Johannson pull off being the Russian superspy?

As regular readers know, The Human Target, DC’s Assassin-stopping character, is headed (back) to TV. The lead for the Pilot episode was announced last month as Mark Valley playing Christopher Chance. Now, for the time being only via Twitter, Entertainment Weekly’s TV Gossip god Michael Aussielo has revealed two more names to throw into the fire:

EWAusielloFilesPilot scoop: Pushing Daisies scene-stealer Chi McBride has joined the cast of Fox’s Human Target pilot.

EWAusielloFilesMORE pilot scoop: Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) is also joining Fox’s Human Target pilot.

In addition to Pushing Daisies, which brought genre to a lot of people that normally wouldn’t touch it, McBride also voiced the Chief Elder in Ultimate Avengers 2. Haley, well, if you haven’t heard the name, you’ve been hiding in a hole. He’s currently in Theaters tomorrow as Rorschach in Watchmen, and is likely a huge coup for the Pilot. No word yet on who either will be playing, but we’ll keep an eye out for you.

The NYTimes has seen an increase in popularity of these little books with pictures that so many of us dedicate our money, time, and even lives to, and as such has launched the “New York Times Graphic Books Bestseller Lists.” The three lists cover Hardcover, Softcover, and Manga in separate categories, so we don’t have to see nothing but Naruto on top at all times. It’s a huge step of acceptance of our pasttime, and cheers to all the creators who are leading the way as all-new New York Times Best-selling Authors! They’re compiled by a combination of book stores, online retailers, and direct market reported sales. The debut Hardcover list features a pretty solid mix of mainstream and indy books::

1. Starman Omnibus, Vol. 2 by James Robinson and Tony Harris. (DC Comics, $49.99.) Jack Knight, the son of the 1940’s Starman, meets his disco era namesake and his father’s colleague, the golden age Sandman.

2. Eerie Archives, Vol. 1 by various. (Dark Horse, $49.95.) The gruesome magazine, following in the steps of its cousin Creepy, gets the hardcover collection treatment.

3. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. (DC Comics, $39.99, $75.) This epic tale from 1986 signaled a new maturity in comic books.

4. Batman: R.I.P. by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. (DC Comics, $24.99.) Thomas Wayne, the father of the caped crusader, is cast in a sinister light.

5. Walking Dead, Vol. 4 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. (Image Comics, $29.99.) The gripping story of the human survivors in a world overrun by zombies continues.

6. Beanworld, Book 1 by Larry Marder. (Dark Horse, $19.95.) The fantasy series, about a world of bean characters, gets the deluxe reprint treatment.

7. Mighty Avengers Assemble by Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho. (Marvel Comics, $34.99.) The first adventures of a new team of heroes gets an oversized collection.

8. Incredible Hercules: Love and War by Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry. (Marvel Comics, $19.99.) The demigod finds himself in Atlantis – just in time for a war.

9. Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. (DC Comics, $17.99.) This critically acclaimed story from 1988 offers a possible origin for the Joker.

10. Complete Terry and the Pirates: Volume 6 by Milton Caniff. (IDW Publishing, $49.99.) The final volume of the series collects strips from 1945 and 1946.

The debut Softcover and Manga lists are after the jump.

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Well, those who were worried about another casting shake-up in “Iron Man 2″ can breathe a sigh of relief. Variety reports that Samuel L. Jackson has negotiated his contract with Marvel Studios, and will remain Nick Fury in “Iron Man 2,” with the option of further (see: Avengers) movies built into the deal. Something else stuck out in their report:

Jackson’s deal is a long-term commitment to play Fury, the leader of the espionage unit the Shield. His deal contains an option to play the character in nine future Marvel superhero films, efforts that are expected to include “Captain America,” “Thor,” “The Avengers” and “The Shield” as well as potential sequels.

“The Shield” is likely meant to be a movie more simply titled “S.H.I.E.L.D.,” one can guess. Up until now, I certainly can’t recall seeing any other mention of a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie, so that’s an interesting tidbit. Nine movies is quite a few beyond those four mentioned as well. Anyone want to guess what else might be on tap for an eyepatched Sam Jackson?

The first big piece of news from NYCC that caught my eye was the announcement the Chris Claremont, the architect of the modern X-Men universe, would once again return to the franchise that is, in the eyes of some fans, synonymous with his name in X-Men: Forever.  The series, which will feature artwork by Claremont’s New Exiles partner, Tom Grummett, will take the seminal mutant team forward in an alternate continuity that uses X-Men #1, the point where Claremont initially ended his original run in 1991, as a starting point.

Claremont: Coming back to the X-Men is never difficult. Quite the contrary, it’s a true pleasure, like visiting old and dear friends. [X-Men] Forever allows me not just to pick up where I left off, but to show the reader the unexpected. Forever allows me to pick up where I left off with the freedom to take the series in whole new—and unfettered—directions. The characters here are totally up for grabs. All of the presumptions that we’ve gotten used to over time no longer apply; relationships that we’ve come to take for granted are suddenly cast in question.

Think about that a moment—say we’re used to a romantic relationship between a couple of characters. But suppose that applecart gets overturned, suppose one of the characters finds themselves attracted to someone new and unexpected, what then? Suppose we go down that road, where might it lead?

Reaction from the fans has been… well, let’s just say “mixed” and keep it civil. Chris Claremont’s best work is behind him, partly due to sweeping changes in the way comics are written since Claremonts heyday, and partly due to uninspired ideas in Claremont’s own scripts (what’s the over/under on how many issues until an X-Man goes on a mind-controlled rampage?).

But this book isn’t for the average comic book fan, or even most die-hard X-Men fans. X-Men: Forever is for the fans (like me) who grew up reading Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants and Excalibur; the fans who’ll buy any X-project with his name on it in the hopes that it will recapture even a spark of the old glory the X-Men once had under his direction. For us, the accusations that Claremont is washed-up are way off-base. His X-Treme X-Men run was good more often than not, and his previous returns to the main X-Men titles have been better than he’s been given credit for. X-Men: Forever is the kind of book that’s right in Claremont’s wheelhouse; he can cherry-pick the characters he wants to use and not have to worry about editorial mandates gumming up his plans. He could even go back and finish some of the ongoing storylines that were abruptly ended with his initial departure. Remember how Gambit was a shady, conniving rogue when Claremont first introduced him? Rumor has it that Claremont originally intended for Gambit to be a henchman in Mr. Sinister’s employ, acting as a double agent in the X-Men. Wouldn’t that be a lot more interesting take on the character than the emo, Rogue-loving pansy he became in other writers’ hands?

True, X-Men: Forever is going to cater to a specific fanbase, but if nothing else, it couldn’t possibly be any worse than a majority of X-Men stories we’ve seen in the past eighteen years, right?  (I’m looking at you, Draco and Onslaught.)

Got this press release e-mailed to me this afternoon.  The subject itself wasn’t a biggie for me, though I’m not sure how often Mark Millar makes his way to Chicago.  The event that Wizard Entertainment labels for themselves as struck me as different than what I’d gone to for the last ten years straight.

MARK MILLAR NAMED GUEST OF HONOR
AT CHICAGO COMIC-CON!

The Charismatic Writer Of Kick-Ass And Fantastic Four
Brings The Party To The Windy City

Congers, NY (February 4, 2009) – Veteran comic scribe Mark Millar is currently setting Hollywood on fire with properties like Wanted and Kick-Ass, and now the Scottish sensation will be meeting and greeting fans at Chicago Comic-Con. Known for his larger-than-life characters and action sequences that make Michael Bay movies look like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” fans are guaranteed a rip-roaring good time when they meet Millar at any one of his numerous panels and signings taking place all weekend long.

Millar proved to be the first blockbuster writer of the new millennium with his groundbreaking and high concept action stories in both Ultimate X-Men and The Authority. Millar raised the bar for himself even further with The Ultimates, a series that became the blueprint for how superhero comics are written in the 21st Century. Millar has left his mark on nearly every one of Marvel’s heavy-hitting characters in titles such as Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, Wolverine and, currently, Fantastic Four with Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch.

“We are thrilled to feature Mark as Guest of Honor for Chicago Comic-Con,” said Wizard Senior VP/Operations Joe Yanarella. “Wherever Mark goes, there’s sure to be a party and this show will be no different. Mark has some special surprises planned for the show that will definitely have fans excited.”

Millar’s creator-owned work has proven to be as explosive and popular as his many other projects. His mini-series with fellow Chicago Comic-Con attendee JG Jones, Wanted, became a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie and was one of the biggest blockbusters of the 2008 summer movie season. The adaptation of his current smash hit comic series, Kick-Ass, stars Nicholas Cage and is being unleashed on theaters later this year.

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Mark Millar. Be sure to go to www.wizardworld.com for updates about guests and programming and to save 15 percent off the price of tickets by ordering now. Chicago Comic-Con returns August 6-9, 2009 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

I know they’ve rebranded themselves over the years here in Chicago, but I can’t recall the last time Wizard referred to their local event as “Comic-Con.”
And not once in the press release do they say “Wizard World.”
A coincidence in light of the news this week from their competition?
I don’t know. Feedback is welcome.

This is gonna be a brief one, folks. The god of Thunder had some help from his comic book caretakers yesterday, as two high profile names descended upon Hollywood to meet with his new master. We already know that Kenneth Branagh has the Helm of Thor. Now, it seems, Joe Quesada and Brian Michael Bendis have joined the ranks of Asgard. Via Twitter (that wonderful, wonderful toy):

Joe Quesada: Okay, three words describe my day today “Branagh gets it!”

Bendis: @JoeQuesada hey are we allowed to talk about what we did today or is it hush hush?

Quesada: @BRIANMBENDIS We can’t go into detail but I think we can say that we met with Branagh about Thor

Bendis: @JoeQuesada so we can’t go into detail but maybe we can say that we met with Branagh about Thor

Quesada: (in response to a fan) I’ll tell you what’s sweet @rdhall Sweet is when he starts quoting continuity and past storylines. The man has immersed himself in Marvel

Quesada: Yes @BRIANMBENDIS we can hint at hour super secret Thor meeting with Branagh, but don’t give it away, just hint

So there you have it, folks. Bendis and Quesada are helping with the Thor movie. Branagh apparently is diving into it head first, hopefully in a similar way to how Jon Favreau famously handled himself with Iron Man. Outlook good for goldilocks.

Because there’s no such thing as a surprise anymore, Sony Online Entertainment’s “mystery guest” for NYCC has been revealed by early shipping copies of Wizard’s latest issue. The man in question is living legend Marv Wolfman. With a tiny story in his past called Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wolfman has a pretty intimate knowledge of most every character in the DCU. Geoff Johns did the original plotting, and Wolfman will be working from those plots to further flesh out the missions your created hero or villain can undertake alongside DC’s best and brightest good and bad guys. He joins Johns and artist extraordinaire Jim Lee, lending three very high profile comic book names to the ambitious PC and PS3 MMORPG. More details on Wolfman’s involvement will be revealed next week at the convention. Regardless, this game is looking better and better.

When reached for comment, the game’s PR representatives were currently unable to confirm or deny, as they didn’t expect the issue in question to be out this week at all.

Just to show how much I loved He-Man growing up, this is from memory:

I am Adam, Prince of Eternia and defender of the secrets of Castle Grayskull. This is Cringer, my Fearless Friend. Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my magic sword and said, “By The Power of Grayskull. I HAAAVEEEE THE POOOOWWWEEEEERRRRR!!!!”

So, the new live action He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has been in something of development hell for a few years. After all, how do you top Dolph Lundgren facing down Skeletor on Earth? I mean, it’s what every kid dreamt of!

Regardless, Joel Silver, Matt Reilly (Warner Bros), and Barry Waldo (Mattel) are bringing the most powerful man in the universe back to the silver screen. Now, John Stevenson has joined the forces of good as Director. His only directing credit to date is a co-direction of Kung Fu Panda, but he’s worked in the industry on the art side of things for over two decades. The script is by Justin Marks, who may sound familiar to geek culture fans; he wrote the soon to debut Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li and is also working on the Hack/Slash comic adaptation screenplay. The script will be another strange meld of the classic cartoon story and modern elements, with He-Man leading the forces of magic against Skeletor’s technological army. No word yet on when all this will come together, or if He-Man’s voice will echo no matter where he is, even if he’s in the middle of a field, but hopefully it’s faithful enough to evoke some great memories.

And just for fun:

[Via]