Sure, there’s Hercules, and there’s Odin — goateed folks like Tony Stark and Oliver Queen just don’t make the cut — but otherwise, the number is pretty sparse. But Croatian illustrator Vanja Mrgan is looking to bridge that divide, with his site, Beards and Bellies.

You wouldn’t know it, but underneath that beard, Batman has another fist. (Or a Whirly-Bat.) It’s some pretty funny stuff. Go ahead and check out the rest of the images here.

According to Jock’s Twitter feed, apparently his drawings of the left-leaning superhero were co-opted by the Home of Green Arrow and Friends… a web site which supports the far-right British National Party, which a particular anti-immigration, anti-minority bent. (I thought the above image was appropriate — if Ollie found out about this, he probably wouldn’t leave that tree for a week.)

“i’ve emailed the site and i’ll be letting DC’s legal dept know,” Jock added on Twitter. “this is leaving a horrible taste in my mouth….”

I can imagine, whatever your politics, that Ollie probably wouldn’t be thrilled with his likeness going here either, with gems like, “wake up people or we are going to go the way of the Christians of Kosovo, the Red Indians, Incas, Australian aborigines and wind up as dead as a Dodo. The harsh fact of nature is this.  Land belongs to those who occupy and hold it, not give it away.” Ugh. We’ll keep you posted if anything changes.

IDW Publishing announced this week of the creation of their very own storefront app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, in conjunction with iVerse Media. iVerse has helped translate a lot of comics to the iPhone, including Atomic Robo, Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer, Neozoic, Proof, and, of course, IDW’s Star Trek: Countdown, which came out in conjunction with the hit J.J. Abrams film.

“We’ve spent the past several months building and refining these apps and creating a large catalog that includes both classic series and fresh stories,” Jeff Webber, IDW’s ePublishing Director, said in a statement. “IDW has one of the most diverse collections in comics, and it now fits in your pocket!”

The app, called IDW Comics, currently holds 10 free comics, with more than 200 comics available for purchase. The company says the site will be regularly updated with new releases. Currently, they have books up as recent as Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Music Box, which only came out about three weeks ago.

For me, IDW — the first company to have their own storefront app — has a fairly interesting idea. While larger cities with numerous comic shops have greater flexibility in terms of getting their comics out, those in smaller towns have their own sets of difficulties: understaffed shops, delayed availability of books, and sometimes an enormous distance between stores. With companies like iVerse and comiXology beginning to trickle books to iPhones — albeit at a decent delay — and digital download programs such as Longbox on the horizon, could simultaneous print and online distribution be the next big thing? Sound off, Rama readers!

Marvel announced today that Idris Elba (who will be in the upcoming Losers film) will be joining the cast of Thor as Heimdall. In the comics, Heimdall stands as the guardian of Asgard’s Rainbow Bridge.

With all the hubbub surrounding the recent casting of the Warriors Three, is there anyone else left to be cast? With Kenneth Branagh behind the wheel, I’m curious to see how this thing shakes out.

The film is due out in May 2011.

Well, for at least some of these genre offerings, Warner Bros. is offering a compromise with their DVD2Blu program — trade in your DVDs for their Blu-Ray counterparts for a discounted price.

Relevant titles for our crowd include A Clockwork Orange, Constantine, Dark City, A History of Violence, Golden Compass, Lost Boys, The Orphange, Pan’s Labyrinth, A Scanner Darkly, Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman Returns, The Shining, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

During that scene, Cyclone and Power Girl talk about how cool Power Girl’s costume is, and how, in fact, it is not at all sexist or unusual in anyway that there’s a big cleavage window in it…in fact, that’s the best part because of the way it unsettles criminals and blah blah blah. Inglis-Arkell then rattles off all the other explanations for Power Girl’s sexy costumes, and the sexy costumes of her female crime-fighting peers she’s read. None of which seem to include “Just because the person who designed it thought it was sexy, okay?”

Seriously, go read Inglis-Arkell’s post. Then come back and we’ll talk more, okay?

I can’t disagree with anything she said in her post; she’s dead-on right. If I had anything to add, it would be that the writer’s doing the justification of the costumes almost never have any real control over those costumes, and probably think they’re doing something valuable by finding a reason for explaining a costuming choice that sounds better than “Some guy 20-65 years ago though this was totally hot, and wondered if his editors would let him get away with it.” (That doesn’t make it any less irritating though, especially for a character like Power Girl, who is given explanation after explanation for her cleavage window. The first one of these speeches you read is never as annoying as the second, third or fifth).

Oh, and I should note it annoys me whenever a writer tries too hard to explain a goofy or silly element of a superhero comic, costuming or otherwise, in a way that writer thinks sounds more “realistic.”

For example, in this week’s Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns has a character mention that Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick where’s his totally boss soup-bowl hat because it reminds him of the helmet his father wore during World War I.

No, he wears it because he always wore it, and he started wearing it because it looked cool. (Oh, and the Roman god Mercury probably had something to do with that). Whether or not you think Power Girl’s costume looks cool or is sexy, the person who designed it certainly did, and the editors and artists responsible for dressing her since agreed and kept it. Some things about super-comics don’t need to be explained, and when a writer tries to explain them, they only draw attetnion to them and draw attention to the fact that the writer is struggling with their work.

Nothing knocks one out of a super-comic faster than the writer acknowleding that they’re not really fond of or don’t really get super-comics.

Well, Samurai Jack won’t disappoint — because he might be hitting the big screen in 2011.

Frederator has an interview up with series creator Genndy Tartakovsky, saying that he is teaming up with J.J. Abrams for a “2D/stereoscopic 3D production” of the legendary samurai. What’s more, IMBD has an announcement suggesting a 2011 release date! If that’s true, color me excited — Samurai Jack was an awesome show, probably with the best theme song on Cartoon Network. What do you think?

“New Moon” and all things Twilight is a much-debated subject. Already talked about here, here, and here, it opens the floodgate for debate on numerous things such as whether or not author Stephenie Meyer can form a simple sentence, to why her lead character, Bella, is a poor role model for young girls.

Or whether you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob.

Whatever the debate maybe, you can’t deny this spoof is possibly the funniest yet.

Keep ‘em coming, Itsjustsomerandomguy and gal!

The Twilight phenomenon is nothing new. It’s just the apotheosis of a sort of pop-cultural nosferatu makeover that has been chugging along since Anne Rice sent moody young romantics swooning with Interview With a Vampire way back in 1976. Purists may scoff at the melodrama and angst that have been infused into the sinister vampire archetype by authors like Stephenie Meyer or Laurell Hamilton, but nowadays, the real paroxysms of angst are coming from tormented horror fans who can’t stop moaning about the sparkling Nu-Vampire paradigm. Still, whining sourpuss fans should take heart. If you hunt hard enough, there are still plenty of counterpoints to the new moon that is rising, and even stories that integrate elements of the romanticized Nu-Nosferatu in a way even anti-Twilight curmudgeons can appreciate. Consider the following suggestions a sort of prescription for the current vampire epidemic going around, a treatment regime of literary inoculations and cinematic antidotes that can help you survive.

Horror of Dracula/Brides of Dracula: For immediate radical treatment of glampire infection, a back to back viewing of Hammer Film’s first 2 Dracula films can serve as a potent antidote to the Nu-Vampire Horror of Dracula’s Christopher Lee plays Count Dracula, the true O.G. of bloodsuckers, with no romance and only the barest hints of humanity. Lee’s vampire is all predator, a wolf in a very thin veneer of sheep’s clothing. Cunning and ferocious rather than oily and seductive, Lee’s magnetism is the allure of the viper as it hypnotizes its prey. Even the suavity Bela Lugosi exhibited in the role is absent in Lee’s articulation. When Lee’s Drac feeds, it is unequivocally an act of violation and when poor Lucy Homewood returns from the grave in the film, she’s not a bright-eyed Bella, but a soulless, bloodsucking baby-killer.

Battling the count in both outings is Peter Cushing’s Abraham Van Helsing. Cushing invigorates Van Helsing with a physicality and presence that makes the professor a true rarity: a horror protagonist actually worth rooting for. Horror of Dracula’s sequel, Brides of Dracula, is, ironically , bereft of Dracula himself, but Cushing returns with all his panache and dynamism intact. In Brides, he’s flushing out the seductive Baron Meinster, a vamp more in the charming-but-deadly Lugosi vein than Lee’s Dracula, but one whose sanguinary appetites still spell doom and death for any woman who catches his eye. Despite the absence of the titular Count, Brides is a full-blooded, invigorating old-school vampire rush, full of iconic scenes that sometimes surpass its predecessor. Taken in combination, the Horror/Brides regime is a powerful panacea to Pattinson.

ANNO DRACULA : Maybe you don’t need your system flushed of the nu-vampire, maybe you are looking for a gradual exposure to build up your tolerance. If so, Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula novels are the ideal elixir. Anno Dracula’s premise is sly to the point of gimmickry: Suppose Van Helsing and pals had botched their mission to eliminate Dracula in Stoker’s original novel? What would have happened to British history? Set in Victorian times, Anno Dracula depicts a late 19^th century England where Count Dracula has ingratiated himself to the queen, and embracing vampirism is the quickest route up the stiflingly class-conscious social ladder. At first blush, Anno Dracula seems to exhibit all the irksome nu-vampire clichés that hardliners rail against; There’s the oxymoronic conflict of “good” vampires vs. “bad’ vampires, vamp/human romances, and the now-cliché premise of Vampires gone mainstream, but author Kim Newman’s encyclopedic knowledge and deep love for classic horror keeps the proceedings from descending into mall-goth melodrama. Anno Dracula is actually a literary forerunner to mash-ups like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The alternate world Newman conjures integrates a whole universe of fictional Victorian characters, and vamnpires from history and myth. In Newman’s london H.G. Wells’ Dr. Moreau can rub elbows with Lefanu’s Carmilla Karnstein, and Jack the Ripper can be twisted into a vicious vampire murderer dubbed “The Silver Knife Killer”. As the excesses of the killer and anti-vampire sentiment rise, secret agents of the crown must struggle to solve the murders before London explodes into anarchy.

Anno Dracula’s first sequel, The Bloody Red Baron, fast forwards the premise to World War One. This time, Dracula has allied himself with the Kaiser and incited war with France and England. While human and bloodsucking bureaucrats alike are sending men to die on the front, Dracula and the Germans are developing a top secret squad of bizarrely hybridized, flying vampire monstrosities to wage war above the trenches. Bloody Red Baron arguably eclipses its predecessor in scope and erudition. Once again Vampire is pitted against Vampire, and a host of fictional characters, from Lovecraft’s Dr. Herbert West, to beloved British boys’ adventure character Airman Biggles, get mashed up in a fray of dogfights, vampire blimps and gritty wartime adventure. Heroes are just as likely to sport fangs as villains in the novel, but for every noble nosferatu, Newman provides a surpassingly nasty bloodsucker for balance, and the sad irony in the novels depiction of deathless immortals sending young, living men to die in faraway trenches is both poignant and horrifying.

The final Anno Dracula book, Judgment of Tears, is less effective, but still worth reading. Set in 1959, the premise seems to suffer with the temporal distance from its Victorian roots. Newman integrates characters from the films of Federico Fellini, the novels of Ian Fleming and even an oblique inclusion of everyone’s favorite Kryptonian in Judgment, but Newman’s tone, and the nature of the go-go pop-culture icons he has to work with means Judgment of Tears often veers dangerously close to camp. Briefer than its predecessors, Newman seems to be wearying of the Anno Dracula concept with Judgment, and the plot of the novel itself seems to be an exercise in acknowledging the impotence of the traditional vampire archetype in a garish new world of superspies and giallo film brutality.

As a halfway point between the unspeakably evil vampire of old, and the romanticized mystical outsiders of today, the Anno Dracula books are like a flu vaccine; a controlled exposure to nu-vampire that may get you acclimated enough to avoid sickness from prolonged exposure to the inhabitants of Forks, Washington.

Mr. Vampire: If you prefer eastern medicine, Mr. Vampire, a comedic martial arts-Horror hybrid from Hong Kong, is quite potent in alleviating the symptoms of New Moon fever. Unlike the previously mentioned Hammer films, Mr. Vampire takes an alternate course of therapy. Rather than re-infusing the vampire with menace and horror, Mr. Vampire works by rendering the whole vampire concept rather goofy. Produced by Sammo Hung and released at the height of the Golden Harvest/Jackie Chan slapstick martial arts craze, Mr. Vampire pits a typical kung Fu rascal and his pals against the titular bloodsucking monster. Wacky antics with voodoo dolls, sexy ghosts, and anti-vampire snorkels, of course, ensue.

A couple of facts will strike the viewer strongly while watching Mr. Vampire. The first is that chinese Vampires are a lot more complicated to deal with than occidental ones. Repelling a Chinese vampire is not a simple matter of whipping out a cross or hanging some tasty spices on the wall, it involves calligraphy, measuring string soaked with chicken’s blood, complicated prayers, and a whole slew of ceremonial Taoist folderol. The complicated nature of anti-vampire techniques does, however, make for some really intricate Kung-Fu choreography, and the integration of the supernatural into the already spastic mix of slapstick and Kung Fu becomes a recipe for some really memorable martial arts battles.

The second, and most important element of Mr. Vampire in regards to our anti-Cullen regime, is that the Chinese vampire is kind of goofy. In Chinese folklore, the idea of rigor mortis is factored into the vampire legend. Thusly, vampires, their joints stiffened by rigor mortis, move via a rigid, undeniably silly looking sort of bunny-hop. Beside the fact that it is just plain goofy looking, it’s also hard to buy into the threat of a monster who could be smoked in a one-hundred yard dash by a George Romero Zombie. Add in the fact that Mr. Vampire, like most hopping vampires, is garbed in the pom-pom hatted, shiny, silk, funerary finery of a traditional Chinese mandarin, and you get something infinitely more ludicrous than bela Lugosi in even his campiest, cape furling, hand-waving moment.

So, if you find yourself swooning under the influence of shimmering, nu-vampire dreaminess, just pop in this film and picture Robert Pattinson bouncing around in a shiny, purple Chinese mandarin outfit. I promise you’ll feel better.

The Golden: Perhaps inoculation and immunization is useless in light of the angst-pire epidemic. Maybe the only way to survive is to give in, to fully embrace the charms of the nu-nosferatu. Lucius Sheperd’s novel The Golden, is a story that takes the goth trappings of the vampire protagonist and the velvety black allure of vampire sensuality and runs with it all the way to its lushly rotten core. Set in 1861, The Golden follows the dark machinations at a gathering of vampire families called “the decanting”. Once every few centuries, generations of selective breeding by the vampire clans produces an individual dubbed ‘The Golden’, a human whose blood is so intoxicating to vampires, its drinking is a ceremonial occasioning that outshines the pomp of any mortal vintner’s most exclusive wine-tasting. As much an occasion for intrigue as a gustatorial delight, The Decanting is thrown into uproar when The Golden is found murdered the day before the ceremony. When the all-powerful Patriarch demands justice, It is up to newly-turned vampire and former Paris detective Michel Beheim to solve the crime.

Shepard’s cadre of silk-and-ruffle vampires are cut from the same black cloth as the creations of Anne Rice or Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. They’re sensual, darkly charismatic, and sybaritic to the extreme, but Shepherd balances out this evil glamour with an existential decadence that undercuts all of the sinister enchantment of the vampire life. As Beheim learns about the plot to murder The Golden, he learns just as much about the existentially empty future that awaits him as the years of his immoratlity pass. The Golden is full of silky trysts and dangerous seduction, but the intrigues and entanglements only exemplify the emptiness of the vampire life. The pas-de-deux and deceptions are not so much the machinery of true passions, but the deadly hunting dances of immortal carnivores with little more than their instinctual urges and the lust to satisfy them remaining to fill their endless lives. The vampire world is also as hierarchical as any pride of lions or pack of wolves. To be a vampire is also to be a servant to superiors without compassion, empathy or, oftentimes, perspective. Beheim’s life as an immortal is filled with as much humiliation and servility as pleasure and decadence. Freedom from death for a young vampire, really means enslavement to a stifling, inescapable social order.

The Golden has a locked-house mystery structure as its framework, but the house Beheim and the suspects are locked in is a surreal kingdom unto itself, a singular masterpiece of gothic grandeur and senselessness. Shepard describes castle Banat, the Home of the mysterious vampire Patriarch and the place of the decanting as, “…an immense skull of grayish balck stone to contain the bleak materials of (The Patriarch’s) personality”. It’s a place of mile-deep staircase, vaulted pits and stairways to nowhere, as much a place of the mind as a real stone and mortar structure. Shepherd’s evocation of the deadly mesmerism of the vampire is just as hypnotic, and he writes of the decadent rendezvous and savage vampiric acts of violence with the sickly sweetness of a Baudelaire poem. Reading The Golden is like biting into an over-ripe fruit with a poisoned center: Its’ sweet, bitter and deadly. The Golden is miles removed from the Twilight zone, but unequivocally a product of the influences that gave birth to the nu-vampire.

This is just a small pharmaceutical cocktail of the available remedies to glampire infection, alternate courses of treatment are available, and, as always, effectiveness may vary from patient to patient. In case none of these treatments are available, the powerful home remedy of repeated infusions of Bram Stoker’s original novel Dracula and copious amounts of Count Chocula cereal can also be effective. If symptoms last for more than 48 hours proceed directly to Hot Topic. You probably can not be saved.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, the BPRD, or the Stephenie Meyer fan club.

In 2004’s Green Lantern: Rebirth, Geoff Johns had some pretty difficult challenges to wrestle with. Not only did he need to bring the late and outdated Hal Jordan character back to life—no easy feat given the nature of his death and afterlife at the time—and convince readers there was any point to doing so at all, he also had to come up with a solution to the contentious Green Lantern fan issue of which of the many characters to have the name should be the Green Lantern, and what to do with the rest of ‘em.

I thought Johns’ “Everyone wins!” solution was rather elegant. He simply made all the possible contenders Green Lanterns, and DC found books for all of them to appear in, even if the main Green Lantern monthly could only star one of ‘em. It was a solution facilitated by the fact that the Green Lantern concept has so long included an army of Green Lantern characters all over outer space—if there were going to be at least 3600 Green Lanterns, surely there was room for four or five Earth men among them, right?

Johns’ current Rebirth series, in which he’s again working with artist Ethan Van Sciver, faces similar problems, although they’re magnified.

Once again Johns has to convince readers that a late and outdated character needs to be brought back to life, but Barry Allen had been dead far, far longer than Jordan, and his replacement Wally West “took” better than Jordan’s replacement Kyle Rayner.

And once again, he has to figure out what to do with the other possible contenders for the name, if Barry Allen were to come back. Unlike Green Lantern, The Flash doesn’t have a built-in army/team component to the concept though, so pluralizing The Flash won’t come quite as naturally, if that is what Johns is intending.

The Flash: Rebirth is only five-sixths over at this point, but it seems as if the final status of all the Flashes was revealed in this week’s issue (additionally, several big DC storylines, most notably Blackest Night, are set after the conclusion of Flash: Rebirth, and have thus offered pretty strong hints). Also, we got a look at what they may be wearing from now on.

So after the jump, a badly-scanned image of a two-page Van Sciver-drawn spread, and some thoughts about the characters on it…and the clothes they’re wearing. (And, um, “spoilers,” obviously).

I apologize for the poor quality…the scanner I use can’t accommodate a full two-page spread. Anyway, let’s go left-to-right.

Jesse Chambers/Jesse Quick/Liberty Belle II: Jesse Chambers is the daughter of Golden Age speedster Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, and spent most of the ‘90s going by the name “Jesse Quick” and wearing a variety of terrible costumes.

Perhaps the worst was the one she started wearing during the time she was on the Titans (during the volume of the series launched by Devin Grayson and Mark Buckingham in 1999). That was essentially a one-piece red bathing suit, with her right breast encircled by a stylized letter Q.

She got a new haircut and a nice new costume as part of the “One Year Later” relaunch of Justice Society of America, when she started wearing a version of her mom’s old costume and going by the name Liberty Belle (even though super-speed isn’t really a bell-like power, it still looks pretty cool).

Here she’s shown wearing what appears to be the sexy Halloween costume version of her dad’s old duds. The costume is made out of pure speed force, and was donned as part of Wally West’s plan to give the Flash family their second wind in their battle against their foe.

It is therefore possibly just a temporary costume, or maybe one that she’ll wear when doing Flash stuff with the Flashes, while sticking to her Liberty Belle name and costume in the JSA books.

If she is going to insist on wearing this costume, I hope she’ll at least alter the neckline a bit and get a jog bra or something at some point. That costume doesn’t look like a terribly comfortable one to run in.

Max Mercury: Even though the series isn’t called Max Mercury: Rebirth, he came back to life too, although I suppose it’s still possible that he may not stick around at the end of the series. His costume doesn’t seem to have changed at all.

Bart Allen/Kid Flash: Former Impulse-turned-Kid Flash-turned Flash-turned-Kid Flash again is still wearing his Kid Flash costume, and seems to still be the same age he was after returning to life in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds—a slightly older teenager than he was during his time as Impulse. I was sort of hoping he’d return as Impulse at some point, as Johns’ attempts to mature the character in Teen Titans and elsewhere seem to have rendered him unrecognizable as the character he originally was, but that no longer seems a possibility.

Barry Allen/The Flash: Barry’s costume remains his classic one, although it looks Van Sciver and colorist Brian Miller have made the lightning designs glow and stream like real lightning (as has been done throughout the series). There’s no improving on a classic.

Wally West/The Flash: What would become of Wally has been one of the more persistent questions I’ve had about Barry Allen’s return. Wally and Barry had the exact same codename, the exact same costume, and the exact same power set and level (Jay Garrick may have also always been known as “The Flash,” but he looked so different and did so little in the DC Universe that it didn’t seem so redundant).

Put another way, I wasn’t sure if the DC Universe was big enough for both Barry Allen and Wally West. Based on this issue, it seems like Wally isn’t going anywhere, but will also be sticking around and also still be going by “The Flash.”

Editor’s Note: As noted in the comments, the status of Wally West was announced at Long Beach Comic-Con. The new Flash series beginning in 2010 will feature a lead story starring Barry Allen, The Flash, and a co-feature starring Wally West, The Flash. After the initial announcement, Dan DiDio reiterated their commitment to both of these Flashes in his 10 Questions feature here on Newsarama.

To help keep the two non-Golden Age Flashes straight, Wally’s costume got a pretty radical redesign here. It essentially looks like the one he used to wear (opaque, white eyes, lightning bolts-belt pointing at his crotch instead of forming a ring around his waist, etc), but now it looks a shade or two darker.

That definitely solves the problem of the two Flashes looking too much alike, although it remains to be seen how they’ll both fit into DC’s publishing line. Will Barry get an eventual Flash ongoing, and Wally be appearing in a Justice League comic? Will there be a Wally “second feature” in the back of Barry’s Flash? Will Wally be stuck with appearing in Titans while Barry gets JLoA? Will Wally, Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke get a reality show?

Iris West/Impulse II: This was, for me at least, by far the biggest surprise of the issue. Impulse wasn’t exactly a character that seemed in need of a legacy, you know? How permanent this ends up being, and where DC will find a place for the new Impulse will remain to be seen obviously, but, in the meantime, Wally West’s daughter Iris absorbed some power from her twin brother and got fast enough to join the fight, and, when the heroes donned speed force-generated costumes, her sturned into Impulse’s old one, and she announced herself as the new Impulse.

That could prove interesting, particularly since Bart has been rapidly aged out of the childish character he had when he was going by the name (and starring in a title with the name).

Jay Garrick/The Flash: I totally cut him off when I was trying to get this on the scanner, but rest assured he’s wearing the exact same thing. Again, you can’t improve upon a classic, and he’s still rocking the best Flash costume of ‘em all.

Last month, we sat down with some of the icons of comics to discuss how they felt about how they were represented in Halloween costumes. This month, with Thanksgiving fast approaching, we thought that we’d risk humorless tweets and reach out to ask what our heroes find themselves thankful for this year. We begin with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers, as they gather at the Infinite Mansion. It turns out that after some tinkering with a leftover device of Kang’s, they were able to round-up Avengers past and present. We begin with Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Hank Pym, and the Hulk.

NRAMA: Thanks for agreeing to speak with us. Cap, Hulk . . . nice to see you again.

Captain America: You too, young man.

Hulk: Hi, Blog Guy.

Iron Man: Which one of you is asking the questions?

NRAMA: Excuse me?

Thor: Pardon friend Iron Man. The Armored Avenger hath been in his cups all morning.

Iron Man: That’s a lie! I started last night. Nothing says Thanksgiving like Wild Turkey!

Wasp: Oh boy.

NRAMA: Riiiight. How about we start with the basics: what does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Thor: In Asgard, we had not this Thanksgiving. But there was much feasting and wenching. The feasting reminds me much of Asgard, and happily. The Odinson doth regret the decided lack of wenching.

Hulk: Hulk not understand half of what Blondie says.

Iron Man: He likes food and [expletive deleted].

Wasp: Tony!

Hulk: When Shellhead says [expletive deleted], does he mean Tigra?

Wasp: Mooooving on . . . Thanksgiving to me means a time for friends, family and really outstanding sales on Friday.

Hank Pym: Consequently, to me, Thanksgiving means a marked increase in finance charges.

Iron Man: Those must seem like, I don’t know, a slap in the face?

Hank Pym: That’s not cool, Tony.

Wasp: What’s he talking about?

Iron Man: Wait a minute . . . Jan, what year is it?

Wasp: 1964. Why?

Captain America: Hank!

Hank Pym: You said I could use the time machine!

Hawkeye: Hey, I picked up Natasha. Bobbi’s finishing a pie. Did the party start yet?

Wasp: VILLIANS!!

Black Widow: Ow! Why the hell is she shooting at me?

Hank Pym: Jan! It’s okay! They’re good guys now!

Wasp: What do you mean “now”?

Captain America: Hank, go send her back.

Hank Pym: Oh, all right. Come on, Jan.

Hawkeye: Time machine, huh? Anyway. Hey, reporter guy. Got any questions for me?

NRAMA: Sure do. If the Secret Skrull Invasion didn’t start until years after Mockingbird died at the hands of Mephisto, and we’re supposed to think that the Mockingbird that died was a Skrull, then why was Mockingbird replaced by a Skrull in the first place?

Hawkeye: Guys, might have to wait on that pie. Later!

Black Widow: I’ll go, too. There might be gunplay.

NRAMA: I’ve really lost control here . . . uh, Iron Man? How about you? What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Iron Man: As a child, Thanksgiving probably meant what it means to every normal American boy. Sneaking bottles from the liquor cabinet while my emotionally unavailable father worked and my butler made me turkey sandwiches.

NRAMA: I’m not sure that’s the typical experience . . .

Iron Man: Yeah? Call Batman. Or Moon Knight!

Wasp: We’re back!

Captain America: Hank . . .

Hank Pym: Jan, what year is it?

Wasp: It’s November, 2003.

Hank Pym: Better?

Captain America: Fine.

NRAMA: All right, let’s shift gears. What’s everyone thankful for?

Thor: The Odinson is thankful for comrades, fine food, and victory in battle.

Hulk: Hulk thankful for flowers and puppies. Hulk also thankful that puny Banner miss party. More yams for Hulk.

NRAMA: So, Cap, how about you? What are you thankful for?

Iron Man: Proposition 8?

Captain America: That’s not funny! Or true! I believe in the rights of all Americans to be happy.

Wasp: Or miserable . . .

Captain America: As they can be. And so I’m thankful for freedom, democracy, and the foundation of our great country. Hank?

Hank Pym: I’m thankful to be Scientist Supreme.

Iron Man: (LOL)

Hank Pym: Stop laughing!

Thor: Verily, friend Iron Man. ‘Tis rude to mock yon friend . . . Reed Richards.

Iron Man, Thor, and Wasp: (LULZ)

Hank Pym: I am, too! Eternity told me!

Hulk: Hulk believe Hank.

Hank Pym: Oh, great. The only one on my side is the big green dope.

(The recording is fuzzy here, but our reporter on the scene verifies that Hulk backhanded Hank Pym into unconsciousness, making a noise that sounded vaguely like “BiiiiiiiiiiitchSLAPPPPP!!”)

Hulk: Hulk go watch football now.

Luke Cage: Holy crap! Did Hulk just knock out Hank?

Captain America: Hank called him a dope.

Luke Cage: Good work, “Scientist Supreme”.

(Much laughter)

NRAMA: Mr. Cage, what are you thankful for?

Luke Cage: Well, I’m thankful for my baby girl, Jess, and, oh hell, I guess Fist, too.

Iron Man: Do you like Thanksgiving?

Luke Cage: Sure I do.

Iron Man: Would you say that it’s a . . . Sweet Thanksgiving?

(The recording again gets fuzzy, interrupted as it is by a large clanging sound.)

Luke Cage: Damn. That s#!+ hurts your knuckles.

Thor: Mayhap Tony will sleep it off.

Spider-Man: Sorry I’m . . . damn! What happened?

NRAMA: The Hulk knocked out Hank Pym, and Luke Cage knocked out Iron Man.

Spider-Man: Hey, I remember you! You’re the guy that told me some bulls#!+ story about me and Mephisto.

Wasp: Oh boy.

Spider-Man: Yeah, he . . . dammit! Why is everybody looking down again?!?!

Wasp: Come on, Pete. Let’s get some food.

Spider-Man: Seriously, I wish they’d quit doing that.

Captain America: Sorry to wrap this up, but we have more guests arriving and need to get going.

NRAMA: I understand, Cap. Thanks again.

Thor: Would the erstwhile reporter like to stay for the feast?

Wasp: HEY! WHY THE HELL IS THERE A STATUE OF ME ON THE LAWN?!?!

NRAMA: You know what? I’ll try my chances at home.

Captain America: No problem, son. Keep ‘em flying.

NRAMA: Thanks, Cap.

If you like what you’ve read so far (c’mon, how can you not?) totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

(Click the image above for a larger version of the strip.)

WORLD OF HURT - The Thrill-Seekers - Episode 6: “Calling One In”

For the longest time, this was my favorite strip.  I even put it on the back of my business card, with re-worked dialogue.

Here we get to see one way in which Pastor cashes in the favors that are owed him.  Also, this is my first opportunity to really expand on the world in which Pastor operates.  I had the idea that Pastor may have a connection inside a Nation of Islam-esque organization.  Detoxing junkies was one of the community services the Nation Of Islam engaged in during the 1960s and 1970s.  (They may still do it.  I’m not sure.)  I wanted Pastor to come across as familiar with them by use of the traditional Islamic greeting, but his use of Brother Omar’s birth name suggests a certain casual dismissiveness, too.  If space had allowed, he was going to be a lot MORE harsh, because I wanted to include dialogue to the effect of “Keep him under wraps.  I don’t wanna find him on the corner sellin’ bean pies!”  See, now I’m really gonna get in trouble…

Incidentally, I completed this strip faster than any other, because I was heading to Houston to celebrate my brother’s birthday, and I was determined not to miss my deadline.

Remember, the latest episodes of WORLD OF HURT - The Internet’s #1 Blaxploitation Webcomic every Wednesday at www.worldofhurtonline.com.

- JEP

The answer is Unthinkable — and Mandalay has just picked it up.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that producers Peter Gruber and Cathy Schulman have picked up the property, written by Mark Sable and illustrated by Julian Totino Todesco. On BOOM!’s side of the fence, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby are also on board for the project.

This is not the first time that a BOOM! Studios property has been picked up by Hollywood: Universal has picked up Talent, Tag, and 2 Guns, while CBS snagged Station and David Entertainment has acquired North Wind. Still, this series was one of the highest-concept books of 2009, so Sable has definitely earned this great news. What say you, Rama readers?

There’s a new regular feature at Blog@, and it’s literally all about the fans. Fan Fandom will highlight particularly great-looking or well-written fan sites from across the span of comics (and one degree out, as we like to say). It’s a truth of this medium that it owes its lifeblood to the readers. After all, they’re the ones that turn out in droves for conventions, films, and even the comic shops. Fandom itself is nothing new, unless you’ve already forgotten the late, great Jerry Bails or Forrest J. Ackerman. However, as fansites have gotten more sophisticated and intricate over the last decade, it’s high time that we give some a little recognition.

The first candidate? Gotham Knights Online. GKO distinguishes itself in a number of ways. It’s visually appealing, it covers a variety of Batman-related material, and it has a podcast that’s landed guest appearances by the likes of Greg Rucka and Mike Marts. In addition to discussing and reviewing new issues of the comics, a premium is also placed on covering “Batman: The Brave and The Bold” and items like the forthcoming “Batman: Reborn” figures from DC Direct.

Bob Tilley, Cory Lewellen, and Gary Allegra have done a solid job in getting this one together. One of my favorite pieces has been an interview with the composers for “B:TB&TB”, complete with clips that complement the conversation. So hey, do some fellow fans a solid and drop by. And don’t be afraid to post some of your other favorite, let me emphasize this, FAN sites below; they may very well pop up in a future Fan Fandom.

THAT is how Hawkman is supposed to look. This piece, drawn by The Mighty’s Chris Samnee, is just freaking awesome. Get the right colorist on this guy, and a Samnee Hawkman might just sell gangbusters. What say you, Rama readers?

“Kenneth Branagh? A comic-book superhero movie? Are things really that tough? And not even an A-list Marvel hero—but Thor?”: Paid professional, film critic, author and apparent grown-up man Marshall Fine is shocked, shocked, shocked that talented directors and actors might make Hollywood superhero movies or voice cartoon animals. Marshall Fine hasn’t seen a single movie in the last ten years.

“It‘s a physics question…If she‘s falling, say, 100 metres, how fast is she going?”: Here’s a nice Chronicle Journal feature profiling comics fan and physics teacher James Kakalio, author of The Physics of Superheroes. The “she” doing the falling is, of course, Gwen Stacy, just a few seconds before physics murders her.

“I generally think in pretty visual terms when I’m writing…And so, this felt kind of natural in that way, and, of course, easier for me because I can, instead of really struggling over those descriptions, I can just say, here, you do this, you know?”: That’s prose writer-turned-graphic novel writer Kevin Baker on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, talking about Luna Park, his collaboration with artist Danijel Zezelj (and talking specifically about one of the benefits of the medium for someone used to doing all the describing himself). You can listen to it here (or just look at the pretty pictures) or read a transcript here.

Dammit. I shouldn’t have waited so long to write about Spandex: Martin Eden sent me a copy of his book about an all-gay superhero team to review, and I put it on my “to-review” stack and just haven’t gotten there yet. Now I’m missing the press roll-out! The Sun had a short piece on Spandex here, Digital Spy has another short piece here, and I suppose I should also mention that Rich Johnston has a piece over on his website, because if I don’t he’ll just show up in the comments section and let us all know anyway. You can learn more about the book here. (My three-word review of Spandex? Pretty good stuff.)

The biggest news a Moomin/Bjork fan could ever hope to hear: “Bjork Writes New Song for Freaky Finnish Childrens Movie” (Via The Beat)

“The Winter Men” is a patchwork quilt of observations and red herrings that takes the spy thriller to new heights of eccentric fun. It’s one of those stories that starts out about being one thing and ends up embracing everything. Meet Kris Kalenov, the main character in “The Winter Men,” he is your guide into the underworld and beyond. It’s a new world order since the collapse of the Soviet Union and Kalenov is no longer a star player in a Soviet secret weapons program. He has become a Moscow cop, usually full of vodka and, at the start of this tale, is keeled over drunk on a sidewalk covered in snow.

I did not discover “The Winter Men” when it was a comic book but, considering it’s production delays, including its switchover from Vertigo to Wildstorm, it’s understandable that it  somehow slipped by me. Luckily, I did not have to experience any long waits between issues and got to read this new collected trade in one sitting. This is a good read anytime and anywhere but I also see it as perfect inflight reading. Aren’t spy thrillers very popular in airport bookstores? I believe this to be so. It’s because you’re out of your element and open to adventure.

One big thing about “The Winter Men” is that it gets you way out of your element. It’s like “Goodfellas,” one of the best movies about gang life, all about wiseguys and getting whacked. “The Winter Men,” is all about Russia’s new Mafiya and its biznessmen and getting under the right roof. There’s also something akin to “Watchmen” going on in the background, a uber-man that was once the pride of Mother Russia, but it’s Kalenov and his rough and shady bunch, that will have you delight over this convoluted plot as you would in, say, an Elmore Leonard novel.

“The Winter Men” has a real attitude about it too. It promises the world, heroically keeps up with its ambition and, if it falters, shrugs like a good world-weary Russian. Kalenov, our drunk Moscow cop who once was so much more, would prefer to just live quietly and make do with his less than perfect marriage. But too much has happened in the past and it can’t be ignored. “We once filled the sky with heroes…but now they’ve fallen to earth…” That is an intriguing refrain that is looped throughout the book. Within the span of the first few pages: hints of the Soviet super-hero program, a woman is shot, a child is kidnapped and Kalenov is picked up from the snow and enlisted to solve the crime of the century, although he doesn’t know that yet.

All this reminds me of any number of very good television series that, from the narrative, the characters and the production value, are clearly a cut above. And these shows usually make big promises and it’s okay if they don’t deliver on all of them since it’s the world that the characters inhabit that’s most rewarding. I think of shows like, “Life on Mars,” at least the American version, or “Life” or “Dollhouse.” In fact, it’s interesting to consider if these shows would have done better in finding an audience if they were less about process and more about results but, then again, these shows are primarily about attitude. The promises they make, real or not, can be legitimate fuel for the story’s engine.

Another connection to “Watchmen,” I think, is the group of heroes that Kalenov originally belonged to. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, the line-up is recalled by Kalenov in a regular loop throughout the book: Drost, the soldier; Nikki, the gangster; Nina, the bodyguard; Kalenov, the poet; for a total of four, or five, if you include The Siberian. There’s even a sepia toned photograph of the gang in much happier times: Nikki has just told a joke and it has The Siberian in stitches. Along with the irony, it’s those details, the atmosphere and texture that this book thrives on.

There are a couple of scenes that come to mind. And, like everything else here, the writer and artist team of Brett Lewis and John Paul Leon tackle it with gusto. One has Kalenov and Nikki creating a disturbance in a McDonald’s so that they can unbolt from the floor a plastic table and chairs console to take home. The employee desperately tries to convince an irate Kalenov that the mayonnaise does adhere to city regulations with “well above the forty percent fat requirement.” Another good one has Nikki in the middle of a full-on turf war with other soft drink vendors. Informing the mayhem and murder are quotes from a self-help best-seller like, “Lose Control to the Maximum.”

Perhaps your reading of “The Winter Men” will find it keeping to all its promises and even holding the answer to the meaning to life. God knows, it is certainly within its reach. If you find fault, some blame, maybe a good bit of it, can go to the fact the series was cut from a promised eight issues down to six. There are parts to the story that do appear truncated. And the ending does seem to come all too quickly. However, the fact remains that this comic is really about the quirk and it’s all there for you to enjoy.

“The Winter Men” collected trade releases on November 25.

Hope you enjoyed this installment of Comics Grinder and I welcome you back for more. You can always check in too at the Comics Grinder site.

It’s almost that time of year again.

The Project Fanboy Award, or PFA, nominations have been announced..and…wait. You haven’t heard of Project Fanboy?

Understandable. It’s an up and coming award (next March at Megacon, it would be its third year), but is slowly making the rounds. As I recently moved to Florida from Atlanta, I’ve gotten to know the people behind the scenes and their passion for the industry rivals even my own. Newsarama actually won “Best Comic Book Website” at this past year’s ceremony, and I was there to pick up the award.

Recently, Blog@ sat down with Sebastian Piccione as he talked a bit about himself, the PFA’s, and his respect for the independent book scene.

Blog@: When did the PFA’s originate?

Sebastatian Piccione: About last year. They’re an idea that Scott Williams came up with and had the idea of giving something back and showing a little appreciation.

Blog@: What is your role exactly and how did you get started with this project?

SP: Ever-increasing [laughs]. It started when I answered an online ad for reviewing comics. Then, I managed to get an interview with Brandon Peterson. After that, I took more initiative and turns out, I had a higher impact on the site than originally planned.

Blog@: What got you into comics?

SP: My uncle and dad. I knew who the characters were form the cartoons, but never really read the comics. One time, I went to Coliseum Motor Inn at a random comic convention. Bought Amazing Spider-Man #65 and that’s basically where it started. That point on, it was primarily Spider-Man books, but my dad was trying to get me into DC, but never felt like there was a good jumping-on point. That was until I went to the comic shop one day and they were handing gold and blue pins that read “Go for the Gold…Booster Gold”. Within ten years of that moment, more than anything else I’ve read, it’s been DC.

Blog@: I see you have awards for independent books as well.

SP: We’re more of an indy focus, that’s why we have separate awards so they are represented equally.

And I have to admit, they do reasonably well. Broadsword Comics won numerous awards this past year. The coolest thing about the PFA’s is that it is voted on by the fans. No huge committee, or anything like that. Just you.

Interested? Just log on to their website (www.projectfanboy.com), register and vote on various categories from Best Writer, Best Artist, to Best Rookie Title and Best Story Arc. The nominees can be found here.

So, sound off, who should be some of the big winners this year?

I haven’t read Superman/Batman in a while, but then, they haven’t eschewed the World’s Finest team and instead used Bizarro and Man-Bat instead yet. They’ll give it a try in tomorrow’s Superman/Batman #66, in which the two characters will contend with Black Lantern Solomon Grundy. It’s going to be written and drawn by Scott Kolins, who recently completed a little-read Solomon Grundy miniseries. I hope it’s good. What else is there to hope for this week? Let’s find out below, after the jump!

Adventure Comics #4: Given how short writer Geoff Johns’ “run” is going to be on this title, crossing over into Blackest Night seems an odd choice, as does using Superboy-Prime one more time (after what looked like a fairly satisfying laying to rest of the character at the end of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds). Ah well, I think you get a plastic ring with this comic book, so people are gonna read the hell out of it regardless. Johns and Michael Shoemaker write and Jerry Ordaway and Francis Manapul draw the two features.

Amazing Spider-Man #612: Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta launch the next big Spider-Man story, “The Gauntlet,” which supposedly “redefines Spider-Man’s classic arch-enemies one by one starts with one of his deadliest—Electro! ” I could have sworn that’s Mark Millar’s arc on Marvel Knights: Spider-Man redefined Spider-Man’s classic arch-enemies one boy one, starting with Electro.

Black Lightning: Year One: This is an $18, 145-page trade paperback collection of the six-part miniseries by Jen Van Meter and Cully Hamner. I was quite surprised and impressed with the series, and thought Van Meter did an excellent job of updating the character’s origin in a way that brought him into the 21st century and took into account some of the more random retcons added over the years.

Casper the Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversarry Hardcover: Well this looks pretty cool. Dark Horse has put together Archer St. John’s 1949 first issue of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Harvey Comics’ 1952 debut of Casper. It’s $10 for 80 pages, and you can see a short preview of it here.

Dark Reign: The List—Amazing Spider-Man: Dan Slott and Adam Kubert present the very last Dark Reign: The List special, this one focusing on “Dark Reign” big bad Norman Osborn’s least-favorite superhero. The new story is paired with a re-print of the Pulse #5 as a back-up, to help justify that $4 price tag. It’s a better value that way, but I thought Pulse #5 would be one of those stories Marvel would rather have us forget, so that we can buy into the whole convicted killer, well-known crazy person and long-time supervillain of Norman Osborn being the person best-suited for America’s national super-security interests storyline.

Dr. Horrible One-Shot: Dark Horse continues to roll out their line of one-shots with one focusing on the Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer characters from musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. From the shorter pieces I’ve seen in anthologies, I don’t think the concept is quite as funny in comic format as live-action, but with Joelle Jones drawing writer Zack Whedon’s script, it’s at least going to look really good. You can see a short preview here.

Flash: Rebirth #5: In the comics, it’s always been a running gag that Barry “The Flash” Allen, the Fastest Man Alive, is always late. So is this issue shipping so late simply part of an elaborate in-joke between the publishers and readers? It’s still by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, and this issue features a pretty neat cover.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 6: Just a reminder: Naoki Urasawa’s reimagining of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy epic “The Greatest Robot on Earth” is really good comics. The sixth volume is 200-pages for $13. If you want your Tezuka unfiltered, this week also brings the eight volume of his Black Jack from Vertitcal. It’s 300 pages for $17.

Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents Vol. 1: Okay, maybe it means I’m an old fuddy duddy, but I don’t care—this is the release of the week for me. The Brave and the Bold Showcase volumes featuring all the Batman team-ups have been some of the most fun I’ve spent with comics in the last few years, so I can’t wait to see the similar Superman team-ups. For a mere $18, we get 510 black-and-white pages by the likes of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and  Murphy Anderson. This volume collects the first 26 issues of the series, which means you’ll see Supes palling around with The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Zatanna, Hawkman, The Atom, Dr. Fate, Mister Miracle, Batgirl, Black Lightning, Firestorm, Elongated Man, The Phantom Stranger, Deadman, Captain Comet,The Metal Men, Sgt. Rock, the Legion of Super-Heroes and, unless Vertigo forbids it somehow, Swamp Thing.

Thunderbolts #138: Jeff Parker takes over the title that used to be sort of special in that it was about villains pretending to be and/or actually being heroes. That’s sort of the the mega-story running through the entire Marvel Universe at the moment, however, so Thunderbolts isn’t as unique as it used to be. It will still be interesting to see what Parker can do with the franchise, given he usually writes more light-hearted characters and books. Mr. X, Paladin, Scourge and Ant-Man are among the characters he’ll be playing with here.

Transformers Ongoing #1: After the series of miniseries and one-shots approach, IDW is realdy to launch an ongoing Transformers series, this one set a few years after All Hail Megatron! and created by Mike Costa and Don Figueroa. It’s a $3.99 comic.

Victorian Undead #1: I like the idea of zombies who adhere to a very strict, Victorian code of behavior while marauding and eating brains, but this is actually a much more straightforward high concept—Sherlock Holmes vs. zombies. It’s a six-issue miniseries by Ian Edginton and Davide Fabbri

Walt Disney’s Christmas Classics: Boom has put together $25, 110-page, hardcover “best of” collection of nine classic Disney Christmas comics, including four by Carl Barks (the very first Uncle Scrooge story among them) and others by Don Gunn, Romano Scarpa, Jack Hannah, Al Taliaferro. You now all know what to get me for Christmas.

That’s right, some covers to Inglourious Basterds, Kirby-style. Over on CHUD, Martin Duhovic has claimed authorship for the images — no word yet if these covers are actually going to a real project. What do you think?

If you like what you’ve read so far (c’mon, how can you not?) totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

(Click the image above for a larger version of the strip.)

WORLD OF HURT - The Thrill-Seekers - Episode 5: “Confession Is Good For The Soul, Bad For The Jaw”

In this strip, I think I finally started to gain my footing.  It’s a poor artist who blames his tools, but it’s an even poorer artist who keeps using cheap tools.  I started using a real Red Sable Kolinsky #2 brush, instead of brushes with cheaper synthetic fibers, so I think the lines came out much smoother and more controlled.  I wasn’t super happy with the car, but I was pleased with the flame effects.  If I had the chance, I would re-draw that last panel.  Pastor’s nose drives me crazy in that one.

As far as the writing and art goes, early on I realized I had to trust the audience to make the closure with what is occurring.  As to the fate of Alicia Patterson, I believe what is implied is much more powerful than what is stated, or drawn, because I rely on the imagination, and dare I say, complicity of the reader to generate that closure of events.

Remember, the latest episodes of WORLD OF HURT - The Internet’s #1 Blaxploitation Webcomic every Wednesday at www.worldofhurtonline.com.

- JEP

These awards go to recognize and celebrate people who have “helped to open eyes and minds to the amazing comic and cartooning work by and/or about women.”

Want to know who won? Check it out, right here:

Kim Yale Award For Best New Talent: Kate Beaton for Hark, a Vagrant

Lulu of the Year: Danielle Corsetto for Girls with Slingshots

Woman of Distinction: Joanne Carter Siegel

Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work: Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale

Female Comic Creator’s Hall of Fame: Gail Simone

Best Female Character: Monica Villarreal, from Wapsi Square by Paul Taylor

Volunteer of The Year: Marion Vitus

For profiles of all the winners, you should give Friends of Lulu a look, by clicking here.

TV Guide has an image of Michael Shanks as Hawkman, from the upcoming Smallville episodes “Society” and “Legends,” due out in January.

The jury’s still out on how exactly the Winged Wonder will translate onto screen — especially since the classic DC costumes (with maybe Green Arrow and Cyborg as exceptions) have been mostly danced around for years — but I will say that Topless Robot has a pretty funny write-up of all this.

“When we first see him, he is a shell of his former self with [an air] of cynicism,” Shanks told TV Guide. “He wears a lot of grief and guilt and pain over what happened to his friends and the society as a whole and his failures in letting that happen.”

What do you think, Rama readers? You dig Hawkman’s duds?

If you consider yourself any kind of loyal fan of Aquaman, Rob Kelly is the most important person to know, next to Arthur Curry. And if you know what F.O.A.M. stands for, well, you’ve come to the right place. Rob is the host and caretaker of the Aquaman Shrine, the most endearingly exhaustive website devoted to the Sea King and founding father of the Justice League of America. Rob, like myself, hasn’t had a whole lot to look forward to on a monthly basis in terms of Aquaman material since his dubious passing in his own title (one I personally gave up on post-”Sub Diego” when the character arguably got the short shrift “One Year Later” following Infinite Crisis). And while Rob and I may not totally see eye to eye on the bigger story, I was personally enthused as to the use of Aquaman and his immediate supporting cast in Blackest Night#2.

My biggest hope is that someone on the creative side of DC has some exciting plans for the woefully underused Aquaman, and one thing that could help send a clear message to their editorial is an effort spearheaded by Mr. Kelly. As you may have seen this week in DC’s solicitations for February 2010, Brave and the Bold #32 will be starring none other than Aquaman and Etrigan the Demon!

Written by J. Michael Straczynski; Art and cover by Jesus Saiz
Terrors of the deep! A horrifying lost city has risen at the bottom of the ocean, and Aquaman must call on the supernatural might of Etrigan, the Demon to stand between humanity and the dark menace that lurks inside that forgotten realm! It’s an undersea chiller like no other!
32pg. Color $2.99 US; On Sale February 17, 2010

In the weeks and months between now and the release of this issue, Rob is going to give extensive coverage to this event, starting now as he’s already published an interview with series writer J. Michael Straczynski! If you or anyone you know supports Aquaman, now’s the time to be heard!

Fandral will be played by Stuart Townsend. The job of Hogun goes to Tadanobu Asano. And Volstagg will be portrayed Ray Stevenson.

Now read on, and everyone point and laugh at David. Go on, it’s okay this time. -The Management

UPDATE, 11:48PM: Variety has since taken down the link to the story — no word yet as to the reasons why. It could be incorrect, or it could be simply because it was posted prematurely. Until they repost the article, I’d take this all with a grain of salt. That said, this is Variety we’re talking about here, so if anyone’s to be believed at this point, it’s them.

11:24PM: Wow, that was some quick turnaround — while Chuck’s Zachary Levi was reported today to have backed out of playing Fandral the Dashing, Variety seems to have announced that Kenneth Branagh has found his Warriors Three!

According to Variety (from left to right), Stuart Townsend (from the Anne Rice film Queen of the Damned), Ray Stevenson (from Punisher: War Zone), and Tadanobu Asano (from Mongol) have been cast as the Warriors Three. The film is due out May 2011.

I could certainly see Townsend and Stevenson as Fandral the Dashing and Hogun the Grim, but that leaves me wondering where Asano would fit — he certainly isn’t as massive as Volstagg the Voluminous, but perhaps they’re toning down the humorous aspect of the character? That said, this could also be a slip on Variety’s part as well — this comic book continuity stuff is hard work! But what say you, Rama readers? You ready to ride into battle with the Warriors Three?

Entertainment Weekly has reported that Rachel McAdams — heavily rumored last week to be in the running for the role of the Black Cat in the upcoming Spider-Man 4 film — is most definitely not going to be stealing any scenes as the black-leather-clad cat thief anytime soon.

“That’s a total rumor, I have to say,” McAdams said to EW. “I was hanging out in Toronto the other day and someone came up to me and said, ‘I just heard you’re doing Spider-Man 4.‘ And I said, ‘Really? No one told me!’ It’s not true.”

With that rumor out of the way, the question remains — who would you want to see as the Black Cat? Sound off!