Official Man Of Steel Logo Revealed

Warner Brothers officially unveiled the logo for Zach Snyder's Man Of Steel today.  The slick "S" shield will be seen for the next year as we gear up for the film's summer 2013 release.

Gingered Intensity! - Volume 2: What Is Marvel Up To?

Welcome to the Comicpalooza Blog's newest column, and welcome to our newest blogger, Andrew Williams.  What is Gingered Intensity about exactly?  Well comics mostly.....but it could also touch on films, industry news, or any other sort of madness that could come from the fiery head of Andrew.  


As many of you know, Marvel is gearing up for their next big event “Avengers vs. X-Men.” It’s been promised, almost on cue, as a game changing event that will reshape the Marvel Universe. It’s not exactly the first time we’ve heard something like that, but quite honestly, there is definitely something going on beneath the surface over at Marvel Comics.
     The big thing, and this is kind of different for an event, is that all five of Marvel ‘Architects’ are writing Avengers vs X-Men. For those unaware, the Architects are the group of Brian Bendis, known mostly for his Avengers work, but also for Moon Knight, Daredevil and others, Matt Fraction, the current writer of Thor, Defenders and Invincible Iron Man, Jason Aaron, former Wolverine and Punisher writer, and current Wolverine and the X-Men and Incredible Hulk, Jonathan Hickman, current writer of FF, Fantastic Four and The Ultimates, and lastly, Ed Brubaker, current writer of Captain America and Winter Soldier.
     The first installment is written by all of them, and then they will all trade off writing issues, while the art is handled by three of the industry heavyweights, John Romita Jr. on issues #1-5, with Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert handling later installments. It’s a different approach to the idea of the event comic, but it hopefully cuts down on the delays with the art and writing all being handled by different parties.
Anyway, as I’ve said, it seems something is going on underneath the surface, so please, allow me to explain.
     Brian Bendis, firstly, he’s been writing Avengers in some capacity since 2004, and he’s now at a point where he’s writing three different ongoing Avengers books. In a rather shocking announcement, Marvel has announced that Bendis will be stepping down from the Avengers franchise to move onto other things. With his Moon Knight ending, this leaves his only mainstream Marvel work as Ultimate Spiderman, so it definitely begs the question as to where he might be going. Rumors have suggested him jumping over to the X-Men Universe, but Bendis himself has brushed off these rumors and suggested that his post Avengers vs X-Men work is ‘so much bigger’ than that. Regardless, we’re seeing one of the longest Avengers writers step down, and we aren’t sure where he’s going.

Jason Aaron, at one point, he was writing PunisherMAX, Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and Wolverine and the X-Men. He’s recently wrapped up his PunisherMAX run, and is stepping down from Wolverine, leaving only Incredible Hulk and Wolverine and the X-Men as his ongoing Marvel gigs. This has led many to speculate that he may also be joining some new books in the post Avengers vs. X-Men world. With his Wolverine experience, could a jump to New Avengers, which prominently features Wolverine be in the cards? It’s possible.
     Jonathan Hickman, the current writer of Fantastic Four, FF, as well as the current writer of the Ultimates, plus a bevy of creator owned work as well. After Mark Millar left Fantastic Four, one couldeasily see that as a hard act to follow, but Hickman came in with a big picture and has done some amazing things with Marvel’s first family. However, all things must end, as Hickman has been announced as not only departing FF and Fantastic Four, but also slowly stepping off The Ultimates as well. This leaves his only ongoing Marvel work as…nothing. He’s literally stepping off every major Marvel book he writes, though he’s made it clear he’s not done at Marvel. So where does he go? He mentioned that he left The Ultimates because he got an offer he couldn’t pass up, could the mainstream Avengers be in his future? There are certainly enough Avengers books to go around. Though me personally? I think a Hickman Iron Man book would be pretty dang awesome.
Speaking of Iron Man, that brings us to Matt Fraction. He’s been the longtime writer of Iron Man and the Mighty Thor, working on Iron Man for several years, and Thor in some way shape or form for just about as long. He had a brief tenure writing Uncanny X-Men, before handing that series off to current Uncanny writer Keiron Gillen. Indications show that his Iron Man may be winding to a close, with the current storyline seems to be a culmination of everything he’s been writing so far. So he may still be handling Thor and Iron Man for the foreseeable future. With his Defenders just kicking off as well, Fraction may be set for the foreseeable future.
     Ed Brubaker, while he’s been a mainstay at Marvel, seems to be staying put for the time being. He’s been writing Captain America for a long time, and just launched the new Winter Soldier ongoing, and with his continual creator owned working as well, I don’t quite see Brubaker picking up anything new either.
     However, outside the Architects, there are a few others at Marvel who might be picking up some new things soon. Notably among them is the potential of Mark Waid. He’s been getting rave reviews for his Daredevil work, and he’s recently jumping on with a new Digital Only Nova series, but could a jump to another Marvel book be in his future? It’s possible I think, though as being a huge proponent of the digital market as he is, I think we’ll being seeing Mark Waid leading the charge in new, original, digital exclusive content. Also to note is the potential of Warren Ellis, he’s not been a writing doing too much in the mainstream Marvel Universe here lately, recently stepping in for six issue arc of Secret Avengers, but is another Marvel book in his future? Never say never as the old saying goes.
Marvel also has a lot of writers with serious potential to make an impact including Rick Remender and Keiron Gillen. Remender has been getting rave reviews for his Uncanny X-Force and his newly launched Secret Avengers, so is a jump to one of the bigger books in those franchises out of the question? I wouldn’t think so.
     So to recap, we’ve got three Avengers books, Fantastic Four, FF already confirmed as opening up, with rumor suggesting that Iron Man, as well as some of the X-Men books may be opening up as well. With Avengers vs. X-Men set to dominate the comics’ scene for the next six months, what could Marvel be planning afterwards?

     I honestly think we’re looking at a re-launch of sorts. No, we won’t be seeing a line wide reboot of the Marvel comics line akin to DC. However, I think what we’ll see if a creative launch of sorts. We’ll see several writers jump onto series they’ve never written before, all of them aimed at the idea of being afresh new jumping on point for readers. I honestly am looking forward to who might be jumping onto the Avengers books, and I’m honestly still holding out for a Jonathan Hickman Iron Man series. I think this relaunch will include the likes of the new Captain Marvel featuring Carol Danvers by Kelly Sue Deconnick, as well as some other titles spinning out of the events of Avengers vs. X-Men.

First One-Sheet For Total Recall

Yesterday we had the first footage from the film as we get ready for the trailer premiere this Sunday, now comes the first one-sheet.  Total Recall hits theaters this August.

Rise Of The Guardians Poster & Trailer

Rise Of The Guardians is the new animated film from Dreamworks Pictures which re-imagines Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, The Sandman, and Jack Frost as a group of super heroes fighting against Pitch The nightmare King who wishes to send the world into eternal darkness.  The film hits theaters this Fall!

Robocop to Be More "Human"

The new "reboot" of Robocop is currently in preproduction and it seems he will have a new look in the film.  According  to actor Joel Kinnaman, who is taking over the role of Robocop, he will be more human. "'RoboCop' is going to be a lot more human. The first movie is one of my favorite movies. I love it. Of course, Verhoeven has that very special tone, and it’s not going to have that tone. It’s a re-imagination of it. There’s a lot of stuff from the original. There are some details and throwbacks, but this version is a much better acting piece... it's not going to be jaw action. They’re still working on the suit and how it’s going to look, but the visor is going to be see-through. You’re going to see his eyes."  Robocop should be in theaters in 2013 with his eyes staring at you.

First Footage From Total Recall

The first trailer for the remake of Total Recall will make it's debut on television this Sunday night, but for now you can get a sneak peak at the trailer with this 30 second teaser.

Ninja Turtles

  For the last week or so the internet has been buzzed by the revelation that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be of "alien" origin in the new live action reboot.  Fans have been in an uproar over this and Bay, along with creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird have tried to get fans to calm down.  bay has said they are simply "expanding" the mythology and to hold judgement until we all see what they have in store.
     Director Jonathan Liebesman has also chimed in saying the following: "Look, it's so funny... if everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI cannisters where the ooze comes from... that is alien ooze. Now I'm not saying what Michael said is exactly what the movie is, because we're sitting in a room now figuring everything out. So we don't know, but we are like Michael said... we're expanding it, and the expansion will be true to the mythology. I promise you. Fans will love it... Whatever mythology we're building on or expanding is coming from that guy, Kevin Eastman's head, who created the Turtles in the first place. And so everything will tie in with the mythology; fans will be extremely excited with what we're coming up with. A lot of it is stuff he's wanted to do for a long time, but just hasn't had the opportunity because now we have the budget and things on this film to expand it in the right way. And so, I'm happy that everyone is extremely passionate, and they will not be disappointed. It's all coming from the best possible place for this franchise."
     Now today a new report suggest that the film will simply be called Ninja Turtles.  Let the fan cry out begin again.

Unused Akira Storyboards

These storyboards for Warner Brothers live action Akira have found their way online thanks to artist Sylvain Despretz.  These were done when the first director, Ruairi Robinson, was attached to the film.  Akira is now of course in production limbo at Warner Brothers with no idea if or even when, it will ever get made.

What's In Store For Season 3 & 4 Of The Walking Dead?

Glen Mazzara, the showrunner for The Walking Dead, held a conference call for media members and had a lot to say about the next two seasons of the show, including the mention of another fan favorite, Tyrese.   
     "Right now, I do see the prison storyline lasting through both Season 3 and 4. I do think that is a major storyline. I know we were on the farm, perhaps, longer than people wanted. There were reasons for that. What we want is for that prison to not feel claustrophobic. I think the farm played a little claustrophobic for some people. Now that the entire landscape has fallen victim to the zombie apocalypse, zombies are literally at the gates of this prison. That prison is a very small safe corner. There is a lot of danger around. It won't feel like we are bottled up, the way we were on the farm. I do think that prison is a significant storyline, but we are also interested in opening up this world. The Governor has the world of Woodbury. There are other factors out there, other groups. I do think that Rick's group is stumbling into a much larger world."

"There is a lot of great material from the comic book. This show would have to go on for twenty years to get to all of it. I think the Tyrese character is someone we are interested in introducing at some point. We still have Morgan and Dwayne, who are out there from the pilot. We are interested in them. There are new characters that will be original too the series. Not coming straight from the comic book. I think the first two seasons have served as a prologue. Now we are hitting the ground running. I see Season 3 resetting the show in terms of what I really hope to convey."  The Walking Dead returns to television in October!

First Poster For The Wolverine?

This poster found it's way online yesterday and claims to be from the offices of director James Mangold.  Is it the first poster for The Wolverine or a fake?  Either way, it's pretty bad ass.  The Wolverine is due in theaters in 2013.

The Walking Dead Video Game Trailer

We saw the teaser trailer the other day, now is the game trailer for The Walking Dead!

Michonne Cast In The Walking Dead

Last night's epic season finale of The Walking Dead featured a surprise cameo from a fan favorite from the comic book series, Michonne.  Actress Danai Gurira will be playing the role in season 3 of the show.  Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman also had this to say about Michonne to TV Line:  The introduction of Michonne was an incredible moment, but I’m curious: Why did you decide not to show her face? Was that just an issue of the role not having been cast yet?
     "We thought that it would be a little bit more mysterious. And, also, in the interest of keeping these things secret, the casting would’ve been announced right away. And because it is such a short scene, we didn’t cast an actress; we used a stand-in. And as far as her relationship with Andrea goes, she cut the head off of a zombie. She could easily stab Andrea next in the first minutes of Season 3, so who knows what that relationship will be like?"  The Walking Dead returns to television in October!  

Arrow Comes To The CW

Green Arrow will be making it's debut in a pilot  on the CW this fall title, Arrow. Here is our first look at the title character played by Stephen Amell.

Brand New Prometheus Trailer

The brand new trailer for Prometheus made it's debut over the weekend, and now....here it is

Vin Diesel Gives Us New Looks At Riddick

Vin Diesel continues to give fans a look into the production of Riddick by posting concept art, set pictures, and stills on his Facebook page.  This time he posts pictures of a creature from the film as well as actress Katee Sackhoff  who plays Dahl in the film..  Riddick is due in theaters later this year.

The Walking Dead Game Teaser Trailer

The full game play trailer for the episodic video game will be revealed on Monday, but for now IGN has this teaser trailer for The Walking Dead.

More The Walking Dead: The Game Videos

Japanese Avengers Trailer Contains Awesome New Footage

You wanna see the Hellicarrier....watch this....

Superman Vs. The Elite Trailer

DC Universe's next animated feature film is Superman Vs The Elite, and here is the first trailer for the film!

Get More: MTV Shows

Ninja Turtles Return To The Big Screen In 2013

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are returning to theaters in 2013 under the direction of Jonathan Liebesman.  The film will be a live action/CGI combo, so it's expected the turtles will be motion capture animation quite possibly.  The film is set for a Christmas Day release in 2013!

Avengers Character Posters

Marvel has released these new character posters for The Avengers, as we gear up for the May 4th release!

The Walking Dead Cast Talks About Last Night's Shocker

Last night's episode of The Walking Dead was a shocker as we prepare for the season finale this coming Sunday.  This video released by AMC features the cast of the show talking about last night's events!

First Look At The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger returns to theaters in 2013, and here is our first look at Armie Hammer as The Lone Ranger, and Johnny Depp as Tonto!

New Trailer For Men In Black 3

In a summer of Batman, The Avengers, and so much more, the Men In Black are also returning to theaters and here is the brand new trailer for Men In Black 3.

Gingered Intensity - Volume 1: The Watchmen

Welcome to the Comicpalooza Blog's newest column, and welcome to our newest blogger, Andrew Williams.  What is Gingered Intensity about exactly?  Well comics mostly.....but it could also touch on films, industry news, or any other sort of madness that could come from the fiery head of Andrew.  Stay tuned for what is sure to be a fun ride and give Andrew a great big welcome to the Comicpalooza Blog. - Mark

     One of the only constants in comics is change, and that’s never been more apparent than now. If you’ll allow me a moment to introduce myself, my name is Andrew Williams and I’ve been reading comics for over 10 years, and have actively following the business for at least half that. Through all of that I’ve seen creators come and go, endless events, endless reboots. When I started reading comics, Geoff Johns was that guy that had just taken over writing The Flash after Mark Waid left. Kurt Busiek was nearing the end of his epic Avengers run, and a mostly unknown guy named Mark Millar launched a book called Ultimate X-Men with the Kubert Brothers. Needless to say, these guys have all reached a point where they are considered mainstays of the comics industry, all in all about 10 years time.
     I have creators I love, creators I like, creators I don’t like, and creators I really don’t like, but comics are a medium that I love dearly and they’ve been with me over half my life. So I’m here to offer my particular spin on some of the goings on in the comic industry whether it is commentary on controversial announcements, new events, Comicpalooza news or something completely different. With that out of the way, I say welcome and hope you stick around.
     In this particular edition, I’m going to look at one of the biggest announcements to shock the industry in recent memory, the announcement of DC Comics ‘Before Watchmen’ event. While the idea of a Watchmen sequel or prequel is not exactly an unheard of idea, this announcement itself being rumored for some time, it’s one of those things that’s just been seen over the years as something you just didn’t do. Watchmen stands on a pedestal as one of the greatest accomplishments in the industry, and it’s seen by many as being untouchable.
     So that asks the question, why? If you look at it objectively, it’s not hard too hard to see that Watchmen and its characters do hold a whole untapped history. Watchmen itself holds specific information and history for each character, but there’s quite a bit of potential to fill in some of the gaps, and it seems that is the goal of the prequels.
     Another big point is that Watchmen is a story with a start and an end, does that information need to be filled in? And more so, should it be filled in? At this point, the argument tends to point back to the issues Alan Moore has had with DC regarding the rights to Watchmen. Alan Moore has made it quite clear that he doesn’t approve of the contract he signed with DC over Watchmen originally; he doesn’t approve of the prequels themselves, and doesn’t hold DC or Marvel in very high regard. My understanding of the original contract holds that the rights to Watchmen would revert to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons once Watchmen had fallen out of print for a year, and then…it never did. Its popularity kept it in print. Though again, my understanding is that this agreement was fairly common for the time, and that Watchmen’s popularity was unforeseen at the time.

     So it becomes a moral crossroads at this point, you’ve got the creator of the book staunchly against it, but the company that owns the characters see’s the potential for more stories, and let’s be honest more money, to come from the Watchmen Universe. Looking around the internet, it’s not hard to see that the reaction is fairly split. With a significant group of those people being at least mildly interested in the creative teams DC has assembled for these books. It’s somewhat of a who’s who of the comic book industry.
     Leading the charge, in a way, is the Rorschach book, which is being written by crime noir expert Brian Azzarello, and drawn by his frequent collaborator, Lee Bermejo. To this particular reader, this seems like a perfect combination. Having read their work together on the Luthor miniseries and the Joker graphic novel, I can’t think of a better team to tackle Rorschach, if it must happen.
Another big highlight for fans is Darwyn Cooke writing and drawing a Minute Men book. This to me is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, book in the whole launch. The Minute Men have their moments in the book, but of all the characters, they’re the ones that probably have the most room for storytelling, and after Justice League: New Frontier, I can’t think of a better man for the job than Mr. Cooke.
Azzarello returns again, this time writing a Comedian mini-series, featuring J.G. Jones on art. Given the nature of the Comedian, Azzarello again seems like a perfect man for the job. J.G. Jones is also no slouch when it comes to art having handled art chores on the Marvel Boy series with Grant Morrison, Wanted with Mark Millar, and parts of Final Crisis, again by Morrison, as well as his extensive cover work on Doc Savage. It’s actually his Doc Savage covers that make me think he matches this best, as he brought a nice pulpy sense to those covers that I think will translate well to a Comedian tale.
Darwyn Cooke returns again to write a Silk Spectre series, drawn by fan favorite Amanda Conner. This is one of the combinations I didn’t see coming, but it makes sense to me upon thinking about it. Darwyn writes strong female characters, and Amanda Conner, known for Powergirl and Supergirl work, draws females in a way that makes them look strong, sexy, but not belittled. I think this series has the most potential to surprise people.
     Stepping in next is J. Michael Stracynski, known for his Spiderman and Thor work, as well as his…interesting runs on Superman and Wonder Woman that saw him leave both books before their conclusion. Either way, his work on Thor and Rising Stars was superb, so his work on these series intrigues me. First up, he has a Nite Owl series, drawn by the father-son team of Andy and Joe Kubert, (Joe will be at Comicpalooza for anyone interested.) Andy and Joe have collaborated briefly in the past, working with Len Wein to handle the Golden Age issues of DC Universe: Legacies and I think the style they bring will fit this series very well. Andy brings his dynamic storytelling, and his father’s inks give  the book a nice retro feel.

     Next for JMS is the Dr. Manhattan series, drawn by longtime cover artist Adam Hughes. This was another surprise for me as I can’t really remember the last time Adam Hughes did any real interior work. JMS spoke in depth about the Dr. Manhattan series in an interview with Comic Book Resources, and it seems he has a definite plan for the character, but given his recent output…it has more than a few readers concerned about what he’ll be bringing to the table.
     Last up sees the original editor of Watchmen, and creator of such characters as Wolverine and Swamp Thing, Len Wein, step in to write two series himself. First up, in another big surprise, sees Wein write an Ozymandias series, with longtime Marvel artist Jae Lee providing the art. Lee has mostly been seen at Marvel, doing artwork on the numerous Dark Tower series, as well as some Inhumans and Fantastic Four work, so to see him over at DC is something I look forward to.
     Last up, running in every book will be a 2 page Crimson Corsair backup story, written again by Wein, and drawn by original series colorist John Higgins.
     Needless to say, DC has assembled some of the best people in the industry to work on these books. So while the money to be made is definitely a factor, DC has at least made the effort to get the best people possible working on these books.

     That said, these are still not without concern. A big issue with some of this talent becomes timeliness. J.G. Jones, Adam Hughes, and JMS are all known for delays in their work, so many are unsure of the ability with of the talent to deliver the product in the weekly format DC claims they will. Given that, I haven’t seen Adam Hughes, J.G. Jones or JMS working on much of anything for the last several months, so there’s no telling how long they’ve been working on these books, so I remain cautiously optimistic regarding their ability to deliver.
     Also, should the prequels be successful, will it stop there? Should the prequels prove to be a runaway success…could it go further from there? Would we be seeing Watchmen 2? While Watchmen will always be Watchmen, if the market sees endless Watchmen related products flood the market…will the impact of the original Watchmen be affected? In this reader’s opinion, Watchmen will always be Watchmen, and the quality of that book will never diminish. However, if the market sees endless Watchmen related materials come out, the uniqueness of Watchmen may be forgotten.
     At the end of the day, Before Watchmen isn’t an event that everyone will get behind. Some like the idea on its own merits, some were sold by the creative teams, and others believe Moore should own it, while others think Watchmen said all it needed to and prequels aren’t needed. Will it sell well? Almost assuredly. Is it necessary? Maybe not, but with the teams they’ve assembled…I can’t help but be a bit curious for what they might put together.