By now you may have seen the best image so far of the Superman costume in the final few episodes of Smallville. If not, here it is. The suit, and Lois gaining temporary superpowers, will be seen on the May 6 episode, titled Prophecy.
The official description for the finale to be aired on May 13 (in America at least) has also been released.
BE THERE AS SMALLVILLE WRAPS UP CLARK KENT’S TEN-YEAR JOURNEY IN AN EPIC TWO-HOUR SERIES FINALE – The story of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) culminates in this epic two-hour series finale as Clark takes the last step to becoming the Man of Steel. With surprise guest appearances, nods to the first few seasons of the series and Michael Rosenbaum’s return as Lex Luthor, this final episode wraps up a decade-long story following one’s man’s journey to becoming the world’s greatest superhero.
Yes, they are using the Superman Returns shield. I guess if Zack Snyder’s film was being released earlier than December next year, they’d use that instead.
DC’s The Source blog has their final artist spotlight post on Doug Mahnke. He’s been doing great work for years, particularly on Green Lantern.
Finally, Tomar-Re, voiced by Aussie Geoffrey Rush (Shine, Pirates of the Caribbean) gets his own spotlight poster for the June film, and a new TV spot has just been released with some new footage.
70 mins. We talk about Thor and bicker about the classic superhero epic Kingdom Come. Also The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: The Next Generation and hiding Easter eggs.
Kris saw the film in unnecessary 3D and was slightly underwhelmed by the god of thunder’s cinematic adventures. The action is loud, but the romance is well handled.
35:52 FEATURE REVIEW-KINGDOM COME
We pleasantly argue about this 1996 mini-series from DC Comics by Mark Waid and Alex Ross that features a retired Superman in the future returning to teach a careless younger generation of “heroes” a thing or two about justice. Dramatic art, biblical undertones and a massive cast of well known and new characters ensue.
Here’s some perty pics for you. Under the covers you’ll find the list of relevant upcoming issues for these variant covers. Man, the X-Men have had more costume changes over the years than…um, let’s say Cher. In order below are the covers showcasing Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, Wolverine, Angel, White Queen, Iceman, Havok, Storm, Magneto, Beast, Sabretooth and Hope.
Marvel Unveils X-MEN EVOLUTIONS Variant Covers
Just in time for X-Men: First To Last, the next big X-epic from Chris Yost, Paco Medina & Dalibor Talajic, Marvel is proud to unveil new X-Men Evolutions variants! Brought to you by some of the best artists in the industry, get ready for a unique look at your favorite mutants and their iconic costume designs from every era! No fan can miss out on these great covers spotlighting the rich history of the X-Men while X-Men: First To Last gives fans a chance to relive the exciting action of Xavier’s first class and experience the thrill of Cyclops’ current team!
DC’s blog, The Source has a couple of good, new posts spotlighting artists. One is on Moritat and his work on Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Some of his stories sound filled with flights of fancy, but what do I know? Maybe he really did line up at a Japanese temple to see a famed ink brush sensei, and maybe he really does meditate and then speed on his motorcycle to prepare himself. Sounds kinda cool actually. On a related note, go to Imprint Magazine’s post on Eisner’s (and those inspired by him) great masthead designs.
The other informative post is a chat with Teen Titans artists Nicola Scott (an Aussie! Yay!) and Doug Hazlewood.
The previous posters for this June releasing, ’60s set prequel focused solely on Professor X and Magneto. This is the first one showing the main cast and of course, I wasn’t the only person to notice that it’s either a respectful nod, or rip-off of the classic Astonishing X-Men panel from Joss Whedon and John Cassady’s run. It’s such a great pic and has been used a lot, even on the cover of the motion comic. Hopefully the film’s promo people are aware of this.
BOOM! sure do go after the big names; Disney, Planet of the Apes, Mark Waid, Stan Lee. Lee is of course the architect of the early Marvel Universe and helped birth Spider-Man, X-Men, et al, but the last few decades have seen him do not much writing and more overseeing. That’s kind of what he’s doing here, giving a few story ideas to modern scribes and letting them do their thing. I haven’t read may of the handful of Stan Lee’s …. line of new series, but this issue is geared as a jumping on point, so I thought I’d give it a go, and I’m glad I did.
Written by Chris Roberson (Cinderella; From Fabletown With Love, Superman) with art by Kary Randolp and Mateo Scalera it focuses on wannabe novelist Benjamin Warner. Stuck in a droll job he discovers that his dream girl Tara is actually a shape shifter form another planet and that the aliens coming to get him seem to be ripped from his imagination.
As this ish begins, Benjamin in a fancy space suit, Tara and a sceptical General Cur are inside Demon, living spaceship hurtling through space trying to come to grips with how, or if, Ben’s mind has created what he’s living, before getting attacked. On earth a few cool looking aliens, led by a dreadlocked female surmise that Tara’s group, Crimson Hand hid their advanced technology on earth before fleeing and Demon lands on mining planet to heal. While a disguised Tara haggles for supplies, Ben saves a woman and her child from an angry, whip wielding local and Ben learns that A. His hi-tech suit is full of surprises and B. For some reason he’s known on this world, and isn’t popular at all.
It’s not a perfect jumping on point as there is a fair lot of story to digest, but is an entertaining sci-fi story of the classic ordinary-man-in-extraordinary-circumstances approach. I’m curious to know more about Benjamin and just why his imagination is becoming real, and the place he plays in the universe. The art is amongst the best of these Stan Lee tales too, with a slightly sketchy yet expressive cartoony style that works with unfolding drama and Ben’s frequently overwhelmed expressions.
Also included is an action packed 8 page preview of Insurrection V3.6 #1 which looks like an interesting sci-fi tale too.
Peter Parker is about to die – in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe anyway, and there will now be someone else claiming the arachnid identity and he has new threads to prove it.
Marvel Reveals New Ultimate Spider-Man
Peter Parker No Longer Spider-Man After “Death of Spider-Man” Story
Marvel has announced that after the shocking events of Death of Spider-Man, the sold out storyline currently running through Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and Ultimate Comics Avengers Vs Ultimates, there will be a new Spider-Man and a new character under the mask. Something’s happened to Peter Parker and here comes an all-new Spider-Man…in an all-new costume!
“We called this story Death of Spider-Man for a reason,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor In Chief. “This is a huge story that’ll have fans around the world talking for a long time as we set the stage for the debut of our new Spider-Man.”
The Ultimate Universe is irrevocably changed with the conclusion to Death of Spider-Man in June’s polybagged Ultimate Spider-Man #160, but right now you can get in on the red-hot story that leads to the birth of an all-new Spider-Man, including new printings of the sold out issues: And to make sure you don’t miss a single chapter, pick up all the acclaimed issues below:
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #153 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC108349)
Kingdom Come is a 1996 4 issue mini-series published by DC. Written by Mark Waid with great art by Alex Ross (who hasn’t done much interior work since, just covers) it follows a possible future of the DC Universe. Superman is retired, Batman is broken and a cavalcade of new “heroes” and villains have taken their place, causing death and destruction whenever they fight. Seen through the eyes of preacher Norman McCay, with The Spectre as his guide, it is a love letter to DC’s characters with biblical imagery and questions about heroism. In short, I love it, and since we’re talking about it in this week’s Extra Sequential podcast, I thought I’d use it as an excuse to show a few pages from the hefty, oversized Absolute edition.
54 mins. Some DC reviews and a discussion about Rombies #1 and the new Peanuts OGN. Also Joss Whedon’s apparent foot fetish, Snoopy’s cousins and Mladen plays Kris’ former sidekick. It’ll make sense once you listen to the ep.
Green Lantern’s toes (yes, you read that correctly).
Batman Live World Arena Tour has a press day with costumes and video. And confetti.
Michael Shannon cast as General Zod.
Tokyopop closes.
14: 44 WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
Brightest Day #23. Swamp Thing returns to the DC Universe and a few characters get turned into elementals.
Fear Itself #7. The Red Skull’s daughter Sin picks up a Norse hammer and brings madness upon the earth!
Batman: Arkham City game.
Tron Legacy: Reconfigured soundtrack.
28:05 The return of Panel Plays (because we demanded it!)
30: 40 FEATURE REVIEWS
Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. A Peanuts OGN from BOOM! Studios. We both liked it and found it rather funny, with a consistent visual style. Peanuts purists and newbies will enjoy its charms.
Rombies #1, an awesome new series from Tom Taylor, Skye Ogden and Gestalt Publishing. Zombies in Old Testament times. A father’s love brings death. This promising start to the new series is a great looking and highly entertaining comic.
Text-free preview below of New Mutants’ landmark issue.
Your First Look At NEW MUTANTS #25
Marvel is pleased to present to your first look at New Mutants #25, from acclaimed writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and artist Leandro Fernandez! An all-new creative team, all-new starting point and all-new mission for the New Mutantsbegins in this extra-sized issue! Whatever happened to X-Man? Cyclops needs to know and he’s enlisted the New Mutants to locate and capture Nate Grey – by any means necessary! But after being manipulated at the hands of Norman Osborn, just what has become of the unstoppable X-Man…and how far will he go to stay unfound? The hunt for the Marvel Universe’s most powerful mutant begins this May, only in New Mutants #25!
The fact that this August-releasing prequel exists will surprise a lot of people. It stars James Franco, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and Andy Serkis, who applied similar techniques to Gollum and King Kong. It could be a good film, but the driving Inception-like score on this first trailer is annoying.
Planet of the Apes has a new BOOM! comic out, to be sure, but there hasn’t been a film out in the franchise since Tim Burton’s version in 2001. Is there a hunger to see another one? I’m unsure, but starting afresh with this modern day prequel is a good choice, with it’s moral dilemmas and intelligent apes.
I’ve been meaning to mention this for far too long, but never got around to it. It’d be a shame to never mention it as it does deserve some attention, so here goes. It’s a great audio drama called Spirit Blade that, although is the kind of future set tale in which the government controls everything, still offers something intriguing, with its refreshing spiritual tones and surprisingly, even a few songs. I must admit, I was rather taken aback when I first heard singing, as I wasn’t expecting it at all, but everything about this production is classy and professional. Now, I’ve never been a regular listener of audio dramas, but i did find this quite believable and entertaining.
I recently moved house, and before I did I used to listen to this on my hour long train rides each day. Since I’m now closer to work, I don’t listen to anything really as my journey is now made up of two much shorter train rides. That means it’s been a few weeks since I last listened to this, so I’ll let the team behind Spirit Blade explain it.
SPIRIT BLADE is a full-cast Audio Drama that uses cinematic sound design, a pulse pounding score, and dynamic acting and musical performances to unleash an action-packed experience for your ears and imagination!
In a future where the government mandates the spiritual beliefs of its citizens, only a few rebellious “Seekers of Truth” remain to free the world from deception.
On his quest for meaning, Merikk follows a path that leads him across our world, and into another. Against his will he is thrown into action alongside members of the Underground Liberation, standing face to face against forces human, alien and demonic. Science fiction and the supernatural collide in a genre-bending adventure! Open your mind and then brace for impact as you discover the power of the Spirit Blade!
Spirit Blade is designed to appeal to fans of science fiction, fantasy and big action films. It is a dark and edgy story with songs and a soundtrack that fans of industrial electronic music will enjoy.
The voice acting and sound effects are great and once Merikk has his eyes opened to the world he’s really living in, the pace and scale and intensity of the story ramps up considerably. For a long story, it’s always easy to follow and the creation of the world just by dialogue is convincing.
You can find heaps of freebies about this unique production here, such as previews and interviews, to see if it’s your cup of tea. Honestly, this is a great time for Christian produced art, with the likes of church driven Sherwood Pictures getting mainstream attention for films like Fireproof and the upcoming Courageous.
Spirt Blade is a 2 and a half hour audio drama and you can buy it in CD ($13) or Mp3 format ($10) right here, as well as other audio dramas, such as the sequel to Spirit Blade, Dark Ritual, which was produced more recently and seems more polished.
Could Warner Bros. have undone all the progress they made with those awesome 4 minutes of Green Lantern film footage shown at Wondercon? Quite possibly, and here’s how – 3 full body looks at Ryan Reynolds’ CGI costume. Will people ignore the fact that we can see his individual toes or will the lack of proper footwear be this millenium’s Bat nipples (as seen in Joel Schumacher’s late ’90s Batman films)?
The domino mask still looks wonky but I can understand why the film makers chose the approach of making the GL suit like a ring constructed body glove, rather than thousands of superhero costumes on different alien races, as it puts the film more in the sci-fi category rather than the superhero category, but it’s still not quite right.
On a positive note, Warner Bros. have chosen their new big screen General Zod wisely, as actor Michael Shannon (TV’s Boardwalk Empire) will portray the Kryptonian villain. From the few films I’ve seen him in, he exudes a confidence and creepiness rather well. The film is now officially called Man of Steel and will be released in December 2012.
Any excuse is a good one to show some Simone Bianchi art.
Marvel Announces Williams and Bianchi On FEAR ITSELF: UNCANNY X-FORCE
This July, red hot writer Rob Williams and superstar artist Simone Bianchi dispatch Marvel’s breakout mutant black-ops team right into the heart of the year’s biggest comics event in Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1 (of 3)! The end is nigh and a group of hate-mongering extremists know just who to blame – super humans! But as fear rains down upon the Marvel Universe, Uncanny X-Force will be the only thing that stands between this band of frenzied zealots and mass murder on a global scale.
“What exactly is a mutant super hero kill crew afraid of? That’s the question we had to ask,” said Williams. “A rogue cult of Purifiers believe that the actions of Fear Itself are the early stages of Armageddon and that they must kill many people as possible so their souls can ascend ‘before the devil knows they’re dead.’ You can’t question X-Force for wanting these crazies dead. But was it the actions of ‘heroes’ like X-Force that actually brought about the potential Armageddon of Fear Itself?”
Can X-Force cut down the Purifiers before they touch off a worldwide genocide? Or, with the God of Fear ascendant, will the team’s own trail of slaughter prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy? In their darkest hour, Wolverine, Deadpool, Psylocke and the rest of Marvel’s most cutthroat strike force will discover that nightmares really can come true, only in Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1 (of 3) – on sale this July!
comicbookjesus 