The Thanksgiving lull is definitely over this week, which sees the Kramers Ergot crew hitting the road, various shops promoting the new Punisher movie, and MUCH MUCH MORE, including rare appearances by Jeff Smith, Gene Colan and Todd McFarlane. Read on …

Monday, December 1

Hollywood, CA, 3 PM - 4 PM - Ray Stevenson at Golden Apple Comics

Actor Ray Stevenson, who portrays the gun-toting title character in the upcoming film PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, will be on hand at LA retailer Golden Apple to sign autographs and meet fans. There will be plenty of free promo goodies available, including tee-shirts for those who bring canned food for the LA Regional Food Bank.

Monday, December 1

New York, NY, 7 PM - Al Jaffee at Barnes & Noble

Cartoonist Al Jaffee, most famous as the artist of the MAD Magazine Fold-Ins, will appear at the 82 & Broadway Barnes and Nobel to promote the new collection of his syndicated TALL TALES strip, which ran from 1957 - 1963 and was the first, and last, vertical comic strip in newspaper history.

Tuesday, December 2

Montpelier, VT, 7 PM - Alison Bechdel at Bear Pond Books

Alison Bechdel (FUN HOME) will present a slide-show of her long-running comic strip DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR, and sign copies of the newest collection, THE ESSENTIAL DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR.

Wednesday through Sunday after the break…

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re like The Beat, the past three and a half days have been a foggy, confusing landscape of too much food, crowded sidewalks, and way too much Christmas music. Come shake out the cobwebs at KGB with Tom Hart’s annual comics reading:

Sunday after Thanksgiving! Annual post-Thanksgiving KGB COMIX READING
This year, Nov 30, 7 pm at KGB, 85 E 4th St, NYC, with
MATTHEW THURBER
SARAH GLIDDEN
DEAN HASPIEL & JONATHAN AMES
KEVIN COLDEN

Come digest that Tryptophan with comix!

Was Fukuyama right?

[Via James Urbaniak.]

Technorati Tags: puppy

Cherokee Book Shop on Hollywood Blvd., 1965.

Via the UCLA photo archives.

Two buying guides for the weekend and holidays:

• The Comics Reporter

• CBR News: CBR Holiday Gift Guide: Books

Us? We’re giving the gift of LAUGHTER this year!

A very happy Thanksgiving to all!

Google seems to have changed some of their search results, and — brutal honesty time here, folks — we discovered it via a little ego surfing. But it was worthwhile because we turned up this photo set by one Atomic99 which contains tons of photos from San Diegos going back to 1989, mostly costumes but a few personalities, like Stan Lee (since we’ve been on a Stan kick) from 1989.

We also found this one, from the 1993 Eisner Awards, and, shamefully, we actually had no prior memory of presenting the great Archie Goodwin with an Eisner Award while Will Eisner looked on. We did recall that once, back in the day, we were an Eisner presenter, but had no memory of where, when or who. To discover, via this photo, that it was to Archie, perhaps the greatest comic book editor of the modern era, and one of our own role models, is something to be quite thankful for. And it’s sad that we’re the only person living from that photo…but something else to be thankful for that we’re still here, and have such wonderful friends and family and work in an industry where people like Archie and Will are, even if rare, still accessible and so generous with their advice and wisdom.

We heard some rumblings in the vicinity of Blog@ Newsarama of late, and now it’s all busted loose, as the original lineup of bloggers, including JK Parkin, Kevin Melrose, Tim O’Shea, Carla Hoffman, Melissa Krause, Jeff Trexler, Matt Maxwell, and Jennifer de Guzman, are leaving at the end of the month:

It’s kind of bittersweet, then, to announce that those of us who currently write for the blog are leaving Newsarama. It’s no secret that the site has gone through tremendous growing pains over the last few months and has been moving in a new direction since being purchased by Imaginova. Behind the scenes, there’s been a lot of growing pains as well, and we’ve reached the point where we think it’s better for us to move on. Nov. 30 will be our last day, and starting Dec. 1 you’ll be seeing a new crew take over the site.

In a longer statement, Parkin explained some of the reasons for the exodus:

For the most part, the last two and a half years of working with Matt Brady and Michael Doran have been awesome. From the beginning, Michael and Matt were very supportive of everything we did on the blog, while at the same time being very hands off, giving me the freedom to choose who wrote for the blog, what we wrote, how it was designed, etc. And I’m really proud of what we did with the opportunity.

The Imaginova bought Newsarama. Things didn’t change right away, at least not much, but then came the relaunch of Newsarama. It was less than optimal (and that’s being kind), as anyone who has visited the sites and read the forums since last summer can see for themselves. Behind the scenes, things weren’t any better. For example, going back to the day of the relaunch, we were never asked about or even told about Imaginova redesigning the blog. I found out it was happening because I was in the middle of doing a post and received a 404 error when I tried to publish it. I run the damn blog, and they didn’t have the courtesy to give me a head’s up about what they were doing.

That was the start of the summer from hell.

Here’s another example.

Vinnie’s talking about a problem that should have been fixed months ago, when it was first brought to Imaginova’s attention. Our comments haven’t worked the way they are supposed to since the site relaunch. Even worse, I’ve emailed various folks at Imaginova about this issue many times since it started, and I have yet to receive a “we’re working on it” or “we’ll get to it” response. A lot of people have given up on commenting on the blog as a result.

There are more examples like this, but that probably gives you a flavor of what’s been going on. I get that when a site relaunches or goes through a redesign like this that things aren’t going to go perfectly. It’s the nature of the beast. But combine those lingering problems with bad communications, and it just makes everything worse.

Anyway, everything came to a head in September, when I decided to step down and the rest of the blog said they were going with me. The headaches, problems and lack of response from Imaginova just weren’t worth it anymore. But Matt talked us into staying, promising some changes in how things worked, how we interacted with Imaginova and our first pay raise since we started with the blog back in 2006. He offered a pretty decent pay system that turned this from a side hobby we were all probably spending too much time on into a legitimate freelance opportunity.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he came back in November and said those changes he’d promised were effectively null and void. So we decided to leave, effective Nov. 30.

I believe Matt is now looking for more folks to take over the blog. I sincerely wish them the best of luck, as we put a lot into the site over the last couple of years. I also thank Matt and Michael for the opportunity they gave us. Honestly, I thought we had worked everything out in September, and it sucks that things have ended the way they have.

We will be back. I can’t share any details on exactly where yet, as we’re still working that out. I’ll share more about that once things are finalized. But did I mention how kick ass the Blog@ team is? I can’t think of a better group of folks I’d want to work with. And despite everything that’s happened, for some reason they haven’t kicked me out of the group, so …

Blog@ originally started as The Great Curve, a group blog curated by Alex Segura Jr., and its absorption by Newsarama was part of a move towards blogging for larger media conglomerates. The Imaginova deal was announced last year, as part of Imaginova’s $15 million war chest for acquisitions, but apparently expansion plans fell afoul of the Grim Economy, as a quarter of the staff was laid off last month, and, according to a tipster at the previous link, CEO and President Dan Stone resigned.

What with cuts at Variety, and everywhere else, this is all part of the global retrenchment now taking place. We’re long overdue for a big business news roundup, but let’s be blunt, it’s all bad, so let’s just enjoy some turkey and meet back in a little while.

§ A raft of stories from the UK about how — get this — children love comics, in the wake of a study with hard numbers behind the surge. Sales are booming and growth is foreseen, says The Scotsman in a story called “Comic effect works its magic on children”:

Research by consumer analysts Mintel shows that the pre-teen market, catered to by classic comics like the Beano and the Dandy, has seen a surge over the past four years.

Experts predict sales of comics are set to increase by a further 21 per cent to reach £165 million by 2013 following the success of new titles launched on the back of TV programmes such as In the Night Garden.

Mintel senior analyst Mark Brecchin said: “It seems that the humble comic is standing the test of time and even today they provide an ideal treat for children. The market for this traditional favourite has gone from strength to strength due to a host of new launches, price rises and the fact that publishers now bring out more issues per title each month.

The Herald has more:

Sales of children’s comic books have rocketed, despite the lure of modern hobbies and pastimes.

The pre-teen market - which includes classic comics such as the Dandy and Beano - has experienced a surge of more than 70% in the past four years.

Comic sales have seen a massive 72% increase since 2003, and were worth £136m this year, thanks to new titles such as Dr Who Adventures.

Sales of women’s magazines increased by just 15% in the same period and teenage magazines declined by 61%, according to research by consumer analysts Mintel.

The UK England doesn’t have an overly robust native comics industry — especially given all the talents living there — but they do have a strong tradition of kids comics in general interest magazines, like the Beano and The Dandy, which present the kind of “national comics magazine” prevalent in Europe — especially Disney-themed magazines — but absent in the US. (Disney Adventures was a sort of attempt in this direction, and Nick magazine continues the tradition; however, comics are a small part of these magazines, compared to Beano.)

And why have comics might have surged over a five-year period? People quoted in the articles suggest it’s because of more licensed comics based on popular TV shows and so on. The Telegraph version of the story has even more info:

Dr Who Adventures magazine by the BBC rocketed from a standing start to top the chart as the most popular children’s title in 2007, with a circulation of 155,000, Mintel found. Comics based on American cartoon series The Simpsons have also proved very popular. Bucking the trend for television-based children’s magazines is The DFC, an old-school comic for eight to 12-year-olds which includes an illustrated version of Philip Pullman’s tallship tale The Adventures of John Blake.

The same piece mentions, however, that Beano has declined from a six-figure circ five years ago to a mere 64K today.

By the way, is it just us, or the does UK Dennis the Menace look a lot like Naruto?

Comics Comics has the details and how to purchase.

Rich Faber is a good guy — he and John Gallagher put together the MORE FUND books for CBLDF, and Drawing Strength, the Hurricane Katrina benefit book. I received a letter from him yesterday with the news that his wife Traci is battling Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. On his blog, he goes into the details and yes, he is trying to raise some money.

Here’s what I have in mind: I have a backlog of 15 years worth of comic book art that I’d like to make available to finance some of the expenses. In addition, while I do have work on my desk, I’m looking to take on a little extra commission work (illustration, comics, etc.), and even more ideally, new illustration projects for clients. Ongoing work would be especially cool, but I hear we might have a little problem with our economy right now, so I’ll understand if that’s not feasible at the moment.

You can email Rich at rich(underscore)faber(at)comcast(dot)net for more information on the T-shirts and artwork he’s selling. It’s a tough time for everyone, but if you’re interested in buying some things, take a look. And send some good thoughts.

A lot of good stuff, as usual, in this week’s PW Comics Week (which I co-edit) and sometimes we like to draw your attention to it:

Kai Ming Cha, Brigid Alverson and Calvin Reid take a look at the Broccoli Books shutdown and what the manga market in general looks like. Unsurprisingly, it’s a time of change:

” While some manga and comics publishers declined to comment for this story, others expressed a cautious optimism about the comics market, acknowledging that a tough economy is going make consumers as selective as retailers. Kuo-yu Liang, v-p, sales of Diamond Book Distribution, which distributes graphic novels and other pop culture material, says “B&N and Borders are putting pressure on mid-sized publishers. They are cutting back across the board, stocking less and returning more and considering the economy I can’t really say that that’s wrong.” But he said that retailer cutbacks are likely to affect manga publishers more than conventional comics publishers. “Other publishers can fall back on comics shops and internet sales,” says Liang, noting that these channels represent a smaller market for manga publishers. “Teen girls buy their shojo at the chains.”

Todd Allen runs some numbers on the Bendis/Kirkman debate and looks at what it takes to make it:

While Top Cow’s Fathom/Witchblade/Darkness are pushing the definition of a licensed comic these days, what Kirkman is probably trying to bring to Image, err, creator-owned comics are more projects teaming writers and artists with DC/Marvel exposure like Back to Brooklyn (Garth Ennis/Jimmy Palmiotti) and War Heroes (Mark Millar/Tony Harris). If you look at ex-DC/Marvel writers paired with artists without many Big Two credits you get Joe Casey on Godland, Joe Kelly on I Kill Giants, Todd DeZago on Perhapanauts, or Larry Hama on Spooks: Omega Team. That is to say, the street cred may be there, but the sales are so low as to make you wonder if anybody’s making money off those books. Especially when Image is charging a $2500 listing/production fee off the top, which would suggest a color comic doesn’t start to put a dime in the creator’s pockets until the sales start climbing to the 4-5K range.

Plus:Udon’s kids line, Ven Jensen on what’s up with horror comics, an interview with Dean Motter about MISTER X, and a preview of Theo Ellsworth’s very cool looking CAPACITY.

Over on his blog, Scott Edelman posted this picture of Stan Lee (left) from 1967. Pre-showbiz, it was a very different Stan.

§ Let’s face it, there’s a lot of bad news out there, a lot of S.A.D. is kicking in as the days get shorter, and it’s a hectic time of year. What better to brighten up your day than pictures via SAME HAT! SAME HAT! of UMEZZ FEST ‘08 featuring famed Japanese manga-ka Kazuo Umezo (DRIFTING CLASSROOM) and friends doing…bizarre things.

§ The Scotman shows national pride as a local writer has killed off Batman:

Scottish writer Grant Morrison has penned a dramatic new instalment of the Dark Knight’s adventures, called Batman RIP, in which fans will see “the end of Bruce Wayne” as Batman.

The storyline, which was due to reach its climax in the latest issue of the Batman comic, released today, is said to see Wayne so shaken by a secret from his past that a new Batman must be found.

§ Tony Millionaire talks about The Drinky Crow Show at CBR:

Is it satisfying, seeing your comic strip become a cartoon on TV?

It is because when I saw the first tests for the show, I really didn’t like it at all. But then I thought, I got to really make this look as much like the strip as possible. So we did a process where you take the CG models and then put the drawings on top of them. So that my drawing style, my actual drawing hand, is seen throughout the show. So you really see my drawings moving a lot.

§ Tpull examines the continuing fascination with World Leaders Who Read Comics and digs up some quotes from Ronald Reagan:

Wallace: You read the comics in the morning?

Mr. Reagan: Yeah.

Wallace: Spiderman is your favorite - then the sports pages, and then you get to the serious stuff. True?

Mr. Reagan: No, it’s really from the comics to the serious stuff without the sports pages in between. I haven’t got time for those anymore. But I’m also a voracious reader, and never without a book, and to me the worst type of Hades that I could think of would be to be in a hotel room someplace for overnight and not have a book to read.

§ The fact that cartoonist Abby Denson (TOUGH LOVE: HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL) has written a Spider-Man story pretty much shows that my work here is done. The art by Colleen Coover is also trendsetting.

§ Kristy Valenti looks at the drawings of director Jean Cocteau:

It seems to me a study of the pen-and-ink drawings and caricatures by the French artist Jean Cocteau (1889-1963), most easily available in the out-of-print but not-too-expensive used collections Dessins (Drawings) and Erotic Drawings by Jean Cocteau, could add something to the critical conversations surrounding cartooning as calligraphy (as per Ivan Brunetti and Lynda Barry), poetry and comics (as per critics Bill Randall and Gary Sullivan), cartooning and the continuous line (as evinced by the art of Saul Steinberg) and comics and queer studies (Cocteau was homosexual/bi).

§ A report on a talk by chronic self-deprecator Chris Ware and Seth:

Instead, the Chicago artist will try to convince you that he’s a “bad writer” who has had some “lucky breaks,” as he described himself to a theatre full of his admirers on Saturday afternoon.

Those fans — more than 100 of them — chuckled and shook their heads in disagreement as the self-effacing Ware called himself a “hideous-looking specimen” (he’s not) and called his writing style “antiseptic, constipated, dry and bland” (it’s not).

§ Over on his LJ, Brian Wood talks about whether there would be a change in tone in DMZ, now that GWB is o-u-t:

Iraq is very important to DMZ, not just how it connects to us as Americans, but how the struggling government there is, well, struggling. I’ve felt for some time now that DMZ has more in common with the Maliki government than it does with anything else, and I’ve been increasingly looking to that for inspiration for future storylines. I don’t expect that to change.

While getting more women to read superhero comics still seems like an uphill battle at times, this winter, comics are IN. We were wandering around a local H&M the other day and while the Commes des Garcon line was gone, baby, gone, we spotted a bunch of snappy-looking Catwoman T-shirts, of all things. Here’s a picture from Flickr of one.

Meanwhile, Batmania has struck Target with this
Batman Studded Tee. At $29.99, we will probably wait for the inevitable sale. (There’s a Wonder Woman T as well, but it’s just a logo and not, frankly, as cool.)

What with the Diane von Furstenberg DC fashion line that also hit this fall, it’s clear that the DC/Warners licensing dept. has been very busy.

Amazingly, we forgot to tell you about the premiere of The Drinky Crow Show, based on Tony Millionaire’s brilliant Maakies comic strip, on Sunday night as part of the Adult Swim ‘toon block. In these gloomy times, everyone will be needing a drinking buddy, and bibulous Drinky could be just the figurehead we need. You can watch the entire premiere episode online, or watch a bit of it above, as Drinky and Gabby diiscover the joys and dangers of “beer goggles.”

We should note that while The Drinky Crow Show includes the Adult Swim required scenes of vomit and eyeball injury, it also includes a storyline and humor, so it gets a big thumbs up from Stately Beat Manor.

Acclaimed French cartoonist Joann Sfar (The Rabbi’s Cat, The Professor’s Daughter, Little Vampire) is set to write and direct a biopic about French singer Serge Gainsbourg, Variety reports:

Eric Elmosnino has been tapped to play the chanteur who was as famous for his glamorous lovers, including Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin, as he was for penning such hits as “Je t’aime … moi non plus.” French model Laetitia Casta will play Bardot, with Mylene Jampanoi set to play Gainsbourg’s last paramour, Bambou, and Anna Mouglalis tapped to play French singer Juliette Greco, who collaborated with Gainsbourg for many years.

It’s Universal’s first film to be made in French, and studio execs praised Sfar as the reason. “Joann Sfar’s cutting-edge creativity and unique take on the character of Serge Gainsbourg is what really drew us to this project.”

Two separate stories shed some light on the psychology of two of the all-time greatest cartoonists, George Herriman and Georges “Hergé” Remi.
First, the blog Don’t Touch My Comics looks at Herriman’s mixed-race heritage and how it may have influenced Krazy Kat:

One gag, which ran during both the black and white and color eras, has Krazy going to a beauty shop and having his black fur died white. Ignatz (who usually hates Krazy and seeks to bean with him a brick, recall) is instantly smitten by the vision of the White Kat that emerges from the salon. It is only when he finds out the White Kat’s true identity that Ignatz reaches for his trusty brick. This is revealing. It suggests that Ignatz does not hate Krazy because he is a cat, but because he is a black cat. Similarly, Herriman employed a gag (again, in both the color and black and white periods of the strip) in which Ignatz falls into a stove-pipe and is turned black by the coal dust. When he throws his customary brick, Krazy is incensed. ”A lil Eetiopium Mice, black like a month from midnights. Fuwi!” Krazy declares when he sees Ignatz in blackface. Again, Krazy only loves Ignatz when he is white.

Next, recently auctioned letters by Hergé continue the narrative of his antipathy towards his greatest character, as well as shedding light on his romantic life and more.

“There is a complete divorce between what I think and what I invent and draw,” he writes afterwards.

“And right now, my work makes me sick,” he tells his wife. “Tintin is no longer me. And I must make a terrible effort to invent (him)… If Tintin continues to live, it is through a sort of artificial respiration that I must constantly keep up and which is exhausting me.”

Too much talent #1: Joel Meadows catches Posy Simmonds and Art Spiegelman in the same place in this photo post. Guest appearance by Matt Groening.

Too much talent #2: Workinpana’s photo set from last week’s Graphic Novels from Europe@SVA. Above, a ghostly Max, David Mazzucchelli & David B.

In recovery from yesterday’s cable outage, so here’s everything we were going to post all mashed up together:

§ Tom McLean’s blog Bags and Boards — which was one of the very first major media outlet blogs about comics, if we’re not mistaken — has been dropped by Variety, but he’s popped right up again.

§ Geoff Boucher continues his visit with Dan DiDio, this time taking a dip with Aquaman:

There have been so many twists and turns. It’s left the character confused; we try to build a strong foundation for the characters and Aquaman does not have that right now. We have to get him back to a core conceit so we can build him back up again. We need to build on what is recognizable and draw people back in. And everybody wants to try to take on the character. I have a running joke: In all my dinners with the talent at conventions, I get three or four writers who will lean into me and say, ‘I know how to fix Aquaman.’ Everybody says that. It’s become a cause célèbre. It’s a running joke but, really, it’s not a joke because I know people do love the character. We’re going to be very cautious from this point forward because I want to make sure it’s perfect. I don’t want to add to the confusion when we take another pass at him.

§ A visit with David B.:

No one caught his name, and Rod Parker could only guess that he wasn’t a student. But none of that mattered, because the moment was stilled by what he had to say.

“Your book saved my life.”

The man admitted he didn’t know much about art, but that’s not why he was sitting among the crowd in LSU’s Life Sciences Auditorium listening to Pierre-Francois Beauchard’s lecture.

§ A visit with actress/activist Mia Kirshner, who has just collaborated with Joe Sacco and Phoebe Gloeckner, among others.

Known for her role on Showtime’s “The L Word,” the actress has released “I Live Here,” a paper documentary chronicling her seven-year immersion into global stories of refugees and displaced people. Proceeds from the book’s sales go to Amnesty International. The project focuses on four parts of the world: the Russian republic of Ingushetia, Burma, Malawi and the Mexican city of Juarez. The idea came in 2001 when Kirshner reportedly felt unfulfilled by her life as an actress. She enlisted the help from an impressive list of collaborators, financing the entire project with her own salary.

§ Jeff Smith visits India:

Much before Smith came to Crossword, Kemps Corner, a group of Bone fans were waiting for him armed with their copies. Most of them were animators and graphic novel fanatics. They seemed to be quite well acquainted with the band of Bone characters, Smith’s art, life, moves and future projects. “It’s a surprise to meet my secret admirers here,” said Smith. The novelist too had a surprise for them. Indian influences have seeped into the latter Bone volumes of the story unfolding in the strange land. His wife and business partner, Vijaya, who has her roots in Kerala, can probably claim the credit for it.

“You don’t ask somebody if they watch movies because of course they do, and that’d be great if comics were the same.”

- Artist Amy Reeder Hadley, from an interview with Comic Book Resources about her work on DC’s MADAME XANADU series.

…

“My readership started off as almost exclusively 20-something hipsters, but now it is much more diverse, I think.”

- James Kochalka, from an interview with Tom Spurgeon, which touches on his inspiration, his imitators and, in this case, his audience…

“I mean, my “career” is still pretty much at the cult level of success, but my readers aren’t exclusively the type of people that seek out and revel in the obscure.”

Via The Comics Reporter:

Where I now see the primary weakness of Final Crisis is that the DC universe itself isn’t vital enough or interesting enough or dependable enough as a starting point or filled with enough creative energy for me to give a crap as it all slips away. It’s hard to take seriously a crisis paired with an adjective, even an alarming one. A greater sense of peril was engendered by one of Fred Sanford’s heart attacks.

John Horn presents a compelling, clearly delineated narrative on the history of the WATCHMEN movie , why Fox is suing Warners, and what it all means.

In Warners’ view, Fox repeatedly declined to exercise any purported rights to become involved in the film during its various incarnations over the years, and in an e-mail even bad-mouthed the script that Warners greenlighted. The “Watchmen” case dramatizes the complex deal making that surrounds many high-profile projects and underscores how movie studios have grown addicted to comic-book franchises. In an era where “The Dark Knight” can generate $1 billion in global theatrical revenue, the well-executed superhero story has turned into Hollywood’s Holy Grail. It’s not just the box-office returns that are so meaningful to these kind of properties. A hit film can also sell truckloads of DVDs, help launch a theme-park ride, or generate millions in television sales. Fox, which has suffered through a demoralizing string of box-office flops this year, could desperately use such a movie. It felt its case against Warners was so strong it had no choice but to take the matter to court.

Amazingly, the case involves not only Fox and Warners, but Universal and Paramount, as well, a complicated tangle worthy of the imagination of, say, Alan Moore.

PLUS: Marc Grazer at Variety looks at the state of Fox’s superhero franchises, which is, well, not the greatest:

Outside of “Fantastic Four,” “X-Men” is Fox’s only successful superhero franchise. It can’t afford misfires like “Daredevil” or “Elektra,” which never had follow-ups. Fox is considering a relaunch of “Daredevil” with a new pic, similar to what Marvel and Universal did with the Incredible Hulk character this summer.

If Fox doesn’t act soon, it could end up in the same position as Warner Bros. which has been criticized for over-developing its superhero projects, like a sequel to “Superman Returns” or launches for such characters as Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman.

The studio picked up the license from Marvel before the comicbook company began financing its own slate of pics. Rights to “X-Men” revert back to Marvel in 2012 if pics aren’t in active development.

Sorry, kids, the cable went out again. Last time we complained we got a free month of HBO. The moral is to keep complaining.

…..aaaaaand just like that, it comes back up.

A few details are emerging about the troubling news that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith want to remake OLDBOY, the disturbing film about a man who is locked in a room for years and then released to take vengeance. Spielberg is producing, and Smith is starring. First, I AM LEGEND co-writer Mark Protosevich is on board to script, reteaming with Smith. Next, Smith told Film School Rejects that the film will not be a remake of the Park Chan-wook cult favorite, but is rather going back to the source; the OLD BOY manga by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi. Quoth Smith:

We’re looking at that right now. Not the film though, it’s the original source material. There’s the original comics of ‘Oldboy’ that they made the first film from. And that’s what we’re working from, not an adaptation of the film…,” said Smith.

Hm, is this Smith paying homage to the popularity of comics-based films? Anyway, it’s hard to imagine Smith making a movie with the sensibility of a manga or hardcore Asian action film, so by the time the US version comes out, it will probably resemble something based on an OLD BOY cereal box.