• Smallville • Whedon • Push • Kick-Ass! •
• Atlanta • Powers • Torchwood •

SMALLVILLE: ABSOLUTE JUSTICE
The Geoff Johns’ penned “Smallville” event “Absolute Justice” has a new trailer and it looks good. Surprisingly good—you get Golden Age Green Lantern and Flash props with some nods. I will return to watching “Smallville” Friday, February 5. Check it out over the DC’s The Source Blog.

WHEDON TO FX?
Reports are floating around that Joss Whedon might be planning his next series at FX. (Whedon’a current Fox show, Dollhouse airs its final episode next Friday.) If Whedon and the network that brought us “Always Sunny in Philidelphia,” “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Shield” can come together we’re all for it.
Read about it here.

PUSH GETS A TV SHOW
Nikkie Finke asks why the Summit feature, which only made $50 million, is getting a TV show and we agree. Read Finke over at Deadline Hollywood Daily.

SCOTT PILGRIM
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World reviews are starting to come in from early screenings and AintItCoolNews.com has them here.

FINAL KICK-ASS POSTER
Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s “Kick-Ass!” film adaptation from director Matthew Vaughn hits theaters April 16. We have seen it and it lives up to its name and then some.

ATLANTA COMIC CON
Andy, Casey and I come back to the ATL for the first time since our road trip a decade ago. Who will eat a bug this year? Dates and venue TBD. Read the press release here.

POWERS STILL MOVING AT FX
Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming’s “Powers” series—currently published through Marvel’s Icon line—is still inactive development at FX according to the network prez. Read it over here at Premium Hollywood.

TORCHWOOD AT FOX
Our main man Double B Double D reacts to the news that the Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood will be adapted for the U.S. on Fox. Doctor Who and Torchwood mastermind Russel T. Davies is involved and writing the script, so there’s hope, but DDBB justly points out it’s Fox which has killed both Firefly and Dollhouse. Read it here.

Also at DHD, The Pee Wee Herman show is back and somehow we hadn’t heard yet.

WHEDON WAR ONE
That header sounds badass, but the story’s just kind of weird. Here’s what you need to know: The Buffy book from Dark Horse is really good, and you should read it. And coming up in said really good Buffy book is the fact that one-time lover Angel is actually the big bad Twilight—a reveal that Bill Willingham, writer of the IDW-published Angel book, is none too pleased about. Rich Johnston and Comic Book Resources have it all pieced together.
Read here for part one.
Here for part two.
And the final here.

SIMONE RETURNS TO BoP
Gail Simone is back on Birds of Prey, and that’s pretty exciting.
Quote Simone: “Birds of Prey was the DCU gateway drug. It was the book that a thousand girlfriends and wives and daughters insisted get picked up, the first book they followed on their own. I’ve always been really proud of that, and I think the book being gone left a real hole in the superhero genre that other female-led books don’t really fill, somehow.” Read about it here at Comic Alliance.

SPIDER-MAN MOVIE UPDATE
According to Mike Fleming over at DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com, Sony has a short list of directors for the Spider-Man reboot movie. Marc Webb, (“500 Days of Summer”) is apparently in the lead. Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt too old to play a high school-aged Peter Parker, or is the high school setting possibly up for debate? Flemming says yes to the first and no to latter. Read it all here.

SMALLVILLE
Smallville: Absolute Justice—the Smallville event movie—has a teaser poster and Topless Robot has some comments.

Ghostbuster 3
Ivan Reitman says the script is in and he’s directing “Ghostbusters 3.” Reitman says he hopes to start shooting this year. Video here from MTV.

Ultimate X
Ultimate X from Marvel, Jeph Loeb and Art Adams released it’s final teaser yesterday, and this is it.

UPDATED: Raimi and Maguire out, rebooted franchise planned by Sony!

Hollywood guru Nikki Finke has the breaking news at her Deadline Hollywood Daily blog, but the bullet points are pretty clear:

• Raimi is out due to feeling like he couldn’t keep the film’s creative integrity and make the summer 2011 release date.

• Star Tobey Maguire and the rest of the cast are also out as of now.

• Sony will reboot the franchise.

Read Finke’s story here.

Official Press Release:

Culver City, CA (January 11, 2010) — Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade.This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

“Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. “We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen.”

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.

The weekend’s top stories, posts and geekery:
• Kirby Copyright • New DC Exclusive? • Skiff Reader • Neal Adams Batman •
• Kevin Feige on the Marvel Decade •

MARVEL SUES TO INVALIDATE KIRBY COPYRIGHT CLAIMS
The heirs to the Jack Kirby estate have sued for their father’s share of copyrights to Marvel’s classic heroes and Marvel has now sued to invalidate those claims.

Bored and/or confused yet? Check the link here for the most recent info from Robot 6 at Comic Book Resources. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

DC TO SNAG ‘WONDER WOMAN’ ARTIST FROM MARVEL?
Rich Johnston is reporting that in the wake of longtime Marvel superstar David Finch signing an exclusive contract with DC Comics, another high-profile Marvel creator will be defecting to DC to draw Grant Morrison’s also rumored Wonder Woman project.

Read the story here, but the likely suspects aren’t hard to come up with by quickly thumbing through Previews. The likely suspects look something like this, if it’s going to be a big name like Finch.

Frank Cho
He’s got New Ultimates with Jeph Loeb later this year; his Wonder Woman would be rocking, but he may actually be too sexy for the book’s sensibilities. (How did that become possible in America? Answer: Obama.)

Jim Cheung
Cheung hasn’t been on an ongoing since 2006’s Young Avengers, and instead focused on covers and limited series such as The Illuminaitti. He’s been a Marvel loyalist, but maybe the lure of Wonder Woman and Morrison might jolt him?

Bryan Hitch
It seems odd that Morrison and Hitch have never worked together, but after Hitch’s work on Captain America: Reborn and his rumored project with Brian Michael Bendis, don’t expect it to happen now.

Steve McNiven
McNiven would explode on Wonder Woman, but with his planned creator-owned Nemesis with Mark Millar planned for spring, he looks locked in at Marvel.

Olivier Coipel
This would be huge for DC. Coipel is the best superhero artist and storyteller in comics right now. Siege #1 is awe-inspiring, and Coipel’s been treated excellently by Marvel, drawing Bendis’ House of M, JMS’ amazing Thor run and now Siege. Even a Wonder Woman relaunch with Morrison can’t compete with that. —————————————————————–

NEW NEAL ADAMS BATMAN ART
Neal Adams’ massive and somewhat secretive Batman project has some art leaking out, as Adams confirms the project will now have a second 150-page volume.

Check out the Scott Williams inked pages here. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

KEVIN FEIGE RUNS DOWN THE MAJOR MILESTONES OF THE LAST 10 YEARS AT MARVEL STUDIOS
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige runs down some of the big events and developments at the studio over at Marvel.com. It’s sugary PR, but also interesting due to Kevin being a pretty good guy, who really loves Marvel comic books. Read it over at Marvel.com ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

SKIFF READER MIGHT BE FUTURE OF COMICS
Apple will allegedly unveil it’s iSlate/iTablet—the company’s 10-11 inch touch screen game changer—on January 27, but the Skiff looks pretty good, too. Plus, it’s bendy, and bendy is always better. (Just ask your mom. Burn!)

Deleted scenes in ‘The Quest for Peace’ add Bizarro, robot junk, more John Cryer

If these scenes don’t ruin any nostalgia you may fee about Superman IV, then go ahead and buy the DVD here and then punch yourself in the face.

Gibbs: Prez won’t preempt season premiere

Even with a looming health care vote and heightened security after the Christmas day underwear bomber attempt, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took a few seconds to assure ‘Lost’ fan that President Obama’s State of the Union address would not be pushed the February 2, the same night ‘Lost’ is scheduled to begin its final season with a three-hour premier.

Gibbs: “I don’t foresee a scenario in which millions of people who hope to finally get some conclusion with Lost are preempted by the president.”

‘Gossip Girl’ star to play Carol Ferris opposite Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan

Variety reports today that buxom, blonde beauty Blake Lively will play Green Lantern love interest Carol Ferris in June 2011’s big screen ‘Green Lantern.’

This is big news for Green Lantern fans for a bunch of reasons, most notably, Blake Lively is hot. Like built by a super villain to seduce you into revealing Superman’s real identity hot and Carol Ferris is a brunette, which mean Lively may color her hair and we all know it’s always hot when a girl changes her hair color. Also, Ferris belcomes the even sexier and seductive Star Saphire in the comics, which is a perfect time to put lively in skin tight spandex.

Watch this video as proof of her hottness and then go below for the link to the Variety story.

Read the full announcement from Variety here.

President Obama’s address may put return to island on hold

According to reports, the planned January 26 State of the Union may be pushed to February 2 in hopes of finishing the health care bill and bump the planned two-hour final season premier of “Lost.”

“Lost” or health care reform? Sometimes the cost of civil change is too high a price, my friends.

Read the entire story here.

Michael Cera & a flaming sword is also the name of our new band

The big screen adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s “Scott Pilgrim” have hit the web and the entirety of Brooklyn now has boners in their skinny jeans.