Watchmen prequels, X-Men First Class sequel, and Avengers assemble this week on the comics podcast.

MORE ‘WATCHMEN’
DC Comics is returning to the world of its best-selling graphic novel, “Watchmen.”
The new prequels will fill out story elements occurring before the events of “Watchmen.”

“Before Watchmen” is an event with six mini-series — 35 total issues — that will serve as a prequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ story WATCHMEN.
Creators involved include original series editor Len Wein, as well as writer/artist Darwyn Cooke and writer J. Michael Straczynski.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
What do you think of the idea of the “Watchmen” prequels? Will you buy them? Are you excited?

X-MEN FIRST CLASS 2
Deadline reports that Fox has just closed a deal with Matthew Vaughn to come back and direct the sequel to X-Men: First Class; Bryan Singer will also be back as producer.

Most of the major characters are expected to return, including James MacAvoy as Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Magneto.

AVENGERS TEASER
Marvel will release a commercial for its “Avengers” film during the Super Bowl.
The film, starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, is set for a May 4 release. It’s directed by Joss Whedon.

REVIEW FILE: Matt and Kyle review Winter Soldier #1, by Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice and Bettie Breitweiser; Fatale #2, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips; and Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #4, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman.

On the Planet 46 Comics show: Supermodel Miranda Kerr is Wonder Woman, “The Crow” reboot gets a director, and a Green Arrow show is on the way.

Matt Price and Kyle Roberts discuss the new DC Comics logo, Popeye making it back into comics, and an Amazing Spider-Man press conference in Tokyo on the Planet 46 Comics show.

Gary Oldman retires James Gordon’s badge; Fox plans more Marvel films; and reviews of “Action Comics” and more in the Planet 46 Comics Podcast at NewsOK.

GARY OLDMAN DONE AS GORDON
Gary Oldman tells Moviefone that “The Dark Knight Rises” will be the end of his run as Jim Gordon, and talks about using Bane as the villain.

“It’s great. It’s a terrific conclusion to the trilogy,” Oldman tells Moviefone. “Nolan rounds it off: he brings in a bit of the first one, from ‘Batman Begins,’ and he does some really surprising things with it. I thought his choice of villain was very interesting, to use Bane instead of Riddler or Penguin. He’s not gone with the most obvious choice. The challenge for Chris was always really the story and I think he didn’t want to make a third one for the sake of it. I think there was pressure on him, obviously, because the second was so successful. So there’s always going to be some pressure to keep it going. But he’s too smart and classy, really to just make a third just for the sake of making it, because others are demanding or want it from him and I think he felt that, ‘Let me get the story right.’ So the fans won’t be disappointed.”
Read more: http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/12/06/gary-oldman-dark-knight-rises-steve-buscemi-snl/

FOX STILL PLANS MORE X-MEN, FF, DAREDEVIL
Fox’s Tom Rothman tells MTV that he wants another “X-Men: First Class.”
“We’re trying like hell,” he said. “We’re trying as hard as we can. We really want to do it. We’re planning to do it.”
Rothman also commented two other Marvel properties that Fox plans to revive: “Daredevil” and “Fantastic Four.”
David Slade is attached to “Daredevil,” while “FF” is earlier in the development process.
REVIEW FILE: Valen the Outcast #1, Action Comics #4, Hawk & Dove #4, Raphael #1, Defenders #1
Comics read in 2011: 1902. Still to go: 109.

Batman 3, aka “The Dark Knight Rises,” has wrapped, and Christian Bale is done. Also: Lunch with a Star Wars legend and Hulk TV news.

LUNCH WITH LUKE

Actor Mark Hammill, who brought Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker to life in the original Star Wars Trilogy, is offering to have lunch in Los Angeles with the highest bidder and a guest to raise funds for The RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, which provides an ongoing base of support to human rights defenders around the world. Valued at $10,000, the exclusive experience is open for bidding from November 29th through December 15th at:

http://www.charitybuzz.com/catalog_items/276455

BAT-FINISHED

The Philippine Daily Inquirer talked with Christian Bale, and he confirmed he was done with Batman.

“I wrapped a few days ago so that will be the last time I’m taking that cowl off,” he said. “I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it’s all done. Everything’s finished. It’s me and Chris – that will be the end of that Batman era.”

He also praised co-star Anne “Catwoman” Hathaway.

“I had plenty of scenes with Anne,” he said. “And I was there when we did the screen test for her. The thing that I said to Chris [Nolan] that day was that there were many very accomplished actresses who had read for the role. I’m terrible at auditions, so I’m very impressed when somebody really seems to acquire an ownership of a character without having worked on it or prepared for some amount of time.”

THE INCREDIBLE HULK NEARS

Guillermo del Toro tells io9 that the screenplay is in for the possible upcoming “Hulk” TV show, and the team is waiting for a green light. Del Toro, serving as producer, says he and his team know the essential stories, including “Hulk: Grey,” written by Jeph Loeb, who is involved with the show.
“We know all the iterations of the Hulk pretty good. We’ve read all the essential stories, and we’re then riffing on that. There are so many incarnations and ideas. Jeph Loeb — who did a good run [on Hulk: Grey] — is involved, and I love Peter David’s Hulk. But there’s really no part in that mythos that we don’t know, so we are trying put our own personal spin on it.”

REVIEW FILE: Green Lantern The Animated Series #0, Wolverine #19, Uncanny X-Men #2, X-Men Legacy #259, Archie #627, Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #1.
Comics read in 2011: 1,853. Still to go: 158

Matt and Kyle take a look at the Kindle Fire’s options for comics; the Avengers release new posters; and Roy Thomas talks about Conan the Barbarian in this week’s comics podcast.

FIRE AWAY
The Kindle Fire offers comics via graphic novel sales on Amazon.com and the comiXology app that comes pre-installed on the tablet. The comiXology reader links to any existing comiXology account. Its reader is preferable to the Fire’s native browser for comics, which will feature several DC graphic novels.

NEW AVENGERS POSTER

A brand new banner featuring the core four members of “The Avengers” — Captain America, Bruce Banner, Iron Man and Thor, from left to right — has premiered over at Yahoo Movies.

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/movie-stills/gallery/3403/the-avengers-stills#info

CONAN GIVEAWAY

Lionsgate Home Entertainment is  releasing  Conan the Barbarian on 3D/2D Blu-ray Combo Pack, 2D   Blu-ray Disc, and DVD this November 22nd. Starring Jason Momoa, Rachel   Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, and Ron Perlman, this 2011  re-make  includes audio commentaries, The Conan Legacy  featurette, a making-of  and more. Longtime “Conan” comics writer appears on the special features for the film.

We have a copy of the  Conan the Phenomenon: The Legacy  of Robert E. Howard Fantasy  Icon hardcover art history book as well as the Conan the Barbarian the Blu-ray Combo Pack to give away.  For a chance to win, answer our question of the day:  Which Conan is your favorite?  The character from the books?  Arnold from the films?  The Barry Windsor-Smith or John Buscema version from the comics?  The more recent version from the Dark Horse Comics?  Or Jason Momoa in the new film?

ROY THOMAS

Speaking of Conan, I talked to Roy Thomas, who brought Conan to Marvel Comics in the 1970s and has been writing “Road of Kings” for Dark Horse.  He talked about the early days of the Conan comic.

He said he was hoping to expand Marvel’s reach beyond superheroes into sword and sorcery, and licensing Conan was a home run. The new “Conan the Barbarian” is out on DVD and Blu-ray today. Look for more of the interview with Thomas in Friday’s Weekend Look.

WINNER WINNER ROBOT CHICKEN DINNER

We’ve chosen our winner for the Robot Chicken season 5 DVD  —  the DVD goes to MovieHunter1888.

REVIEW FILE: Justice League 3, Captain America #4, Fear Itself 7.3, Avengers #19, Batman #3
Comics read in 2011: 1,748. Still to go: 263

Kyle drops in Logan-style, bub, in this year’s Planet 46 Halloween Special. Also on the show: Superman fan Herbert Chavez undergoes 10 years of surgery to become resemble his hero; Bryan Harley makes an awesome Avengers trailer “Sweded” parody; Halloween comics are recommended; and Sterling Gates is making a stop in Oklahoma. Plus Wolverine, Superman and more make an appearance in the review file.

SUPER DOPPLEGANGER
Parade reports on a Filipino man, Herbert Chavez, who has undergone multiple surgeries to more closely resemble the Man of Steel. Chavez, a huge Superman fan, has undergone a nose job, chin implants and more.

AVENGERS SWEDED TRAILER IS JUST TOO SWEET
Bryan Harley and friends have created an awesome “Avengers” trailer in the “Sweded” style popularized by Michel Gondry in the film “Be Kind Rewind.” Find out more about the art of sweding and the Swedefest at www.swedefest.com, and find out more about the trailer at www.dumbdrum.com.

STERLING GATES IN OK
Check out Sterling Gates, “Hawk and Dove” writer, at Matt’s store Speeding Bullet Comics, 614 N Porter Ave in Norman, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

GET YOUR HALLOWEEN READING ON
Matt recommends Batman: The Long Halloween, B.P.R.D., and Vampirella comics by Archie Goodwin and James Robinson for Halloween reading in 2011.

REVIEW FILE: Avengers #18, Incredible Hulk #1, Wolverine and the X-Men #1, Superman #2, Aquaman #2
Comics read in 2011: 1,613. Still to go: 398.

Hayley Atwell is on the Planet 46 NewsOK Comics Podcast; a Punisher TV pilot is in the works; and you could win Robot Chicken season 5.

CAPTAIN AMERICA ON DVD/HAYLEY ATWELL ON THE PLANET 46 COMICS PODCAST
Hayley Atwell plays British agent Peggy Carter in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
Atwell talked about doing a lot of training to become Agent Carter, but also about keeping the character sophisticated.
“We looked at kind of old Hollywood glamour, the Lauren Bacalls, and the pencil skirts of the 40s, and found a way to make the uniform look practical and strong, but also sexy and sophisticated as well,” she said.
She’s also looking forward to seeing her pal Chris Evans in “The Avengers.” She said the two of them got on very well on-set.
“He was great fun. We hung out a lot. He’s a really smart guy, and I thought he brought so much sensitivity to this role. Not just the physical aspect of it, which he obviously was clearly capable of doing, but then you see there’s quite a sensitive side to what Chris can do as an actor. And he was a gentleman, and he was very sweet. I felt like one of the guys being around him, but I also felt looked after by him. He’s had a lot more experience working with Hollywood than I have.”

ROBOT CHICKEN SEASON 5 GIVEAWAY
The Planet 46 Comics Podcast is giving away Season 5 of Robot Chicken, featuring 20 uncensored episodes from the series’ two-part fifth season, including nine never-before-seen episodes and sketches fueled by the series’ signature pop culture parodies. They are also stocked with hours and hours of bonus materials ranging from deleted scenes and episode commentary with celebrity guests, to behind-the-scenes featurettes. Plus, the series’ 100th episode is included on this release.
Want to win a copy? Tell us who is your favorite celebrity guest voice on Robot Chicken!
Chris Evans, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Hulk Hogan, Kristin Chenoweth, Bruce Campbell, James Marsden, David Hasselhoff, Vanessa Hudgens, Scarlett Johansson,
Dean Cain, Dom DeLuise, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rosario Dawson and more have all appeared on the show.

PUNISHER TV SHOW
Deadline reports Fox has handed a put pilot commitment to The Punisher, a series based on the Marvel comic from Ed Bernero and ABC Studios. The show is described as an hour-long procedural with a Marvel Comics twist.
It’s not the only comic-book show that may arrive on FOX — the network is also developing “The Spectre.”

REVIEW FILE:
Justice League #2, Batman #2, Cold War #1, Fear Itself #7, Avengers #18
Comics read in 2011: 1606. Still to go: 405

First look at the Avengers are in Entertainment Weekly; the new Batman cartoon “Beware of the Batman” is set to debut in 2013; and Walking Dead webisodes are online at AMCtv.com this week on the Planet 46 comics show.

REVIEW FILE: Penguin Pain and Prejudice #1, Huntress #1, Action Comics #2, Supernatural #1, X-Men Schism #5
Comics read in 2011: 1,540 Still to go: 471

Kyle’s latest video has NES flair; 24-Hour Comics Day pushes artists to their limits; Brad Meltzer’s Decoded to start season 2; and it’s the largest release week of comics in more than a decade in this week’s Planet 46 Comics Podcast.

VIDEO-GAME MUSIC VIDEO!

Kyle Roberts, owner of the Oklahoma City-based film company Reckless Abandonment Pictures, directed a music video for Norman-based band ‘The Nghiems’.

The video, ‘Dum Dum Dah Dah’, features a fictional arcade game where the band members serve as the main characters.  The video is a mix of live shots at OKC-based New World Comics and stop motion animation, and will debut online Saturday, Oct. 1.

“Almost everyone remembers the magic of playing a ‘Mario’ type game where they had a journey through levels defeating bad guys to save the princess, we wanted to bring back that nostalgia in this project,” said Roberts.

24 HOUR COMICS DAY IS SATURDAY

The eighth annual 24-Hour Comics Day is Saturday, and the comic book specialty retailer group ComicsPRO is again organizing the event.

24-Hour Comics Day is an annual challenge for cartoonists to produce a 24-page comic book written, drawn and completed in 24 consecutive hours. Comic book artists, whether professional or amateur, young or old, are invited to check out a local venue or try the challenge on their own.

ComicsPRO’s Executive Director Amanda Emmert said the all-volunteer project is free to participants.  More info at www.24hourcomicsday.com.

BRAD MELTZER’S DECODED GETS SECOND SEASON

Brad Meltzer, who wrote the comic-book series “Identity Crisis” and “Green Arrow,” is also a best-selling novelist and, TV star.  The second season of his TV show “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded,” which looks at the hidden secrets behind codes and mysteries, starts season 2 next week, and for the first time, the team will be heading overseas, as well. The show airs on HISTORY.

Review file: Superman #1, Aquaman #1, Flash #1, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2, All-Star Western #1, I, Vampire #1, New Avengers #16.1
Comics read in 2011: 1,460.  Still to go: 551

Batman Year One trailer shown in advance of Oct. 18 release; X-Men Destiny hits shelves; and DC Comics’ sexy superheroines cross the border in the Planet 46 Comics Podcast.

BATGIRL, WONDER WOMAN, CATWOMAN IN COMMERCIAL

Comics Alliance has found a commercial featuring Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Catwoman, unfortunately it’s not airing in the U.S.
The commercial is a TV spot for El Palacio de Hierro, a Mexico City clothing store. Apparently her new comic-book series isn’t the only place where Catwoman is acting sexy.
Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/21/mexican-superhero-commercial/#ixzz1YcjZlrUH

BATMAN YEAR ONE CLIP

Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. unveiled a clip of their upcoming adaptation of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One as shown at THR.

The movie features Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku and Katee Sackhoff in an adaptation of the Frank Miller four-issue story from 1987.

The movie will be released Oct. 18.

X-MEN DESTINY VIDEO GAME

X-Men: Destiny” is a third-person action/role-playing game where the gamer takes the role of one of three mutants and develops powers as the game progresses. It’s out in stores today.

REVIEW FILE: Near Death #1, Batman #1, X-Men Schism #4
Comics read in 2011: 1,453. Still to go: 558.

“The Spectre” may come to FOX, The Walking Dead season 2 gets a new poster, and Miles Morales gets his own comic as Ultimate Comics Spider-Man launches.

SPECTRE COULD COME TO TV
Deadline reports that Fox has purchased the series, “The Spectre,” based on the DC Comics character. The show will focus on “a former cop serving time in afterlife limbo who hunts down earthly criminals on behalf of the dead — and mortals soon to be dead, if ultimate justice is not served.”
The Spectre was created by Jerry Siegel (one of Superman’s creators) and was first illustrated by artist Bernard Baily. (It’s not clear if Baily was involved in the character’s conception.)

WALKING DEAD SEASON 2 POSTER
AMC has released a season 2 poster for “The Walking Dead,” featuring Rick Grimes running towards a creepy farmhouse. The series is based on “The Walking Dead” graphic novels, written by Robert Kirkman.

MILES MORALES SERIES BEGINS
Marvel has released the first issue of “Ultimate Comics Spider-Man” starring the new Spidey, teenager Miles Morales. The book is selling well in stores and digitally – Marvel has reported it is the best-selling first-day digital new release to date.

REVIEW FILE: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1, Batman and Robin #1, Green Lantern #1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1
Comics read in 2011: 1,365 Still to go: 646

Thor comes to DVD and Blu-ray, Action Figure Museum celebrates Star Wars, The New 52 a massive sales success.

CLARK GREGG IN THOR BLU-RAY SHORT, AVENGERS UPCOMING

Secret agent Phil Coulson, as played by Clark Gregg, has appeared in three Marvel Studios films so far, and his biggest role yet is in the upcoming “The Avengers,” directed by Joss Whedon.

“There’s no other movie where I have this much to do,” Gregg said in a telephone interview promoting the release of the “Thor” DVD.

STAR WARS TOY MUSEUM

In celebration of all six Star Wars movies coming out on Blu-Ray on Friday, September 16, the Toy & Action Figure Museum is having a whole weekend devoted to one of the greatest movie and toy franchises in history. STAR WARS WEEKEND is Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18.

DC THE NEW 52 SELLING OUT FAST

DC confirmed that “Justice League” #1′s first printing exceeded 200,000 copies, and that 10 of “The New 52″ from DC have print runs of more than 100,000: In addition to “Justice League,” the other higher-than-100K issues are “Action Comics,” “Batgirl,” “Batman,” “Batman and Robin,” “Batman: The Dark Knight,” “Detective Comics,” “Flash,” “Green Lantern,” and “Superman.” “Action Comics” will exceed 200,000 with its second printing.

Question of the week: What was the best superhero film of 2011?

Review File: New Avengers Annual 1, Action Comics 1, Hawk and Dove 1.
Comics read in 2011: 1,355 Still to go: 656.

Captain America 2 could feature MODOK; Jennifer Lawrence’s arduous nude makeup process for Mystique; and Justice League a hit in the Planet 46/NewsOK Comics Podcast.

CAP SCREENWRITER WANTS MODOK

“Captain America” film co-writer Christopher Markus tells Hero Complex he’d like to see MODOK in the sequel to the Marvel film, though that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.

“I love MODOK and I think you could make a terrifying movie with MODOK but nobody seems to be on my side at the momentum,” Markus said.  MODOK, which stands for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, was created by Jack Kirby, and is a giant head in a floating chair.

JUSTICE LEAGUE STARTS STRONG

DC Comics relaunched its entire line of superhero comics on Wednesday, with the release of “Justice League” No. 1, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee.

The issue has already gone through two printings, with a third scheduled, within the first week of release.   More than 200,000 copies were ordered.

MYSTIQUE FEELING BLUE

The “X-Men First Class” DVD will be released Sept. 9.  A sneak peek at the special features of the film shows how Jennifer Lawrence was painted blue for her Mystique role.

Jennifer Lawrence had to stand, near-naked, for seven hours while six makeup artists applied the Mystique makeup.

The DVD for X-Men: First Class will be out on Blu-ray and DVD on Friday, September 9th.

REVIEW FILE: Flashpoint 5, Justice League 1, Angel And Faith 1, Amazing Spider-Man 668, Incredible Hulks #635.

Comics read in 2011: 1,341 Still to go: 670.

Matt Price and Kyle Roberts discuss Wolverine 2 filming news, the release of the New 52 DC Comics relaunch trailer, and the new Conan the Barbarian film in this week’s Planet 46 Comics Podcast.

WOLVERINE HEADS TO CANADA

The Vancouver Sun reports Hugh Jackman and the cast of Wolverine 2 will be heading to Vancouver in November to film the sequel.

Filming is set to take place Nov. 11 to March 1, 2012 at Canadian Motion Picture Park in Burnaby, where scenes from Twilight, Supernatural and Fantastic Four were filmed. The director of the film — which may still be called “The Wolverine” — is James Mangold (“Walk the Line,” “Knight and Day,” “3:10 to Yuma”).

Another superhero is set to be in Vancouver shortly: The new Superman movie Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, will be in Vancouver from Sept. 21 to Jan. 21. Man of Steel will be directed by Zack Snyder.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Hugh+Jackman+heads+Vancouver+film+Wolverine/5269632/story.html#ixzz1VOehNlko

NEW 52 TRAILER HITS NET
The “New 52″ initiative from DC Comics nears release. The first issue of the New 52, Justice League 1 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, will be released on Aug. 31. The first trailer for the relaunch of DC’s superhero properties has been released at Hero Complex.
The trailer/commercial includes art from Justice League No. 1, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee; Action Comics No. 1, written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Rags Morales; Batman No. 1 written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Greg Capullo; Wonder Woman No. 1 written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Cliff Chiang; and Aquaman No. 1, written by Johns with art by Ivan Reis.

CONAN HITS THEATERS
Lionsgate, Nu Image and Paradox Entertainment are behind the latest “Conan the Barbarian” film, reviving the pulp character created by Robert E. Howard in the early 1930′s in Cross Plains, Texas. The $90-million, 3-D movie stars Jason Momoa as the title character.
Read all about Conan’s history in the pulp magazines and comics in Weekend Look and at the Nerdage blog.

REVIEW FILE: Venom 6, Batman Retroactive: The 1990s, X-Men Schism 3
Comics read in 2011: 1,195. Still to go: 816.

With Comic-Con looming, trailers and premieres abound!

SPIDEY TRAILER

Set to debut in front of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the teaser trailer for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the reboot directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield, has made its way online via Movie-List.com.

ALSO A BAT-TRAILER

After being shown on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” the teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s conclusion of his Bat-trilogy is also on the ‘Net.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Do you prefer the Amazing Spider-Man or Dark Knight Rises trailer?

COMIC-CON!
Lots is happening at Comic-Con, which kicks off with a preview night tonight.
DC Comics will feature “The New 52” at Comic-Con, the upcoming historic renumbering of the entire DC line of superhero comic books with 52 first issues. Marvel has panels on the comic-book series “Amazing Spider-Man” and “X-Men,” among others.

CAPTAIN AMERICA!

“Captain America: The First Avenger” premiered in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, with stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper and Samuel L. Jackson in attendance.

REVIEW FILE: Daredevil 1, Misadventures of Adam West 1
Comics read in 2011: 1,026 Still to go: 985

JUNKFOODCLOTHING.COM GREEN LANTERN T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment on our video this week for a chance to win a cool Green Lantern T-Shirt from Junkfoodclothing.com, a $32 value!   Here’s the question: If you had a Green Lantern ring, what weapon or other item would you create?  Kyle and I will choose the most creative answer to win.

Green Lantern T-shirt, Junk Food, $32; www.junkfoodclothing.com

CROWE MAY PLAY JOR-EL

Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe is in negotiations to play the role of Jor-El in “Man of Steel,” Variety is reporting.

Zack Snyder is directing the film for Warner Bros., which stars Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent.   Jor-El, played by Marlon Brando in 1978′s “Superman,” is Superman’s father on the planet Krypton.

RYAN REYNOLDS DIDN’T GET TO WEAR SUPERHERO SUIT, EXACTLY

Green Lantern doesn’t have to worry about dry cleaning his superhero suit.

“In the mythology of the film, the suit is made of pure energy,” said Ryan Reynolds, who plays Green Lantern. “So there’s no actual suit, because that would burn. What I’m wearing is a motion-capture suit, with tracking marks and tracking dots and those sorts of things. It was a little bizarre. I sort of looked like a crash test dummy who lost his Volvo.”

The suit became especially difficult to wear as filming continued into August in New Orleans, he said.

But Reynolds said he was impressed when he first saw the suit in motion in test footage about six weeks into shooting.

“It was just incredible to see that thing in motion and moving around,” he said.

VALIANT COMICS PLANS COHERENT, INTERCONNECTED UNIVERSE

New Valiant Comics executive editor Warren Simons said some of the company’s “most beloved characters” will be key to the relaunch.

“There are a number of great characters worthy of the spotlight, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, Rai, Ninjak and Shadowman, to name a few,” he said.

He said the coherent Valiant Universe will be among the selling points for the new line.

“Jim Shooter, Barry Windsor-Smith, Bob Layton and all the talented writers and artists who first introduced the Valiant characters built a three-dimensional universe that readers could dive into headfirst,” he said. “They did this with a set of great ideas that we intend to honor and update. Chief among these is a coherent universe with strong interconnectivity and clear continuity.”

REVIEW FILE: Kirby Genesis #1, Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #1, Alpha Flight #1
Comics read in 2011: 791 Still to go: 1220

ANOTHER LOOK AT CAPTAIN AMERICA

Marvel has released 7 more images from “Captain America: The First Avenger,” giving fans a better look at the costume, as well as looks at Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt and Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips.

Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter in "Captain America: The First Avenger."

HENRY CAVILL GETS SUPER

The recent Entertainment Weekly has an interview with new Superman Henry Cavill, wearing a Superman T and leather jacket on the cover of the latest edition of the magazine.

Cavill screen-tested for the role in a replica of the Christopher Reeve Superman suit.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Who do you think is the best movie or TV Superman?

THERE’S A NEW WONDER WOMAN – AND LYNDA CARTER APPROVES

The Baltimore Sun talked to Lynda Carter about Adrianne Palicki, who will play “Wonder Woman” in the NBC series this fall.

She said she wouldn’t offer Palicki advice, but she’d be glad to talk to her if Palicki approached her.

“She’s an actress and she’s a good actress and she’s beautiful, and I hope she kicks butt,” she said.

REVIEW FILE: Matt and Kyle review Captain America 615, Fantastic Four 588, Amazing Spider-Man 655 and Doctor Solar 5.

SPIDER-MAN GETS ‘AMAZING’

Sony has revealed official title of the new Spider-Man film: “The Amazing Spider-Man.”  The costume of Andrew Garfield in the Spider-Man movie reboot was also recently revealed, and you can check it out at the site: http://www.theamazingspiderman-movie.com/.

GREEN LANTERN GAME TRAILER RELEASED

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is an action-adventure title that is scheduled for release in conjunction with the Green Lantern movie releasing this summer.

The game will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is inspired by the feature film, which stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan.  In the game, players will be able to wield the Green Lantern ring to restore intergalactic order.

THOR, CAP TOYS

Chris Hemsworth, who plays “Thor” in the upcoming film, and Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, recently visited Hasbro’s showroom at Toy Fair in New York.   The “Thor” line is set to debut March 1, and the Captain America toys hit the shelves on May 16.   The “Thor” movie releases May 6, and Captain America: First Avenger hits on July 22.

REVIEWS

Matt and Kyle review Amazing Spider-Man 654.1, Jennifer Blood #1, Silver Surfer #1 and more.

DOCTOR WHO GIVEAWAY

As the 11th Doctor comes to DVD for the first time, we’re giving away a set of the fifth series!  Leave a comment on this post with your favorite Doctor to be entered for a chance to win.

The fifth series of “Doctor Who,” which stars Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor, and Karen Gillan as his companion Amy Pond, is on sale now.    The DVD contains all 13 episodes of the fifth series, along with hours of extras.

WIZARD WORLD AUSTIN/THE CROW

Stephen Norrington (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) is reportedly out as director of “The Crow” reboot. Mark Wahlberg is rumored for the lead. Creator James O’Barr hasn’t had much to do with the films after the original 1994 film starring Brandon Lee, but he is prepping a new, “Author’s Edition” of the graphic novel. He’ll be in Austin this weekend for the Wizard World Comics convention, along with Adam West, Burt Ward, Michael Golden and many more.

WALKING DEAD GETS SEASON TWO

The zombie horror survival series The Walking Dead, based on the comics by Robert Kirkman, is coming back for a second season.

“BATMAN LIVE” HEADING FOR EUROPE

It was announced today that the “Batman Live” world arena tour is kicking-off next summer.

It will tour the UK and Europe, beginning in summer 2011 and arriving in North America by summer 2012.

REVIEW FILE:

Matt and Kyle review Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #6, Ant-Man and the Wasp #1, and Amazing Spider-Man #648, kicking off the “Big Time” storyline.

WALKING DEAD LAUNCHES BIG

According to various reports, “The Walking Dead” premiere was viewed by 5.3 million people on Sunday night — the largest audience ever for an AMC original series. The pilot episode also managed to pull in 3.6 million adults in the 18-49 age demographic, and became the highest-rated cable series to premiere in 2010.

RED PLAINS INTERVIEW

Want a Wild West read that’s based in the authentic West? Caryn A. Tate’s “Red Plains” is coming to Graphic.ly and MyDigitalComics.com.

Each issue is packed with bonus content like audio commentary by Caryn, script excerpts, and more.

Red Plains: Range War is now available for digital purchase via Graphic.ly.  The 4 part “Range War” storyline includes audio commentary by Red Plains series creator Caryn A. Tate, character information, and script excerpts.

Red Plains is also available at MyDigitalComics.com in pdf, cbz, or simple page-flip format!

Read more from Tate in Friday’s Weekend Look.

WOLVERINE 2 WORKOUT

Bid for the chance to work out next to Hugh Jackman as he prepares for “X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2.”  Jackman is raising funds for The Global Poverty Project.

Bidding is open through November 11th at:

http://www.charitybuzz.com/catalog_items/209202?source=carousel

REVIEW FILE

Matt Price and Kyle Roberts review Captain America: Man out of Time 1; Iron Man/Thor 1, Superboy 1 and Batman and Robin 16.

CAPTAIN AMERICA MOVIE SNEAK PEEK

Entertainment Weekly has shared the first look as Chris Evans in his Captain America garb.  Also on the Planet 46/NewsOK Comics Podcast – the first look at Matt Price in his Captain America garb.   The aftermath of the OU-Missouri game comes to the podcast as Kyle Roberts celebrates his win and Matt pays off his bet by recording the Halloween edition of the podcast in costume.

NEW SUPERMAN SELLING OUT

The “Twilight”-style Superman featured in “Superman: Earth One” by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis is selling out in comic shops across the country prior to its release in bookstores on Tuesday.

Dan DiDio, senior vice president and executive editor at DC Comics, told the AP “we always knew that we wanted to do a real, contemporary interpretation of Superman.”

NBA “SUPER” STARS

In the NBA preview issue of ESPN the magazine, on sale now, the NBA teams are illustrated by Marvel Comics artists.

ESPN The Magazine has teamed up with Marvel’s artists to produce 30 “variant covers” illustrating each NBA team and its 2010-2011 outlook for the season.

DARK KNIGHT NAME

The Los Angeles Times reports that “The Dark Knight Rises” will be the title of the third Christopher Nolan-directed “Batman” film.  He also tells Geoff Boucher that the Riddler won’t be the episode’s villain.

REVIEW FILE: Supergirl Annual #2, Teen Titans #88, Captain America Patriot #3

Kyle Roberts and Matt Price review Siege 4, Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne 1, Superman: War of the Supermen 2 and Black Widow 2.

Also, Little Orphan Annie to end its run; the comic strip has been in newspapers since 1924, but will call it quits this summer.

Human Target will return for a second season.   The show, pictured left, starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley, has been picked up for a second 13-episode season.  It’s based on the DC Comics graphic novel.

The Captain America movie may film in 3-D.  Marvel President Kevin Feige said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that some future Marvel movies will almost certainly be filmed in the 3-D process.

Click past the cut for a preview of “Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne” No. 1, by Grant Morrison and Chris Sprouse.

Free Comic Book Day is this weekend! Plus, Batman is on his way back, and Superman’s at war in this week’s Planet 46 Comics podcast.

In movie news, Planet46.com will kick off a week of “Iron Man 2” coverage on Monday.

Iron Man 2 opens in theaters May 7, and in the run-up to the film, Planet 46 will feature interviews from Jon Favreau, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Robert Downey Jr.

What other Marvel heroes could soon see a silver screen? Edgar Wright’s long-in-the-works adaptation of “Ant-Man” could finally begin production at the end of this year.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Superhero Hype that once Edgar Wright finishes promoting “Scott Pilgrim,” he’d like to get him on to “Ant Man,” maybe at the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011.  But he’d expect the film wouldn’t come out until after “The Avengers.”

COMICS SURGE
Batman, the original that is, is on his way back, starting in Return of Bruce Wayne. The first issue comes out May 12. Writer Grant Morrison says a time-hopping Bruce Wayne will move to various sequences of time throughout the series.

“For me, the time thing is to take Bruce Wayne to the limit of what he is as a character, because he’s thrown back into prehistory with no memory and no uniform and no tools apart from the fact that he’s got his belt,” Morrison told Comics Alliance.  “I like of the idea of exploring Batman with this time travel story, but to do it quite convincingly and realistically so that he’s really at the edges of what Batman can possibly be.”

This Weekend is Free Comic Book Day! For the ninth time, you can go to your local comic-book store and pick up selected comic books absolutely free! Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock, GI Joe, Shrek, Toy Story, Iron Man/Thor are among the comics available. Check out Nerdage or FreeComicBookDay.com for a complete list.

Perhaps the most anticipated book is “War of the Supermen” No. 0 by James Robinson and Oklahoma’s Sterling Gates. Following up on “Last Stand of New Krypton,” war is on the way between Earth and New Krypton. This series continues with a new issue each Wednesday throughout the month of May.

In the review file this week, Kyle Roberts and Matt Price look at Superman 699, Last Stand of New Krypton 3, Invincible Iron Man 25 and New Avengers 64.    Click past the cut for more from “Iron Man 2″ and a preview of “Last Stand of New Krypton” #1.

In this week’s NewsOK podcast at Planet46.com: Matt Price and Kyle Roberts review this week’s comics, including Flash 1, Brightest Day 0 and Black Widow 1. Also, they take a look at clips from Tuesday’s “Deadliest Warrior” season two premiere and look at developments in the movies planned for the Avengers and He-Man.

Click past the cut for a preview of “Brightest Day” No. 0,  written by Geoff Johns and  Peter Tomasi; art by Fernando Pasarin ; cover by David Finch; 1:50 variant cover by Ivan Reis.

Kyle Roberts and Matt Price review X-Men Second Coming 1, Terminator 2029 1 and Blackest Night 8. Also this week, a Ben 10 DVD giveaway, news of Sebastian Stan being cast as Bucky in the Captain America movie, and news on Brightest Day and Marvel Comics on the iPad.

Matt Price and Kyle Roberts discuss this week’s big news at DC, as Jim Lee and Dan DiDio are named co-publishers and Geoff Johns becomes chief creative officer at DC Entertainment. More comics and movie news included, as well as reviews of Supergirl 50 and Uncanny X-Men 521.

On the Christmas edition of the NewsOK Comics Podcast, Matt Price and Kyle Roberts discuss two team-ups and a funeral.

Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss some of the best bets for Halloween, including Tomb of Dracula, Batman: The Long Halloween, and Angel: Frankenstein.