Tony Moore, the original artist of “The Walking Dead,” has filed a lawsuit against the writer, Robert Kirkman.  The two were behind what’s one of the biggest comic-book success stories of the past decade, but now find themselves on opposite sides of this lawsuit, THR reports.

Moore drew the first six issues of “The Walking Dead” before leaving and being replaced by Charlie Adlard.

Moore claims he’s owed money from “The Walking Dead.”  Kirkman’s attorney says the suit is frivolous.   The Beat has the court documents posted and more information is in the link.

“The Walking Dead” TV series on AMC, based on the comics, is currently one of cable’s top-rated series.

- Matt Price

The world of the TV series “Smallville” will continue in a comic-book series from DC Comics, it was announced today.

The series, which focused on the adventures of a young Clark Kent as he learned how to deal with his origins and amazing powers, ended after 10 seasons.  It starred Tom Welling as Clark Kent.  At series’ end, Kent had donned a Superman costume and become the familiar Man of Steel.  That story will now be picked up in a new comic-book series.

According to DC Comics’ Source blog, the series will be written by former Smallville show scribe Bryan Q. Miller. The series will hit digital first, with an April 13 release, with new chapters weekly.

The online chapters will be offered in a print periodical, along with an episode guide to TV series.  The first print issue is set for a May 16 release.

“Six months after Clark Kent donned the cape and took to the skies to save Earth from Apokolips… enter Season 11!” Miller told the Source.  “New allies abound!  New enemies afoot!  And old friends return where they’re least expected!  Pere and colorist Chris Beckett have done a fantastic job of capturing the look of the show and the players, and Gary and Cat are knocking it out of the park on covers. I couldn’t be more excited to help give seasoned viewers and new readers an all-access pass to Clark’s first year in the cape.”

- Matt Price

“Dr. Reid, this is not Bring Your Problems to Work Day. This is just Work Day.”

Identify who said the above quote in what show in the comments!

Erica Durance dons a Wonder Woman costume — in fact, the costume that was used for the Adrianne Palicki pilot — in an upcoming episode of “Harry’s Law.”   Durance played Lois Lane on “Smallville,” and in one episode donned “Amazon Princess” garb.

She’s even closer to Wonder Woman in the “Harry’s Law” episode, where she plays a psychologically damaged woman who retreats into a Wonder Woman persona.

She tells TV Guide it was “a little daunting.”

“I’m really very respectful of the people that love this character,” she said. “I do take it very seriously. As a side note, just to be light about it, any woman wearing tight pants is not super excited the first time she puts them on. [Laughs] I wasn’t exactly, you know, tight pants- or underwear-ready.”

She said, in fact, she was happier to wear the long pants of Wonder Woman than the more traditional short-shorts.

“I’m very grateful for the pants,” she told TV Guide. “I know that people were very excited about the underwear and seeing them. To be quite frank, I don’t know if I could’ve done the underwear justice at this point in time and it might have been more upsetting for people to see me in them than to not, so I think the pants are a safe bet for me.”

Durance’s episode of “Harry’s Law” airs Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. Central on NBC.

- Matt Price
Click past the cut for another photo of Erica Durance in the Wonder Woman outfit from “Harry’s Law,” and her “Amazon Princess” costume from “Smallville.”

Created to tie in with the 1966-1967 TV show, these three “Green Hornet” issues feature Britt Reid and his valet Kato, who pretend to be criminals in order to fight crime.  District Attorney Frank Scanlon and secretary “Casey” Case are in on Britt Reid’s secret.  Mike Axford, a police beat reporter working for Reid’s newspaper, is constantly after the Green Hornet, but he falls into humorous mishaps that prevent any true discovery.  Van Williams and Bruce Lee are featured on the covers, with photos from the show also appearing in the interior covers.   The stories are roughly comparable to the TV show of the time, and are relatively enjoyable, if dated stylistically.

Other comics recently read:

Young X-Men #1-9

Marc Guggenheim and Yanick Paquette create this story of a new team of mutants following the”Messiah Complex” storyline.   With no new mutants being born, Rockslide, Blindfold and Dust believe they are part of the last generation of mutants.  Recruited by Cyclops, they are told that the old New Mutants are the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and they must track down and kill the team.   Not my favorite work by either Guggenheim or Paquette, but it has its moments (particularly in one neat Danger Room sequence). Ben Oliver becomes the artist with issue #6, as the origin of the Young X-Man “Ink” is explained.

Captain Confederacy  (1-12, Steeldragon, 1986; 1-4, Epic, 1991)

Science fiction author Will Shetterly worked with artist Vince Stone on “Captain Confederacy,” an alternate-history comic-book series that looked at a propaganda-type superhero in a world where the South won the Civil War and remained a separate nation from the United States.   Shetterly has posted his “director’s cut” of the material at a blog dedicated to Captain Confederacy.  This is interesting, thought-provoking stuff, that has had its share of controversy.  Even years after the series’ end, a parent who bought a remaindered copy at a dollar store was offended by its contents.  The series definitely isn’t meant for kids, but is intended to look at issues of race relations in the context of a superhero adventure/alternate history story.

- Matt Price
Comics read in 2011: 1,881. Still to go: 130.

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 Smith and Steven Moffat each settle in more comfortably in their second seasons on “Doctor Who,” the science fictional BBC production about a time-traveling benevolent alien. He traverses time and space in the TARDIS, a ship that’s bigger on the inside than the outside, and that looks from the outside like a 1950s police call box.

Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are the Doctor’s main companions for this series. He also frequently crosses paths with River Song (Alex Kingston), who has a connection to all of the principals, and whose meetings with the Doctor occur in jumbled chronological order.

Moffat took over as executive producer from the much-acclaimed Russell T. Davies. His main push seems to have been giving the seasons more of an arc, which is in full effect this season. The Doctor, played by Smith, is faced with his upcoming death in the season’s first episode, and while the season has its detours, clues and movements key to the overall arc are seen throughout.

The Blu-ray contains the episodes “A Christmas Carol,” “The Impossible Astronaut,” “Day of the Moon,” “The Curse of the Black Spot,” “The Doctor’s Wife,” “The Rebel Flesh,” “The Almost People,” “A Good Man Goes to War,” “Let’s Kill Hitler,” “Night Terrors,” “The Girl Who Waited,” “The God Complex,” “Closing Time,” and “The Wedding of River Song.”

The sixth series Blu-ray set kicks off with the Christmas special, “Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol,” which features the Doctor time-traveling through various years with a young man in order to avoid a particularly Scrooge-like fate.

Neil Gaiman (“Coraline,” “The Sandman”) writes the episode “The Doctor’s Wife,” in which the Doctor follows a distress signal to a mysterious asteroid searching for another Time Lord. The asteroid’s secret will threaten the TARDIS, and reveal much about the Doctor and a longtime relationship.

By the time “The Wedding of River Song” concludes, the questions raised by “The Impossible Astronaut” have been answered, and the mystery of the creepy villains the Silence has been at least partially unveiled. Smith remains a quick and quippy Doctor when it’s called for, but he also manages to pull real emotional depth throughout, as well. Gillan and Williams are well-cast as the charming but frequently star-crossed lovers who have served as the Doctor’s most recent companions.

The Blu-ray contains lots of extras, including between-the-episodes “Night and the Doctor” scenes, Comic Relief 2011 mini-episodes, prequel trailers, audio commentaries and featurettes.

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

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

Long-suffering “Captain America” fans finally got an A-list, top-notch film version of their favorite character when “Captain America: The First Avenger” came out earlier this year. But some disappointed Redbox patrons may instead find they’ve rented the TV movies “Captain America” and “Captain America II: Death Too Soon,” both originally shown on TV in 1979, and now out on DVD.

The movie takes a ton of liberties from the comics story. Reb Brown stars in both TV films as Steve Rogers. Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman) wants Steve to take the FLAG formula, a sort of “super-steroid” that was developed by Rogers’ late father. Because his father experimented using his own DNA, the formula is only likely to work on someone in his family. Rogers refuses, but when he’s nearly killed investigating the death of a friend, Mills decides to use the FLAG formula on him without his permission, giving him peak human strength and other abilities. Unfortunately, all this origin means it’s over an hour into the film before Steve gets into Captain America gear, and when he does, he looks more like Evel Knievel than Captain America. His motorcycle, judging by the screen time it gets, is also a very important part of the film.

The first film must have been successful enough, despite making not too much sense, as most of the cast returned later that year for “Death Too Soon.” Connie Selleca (“The Greatest American Hero”) replaced Heather Menzies (“Piranha”) as Dr. Wendy Day.

The terrorist Miguel (Christopher Lee, slumming it) has stolen a rapid aging formula that he will use on a major American city if his demands are not met. (Thus causing — “Death Too Soon.”)

Steve tracks Miguel down to a small town, where he falls in love with a local woman, tussles with local roughnecks, and eventually tracks down the bad guys. Compared to the first film, this one’s semi-watchable, and Lee chews up the scenery with vigor. Hungarian-born Heidi Fleiss ex-boyfriend Ivan Nagy directs, and Captain America’s costume is closer to something that looks like the comics’ Captain America. It’s still pretty much a mess, but, prior to this year, “Death too Soon” was arguably the live-action Captain America to watch.

The Shout Factory Double Feature of “Captain America” and “Captain America II” has no special features to speak of, unfortunately. I’d love to have heard commentary from the directors or star about how these films were made.

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Charisma Carpenter (AP)

Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Mercedes McNab (Harmony) and James Charles Leary (Clem) will discuss their days on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” at 1 p.m. today at Austin Comic Con, 500 E Cesar Chavez in Austin.

This “Buffyfest Q&A” will be held in room A.

- Matt Price

“Teen Titans” and “Tomb of Dracula” writer Marv Wolfman will appear at noon today in Room B of the Austin Comic Con, Austin Convention Center, 500 E Cesar Chavez.

Wolfman will discuss characters he’s created that have been adapted into TV shows, movies and animated series, including “Teen Titans” and “Smallville.”

Wolfman created the character Blade in “Tomb of Dracula,” which has been adapted into three movies starring Wesley Snipes, and a television series.

Also, Wolfman and artist John Romita Sr. created the “Daredevil” villain Bullseye.

- Matt Price

Charisma Carpenter (AP)

If you’re heading to Texas this weekend, the largest show in the region happens this weekend in Austin, Texas.

The Wizard World Austin Comic Con features stars Hayden Panettiere, Adam Baldwin, James Marsters, Juliet Landau and Charisma Carpenter among dozens of celebrities and industry professionals celebrating movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, television and more.   The show will be held at the Austin Convention Center, 500 East Cesar Chavez Street, in Austin, TX.

The show hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, go to www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/austin.html.

Click past the cut for more images of the stars.

- Matt Price

Young Justice Season One, Vol. 2 DVD

Superheroic proteges get top billing in “Young Justice,” the Cartoon Network animated series featuring Robin, Superboy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian and Artemis.

The second volume contains episodes 5-8 of season one. “Young Justice” focuses on teen superheroes who are trying to establish themselves to their mentors while at the same time dealing with some typical teen issues. They’re helped by the Justice League heroes, including Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, Red Tornado and Black Canary, who often provide insight or training to the young heroes.

In “Schooled,” Superman’s misunderstanding of Superboy (voiced by Nolan North) causes the Boy of Steel to try to take on a powerful villain alone.

Artemis (Stephanie Lemelin), whom Green Arrow introduces as his niece, makes her first appearance in “Infiltrator.”

Green Arrow’s former partner Red Arrow rescues a scientist building a high-tech hacking weapon for a group called the Shadows. He asks Young Justice to protect her so she can develop a virus to defeat her weapon.

Crispin Freeman brings a cool but serious vibe to Red Arrow, who has his suspicions about Artemis.

This episode provides some clever banter when the team is telepathically linked by Miss Martian (Danica McKellar), and each team member can overhear the others’ thoughts.

In “Denial,” the team is sent to rescue Kent Nelson, who in the past was mystic superhero Doctor Fate.

In the Aqualad-heavy episode “Downtime,” Batman (voiced by Bruce Greenwood) senses that Aqualad (Khary Payton) is distracted, and he fears his distraction could harm the team. He asks Aqualad to return to Atlantis, and determine whether he wants to stay there or to remain as the leader of Young Justice. Fans get information about Aqualad’s origins and find out about his reasons for wishing he had remained in Atlantis. Yuri Lowenthal voices Garth, who some will recognize as the original Aqualad in the comics.

The action is well-done, and the characters are developed well. Jason Spisak voices Wally West, aka Kid Flash, and Jesse McCartney provides the voice of Dick Grayson, aka Robin.

The release is bare bones, with the only extras being two trailers for other Warner products.

While you can argue with the release strategy of putting out the episodes on DVD four at a time, the content in “Season One, Vol. 2” is definitely worth watching for superhero fans.

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

A sign promoting zombie preparadness is seen in a hardware store in Omaha, Neb., Monday, Oct. 10, 2011.

What makes the zombie genre so popular?   I looked at some reasons for this Halloween story for The Oklahoman.

“Every dead body that is not exterminated becomes one of them. It gets up and kills. The people it kills get up and kill.”

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

Ape Entertainment is in negotiations with Sesame Workshop to create comic books based on the children’s property “Sesame Street.”

According to a new s release, subject to successful negotiations, the comics will be produced in full color and available in printed editions as well as in digital editions that will be available through the Sesame Street store on Apple’s iTunes in 2012.

“We are incredibly excited about our current negotiations with Sesame Workshop and the possibility of being able to bring their expertise in educating and entertaining children to comics,” said Ape Entertainment COO Brent E. Erwin in the release.  “I love the idea of creating educational comics that will both teach and entertain children. And the possibility of getting to work with Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Grover, well…that’s just a dream come true.”

“Sesame Street” has been a popular children’s educational program for more than 40 years, featuring characters including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Grover.

For more information, please visit www.apecomics.com or www.sesameworkshop.org.

- Matt Price

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

Brad Meltzer

Best-selling novelist Brad Meltzer returns to television on Wednesday with the second season of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded,” a series that digs into the hidden secrets behind codes and mysteries. The series, which airs on History, will for the first time tackle mysteries overseas as well as in the United States.
With the success of the first season, the show has an expanded budget to track down even bigger mysteries.

“When you’re a first season show, and I say, ‘Hey, listen I’d really would love to go look at this thing for Adolf Hitler.’ They said to me, ‘That’s great Brad, we’re not flying the crew and the cast and everyone over to Europe for a show that we don’t know if it’s going to work,’” Meltzer said in a phone interview promoting the second season.

“Once it worked, they said, you know what, ‘OK, give us your bigger mysteries now.’”

Meltzer is working with a team of investigators on these mysteries. Meltzer’s team of experts includes Buddy Levy, a professor and journalist; Christine McKinley, a mechanical engineer, and Scott Rolle, a trial lawyer.

Mysteries explored during the second season of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” include Adolf Hitler’s search for a supposed magical object; the real secret meaning behind Mount Rushmore; and multiple mysteries surrounding the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

“The most-asked question at the National Archives … is people saying, ‘Is there really a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence?’” Meltzer said.

“There is of course no treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence,” Meltzer said. “That was the movie ‘National Treasure,’ that was all fiction. But here’s what really is on the Declaration of Independence. A handprint. It’s a handprint that nobody knows who the handprint belongs to. That’s not just a great story, it’s a great mystery.”

Meltzer is the author of seven novels, The New York Times nonfiction best-seller “Heroes For My Son” and comic books for DC Comics and Dark Horse. His newest thriller, “The Inner Circle,” was released in paperback last week. He’s working on another nonfiction book, “Heroes For My Daughter.”

Meltzer previously worked with the Department of Homeland Security’s Red Cell program, which tasked him with exploring new ways terrorists might attack the United States.

Meltzer’s connections allow him and his team to get access to some previously unseen areas.

“When we do the episode about Fort Knox, I use my contacts at Fort Knox, because I went to speak there three months ago,” he said. “When we do Mount Rushmore, you’re going to see inside Mount Rushmore in a way you never saw.”

Other episodes of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” will look at the Vatican, Billy the Kid and the possible murder of Gen. George S. Patton.

“People can tell you what the so-called facts are, but to me, what this show does is it shows people, ask the hard question, and you’re going to get the answer. Keep asking the question,” he said. “History’s not just ever one answer. What history is, is a bunch of perspectives. And we try to square them all together.”

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

“Green Lantern: The Animated Series” will be among the properties promoted by Warner Bros. Television at New York Comic-Con next weekend.  Stars and producers of Nikita, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and MAD will appear on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16.

The world premiere of the first episode of “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” (coming soon to Cartoon Network) will be presented by Bruce Timm during the show’s panel session.

Click past the cut for the full Warner Bros. Television schedule at NYCC.

- Matt Price

Here is the complete WBTV and WBA New York Comic Con schedule:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

10:30–11:30 a.m. Green Lantern: The Animated Series World Premiere Screening and Conversation with Bruce Timm — World-renowned producer, artist, animator and Comic Con favorite Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) will be on hand to unveil Green Lantern: The Animated Series, his latest television project from Warner Bros. Animation, coming soon to Cartoon Network. New York Comic Con attendees will be treated to the world premiere screening of this all-new CG action-adventure animated series, and will take part in a moderated Q&A with an animation icon. Room 1A10

1:30–2:00 p.m. Green Lantern: The Animated Series Signing at the DC Comics booth #1254

2:45–3:45 p.m. Nikita Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Nikita returns to NYCC with series stars Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible 3), Shane West (ER) and Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass) joining producer Albert Kim to reveal classified video and information. The second season finds Nikita and Michael on the run with a black box containing the government’s darkest secrets. Leading the hunt for them is Alex … and she knows all of Nikita’s tricks. From Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Nikita airs Fridays at 8/7c on The CW. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nikita and follow The CW on Twitter @CW_network. IGN Theater

5:30–6:00 p.m. Nikita Signing at the DC Comics booth #1254

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. MAD Signing at the DC Comics booth #1254

12:15–1:15 p.m. MAD Special Video Presentation and Q&A — MAD is more than just the best-selling humor magazine in the nation — it’s also the inspiration for the hit animated series from Warner Bros. Animation, now in its second season on Cartoon Network. Find out what’s happening with the Usual Gang of Idiots in this panel featuring MAD Magazine editor John Ficarra, art director Sam Viviano and MAD series producer Kevin Shinick. MAD airs Mondays at 8:45/7:45c on Cartoon Network. Room 1A24

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.

Jay Faerber, known for his superhero comics “Noble Causes” and “Dynamo 5,” launched a new crime series this month called “Near Death.”  It follows a former hitman named Markham as he tries to make amends for his misdeeds after a near-death experience.  Faerber is also a writer on the Sarah Michelle Gellar series “Ringer.”  “Ringer” airs Tuesday nights on the CW.  Faerber recently talked to The Oklahoman about his new comic-book series.  Here’s what Faerber said about crime fiction, his inspirations, and working in TV and comics at the same time.

NERDAGE: What kind of crime fiction do you like to read? Were any particular inspirations for Near Death?

JAY FAERBER: Right now, Lee Child and Robert Crais are my favorite two crime authors, although you could arguably say they’re more thriller writers than crime writers. But I love their stuff. Robert B. Parker was also a huge influence on my writing in general, going as far back as high school.

Those authors influenced NEAR DEATH, as did TV writer-turned-novelist Stephen J. Cannell. He cranked out tons of cop-and-private-eye shows in the 1980s and was another huge influence on my writing. The character of Markham (right down to the fact that he has no first name) owes a lot to 80s TV shows.

NERDAGE: There’s a bit of a possibly supernatural element in issue 1, but everything else is played pretty straight. Are the rules of the Near Death world the same, basically, as our own?

JAY FAERBER: Yeah, we won’t be dwelling on the supernatural stuff at all. If anything, it’s an inciting incident and it’s something only Markham saw. For all we know it could’ve been a delusion.

NERDAGE: How would you pitch this book to a potential reader?

JAY FAERBER: NEAR DEATH is about a hitman who has a “near death experience” and gets a glimpse of Hell. What he sees has such an effect on him that he vows to change his life and try to balance the scales by saving a life for every life he’s taken. So each issue of the book features Markham on a mission to save a new person. Most issues are self-contained, done-in-one stories. You can jump in at any time. I want to keep the book as accessible as possible.

We’re launching it at a time when DC is relaunching every single one of its titles. The competition’s a bit daunting but hopefully that means there are more people coming into comic shops this month, and I’d like to think some of them will want to sample stuff outside DC and Marvel.

NEAR DEATH is a big departure for me — it’s not about families or super-heroes, and I think it’s going to surprise some people. It really should appeal to people who enjoy CRIMINAL and STUMPTOWN and Darwyn Cooke’s PARKER adaptations.

NERDAGE: What appeals to you about Markham? Is he on the road to redemption?

JAY FAERBER: I’ve always been attracted to the idea of a bad guy trying to go straight. What interests me about Markham in particular is that he’s trying to go straight for purely selfish reasons — he’s afraid of what’s going to happen to him when he dies. He doesn’t actually care about the people he’s protecting. He’s still a bit of a sociopath. So the question becomes: is a man a hero if he does good things for a selfish reason? Or do his motives have to be pure? I think it’s an interesting question to explore as we tell crime stories.

NERDAGE: Tell me about working with artist Simone Guglielmini.

JAY FAERBER: Simone is a dream come true. He’s fast, easy to work with, disciplined, and his style and influences are perfectly aligned with NEAR DEATH. I found him online and we’ve never even spoken, much less met. But he’s already become one of my favorite collaborators.

NERDAGE: You’re now working on the TV show “Ringer” and continuing your comics career. What are the things you enjoy about each field?

JAY FAERBER: We’re in the middle of shooting my first episode of RINGER, and I gotta tell you — there’s nothing like seeing words you’ve written spoken out loud by actors. It’s pretty awesome. While both mediums are collaborative, with comic books the actual writing is fairly solitary. When you’re working for Marvel and DC you get notes from editors and such, but with Image, I have complete creative control. The collaboration doesn’t start until the script is sent to the artist. With TV, the entire writing process is collaborative. We break stories as a group, in the writers room. And it’s not until a story is thoroughly worked out that an individual writer goes off and writes the script.

Both methods have their pros and cons, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have a steady TV gig AND a monthly comic book series, so I get the best of both worlds.

NERDAGE: Anything else you want to share?

JAY FAERBER: Read NEAR DEATH and watch RINGER (Tuesdays on the The CW)!

- Matt Price

The “Castle” graphic novel will make an appearance in tonight’s superhero-themed episode of “Castle,” starring Nathan Fillion.  Click past the cut for Marvel’s news release.  The graphic novel will be released Wednesday, Sept. 28.

From Marvel:

Do super heroes roam the streets of New York City? That’s the question everyone’s asking on an all-new episode of the hit series Castle, airing 10:01-11:00 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network, which also features an on-air appearance the hotly anticipated Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm original graphic novel! When an ex-con is mysteriously slain in an alley, Castle and Beckett believe a vigilante is behind the murder. But efforts to identify their suspect are thwarted when they discover that he roams the city dressed as a super hero — and may just be one! It’s a race against time to stop this killer before he strikes again!

Check out an exclusive clip from the episode right now at: http://marvel.com/news/story/16712/castle_deadly_storm_appears_on_tonights_all-new_episode

And don’t miss the release of Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm on September 28th, everywhere books and comics are sold, as well as on the Marvel Comics app for iOS devices.

“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

The Walking Dead season 2, based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, will start on AMC in October. The network just released the above teaser. Also, click past the cut for the promotional poster for season 2.

- Matt Price

Deadline reports that the CW will attempt to bring another DC Comics-based show to the network.  “Deadman” will be based on the comic book, created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino, and famously illustrated by Neal Adams.   Boston Brand is a murdered circus acrobat whose spirit can inhabit other people and help them solve problems in their lives.

I can see how this would work on TV – it’s sort of a ghostly “Quantum Leap” or “Fugitive.”  The show is being written and executive produced by “Supernatural” creator Eric Kripke.

“We’re looking next year to do a superhero show if the right superhero comes to be,” CW president Mark Pedowitz said at TCA last month, as quoted by Deadline.

A volume of Deadman’s “Strange Adventure” tales was released in paperback in May.

- Matt Price

Charisma Carpenter on "Burn Notice."

Former “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” star Charisma Carpenter will be visible in this fall’s television.   The Hollywood Reporter shares the above photo, and notes Carpenter will appear on USA’s “Burn Notice” in season 5.

She’ll appear as a Russian trophy wife in the eleventh episode of Season 5 who will be used by the “Burn Notice” team as bait in a trap for her husband.

Zap2it reports that Carpenter will rejoin her “Buffy” co-star James Marsters on this season of “Supernatural.”  The pair will play a married couple in season 7′s fifth episode, called “Shut Up, Dr. Phil.”

Carpenter is scheduled to attend the 2011 Wizard World Austin convention from Nov. 10-12.

- Matt Price
Click past the cut for more photos of Charisma Carpenter.

Julie Newmar as Catwoman

Happy birthday to one hot Catwoman, Julie Newmar, who was the first actress to play the character on the 1960s television series “Batman.”

Last year, she voiced Bruce Wayne’s mother Martha on an episode of the animated “The Brave and the Bold.”

- Matt Price

Kirk Douglas shows deep interest, going over lines with co-star Julie Newmar on Oct. 15, 1962 in her Hollywood dressing room. They are rehearsing their lines for film 'Three on a Match." (AP Photo/Don Brinn)

“Superheroes,” a documentary focusing on the phenomenon of “real life superheroes,” airs on HBO on Monday night.

It’s directed by Michael Barnett and produced by Theodore James.   Filmed over the course of a year in 15 cities, the documentary looks at these everyday men and women who have decided to don costumes and “fight crime” in a variety of ways.

- Matt Price