Yahoo Movies debuted a banner featuring Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth as Thor, for the upcoming film “The Avengers,” set for a May 4, 2012 release.  The film is directed by Joss Whedon.

The Avengers who haven’t had their own solo movies as yet, plus one villain, are found on a second banner via Moviefone.  Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury,Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow round out the second banner, which can be seen at Moviefone or by clicking past the cut.

- Matt Price

Marvel Comics’ top-tier team of superheroes stars in “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” which features Thor, Iron Man and Captain America, among others.

With “The Avengers” set to come to theaters in 2012, it’s a nice bit of multimedia synergy — but it’s a well-done animated series, as well, culling bits from both the classic and “Ultimate” lines of Marvel Comics, as well as the cinematic universe, to create a hybrid that takes the best of all worlds.

In the third volume, the Avengers face the Masters of Evil, a group of Avengers foes gathered by Captain America’s enemy, Baron Zemo. Though the Avengers appear to be down for the count after Zemo attacks their mansion, Zemo hasn’t accounted for the bowman Hawkeye or the Wakandan king Black Panther, two Avengers who weren’t there at the time.

The second episode on the set, “459,” brings the Kree warrior Captain Mar-Vell into the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” continuity, as an alien sentry comes to Earth as a harbinger of interstellar war.

A three-part storyline features the time-traveling dictator Kang the Conqueror and is reminiscent of the great Kang storylines from the Avengers comics.

And in “Widow’s Sting,” Hawkeye and Mockingbird are on the trail of the apparent double-agent the Black Widow.

Eric Loomis brings a Robert Downey Jr.-esque flair to the brash, sarcastic Iron Man, and veteran voice actor Fred Tatasciore returns as the Hulk after playing the character in direct-to-DVD films and video games. Brian Bloom (“As the World Turns”) voices the heroic Captain America, while Rick Wasserman (“24”) plays the Norse god of thunder, Thor.

There’s some anime influence, but “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” animation style is probably somewhere between Marvel’s more traditional superhero style and a full-on anime production. It’s similar in look to the recent “Wolverine and the X-Men” as far as art style is concerned. Former “X-Force” comics writer Christopher Yost is the series’ head writer and story editor, and wrote the “Masters of Evil” episode included in this collection.

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Chris Hemsworth in "Thor." (Mark Fellman/Marvel Studios)

The Hollywood Reporter states Disney’s Lone Ranger will be released on May 31, 2013.  As part of the shuffle, “Thor 2″ will move from July 26, 2013 to Nov. 15, 2013.

Taking the spot previously held by “Thor 2,” “Phineas and Ferb” will hit theaters on July 26, 2013.

According to THR,  budget negotiations caused the “Lone Ranger” to miss its original autumn start date.   Johnny Depp will star as Tonto in the film, which is to be directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Nerdage favorite Don Payne is on board to write “Thor 2.”  Patty Jenkins is in talks to direct.

- Matt Price

Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr in "The Avengers."

Get your first extended look at Marvel’s “The Avengers” with a new trailer released today at Apple.

The film, directed by Joss Whedon, stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

- Matt Price

Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson in "Thor."

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 Friday’s release of the “Thor” DVD.

SHIELD is Marvel’s high-tech superspy agency led by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). When Thor’s hammer lands in New Mexico and is giving off strange readings, SHIELD sets up shop to analyze the artifact.

Coulson comes into conflict with Thor (Chris Hemsworth), an Asgardian god cast to Earth by his father, Odin, when Thor tries to retrieve his hammer. Coulson has to become a little more aggressive in “Thor,” as he leads a team of agents protecting the hammer.

Gregg was impressed with Hemsworth’s abilities as the lead character.

“That seems really hard. He’s got to be this ultimate warrior, and at the same time, he’s got to be this Shakespearean prince,” Gregg said.

Coulson helps tie together the Marvel films in a new short, “The Consultant,” which will appear on the “Thor” Blu-ray.

“It was hugely cool,” Gregg said. “I just love that they wanted to go further with SHIELD and Coulson. They’ve been evolving who SHIELD is and who Coulson is.”

Meanwhile, Coulson’s role as something of a point-of-view character in this world of superheroes and thunder gods has made him a fan favorite.

“It’s really fun for me,” Gregg said. “You can feel that the audience will be discovering this or that. (And) he’s not afraid to say something sarcastic,” Gregg said.

The fans have taken to Coulson’s deftness and quick wit, and they share their love of the character with Gregg.

“I’m so kind of flattered and blown away by that,” he said. “People send T-shirts and make really amazing art.”

Coulson was created for the films but has appeared in comic books based on the film’s continuity since, including “Iron Man 2: Agents of SHIELD,” set between “Iron Man” 1 and 2, and “Security Measures,” collected in the “I Am Iron Man” trade paperback.

Whedon recently told MTV that he found places during the filming of “The Avengers” to increase Agent Coulson’s screen time. “There were things that during the writing, I was like, ‘I need something more here … Oh, Coulson!’ and he just, he comes up every time,” Whedon said at MTV’s Splash Page. “Clark is such a wonderful guy but also such a precise actor.”

Gregg laughed off such compliments — “I had to pay a lot for him to say that,” he said — but shared praise on working with Whedon and the all-star “Avengers” cast, which includes Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America.

Gregg also is dipping into Marvel’s animated world, voicing Coulson in the upcoming “Ultimate Spider-Man” cartoon series.

Gregg said it’s exciting to put Coulson into “the whole Peter Parker, Aunt May world,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to happen in any other milieu.”

Gregg, who also writes and directs, will be a triple-threat in the upcoming “Trust Me,” a noirish comedy which he wrote and will star in and direct.

“I definitely wrote this character pretty much for myself,” he said. “I didn’t feel like handing it off to someone else.”

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and the agents of SHIELD were revealed in promotional art from Marvel at Comic-Con International.   Along with Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye and the Black Widow, they’ll be the focus of “The Avengers,” being directed by Joss Whedon for a 2012 release.

Kyle Roberts and Matt Price have a giveaway of “Thor: Tales of Asgard” with this week’s Planet 46 Comics podcast. Just leave a comment below with your favorite Thor character.

Also this week:
Matt and Kyle discuss the DC Comics relaunch (we say “reboot” a few times because we filmed this before the “this is not a reboot” e-mail). We look at the Marvel Comics death in Fear Itself #3 and its possible impact. We discuss the planned 2012 return of Valiant Comics with former Marvel Comics CEO Peter Cuneo. And we discuss X-Men: First Class.

REVIEW FILE: Flashpoint #2, Amazing Spider-Man #663, Criminal: Last of the Innocent #1

Comics read in 2011: 741. Still to go: 1270

Chris Hemsworth (AP)

Chris Hemsworth, who stars as the Marvel Comics hero Thor in the film by that name currently in theaters, comes in at No. 10 on Nerdage’s list of actors with geek appeal.

Hemsworth talked to Nerdage about playing Marvel’s god of thunder.

“He has a great sense of humor. He likes to have fun. Even among all that arrogance and what have you, there’s a real fun side to him, too,” Hemsworth said. “And I tried to bring that part of me out in the character.”

Hemsworth is currently filming “Avengers,” set for 2012 release, which will bring together Thor, Captain America and Iron Man in one film.

He was previously seen in 2009′s “Star Trek” as George Kirk, father to the famous Captain James Tiberius Kirk.    He’s slated to appear in “Snow White and the Huntsman,” also planned for a 2012 release.

- Matt Price

Natalie Portman (AP)

With an Academy Award-winning performance in the film “Black Swan,”  Natalie Portman has had a fantastic year.   Her success there, plus her background in genre films like the “Star Wars” prequels and comic-book based films like “V for Vendetta” and “Thor” make her the No. 16 actress with geek appeal on Nerdage’s top 25 list.

Portman has had a busy spring, starring in “No Strings Attached” and “Your Highness” before kicking off the summer movie season with “Thor.”

She starred as astrophysicist Jane Foster in the film, which stars Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god of thunder.

She talked to Nerdage about making the Foster character more realistic.

“Ken and I talked a lot before we started about how to make Jane like a realistic scientist on screen, not just make her someone like the Denise Richards in Bond with the glasses and so she’s a scientist,” she said. “But we talked about how real scientists are kind of like artists. They’re able to imagine things that aren’t there.”

Portman is pregnant with her first child, with Benjamin Millipied, who was her choreographer in “Black Swan.”

- Matt Price

SAN DIEGO — Director Kenneth Branagh said he and the team working on “Thor” looked to the original comics for inspiration but were very cognizant of making the tone appropriate for the film as well. Like many of the original “Thor” and “Journey Into Mystery” comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Branagh wanted the film to spend time both in Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods, and on Earth.

“I was passionate that we should have a contemporary Earth sequence to the movie,” Branagh said. “I believe, (as) they do in the comics, that we can live in both places and people can travel maybe to both places potentially and that we can find the tone.”

The tone, which had to encompass both the grandiose world of Asgard and Thor’s fish-out-of-water sequences in New Mexico, was a key issue, Branagh said at Comic-Con. He said props and production designer Bo Welch and Academy Award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne were inspired by the comics but also tried to present imaginative textures and elements.

“When you know that people travel through space, when they live in the world of gods, it isn’t just a question of just metal or just molded kind of human material,” Branagh said. “So we’d always just try to look at it, see what we saw in the comic and then try and reinvent, re-imagine, go back to some original source. That got everybody very excited, so you want to try to be pure and classical in it but bring in new twists.”

The Marvel Comics adaptation of the Norse gods’ world of Asgard was originally designed by artist Jack Kirby, co-creator of Marvel characters including Thor, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Branagh said they wanted the film’s Asgard to have a sense of scope.

“We wanted a mammoth quality to Asgard, having monumental buildings,” Branagh said. “If you walk around the city of Rome, and you look up on any street corner, there’s just a sort of massivity that would have kept people visiting that place in ancient Rome awed. So we wanted to have Asgard awe its inhabitants by its size, its magnificence, its beauty, its goldenness, all of that but that it had a heft and wasn’t kind of airy fairy.”

Branagh said it was fun to work on a movie that was part of a larger movie tapestry.

“Thor” will tie in to next year’s “The Avengers,” and has connections to “Iron Man 2” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” directed by Joe Johnston.

“The fun thing is when you know, and you go and see Iron Man 2,” Branagh said. “You get a couple of lines saying, ‘Clark has to get down to New Mexico. We have a little bit of a problem down there.’ You know we’re the problem! We’ve got a couple of little nods heading Joe’s way with our picture.”

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Left to right: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in THOR, from Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment.

“Thor” remained atop the box office for a second week, with a $34.5 million weekend, Moviefone reports.

The film’s 10-day total domestically is $119.3 million.   The 48 percent drop actually isn’t too bad for a summer superhero blockbuster; “Wolverine: Origins” fell 69 percent in its second weekend in 2009.

“Thor” is doing even better overseas, where it’s been open for an additional week – Box Office Mojo reports “Thor” has made $225 million internationally.

The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Natalie Portman as his earthbound love interest, Jane Foster.

Coming in second was ‘Bridesmaids,’ $24.4 million, followed by ‘Fast Five,’ $19.5 million; ‘Priest,’ $14.5 million (based on the Tokyopop graphic novels); and ‘Rio,’ $8.0 million.

- Matt Price

Jeremy Renner (AP)

Nerdage’s #23 actor with geek appeal, Jeremy Renner, has been signed to play Marvel’s battling bowman, Hawkeye, in the 2012 film “The Avengers,” to be directed by Joss Whedon.

Renner is a two-time Oscar nominee who has also set his sights on a Steve McQueen biopic and on starring in the next “Bourne” film, “The Bourne Legacy.”

- Matt Price

Here’s an abbreviated rundown of several comics I’ve read over the past 2 weeks, but haven’t had time to post about.

Herc 1-2 – Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak are writing a street-level Herc in a fish out of water type tale that should appeal to fans of the “Thor” movie.  Artist Neil Edwards has a touch of classic John Byrne to him.   It’s a good mix of action and humor that I hope finds an audience.

Avengers 12, 12.1 – Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr. wrap up the Infinity Gauntlet storyline.  In 12.1, Bendis and Bryan Hitch create a standalone adventure with Ultron, tying into Tony Stark’s map of the future.

Incredible Hulks 626-627 – Hulk, in James Bond-style wear, tries to stop the opening of Pandora’s Box.  Tom Grummett is always a capable artist, and Greg Pak has written some great Hulk stories.

Ruse #1 - Reintroducing the detective series from CrossGen written by Mark Waid.  Loved the original series, liked this. Will stick it out through the run.

Mighty Thor #1 - Matt Fraction’s Thor is solid and well-done, but the #1 is more for the movie folks; it’s not dramatically different from what Fraction has been doing.  OK, but not fantastic.

Action Comics #900 - The “citizenship” back-up story overshadowed in the press the main event of the conclusion of Paul Cornell’s Lex Luthor arc.  But Cornell finishes up well here, if you can find a copy. (Second print is coming.)

Avengers Academy 11-12 - The Academy kids are powered up by becoming future versions of themselves to face Korvac.  An underrated Avengers book.  Written by Christos Gage.

Superman #710 – I’ve liked the “Grounded” storyline better since Chris Roberson has been involved.  This team-up with Batman isn’t earth-shaking, but it’s acceptable.

Skaar King of the Savage Land #1 - This first issue of a 5-issue mini manages to be fun and engaging as Rob Williams and Brian Ching follow the son of the Hulk in the Savage Land.   Cool visuals include Skaar fighting dinosaurs, which is totally a selling point for this book.

Starman/Congorilla 1 – James Robinson and Brett Booth create sort of a superhero version of a buddy cop film; one’s a blue alien, the other’s a man in a gorilla’s body.

Older stuff:

John Carter, Warlord of Mars 1-10: Gil Kane and Roy Thomas were the creative team on this adaptation of the Barsoom (aka Mars) stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Dave Cockrum inks the first issue.  If you want a more science-fictional Tarzan-style story, this is it.   The first 10 issues are an ongoing original story by Thomas, rather than an adaptation of an existing story.  “Air Pirates of Mars” features Carter and Dejah Thoris facing off against a splinter group who want to end Carter’s influence on Mars.   After issue 1, Kane’s layouts were finished by Rudy Nebres.

- Matt Price
Comics read in 2011: 618. Still to go: 1393.

Chris Hemsworth in "Thor." (Mark Fellman/Marvel Studios)

According to Box Office Mojo, the Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures film “Thor” opened with $66 million in box office earnings over the weekend.

That’s behind last weekend’s “Fast Five,” which made $85.2 million, falling to $32.5 million this weekend.

Box Office Mojo report’s “Thor’s” $66 million is the third highest first-weekend gross yet for the beginning of a Marvel movie franchise, behind “Spider-Man” and “Iron Man,” but as far as estimated attendance, it would rank behind “Hulk” “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” as well. About 60 percent of “Thor’s” box office came from 3-D screenings of the film.

“Thor” stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Tom Hiddleston as Loki.  It was directed by Kenneth Branagh.

- Matt Price

Thor: Tales of Asgard

A young Thor stars in “Thor: Tales of Asgard,” a direct to DVD and Blu-ray Marvel animated film that explores the youth of the god of thunder. Before the days when he wields the powerful hammer Mjolnir, this young Thor (“Matthew Wolf”) is a brash young prince who bristles against control and craves praise.

Wrapped in a painted cover by Alex Ross (“Kingdom Come,” “Marvels”), the “Tales of Asgard” DVD explores a quest by Thor for the legendary Lost Sword of Surtur.

As Thor nears adulthood, he has never explored beyond the borders of Asgard. As the prince of the fantastic realm, he’s not had to challenge himself — everyone kowtows to his wishes. His worldview is challenged only by Sif (Tara Strong), a female friend who has had to battle the patriarchy of Asgard — and eventually leaves — to get her chance as a warrior.

The Warriors Three — Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg — embark on a journey along with Thor to find the sword, the quest for which Thor sees as a test of his burgeoning adulthood. The group is joined by Thor’s brother, Loki (Rick Gomez), who begins the film as Thor’s biggest fan.

The group expects a simple treasure hunt, but more danger is at hand than they realized. The heroes journey to Jotunheim, home of the Frost Giants, as they seek the sword. Their actions kindle hidden aggressions that threaten Asgard itself.

The fantasy tale has sharp animation and rollicking adventure, and should satisfy fans of the genre.

Extras include an audio commentary with supervising producer Craig Kyle and screenwriter Greg Johnson; a second audio commentary with supervising director Gary Hartle, animation director Sam Liu and character designer Phil Bourassa; a featurette on the making of the film; and a bonus episode of “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

CHRIS HEMSWORTH STARS IN THOR, READIES FOR THE AVENGERS

“Thor” star Chris Hemsworth talks getting ready for the Avengers and a possible Thor sequel.

Chris Hemsworth (AP)

“I had such an amazing time … can’t wait for Avengers, and the idea of doing more of them is incredibly exciting. I really do love the character, and I’m excited to see what other directions we could take it,” Hemsworth said in a phone interview.”I’ve hung out with Chris Evans a few times, and talked about the film and how excited we are, and the same with Downey, I’ve bumped into him at a couple of events,” he said. “We’ve all seen these characters come to life individually, and now to mesh it all together is going to be a fun ride.”

NEW GREEN LANTERN TRAILER

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for “Green Lantern,” opening June 17 and starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, chosen to be a Green Lantern, a member of an intergalactic peacekeeping force. Warner Bros. seems to be upping the epic feel for this one, as you get a sense of Hal Jordan as the newest member of this awesome peacekeeping force.

Speaking of Green Lantern, he’ll have a comic book featured in Saturday’s

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

For the 10th year, comic book shops and participating locations around the world will give away comics to customers and visitors. This Saturday marks the 10th celebration of Free Comic Book Day. Characters such as Spider-Man, Thor, Green Lantern and the Smurfs star in special comics, sold at low cost to stores, to be given away free on this special day.

Free Comic Book Day was created by Concord, Calif., comic book retailer Joe Field, ComicsPRO trade organization president and owner of Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff.

Field said about 2.7 million comics will be available for giveaway Saturday. Retailers have given away more than 25 million comics since the first giveaway in 2002. More than a dozen stores in the Oklahoma City area are participating.

REVIEW FILE: Axe Cop 3, Fear Itself 2.

- Matt Price
Comics read in 2011: 594  Still to go: 1417

Chris Hemsworth at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Photo by Annette Price

SAN DIEGO — In Marvel Entertainment’s “Thor,” based on the long-running comic-book series, star Chris Hemsworth plays the mythical god of thunder, cast to Earth by his father to learn humility.

While Hemsworth said he wouldn’t say he has Thor’s arrogance, he did relate to Thor’s fun side.

“He has a great sense of humor. He likes to have fun. Even among all that arrogance and what have you, there’s a real fun side to him, too,” Hemsworth said in a recent interview promoting the film. “And I tried to bring that part of me out in the character.”

Though Thor knows how to have a good time, whether out with his buddies or battling frost giants, his relationship with his family isn’t all fun and games. His father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), isn’t sure Thor is ready to rule Asgard, the dimension in which the beings once worshipped as Norse gods live. And his brother, Loki, seems to harbor some resentment toward Thor’s firstborn right to rule.

“There’s very much a relatable story with a sort of father-son aspect, and then brothers, and there’s a family, sort of complicated family,” Hemsworth said at Comic-Con. The actor said he’s attracted to scripts with familial elements.

In fact, Hemsworth’s younger brother, Liam, also had been up for the role of Thor.

“We both auditioned for it funny enough. I had an audition, didn’t hear anything, then he was in Australia and sent a tape across,” Hemsworth said. Liam auditioned for director Kenneth Branagh, but when Liam didn’t get the role, Hemsworth said he pumped his brother for some tips.

“I got some advice, and here we are,” Hemsworth said.

Hemsworth said since Thor doesn’t wear a mask, there were fewer opportunities to sub him out for a stuntman than in some other superhero films.

“Because it wasn’t like Iron Man, or Batman, or Spider-Man, where he wears a mask,” Hemsworth said. “It was my face. So I certainly had to do the majority of it. But that’s the fun stuff, for me. It’s like being a kid again.”

Thor is known for his powerful hammer, Mjolnir, which according to the film was forged in the core of a star. Hemsworth said the movie version of Mjolnir felt pretty powerful, as well.

“The hammer was awesome,” Hemsworth said. “I didn’t want to put it down. In fact, after we’d finished shooting all the stuff in the other worlds, on the big sets with the costumes, and then all of a sudden we had to shoot the earthbound section of the film, where I didn’t have the hammer, I felt naked without it. It became a bit of a security blanket, you know?”

Hemsworth enjoyed the Norse and Viking ties to the Thor legend, and bringing that flavor, as filtered through Marvel Comics, to the silver screen.

“I love the Norse mythology aspect of it all,” he said. “I think the Viking era is fascinating. He has a great journey. He’s a brash, cocky young warrior, and he’s got to learn some humility along the way.”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Chris Hemsworth in "Thor"

Marvel Entertainment unveils a new character in its cinematic pantheon with “Thor,” starring Chris Hemsworth as the otherworldly god of thunder, cast to Earth for his hubris by his father, Odin, the ruler of Asgard.

For the 10th year, comic book shops and participating locations around the world will give away comics to customers and visitors. This Saturday marks the 10th celebration of Free Comic Book Day. Characters such as Spider-Man, Thor, Green Lantern and the Smurfs star in special comics, sold at low cost to stores, to be given away free on this special day.

Free Comic Book Day was created by Concord, Calif., comic book retailer Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff.

Field said about 2.7 million comics will be available for giveaway Saturday. Retailers have given away more than 25 million comics since the first giveaway in 2002. More than a dozen stores in the Oklahoma City area are

Joe Field

participating.

“My hope is that this comics ‘holiday’ inspires more people of all ages and interests to support their local comic shops,” Field said in a recent interview. “I hope FCBD can inspire all of us who work in comics and everyone who loves comics to use FCBD as a launchpad for introducing thousands more readers to the sublime wonders of comics!”

Free Comic Book Day 2011 will be celebrated in 40 countries around the world this year. Field estimated between 300,000 to 500,000 people visit comic shops each year on Free Comic Book Day. Field is also the president of ComicsPRO, the direct-market trade organization for comic shops. More information about the organization is available at www.comicspro.org.

This year, many of the characters starring in summer films also will star in Free Comic Book Day offerings. Thor and Captain America co-star in “Captain America/Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers.” The comic book is by the creative team of the critically acclaimed “Thor: The Mighty Avenger,” writer Roger Langdridge and artist Chris Samnee. It features a time-traveling Captain America from World War II thrown into King Arthur’s Court, where he meets up with Thor, also displaced in time.

Green Lantern also is getting in on the action this year with the “Green Lantern Flashpoint Edition.” It reprints “Green Lantern” No. 30, part of the “Secret Origin” of Green Lantern. The issue also will include a sneak peek at

Green Lantern Flashpoint edition

Flashpoint, DC Comics’ summer event by writer Geoff Johns and artist Andy Kubert.

Though his film is a year away, Spider-Man also has a Free Comic Book Day title, “Amazing Spider-Man” Free Comic Book Day edition, by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos.

DC Comics’ second Free Comic Book Day title features comics based on the animated television programs “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” and “Young Justice.”

If superheroes aren’t your thing, other comics available will feature Archie Comics’ Betty and Veronica; the Smurfs and Geronimo Stilton; Kung-Fu Panda; Mickey Mouse and more.

For more information about Free Comic Book Day, or to find a participating store near you, visit www.freecomicbookday.com.

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

SAN DIEGO — English actor Tom Hiddleston plays the younger brother to the god of thunder in “Thor,” based on the Marvel comic. Known as the god of mischief, Loki both admires and is jealous of his older brother.

A character based on the Norse god Loki first appeared in Marvel Comics in the 1940s. He was brought into the “Thor” mythos in “Journey Into Mystery” No. 85, in October 1962.

The movie, directed by Kenneth Branagh, opens Friday in theaters.

Hiddleston said he and Branagh discussed the various facets of Loki presented in the comics. While Loki is often considered one of the Marvel universe’s greatest villains, his villainy often is rooted in family conflict.

“There was kind of an agent of chaos who would go down to Earth and turn whales into sea serpents and plows into dragons and whole streets of cars in New York into ice cream,” Hiddleston said. “But then there was also this damaged brother, this younger brother who didn’t receive as much love as his elder brother and who was passed over, rejected, betrayed, and I think that became really interesting for both of us actually.”

In “Thor,” Loki’s brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is banished to Earth by his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Loki takes advantage of the situation and attempts to maneuver himself closer to the throne of Asgard.

Hiddleston and Branagh decided that Loki should be played as if his mischief spun from his psychological pain.

“He was never going to be king and he wished that he could, so all of his stuff comes from wanting to please his father,” Hiddleston said.

A reveal about Loki’s past during the “Thor” movie — also present in the comic books — only deepens Loki’s pain.

“It was rooted in that,” Hiddleston said. “I found the duality of that, the sort of he’s a villain, he has a lot of fun, he’s a mischievous prankster, but at the same time he’s in deep, deep pain.”

Hiddleston said Branagh instructed him to look at two Peter O’Toole performances — “The Lion in Winter” and “Lawrence of Arabia — to help inform his role as Loki.

“I mean, two magnificent performances,” Hiddleston said. “What’s interesting about ‘The Lion in Winter’ is he plays King Henry, and what’s beautiful about his performance is that you see how damaged he is. And there’s a rawness. It’s almost as if he’s living with a layer of skin peeled away. He’s grandiose and teary, and in a moment, by turns, hilarious and then terrifying. What we wanted was that kind of emotional volatility.”

A recent news release from Marvel indicated that Hiddleston will return to the role of Loki in “The Avengers,” the 2012 film directed by Joss Whedon featuring superheroes Thor, Captain America and Iron Man.

- By Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman

Chris Hemsworth at Comic-Con International (AP)

Chris Hemsworth will star as the Marvel Comics hero Thor in this Friday’s film, “Thor.”  I talked to Chris Hemsworth twice in the past year – once recently by phone, and another time in person at Comic-Con International in San Diego.  Both times, reading in preparation for the role of Thor came up.  Here’s what he said.

Actor Chris Hemsworth, recipient of the Male Star of Tomorrow award, poses for photographers at the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards, Thursday, March 31, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/ Chris Pizzello)

What reading influenced your portrayal?

Chris Hemsworth: I read a lot of different comic books, and went back into the Norse mythology of it all, and the sort of Viking era, to work out sort of why they were the way they were, these people, and what sort of lifestyle dictated Thor heading in this direction. It was all very beneficial. It all helped to fill the think-tank with ideas and inspirations, and it was also a good read, you know?

What did Kenneth Branagh give you to help prepare?

Chris Hemsworth:  Ken gave me Siddhartha, actually, a Herman Hesse book about a man trying to find his place in life and going through all the temptations. Thor in effect was different to Siddhartha but it was a human being trying to find out his purpose and how he was going to go about his life. That was the same thing. Ken said, ‘Look, this was a just great book that I loved. It might give you something for the film or it might just personally.’ It’s certainly one of my favorite books.

What were your favorite moments from the comics?

Chris Hemsworth: The stuff with The Avengers I really liked. There’s one particular one where they approach him and Thor’s sitting on a beach in a party or something. There’s fire and people sitting around playing guitar. Thor’s there drinking a beer and up walk out SHIELD and I think Iron Man. They’re like, ‘Supposedly you’re a god and we want you to join our team.” He’s like, ‘Psh, I’m not joining nothing.’ I think one of them says something like, ‘I don’t believe he’s a god anyway.’ Thor makes big rain and thunder and they scurry away. I enjoyed that moment.

Look for more from Chris Hemsworth in this Friday’s Weekend Look!

– Matt Price

Kat Dennings in "Thor."

Though the “Thor” film, opening Friday, is about the Norse god of Thunder, co-star Kat Dennings says the film has some female empowerment as well.

Dennings, 25, plays Darcy Lewis, a sidekick to Natalie Portman’s astrophysicist, Jane Foster.

“There is a pretty great female presence in the film with Jane Foster and Darcy and Sif also, and Frigga, Thor’s mother,” Dennings said promoting the film at Comic-Con.

Rene Russo plays Thor’s mother, Frigga, while Sif is played by Jaimie Alexander (“Kyle XY”).

Dennings said she’s partial to the friendship Jane and Darcy share, something that’s new to this iteration of the “Thor” mythos.

“I really like, not to be biased, but I really like our relationship in the movie,” she said.

Kat Dennings at Comic-Con (AP)

Darcy looks up to the more together Jane in the film.

“Darcy makes food for Jane, and mixes her Kashi in the morning and basically she’s a new invention. She’s not in the comics. She just sort of hopes to be like Jane one day.”

Since Darcy Lewis is a new character who hasn’t appeared in the Marvel Comics on which the movie is based, Dennings said she didn’t have any particular comic-book counterpart to embody.

“I’ve read a lot of the comic books just growing up, and I sort of felt, for me anyway, that I should sort of view the script as its own thing and not try to compare and contrast the previous stuff, and just treat it like its own little universe,” she said. “And Darcy wasn’t in the comics, so I didn’t have to worry about continuity or anything like that.”

Dennings said working with director Kenneth Branagh, a successful actor in films including “Hamlet” and “Henry V,” was an “amazing experience.”

“He’s someone I always idolized for acting,” Dennings said. “I’ve seen ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at least 800,000 times. He’s just so gifted in that there isn’t one moment that wasn’t explained thoroughly. There wasn’t a second, for me at least, that I didn’t completely understand what was going on, because he tells you everything, and he makes sure you’re not feeling lost. I can’t say enough.”

Dennings said Branagh asked questions of his actors that would lead them to their own solution to what the character is going through.

“The fact that you had to come up with it yourself really made it part of you and inside of you,” Dennings said. “It was a really amazing experience, and he has infinite ideas for how to attack something and just infinite good mood. That’s crazy. Every day was fun.”

- By Matthew Price
From Sunday’s The Oklahoman

For the big-budget Marvel Studios adaptation of “Thor,” the filmmakers made some changes to the character of Jane Foster, introduced way back in 1962′s “Journey Into Mystery” No. 84 as a nurse.

Natalie Portman, an Academy Award winner for “Black Swan,” plays the character in the upcoming “Thor” movie and says the character takes into account the way women’s roles have changed since the 1960s.

“Jane in the comic books is a nurse, and now she’s an astrophysics doctoral candidate,” Portman said. “Things have been updated. Women can be scientists in different ways now.”

“Thor” stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular character, the thunder god of myth who has been exiled to Earth by his father, Odin. On Earth, he meets up with Foster.

“She has some family things that echo Thor’s familial situation, so that there’s that sort of a bond between them,” Portman said. “Obviously, they have a common quest because he’s trying to get back home, and her whole interest of study is these connections between dimensions.”

Portman and director Kenneth Branagh wanted to make the character of Foster believable as a scientist.

“Ken and I talked a lot before we started about how to make Jane like a realistic scientist on screen, not just make her someone like the Denise Richards in Bond with the glasses and so she’s a scientist,” she said. “But we talked about how real scientists are kind of like artists. They’re able to imagine things that aren’t there.”

Foster has been portrayed with various looks and motivations throughout the comic book character’s near-50-year run. Portman said the “Thor” film had to distill all of the characters and storylines down to fit into a 2:10 running time.

“The challenge, more for the writers than for us even, but for the writers and for Ken as the director, is finding one tone, choosing which of the stories to tell, because obviously all of these are sagas that have gone on for decades,” she said.

Though many things have changed from the comic-book series, Portman said one element that remained was Jane Foster as a grounding force for Thor.

“I think definitely that is part of her role in the movie,” she said. “It sort of grounds him. He’s exiled to Earth to learn humility. I think her earthiness is part of, hopefully, what transforms him. There are definitely changes in the character from the comic books, but that is certainly one of the things that has stayed.”

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Click past the cut for more photos

In a letter posted at Whedonesque on April 24, director Joss Whedon confirms that the “Avengers” start date is today, Monday, April 25.

Whedon writes:

Joss Whedon (AP)

Anyhoo, it should be a fun day, followed by the eighty thousand other fun days it will take to finish this. I’ll be checking in from time to time, if there’s news or I crave attention (i.e. am awake) . None of it will be Avengers news — I have some very denty pillows to remind of that — but I may have tidbits.

The Avengers stars Chris Evans as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk.  Jeremy Renner will appear in The Avengers as Hawkeye.

- Matt Price

Marvel has released this promotional video for the “Thor” film, spoofing the popular Volkswagen ad featuring Darth Vader from this year’s Super Bowl.

The May issue of D23 magazine will feature information of interest to Marvel fans, according to information provided by D23.

In “What a MARVELous World!,” Stan Lee talks about his excitement to be working with Disney Imagineers.

“It’s great for Marvel to have access to Disney’s brains, because they’re pretty smart, and it’s great for Disney to have all these characters, with their built-in audience,” Lee is quoted as saying.  “It’s one of the wisest things that either company could have done.”

The article also looks at Stan’s history, and ahead to the future of the Marvel Comics film properties.

According to IGN, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige indicates in the summer D23 issue that sequels are on the way for Thor and Captain America, and Marvel hopes to spin out more heroes, besides.

Kevin Feige

“Thor will go off into a new adventure, and Captain America will continue to explore the modern world in another film of his own. We hope that holds true for the characters appearing in that film — Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the spy organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. —all of whom are more than worthy and capable of carrying their own films. And, we’ve got a lot of other characters we’re prepping and getting ready for film debuts: the world of martial arts, these great cosmic space fantasies, Dr. Strange, and the magic side of the Marvel Universe. There are many, many stories to be mined.”

- Matt Price

BRADLEY COOPER IN TALKS FOR THE CROW

Deadline.com reports that Bradley Cooper is in early negotiations to play the lead role in a reboot of the Crow, which would come from Relativity Media and Edward R. Pressman. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo of “28 Weeks Later” is set to direct.

Bradley Cooper.

Cooper next appears in Warner Bros’ The Hangover Part II, which opens May 26.

“The Crow” was a successful comic book by James O’Barr that was the basis of the 1994 film starring Brandon Lee.

HEMSWORTH GOT TOO BIG FOR HIS THOR BRITCHES

According to Hero Complex, Chris Hemsworth, who is playing Thor this spring, took his training a bit too seriously. “[The filmmakers] kept saying ‘Yeah, get as big as you can, as big as you can.’ And then I came back right before Christmas, just before we started the movie, and had a final sort of camera test and put the costume on and within a couple of minutes, my hands started going numb,”

KNEEL BEFORE ZOD

Warner Bros. announced Sunday that Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”) has signed on to Zack Snyder’s reboot of the Superman property. He’ll play General Zod, who in the comics and previous films is a Kryptonian general who comes to earth and has a conflict with Superman. The release also gave the official title of the Superman reboot: “Man of Steel.”

REVIEW FILE Flash 10, GI Joe Cobra Civil War 0, Ultimate Spider-Man 157, Avengers vs. New Ultimates 3, Amazing Spider-Man 658.
Comics read in 2011: 544 Still to go: 1467

“Fear Itself” #1 was released today by Marvel, kicking off this year’s big event from the House of Ideas.   They also released this teaser for issue #2 of the series, by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen.

If you’ve read Fear Itself #1 feel free to share your thoughts below, or what you think of the teaser image for #2!

- Matt Price

Marvel shared today a first look at The Mighty Thor #1, from Eisner Award-winning writer Matt Fraction and Olivier Coipel.

From Marvel: Thor has ushered in a bold new era for the kingdom of Asgard. But when the Silver Surfer suddenly appears to herald the arrival of Galactus in the Odinson’s realm, can the combined might of Thor and his brethren push back the devourer of worlds? World Tree, prepare to meet the World Eater in this terrific starting point for a whole new generation of fans in The Mighty Thor #1, on sale this April!

Click past the cut for the full preview.

Two slick new posters for “Thor” debuted today (found via Screen Rant).

The first, banner-style poster, features the letters T-H-O-R in red over the film’s stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba.

The second poster, colored red, features a close-up of Hemsworth’s face and the words “The God of Thunder.”   “Thor” opens May 6 and is based on the Norse god of Thunder as adapted by Marvel Comics.

Click past the cut for the other poster.   Are you looking forward to the Thor film?