Buoyed by Iron Man's deservedly boffo box office, Marvel today offered up some future release dates:

• 30 Apr 2010: Iron Man 2
• 4 Jun 2011: Thor (dir. Matthew Vaughn)
• 6 May 2011: The First Avenger: Captain America
• Jul 2011: The Avengers

Plus Ant-Man (meh) is still being planned, and we have Incredible Hulk and another Punisher movie coming up this year.

Now -- will they be as good as Iron Man -- or good enough, at least? It's going to be a tough act to follow -- but while the CG was easier for this than some of the others (it's easier to make a realistic-looking gleaming metal suit than a realistic-looking person, cf. Hulk), the lesson of Iron Man is that you can actually (a) stay true to the source material, (b) bring in good talent, and (c) write a good story, and you'll have a success. Screwing with any of those is asking for trouble.

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Movies: Stop Adapting The Wrong Comics 

Some suggested comics to adapt. I've read some of these -- and Thunderbolts is (conceptually, stripped of its Marvel history) a great idea. 1602, though, is only suitable for comics geeks, as wonderful a volume as it is.

5 Upcoming Comic Book Movies That Must Be Stopped | Cracked.com 

The writer has a nice turn of phrase at times (and a grotesque one at others), and some of what he says is good (I simply do not see how a Sub-Mariner movie could work, largely because Namor is best as a supporting character). On the other hand, there are some serious holes in the author's comic book knowledge and history, enough to render his overall judgment more than a bit dubious.

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I.e., the best that I save for last.

 Death of the New Gods #8 (of 8) (DC) Starlin / Thibert
The conclusion of an utterly unnecessary story, as the remainder of Jack Kirby's Fourth World is disassembled with only Superman as the (outclassed) witness (and without the final payoff, which comes in Countdown #02). Starlin's art has improved over the series, and, if you were going to do this story, it was a reasonable path to take it -- but I just don't see the point aside from doing some housecleaning, possibly trying to forestall some IP contention with the Kirby estate, or just wanting to do Something Cosmic 'n' Tragic. 

 Countdown to Final Crisis #01 (DC) Dini / Giffen / Derenick / Faucher
Concluding the second of DC's Weekly Event Comics, more has gelled than I'd originally thought would, but this aftermath feels more like a "hey, what do we do about all these loose ends we've set up?" than the finale of a grand epic. Most of the heroes who've been bouncing around like ping-pong balls across the new 52 universes finally seem to have a purpose -- and we'll see if it's only to transition to the new Final Crisis series or if (as they're all "loose ends" characters to begin with) they'll simply fade into the background until someone else chooses to reinvent them.

 Star Trek - New Frontier #2 (IDW) David / Thompson
I can't wait for this to be adapted as a book, because it's really not well-suited to a comic. You'll be totally lost if you haven't read Peter David's New Frontier subfrachise, the artwork is muddied and difficult to differentiate characters with (not helped by some dubious renderings of some of the non-human cast members), and the delicate wordplay and inner monologueing that David does so well to build characters is utterly absent in this much-more-visual medium. Some great bits, but overall only for the completist,

 Fables #72 (DC Vertigo) Willingham / Buckingham / Leialoha
The conclusion of the "Cinderella, Super-Spy" arc, delightful and witty as ever, with Willingham reimagining various fable characters as living in our world, at war wit the tyrannical adversary. There's fun dialog, lots of action, and even some character and plot development and weaving together of previously-established continuity. This remains an ongoing tour de force series, highly recommended.

 X-Factor #30 (Marvel) David / De Landro / Hennessy / Cox
The X-Factor crew up against old X-Men fave, Arcade. I dunno -- between his own machinations and what Marvel has run its X-world through, I'm surprised anyone in the series is still (relatively) sane. Or maybe they're not, as everyone acts out various stresses and traumas in different, often violent ways. This one gives me something of a headache just to contemplate it, but it;'s a fascinating cultural car-wreck, and I can't wait to see what David does next with it.

 Fantastic Four #556 (Marvel) Millar / Hitch / Currie
I should like this more than I do. Millar can put together a story, and Hitch's art is, as always, gorgeous. But the whole thing feels like a set piece, a very intentional and artificial recrafting of the FF with a new vision imposed rather than developed. It's not bad, and there are some fine character bits, and the artwork is expectedly nice, but it feels more like an intrusive reboot than an evolution.

 Mighty Avengers #12 (Marvel) -- Bendis / Maleev / Hollingsworth
Bendis is beginning to draw together the wide skein he's been weaving for the Avengers since his "Secret War" series a few years back, coupled with the new "Secret Invasion" Skrull storyline running through the Marvel books. This issue is devoted mainly to what's been going on with Nick Fury since then, appropriately grittily illustrated by Bendis' Daredevil compatriot, Maleev. Nicely put together, and demonstrative that Bendis is better at more than just dialog -- he's capable of running a hell of set of plot threads.

Punisher #56 (Marvel) Ennis / Parlov
Ennis is drawing near the end of his seminal Punisher run, as the US military finally takes seriously the task of apprehending Frank Castle -- aware that they are the one opponenent he won't gun down without a second thought. Less going on here about the Punisher than about how others react to him. Good, solid stuff, with appropriately sketchy artwork.

 Echo #1-2 (Abstract) Terry Moore
His new series post-Strangers in Paradise, Moore is bringing his interesting, quirky, compassionate characterizations (and drawing style) into a wholly new setting, as an innocent bystander manages to get... infected? ... with a blown-up liquid metal flight suit, and finds herself dealing with it in the context of her own personal trainwreck of a life as well as with Sinister Forces out to get the suit back and get rid of any witnesses. It makes more sense in the book, and while it's not SIP, it also marks a fresh start that Moore can build on. And I can't wait for the next issue.

 The Dresden Files #1 (of 4) (Dabel Bros.) Butcher / Syaf
An excellent transition from printed book to comic book, everything rings true to Butcher's detective noir wizard series -- not surprising, as he's writing it, but the accompanying artwork complements the story and his style perfectly (aside from making Harry just a scosh too handsome). It's not War & Peace ... but it's solidly entertaining. Recommended for fans.

 Serenty #2 (of 3) (Dark Horse) Whedon / Matthews / Conrad / Madsen
Continuing the tale of "what if the crew unexpectedly struck it rich," as we see both the (delightful) fantasies and realities that come with the unexpected (and uncharacteristic) success of the Serenity gang. The Alliance subplot is somewhat less (so far) convincing, and the art is only moderately successful at capturing the character likenesses -- but it's all worth the price of submission to see Jayne consulting with Simon about Companions ...

Thor #8 (Marvel) Straczynski / Djurdjevic / Miki / Martin
A relatively quiet interlude as the (deceased) Odin and Thor discuss fathers and sons and the succession thereof, while Don Blake tracks down Jane Foster to see if she knows the whereabouts of Sif -- in which we learn far more of both than was expected. Joe is building this rebirthing -of-the-gods very nicely, and Djordjevic's art is lovely. The book is the best it's been since the Simonson days, and that's saying something.

 The Sword #7 (Image) The Luna Bros.
We continue a kick-ass, yet poignant story about an ordinary young woman, her friends, her massacred family, the demigods who did the massacring, and the sword they were trying to recover during the massacre -- a sword they know can end them, which has gives its bearer extraordinary powers, and which has made the young woman a hunted fugitive. Simple but effective "realistic" art, and powerfully straightforward, moving storytelling. Seriously can't wait for the collection so that I can loan it to people.

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The Eagle Awards fan poll is out for comics this-n-that. For most of the questions, I was amazed by how few name/titles I recognized (and not just on the British side of things), but then I hit this:

29. Award for Favourite Web-Based Comic 

1. GIRL GENIUS
2. PENNY ARCADE
3. PVP
4. THE ADVENTURES OF DR. MCNINJA
5. THE ORDER OF THE STICK

Hokey smokes! I love four out of the five of those (never heard of #4, but that makes me think I should look it up). Choosing over the other is like choosing my "favourite food: filet mignon; apple crisp; pizza; rum raisin ice cream; cottage fried potatoes" -- it's a matter of what I'm in the mood for and which I'd cry most over never eating again, I guess. 

Girl Genius is epic, whacky, luscious, and produced by a favorite of mine. Penny Arcade is mordant, witty, surreal, and oddly profound at times. PvP is always entertaining, often spit-takingly so. Order of the Stick is manages to bridge philosophy, D&D satire, grand adventure, and sniggering humor. They're all good.

I finally went with #1, but I highly recommend all of the other three I didn't vote for.

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Great Scott! 

A federal judge here on Wednesday ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel — who 70 years ago sold the rights to the action hero he created with Joseph Shuster to Detective Comics for $130 — were entitled to claim a share of the United States copyright to the character. The ruling left intact Time Warner’s international rights to the character, which it has long owned through its DC Comics unit.

And it reserved for trial questions over how much the company may owe the Siegel heirs for use of the character since 1999, when their ownership is deemed to have been restored. Also to be resolved is whether the heirs are entitled to payments directly from Time Warner’s film unit, Warner Brothers, which took in $200 million at the domestic box office with “Superman Returns” in 2006, or only from the DC unit’s Superman profits.

All of which may -- due to appeals and negotiations -- put the kibosh on a Superman Returns sequel and the announced Justice League of America film. Not to mention future animated Superman projects. A similar 2006 ruling on "Superboy" is the main reason why the current Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon refers to Kal-El as "Superman" instead.

The ruling specifically upheld the Siegels’ copyright in the Superman material published in Detective Comics’ Action Comics Vol. 1. The extent to which later iterations of the character are derived from that original was not determined by the judge.

[...] By 1937, the pair were offering publishers comic strips in which the classic Superman elements — cape, logo and Clark Kent alter-ego — were already set. When Detective Comics bought 13 pages of work for its new Action Comics series the next year, the company sent Mr. Siegel a check for $130, and received in return a release from both creators granting the company rights to Superman “to have and hold forever,” the order noted.

In the late 1940s, a referee in a New York court upheld Detective Comics’ copyright, prompting Mr. Siegel and Mr. Shuster to drop their claim in exchange for $94,000. More than 30 years later, DC Comics (the successor to Detective Comics) gave the creators each a $20,000-per-year annuity that was later increased to $30,000. In 1997, however, Mrs. Siegel and her daughter served copyright termination notices under provisions of a 1976 law that permits heirs, under certain circumstances, to recover rights to creations.

The heirs to Shuster get their turn at bat starting in 2013.

Compensation to the Siegels would be limited to any work created after their 1999 termination date. Income from the 1978 “Superman” film, or the three sequels that followed in the 1980s, are not at issue. But a “Superman Returns” sequel being planned with the filmmaker Bryan Singer (who has also directed “The Usual Suspects” and “X-Men”) might require payments to the Siegels, should they prevail in a demand that the studio’s income, not just that of the comics unit, be subject to a court-ordered accounting.

Time Warner is expected to appeal.

Hrm. On the one hand, anything that pokes Big Media in the eyeball and restores some measure of rights to the creators of works is, to my mind, probably a good thing. On the other hand, the likely effect on stuff I want to see makes me (selfishly, to be sure) a bit less sanguine. We'll see.

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Judd Winick's truly faboo Barry Ween comic (Dexter's Lab meet Calvin [& Hobbes] meets Real Genius  meets South Park) is going to be repackaged into a single volume (The Big Book of Barry Ween, Boy Genius) in June. Highly recommended if you don't have the originals or the original TPBs. 

Sadly, the last work Winick did with the character was back in 2001. Maybe good sales here will get him to do some more ...

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1. A store for time travelers.
2. Tech travel tips.
3. It's bacon! It's salt! It's Bacon Salt!
4. Things that only happen in movies.
5. Bulbapedia - everything you (or your daughter) want to know about Pokemon.
6. Super-heroes as fine art? No, super-heroes in fine art.
7. A flow chart of the results of being exposed to D&D early in life.
8. Those darned n00b time travelers ...

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Various bits JMS revealed at WonderCon last weekend, including the comics he's doing (and has done and will do), movie scripts he has in the pipeline, the future of B5, a spec script I very much want to see happen, and the formatoin of his own production company.

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The next Iron Man trailer is out.

I don't know if it will be any good, but it's going to look good and it sure seems like it's going to be fun.

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One of the things I did whilst sick over the weekend and Monday is graze through some old graphic novels/TPBs from the shelves.

Young Justice: A League of Their Own: Collected YJ #1-7. This was the initial stab at creating a youth/teen team to replace the ever-aging Titans. Peter David -- abetted by Todd Nauck -- pegged so much of it perfectly, combining teen angst with humor, along with plenty of intergenerational conflict and the occasional dark tragedy to leaven the many lighter notes. That said, YJ never quite gelled, perhaps because the sidekicks were always getting yanked around by their main titles, perhaps because it was just too many characters. 

Young Justice: Sins of Youth: A 12-issue cross-over event around the DCU, this collection is a mess.  Most of YJ is turned into adults; most of the JLA and JSA are turned into kids. Subplots and villains abound, but this one seems to have everything (and everyone and every writer and artist in the DCU) but the kitchen sink, and, after a surprisingly short time, listening to the JLA/JSA kids being brats just gets dull. 

Captain Marvel: Vols 1, 2, 3, 4: The four volumes of the latter part of Peter David's relaunch of CM, starring the original Mar-Vell's son, Genis. The series explored the whole idea of Cap's cosmic awareness, the madness that would follow from being aware of the implications of nearly everything, coupled with the power that would also follow. David plays around with questions of morality, good, evil, religion, God, justice, love, insanity, and about any other high concept you can imagine on a cosmic level. It turned out a bit too cosmic by the end for most folks taste, or perhaps things just dragged out a bit too long, and you can see David trying to quickly resolve plotlines and change the course of the book before its cancellation (which, to be fair, leads to one of the more amusing and poignant final issues I've seen).

Whiteout and Whiteout: Melt: Greg Rucka's intro into the comics world, ably assisted, art-wise, by Steve Lieber. Grim and gritty crime dramas in the Antarctic, where the environment is as great a danger as the criminals. Great scenes and ideas, but in both cases only fair and sometimes muddled plots to hang them on. Rucka's grown a lot since then, but you can see how much promise he showed already in this series. 

Midnight Nation: Joe Straczynski, with Gary Frank's art, takes on a metaphysical journey into the side of the world that we choose not to see, where the forgotten and outcasts exist alongside those corrupted -- or perhaps liberated -- by the growing darkness. Full of great explorations about good, evil, sacrifice, duty, humanity, and freedom, alongside plenty of action, mystery, and horror. This is one of those worth pulling off the shelf on a regular basis.   

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