Author: Stephen Schleicher

Let’s play a game of What If?  What if you travelled back to 1988 and convinced Tim Burton that instead of hiring Michael Keaton, he should hire Bill Murray to don the big rubber mask?  It almost happened – apparently, at least that’s the way Bill Murray recounts it in a recent interview with MTV. I would have been a fine Batman. You know, there have been a number of Batmen. I like them. … I thought Mike Keaton did a great job as Batman. It’s obviously — it’s a great role. I could see Bill Murray as Bruce Wayne,…

Marvel has just announced the final issue of Secret Invasion will now arrive in stores on December 3, 2008.  Seems the extra pages and the hectic schedule were just too much for Leinel Yu. “Anybody who pored over the artwork from #7 a week ago can easily see how he and Mark Morales have been putting their all (and then some) into every page and every panel, and that effort has finally caught up with us. Hopefully, retailers and fans will forgive us these extra two weeks as we make sure that everything is in the shape it should be…

BOOM!  I love this image.  It’s a perfect combination of dramatic pose, lighting, and the suspense of wanting to know what this promo is all about.  My guess it has something to do with some of that art we saw a year or so ago featuring Iron Man in a Captain America inspired suit. We’ll find out when Marvel sends more info, but until then, enjoy the image directly from the Mike Deodato, Jr.

Even with Dark Reign approaching, Marvel has a few more events up its sleeve – like the X-Infernus event for the X-Men.  In order to get readers prepped for the event, Marvel is putting the X-Infernus Saga on the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited website. When X-Infernus #1 hits on December 03, 2008, it not only gets a tale written by C.B. Cebulski, but covers by Oliver Coipel and a variant by J. Scott Campbell.  Take the jump for a description of the series, and the two covers for the first issue.

Secret origins are fun I miss the days when comic books would spend an issue telling the back story of how the latest villain of the week became the villain of the week.  It was fun to discover how that person was wronged or what led him down the path to evil, and best of all it was all revealed in a single issue.  After reading Blue Beetle #32, those good ol’ days are back again.

Here is the New Comic Release list for comics scheduled to be in stores October 22, 2008. There may be items on this list that are not shipped at the last minute, or new material may be added. Check with your local retailer for more details. This list was last updated October 20, 2008.

Dynamite Entertainment has sent Major Spoilers  a sneak peek of titles arriving in stores this week.  Take the jump for Garth Ennis’s Battlefields: Night Witches #1, The Boys #24, Project Superpowers #7, Project Superpowers Chapter Two Prelude, and Red Sonja #38.

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for; the finalists for the Major Spoilers 2nd Annual Costume Contest.  Major Spoilers own Rodrigo and Stephen analyzed the entries, and by the end of the day, discovered they were tied on several entrants.  Instead of five finalists, Major Spoilers is cranking the number up to seven.  Seven awesome costumes for you to vote on. UPDATE:  WINNER ANNOUNCED Take the jump to see the finalists.

This YouTube video is making the rounds on the Intrawebs, and while I likes me some fan films, I only like those that are really well done, and approach the subject as that – a film by fans who understand film making.  This Flash trailer has cheesy effects, and the graphic logo is sub-par at best.  In short, if you believe this is the real deal, then I have a Shazam! movie, I’d like you to watch. Defamer has the best wrap up. Until then, why not leave the filmmaking to the professionals and quit trying to set off the…

Dynamite Entertainment has announced it will release a chase cover to The Death Defying Devil #1 by John Romita Sr. Admired by generations of comic books fans and creators alike, John Romita Sr. is best known for his legendary work on Marvel Comics’ Daredevil and The Amazing Spider-Man from the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. In the 1970’s he served as Marvel Comics’ art director, where he had a major role in defining the look of Marvel Comics and in designing new characters such as Punisher and Wolverine. In 2002 John Romita Sr. was inducted into the Comic Book Hall…

The last time Leonardo DiCaprio’s name was mentioned in connection with Japanese anime was when his Appian Way production company picked up the rights to adapt Akira.  Leo must like the anime, as he’s snatched up another classic – Ninja Scroll. Ranking alongside “Akira” and “Ghost in the Shell” as one of the most popular animes outside of Japan, “Ninja” is set in feudal Japan and follows a ninja who must fight eight demonic warriors in order to save Japan. The hard-R movie, released in 1993 in Japan, featured a villain with stone skin, a hunchback with a wasp nest…

Here’s a breakdown of the top five movies based on box office results for October 24 – 26, 2008. via Box Office Mojo

Mike Deodato, Jr. sent us a link to his YouTube video of him sketching the Hulk. Can’t think of a better way to start the day.

Parallel world’s are not always a good thing I find it ironic that I sat down to read Tangent: Superman’s Reign #8, and then less than an hour later found myself watching the latest episode of Nova talking about Hugh Everett and his parallel theory of quantum physics.  I would hate to think the events were a coincidence, but it does make you wonder what would happen if someone were given the powers of Superman and decided to end all the world’s problems.