February 2010 Archives

John Carroll Lynch, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo star in the thriller "Shutter Island," directed by Martin Scorsese.

I was curious to see what would win the box-office between "Shutter Island" and Kevin Smith's "Cop Out." Before seeing the dollar results, I thought Shutter would take No. 1 for the second consecutive week.

It turns out I was right.

With an estimated $22 million take, Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" tops Smith's "Cop Out" which opened to more than $18.6 million.  "The Crazies," which boasts a set of comic book adaptations by some well-known creators, came in 3rd and took in $16.5 million.

I watched the Scorsese film Saturday night and It is definitely a conversation starter.  But so were the other films based on the works of novelist Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River," "Gone Baby, Gone").  I'm happy the picture was placed in the hands of such skilled veteran filmmakers, otherwise it might have tipped too far off the finely tuned edge necessary to make viewers, especially myself and my cringing spouse, buy into the tale.

And no, I'm not gonna end this latest revision of my post without mentioning the screenwriting of Laeta Kalogridis.  Consider your fine work on "Shutter Island" mentioned and acknowledged here, Ms. Kalogridis.

I will be looking forward to your adaptation of "Battle Angel."

And don't fret much for "Cop Out." With its $30 million budget, according to Boxofficemojo.com, the buddy-cop flick may have a good shot at turning a profit.

1. "Shutter Island," $22.2 million.

2. "Cop Out," $18.6 million.

3. "The Crazies," $16.5 million.

4. "Avatar," $14 million.

5. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," $9.8 million.

6. "Valentine's Day," $9.5 million.

7. "Dear John," $5 million.

8. "The Wolfman," $4.1 million.

9. "The Tooth Fairy," $3.5 million.

10. "Crazy Heart," $2.5 million.

Currently online discussing "Lost" with the team at Blogtalkradio.com/NDBmedia. You can listen to the episode if you miss it at the same site.

VANCOUVER (AP) -- Vancouver police say "Growing Pains" actor Andrew Koenig has been found dead.

At a press conference in the downtown park where his body was found, police said foul play was not suspected, but would not release a cause of death because the coroner is still investigating.

The actor's father, Walter Koenig, said his son "took his own life."

Friends found the body at around noon Thursday in a heavily wooded area about 100 feet from a popular foot path.

Koenig, 41, was visiting friends in Vancouver when he went missing more than a week ago.

The Venice, Calif., native had a recurring role on the 1980s sitcom as Boner, a pal of star Kirk Cameron's character, Mike.

Editor's note: It's Robert's birthday and that Action Comics No. 1 would make an awesome gift -- I'm just saying.  Thanks to Keith H. for letting me know about this.

The Associated Press
February 22, 2010

A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman sold Monday for $1 million, smashing the previous record price for a comic book.

A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold from a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom released their names. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.

The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.

Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. He said that the seller was a "well known individual" in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.

The previous comic book record was set last year when John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down, paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue. Attempts to reach him for comment on Monday's sale were not immediately successful.

This copy fetched a much higher price because it's in better condition. It's rated an "8.0 grade," or "very fine."

There are only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to be in existence, and only a handful have been rated so highly. It's rarer still for those copies to be made available for sale.

"The opportunity to buy an un-restored, high-grade Action One comes along once every two decades," Fishler said. "It's certainly a milestone."

Given its condition and rarity, that such a comic book would sell for so much wasn't surprising to Fishler. But the sticker shock was nevertheless astounding.

"It is still a little stunning to see 'a comic book' and '$1 million' in the same sentence," Fishler said. "There's only one time a collectible hits the $1 million threshold."

By Ryan Riley, Contributor

I was perusing MSN.com yesterday and came across the news item that actor Andrew Koenig has been missing since February 16, 2010. Koenig, the son of "Star Trek" and "Babylon 5" actor Walter Koenig, is probably best known for playing Richard "Boner" Stabone on the TV series "Growing Pains".

What many of you might not be aware of is that he once played the Joker in a film short called "Batman: Dead End". The film, released in 2003, started with a situation that is considered business as usual for Batman, tracking and capturing the Joker after he escapes from Arkham Asylum. After a well-crafted and surprisingly well-acted scene between the two characters, something snags the Joker from behind and kills him. The assailant turns out to be an alien (from the Aliens franchise), so of course a Predator can't be far behind. The inclusion of the Alien & the Predator kind of cheapens the film, but Koenig's performance as the Joker, while not as chilling as Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight", was pretty impressive. Between the make-up job and the sinister smile, Koenig's Joker looks like he jumped straight from the pages of Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke.

So check out "Batman: Dead End", and join me in hoping that we find Andrew Koenig safe and sound.

New rule: Dressing up should not be restricted to comic conventions that happen over multiple days.  

At Saturday's Long Beach Comic Expo, a statuesque blond woman behind me somberly scanned the Convention Center's crowded Promenade Ballroom.  While observing a handful of colorful costume players among the guests, she playfully pouted.

"I didn't dress up because this is a one-day show," she said in an aw-shucks-I-had-an-awesome-costume-idea kind of way.

And it's true, smaller shows don't usually generate costume-level excitement. But the LB Expo's estimated 1,500 guests provided a good audience to Spider-Man, Batman, Darth Vader, Harley Quinn, Captain America and others.

It's the first time show planners have put on a one-day Long Beach Comic Expo and already it's changing the game.

Show runner Martha Donato told me she was pleased with the turnout and her concerns about guests mistaking this show for the next Long Beach Comic Con were alleviated.

"It's really jammed in there because it's so small, so no one's mixing it up," she said. 

Prior to Saturday's event, ticket packages were offered that included a pass to the Expo and a discounted weekend pass to the 3-day LB Comic Con 2010 set for Oct. 29-31.

"The whole point is to see what we could do for the three-day show here," Donato said. "It's been serving its purpose and we're happy." 

Asked if there might be another Expo if this one works out, Donato said that all depends on the vendors.

One of those vendors, Dale Wilson of the independent comics collective, The Antidote Trust, said the attendance surprised him.

"It's much better traffic than I thought it would be," said Wilson. "And (Long Beach) is more indy friendly than I thought."

I kept to the edges of the ballroom, but I managed to slip over to the booths of some Modern Mythology regulars to say hello.  Mike Wellman of The Comic Bug, Geoffrey Patterson Jr. of Geoffrey's Comics and Mike Lerner of Pulp Fiction among them.

I ended up chatting with Joshua Hale Fialkov ("Tumor," "The Crazies") during his signing time at the Top Cow booth.  I was on a mission to meet this talented writer and talk digital comics with him.  I expect to share that with you soon.

For more coverage of the Long Beach Comic Expo, including brief interviews with comic pros Barbara Kesel, Tim Bradstreet and Dustin Nguyen, check out the Press-Telegram story by Sarah Peters. And for more pics, see the gallery by photographer Steven Georges. 


Above: Two fans as Spider-Man and Captain America show their Comic Expo spirit. (Photo By Steven Georges / Press-Telegram) 

 

Organizers of last year's inaugural Long Beach Comic Con are back in Long Beach for a 1-day Comic Expo today at the Convention Center.

The show will feature more than 40 exhibitors including local comic retailers and creators.  Among the guests are Aspen Entertainment artist J.T. Krul (Fathom), Top Cow Entertainment writer Joshua Hale Fialkov (Cyblade, Pilot Season) and artist Dustin Nguyen ("Batman: Streets of Gotham").

Comic Expo 2010 runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Promenade Ballroom today, Saturday Feb. 20. Tickets are $10. Children ages 10 and younger are admitted free.

The next three-day Long Beach Comic Con will be Oct. 29-31 at the Long Beach Convention Center.  For more information visit www.longbeachcomiccon.com.

From wire service reports

BURBANK - Director Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest flight from Oakland to Burbank for being overweight, and is spurning the airline's apology, as an association of overweight travelers called for a boycott of the airline.

The director of "Clerks," "Mallrats" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" was ordered off the flight Saturday, with the pilot of the flight saying he was a "safety risk" because he was unable to put down the armrest.

Smith, 39, responded with a barrage of profanity-laced Twitter posts, saying he was treated worse than a terrorist.

"I know I'm fat, but was (the pilot) really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?" he tweeted. "I broke no regulation, offered no `safety risk' (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn't about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I'm being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like `Please don't tell...'"

He said that while the incident was embarrassing, his "`Jersey Girl' training" (the 2004 flop starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez) was helping him cope.

He vowed to continue tweeting about the airline for telling him "I'm too wide for the sky."

Southwest officials said in a statement that as soon as they became aware of the Twitter posts, they called Smith to offer their "heartfelt apologies," but also said his removal was for the "safety and comfort of all customers."

"If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement," Southwest said.

Southwest said its "customers of size" policy has been in effect for 25 years and that most airlines have similar rules, but few carriers enforce them.

They also offered Smith a $100 voucher, which he said he refused, but he eventually got on another Southwest flight.

He then tweeted a photo of himself on the plane with his cheeks puffed out, saying,"Look how fat I am on your plane! Quick! Throw me off!"

After landing in Burbank, Smith tweeted, "Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised."

Southwest apologized to Smith on Twitter and issued a statement on its blog, under the title, "Not So Silent Bob." The airline said Smith had purchased two tickets, as he often does, but when Smith decided to fly earlier on standby, only one seat was available, and he was told to get off the plane after he was already seated.

Smith later said he felt like he'd been treated like a terrorist, except that terrorists are able to get on planes, while he was ordered to off, ABC7 reported.

Meantime, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance called for a boycott of Southwest, issuing a statement urging "people of size to seek out and travel airlines that do not have such discriminatory policies."

"You (messed) with the wrong sedentary processed-foods eater!" tweeted Smith, whose next film, "Cop Out," opens Feb. 26.

Editor's note: Read more of Smith's reaction at his Twitter page.

Above, image of Kevin Smith by The Associated Press 

By Ryan Riley, Contributor

Valentine's Day is coming up, and thanks to the tireless marketing efforts of jewelry retailers and Hallmark our collective thoughts turn to those of romance (whether we want them to or not). Valentine's Day is also an occasion that generates tons of articles about famous couples. Even comic book publications and websites get in on the act, as I found out when I ran a Google search on "Comic Book Couples". Some of the articles were pretty well-written, but a lot of them focused on the same couples, like Superman & Lois Lane, Spider-Man & Mary Jane and Reed & Sue Richards. And while those romances are definitely some of the most enduring, aside from the efforts of more adventurous writers (like Mark Millar's take on Reed & Sue in Fantastic Four) they can be somewhat uninteresting. So I've put together a list of some of the less-heralded but much more fascinating romantic pairings that can be found in the world of comics.

Cyclops & The White Queen, X-Men

This seemingly oddball pairing, which came out of the brainpan of Grant Morrison during his run on New X-Men, was met with a lot of criticism at first. It began when Cyclops, who had recently been freed from his possession by Apocalypse, started to pull away emotionally from his wife and longtime love Jean Grey. In an effort to find out what is driving him to drive Jean away he began to confide in Emma Frost, former White Queen of the Hellfire Club and current X-Man. She initiated a psychic sexual affair with Cyclops under the pretense of sex therapy only to end up developing romantic feelings for him. After an assassination attempt on Emma and the murder of Jean Grey by Magneto, Morrison left the series with Cyclops and Emma getting together.

When Joss Whedon took over the flagship X-Men title with Astonishing X-Men he could have done the safe thing by resurrecting Jean Grey (again) and reuniting her and Cyke. He even teased going in that direction before he brought the recently deceased Colossus back to the fold. Instead, he left Jean to rest in peace and began to explore the possibilities of Cyke & Emma as a couple. While I was a longtime fan of the Cyclops/Jean Grey pairing, I have to say that Cyclops/Emma makes for a more interesting relationship dynamic. Cyclops provides an impetus for Emma to remain on the straight-and-narrow path of an X-Man. Emma serves as a sort of Devil's Advocate that often encourages Cyke to think outside of the box both professionally and personally, making him a more well-rounded leader and human...er, mutant being.

Ralph & Sue Dibny, JLA

Ralph Dibny (a.k.a. The Elongated Man) and his wife Sue were the poster children for happy marriage in comic books. They were partners in every aspect. Sue would often accompany Ralph during his solo adventures, lending a hand whenever possible, and served as an administrator and honorary member in various incarnations of the Justice League of America whenever Ralph was a member. And since Ralph never took himself all that seriously the pair brought some much-needed levity to the JLA.

Sadly, it took her death in Identity Crisis to illustrate how truly special their relationship was. Sue Dibny is murdered at the start of the story and Ralph suspects that Dr. Light might have done the deed, which leads to the revelation that the JLA erased and altered Dr. Light's mind after he had invaded their satellite headquarters and sexually assaulted Sue. Later, in 52, Ralph is involved in a story arc that has him on a quest to resurrect Sue. The quest leads to heartache, a crash course in the mystic arts, a confrontation with Sue's murderer and ends with his death at the hands of the demon Neron. In the end he is reunited with his beloved Sue in the afterlife.

Bigby Wolf & Snow White, Fables

Both Snow White ("The fairest of them all") and Bigby Wolf (a.k.a. the Big, Bad Wolf that menaced the 3 Little Pigs & Little Red Riding Hood) lived in Fabletown, a New York City community of Fable characters that live in a self-imposed exile from their respective fairy-tale worlds. Snow served as Deputy Mayor under Old King Cole while Bigby, now able to switch between human and wolf at will, acted as Fabletown's sheriff. Bigby has found himself inescapably drawn to Snow since they first met centuries ago, but did not confess his attraction to her until they solved the "murder" of her sister, Rose Red.

Their courtship was a long, drawn affair that was complicated by the fact that they knocked boots while under the power of a magic spell, which resulted in Snow getting pregnant. The pair developed true romantic feelings toward one another, but fate would drive them apart for a time; because their children were part-wolf they would be forced to live at The Farm, a haven for all Fables unable to pass for human in the mundane world. Because of Bigby's past as a fearsome monster, Fabletown law prohibits him from even setting foot there, so the two were separated for a time. After executing a sabotage mission in the fable homelands, Bigby was given a chunk of land in the valley adjacent to the Farm as a reward. With nothing remaining to prevent them from being together, they got married and took their children to live in Wolf Valley as one big, dysfunctional Fable family.

Apollo & Midnighter, The Authority

The best way to describe this pair is to imagine the answer to the following question: "What if Superman & Batman were lovers?" The Midnighter & Apollo are possibly the closest we'll ever get to finding out the answer. The pair of them were made into superhumans by the commanding officer of Stormwatch, Henry Bendix. After their first mission went FUBAR they went underground, hiding from a commander that turned out to be a megalomaniac. After Bendix was ousted they were discovered by Stormwatch and given new identities after aiding them in the destruction of the Nevada Garden. After Stormwatch disbanded, Jenny Sparks convinced the two heroes to join The Authority, where they quickly became the most famous (and dangerous) gay couple on the planet. They eventually got married and adopted Jenny Quantum, the child that is the reincarnation of Jenny Sparks.

Luke Cage & Jessica Jones, New Avengers

We have Brian Michael Bendis to thank for this pairing. Luke Cage was already well-known as Marvel's one-note nod to blaxploitation before Bendis got a hold of him. He first utilized Cage as a supporting character in the Marvel Max book Alias. The main character of Alias (which is in no way related to the TV show featuring Jennifer Garner) was Jessica Jones, a character that was retconned to have been around since the first days of Spider-Man. After a failed career as a superhero she became a private investigator taking on cases from clients that still had connections to her former vocation. Jessica and Luke met shortly before she hung up her mask and maintained a "friendship with benefits" for a while. In a case of fortuitous timing they developed romantic feelings for each other just as Jessica became pregnant with their daughter. Jessica joined the staff of the Daily Bugle newsmagazine "The Pulse" as a superhero correspondent and participated in outing Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin. Osborn retaliated by attacking and injuring the still-pregnant Jessica. When Luke found out, he dragged Osborn out of his limousine and laid a street-side beating on him that would have made both Peter Parker and Sonny Corleone proud.

Their relationship hit a rocky patch during the fallout from Civil War and Secret Invasion, but they stayed the course and their marriage is stronger than ever.

Beast & Agent Brand, Astonishing X-Men

This pairing is the perfect example of opposites attracting. Abigail Brand is the head of a S.H.I.E.L.D. offshoot called the Sentient World Observation and Response Department (S.W.O.R.D.) which deals with extraterrestrial threats to Earth. Beast and the rest of the X-Men first met Brand when she strong-armed Nick Fury into making them relinquish custody of the terrorist from the Breakworld known as Ord. They didn't like her Machiavellian methods then and they really weren't enthused when she dragged them to the Breakworld in an attempt to stave off their attack on Earth. Beast in particular took a strong dislike to her brusque and demanding demeanor and made no effort to disguise it, so of course they are paired together for the majority of the mission. It all came to a head when Beast, knowing she was hiding something and tired of her manipulative behavior, demanded she come clean with whatever it was. She blurted out the response "I am so freakin' hot for you right now I could die!", which left the normally quick-witted Beast without a thing to say.

After their time on Breakworld, Brand offers Beast a job with S.W.O.R.D. and a free pass into her bedroom. When Beast questioned why she would want to get down with a blue, furry monster, she responded that she is only half human and that Beast bears a strong resemblance to the race her father hails from. Beast accepts both offers and is relatively happy in their relationship, referring to her as his girlfriend while she standoffishly refers to him as her "Xenophiliac Experimentation Partner".

Jesse Custer & Tulip O'Hare, Preacher

Despite the massive odds arrayed against this couple, they are determined to love one another "until the end of the world". Tulip O'Hare is a former tomboy whose N.R.A. member father taught her gunplay skills that would make John Woo giddy. Jesse Custer is a former Baptist preacher merged with Genesis, the offspring of an angel and a demon that gives him the power to make anyone that hears his voice obey him. The pair first hooked up years ago at a bar in Texas, and spent their youth stealing cars and rutting whenever and wherever the opportunity came up. He ended up leaving her in Arizona (for a very good reason), but they reunited after his merger with Genesis ended up destroying his church and all of his parishioners.

Despite strong feelings for Jesse, Tulip was resistant to resume their relationship, but ended up picking up where they left off after a life and death encounter with Jesse's twisted family. After that the only thing that could drive a wedge between them was his pathological need to keep her out of harm's way despite the fact that she can (and has) taken out groups of well-armed men with just a pistol at her disposal. It took Tulip a while to forgive Jesse for his admittedly sexist "Doing what a man has gotta do" attitude, but the two eventually ended the Preacher series by literally riding off together into the sunset on horseback.

Now it's your turn

As usual, if you can think of a great example that got left out of this article, it's on you to let us know about it. Leave your comments below.

This YouTube parody is almost everywhere by now. Everywhere except here until now and you know what...?  It deserves the attention it's getting.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Lex for sending this over to me.  

FILE - In this file film publicity image released by Disney/Pixar Films, animated characters Russell, left, and Carl Fredricksen are shown in a scene from the film, "Up." (AP Photo/Disney/Pixar)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The travel adventure "Up" was the winner of the best animated feature at the 37th annual Annie Awards.

"Up" director Pete Docter won the award for directing in a feature production.

Also competing for top honors at the Annies, presented exclusively for animated films, were the musical fairy tale "The Princess and the Frog," the storybook adaptations "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," the dark family tale "Coraline" and the Irish adventure "The Secret of Kells."

All the films, except "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," are nominees for best animated feature film at this year's Academy Awards. "Up" is also nominated for best picture at the Oscars.

"Coraline" and "The Princess and the Frog" won three Annies apiece, including Shane Prigmore for character design in a feature production for "Coraline" and James Mansfield for animated effects for "The Princess and the Frog."

Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach won the Annie for best writing in a feature presentation for "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

The winners of the Annie Awards, presented by the International Animated Film Society, were announced Saturday at a ceremony in Los Angeles.


http://www.annieawards.org

I believe this trailer for the "The Last Airbender" aired during the Superbowl, but at my folks' house there was so much "Who Dat" Saints ruckus I couldn't hear myself think.  Anyway, I can see it now and it looks pretty cool.

Based on the acclaimed "Avatar: The Last Airbender" animated series, the story depicts a young "chosen one" named Aang who can control the elements and has a destiny to unite his world.

The film looks poised to be a big hit for writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, whose last two films didn't draw big audiences like his earlier hits "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs."

But Airbender may have a problem: 

Take a look online at any number of stories about this film and you'll likely find in the comments that there are still those who are a little ticked off about the diversity of the cast in Shyamalan's adaptation.  Much of it directed at the casting of Aang, to be played by young martial artist/actor Noah Ringer.

Hero Complex interviewed Shyamalan recently and the very first comment about the filmmaker's casting choices was brutal ...

An M. Night Shyamalan explain why NONE of the main characters are EAST ASIAN in a movie that is clearly about CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS with other EAST ASIAN CULTURES mixed in for kicks???????? and when he doesn't give the part to a WHITE person, he gives it to an INDIAN person. Nepotism much????

And another comment ...

It sure would be nice if the cast of the movie reflected the cast of the cartoon.

This movie won't be getting my money until the racebending is fixed.

Like the respondents above several others outright promised to boycott the picture in those comments.  When I read stuff like this the "Watchmen" movie comes to mind. The kerfuffle between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. last year threatened the ownership rights of the film and some fans said they would shout "boycott!" from the mountaintops if the settlement didn't meet their expectations.

I will say this about what we're seeing here -- and maybe we should do more on this later -- some of the fans of the series I am friends with have said they are intrigued enough with the quality of the trailers to see the movie.  On the other hand, I can understand why others who are fans see this as a missed opportunity for Hollywood to do something with a great and diverse Asian cast.

Just going by some interviews I have read, Shyamalan doesn't strike me as someone who would be completely insensitive to these issues.

Still, this conflict makes me wonder about what would have been if the producers of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had the opportunity to make this film -- would it have made a difference?   

Next month, if you haven't lost the shack on that Superbowl wager (sorry Colts fans!), you may want to rearrange your pull list and add Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's "Nemesis."

From what I understand the main character is the only costumed presence in a world with no superheroes -- and he's the villain.  I hear this cat is supposed to have Batman's skills and the Joker's twisted sensibilities.  Comic Book Resources has some black and white preview art from the first issue sans dialogue.

Millar could put on a clinic for buzz-building when it comes to getting the word out on a new book.  Sure, it's his Marvel work and he's MARK MILLAR so it gets all the spotlight it needs, but his other creator-owned stuff draws a significant crowd too ("Kick-Ass" anyone?).  This kind of buildup wouldn't work as well for a total unknown, but there are lessons to be learned.

When you think an idea for a super hero (or villain) comic has been pushed to the limit, Millar finds a way to push it a little bit more.  Love it or hate it, I guess that's how his stuff ends up being so unforgetable.  I may take the images from that final battle in his and McNiven's "Old Man Logan" Wolverine run with me to the great hereafter.

In the case of "Nemesis" I couldn't imagine Marvel dropping crazy-violent preview art out there for the comics media to gobble up about ten years ago but today you have to find a way to stand out. Check out the "Joker bloody smile" below.  Was that Millar's idea too?  My man is not shy about self-promotion.

Anyway, I'm digging McNiven's art in the preview and I like his work when he takes his time... as long as the book is on time, that is.

This post is primarily a reminder for myself.  I don't know how great "Nemesis" will be, but I hate missing the chance at a first issue to at least try it out.

"Nemesis" from Marvel Comics is scheduled for release March 3, 2010.

File-- In this Jan. 28, 2010 film director James Cameron poses for photographers prior to the opening of the movie Avatar in Davos, Switzerland. It was announced on Tuesday Feb. 2, 2010, that the science-fiction sensation "Avatar" and the war-on-terror thriller "The Hurt Locker" lead the Academy Awards with nine nominations each, including best picture and director for James Cameron and ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) (Virginia Mayo) By The Associated Press

James Cameron's "Avatar" has sailed past his blockbuster "Titanic" to become No. 1 on the all-time domestic box-office chart.

"Avatar" climbed to $601.1 million domestically on Tuesday, putting it a fraction ahead of the $600.8 million haul for "Titanic."

With more than $2 billion worldwide, Cameron's sci-fi sensation shattered the global box-office record of $1.84 billion held by "Titanic" last week.

"Avatar" still has plenty of box-office life left. It passed $600 million domestically on its 47th day of release. Back in 1998, "Titanic" was at barely half that amount - $311 million - after its 47th day in theaters.

Factoring in today's higher admission prices, "Titanic" still has sold more tickets than "Avatar."

Modern Mythology: With all the new additions to the Hulk family, are you, Loeb, and the team aiming to create a Hulk Team of some sort at the conclusion of Fall of the Hulks?

I know it's short notice -- I apologize -- but you can catch me and the crew from NDBmedia on Blogtalkradio.com tonight at 7 p.m. Pacific to talk all things "Lost" in anticipation of the sixth and final season which premieres tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on ABC.

You can go here and listen or just cut and paste Blogtalkradio.com/NDBmedia into your browser.  If you are a "Lost" fan and want to talk about Lostology you can call in at 914-338-0314.

By the way, have you seen the new trailer above?

Note: The links to NDBmedia are working now.  We had a glitch in the blog platform yesterday.  You should be able to check out the "Lost" show at the links or download it at the NDBmedia Blogtalkradio site.