Arad goes solo

Avi Arad has left Marvel Studios, which he guided to success from "Blade" to "X-Men" and "Spider-Man," to form his own production company. Arad will remain as producer on the "Spider-Man" films as well the planned "Incredible Hulk" sequel and "Iron Man." Michael Helfant, who joined the company last year, and Kevin Feige will take over operations at the studio.

Initial reaction from investors was surprise, with Marvel stock dropping 4%. But while the reasons cited for the move are unclear, Arad is leaving the company in good shape after a superb opening for "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Ghost Rider" and "Spider-Man 3" both on deck. Arad will get a nice payday as well, as his stock in Marvel became fully vested last week and is worth an estimated $70 million.

"Superman Returns" earlier

WB has moved up the release date for "Superman Returns" by two days to June 28. Move will maximize its earning potential over the Independence Day holiday. With the pic opening on a Wednesday and the holiday weekend running through Tuesday, the pic has what amounts to a seven-day opening weekend.

NYT on Comics Diversity

Sunday's NYT arts section had a long story on diversity in comics.

It discusses Marvel's upcoming marriage of Storm and the Black Panther; the new version of Blue Beetle, who is a Latino teen; and DC's upcoming introduction of a new Batwoman, who will be lipstick lesbian Kathy Kane when she's not fighting crime.

The feature also unveils the costume design for the new Batwoman, courtesy of Alex Ross.

Alex Toth dies

Alex Toth, the artist's artist of comicbooks and the man who many say made adventure TV animation possible, died Saturday. He was 77.

Most of Toth's comics work was done in the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, and rarely on the superhero titles that still survive today. His most visible work was likely his animation efforts, designing characters such as "Space Ghost" and designing "Fantastic Four" and "Super Friends" for their television debuts.

I'm not much of a Toth expert, but there's lots of people who are, such as Mark Evanier and Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter and CBR; do yourself a favor and go check out what they have to say about Toth.

Mutants Show Fox the Money

Well, X-Men has again defied b.o. expectations with “The Last Stand” earning a record four-day opening holiday weekend gross of $120.1 million. Expectations were in the $80 million to $90 million range, hedged against potential poor reviews (of which there were plenty) and the strength of “The Da Vinci Code.” Logan and Co. beat the previous record, held by “Shrek 2” with $96 million, by a wide margin. The Friday-Sunday gross of $103 million is the fourth-highest of all time, behind “Spider-Man,” “Revenge of the Sith” and “Shrek 2.”

An opening like that will likely get that “Wolverine” solo pic on the fast track, as well as increase the odds of a fourth “X-Men.” The first “X-Men” was a complete unknown for Fox, finished at the last second to make it’s June 14, 2000, release date and defied the expected $30 million to $40 million opening frame gross by taking in $54 million on its way to a worldwide gross of $295 million. “X2: X-Men United” topped the first in a big way, opening to an $85 million weekend on its way to a $406 million worldwide gross.

The potential for continuing the franchise, despite “The Last Stand’s” stated intent of being the final pic in the series is very strong. The scenes before and just after the credits (you did stay for the tag scene, right?) leave the door open to bring back any number of characters and with the plethora of X-titles Marvel has published over the year there’s no shortage of popular new mutants to bring into the picture and keep this franchise going for years to come.

Satrapi animates

Sony Pictures Classics has scooped up the North American distribution rights to the in-production animated feature adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's acclaimed "Persepolis" graphic novel. Iranian-born Satrapi is adapting the autobiographical tale and producing with Vincent Paronnaud. The film is being produced in Satrapi's adopted hometown of Paris by 2.4.7 Films, frequent Spielberg collaborator Kathleen Kennedy, and France 3 Cinema.

"Buffy" lives

Joss Whedon has announced that he will return to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and write a six-issue miniseries set to debut in October from Dark Horse. Expect a collected edition to follow. What makes this particularly of interest to "Buffy" fans is that Whedon has said this story will continue the TV series and serve as a de facto eighth season of the show.

Joss has shown some serious comicbook chops with his writing on various "Buffy" series and the top-selling (and very good) Astonishing X-Men series for Marvel. He's also writing a script for a "Wonder Woman" feature that he'll direct for Warner Bros.

"Ghost" sightings

As fans get in line to check out "X-Men: The Last Stand" — a pic that has a chance to outgross both its predecessors — Marvel has unveiled its first look at Nicolas Cage as "Ghost Rider" in a pair of teaser trailers, one for the domestic market and one for the international audience.

The pic hits U.S. theaters Feb. 16, same weekend that Mark Steven Johnson's previous Marvel pic, "Daredevil" debuted in 2003. "Ghost Rider" has had some scheduling difficulties that saw it pushed back from summer to winter.

The trailer evokes a style similar to that of "Daredevil," which did well at the box office but was not the most popular adaptation with fans. "Ghost Rider," however, benefits from not having a specific story to adapt -- the character has a cool visual but is otherwise an open slate. Not being tied to a specific story, the way "Daredevil" was to the Elektra saga, could help the movie appeal to same crowds that have made big hits out of modest horror pics such as the "Saw" films.

X-Men: The Last Stand

Director: Brett Ratner
Producers: Avi Arad, Ralph Winter, Lauren Shuler Donner
Screenplay: Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Shawn Ashmore, Ellen Page, Vinnie Jones, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Aaron Stanford, Anna Paquin
So? The good definitely outweighs the bad in the climax of the X-Men trilogy. That’s not going to stop a lot of people from criticizing the film for not being directed by Bryan Singer, and this installment, directed by Brett Ratner, does lack the offbeat tone and smooth narrative tricks that smoothed over the more outlandish elements of the X-Men canon. Fortunately, the canon has been established in the previous two films, and the more conventional action approach gives “The Last Stand” a kinetic intensity and grand scale that the previous two films only hinted at.

The plot’s pretty basic: A pharmaceuticals company creates a vaccine that permanently suppresses the X-gene that causes mutation. Some see it as a cure, others as a threat. Xavier’s camp lines up against Magneto’s hard-line stance. The wild card is the resurrection of Jean Grey as a darker, more powerful version of herself, as each side faces off in a massive battle on Alcatraz Island.

As with the previous films, there are plenty of valid criticisms about plot holes, awkward moments, and too many characters and too much plot crammed into a slim 105-minute running time. That they’re all of a slightly different nature than those Singer brought to the table is, in the end, down to nitpicking. (Remember “What happens to a toad?”…)

The best parts of the film are truly exciting. There’s action aplenty and those who thrilled at Wolverine cutting loose against Stryker’s guards in “X2” will have a field day with this installment. There’s not one, but two “fastball specials,” and lots of cool mutant-on-mutant battles. Colossus gets a few scenes and Iceman finally completely ices up. Storm at last is a force to be reckoned with, and she flies, zaps and whips up winds the way she always should have. Ellen Page is terrific as Kitty Pryde and the film makes great use of her powers. The action makes this film feel more like an X-Men comicbook story and certainly will please action junkies as well as those who found the previous films slow.

Characters do get some short shrift, and for more than a few of them it’s death that clears up the clutter. Anna Paquin’s Rogue has a disappointingly minor role in the film. Cyclops, Mystique and a few others have a moment and then are out of the picture. Angel has a great introduction and largely disappears for most of the picture. Kelsey Grammer has more to do as Beast, who turns out extremely well despite the blue makeup and fur. Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut loses something in the translation to film — his helmet being much more dorky up close than the trailers indicate and the loss of his connection to Charles Xavier leaving him without meaningful connection to the story.

The cure plotline and the showdown with Magneto give the picture its backbone and it’s consistent in tone with and builds upon the previous films. The Phoenix plot, however, is the most difficult aspect of the picture, even as its climax provides the most spectacular images of the trilogy. The filmmakers also effectively play with the look of Phoenix, who in the comicbook version was a sort of cosmic force that manifested itself as a giant fiery bird. Here, Phoenix is the ultimate manifestation of Jean’s potential and a product of Xavier’s meddling, her power altering her physical appearance in frighteningly effective ways. Xavier’s role is particularly interesting, as the sympathetic father figure seen the previous films turns to him being more controlling and shrewd – again reflecting various portrayals from the many years of comic books. Without divulging more details, the Phoenix story deviates significantly from the original in a way similar to that of Elektra’s story in 2003’s “Daredevil.” The specifics are not on the surface that different, but the changes alter the story enough to mitigate the emotional impact to a fraction of the original.

This makes the film a more conventional action pic, which will earn it praise from the many who respond to the visceral thrill and criticism from those who enjoy the more cerebral aspects of the previous films or expect a more literal adaptation from the comics.

And that’s what this film is going to come to for a lot of people. The film delivers in action, humor and a lot of very enjoyable character moments. It fails to deliver the sort of intellectual and emotional impact that fans of the original Phoenix comicbook story may expect. It also deviates from comicbook lore and ends up resolving some plotlines in ways that may fans may not care for (Rogue is an obvious example). Again, the good outweighs the bad and the film. Many will defend this legitimately as the best of the trilogy; others will say it’s the weakest link. This is definitely different than the film Bryan Singer would have made, and perhaps that’s the only thing the two camps will be able to agree on while most people will ignore them and have a good time anyway.

For fans, there’s lots of cool little cameos and Easter eggs to watch for. The film’s first scene features cameos from Stan Lee and longtime X-Men comicbook writer Chris Claremont. Mutants making appearances include Callisto, who has a cool throwdown with Storm; Madrox the Multiple Man, a villain here instead of a hero; Dr. Moira MacTaggert; Dr. Kavita Rao, from Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men arc; and Bolivar Trask. And be sure to stay after the credits for a pretty cool tag that goes to show that death is far from permanent where the X-Men are concerned.

Talent #1

Creators: Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski, writers; Paul Azaceta, artist
Boom! Studios, 24 pages, color, $3.99
So? This is being promoted as something not too different from the hit TV show “Lost,” and while there are some similarities, this stands on its own as an original and engrossing story. This begins on an airplane when an engine explodes and the plane crashes into the ocean. Recovery workers are astonished to find that one passenger, Nicholas Dane, managed to survive not just the crash but also being underwater for 12 hours. Dane finds he’s under suspicion for having caused the crash and that he has some kind of connection to the people who died on the flight. He finds himself with their memories and compelled to convey messages to their next of kin. It’s creepy, interesting and well-executed with nice color art from Azaceta. Should make a nice collection that will sit quite comfortably on the shelf next to anyone’s “Lost” DVDs. Grade: A-

News and notes, both recent and not

* Reviews are starting to come in for “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which was shown Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. Variety’s official review is here; Bags and Boards will have its own rundown of the flick after tonight’s all-media screening.

* The TV version of Aquaman once seen as a sure lock for the fall WB schedule failed to make the cut for the combo weblet CW. Whether the pilot will resurface as a TV movie or a midseason replacement remains to be seen.

* “Fantastic Four 2” is set to start shooting in British Columbia in August, though shooting north of the border has been hurt somewhat by the strength of the Canadian dollar, which is at a 28-year high and trading at 91 cents to the dollar – way about the norm over the past few years of 70 or 80 cents per dollar.

* Interesting tidbit from Georgia, where the Savannah College of Art and Design’s sequential art department will be holding an “editor’s day” job fair this Thursday and Friday. The editors heading to the South are DC’s Batman group editor Bob Schreck, Marvel exec editor Axel Alonso, Chris Staros of Top Shelf, Mike O’Sullivan of Devil’s Due, Tim Beedle from TOKYOPOP, James Lucas Jones of Oni Press, Jeff Mason of Alternative Comics and Chris Duffy from Nickelodeon magazine.

* A Syracuse newspaper notes that lots of girls are becoming fans of manga and showing up at conventions.

Tron #1

Creators: Landry Walker and Eric Jones, writers; Louie De Martinis, artist
Slave Labor Graphics, 24 pages, color, $3.50
So? If you haven’t seen the movie "Tron" in a while (or ever) make sure you read the recap that kicks off this issue or you’re likely to be lost. The plot has moved on since the end of the film (mostly, I think, through the recent Tron 2.0 videogame) and a lot has changed. Flynn is missing and the new hero of the tale is Jet Bradley, son of Alan and Lora Bradley from the film. Jet’s been inside the computer before and the experience is haunting him even as events conspire to take him back there. What always made the movie so cool was the amazing imagery and this book goes to amazing lengths to evoke the classic appeal of it while also taking it forward. And, surprisingly for a Disney-licensed book, the lush painted artwork is as dark and threatening as the story. That makes this a fantastic looking comic that’s a pretty good if dense read, as well. Grade: B+

Wolverine: Origins #1

Creators: Daniel Way, writer; Steve Dillon, artist
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? The most popular character in X-Men history gets a second ongoing series, though this one has a specific purpose implied in its title. This spins out of the House of M storyline in which Logan, after many years, regained his memories. Now, he’s out to settle some scores and this is the book that will explore that. On the plus side, it’s nice to see something different done with this element of the character. After dozens of stories in which his memories were revealed to be fake and faker, the plot at long last moves forward. On the minus side, this requires more knowledge of continuity and differs in a major way from the Wolverine seen in the movies (you may have heard there’s a new one coming out in a couple weeks). Steve Dillon is a terrific artist, but he doesn’t seem as comfortable with Wolverine as he did with the Punisher. Maybe it’s impossible to not see the face of Jesse Custer or John Constantine in Dillon’s art, but his portrayal of this character in costume isn’t as cool as you’d think it would be. Ditching the mask would help – a little. Grade: B-

Wolverine #41

Creators: Stuart Moore, writer; C.P. Smith, artist
Marvel, 48 pages, color, $3.99
So? Sometimes Wolverine is so overexposed that it’s easy to forget what a damn cool character he can be. Moore succeeds in telling a tale in which Wolverine not only gets to cut up the bad guys, but shows that good side of himself that makes him a hero. The story has Wolverine doing a favor for the Black Panther and infiltrating an African nation in chaos to rescue a “package” that turns out to be the infant heir to that nation’s throne. That means, yes, Wolverine has a baby carrier to hold the tyke while he cuts through scads of corrupt mercs. Smith’s art is fantastic, evoking the sort of thing Frank Miller might do with the character’s look these days though with a completely different color palate. (Seeing what Miller would do in writing Wolverine is an uncertain proposition given some of the things going on in All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.) This is in a lot of ways the sort of thing that would do Wolverine and Marvel well: More self-contained, continuity-free stories that connect with the real world and have some real emotion in them. Grade: A

The New Avengers Annual #1

Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, writer; Olivier Coipel, Drew Geraci, Drew Hennessy, Livesay, Rick Magyar, Danny Miki, Mark Morales, Mike Perkins and Tim Townsend, artists.
Marvel, 48 pages, color, $3.99
So? The lovely painted cover may lead you to think this is a romance story. Not so, unless your idea of a romance story is a huge fight between the new Super-Adaptoid and the New Avengers. Oh, yeah, there is a bit at the start where Jessica Jones finally agrees to marry Luke Cage. Then there’s a big fight and in the last five pages, finally, the wedding itself conducted by – who else? – Stan Lee. This is one of the first annuals Marvel’s put out in a while and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The big fight is fun, as far as those things go, but aside from the wedding not a whole lot happens in this issue — a problem that’s plagued annuals since at least the mid-1980s and part of the reason they’ve been absent for a few years now. Fans of Jessica and Luke excited by the lovely painted cover will get what they expect, but not in the way we expect it. After her 28 issue run in Alias and 14 issues in The Pulse, the wedding of Jessica Jones seems rushed and missing out on the sort of drama her stories have led us to expect. Grade: C+

Mr. Jean: Free Comic Book Day Special

Creators: Phillipe Dupuy and Charles Berberian
Drawn & Quarterly, 32 pages, black and white, free
So? Mr. Jean is one of the most popular comics in France and it’s not hard to see why it’s won top honors at the prestigious Angouleme comics festival. This sampler previews two Mr. Jean books D&Q is publishing in North America for the first time this year: “Get a Life” and “Maybe Later.” The former features sharp and funny tales of romance and friendship; the latter more autobiographical about Dupuy and Berberian, who both contribute to the writing and art on the strip. The style is breezy and authentic with an art style that’s playful and real. Rounding out the book is a preview of “Moomins,” a light and fun strip drawn by children’s author Tove Jansson back in the 1950s. It’s another project that will first come to North America this year. Both projects look to be well worth the wait. Grade: A

Funny Book #2

Creators: Jason, Martin Kellerman, Michael Kupperman, David B., Paul Hornschemeier, Jordan Crane, Mark Martin, R. Kikuo Johnson, Megan Kelso, Johnny Ryan, John Pham, Joe Daly and Max
Fantagraphics, 32 pages, black and white, free
So? A very cool sampler of some of the best cartoonists in the business is just impossible to pass up, especially when it’s free. The usual comicbook shop crowd will get the biggest kicks out of Jason’s Darth Vader strips (the one with the lightsaber umbrella is particularly good) and the insanely outrageous humor of Johnny Ryan. But there’s some very cool comics-lit stuff in here that’s worthy of further exploration, such as John Pham’s tale of wannabe actor Eduardo and David B.’s haunting “Hospital Memories.” Grade: A

X-Men-Runaways #1

Creators: Brian K. Vaughan, writer; Skottie Young, artist
Marvel, 32 pages, color, free
So? It’s good to see more original material in the Free Comic Book Day batch, especially from the larger publishers that have been content to offer reprints for the event. This isn’t a particularly original tale, as it follows the classic Marvel team-up plot of superhero teams meet, there’s a misunderstanding, they fight and then realize they should all be friends. All that’s missing is Chrissy and the Regal Beagle. It’s nice to see Marvel stand behind Runaways like this – it’s one of the best books Marvel publishes and deserves to do better. The other smart thing about this is the content of the book (including the Franklin Richards backup, the Avengers Adventures preview and the Ultimate Spider-Man Saga recap) is kid-friendly and spotlights books young readers are most likely to be able to jump in and enjoy. This definitely beats another reprint of Ultimate Spider-Man #1. Grade: B+

52: Week One

Creators: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid, writers; Keith Giffen, Joe Bennett and Ruy Jose, artists
DC Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.50
So? The grand experiment begins, complete with dedicated website. This isn’t the first time DC has tried to do a weekly comic. In the late 1980s, Action Comics Weekly ran 42 issues as a double-size superhero anthology. This time, there’s a more specific story focusing on a few key players: Elongated Man, still mourning his wife’s death from Identity Crisis; Gotham City cop Renee Montoya; Superman associate Steel; Booster Gold; and The Question. This issue focuses more on Booster Gold, who’s closer to his original concept than the jokey JL version. Having come back from the future, Gold makes good use of his knowledge of events both to play hero and to make a fortune. But the disappearance of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have thrown a monkey wrench into his plans as they’re not around to play the roles according to his script. What will be fun will be to watch the real-time element play out. Each issue covers one week in the missing gap of DC continuity and, like TV’s “24,” regularly records the passing of the days and weeks. That may be hard without big headliner characters. Like that show, "52" will need to deliver its share of thrills and find ways to pay off regularly for readers who may become easily distracted after a few issues if this isn’t seen as essential reading. It’s a fun read and an interesting publishing experiment. Grade: B+

Soulsearchers & Company-Deadbeats: FCBD Edition

Creators: Peter David and Richard Howell, writers; John Heebink, Richard Howell, Allen Milgrom and Ricardo Villagran, artists
Claypool Comics, 32 pages, black and white, free
So? For some reason, Claypool Comics is below the radar of most comics fans, and it’s not clear why. This promo book shows what’s been obvious from the first days of the small publisher: they put out some cool books that deserve more attention than they get. Peter David’s Soulsearchers has a mix of adventure and comedy that’s never been done well by larger publishers. The characters are fun, offer lots of cool in-jokes and hip quips and it’s even, dare I say, sexy in its own way. Deadbeats is a twist on the vampire genre, but it’s a lot more thoughtful and has more substance than what usually passes for vampire comics these days. Howell tells his story densely – sometimes so densely the nicer qualities of the art are overwhelmed by too much copy and cramped panels — but the story is interesting enough to be worth the effort. Both these series have been around for more than 75 issues, meaning they have some kind of audience. But these titles are not that visible in comics shops and the causal reader would be hard pressed to find a current issue or a trade. And that’s one of the oddities of Claypool, is they’ve stuck with the 1980s indie comics model of keeping all the back issues in stock while only offering the first few issues in collected form. That means issues 1-75 would cost more than $200. A big thick book in the mode of Marvel’s Essentials or DC’s Showcase series could get the same material into the hands of readers for a fraction of that. Grade: A-

Checkmate #1

Creators: Greg Rucka, writer; Jesus Saiz, artist
DC Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? The OMAC Projectl was the best of the pre-Crisis miniseries with a cool concept that borrowed a lot of cool characters from far and wide. This series picks up the pieces, with a cast that includes Amanda Waller of the Suicide Squad, the Golden Age Green Lantern, Sasha Bordeaux and Fire from the old Justice League. This is spy territory and you don’t get a better spy writer in comics today than Rucka, whose Queen & Country is the genre’s gold standard in this medium. This is a bit more Nick Fury and James Bond than Tara Chace, but it’s still a crackling good read and look at a very different side of the DC Universe. Saiz is a talented artist and he works well with Rucka. Grade: A-

Ion #1

Creators: Ron Marz, writer; Greg Tocchini, Jay Leisten, artists
DC Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? One of the problems with bringing back the very popular Hal Jordan to the main Green Lantern title is figuring out what to do with all the other Green Lantern characters. While most of them will end up in the upcoming Green Lantern Corps ongoing series, Infinite Crisis here turns GL Kyle Rayner into something slightly different, as he becomes the living embodiment of the Green Lantern Legacy – kind of a super-cosmic Green Lantern. It looks like a lot of this 12-issue series will be about Kyle figuring out just what all this means, and it’s a reasonably entertaining read. The real question will be if readers are hungry enough for Green Lantern stories to plunk down cash for this many GL series. Given the sketchy nature of GL sales (though the main GL book is selling very well), the answer seems to be no — unless DC knows something we don’t. For Kyle fans, this should keep them happy for the next year. For the rest, it may be too much GL to handle. Grade: C+

Infinite Crisis #7

Creators: Geoff Johns, writer; Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis, Joe Bennett, Andy Lanning, Jerry Ordway, Sean Parsons and Art Thibert, artists
DC Comics, 48 pages, color, $3.99
So? At last, the finale. Does it live up to months and months of hype? Not completely, but then I don’t know that anything could have filled that bill. Still, Infinite Crisis has accomplished what it set out to do by reviving interest in the DC universe and bringing at least the illusion of change. The finale has a lot to do with the Green Lantern Corps and the fate of Superboy from Earth-Prime. The fate of Superboy is surprising and it’s likely that the next time he shows up he won’t be calling himself that. This issue doesn’t really explain the loss (temporary, of course) of Superman’s powers or get too much into the reasons Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman decide to take a break at the end of the story. What was fun about Infinite Crisis was that it felt like DC was a universe again, with tons of cool and colorful characters that always seem cooler in something like this than they ever are in their own stories. This gives DC a shot at establishing a new status quo for any number of characters, and many of them are getting just that with new series on the horizon for the likes of Wonder Woman and The Flash, as well as the wave of miniseries and ongoings that are even now spinning out of this issue. The final result is the DC Universe seems like a much more interesting and fun place to read about. Grade: A-

Comicbook Fight Zone!

After Comic-Con, E3 is probably the biggest geek-fest in the nation, made only more so by its “trade-only” status. And if you’re both a comic book fan and a gamer, this is about as close as you’re going to get to heaven.

First comicbook content we came across was at the Sony booth, where WB Interactive’s Justice League Heroes was set up on a PS2. The game is an action-based RPG and I got to play the Batman half of the World’s Finest duo as Batman and Superman took on Brainiac. The game puts two superheroes at a time on the screen; the other duo on display at the show was Flash and Green Lantern (the John Stewart version). The guy manning the booth mentioned that Dwayne McDuffie, writer of comics and cartoons including the JL animated show, worked on the game.

The DC theme continued over in the mammoth South Hall, where Superman Returns was on display at the EA booth. This game offers a completely mapped out Metropolis that Superman can wander through as he pursues his various quests. The city is bright and futuristic and looks really cool. This game was set to debut with the premiere of the film in late June, but has been delayed until the fall to coincide with the DVD release. The version at the booth is 40% complete, according to the graphics on the screen. The film will feature elements from both the film and the comicbooks, with DC expert Marv Wolfman having contributed to the game.

The Activision booth is Marvel territory. The company’s promoting the release of the upcoming “X-Men: The Official Game” with a raffle for a special X-Men motorcycle as seen in the upcoming film. A quick demonstration of the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game was truly exciting. The game will work something like Activision’s X-Men Legends game, though this time players will be able to assemble teams of four from a roster of more than 20 Marvel characters. The demo for the PS3 version showed Captain America, Spider-Man, the Thing and Ghost Rider fighting their way out of the Shield Helicarrier, and later showed levels including Atlantis and an impressive boss battle with Galactus on the Skrull homeworld. Fans will get a chance to contribute to the game as well, with Activision planning to open auditions for fans to try out for the voice roles of either Bruce Banner or Jean Grey. Other characters we saw in action included Thor, Blade, Elektra, Doctor Strange and Wolverine.

Like any good show, there were signings, too. Top Cow’s Marc Silvestri and Paul Jenkins (see the picture) signed copies of The Darkness at the 2K games booth to promote the upcoming game based on the comic. 2K also was showing off its Ghost Rider game, which has matchhead swinging his chain around at a lot of demons and riding his cycle into hell. Meanwhile, Stan Lee was slated to sign in the afternoon at the Activision booth, and a quick stop at the WB Interactive booth offered a quick glimpse at the PSP version of 300: March to Glory, based on the upcoming film based on the Frank Miller comic. This was a basic fighting game with a nice, bright-sunlight look with rich color scheme.

Civil War #1

Creators: Mark Millar, writer; Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines, artists
Marvel, 48 pages, color, $3.99
So? Marvel's big summer event kicks off with this well-written and well-drawn issue that tries to inject some real-world, post-9/11 politics into the Marvel Universe. The Superhero Registration Act has been building for a while in various Marvel series and it's a variation on the Mutant Registration Act that's been threatening to pass in the X-Men titles for a quarter century. What pushes things over the edge is a supervillain using his powers to vaporize a large part of Stamford, Conn. The gist on this variation is that all superheroes have to register and reveal their identity to the government to continue to be superheroes. Those who don't risk being smacked down by a special SHIELD unit designed to take out superheroes permanently. There's lots of debate, with there being a pretty decent upside to following the law -- a paycheck and legal status. The downsides are government oversight and the loss of secret identities. On the pro-registration side is Iron Man and poised to stand against him is Captain America. The rest of the Marvel Universe will queue up on one side or another in the next few months. This sort of thing works reasonably well in the Marvel Universe, which has always allowed for a greater connection with the real-world. The scary part is looking at the list of all the crossovers — that many tie-in issues is going to make or break this thing. If the tie-ins are irrelevant or major plot points pop up in unexpected places, it'll play into the fans' skepticism that these events are designed solely to part fans from their money. There's definitely some good stuff in here, but it'll take quite a juggling act for Marvel to pull out something that stands above the norm for this kind of thing. Grade: B

Surf's Up!

Looks like the Silver Surfer will be part of the "Fantastic Four" sequel, according to Variety's own Dave McNary and Mike Fleming. Their report says a pair of scripts for the sequel, set for July 4, 2007, have been written with the studio leaning toward one featuring the Surfer penned by Don Payne over a version by Mark Frost, who worked on the first film.

Any FF story featuring the Silver Surfer would also likely bring in Galactus (unless he's somehow being held in reserve for a third installment). This is likely to be mixed news for fans: The "Galactus trilogy" that introduced the purple planet eater and his shiny herald in Fantastic Four #48-50 is considered one of if not the best story Stan Lee and Jack Kirby produced in their illustrious run on the comic. Those comics are serious in tone and the fans take them seriously.

The first film was more light-hearted and fun than serious. It worked on a basic level of fun but lacked the gravitas the most successful pics based on Marvel comics pics have managed to convey intact to the screen. Whether a sequel with the same cast and director can make the transition to the "more serious" story of the Surfer and Galactus is a very big question mark and fans will need some serious reassurances that this beloved character and story isn't going to be played for comedy before getting their hopes up.

East Coast Rising, Vol. 1

Creator: Becky Cloonan
TOKYOPOP, black and white, 192 pages, $9.99
So? What could be more frightening than pirates from New Jersey? That’s the question asked and answered in this fast-paced entry in the growing OEL (Original English Language) category. Story follows a kid named Archer, who’s lost at sea and hooks up with Cannonball Joe and the crew of La Revancha. Archer’s searching for a lost treasure he has a map too and that leads the La Revancha to take on the feared ship Hoboken and its captain, Lee. Cloonan injects this tale with the same sort of urban grittiness she brought to “Demo,” and it puts a nice visual twist on the usual manga style. The action is fun, though it comes at the expense in this volume (the first of three) of plot and explanation. A lot of manga can seem like that to those weaned on American-style comics, which are text heavy in comparison. As OEL manga becomes more prominent, a better fusion of these sensibilities could emerge. As for this book, the pages in the back of the book offer a bit more of an explanation of how the East Coast came to be flooded and plagued by pirates. Until we get a little more plot, the frenetic action will be more than sufficient. Grade: B-

The Tourist

Creators: Brian Wood, writer; Toby Cypress, artist
Image Comics, black and white, 104 pages, $9.99
So? Like its lead character, “The Tourist” is not what it seems. Story follows Moss, who drifts into a small Scottish town. He starts dating the single mom owner of the local café and gets a job as a welder on an offshore oilrig. Turns out the job is part of a bigger plot involving drugs stolen from the military, who is out to reclaim the drugs and stop Moss – a special forces soldier. The romance is the best part of the book, with a convincing bond forming between Moss and Julie. But rude reality has to intrude and this is where things get a little strange as the plot to steal the drugs just doesn’t gel the way it should and doesn’t mesh well with the romance plot. The way this unfolds leads to a logical but unsatisfactory conclusion. Cypress’ art is lovely, loose and expressive, but like the script it works best with the romance story. Grade: C+

X-Men vs. Superman

As we approach the debut of both "X-Men: The Last Stand" on May 19 and "Superman Returns" on June 30, the buzz has definitely building in favor of Marvel's mutants. Cast members from the film have been appearing on talk shows with clips — most of which are pretty easy to find online. A clip Hugh Jackman showed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno featured the Danger Room sequence that pits the X-Men against the Sentinels and includes the "fastball special." (For those who don't know, that's a combat move from way way back in the comics, in which Colossus throws Wolverine at a target like a rocket.)

And the buzz seems to be working. In today's L.A. Times, columnist Patrick Goldstein goes right to the teens who are the audience for summer pics to see which ones they're most interested in seeing. "X-Men" ranked well with the group. Two of the teens had high praise for Marvel and it's mutant franchise. "If you like stories with action and imagination, you have to like Marvel movies," says one.

The teens were less enthusiastic about "Superman Returns." The costume was criticized for not being as "cool" as the X-Men or Spider-Man outfits and the Superman story was actually called "lame" and came up short in comparison to Batman and Spidey. Of the 13 trailers evaluated, "X-Men" was ranked fourth, while "Superman" was at No. 11, just ahead of "Miami Vice."

All of which jives with some of the criticisms from some who've read the "Superman Returns" script and say it's long on romance and short on action. It seems unlikely that will be true of the final cut (they're not spending $184 million on smooching shots alone). The new trailer (which can be found online) has its share of implied action (at least as much as the original "X-Men" did back in 2000). What the trailer doesn't do is give us much in the way of anything new: We've seen Superman fly, save planes and repel bullets in previous films. Whether the movie will seem too much a homage to the 1978 version and not original enough or hip enough to draw in the kids of today will be the big question WB and Bryan Singer will be asking come June 30.

The Price is Right

Once again, Free Comic Book Day approaches. This Saturday, you can drop into a participating comicbook shop and take home some free sampler comics for the attractive price of $0.

This year, 28 titles in all are being made available. You’re most likely to find the 10 books from Gold Sponsors, which includes big guns such as Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, Archie and Bongo. The 18 Silver Sponsor titles represent the indie side of the aisle and include books from Aspen, Wizard, Devil’s Due, Fantagraphics, Oni, Drawn & Quarterly and Top Shelf.

And since this is a promotional opportunity, a lot of stores will host signings and special events. In Los Angeles (which for us is local), Earth-2 in Sherman Oaks is hosting the likes of “52” writer Mark Waid, “New X-Men” co-writer Chris Yost, IDW editor and writer Chris Ryall and a slew of talent from Boom! Studios, including Hollywood types Andrew Crosby and John Rogers. Appearing at Meltdown Comics on Sunset will be acclaimed writer Brian K. Vaughan, newly arrived in the Los Angeles area. Vaughan not only writes such cool books as “Y: The Last Man” and “Ex Machina,” he also wrote Marvel’s giveaway for the event, a new “X-Men/Runaways” crossover.

The Nightmarist

Creator: Duncan Rouleau
Active Images/Man of Action Studios, black and white, 180 pages, $14.99
So? Dreams are kind of dangerous territory for any comic to tread in because of the inevitable comparisons to “The Sandman.” Duncan Rouleau, whose comics credits include M. Rex and such mainstream titles as X-Factor, Wildcats and Action Comics, evokes a very different kind of dreamscape in this original graphic novel about a young woman whose dreams become a battleground. This book unfolds very much like a dream itself – at times confusing, at times compelling but always interesting and beautiful to look at. This is one of those books that can really only be done by a creator who’s writing and drawing the material, as some of the organic dream-like qualities would have been hard to make work if those tasks were done separately. Rouleau’s art is especially delicious, with a detail and control that gives shape to the inky terrors lurking in the story. This is a dark fantasy that is denser and more layered than most manga, but like nothing coming out of the major U.S. comics publishers. That it makes the use of four-letter words a bit puzzling, as avoiding them would make this an ideal book for a lot of the manga readers who are fueling a lot of the growth in the comics biz. Grade: A-

Marvel Zombies #1 - 5

Creators: Robert Kirkman, writer, Sean Phillips, artist, June Chung, colors, Arthur Suydam, cover art

Marvel Comics, color, 32 pages, $2.99 each

So?: Take all of your favorite old-school superheroes, give them a taste for human flesh and an entire new universe to romp around in, and you have "Marvel Zombies," a new limited edition comicbook series from the fine makers of "The Living Dead" and "Hellblazer." 

Titled after the pet name given to obsessed fanboys, "Marvel Zombies" mixes wit and terror beautifully through the topnotch writing by Robert Kirkman and disturbing art by Sean Philips.  Add to the mix Arthur Suydam's genius cover art, and the series becomes an automatic a must-read. The zombiefied versions of famous covers hints at the horror and humor to come.

The idea originally began in an "Ultimate Fantastic Four" story arc where Reed Richards & Co. ended up in another dimension inhabited by victims of a zombie virus -- and at dinnertime, no less. With the help of Magneto, (yes, Magneto) and his handy-dandy teleporter, survivors are sent back to a zombieless dimension while Mag sacrifices himself to the undead masses.  Thus begins "Marvel Zombies"...

The comic borrows a page from the zombie guidebook of John A. Russo and his "Living Dead" series. The undead versions of Marvel's greatest characters are still their old selves - no sluggish movements or limited vocabulary as seen with Romero zombies -- just hungrier and less picky about the fate of mankind. 

But alas, not only do our fallen superheroes have to deal with seemingly unending hunger, but they also have other undead issues to conquer. Small problems arise such as how to keep adamantium from falling off decaying bones; how a Hulk-sized appetite might affect an alter ego after transformation; or how to deal with post-buffet remorse over devouring one's red-headed wife and beloved aunt.  But in the end, the horror of the situation overwhelms the darkly rich humor of the comic, as seen in the ill-begotten fate of the Black Panther in the first few issues.

In the end, "Marvel Zombies" expands on a "what if" situation of the "FF" comic and brings it to a new level of revulsion and absurdity. A true treat for Marvel lovers and zombie fans alike. Bravo. Grade: A

7 Days to Fame #1-3

Creators: Buddy Scalera, writer, Nick Diaz and Dennis Budd, artists

After Hours Press, color, 32 pages and $3.99 each

So? While cynicism can make for compelling fiction, it becomes among the least likeable attributes when taken to extremes. There’s bits of both in this three-issue series, about the rapid rise of a reality show in which the sick and dying recount their lives and commit suicide. The show begins seemingly by accident as a struggling latenight cable show. The first guest causes a sensation and the show’s slickly ambitious host and reluctant producer find themselves running an intentional version of the show on the Internet. While using suicide as way to satire the reality genre has potential, there’s a lot of pitfalls that this story doesn’t dodge very well. The portrayal of the unquestioned success of the show, made by vapid conversations between neighbors and people on the street, is hard to believe. In an era where Janet Jackson’s nipple causes a national uproar and shock jocks like Howard Stern are fleeing broadcast for satellite, more people than the reluctant producer would have moral qualms about putting on such a show. The whole thing has an element of unreality to it, where it’s hard to buy that these characters are seriously saying and doing the things they’re saying. Scenes also are a little too decompressed and there’s too many panels filled with everyday lines that aren’t essential to advancing either the plot or characters. Scalera does have a talent for writing dialogue that makes it hard to stop reading. The weight of the subject does somehow come through, even though only a few characters express it. The art is competent and well-colored, though there’s a bit too much effort spent imitating Jim Lee than expressing emotional complexity in the characters. The result is a mixed bag: this is a comicbook that obviously has something to say and somehow manages to say it even though it does so in counterintuitive and sometimes clunky ways. Grade: C+