Updates: Iron Man, Raimi, Hulk, etc.

* Marvel's first self-produced film, "Iron Man," has wrapped principal photography and moving into the postproduction phase. EW scored a very cool looking pic of the cast, giving us our first real good look at what to expect from Robert Downey Jr. et al. Also, AICN is reporting that Samuel L. Jackson played a cameo in the movie as Nick Fury (the version of Fury seen in Marvel's Ultimate line was based on Jackson, a big comics fan).

* Sam Raimi emerges from the "Spider-Man 3" gauntlet and tells MTV.com he would be interested in directing part 4 if the story was good enough and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst return. He also has some interesting ideas for villains, throwing out the idea of the Sinister Six (The Vulture, Doc Ock, Sandman, Kraven the Hunter, Electro and Mysterio) all of whom first teamed up in the 1964 classic Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Raimi also says he'd like to see some payoff for Dylan Baker, the actor who's played Curt Connors in all three films but has not had a chance yet to become the Lizard.

* Still in Marvel movie land, a teaser image for "The Incredible Hulk" has been making the rounds. (Click on the image for a slightly larger version.)

* On the DC/WB side, there's good news with the extension of the studio's financing deal with Legendary Pictures, which helped bring "Batman Begins," "Superman Returns" and "300" to the big screen, with "The Losers" on its slate.

* Fast Company.com takes a look at Virgin Comics, which has hired Stuart Moore as editor for its partnership projects with Sci Fi Channel. The FC article also mentions that Ron Marz, another longtime pro, has joined the company as an editor.

* Via AWN, comes this interesting opportunity for any animators heading down to Comic-Con:

ASIFA-Hollywood is putting out a call for animators to be part of The Second Annual ASIFA-Hollywood Paperless 2D Animation Jam, July 25-29, 2007, as part of Comic-Con in San Diego. Animators, at booth #5434, will use a Paperless Animation system provided by DigiCel FlipBook. Interested animators can sign up at asifa-hollywood.org/blog/con2007/table.html. In addition, ASIFA-Hollywood is looking for volunteers to man the booth during the event.

Super Review Catchup Omnibus, Part 2

Running DC’s weekly comicbook series Countdown is apparently not enough to keep Paul Dini busy, and he brings us Madame Mirage #1 drawn by Kenneth Rocafort (Top Cow, 32 pages, color, $2.99). Madame Mirage is a kind of throwback to some of the female crime-fighters of the 1940s and 1950s and noirish heroes like The Shadow. Madame Mirage is apparently a master of disguise, creating an elaborate and effectve plan to expose a crooked executive. She also has a tremendous sense of style, doing all of this in a posh evening gown, stockings and a wide-brim hat with just enough black veil for her to peer out from with a seductive smile. Dini makes this work very well (though he surely will have to explain in future issues more about who she is and how she does it – possibly undermining the effective mystery of this debut) and is beautifully drawn by Rocafort. Grade: B+

The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 (DC Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99) is the sudden end to this series for the Scarlett Speedster. Writer Marc Guggenheim (currently a writer on ABC’s "Brothers and Sisters") is serving a lot of different masters here, as DC makes some significant changes in the character and sets the stage for the return of the previous Flash series. It’s hard to say if this change will please the Flash’s die-hard fans, but it surely will cause some debate, especially considering the Flash-related goings on in last week’s issue of Countdown. Grade: C+

Now that Civil War is done, Marvel’s gearing up for its next big event with a one-shot special called X-Men: Endangered Species (Marvel, 48 pages, color, $3.99). Written by Mike Carey and drawn by Scot Eaton, this begins by picking up the threads of the “no more mutants” plot from House of M. Not much happens in this issue, as the X-Men attend the funeral of a mutant boy who died in an accident and consider that with fewer than 200 mutants left on the planet that mutants are destined to die out. (I’m not following the logic on this one as mutants have almost always been shown to be born of normal parents instead of mutants breeding with mutants. Plus, it was only a few years ago when Grant Morrison’s run began with talk of regular humans going the way of the dodo bird within five years.) Beast begins to think about ways to prevent this, leading into a series of backup stories that will run though the X-books for the next three or four months, apparently leading up to something big. While it’s nice to see Carey able to give the X-Man characters the oft-missing sense that they are real people, this issue and the line as a whole needs to find a balance between character and action that has been out of whack in one direction or the other for a long time. Also, anything that would make the X-Men universe comprehensible and somewhat linear would be a great help. Grade: C+

Next, let’s take a look at DC’s new Minx line, which seems to be aimed at tween and teen girls. “The Plain Janes” was an auspicious debut, and the subsequent releases are at the very least interesting, if nothing to get too excited about yet. “Re-Gifters” (Mike Carey, writer; Sony Liew and Marc Hempel, artists; 176 pages; $9.99; out now) is the best of the lot, telling the story of a young Korean girl named Dixie who practices hapkido and finds a boyfriend in a roundabout way. Dixie is an appealing character, and the story manages a believability that sells the whole thing. The art works well too, being thankfully very unlike manga or manwha. Grade: B+

“Clubbing” (Andi Watson, writer; Josh Howard, artist; 176 pages; $9.99, on sale July 11) is about sophisticated London teen Lottie, who is sent to live with relatives in the country after she’s busted by the cops for using a fake I.D. to get into a club. Lottie learns the locals aren’t yokels and manages to solve a close-to-home crime. I know I’m not the target aud for this, but already I’m feeling like the shop-a-holic teen who’s into texting and shopping for shoes is becoming a terrible cliché. Howard’s art is slick, though his lead women all tent to look alike. I find it hard to imagine many high-school age girls finding much of interest in this one. Grade: C

“Good as Lily” (Derek Kirk Kim, writer; Jesse Hamm, artist; 176 pages; $9.99; out Aug. 15) is surprisingly the weakest Minx release to date despite the most interesting premise. Korean teen Grace meets on her 18th birthday versions of herself from ages 6, 29 and 70. With their help, she resolves various issues that have been plaguing her, including the death from illness of her older sister, Lily. This gets bogged down in soap opera, with the resolution of Grace’s often vague problems somewhat pat and overall kind of unsympathetic. But again, take my word with a grain of salt as 37-year-old men are not the target audience for these books. Still, the Minx books overall so far seem a tad tame compared to some of the manga aimed at the same audience. Minx books may go younger, appealing to tweens, but I think teens will prefer the faster pace and edgier art (and more sexual nature) of manga. Grade: C.

Super Review Catchup Omnibus, Part 1

It’s been far too long since I’ve done reviews, so this week I'm going to try to catch up on the many books that are stacked high in my office so I can at the very least make room for new ones as Comic-Con approaches …

Satan’s Sodomy Baby #1 (Eric Powell, creator; Dark Horse; 32 pages; color; $3.50) is actually an issue of The Goon, albeit one that goes a bit further with its humor and imagery than usual. While there’s plenty in here to offend those people warned on the cover not to read it, the actual points of the humor, such as hillbillies having sex with farm animals and priests molesting children, are well-trod to the point of not being terribly funny or outrageous. Here’s hoping Powell got this out of his system and can get back to his usual imaginative and original work on The Goon. Grade: C

The Boys returns with issue #7, now published by Dynamite Entertainment (color, 32 pages, $2.99) after DC/Wildstorm pulled the plug. The book looks and feels pretty much exactly the same, with Ennis continuing to take the piss out of superheroes (you’d think he’d get bored with that after all these years … ) to good effect. Fans of the series will be pleased, and the new character – a nameless bald man who knows all the dirt on all the superheroes and lives in the basement of a comics shop – is damn funny, although perhaps a bit too reminiscent of Starr from Preacher. Still, a fun read with great dialogue and art from the underrated Darick Robertson. Grade: B

Geoff Darrow’s The Shaolin Cowboy #7 (Burlyman Entertainment, 32 pages, color, $3.50) made a recent, rare appearance on the stands and is up to its usual standards — meaning the art is gorgeous, the plot confusing, the dialogue witting to the point of whiny, and the ink on the pages for some reason still smells bad. Grade: B-

Avengers Classic #1 (Marvel; 32 pages, 48 pages, color, $3.99) revives a fairly cool format first used two decades ago for Classic X-Men. This issue features a complete reprint of Avengers #1, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby way back in 1963. Rounding out the package are two comedic new backup tales — one about the team fighting over who deserves to chair their meetings, by Dwayne McDuffie and Michael Avon Oeming; and a story in which Stan Lee reveals the “real” origin of the team, written by Lee himself and drawn by Kevin Maguire. Both have their charms, but even with Avengers having dethroned X-Men as Marvel’s top franchise these days, a reprint title seems a bit off given the number of books out there right now that reprint this very issue. Grade: A-

The Homeless Channel (Matt Silady, writer and artist; AiT-PlanetLar; 168 pages; black and white, $12.95) tells the tale of a smart and savvy woman named Darcy Shaw, who creates a cable channel devoted to the lives of the homeless that manages to turn a profit while ostensibly improving the lives of those it covers. The book is less about the homeless issue and more about Shaw, who’s doing the 21st century of having it all by having a practical plan for saving the world without sacrificing her own pursuit of success and personal happiness. This book casts an increasingly common, easy-to-fall-for fantasy that everything will be OK if we’re all just smart enough about using technology to circumvent the corruption of the old world. Silady writes smoothly and his model-based art is attractive, but the cool premise doesn’t translate into an innovative story and by the end there’s a definite feeling that there could have been much more to this. Grade: B-

The Highwaymen #1 (Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman, writers; Lee Garbett, artist; Wildstorm; 32 pages; color, $2.99) is a satisfying chunk of action fiction. Story set in the future sees a “I’m-too-old-for-this-shit” cop-like agents called back to duty by a message from a past president to find a long-lost “package” and deliver it to the Centers for Disease Control. Of course, the package is a person, who’s most likely in Mexico. The plot at this point is less important than the action. The centerpiece of this issue is a chase involving a bus that manages the trick of being well-staged and very cool without pushing the boundaries of believability too much (aside, that is, from the idea that there are buses in Scottsdale, Ariz.) Serious and tough, this is a cool book. Grade: B+

Coming from a very similar spot is the new book from Teenagers from Mars creators Rick Spears and Rob G, Repo #1 (Image, 32 pages, color, $3.50). This one also features two tough guys who drive around in cars a lot, though in this vision of the future, foreclosures on car loans are calculated to the minute and it takes skilled pros to recover them with no delay. Rob G’s art retains its manga influence, but the color in this book is particularly effective, using simple but bright yellows, magentas and cyans. This book has a wicked sense of humor and does a fine job of delineating its characters quickly. Again, there’s a hot case that will draw the heroes, K.T. and Emil, into competition with some cutthroat colleagues. It’s kind of a shame that both Repo and Highwaymen came out the same week; both are examples of the kind of comics it would be nice to have more of, but it also may be easy for one to get lost in the shuffle. Grade: B+

Platinum sets up "Cowboys," lands sponsor, and criticized by creator

Platinum Studios has been making plenty of news this week, so let's start with the big annoucement: Platinum has set up its comicbook concept "Cowboys & Aliens" at DreamWorks and Universal.

Deal features lots of big names. Producing are Imagine's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Platinum chief and "C&A" creator Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, "Transformers" scripters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Strip Art Features founder Ervin Rustemagic and Rich Marincic will co-produce. Script will be by "Children of Men" and "Iron Man" scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.

Rosenberg, who ran Malibu Comics and launched one its lesser-known books, "Men in Black," to big-screen success, came up with the concept for "Cowboys & Aliens" more than 10 years ago and began pitching it upon opening the doors of Platinum Studios in 1997. Concept finally saw print in December as a heavily promoted (and discounted) graphic novel written by Fred Lente and Andrew Foley and drawn by Dennis Calero and Luciano LIma. Given that the concept is pretty much self-explanatory and flexible, film version could either stick close to the graphic novel or go in a completely different direction. 

Also this week, Platinum announced that AT&T has signed on as a presenting sponsor for its second annual Comic Book Challenge competition, with the top 50 entrants' names (with bios to follow) posted on AT&T's Blue Room site. Challenge will be held at Comic-Con in San Diego next month, with contestants vying "American Idol" style for a shot at having their comicbook pitch published by Platinum. Last year's winner, DJ Coffman's "Hero by Night," just wrapped its four-issue run.

But Platinum has come under fire in the comics blogosphere, first a few months ago in a brouhaha over credits that turned out to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and again earlier this week when a creator, Mike Strang, who signed over the rights to his creation to Platinum in a work-for-hire contract a few years ago, complained on his blog about having lost control of his property. (Sadly, Strang admits to not having read the contract he signed — obviously never the best course.)

Platinum's business model has always involved acquiring the rights to comics properties, whether existing or original, to exploit in multiple media. In that way, it's no different than most other production companies or studios. (Interestingly, co-ownership is becoming more common in comics: some of DC's upcoming Minx books and TOKYOPOP''s OEL manga are copyrighted in the names of the creators and the publisher; I'd be interested to know how such deals compare to full creator ownership and who has the controlling interest.) In an interview conducted in April for a profile of Platinum I wrote for Publishers Weekly Comics Week, Rosenberg said the company's deals with creators are determined on a case by case basis and ownership is not as essential to the company as the ability to develop a property in other media. Creator ownership is available at Platinum for those who ask for it and can negotiate it into their deals. What Platinum wants is the ability to make money off whatever deals it can make for a property, whether its toys, mobile phone applications, videogames, TV shows, cartoons or movies. Owning the property outright surely makes all of that at least a little bit easier, especially if it's a new property that's going out into these markets for the first time.

It's hard to blame Platinum for offering such contracts to people who are willing to accept the tradeoffs inherent in signing them, but there are some risks. The comics industry's history of abuse under work-for-hire conditions means such deals carry a stigma — especially when they're applied to original properties — thanks to the shoddy way such deals turned out for the likes of Siegel and Shuster and Jack Kirby. Also, Platinum may not legally be required to credit or compensate the creator should an original property acquired through a work-for-hire contract go on to become a huge hit movie, but the bad publicity that would accompany such a story would exact its own price on the company's image and reputation that would be hard to repair, and not just in the comics creative community.

One key question that has been asked is what will happen to the many properties Platinum has acquired in its ten-year history. While some will see print now that Platinum is publishing comics (in conjunction with partner company Top Cow), others will end up on the webcomics site DrunkDuck.com, others may be revamped by other creators and some will never see the light of day. Sure, that will be a disappointment to creators whose work didn't turn out the way they wanted it to, but that is part and parcel of working in any kind of entertainment business.

So far, looking at  the material on DrunkDuck and the list of projects once in development at Platinum, it seems unlikely that such practices are denying comics readers the chance to read unheralded masterpieces of the medium — which is beside the point from a purely moral perspective, but from a creative and legal perspective makes it hard to argue that whatever these creators were paid for their projects was outrageously unfair.

But this should still serve as a reminder to creators not to sign away the rights to their ideas if they have a problem with losing control of it. The state of the industry is nowhere near as limiting for creator ownership as it was in the the Golden Age or even of the 1970s, when Marv Wolfman and Steve Gerber created characters for Marvel that became the subject of later lawsuits over ownership.

What remains important is for each creator to cut deals that they can live with. Some will doubtlessly see an advantage in surrendering some or all rights for upfront payment and improved chances that the work will be published in one form or another. But those who can't bear to sell the rights to their project have more possibilities than ever before, and if a project is truly good enough to succeed in the market, finding a publisher who will work with you on ownership terms will not be a problem.

"Repo Man" sequel GN set; "Mars" lands at Wildstorm?

Alex Cox, who directed the cult 1984 movie "Repo Man," has signed on with Australia-based Gestalt Publishing to turn his unfilmed sequel screenplay into a graphic novel. The book, titled "Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday," is set for release sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. The book will be drawn by Chris Burns, and you can take a look at some of the art at his website.

And E! Online's TV guru Kristin posts the following missive on the "Veronica Mars" comic series, ostensibly sent by someone at DC ...

J in New York: I work at DC Comics, and you've got some big love here. There's a bunch of us who take your word for gospel, and though it's already sorta out there, we just wanted to send some info your way on the Veronica Mars comic books. They'll be published by our Wildstorm imprint, which is based in San Diego, and R.T. is looking to be firmly on board. We're even hoping for a late fall release of the first issue. Hopefully, more to come...Keep up the good work!

Notes: Miller in "Trouble"; Spidey toon

Frank Miller is going to be adapting Raymond Chandler's "Trouble is My Business" for the big screen, with his "Sin City" star Clive Owen set to headline and exec produce the film. Film will be part of a deal between Strike Entertainment and Universal. Miller's plate continues to overflow with film projects, with him set to helm his own script for Will Eisner's "The Spirit" and co-direct the long-awaited "Sin City 2" with Robert Rodriguez. This is probably not the best news for those wanting to see more comicbooks from Miller, who has been scripting the terminally late All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder for artist Jim Lee and a long-planned graphic novel called "Batman: Holy Terror!" that will see the Dark Knight hunting down Osama Bin Laden.

* From the "Didn't Get the Memo" department, Sony has dubbed its new animated Spidey series "The Spectacular Spider-Man." This comes on the heels of Marvel reorganizing its various Spider-Man titles into one, thrice-monthly comicbook series under the original and still-champion title, The Amazing Spider-Man, canceling Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Sensational Spider-Man in the process. I wonder if after having had to come up with so many variations over the years (Web of Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Spider-Man Unlimited, even just plain Spider-Man, etc.) Marvel ran out of names for new Spider titles or decided that New Spider-Man just wouldn't work. Skein will debut early next year as part of the Kids WB! block on The CW. Overseeing the new show, produced by Sony's Culver Entertainment arm, are Greg Weisman and Victor Cook.

* The Hero Initiative has announced the second annual softball battle between Marvel and DC for the Stan Lee Cup (groan) will be held on Thursday, July 26, at Comic-Con in San Diego. Marvel won the inaugural battle at last year's con.

First Look/Look Back at Harbinger

Few things geek me out quite so much as Harbinger, which along with the rest of the early Valiant comics is one of my true comicbook weaknesses. I starting buying Valiant books in 1992, just as the hype for Unity was heating up. I tracked down the issues I missed as quickly as possible, paying what at the time seemed like high prices, but still way below the peaks many of those comics eventually went for, and I even took scissors to the coupon inserts and sent them away to get the special Harbinger #0, which I had signed by creators Jim Shooter and David Lapham at the 1993 San Diego Comic-Con.

I was surprised to see so many comments to the previous post on this book, but apparently the time is right for these characters to return. A lot of that may be nostalgia, given that the cycle runs about 15 to 20 years behind. The rights to these characters may end up being particularly valuable as film and television properties. New universes and libraries of characters don't come along that often, especially ones as entertainment-friendly and good as these.

So with Valiant sending out a look at the first six recolored pages of upcoming hardcover collection, "Harbinger: The Beginning," this seems like a good opportunity to take a look at the new pages next to the old.

The remastered pages (click on the images for a closer look):

 

The original pages, scanned from a copy of Harbinger #1:

From the press release, here's some more info on the remastering and recoloring process:

The deluxe hardcover is digitally remastered in a unique way, as Jim Shooter himself approved continuity corrections in Harbinger issues #0 - 7 that allows the hardcover collection to present the origin story more cohesively than it originally appeared in 1992.

In addition, all digital recoloring was overseen by former Valiant colorists who had an insider's view on the original intention of Harbinger's creative team.  The integrity of the original look was preserved, while adding depth, special effects, and corrections using the latest digital techniques.  The melding of classic storytelling and modern execution more accurately showcases the intended vision for Harbinger issues #0-7 than ever before.

"It's fantastic for me to return to the Valiant Universe and revisit Harbinger with Starlight Runner digital color," said Jeff Gomez, former Valiant editor and current CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a major coloring team on the project.

One of Valiant’s hallmarks has always been its artistic coloring style. Since the original art assets were no longer available, a unique process was developed to strip the color from the comics, reconstruct the inks, and apply digital color to the prints.

And now, for die hards only, I'll include after the jump a review I wrote of the first seven issues almost 10 years ago in the pages of fanzine Comic Effect #21. This article is reproduced here with the blessing of CE editor Jim Kingman.

Originally published in Comic Effect #21, Fall 1998. This review is copyright Thomas J. McLean.

Harbinger Nos. 0-7— Valiant Comics
Jan.-July 1992
Reviewed by Tom McLean
In 1992, just about all anyone interested in comic books could talk about was Image Comics. And thanks to Image's infamous inability to get its books out in those early days, talking about Image Comics— as opposed to reading Image Comics— was all anyone could do. But instead of filling the time with old favorites from Marvel or DC, a lot of fans began to notice another new publisher, one that produced comics with thoughtful, satisfying stories and got its books to the racks on time. That was Valiant Comics, and its breakout hit was a series called Harbinger, written by industry veteran Jim Shooter and penciled by the then-unknown David Lapham.
Given the market in those days, it may not be so obvious to those unfamiliar with it why Harbinger was such a hit. It had no "grim and gritty" heroes, no foil covers, no bagged multiple editions (it did have a coupon offer for issue 0, but a free comic for those who try the first six issues is more legitimate than a trick cover, in my opinion). It did have a well-written superhero story that hooked readers with a thoughtful and convincing story about young people struggling with complex moral issues.
Harbinger is about Peter Stanchek, a young and powerful telepath and telekinetic who turned to the Harbinger Foundation for help on the advice of his best friend, Joe Irons. The foundation is run by Toyo Harada, a shrewd and successful businessman whose powers are identical to Pete's in both ability and power. Harada uses the foundation to recruit and train the superpowered harbingers of humanity's future and to employ them to further his own goals and personal power. Harada offers legitimate help to those who will follow his cause, but he has no compunctions about doing whatever is necessary to protect himself and crush his enemies. Pete is drawn into the Harbinger Foundation and enjoys the attention paid to him. But the foundation's life of easy luxury begins to influence and corrupt Pete, who abuses his powers by forcing beautiful and popular Kris Hathaway to be his girlfriend.
Joe does his best to make Pete see how he's changed for the worse since he started hanging around the foundation. When Harada sees Pete's loyalty falter, he has Joe killed. Instead of ending them, Pete's doubts they only increase and Harada decides it's better to kill Pete than to let someone with that much power live to become an enemy. All alone, Pete reaches out to Kris, who promises to try to help despite the way Pete abused her. Pete survives Harada's assassination attempt and he and Kris hit the road pursued by Harada's agents. Together, they recruit three other harbingers to their cause: Zeppelin, a somewhat chubby comics and sci-fi fan who can fly and would prefer her friends call her Zephyr; Flamingo, a hot-to-trot Southern belle who generates intense heat and flames; and illiterate auto mechanic John Torkelson, whose goes by Torque. The physical and psychological pain Pete's powers cause his victims quickly earns him the nickname Sting.
While the premise is simple, Shooter and Lapham give it surprising depth. As a legitimate businessman, Harada is a believable and admirable foe who uses methods acceptable to society to further his goals. The Harbinger Foundation pays thousands of workers good salaries and treats them fairly, earning Harada their loyalty. Many of the harbingers who turn to Harada are helped by the foundation and find in it great opportunities for education and work as one of Harada's Eggbreakers, so named because you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. It is legitimate to argue that Harada deserves his personal and financial power for his contributions to society and all the people he has helped. As in the real world, Harada never would have achieved such success without being shrewd and knowing how to manipulate situations and people to his advantage— qualities that help him justify the transgressions he must commit to ensure the outcome he wants.
But to Pete, the ends don't justify the means. Harada has no right to persecute Pete and try to kill him. He has no right to threaten those who fail to swear loyalty to him or who choose to oppose him either directly or indirectly. To Pete, while Harada has used his powers to help others, Harada helps himself first and foremost at great expense to others. Like another superhero named Peter, Sting believes great power involves great responsibility.
But while Pete and his friends believe they are in the right in opposing Harada, they face plenty of obstacles that force them to examine and in many cases alter their values— and not always in ways they're proud of. While Harada operates from a position of wealth and legitimacy, Pete's harbingers have to struggle just to survive. They have little choice but to use their powers to steal food or shelter, to commit sometimes extreme violence as self-defense, and they have to deal with each other and their own conflicting emotions.
The most common problem they have to face is stealing. None of them is rich and they can't work jobs without making themselves vulnerable to detection by Harada. So they have no choice but to force their way into a hospital to get treatment for the wounded Kris or steal a car from the parking lot to escape. (In one of the nicer bits of dialogue, Zeppelin suggests they take a junker, to which Torque replies, "No. Somebody needs that car. Take a rich pig's wheels.") When they confront Harada at the end of the second issue at the foundation's New York headquarters, they steal a large amount of money from Harada's safe and guiltlessly spend it on cars, plane tickets and a vacation to New Orleans. Their use of the money may seem unwise, but it is convincing for people their age.
While dealing with Harada is hard, dealing with each other is far from easy for these hot-blooded teens. The significant role sex plays in this book is evident from the start, when Pete and Kris share a hotel room within the first few pages of the first issue. When Faith joins them, Kris's first reaction is to be defensive about the sleeping arrangements. And everything heats up when they meet Flamingo, who introduces herself to Kris and Faith by burning her clothes off and talking suggestively to Pete. But while Kris says she loves Pete, she also can't help competing with Flamingo for Torque's attention. Torque brushes aside the obvious Flamingo to pursue the tougher catch in Kris. While Flamingo and Torque are referred to as an item, they don't seem to be interested in much more about each other than sex. Kris, who often acts as Pete's and the team's moral compass, finds the reality of maintaining high moral standards hard where Torque is concerned and she has an affair with him that results in pregnancy. (The identity of their child in the Unity crossover was one of the great early twists of Valiant continuity ... but that's another story.)
While Kris and Pete are highly motivated to fight Harada, Faith and Flamingo are more normal, having fled convincingly dull and unsatisfying home lives to fight a cause they knew nothing about before meeting Pete. Faith was a spoiled and shy "geek" who feared her schoolmates conspired to make fun of and embarrass her for her interest in comics and science fiction. She enjoys the adventure and friendship of being in the group and is the most easy going of them all. To her, it's better to have friends and live with some dangerous than to play it safe and be unhappy.
Flamingo played the bad girl all her life to win some attention from parents too involved with fundamentalist Christianity to spend much time with her. She became the town slut, always being used and abused by her supposed boyfriends and often beaten up by those boys' girlfriends. That all changes as she is shocked to find her teammates asking her to break a tie and decide what the team should do next. She's even more surprised when they abide by her decision. This leads her to stand up to a harbinger named Ax in a fight with Valiant's spider aliens by burning him in a very tender spot. From that point on, she is more vocal and takes a more active role in the group. Her development of self-respect is hardly the most inventive plot twist of the series, but it is well done nonetheless.
But despite the abuses heaped on the others, Torque's tragedy is the greatest of all. Raised illiterate in rural Georgia by the owner of an auto shop and gas station, he was physically and mentally abused as a child and had few, if any, friends. To protect himself, he acts like the tough guy who's only after chicks and booze. It's Kris who draws him out as she teaches him to read and returns his attraction. We slowly begin to see him relax and let himself have fun, even throwing items for Zeppelin to "fetch" and going to the zoo.
While Torque is the team member most experienced with violence, the others take to it with surprising ease. There are several battle scenes that take a realistic approach to violence that is harsher and more thrilling than the fantasy violence seen in most comic books. Issue four's Christmas Eve battle, in which Ax recruits belligerent harbingers to get revenge on Torque, is a great action sequence. They chase Torque through cold, rural streets as one harbinger sticks psychic spikes through his body. They torture him for hours before Sting and the others show up. The battle ends when Pete overpowers the harbingers by frying their brains with his painful brand of telepathy while Kris takes a rock to the head of Ax's pit bull and then knees the dog's owner hard in the groin. The team laughs its injuries off in a single panel finale reminiscent of a sitcom tag scene.
But the team's next battle exacted a much higher price than they ever wanted to pay. When the Eggbreaker Puff loses control of his power to disintegrate anything he touches and destroys a Dallas office tower, Harada goes in to help him and is detected by Pete. Harada tries to help Puff, whose girlfriend Thumper is greatly concerned for him. The harbingers' steady progress as they fight their way toward Harada forces him to choose between helping the dangerous Puff and his own personal safety. He orders Puff terminated as Pete and crew enter. Solar, who's also after Harada, shows up as Harada escapes. Pete relays information from Solar's mind to Puff's that allow the youth to regain his control. Puff is grateful but Solar is outraged that Pete entered his mind so easily. Solar gets Pete and his crew out of there and scolds them before leaving. But Pete smells blood and believes this is the best time to strike at Harada. They are ambushed as soon as they return to Harada's complex, and Harada orders Pete shot in the head at the first opportunity. Puff and Thumper decide they can't allow Pete to be killed after the way he helped them and they knock out Harada. Free of Harada's telepathic attack, the harbingers escape with their temporary allies.
But Harada taps into Puff's and Thumper's minds to find out where Pete and his friends are, dispatching more Eggbreakers to stop them. A battle erupts on the road and the Eggbreaker Rock lures Torque into the woods and stabs him. The harbingers win the fight, but realize too late the ambulance that takes away the barely breathing Torque is manned by another Eggbreaker, who gives Torque a lethal injection. Pete enters his friend's mind in time for Torque to say a simple good-bye ... and then he's gone.
The team's struggle with the death of their friend and the cost of their campaign against the Harbinger Foundation completes the story arc. Most of them are numb, unable to truly comprehend that their friend is dead. Pete knows he can never wash Torque's blood from his hands and is ashamed at his rashness in pursuing his crusade. Flamingo surprises herself by finding comfort in the Bible that kept her from her parents. And Kris, who is now showing signs of morning sickness, feels the loss the most, throwing a tantrum and demanding they give Torque a decent burial. Again, they resort to questionable behavior to ensure their friend is laid to rest properly. They steal his body and Pete forces a funeral home owner to arrange services in the middle of the night, no questions asked. In a long, realistic scene, they sit by themselves in the funeral home crying as they listen to the service and pay the price of their crusade and mourn their dead friend. Feeling much sadder and wiser, they use the last of the money they stole from Harada to buy the one thing they know Torque would want them to have: a classic Mustang convertible.
Looking back on these books, it's amazing how well they hold up. The emotion that fuels this arc and climaxes in the tragic and sad death of Torque is still compelling, the modern material well supported by Shooter's flair for Silver Age-style craftsmanship. These stories are densely plotted and move along quickly, with almost no time spent on extraneous mood or unessential plot elements. Lapham and Shooter tell their complex story with a graceful simplicity in page layout, panel composition and scripting— and it works.
It's ironic Shooter would write so well about a conflict between a group of kids and a big company at a time when he was fighting his partners for control of Valiant— a fight he soon lost. Having been both executive and creator, Shooter obviously identifies with both Sting's and Harada's points of view and perhaps was using Harbinger to explore his own feelings about corporate life and its effect on people's morality and creativity.
For a time, Harbinger was the hottest book in the industry in one of the hottest markets for comic books. It was disappointing to watch both Harbinger and Valiant decline so far, so quickly after Shooter and Lapham left. Today, you'd be lucky to find copies of the Harbinger trade paperback in the bargain bins, while Valiant itself is practically gone. Lapham has moved on to his self-published (and excellent) Stray Bullets series and Jim Shooter is now nowhere to be found in comics after two subsequent publishing ventures failed. I still miss this series and its unique flavor from time to time, and wonder what would have happened if Shooter and Lapham had been able to take it to some kind of conclusion. But it's probably better unfinished, as an unsatisfactory ending would only have tarnished the promise shown by this star that shone briefly but brightly in comic-book history.

WWPA and Heroes Con: Two sides of the con coin

Two big East Coast shows were held over the past weekend: Wizard World Philadelphia and Heroes Con in Charlotte, N.C. Both shows seemed to be well-attended and people had a good time.

As you’d expect, WWPA was more superhero-centric, with Marvel and DC showing up in force to announce various upcoming projects and changes in their current lineup of comics. A lot of the Marvel and DC announcements were mirrored at Heroes Con, though WW seemed to be the bigger platform for this particular type of news.

The Marvel corner was spearheaded by editor in chief Joe Quesada and writer Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis announced he’s renewed his exclusive with Marvel and will be writing a series called Ultimate Origins. But most of the attention was on changes in the Spider-Man titles. First, Marvel announced that it would end Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man and all other secondary, in-continuity titles. In their place, the flagship title, Amazing Spider-Man, will be published three times a month. Also, J. Michael Straczynski’s swan song Spidey story, “One More Day,” will be followed by “Brand New Day,” an image for which showed Spidey with a gun of some kind. Big changes are promised – with rumor focusing on some kind of major reboot that undoes Peter’s marriage to Mary Jane and de-ages the character to his teen years. Quesada has long said that he dislikes the marriage because it takes away the soap opera aspect that made Spider-Man so successful in the 1960s. He denied, however, that MJ was going to be killed off, as too many of Spidey’s supporting cast has met unfortunate ends.

DC’s charge was lead by sales VP Bob Wayne, who broke the news (with Dan Didio chiming in via cell phone from Charlotte) that the Flash was getting a relaunch. The current series, Flash: Fastest Man Alive, will end with issue #13 after getting a very poor reception both creatively and sales wise. Replacing it will be a special called All-Flash, after which the series will resume the numbering from the previous series and be written by fan-favorite Mark Waid. DC also will be adding two new Countdown-related books: Countdown to Adventure and Countdown to Mystery. The former will feature a lead series starring Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire continuing their partnership from 52 and a backup series starring Forerunner. The latter will feature Steve Gerber’s Doctor Fate series and a backup series starring Eclipso. A new team, Challengers of the Beyond, will appear in several series and is comprised of Donna Troy, Kyle Raynor and Jason Todd. They’ll appear in Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer.

“Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere was the honorary queen of this nerd prom, talking about the upcoming second season show and comparing her character to South Park’s Kenny for all the damage she suffers.

Fan and pro reaction on various blogs was positive, but not overwhelmingly so.

A bit further south, Heroes Con held its 26th annual show. By all accounts, this is a more diverse, comics-centric show. This show devotes a decent size chunk of its floor to Indie Island and there was more of a focus on cartoonists and webcomics. High-profile guests were actual comics creators, like Michael Golden, Paul Hornschemeier, Jerry Robinson, Peter David, Matt Fraction, Jeff Parker, Eric Powell and Jim Mahfood. Rosario Dawson provided a touch of movie glamour, talking about her comic (and soon-to-be feature film) "Occult Crimes Taskforce." There’s something charming about seeing a successful actress walk around the con like any other fan …

Not surprisingly, the show drew rave reviews from fans and pros, who all seemed to find the show enjoyable and relaxing.

These are both regional shows that are mostly going to draw in people from the surrounding areas, leaving the decisions about which show to attend a problem only for publishers, talent and exhibitors. It would be nice if these shows didn’t clash schedule-wise, though the intricacies of booking in-demand facilities can limit (often in a severe way) which dates a particular con can snag. Still, a little space in there would be nice; if one of these shows could move to May, you’d have a nice solid schedule between the New York Comic-Con (moving to April dates next year), WWPA and Heroes Con. Even then, East Coasters may feel a bit of fatigue from the schedule – and that’s the last thing anyone wants before tackling the monster bash in San Diego.

"Justice League" flick one step closer ...

WB's plans for a "Justice League" movie reached a major milestone last week when writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney turned in a first-draft screenplay that Variety's Pam McClintock says had "Warner Bros. suits actually smiling."

Husband-and-wife duo picked up the assignment earlier this year; deal was announced around the time of the New York Comic-Con.

The next big question for the studio will be whether to go ahead with the pic before Bryan Singer's planned sequel to "Superman Returns," which is due in 2009 but reportedly has no script or start date yet set. The casting question also hangs heavily in the air: Should Christian Bale, currently shooting Batman pic "The Dark Knight," and Singer's Man of Steel Brandon Routh reprise their roles in a "JL" flick? Would recasting Batman and Superman with different actors give fans and the press too much to pick on?

Only time will tell which way the studio goes, though they'd better start thinking up some answers for the thousands of fans who even now are sharpening their queries for next month's trip to San Diego.

DC buys into manga shop

DC Comics announced it has invested in Flex Comix, a new manga production and publishing company in Japan. Move is intended to position DC as the English-language publisher for print and digital for Flex's properties and will complement DC's current CMX manga line.

Move also marks a big step forward for DC into the digital comics arena. Flex plans to distribute its comics first via the web and mobile phones, with print editions to follow.

Calvin Reid at Variety sister publication Publisher's Weekly has more details here; the press release from DC follows in the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DC COMICS INVESTS IN JAPANESE PUBLISHER FLEX COMIX

New York, New York -- DC Comics, the world's largest English language comic book publisher announced today an investment in Flex Comix, a newly established manga production and publishing company in Japan. Flex Comix is comprised of a diverse consortium of investors including DC Comics, SOFTBANK TECHNOLOGY, Archetype Technologies, MOVIDA ENTERTAINMENT and T&M. Flex Comix will create original manga titles that will be distributed digitally across the web and on mobile phones with subsequent print editions available through traditional book trade outlets throughout Japan.

 

The agreement will position DC Comics as the worldwide English language print and digital publisher of titles created by Flex Comix. In March 2007, DC established DC Comics Japan, Ltd. to invest into and manage its interest in Flex Comix. This marks the first time an English-language publisher has made a significant investment in an overseas manga company. The move will complement DC’s existing manga imprint, CMX.

 

“Flex Comix’ publishing model provides a cutting-edge platform for manga readers to enjoy our titles in online, mobile and print formats,” said Seiji Takakura, CEO of Flex Comix. “DC Comics and Flex Comix have forged a partnership that will bring authentic Japanese manga to the worldwide English language audience in new and exciting ways. We have many exciting plans in the works that we will be announcing in the coming months.”

 

"Flex Comix is an innovative force within the exciting world of manga,” said Paul Levitz, DC Comics President and Publisher. “We look forward to working closely with them.”

 

“Flex Comix represents the synergy between several important and diverse mediums, including video games, marketing, IP creation companies and world class technology - all dedicated to creating original manga and then bringing those properties to film, television and interactive entertainment," said John Nee, DC Comics Vice President of Business Development and Flex Comix Board Member. "Our strategy for both digital and traditional publishing builds on our existing commitment to bring great comics to fans worldwide.”

 

Details on the exact nature of the DC Comics/Flex publishing plan will be announced at a later date.

"Surfer" cruises to $57 million opening frame

"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" did solid business its first weekend in play, bringing in $57.4 million. That just edges out the $56 million the first "FF" film pulled in its first weekend in 2005. Variety's Ian Mohr reports that number is a bit of relief for Fox as there was a strong possibility "FF2" would have a smaller opening gross than the first film. He goes on:

Back at No. 1, Fox distribution exec Chris Aronson said Sunday the second "Fantastic" pic played beyond the studio's expectations by engaging a broader demo than was indicated by tracking numbers. Tracking data had suggested the pic would play better with males than females, but the outcome was more balanced.

Studio brass also said they're now exploring their options for a third film in the series.

No surprise about a third film, but let the speculation begin about the story: Inhumans? Black Panther? More (and hopefully better) Doctor Doom?

"Spider-Man 3," meanwhile, continues to hang on, taking this weekend's #10 spot with $2.5 million, bringing its domestic cume to $330 million.

"Surfer" rises at last

"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" opens today on nearly 4,000 screens across the country. Critics have already started to weigh in, with mixed results tending toward negative. (Rotten Tomatoes rates the film "rotten" with a positive score of only 27 percent). Justin Chang's review for Variety begins:

At a time when tortured superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman and Batman would benefit from some serious psychotherapy, it's almost refreshing to see a comicbook caper as blithe, weightless and cheerfully dumb as "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Faithfully mining one of the Marvel franchise's more intriguing mythologies, the sequel proves every bit as disposable as its predecessor, with even less character definition and several tons more poundage in the f/x department. Original grossed a surprising $330 million worldwide, and "Silver Surfer" should ride a heady wave of fan nostalgia and an audience-friendly PG rating to similarly golden returns.

For comics readers and fans of the cosmic quartet, there's good news and bad news (and SPOILERS ahead).

The good news is that in most ways, this film is a big improvement on the 2005 original. There's much more action, some very cool action sequences and the Surfer himself makes the transition from comics to screen surprisingly intact. The film loosely is based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's "The Coming of Galactus" story from Fantastic Four #48-50 (March-May 1966). This Surfer is pretty much the same as in that story: the emotionless herald of Galactus who comes to prepare Earth for his master to consume like a big Hot Pocket. His humanity is awakened by the lovely Invisible Woman, who reminds the Surfer of his own lost love and the deal he made to serve Galactus in exchange for sparing his homeworld. We even get to hear the Surfer say his true name, Norrin Radd. The Surfer looks pretty good, his look changing slightly to match his power levels through the story, though there are some seems at the edge of the effects. He's creepy and cool, and Laurence Fishburne gives his dialogue an appropriate sense of cosmic.

There's no Ultimate Nullifier, and, yes, Galactus is a giant cloud of destructive forces instead of a giant man in purple and blue armor. This is more menacing and interesting to watch than it sounds — and there are interesting glimpses of a familiar shape within that cloud that imply that figure may be lurking at its center. Other fun bits include the cameo by Stan Lee, in which he plays himself and is denied admission to the wedding of Reed and Sue — exactly the way he and Jack Kirby were shut out of the comicbook version way back in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965). The film also makes much better use of the heroes' powers, especially the Human Torch and, surprisingly, Reed Richards, who does some truly comicbook type stunts in saving that giant Ferris wheel thing in London. The film has plenty of action and moves along at a brisk pace in order to wrap up in about 95 minutes.

The bad news is that on most other fronts, there hasn't been much improvement — most notably in the character department. Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben run through their scenes with obligatory and obvious dialogue that does little to make them seem like real people. These are simplified versions of the characters, and they seem not to take seriously much of anything that happens to them. Even Sue's apprehension about living the life of a superhero, which is what passes for emotional tension in this film, is shallow and almost boring. The problem stems from the filmmakers being unable to resist trying to squeeze a laugh out of every non-action scene. The Thing and the Torch, especially, appear unable to speak in anything but setups and punchlines; and I won't even get into Mr. Fantastic's dance number. The more sombre Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic also fall prey to this, though more as straight men for others' humor.

And then there's Dr. Doom, who may as well not even be in this picture. Doom is obligingly revived from his fate at the end of the previous picture and then, for reasons that make no dramatic sense, walks around for most of the movie without his trademark mask and armor. Julian McMahon is a fine actor, but his fresh looks and everyman voice just don't add up to menace — especially in the villainous garb of black turtleneck and leather jacket. Doom does play a role in the big finale (borrowed from Fantastic Four #57-60), but it lacks dramatic tension.

All this adds up to basically the same equation as the first film: Fans who want their FF more serious will be unhappy; those who are OK with this being a lighter, more family-oriented film (i.e., most of the audience) will have a good time. There was actual applause and a few cheers during parts of the screening I attended. The timing again seems quite good for this film to annoy the pundits and scoffing critics who see comicbook movies as keeping Hollywood from making serious dramas for adults by being, potentially, an even bigger hit than the first film.

For Marvel, it's a good sign that they can continue to make movies for relatively low costs that will satisfy auds enough to ensure a big profit. Whether they can continue to do so when their first self-financed and produced films start coming out, while at the same time hopefully improving the quality and comicbook accuracy, is a big question that will now have to wait for next summer's "Iron Man" for an answer.

Straczynski on 'Surfer' solo pic

Looks like sci-fi author, TV showrunner and comics writer J. Michael Straczynski is working on a script for a solo Silver Surfer movie. According to the L.A. Times, the solo pic would skew a little older and edgier than "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," which despite the cool trailers is reportedly even more soft and kid-friendly than the first pic. Some of this is based on the PG rating, instead of the PG-13 that "Spider-Man 3" earned. (Given the nature of the original Stan Lee-Jack Kirby comics, though, PG is exactly where an FF movie should be.) It also appears that, as with the Phoenix storyline in "X-Men: The Last Stand," the producers were unhappy with the entire Galactus element and resisted including it at all. (I think it's more likely the studio that sought that angle, as most of the producers at Marvel Studios are big enough fanboys to demand that element of the classic story stay in the script.)

Few have seen "FF: RotSS" yet. It screens for media, etc., tomorrow night — only one day before its public release. That's much the same as what happened with Marvel's recent "Ghost Rider" and an increasingly common practice these days for all kinds of flicks that studios think will be big hits with auds but not critics.

Of the few who have reportedly seen the film, opinions are mixed. Reviews at AICN alternate between glowing and highly critical. The die is cast at this point; the rest of us can chime in soon enough ..

DC to continue 'Veronica Mars'?

That's what the much-loved but now officially canceled skein's creator, Rob Thomas, is telling the Toronto Star in this interview (h/t to AICN). The show, which lasted three seasons on The WB/The CW, achieved a kind of cult status but never had success at drawing in an audience large enough to keep it going.

Obviously, any decision by DC to continue the show in comics is influenced by the sales success of Dark Horse's Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight series. The ability of "Mars" to follow a similar trajectory is, however, questionable as "Mars" was never the hit "Buffy" was and Thomas doesn't have the cult of personality that always gives Joss Whedon a boost.

Supergirl moves to "Smallville"

The hit CW series "Smallville" will be adding another Kryptonian to the cast when its seventh season kicks off in the fall. Casting for the role is currently underway.

This will be the classic version of Supergirl. From the press release:

On SMALLVILLE, the seventh season premiere kicks off with the arrival of Supergirl, whose name is Kara, as Clark’s (Tom Welling) 19-year-old cousin.  She was born on Krypton and is the daughter of Zor-El, Jor-El's brother.  Kara possesses all of Clark’s powers and one he doesn’t yet have ─ she can fly!  Kara also has a strong, rebellious streak that puts her at odds with Clark, and puts her onto Lex’s (Michael Rosenbaum) radar.  In addition, she takes a romantic interest in Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore).

This is sure to be a much-discussed event among fans of the show and the comic — especially given the recent controversies surrounding the portrayal of women and girls in superhero comics. (There's far too many sites to link to on this one ... ) Whichever way the producers go on this is likely to have some kind of impact on this debate, with Hollywood either pointing the way toward a better portrayal of female characters in the superhero genre or simply reinforcing the portrayals that more and more readers — male and female — are finding objectionable. (I'd expect some kind of news/announcement on casting sometime around, oh, I don't know, maybe end of July, which is, coincidentally, the same time as Comic-Con!)

Shuster Award winners

The winners of the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards were handed out over the weekend at the Paradise Toronto Comicon. Shuster, of course, was the Canadian-born co-creator of Superman. Here's the winners:

Outstanding Artist: Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone for Batman/The Spirit #1
Outstanding Cartoonist: Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit #1
Outstanding Writer: Darwyn Cooke for Superman Confidential #1-2
Outstanding Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Outstanding Web Comics Creator: Dan Kim for April May & June, Kanami, and Penny Tribute
Outstanding International Creator: Brian K. Vaughan for Pride of Baghdad, Ex Machina, Runaways, Doctor Strange: The Oath and Y: The Last Man
Fan-Favourite Creator (English): Dan Kim for April May & June, Kanami, and Penny Tribute
Fan-Favourite Creator (French): Michel Rabagliati for Paul a la Peche
Harry Kremer Oustanding Retailer Award: Happy Harbor Comics & Toys, in Edmonton, Alta.

Obviously, a beauty night to be Darwyn Cooke or Dan Kim. It also makes me wish I'd had time to visit Happy Harbor on my recent trip to Edmonton.

Harlan Ellison to read at Earth-2

Author Harlan Ellison is set to do a public reading this Thursday, June 14, at Earth-2 in Sherman Oaks. The event will benefit the Penny Lane Youth Foundation Library and starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 and can be bought here.

This is an excellent opportunity to hear Ellison speak. Ellison is, of course, the author of dozens of outstanding short stories, books, teleplays and screenplays, including "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," "Jefty is Five," the classic Star Trek episode "City on the Edge of Forever," "Mefisto in Onyx" and "Deathbird Stories." Ellison is well-known for his strong opinions on writing, science fiction, working in television and comics, so it's sure to be a lively event.

FF's Tim Story takes on DC's 'Losers'

Tim Story, director of Marvel/Fox's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," has signed on to direct "The Losers" for DC/WB.

"The Losers" was created by formers DC editor Robert Kanigher, and first appeared as a group of hard-luck WWII soldiers in G.I. Combat #138, published in 1969. A few months later, team graduated to lead feature status in Our Fighting Forces, starting with issue 123. This original version of The Losers made a recent memorable appearance in the first issue of Darwyn Cooke's excellent "DC: The New Frontier."

The film, however, will be based more on the update of the concept published a few years back as part of the Vertigo line. That version, written by Andy Diggle and drawn mostly by Jock, ran 32 issues from 2003 to 2006, never seeming to find a big enough audience to be a big hit for the publisher. (The first issue can be downloaded for free from DC's website.)

Diggle's reimagining of the series cast the team as a cadre of rogue intelligence operatives who seek revenge on their CIA handler for betraying them and attempting to kill them.

Studio has tapped David Vanderbilt to revise the script by Peter Berg, who was originally set to helm the pic before he committed to directing "Tonight, He Comes."

Valiant's "Harbinger" returns

Valiant Entertainment, which has obtained the rights to the long-defunct Valiant Comics line, has announced a deluxe hardcover collection of "Harbinger." The book, set to be released in August, will collect the origin story from issues #0-7, written by Jim Shooter and drawn by David Lapham. The book will be recolored, and will feature a new story written by Shooter and drawn by former Valiant mainstay Bob Hall.

For those of us who read those comics when they first came out, this is great news. Valiant was the company that stepped in and filled the need for new, quality superhero content in the days when Image got all the attention but was chronically late. Shooter, the former editor in chief at Marvel, wrote a realistic and thoroughly modern tale of teenage superheroes, complete with bad judgment and raging hormones. This was the book that launched Lapham's career and laid the groundwork for "Stray Bullets" and his more recent graphic novel efforts, such as the upcoming "Silverfish" for Vertigo. Shooter remains a controversial figure within the industry. A conflict with the management at Valiant led to his ouster from the company, after which it began a long decline in quality. Shooter tried unsuccessfully to replicate Valiant, first with Defiant and later with Broadway Comics. He wrote an attempted revival of the Valiant characters in a series called Unity 2000 that was never completed.

Valiant fans will certainly be thrilled to see this story back in print, and seeing those characters return in new stories is a tantalizing prospect.

"Heroes" comic contest for Comic-Con

With only six weeks to go until Comic-Con Intl., it's time to start girding yourself for the onslaught of annoucements for all the cool things that will be going down at the annual nerd prom.

NBC's "Heroes" is going to have a huge presence at the show this year, in part to thank fans for giving the freshman show such a warm welcome last year when it just a lonely pilot looking to survive more than a handful of episodes. As part of their celebration, NBC is inviting fans to create their own comic starring Hiro Nakamura.

Head over to this site to learn about the contest from co-exec producer Jeph Loeb. Then download the script for the first few pages and page layout templates, then finish the story any way you like. The best entry will be presented at the con.

For those who can't stand the summer hiatus without "Heroes," the online graphic novel installments are continuing at NBC.com, with new issues set to debut June 25 and July 23.

Caruso or Wiseman for "Wolverine"?

Comics 2 Film, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a snazzy redesign, reports that Fox is considering "Disturbia" director DJ Caruso to helm the long-gestating "Wolverine" spinoff, which will be produced by and star Hugh Jackman. Site also says that Caruso is being wooed by a deal at DreamWorks, and is considering "Underworld" helmer Len Wiseman in the case Caruso becomes unavailable.

Stan Lee pacts with Disney

Stan Lee and his Pow! Entertainment company have signed a first-look deal with Disney. Pow has recently had success with a pair of direct-to-DVD features, "Condor" and "Mosaic." Deal covers all media. As the editor and chief writer of Timely/Marvel comics for three decades, Lee created or co-created most of the company's classic characters.

More Awards, Part 3: The Bill Finger Award

The third annual Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing will be given to Gardner Fox and George Gladir. Full details from the press release:

Fox, Gladir to Receive Third Annual Bill Finger Award

Gardner Fox and George Gladir have been selected to receive the 2007 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing. The choice was made unanimously by a blue-ribbon committee chaired by writer and historian Mark Evanier.

The Bill Finger Award was instituted in 2005 under the supervision of comic book legend Jerry Robinson. The awards committee is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased.

"Each year, we ask ourselves who, among all the fine writers who’ve contributed to comics has a body of work out there deserving of greater recognition," Evanier notes. "Gladir and Fox not only have that but both men laid down important groundwork on which other writers could and did build . . . just like Bill Finger did.”

Gardner Fox received a law degree in 1935 but instead opted for comics, writing his first stories in 1938 for the pre-Batman Detective Comics. He was also the first writer after Bill Finger to contribute to Batman’s adventures and was responsible for several components of the character’s mythology. Perhaps more notably, he created or co-created a bevy of important characters in comics’ so-called “Golden Age,” including The Flash, Hawkman, The Sandman, Starman, and Doctor Fate, and he launched what some call the first-ever superhero team, The Justice Society of America. In the late fifties and sixties, he worked on the revivals of most of those features, including the Justice League of America, and also co-created new characters such as Adam Strange. In his amazing career, he wrote an estimated 4,000 comic book scripts and also found time to author more than 100 novels, many of them under other names. Fox passed away in 1986.

George Gladir has been a full-time comic book writer since 1959, when he got his first assignment from Archie Comics. At first he wrote mainly one-page gags for Archie’s Joke Book, but he quickly went on to write stories for the many Archie titles, including Archie’s Madhouse, the book in which he created “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” drawn by