Yes, it's true. At least, partly.

This is the final post for this blog on Variety.com. The news came recently from Variety.com editor Dana Harris, who assures me it is a decision based solely on economics.

After five years of working on this blog, both as a Variety staffer and a freelancer, I will be sorry to see it go. A lot has changed since the first post in October 2003, when few people had even heard the word blog and comics were still a new part of Hollywood's vocabulary.

I'd like very much to thank all those who made this blog possible and helped out over the years: Jevon Phillips (whose idea it was in the first place), Travis Smith, Jeff Siedlik, Alex Romanelli, Erin Maxwell, David Lewis, Dana Harris and Anne Thompson.

I am still working as a freelance writer, and you can expect my stories to continue to appear in Variety, as well as other publications.

Now for the good news.

In comics death is never permanent, and this blog will continue starting now at http://bagsandboards.blogspot.com — so update your bookmarks and feed readers and head over there right now for a look ahead. My email and mail contact info remains the same, so turn the page and I'll see you on the other side ...

Platinum Studios has announced it has teamed up with IM Global to finance, produce and distribute a TV series based on the comicbook "Hero By Night." This seemingly innocuous announcement has a major train-wreck context, however, given that "Hero By Night" creator DJ Coffman — who won Platinum's Comic Book Challenge and was one of the company's staunchest defenders — has since been fired from his own creation and was not even notified by Platinum that the series was in the works. This is the peril of work-for-hire in the comics biz and a lesson that all creators should learn, whether it's from this example or those of Siegel and Shuster or Jack Kirby.

Variety's Contenders issue came out Monday — you can read here what I wrote about the chances for "The Dark Knight" in this year's race. I also wrote about the animated feature race for the Eye on the Oscars: Animation special here.

The LA Times chats with DC exec editor Dan Didio about what's going on in the Superman and Batman comics — even as reports come out from Rich Johnston of problems, including rewrites on the last issue of "Final Crisis" and a dispute that reportedly lead writer James Robinson to quit writing "Superman" only a few months into the gig.

The National Endowment for the Arts is giving a National Medal of the Arts to Stan Lee.

Imagi Studios has licensed the rights to "Astro Boy" to IDW, which will publish comics and graphic novels based on the character in advances of the October 2009 release of a new feature animated film.

UK site "Den of Geek" has a useful page up listing 75 comicbooks being made into films.

"Batman" and "The Spirit" producer Michael Uslan, superstar DC artist Jim Lee and DC writer Geoff Johns are all guests of honor at the New York Comic-Con. Also appearing is Venture Bros. creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer.

"Wonder Woman," the next in the line of DC Universe animated DVD features, is due out Feb. 3 in single- and double-disc DVD and Blu-Ray editions.

Colin Trevorrow has been tapped to adapt Scott Christian Sava's "Pet Robots" into a feature animated film for Disney.

The very worthy Hero Initiative is selling a limited hardcover of its "Hulk 100" project through Arizona retailer Atomic Comics and at cons. The book includes all the original sketch covers done for the project, plus a few extras not available in the regular softcover edition.

The Hero Initiative also is holding a benefit signing with artist Tim Sale, whose work has appeared on "Heroes," from 2-5 p.m. Nov. 22 at Comic Book Ink in Tacoma, Wash. Fans can bid on a chance to win lunch with the artist and a sketch via an eBay auction that ends Friday.

"Lost" fans should be heading tomorrow night to Meltdown Comics in Hollywood for a party celebrating the release of BE@RBRICK and KUBRICK toys based on the show. Appearing to sign the toys are "Lost" co-creators and executive producers J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, and executive producers Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Carlton Cuse.  Also scheduled to attend are writers Elizabeth Sarnoff, Paul Zbyszewski, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Kyle Pennington, and Brian K. Vaughan.

Thursday night sees a launch party at Golden Apple Comics for the new Nerdcore 2009 calendar. The theme of this year's "adults only" calendar is Sci Fi. Saturday, the store will host a Wonder Woman Day from 2-5 p.m., and also has a signing set for "Black Friday" with Gerard Way, writer of "Umbrella Academy" and lead singer of My Chemical Romance.

Joe Johnston has signed on to direct "The First Avenger: Captain America" for Marvel Studios. Johnston is a solid choice for this — he's a former VFX artist who worked on the original "Star Wars" trilogy. He also directed "The Rocketeer," an underrated adaptation of Dave Stevens' excellent comicbook, as well as "Jurassic Park III," "October Sky," "Hidalgo" and "Jumanji." He's currently finishing up "The Wolf-Man," starring Benicio del Toro. (The image at right is the cover to the rare comics adaptation of the low-budget 1990 "Captain America" movie that was only released on video.)

In other comics/screen news:

* Djimon Hounsou will voice The Black Panther in the upcoming BET animated series based on the Marvel comic.

* Sylvain White is set to direct "The Losers," based on the Vertigo revamp of the classic DC war comic. This version, created by writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock, is about a group of black-ops commandos, with James Vanderbilt writing the script. White's also working on an adaptation of Frank Miller's "Ronin."

* Singer-actress Beyonce tells the L.A. Times she wants to star in a Wonder Woman movie. It's an interesting idea only fueled by another rumor from IESB that McG, who once was set to direct a Superman pic, is being considered to helm a WW pic.

* Does President-elect Barack Obama still collect comics?  That's the question fans are asking in the wake of this report that states "he collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics." In the Marvel Universe, at least, Obama eked out an electoral college win over Stephen Colbert, who won the popular vote. The flood of political comics continues, with Bluewater Productions announcing a Michelle Obama comic due out in April.

* Lauren Shuler Donner talks to Empire Online about the long-in-development "Magneto" movie. Empire also talks to Sam Mendes about "Preacher," which is in need of a script.

* The CW has nixed "The Graysons," a "Smallville"-style TV series about the pre-Batman life of Robin the Boy Wonder.

* Paul Pope's "Battling Boy" has been optioned by Par for Brad Pitt's Plan B outfit to produce.

* Image's "Liberty Comics" benefit anthology comicbook has raised nearly $27,000 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and is going to press.

* IDW Publishing is clearing out its warehouse with a special one-day sale at its San Diego headquarters on Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. New comics will sell for $1, trades for $5 and everything else will be 80 percent off. The sale will be held in the parking lot at the company's offices, 5080 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109.

* George Perez and J. Michael Straczynski have been named guests of honor at the New York Comic-Con, set for Feb. 6-8. Other guests include Colleen Doran, Bob Layton, David Peterson, Ivan Reis, Joe Sinnott, Herb Trimpe and Leinil Francis Yu.

The entire world has Batman on the brain as "The Dark Knight" gets ready for its DVD coming out and a full-throttle awards season campaign.

But nothing is as strange as the news that the city of Batman, Turkey, is suing Warner Bros. for using its name without permission. Seriously. I'm no attorney, but good luck getting that one to stick.

Meanwhile, Chip Kidd is taking a lot of flack from folks upset that Jiro Kuwata's name did not appear on the cover of Kidd's new book "Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan." A large part of the book is reproductions of rare Batman manga Kuwata created in the mid-1960s, when Batmania was in full swing, thanks to the Adam West TV show. Kidd's response is here.

Kidd will appear at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood tonight to promote the book.

Meanwhile, WB has made the full script for "The Dark Knight" available in PDF format as part of its awards push for the pic.

Marvel's third-quarter results (available here as a pdf) got a boost from the success of "Iron Man," with net sales of $182.5 million and net income of $50.6 million. That's up from net sales of $123.6 million and net income of $36.3 million in the same quarter last year. That boost came almost entirely from its producer fees for "Iron Man" and "Incredible Hulk."

Licensing revenues were down from last year, when "Spider-Man 3" was bringing in signficant income. And publishing (i.e., comicbook sales) saw a net sales decline of 3 percent to $34 million for the quarter "reflecting lower net sales of trade paperbacks and high-margin custom publishing, partially offset by increases in sales of traditional comics."

The company's list of upcoming film and animation projects remains unchanged, though they have announced the planned "Hulk: Gamma Corps" animated series will now be incorporated into its "Avengers" animated series, due in 2011.

The company expects "modest" performance next year, as its next self-produced movies aren't due until 2010.

In other comics news:

• Sony and Par are in talks to co-finance Steven Spielberg's 3-D mo-cap adaptation of Herge's classic "Tintin" comics. The talks appear to be for the first film in a planned trilogy, of which the second installment would be directed by Peter Jackson, who will be a producer on the first film, due out in 2010.
• Cinematical reports Max Allan Collins is writing and directing two sequels to "Road to Perdition." The 2002 film adaptation, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, won an Oscar for best cinematographjy and was nominated in five other categories.
• Frank Miller talks more about directing "The Spirit" and about adding his own spin to Will Eisner's classic crime-fighter in an interview with the L.A. Times. Meanwhile, MovieWeb has 20 new stills from the pic, set for release on Christmas Day.
• EW digs up an explanation (money, allegedly difficult behavior) for the abrupt departure of Terrence Howard from "Iron Man 2" — a move that took the actor by surprise.
• In doing press for "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," Brandon Routh has been asked a lot about Superman. While he says he knows nothing of WB's plans for the next Superman pic — including whether he'll return as the Man of Steel — he says he'd like to see Brainiac as the villain of the piece.
• Progress continues on "Spider-Man 4," with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsey-Abaire in final negotiations to write the script.

Marvel Studios has signed Robert Downey Jr. to reprise his role of Tony Stark in two sequels to "Iron Man" and in the "Avengers" pic set for 2011. "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau also signed to helm "Iron Man 2" and to exec produce "Avengers." Studio also confirmed Don Cheadle is taking over for Terrence Howard in the role of Jim Rhodes in both "Iron Man 2" and "Avengers."

There's a fake "Flash" trailer that some folks are trying to pass off as having been shown before recent test screenings of "Watchmen." But it's definitely a fake. Catch it at YouTube while you can.

Sam Mendes is the most-recent director hoping to adapt "Preacher" to the big screen. Project is set up at Columbia and comes after HBO put the brakes on Mark Steven Johnson's plans for a  TV series based on the comic by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.

Several sites are reporting interest at WB in keeping Brandon Routh in the role of Superman for the next film — whatever and whenever that may be.

Boston.com has an interesting profile on Rick Keene, who helps restore comic art from the Golden Age for the likes of DC Comics' Archives series of hardcover reprints.

MovieTickets.com polled its users on the most-anticipated films for the next year, with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" coming in at the No. 2 spot right behind "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

J. Scott Campbell's original art for the covers to IDW's Presidential Material comics is being auctioned off on eBay. The Barack Obama cover is here, the John McCain version here. Interestingly, as I write this, the price for each is identical at $635, with 10 bids each. Proceeds help the Wounded Warrior Project.

J. Michael Straczynski has been named guest of honor at the New York Comic-Con. Straczynski is best known as the creator of "Babylon 5" and writer of such comics as "Rising Stars" and "Amazing Spider-Man." He's getting a lot more attention these days though as the writer of the current Clint Eastwood pic and Oscar contender "Changeling." Could JMS become the first man to win an Eisner and an Oscar? The con is set for Feb. 6-8.

To listen to various bloggers and journos online, the Man of Steel is in real trouble — taken down not by conniving supervillains but by creative missteps that have kept the original superhero on the sidelines of the great comicbook movie era. Most of this comes from the ongoing debate over "Superman Returns," a picture that for most fell far short of the tremendous potential its creative talent and oversize budget brought to the project.

But the keys to reviving the franchise these days seem to lie not in deciding whether to keep or ditch director Bryan Singer or star Brandon Routh, or to go either darker or younger in tone. Instead, the answer lies in the pages of DC Comics, where Superman is undergoing a sort of mini-renaissance.

While Grant Morrison's run on All-Star Superman is the hipper favorite, the work of writer Geoff Johns on Action Comics in particular stands out as an invigorating, entertaining and modern take on the Man of Steel. Johns' work on the series stretches back to 2006 and includes two stories co-penned with his former boss "Superman: The Movie" director Richard Donner that explore the Superman universe without diminishing in any way the nobility, humility, ideals and basic heroism that for so many people lift this character above all other superheroes.

Actor Don Cheadle will step into the role of Jim "War Machine" Rhodes for "Iron Man 2." He takes over the role from Terrence Howard, who played the part in the first film. Marvel wouldn't comment on the change, but reports indicate talks with Howard fell through over money. Cost is obviously a major concern for Marvel, which took longer than many fans would have liked to sign director Jon Favreau to the sequel as well.

Meanwhile, Fortune notices Marvel's publishing line remains steady and profitable. And the company is preparing to celebrate its 70th anniversary next year.

Comics newcomer Radical Publishing has secured financing from Singapore to fund feature film adaptations of its comicbook projects "Aladdin" and "City of Dust." Scribes are at work on adapting those properties.

Canadian comics and animation fans will be tuning into Teletoon for their Marvel fix. The two pacted to air 182 first-run episodes of upcoming Marvel toons in starting in the spring.

Richard Donner, who directed the much-loved 1978 "Superman: The Movie," tells the L.A. Times that WB should turn over the creative reins on Superman to Geoff Johns. The DC writer, who once worked as Donner's assistant, is scripting an acclaimed run on Action Comics.

Del Rey announced plans to publish a monthly comicbook adaptation of the 1984 Stephen King-Peter Straub novel "The Talisman." This is the first monthly comic from the book publisher, which expects the tale will need 24 issues to fully adapt the novel. King's work has been a hit for Marvel, which is adapting "The Dark Tower" series and "The Stand."

Check out a new short clip from "Punisher: War Zone" here.

Indie publisher Archaia Studios Press is being acquired by Kunoichi, a creative services house in Chicago founded by Josh Blaylock, who also founded Devil's Due Press. ASP founder Mark Smylie is staying on as managing editor. Some confusion has resulted from the impact this would have on the company's contracts with creators. Apparently, ASP's deals offered creators a lot of control over their properties that the new owners would like to bring more in line with the industry standard. While creators are free to take their projects elsewhere, Smylie tells the Beat that most are sticking with ASP  under the new terms.

* Marvel Studios has decided to make Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach its home base. Marvel will move its offices to the studio and will shoot "Iron Man 2," "Thor," "Captain America" and "The Avengers" there.

* The New York Post reports the Spider-Man musical has a budget of about $40 million, making it the most expensive stage production ever. It also looks like the show will open on Broadway next year

* Mandalay Pictures has optioned "Ramayan 3392 AD" from Liquid Comics, which recently completed a management buyout of Virgin Comics.

* Len Wein, whose credits are too numerous to even begin to condense, is writing a Watchmen videogame. He's qualified, having been the original editor on the classic comicbook. Game is set 10 years before the book and centers on various events mentioned in the graphic novel.

* David Goyer debunks all "Dark Knight" sequel rumors, saying that director Christopher Nolan hasn't even signed on to do another Batman flick, let alone decided which characters would be in it or who would play them.

* Marvel has announced a 26-episode animated Avengers series is in the works for 2011.

* Latino Review reports Ryan Gosling is in contention for the lead role in the Green Lantern movie WB is looking at filming next year.

* And Hollywood Elsewhere posts that Josh Brolin is set to star in a Jonah Hex movie, though the post and comments indicate this might be the sci-fi version of the character done in later years.

Standing out amid the hustle and bustle of such huge markets as Natpe and Mipcom can be difficult for even the best production companies. But the appeal of comics is helping indie animation studio Lincoln Butterfield to cut through the noise.

Founded by Robert Hughes, a helmer on Disney’s "Phineas & Ferb" series, and veteran business executive Joseph Walker, Lincoln Butterfield put together a comicbook for this year's Natpe to promote its proposed family animated series "Tan." Hughes says the comic flew off the table, and the company has recently signed a worldwide representation agreement with PorchLight Entertainment.

"The comic book has turned out to be the most powerful promotional tool we have in our arsenal," says Walker. "Unlike a traditional brochure or two-sheet, it has an inherent perceived value from the start. People hold onto comics because they never know what might become a collector's item. But, more important, the comic book is a superior way to 'transmit' the show is about. Each of a show's characteristics — from the plot lines to the look of the design to the type of humor — is there in one tidy package."

For Mipcom, starting next week in Cannes, LB has put together another comic for its adult-oriented comedy series "When in Rome." The series, about two cousins' misadventures in the ancient empire, evoke the look and feel of classic Mad Magazine work. Hughes says the company is talking with a couple of major comics publishers about doing more comics

The international market at Mipcom is a vital part of LB's strategy, which is to find international partners for co-production and distribution that would eventually circle back to an outlet in the United States. Other properties in development include "Venture Probe" — best described as "Star Trek" meets "Office Space" — and family series "N.I.T.: Neighborhood Investigation Team." The company currently has no plans now to adapt either series into a comic, but an "N.I.T." children's book is planned.