Deja vu all over again

In Marvel's “Planet Hulk,” the Hulk was exiled into space by a bunch of heroes who saw him as too much of a threat to remain on Earth. He landed up on a hostile planet, fighting for survival, before returning to Earth more than a little miffed. In “Salvation Run,” an upcoming miniseries from DC, supervillains are exiled into space by a world government that sees them as too much of a threat to remain on Earth. They land up on a hostile planet, fighting for survival.


Fans are griping online that DC is taking its storylines from Marvel these days. But actually, DC executive editor Dan DiDio says, “Salvation Run” is based on a concept offered many years ago by fantasy and sci-fi writer George R.R. Martin.“This is something I had wanted to do since I got here,” DiDio said. But, he said, “we wanted to roll it off at the proper time and place.” While a story unto itself, the events of “Salvation Run” will lead into next year’s “Infinite Crisis,” DiDio said.

Green Lantern headed to big screen

Variety reports that Warner Bros. has tapped Greg Berlanti, an executive producer and writer on such TV shows as “Dirty Sexy Money” and “Brothers & Sisters,” to direct a Green Lantern movie. Berlanti will write the script along with Marc Guggenheim, a Marvel Comics writer who works with Berlanti on “Brothers & Sisters,” and Michael Green, an executive producer on “Heroes” who was a writer-producer on “Smallville.” Green also will be writing six issues of DC’s “Superman/Batman” starting in December. So I’m happy to see that there’s plenty of comic book expertise on the team.

Catching up on "Smallville"

I missed a couple of episodes of "Smallville," so I had some catching up to do with last night's episode. So Lana is back in Smallville ... and living with Clark? Wow, what would Martha say? Meanwhile, looks like Lex is continuing to pretend he's on the side of the angels, and Clark and he are actually civil with each other. And Chloe's moping. I take it Jimmy's gone?

The main story was kind of silly, though I did get a minor chuckle or two out of the "Warrior Angel" lore. And I was impressed by Lex's comics collection.

Looks like Kara is back next week. Good thing.

"One More Day," one more month

Well, that's irritating. Marvel today released new publication dates for the last two parts of Spider-Man's "One More Day" story arc. The last part, in "Amazing Spider-Man" No. 545, won't come now until Dec. 27, a month later than originally scheduled. It's irritating because I really, really, really want to know if, as hinted, Marvel is going to wipe out years and years of Spider-Man continuity along with Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane. I'm hoping not, that they pleasantly surprise me with the marriage, and Mary Jane, surviving.

"World of Warcraft"

I talked the other day to Walt Simonson, writer of Wildstorm's upcoming "World of Warcraft" series. I am not an online game player and so I'm not a "Warcraft" fan at all. That's OK, Simonson says. If you're that way, too, you can still enjoy the comic. "We are working like hell," he said, "to try to make it a comic that if you have never clicked on a Warcraft portal and walked into the game, you'll still be able to read."

End coming for "American Virgin"

Writer and former Springs resident Steven T. Seagle comments on the cancellation of his “American Virgin” at Newsarama today. He includes a series of comic book industry truths that he has learned, topped by: “Doing a good book is not enough.”

Marvel in 2008

Happy New Year! Marvel today posted its solicitations for January. Marvel’s starting the year with a bang - pun intended - with the new, gun-toting Captain America in “Captain America” No. 34. (The Washington Post had a story on the new Cap that was on the wires today.) I’m still most intrigued by developments in “Incredible Hulk,” which remain classified. Whatever those developments are, they are giving birth to another Hulk title in January, simply titled “Hulk,” written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuinness.

He's armed!

Captain America, with a gun? Yep, it's a new Cap and a new look, starting in January. Check it out here.

So what did YOU get?

Today’s new comics mean some must-reads for me when I get home tonight, including “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” No. 24 (the second part of “One More Day”), “Green Lantern” No. 24 (wrapping up the Sinestro Corps War) and the debut issue of “Green Arrow/Black Canary.” I admit I peeked at the last page of the latter because I had heard that it definitively settles whether Green Arrow is truly dead or not. Which way it goes, I’m not saying, but I don’t think most readers will be too surprised.

Newarama evolves

Newsarama, my favorite comics Web site, has become part of the Imaginova Network, it was announced today. “Everything you’ve come to know and expect from Newsarama is going to get better,” Newsarama vows. I liked them just the way they were, but hey, “better” works for me, too.

Supergirl flies high

I had my doubts about adding a Supergirl to the cast of “Smallville,” but I’m liking the results so far. It adds a more tragic dimension to the destruction of Krypton: As Kara (Laura Vandervoort) noted on last night’s episode, Clark never knew his world. Kara did. Interesting change in the Superman mythology, though, as far as Clark’s and Kara’s dads, Jor-El and Zor-El, being at odds.

Now that Lex has tracked down the supposedly dead Lana and Lana looks poised to return to Smallville, I’m curious how the Clark-Lana relationship will develop. Before she “died,” Clark and Lana had once again proclaimed their love for one another - and this time Lana knows his secrets, so she can’t hold that against him anymore.

Here's one way to get into comics

Newsarama has an interesting interview with Matt Yocum, a writer who has a Spider-Man story in December’s “Giant-Sized Avengers Special.” Yocum had an interesting entry into Marvel, pitching ideas to editor in chief Joe Quesada after winning a charity auction to have lunch with him. He’s also an Air Force Academy grad and is currently stationed in the defense attache office at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The scoop on "JLA"

The latest Entertainment Weekly (the one with multiple covers featuring “The Office”) has an article on the planned “Justice League of America” movie. EW got an early version of the script, which feaures Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. It appears the writers have taken a page out of DC’s “Infinite Crisis,” pitting the JLA against Maxwell Lord and his OMACS (One-Man Army Corps).