DC Comic's Raven for a TV show

It seems that the Teen Titans' leggy, psionic-powered half-demon Raven will be the next DC Comic property to grace the small screen. According to the report from Variety over the weekend, the CW, set at the end of this season to send-off its longtime superhero drama Smallville, will look to adapt the powerful demoniac temptress as its genre-similar replacement. Set to serve as Writer and Executive Producer, is Diego Gutierrez, who will be bringing loads of experience from his time as Co-Exec Producer on ABC's revival of V, as well as serving in various capacities on Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. While the CW network has recently reinvented itself to focus on 'teen' type shows like Gossip Girl, it's also managed to maintain shows with a bit of an edge like Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, as well as this season's new show Nikita. While Raven may seem like an odd DC property to use, taking the network's lineup of shows consisting of teen drama, monsters, and femme fatale's into consideration, it's actually a perfect fit. The question is, how will they approach her story?

Raven was the daughter of DC's notorious outer-dimensional demon Trigon, who mated with a human female to produce an offspring for the purpose of being his living portal to our dimension. So...yeah, it will definitely be interesting to see how they handle not only Raven's story, but exactly what she's going to do in each episode. (Assuming that the Teen Titans will not be a part of the storyline.) However, even if the show follows a standalone canon, the idea of Raven's constant struggle with the overwhelming powers from her demon half, and perhaps an ongoing quest to foil Trigon's arrival on Earth, just might be enough to serve as workable plot. Regardless, on paper, it seems to have present all the tools that make a show that would be on the CW in the post-Twilight era of drama surrounding the 'tortured, but beautiful.'

With David E. Kelly shopping his Wonder Woman project for a network, loose rumors of a Batman TV series possibly set to hit sometime after the last Christopher Nolan Bat-film in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, and a boat-load of Marvel TV projects on the horizon, Raven would be joining a growing group of comic heroes set to enjoy the spotlight on TV. Likely, the CW is going to inject it with its brand of superficial, self-pitying teen issues and plenty of gratuitous slow-motion bod shots. However, the same could have been said on paper many years ago about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and, of course, Joss Whedon managed to turn a questionable TV adaptation of a movie comedy into one of the most compelling and beloved TV universes ever. So, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Raven just yet.

What do you think about CW's selection of Raven as its new comic book TV property? Is it overreaching? Or out-of-the-box thinking?

Superman / Batman : Apocalypse

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, a sequel in the Superman/Batman series, has been released for 2010 after the positive sales of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will be based on the second story arc, "The Supergirl from Krypton", from the Superman / Batman comic book title by Jeph Loeb and the late Michael Turner.

A significant feature has Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, and Edward Asner reprising their roles of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Granny Goodness from Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

The film also features the voice talents of Andre Braugher as Darkseid, Summer Glau as Supergirl, Julianne Grossman as Big Barda, Rachel Quaintance as Lyla and Artemis, Andrea Romano as Stompa, Tara Strong as Lashina, and Salli Saffioti as Gilotina and Mad Harriet.

Oh did i forgot to mention the Summer Glau voiced for Supergirl =)

AVENGERS ASSEMBLED!!

Im getting goosebumps!!

Old Wounds Never Heals..

Hello Everyone, its good to be back, Thanks to GL for keeping this blog updated during my recovery time. Will be going again for a second Surgery in September. But meanwhile, speaking of old wounds, here's an update that i'd like to share with everyone.

BATMAN: Under The Red Hood, Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the Mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One Part Vigilante, One part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the Efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code as Batman. Killing is an Option and when the Joker falls in the balance between the two, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are re-opened. Sound familiar?

Check it out..Batman: Under The Red Hood is now available in stores..Blueray and DVD!

Captain America's Movie Shield Revealed

While is was disappointing that Marvel did not publish the Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor footage (although they did show it to the audience present during the panel discussion). And while The Avengers cast announcement was fantastic, Marvel Studios also revealed the Captain America shield at the studio's booth at the San Diego Comic-Con! Throughout the week, Marvel Studios also revealed Odin's throne, the Destroyer and Thor, Loki and Odin's helmets.

Marvel Announces Anime

Four brand-new anime series featuring some of the Marvel Universe's landmark characters have been announced. Produced by Madhouse for Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (SPEJ), these four original series will feature iconic characters from Iron Man, X-Men, Wolverine and Blade in a new anime re-version. These series will premiere in 2011.

Jeph Loeb, Executive Vice President, Head of Television at Marvel Entertainment said, “The size and scope of the animation from top-flight studios Madhouse and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan is nothing short of mind-blowing. We look forward to the start of a beautiful friendship and can’t wait to see the reaction from our worldwide fan-base.”

Each of the four new anime properties will air as standalone series made up of twelve 30-minute episodes. Guided by multiple Eagle award winner Warren Ellis, the four shows will feature a matrix of interlinked storylines and shared guest characters.

Iron Man (teaser trailer above): In an effort to make amends for his weapons manufacturing past, Tony Stark has dedicated himself to building the world up rather than tearing it down. Traveling to Japan to build a new arc reactor that will deliver unlimited free energy to the Japanese people, Stark is challenged by the Japanese government and the media when he attempts to import the necessary nuclear priming device. And when the reactor-in-construction is repeatedly attacked by the mysterious Zodiac consortium, Stark must gather his allies to take on Zodiac and its mastermind.

X-Men: The X-Men are reunited following the death of a teammate, and are summoned by Charles Xavier to Japan following the abduction of Hisako Ichiki (Armor). There, they confront the U-Men, a lunatic cult that steals and transplants mutant organs to further strengthen their own army, and the battle for justice is on.

Wolverine: Based on the popular graphic novel by Frank Miller, the series begins in Japan, where Logan is challenged by Shingen Yashida, the notorious leader of a powerful mafia clan. When Shingen's employee Yukio, a female assassin, falls out of Shingen's favor, she must kill him or be killed. Teaming up with Logan, the pair seek out the villain to exact their revenge.

Blade: Seeking revenge on Deacon Frost, the vampire lord who killed his mother while she was still pregnant with Eric. With all the powers of a vampire and none of their weaknesses, Blade's quest leads him throughout Southeast Asia in search of Frost, and, in Vietnam, he discovers a vampire plot that threatens to take down the whole world.

While anime translations have worked out for DC Comics in the past with Gotham Knights, it'll be a toss-up to see how Marvel capitalizes with this shift introduction of four major playing characters in one go.

Green Lantern Promo Images

Warner Bros. Pictures has provided us with four new Comic-Con promo images for Green Lantern featuring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, Mark Strong as Sinestro and Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond. You can check out bigger versions by clicking on them at the Warner Bros. website.

Needless to say, this first look at Sinestro is awesome.

Also below, you'll find the Green Lantern movie panel will all the director and starring cast at San Diego's Comic Con taking questions from the crowd.

Opening in theaters on June 17, the Martin Campbell-directed action adventure also star Tim Robbins, Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders and Jon Tenney.

The Green Lantern Game

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, an action-adventure title that will be available in conjunction with Warner Bros. Pictures’ epic superhero feature film Green Lantern scheduled for release Summer 2011.

The game will be available for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Wii and Nintendo DS.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is inspired by the feature film, which brings the popular super hero to the big screen for the first time and which stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role as Hal Jordan. In the video-game players will utilize over a dozen constructs and take flight across the deepest parts of the Universe to restore intergalactic order by wielding the ultimate weapon: the Green Lantern power ring.

“Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters gives players the chance to experience the world of the Green Lantern mythology in an interactive way, going beyond the events of the film and comic books,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The game is the first to center around DC Comics’ Green Lantern franchise and we’re excited to give fans the opportunity to experience the power of the ring with engaging gameplay.”

Avenging Update

The first day wrap-ups of Comic Con 2010 are being gradually leaked on to the internet - and some the news couldn't be more exciting.

Joss Whedon, of Waterworld and Buffy, has confirmed lending his direction talents to The Avengers film. Robert Downey, Jr. and Don Cheadle are set to reprise their roles as Iron Man and War Machine, respectively. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston will reprise their roles from the upcoming Thor as Thor and Loki as well. Samuel L. Jackson signed on to play Nick Fury as part of an unprecedented deal with Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures for nine pictures, including The Avengers and its respective sequels. Scarlett Johansson, playing the Iron Man 2 role of Black Widow, will be in the film. Chris Evans will reprise his role as Captain America from the forthcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger.

In June 2010 during Comic Con, reports surfaced that Jeremy Renner was in final negotiations to play Hawkeye in the film as well.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that the Hulk will appear in The Avengers but the character of Bruce Banner will not be played by Edward Norton.

Now that's an update.

Cap & Thor Go Live

After unleashing images for Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor, Marvel Studios has now also brought online the official sites for the films which you can check out at CaptainAmerica.Marvel.com and Thor.Marvel.com!

For now it's mostly the logos for both films on the sites, but it is hoped that more images will be released during Comic-Con this weekend.

Odin's Beard

As revealed in this new photo from Marvel Studios' Thor featuring Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor with his hammer. It has also been confirmed that both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger will be released in 3D.

Thor hits theaters on May 6, 2011 and Captain America: The First Avenger (the other Marvel ship) on July 22, 2011.

First Frost

Jennifer Lawrence, from Winter's Bone fame, will play Mystique in 20th Century Fox's X-Men: First Class. Also, Kevin Bacon has signed to play the villain, whose character is still under wraps.

The two join James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Alice Eve, Nicholas Hoult and Caleb Landry Jones in the Matthew Vaughn-directed film, coming to theaters on June 3, 2011.

If you've read our recent entry on X-Men: First Class, the cast for this show is growing each month with a younger and lesser known group of actors being drafted to take on portraying Marvel's first family.

Playing Thor

Just so that you have my official opinion in written form: the Iron Man game that was inspired by the movie sucked. The coolest thing about that game, by far, was the free roam flying - but that was it. I would go so far in to say that the Iron Man game spoiled the video-games-from-superhero movies genre, for me, forever.

In any case: SEGA just announced that Thor: The Video Game is coming in 2011

Yesterday SEGA Europe and SEGA of America announced they will bring Marvel’s hall-of-fame franchise Thor to video game systems for an epic third-person adventure, scheduled for release on all five major video game platforms in 2011.

Thor: The Video Game is set to take players through an original third-person adventure for which Matt Fraction, the Eisner Award-winning writer and lead Thor comic book author, served as story consultant.

In the game, Thor battles through the numerous worlds of Norse mythology that span realms ranging from fire and ice to Frost Giants and Trolls - to obviously save Asgard. And yes, you will be using Mjölnir.

Each version of the game will be uniquely suited for its platform, with the PlayStation 3 system and Xbox 360 versions featuring cinematic, third-person action gameplay with melee combos, ranged hammer throws, tide-turning elemental powers, and an upgrade system to bolster Thor’s powers as gamers progress. Players will take on enemies up to four times as large as Thor, with multiple grappling points and a variety of strategies for taking them down: go toe-to-toe with 25 foot tall, 12 ton Ice Trolls for a truly heart-pumping experience.

The Wii game will feature the same overarching storyline as the next-gen consoles, but will also present a different gaming experience by utilizing the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers to battle enemies and deliver Thor’s elemental powers. Thor for the Wii version will also be presented with a uniquely styled comic book look that it will share with the PSP system version, along with different cinematics, story elements, dialog, locations, and dedicated flight levels. Nintendo DS players will experience a 2D side-scrolling adventure with narrative and gameplay unique to the platform.

Thor: The Video Game marks the character’s progression from mythology to comics to TV and film, and now to interactive entertainment in his first standalone appearance in a game ever.

Green Light

...and here's where GL screams like a little girl !

Picture Me Rollin'

While the first Ghost Rider movie and its rather lack-luster impression still lingers in our minds, all good things are meant to move on. Below, we have a time-line of events that have occurred so far with regards to this franchise.

On February 9, 2007, Marvel producer Avi Arad announced the development of Ghost Rider 2. Surprisingly, Peter Fonda has also expressed a desire to return as Mephistopheles. (Mephisto).

In February 2009, Columbia Pictures had greenlit a sequel to Ghost Rider. Nicolas Cage will reprise the lead role, whilst the studio are in search of writers.

On September 23, 2009, it was reported that David S. Goyer signed on to write the script for the sequel. Goyer spoke to MTV about the sequel, stating that the story will pick up eight years after the events of the first film and that he hopes to start filming by 2010. The sequel is entitled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance will be produced by Mike De Luca.

On July 14, 2010 it was confirmed that Nicolas Cage will return and Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are in negotiations to direct. In July 2010 Cage revealed shooting is to start in November.

Are we hoping for the best? Guilty !

Going First Class

In the latest of movie news, the confirmed castings so far for X-Men: First Class are:

Nicholas Hoult who will play Beast
Caleb Landry Jones who will play Banshee .
James McAvoy (best known as the guy from Wanted) who will play Charles Xavier

Michael Fassbender who will play Erik Lensher

and Alice Eve (from She's Out Of My League) who will play Emma Frost.

X-Men: First Class will following the classic Marvel mythology, charting the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. The story will follow the process of how a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.

X-Men: First Class will be directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Sony Pictures has officially announced that Andrew Garfield has landed the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in director Marc Webb's Untitled Spider-Man Film! The film focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human powers. The action adventure will open in 3D and 2D theaters on July 3, 2012.

The official press release is as follows:

After a comprehensive worldwide casting search, Andrew Garfield has been chosen to portray Peter Parker when Spider-Man swings back onto the screen in 3D on July 3, 2012. The new film will begin production in early December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.

Garfield will immediately begin preparing for the coveted role.

The Spider-Man franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.

On selecting Garfield, director Marc Webb said, "Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor's work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker."

Garfield is fast becoming one of the most respected and sought-after young actors working in the industry today. In a short 5 year career, he has already been directed by, and starred alongside, some of the greatest names and received a BAFTA for a role that won him international praise.

Garfield most recently worked with director David Fincher on the upcoming film The Social Network. He previously starred for Spike Jonze on his robot love story, I'm Here, which premiered at Sundance this year. He plays the lead male opposite Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go, due for release later this year.

While mostly limited to dramas, this will be Garfield's first foray into the superhero genre - and there is little doubt that there is a legacy and fan expectation to live up to.

Asylum In Stock

If you save up all your allowance or salary money purely to purchase a PS3 and the Arkam Asylum (game of the year, by the way !) game, no one would call you crazy - in fact, I would go so far as to day that your decision, while rash and totally instinctual, is a brilliant. In fact, I thank myself daily for having the foresight to purchase a PS3, and it's because of games like Arkham Asylum.

Being critically acclaimed has certain advantages to faithful fans such as myself: you can relate with other gamers, you can related with our geeks, and the merchandise that follows is awesome to see - for better or for worse (however, in this case, it's very good).

On total pre-order status and with pre-order sales running out fast, too the Batman: Arkham Asylum series of figures are set for release in January 2011. Two lines have already been confirmed and the details shown on promotional photos look true to the game and overall, great.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Series one figures are accompanied by character-specific accessories and a display base, and is packaged on a 4-color clamshell blister card.


The first set includes the following characters:

The Joker with Scarface (at 6.7” tall and 2” tall respectively). Characteristically clad in a pinstriped purple tuxedo, the ghoulish, leering Joker is accompanied by a monstrous saw-toothed version of Scarface.

Scarecrow (at 6” tall) is clad in dingy brown tatters and a baggy, noose-cinched re-breather mask, and comes equipped with a hose-heavy gauntlet used to deliver gaseous doses of his debilitating fear toxin.

The porcelain doll-like Harley Quinn (at 6.5” tall) is clad in a snug-fitting, short-skirted dress overlapped by an intricately-crafted dark red corset, along with gloves and thigh-high boots. This Harley version is practically the pick of the lot - her concept appearance is totally new and is very well aligned to the history of the character. I believe this costume is a fair rival to that of the Slave Princess Leia !

Finally, you have a Batman (at 6.75” tall), complete with yellow utility belt, flowing black cape, and thick-armored gauntlets and greaves.


Series Two of this video-game inspired action figure line compliments the first installment wave nicely:

Poison Ivy (at 6.5” tall), sparsely-clad Poison Ivy is adorned by delicate vein-like vines studded with miniscule darker-green leaves.

The introduction of Zsasz the murderer was a nice touch (at 6” tall). The lanky Zsasz is clad in institutional orange attire and manacled and padlocked restraint gear.

Bane although only 6.75” tall is a massive vein-laden figure clad in tattered institutional orange attire, encased in crude metal apparatus festooned with tangling acid-green wires and hoses.

And finally, also in the series is an additional Armored Batman (at 7” tall to top of ears).This version is clad in a sculptured armor chassis patterned after the standard Batman costume, complete with gold utility belt and billowing black cape.

Time For Class

I don't think anyone could have anticipated how far the X-Men franchise would go following the release of the very first film - after Wolverine: Origins, it seems that more and more movies are planned along this installment and The House Of El, couldn't be happier.

The next upcoming X-Men group centered movie, planned for a 2011 release, is X-Men: First Class.

X-Men: First Class is intended to be about the young Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast and others who attended Xavier's school. Zak Penn revealed he was offered to direct the spin-off in 2007, which he explained, "The original idea was to have me do a young X-Men spin-off, a spin-off of the young X-Men characters. But someone came up with a pretty interesting idea - do a young X-Men movie which is not what you'd expect."

In July 2008, Fox filed the title X-Men: First Class.

Bryan Singer later signed on to direct X-Men: First Class in December 2009, returning to the series that he started with X-Men and X2: X-Men United. Jamie Moss, the writer behind the 2008 Keanu Reeves movie Street Kings, has also come on board to pen a new screenplay for X-Men: First Class.

In March 2010, Singer reiterated that the film will find its axis in the relationship between Professor X and Magneto and the point where their friendship soured, while also detailing the beginning of the school for mutants, with younger incarnations of some characters with new actors in roles of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, etc. Also March 2010, Fox revealed that Bryan Singer will be producing X-Men: First Class instead of directing. The studio wants the film to start production as soon as possible in order to release it in 2011, and Singer is unable to do it due to other work commitments. In May 2010, 20th Century Fox confirmed that Matthew Vaughn will direct the film and announced the film will be released on June 3, 2011.

No one has presented a formal state on whether Hugh Jackman might appear as Wolverine. The current cast roster includes:

• James McAvoy as the young Professor X,
• Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr (Magneto)
• Benjamin Walker as Hank McCoy, (Beast)
• Alice Eve as Emma Frost

X-Men: First Class will begin filming in August 2010 in London.

Mercury

The history of DC's speedsters is wide and colorful. One of the greatest things about the origins of those character associated with lightening speed is the fact that it's an on-going project and characters are still being developed and fine-tuned.

There is little doubt that the fan lines are drawn between Barry Allen and Wally West; but it would be a total remiss for us to consider the roots of those two greats mentioned. A good place to start would be with the most golden age of golden agers: Max Mercury.

The character first appeared in Quality Comics' National Comics issue #5, in November 1940, as Quicksilver. Almost nothing was revealed about that character except that he possessed super-speed and his secret identity had the first name Max. Due to the character's indistinct background, many years down the line, writer Mark Waid reinvented the character in The Flash storyline.

When the character reappeared in early 1990s issues of The Flash, his name had to be changed from Quicksilver to Mercury to avoid confusion with Marvel Comics' Quicksilver.

In Waid's origin of the character, he was originally a scout with the US Cavalry in the 1830s. A friend of the local Indian tribes, he was shocked and dismayed to find them massacred on the orders of his commanding officer. Enchanted by a dying Indian shaman, he gained super-speed. In the years that followed, he became known to the Indians as Ahwehota (He Who Runs Beyond The Wind), and to everyone else as Windrunner.

Mercury has repeatedly traveled through time, seeking to enter the so-called Speed Force. He usually bounces off and finds himself decades in the future. His first attempt left him in the 1890s, where he created a new identity for himself as Whip Whirlwind. Later, he travelled ahead again, and was active in the 1930s and 1940s as Quicksilver when he acted as a mentor to the fledgling Golden Age Flash and Johnny Quick.

In 1948, he had an affair with the wife of a doctor who had saved his life. When the doctor learned of this, Max fled into the future once more.

He spent some years in hiding, but was persuaded by Jay Garrick to return to action against Professor Zoom (one of The Flash's penultimate limited story-lines). In recent years, he has been the mentor of first Wally West and later Bart Allen (alias Impulse). He taught West about the Speed Force, and helped him to access his full speed by encouraging him to break a mental block he'd placed on his powers—stopping Wally from being as fast as Barry, he also attempted to teach Impulse a measure of patience with varying results. While living with Bart, Max met an aged physician named Helen Claiborne, who turned out to be his daughter from his earlier affair.

Since then Max Mercury has played a secondary role in the background of the speed family plot-line, aiding other superheroes as battling partners and as a mentor.


Max is fully human with granted superhuman speed by ancient Native American rituals. Over time, he tried to find the fuel for his powers (and those of other speedsters): the Speed Force. Though he never quite entered it, his attempts allowed him to travel forward through time.

Amongst his peers, Max is unique in his attempts to understand the Speed Force in a mystical way. He also differs from other speedsters because of his agility; he cannot run as quickly as the Flashes, but he has a greater ability to perform acrobatic stunts and finely coordinated actions than they do - with the skill to even outmaneuver Professor Zoom.

Liberty & Justice

Marvel Studios entertainment is not slowing down with the announcement of Captain America: The First Avenger, slated to be released in the summer of 2011.

Doesn't the excitement just make you feel like a little kid again?

Here at The House of El; we're nothing if not continuously keeping up to date on superhero tidbits of information. In light of the coming of the proclaimed first avenger, let's take a look and who's in the actor roster for this:


Chris Evans will be playing: Steve Rogers / Captain America: a sickly young man who is enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the United States war effort - if you're a fan, you would know this already. Evans said that he wanted to play Captain America because, he stated, "I think Marvel is doing a lot of good things right now, and it’s a fun character". All fans out there would best remember Evans for playing Human Torch in the recent Fantastic Four installments.


Hugo Weaving will be playing: Johann Schmidt / Red Skull: Captain America's main nemesis and the head of the Nazi's terrorist activities who was personally groomed and trained by Adolf Hitler to be his right-hand man.

Sebastian Stan will be playing: Buck Barnes: Captain America's sidekick. It is not clear on whether the movie version of Barnes sets up the Winter Soldier identity (the baddie that Bucky eventually becomes). It has been revealed however that Stan has been sign to a multiple of movies under the Marval Studios umbrella.

Samuel L. Jackson will be playing: Nick Fury: a sergeant in the United States Army during World War II who lead an elite special unit of US Army Rangers nicknamed the Howling Commandos and would later become the director of the super-spy agency, S.H.I.E.L.D..

Dominic Cooper will be playing: Howard Stark: The father of Tony Stark, who worked on various government projects dating back to the World War II era.


Neal McDonough will be playing: Dum Dum Dugan: a former circus strongman and member of Sgt. Fury's Howling Commandos, known for his his marksmanship with rifles and for his impressive physique.In an interview with MTV News, McDonough stated that he is already growing Dugan's trademark mustache and plans to wear the character's signature bowler hat.

The latest addition to the exciting cast is Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips. Lee's involvement in the Captain America movie was announced in June 2011.

More exciting stuff: the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be releasing more movies into cinemas near you with Thor (also scheduled for 2011) and The Avengers (for 2012)

Avengers Assemble !

Super Summer

There are few things cooler than a hot actress playing a super-hero; and one of things would be if a hot actress voiced for a super-hero.

Summer Glau (from the defunct Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Serenity and Firefly) will play the voice of Supergirl in Warner Premiere's animated Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, coming to Blu-ray and DVD on September 28.

In the film, the latest in a Warner Bros.-produced series based on popular DC Comics stories, Summer plays Superman's cousin Kara, a mysterious survivor of the doomed planet Krypton who shows up on Earth.

The best news of all is that Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy will be reprising their roles as Superman and Batman, respectively, from the characters' animated series in the '90s and a previous DC movie, last year's Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

Apocalypse is based on the 2004 comic book arc, written by Jeph Loeb, which reintroduced Supergirl into the DC Comics universe. Unlike the rocket that brought her cousin to Earth, Kara's pod was delayed in its arrival, leaving her in suspended animation until landing. When she wakes up she is not terribly happy to learn that Earth's yellow sun gives her powers far beyond those of mortal women.

If you've loved the DC animated productions so far, you'd expect nothing less with this second installment of the Superman/Batman storyline - especially when you know Bruce Timm is involved.

*incidentally, check out Summer Glau's special appearance in the ever-cool, ever-geeky past season of The Big Bang Theory.

Big Bad Hex

With the movie on the way to the projector room of our closest cinemas, it would be a shame for The House Of El to not play tribute to this soon-to-be underdog star.

Jonah Hex is live is one that is probably not envied by any of the other heroes and anti-heroes of the DC Universe. Jonah has battled alcoholism, and as an adult faced his mother's turn to prostitution. If you didn't already know, Hex is your typical Western-gruff bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal code of honor to protect and avenge the innocent.

He's an expert marksman whom rarely misses and is always up to a good fight.

Though he has traveled extensively throughout the American West, he has also ended up trudging through South America and China. At one point he had quit bounty hunting, married and had a son, and took up farming - though unruly circumstances saw to it that his marriage and his family lifestyle did not last.

Hex's facial injuries - his most noticeable features - can be traced back to being sold into slavery by his father to some Apache for safe passage. Jonah eventually saved the chief from being killed by a mountain lion and was made an honorary member of the tribe. He was soon betrayed by the envious son of the chief while on a raid.

Jonah returned years later to challenge him in a sacred tomahawk battle, but the chief's son sabotaged Jonah's tomahawk. Jonah used his knife instead self-defense when the tomahawk broke. The tribe saw this as a violation of the rules of the sacred battle and sentenced Jonah to wear the mark of the demon - by pressing a searing hot tomahawk to his face. It was said that his honorary relationship to the chief was the only thing that saved him from death.

In a limited story series called the Hex series, Jonah was transported to 2050. The exact date when this occurred has been in debate, although several sources point to 1875. It is also unknown how long Jonah stayed in the future or what date he returned.

In 1904, Jonah was shot during a card game. His corpse was stolen, stuffed, mounted, and dressed in a ridiculous singing cowboy costume, then put on display in a traveling circus. The circus owner was eventually murdered and Jonah's body was stolen yet again. It would pass through various hands before finally being acquired by the restaurant Planet Krypton, owned by Booster Gold. A very twisted turn of events indeed.

In 2010, Jonah's presence was renewed when he was found by a Black Lantern ring and was revived as a member of the Black Lantern Corps, in the Blackest Night storyline.

Jonah Hex is probably one of the most well-known and well recalled DC Universe characters born of the golden age of comics - alongside such creations as the Challengers of the Unknown and DC's military era writings.

Being a non-superhero, Jonah did not have a "Rogues gallery" comparable to costumed comic-book heroes, though he had a few adversaries who returned from time to time. The most notable of these to date was Quentin Turnbull, known at first as simply the man with the eagle-topped cane.

Turnbull was the father of Hex's best friend, Jeb Turnbull. During the American Civil War, Jonah actually surrendered himself to the Union forces after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, but he refused to betray where his fellow soldiers were camped. A Union soldier was able to determine the location of that camp by examining the dirt in the hooves of Jonah's horse. The Union soldiers captured all of Jonah's fellow soldiers and then later massacred most of them, framing Jonah as a turncoat. Turnbull's son was one of those slaughtered, and Turnbull vowed his vengeance upon Jonah.

Turnbull will be featured as the antagonist in the 2010 movie, played by John Malkovich.

Jonah Hex undoubtedly a curious character on printed paper and an even curiouser hero to portray in the movies. There's little knowledge as to why we see a revival of Jonah in 2010 but we (meaning I) have faith that DC will be leading all on the right path.

Can You Fathom The Fox In Fathom?

First and foremost; big respect to the late Michael Turner.

As a little background to the whole affair, Fathom is a comic book created by Michael Turner and originally published by Top Cow Productions. It debuted in 1998 and was Michael Turner's first creator-owned comic book series. Fathom has received honors and has claimed the "number one selling comic book of the Year".

Fathom is currently published by Turner's own company, Aspen MLT.

On March 3, 2009, Variety magazine announced that a movie adaptation of Fathom is under development by Fox Atomic, with Megan Fox signed up to play the role of Aspen Matthews (the leading character), and also as a producer on the film. It has also been announced that English actor Matthew Tate will portray Chance Calloway. Screenwriter and video game creator Jordan Mechner will write the script.


If anyone else has been keeping track, is Megan Fox casting herself in more and more comic culture roles recently: from Transformers to Jonah Hex?

The late creator Michael Turner is to be credited as the film's Executive Producer.

Apocalypse on DVD

No, we're not talking about the sequel to 2012 - all that death and destruction. We're talking about something far worse; we're talking about Darkseid.

Warner Premiere's next DC Universe animated title Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will hit Blu-ray and DVD on September 28. The movie is based on the second story arc, "The Supergirl from Krypton," from Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner's the "Superman/Batman." The artwork is featured above and looks awesome !

On a side note, no trailers have been released yet, but The House of El will get right on that as soon as there's one release to tease us with.

I don't know about you but I loved all DC's animated features (but I may be a little biased).

Green Lantern: The story so far

All kids have dreams: some want to be scientists, some want to be rock stars, race car drivers, some what to be like their dads, some wished to be pilots and some (like Kal-El and myself) wished to be super heroes. Of course, the next best thing is to see those super heroes hit the big screen !

The next best thing for me is the upcoming Green Lantern movie !

As fans may already know, the film will star Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan alongside a cast of relatively well-known actors portraying penultimate characters such as Sinestro, Carol Ferris, Dr. Hector Hammond, Abin Sur and Pie-face Kalmaku. Green Lantern is scheduled to be released on June 17, 2011.

Warner Bros. initially changed the direction of the film into that of a comedy; by June 2006, a script was completed which was set to star Jack Black in the lead role. However, the studio dropped the comedy idea due to poor fan reaction on the Internet. In an attempt to change the tone of Green Lantern to be taken more seriously, Zack Snyder was approached to direct, but he turned down the offer due to his commitment on Watchmen.

Actor-writer Corey Reynolds, a comic book fan and personal fan of the John Stewart character, pitched Warner Bros. an idea for a trilogy, with him starring as John Stewart and performing screenwriting duties. Reynolds intended to introduce Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern Corps and Justice League in possible sequels. He finished the script for Green Lantern: Birth of a Hero in June 2007, receiving positive feedback from Warner Bros. with a potential 2010 release date. However, the studio abandoned Reynolds' concept, and in October 2007, Greg Berlanti signed to direct/co-write the film. The decision was made to have Hal Jordan as the protagonist instead of John Stewart. Comic book writers Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim were hired to co-script the film with Berlanti.

Berlanti, Green and Guggenheim found it difficult writing the script because two of their drafts of the screenplay had been leaked on the Internet during the scripting phase. The new script features Martin Jordan, Carl Ferris, Carol Ferris, Thomas Kalmaku, Tomar-Re, Abin Sur, Sinestro, Kilowog, the Guardians of the Universe, Legion and Hector Hammond as well as cameos by Guy Gardner and Clark Kent.

The story follows the original Hal Jordan/Green Lantern storyline, including the battle between Legion and Abin Sur, Abin Sur's crash landing on Earth, as well as the choosing of Hal Jordan over Guy Gardner and Clark Kent. Some parts will be drawn from the Emerald Dawn mini-series.

By December 2008, the writers had written three drafts of the screenplay and Warner Bros. was preparing for pre-production. However, Berlanti was forced to vacate the director's position due to scheduling conflicts. In February 2009 it was reported that Martin Campbell is set to direct the film, replacing Berlanti. In April 2009 it was reported that Warner Bros. has decided to shoot the film at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, and was given a $150 million budget, however as of October 2009 it will no longer be filmed in Australia but has instead moved the majority of first unit filming to Louisiana.

It was announced in July 2009 that Ryan Reynolds had been cast as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. It was also reported that Hal Jordan's love interest, Carol Ferris, would be played by Blake Lively. Carol ultimately will become the villain Star Sapphire, although there's no word whether there might be some hint of that in the first movie.

Later that same month, it was revealed that Peter Sarsgaard (from the movie, Orphan) would portray Hector Hammond and that Mark Strong was in negotiations to play Sinestro. Also in January 2010 concept art for Kilowog, Abin Sur, and Tomar-Re surfaced.

On February 9, 2010 Tim Robbins joined the cast as Senator Hammond, the disapproving father of Hector Hammond. On March 14, 2010, it was announced that Temuera Morrison and Taika Waititi had joined the cast as Abin Sur and Tom Kalmaku, respectively.

In an interview with MTV News, director Martin Campbell when asked about the film's effects-heavy epic scale commented; "It's daunting, just the process, (there are) something like 1,300 visual effects shots, it's mind-blowing, quite honestly". When asked about the constructs created from the power rings Campbell stated; "One of the nice things is, we'll all sit down and say, 'Well, what are we going to do here?' Really, it's as much as your imagination can go to make the constructs". The studio also confirmed to MTV News that the film will have a 3-D release.

According to Comics Continuum, an animated Green Lantern film is in the works at Warner Bros. Animation and will be part of a direct-to-video project that will be timed for release of the live-action Green Lantern movie in the summer of 2011. The Green Lantern animated project will likely take a look at the origins of the Green Lantern Corps, including the first ring wielders. In an interview with Bruce Timm, the producer revealed that a sequel to the Green Lantern animated movie had been discussed but cancelled, along with a sequel to the Wonder Woman animated film, because of the two pictures not achieving the immediate success that they had hoped for. However, Timm did hope the live action film would renew interest in a sequel. There has also been a lot of talk about a Green Lantern animated television series. When Geoff Johns was speaking at the Emerald City Comic-Con in 2010, he was asked about the series possibility and said "There's a very, very good chance."

Director Martin Campbell has confirmed the possibility of seeing a Green Lantern trilogy during interviews for Edge of Darkness. In June 2010, Warner Brothers studios hired Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, all of whom worked on the Green Lantern screenplay, to write a treatment for the second installment already !

That's just a little taste of the progress so far of this little kid's dream.

Singer to Produce X-Men: First Class

Just one week ago, director Bryan Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner were talking to the L.A. Times about Singer's affinity for the X-Men characters, which convinced him to direct X-Men: First Class. According to Deadline's Mike Fleming, Singer's obligations to begin production on Jack the Giant Killer, his 3D version of the classic fairy tale for Warner Bros., will have to take precedence and Singer will now only be producing X-Men: First Class.

According to Fleming, Fox is already in talks with a few directors they've short-listed who may be able to start production on the proposed first movie in a new prequel trilogy as early as summer or fall for a 2011 release, while Singer is locked into making the other CG-heavy movie through his contract with Warner Bros. Some may remember that WB snagged Singer to direct Superman Returns, preventing him from directing X-Men: The Last Stand.

More updates as it develops..

Channing Tatum for Captain America Role?

This is a huge surprise to us all, especially me. Just about 2 days ago i had a chat with one of my bestfriend and i said "That guy who played as Duke in G.I. Joe could play as Captain America"

This is so weird. Now news as confirmed that Channing Tatum, not confirmed to be as been approached by Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston. He joins the latest group of actors in the mix, including Chris Evans (Human Torch in Fantastic Four), Mike Vogel, Garrett Hedlund and Wilson Bethel.

More News to develop for the Shielded Avenger..

Arkham has moved...

Alright, as if it wasn't enough to leave us with Awe on the first game, then i accidentally found this on the net, looks like we'll get to play again as the world greatest detective once again, this time is Batman : Arkham Asylum 2 which will be released some time this year. This trailer got me excited, that i think i'll go back to re-play this game.

No confirmation date has been announced. Stay tune for more details.

Visit the official Website at : www.arkhamhasmoved.com

Action Figure Review #2: Marvel Legends 2 Pack - Elektra & Ronin

Today i'll be reviewing the Hasbro Marvel Legends Elektra & Ronin 2 Pack action figures. These are coming from the other fantastic two pack lines the Marvel / Hasbro came up with, which i still say they should also still consider to continue these awesome 6 Inch figures, The whole Marvel Universe 3.5 Inch are nice, but for those who collects 6 Inch figures are out without choices nowadays for Marvel Fans out there, unless we look up for old Marvel Legends spread around the whole world. But for now, i guess we should just wait for new future 6 Inch figurines to come. Today my Action figure review will be focusing on these two amazing figures, Ninja Assassin Style.

I'm sure everyone knows the history behind Elektra, a trained assassin, a woman who Daredevil fall in love with. But what about Ronin?

Let's just touch a little bit into Ronin's history before i go any further. As the name Ronin is actual also known as to be a Samurai with no master during the period of ancient Japan time. Ronin is a cover identity used by two different heroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo, was the first person to don the Ronin identity. A deaf woman with photographic reflexes, Maya became Ronin to investigate the Silver Samurai in Japan. Clint Barton who is the second and current person to don the Ronin identity, becoming Ronin when he rejoined the New Avengers in the aftermath of Civil War and The House of M (Which i do recommend everyone to read). He attempted to hand the costume back to Echo after she was rescued from the Hand, but Echo declined and allowed him to keep it.


I particularly love this 2 pack, because of the detail of the Ronin Costume that was designed by Marvel Legends. The face sculpt is surprisingly good for this line for both Elektra and Ronin.


The Ronin is a good figure, his probably my first Samurai like figurine so i had fun playing with it.
Play value is quite good.

He makes it look good on the camera. Excellent on the paint job, but for some part it's a little bit sloppy as you could see some smudges here and there.

The pose value is absolutely great with Ronin, 16 points of Articulations, from Arms you can move his shoulders, biceps, elbows and wrists. His neck has a stiff joint, but you can turn his head around due to the changeable Head Sculpt. On the Torso, Not so much movement here, he could only move his torso up and down, but not twist and turn to the left and right. From the hips down, he's well articulated, no thigh movement, knees are articulated, and so is his ankle. I Just wished the made the joints more stiffer so it makes them easier to stand them up. They always seemed to fall down easily on the shelves.



On the plus side is his accessories that came with it. 2 Katanas and a Nun-chuck. Also with the head sculpt of unmasked Clint Barton's head.

I swear he looks abit like Mark Hamill..."Luke you are really Ronin...not Skywalker!''.

Overall i gave the Ronin figure a good and solid 7 out of 10 rating. Although its a good figurine to add to the collection, His pose-ability can be quite limited because of the torso movement. And also, i found that the same old problem with Marvel Legends have was the Legs, the also feel so soft.

Alright moving along to the Hot Ninja Assassin - Elektra. Relatively an attractive figure to add to your collection. Paintjob was not done great here, Especially the wrist, the wrist guards are painted over her body. Although they also included her to have red colour fingernails.

Possibility again for Elektra, once again it's always been a problem for most Marvel Legends figure. The legs were to soft, which again will leave you with limited posses for the figure. She has the same articulation as Ronin, Although i would rate her a fair 5 out of 10, mostly because of her costume is only painted on her body and posseablity is limited.

Accessories wise, She has Interchangeable hands, 2 Sais , and another Head sculpt. Not bad.

Yes she does have a pretty face, no wonder Matt Murdock fell in love with her. But notice the paintjob is again sloppy here, you could see a dot on her brea...i mean chest area.

"See what i tell ya, Red Fingernails...''



They both stand 6 Inch Tall. Now enjoy the closeups below.





Well there you have it folks. Hope you've enjoyed this Review and Pictures. Till next time.
Have a Great Weekend!