Our dear friend Jerk-Bot, a robot deeply embedded in the film and movie industry, has made a few points about the Chris Evans casting news that he’s heard around the campfire and they are points that I think are worth repeating.

1. Chris Evans was simply offered the part. He has not accepted anything yet.
2. Fox could play spoiler on this one, just like they did when they prevented Emily Blunt from playing the Black Widow in Iron Man 2.  Evans is still contractually obliged to a third Fantastic Four movie if they choose to do one.  Although it’s been said they were doing a reboot, it’s not inconceivable that they would jump in and keep him cast as Johnny Storm.
3. It is Jerk-Bot’s understanding that Evans might be under contact for a sequel to the Losers as well, if the first one is a success.
4. Because the studio is offering only $300,000 (a “paupers salary” for so big a role) it’s conceivable he might just turn it down.
5. Word around the campfire is that they still might be testing Kellan Lutz (if his Twilight obligations allow) and Alexander Skarsgard, just in case.

So we can all be as excited as we’d like about the idea of this casting, but we’re at a stage where anything can happen.

So, take the Chris Evans news with a grain of salt and wait until you get an official announcement before you go completely insane, one way or the other.

The Hollywood Reporter has just announced that Chris Evans has been offered the part of Captain America.

This hasn’t been confirmed by Marvel, and Evans’ agent has declined to comment to Hollywood Reporter.

For my two cents, as soon as I heard his name in the ring I was sold.  He was the one thing worth watching in the Fantastic Four movies and his turn in Danny Boyle’s Sunshine was tremendous.

Be sure to check back with Big Shiny Robot! for more reports on further updates as they happen or as we find them.

If you ask me though, I think this would be a good move and I’d buy it completely.  He has the look, he’s a good actor and I don’t think he’s incredibly well-known in the mainstream.  (Unless I’m wrong.)  I think he can stand up as an actor next to Robert Downey, Jr. and Edward Norton and he simply looks the part.

More than anything, though, if this turns out to be true, I’ll just be glad to be done with all of the speculation.

Captain America is set to be directed by Joe Johnston and is supposedly to start shooting sometime this month or next.  It’s scheduled for a July 2011 release date and I think I speak for just about all of us when I say that it doesn’t really matter who they put in the role, we’ll all be there to see the film on opening day.  And if you don’t plan on being there, you’re only lying to yourself.

Welcome to the first of our weekly comics shipping list. Here we’ll be showing you the titles that are shipping for that week along with what I think are a couple of the top hot or must read titles of the week. This feature is brought to you by Dr Volts Comic Connection located at 2043 E 3300 S in Salt Lake City, UT. Or you can find them at http://www.drvolts.com

Siege #3 by Marvel

The penultimate chapter in Brian Michael Bendis’s epic mini series is out! The battle for Asgard reaches a breaking point as Norman Osborn’s secret weapon is revealed and another Avenger finally joins the fight! The battle lines have been drawn and lives will be changed before the end of this blockbuster event that will usher in the Heroic Age!

American Vampire #1 by Vertigo

Witness the birth of a brand new species of vampire in this new ongoing series that begins with five extra-sized issues featuring back-to-back stories by exciting new writer Scott Snyder and the master of horror himself, Stephen King! When notorious outlaw Skinner Sweet is attacked by an old enemy (who happens to be a member of the undead), the first American vampire is born… a vampire powered by the sun, stronger, fiercer, and meaner than anything that came before. Plus… Pearl Jones is a struggling young actress in 1920s Los Angeles. But when her big break brings her face-to-face with an ancient evil, her Hollywood dream quickly turns into a brutal, shocking nightmare.

DARK HORSE COMICS
JAN100129      DEVIL #2 (OF 4) $3.50

DEC090032      GROO HOGS OF HORDER #4 (OF 4)  $3.99

SEP090078      SIMPSONS CLASSIC CHARACTER #6 KRUSTY THE CLOWN        $49.95

DC COMICS

JAN100328      AUTHORITY THE LOST YEAR #7 (OF 12)    $2.99

JAN100243      AZRAEL #6      $2.99

JAN100240      BATMAN #697    $2.99

DEC090203      BATMAN INTERNATIONAL TP        $17.99

DEC098499      BLACKEST NIGHT #5 (OF 8) 2ND PTG      $3.99

JAN100262      BOOSTER GOLD #30       $2.99

DEC090179      BRAVE AND THE BOLD #32 $2.99

JAN100277      GREEN ARROW #31 $2.99

JAN100236      GREEN LANTERN CORPS #46 (BLACKEST NIGHT)      $3.99

DEC090296      I HATE YOU MORE THAN ANYONE VOL 09    $9.99

JAN100325      MAD MAGAZINE #503      $5.99

DEC090247      MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE TP  $17.99

JAN100324      SCOOBY DOO #154 $2.50

JAN100287      SHIELD #7      $3.99

DEC090215      SHOWCASE PRESENTS WORLDS FINEST TP VOL 03     $17.99

JAN100259      SUPERGIRL #51  $2.99

JAN100260      SUPERMAN 80 PAGE GIANT #1      $5.99

NOV090183      SUPERMAN NIGHTWING AND FLAMEBIRD HC VOL 01    $24.99

JAN100339      SUPERNATURAL BEGINNINGS END #3 (OF 6) $2.99

JAN100284      TITANS #23     $2.99

DEC090222      WONDER WOMAN CHRONICLES TP VOL 01     $17.99

IMAGE COMICS

JAN100412      DEAD AT 17 WITCH QUEEN #1 Of(4)       $2.99

JAN100419      FADE TO BLACK #1 (OF 5)        $3.50

SEP090286      I KILL GIANTS TITAN ED HC VOL 01      $39.99

SEP090287      I KILL GIANTS TITAN ED HC VOL 01 LTD S/N ED   $50.00

MARVEL COMICS

JAN100555      AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #625        $2.99

JAN100667      AVENGERS STANDOFF PREM HC      $24.99

JAN100567      AVENGERS VS ATLAS #3 (OF 4)    $3.99

JAN100566      CAPTAIN AMERICA MGC #1 $1.00

JAN100507      DARK AVENGERS #15      $3.99

JAN100675      DARK AVENGERS ARES TP  $24.99

JAN100546      DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #9  $2.99

JAN100585      DEATHLOK #5 (OF 7)     $3.99

JAN100571      DOOMWAR #2 (OF 6)      $3.99

JAN100604      GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #24        $2.99

JAN100573      HERCULES FALL OF AN AVENGER #1 (OF 2) $3.99

DEC098477      HIT-MONKEY #1 2ND PTG TALIJIC VAR (PP #907)   $3.99

JAN100578      HULK #21 FOH   $3.99

JAN100580      INCREDIBLE HULK #608 FOH       $3.99

DEC098493      INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #23 2ND PTG LAROCCA VAR (PP #908) $2.99

JAN100639      IRON MAN ARMOR WARS PROLOGUE TP       $29.99

JAN100642      IRON MAN END TP $16.99

OCT090606      IRON MAN IRON MONGER PREM HC   $29.99

OCT090607      IRON MAN IRON MONGER PREM HC DM ED 41 $29.99

JAN100584      MARVEL BOY URANIAN #3 (OF 3)   $3.99

JAN100615      NATION X #4 (OF 4)     $3.99

JAN100680      NEW MUTANTS CLASSIC TP VOL 05  $29.99

JAN100692      NEW ULTIMATES BY FRANK CHO POSTER     $34.99

JAN100603      NOVA #35       $2.99

JAN100540      PRELUDE TO DEADPOOL CORPS #3 (OF 5)   $2.99

JAN100662      PUNISHER NOIR PREM HC  $19.99

JAN100605      REALM OF KINGS IMPERIAL GUARD #5 (OF 5)       $3.99

JAN100515      SIEGE #1 (OF 4) DIRECTORS CUT  $4.99

DEC098474      SIEGE #2 (OF 4) 2ND PTG COIPEL VAR (PP #907)  $3.99

JAN100502      SIEGE #3 (OF 4) $3.99

DEC098194      SIEGE #3 (OF 4) DEADPOOL VAR   $3.99

DEC098492      SIEGE EMBEDDED #2 (OF 4) 2ND PTG SAMNEE VAR (PP #908) $3.99

JAN100506      SIEGE EMBEDDED #3 (OF 4)       $3.99

JAN100562      SPIDER-MAN AND SECRET WARS #4 (OF 4)  $2.99

JAN100593      SPIDER-WOMAN #7 $3.99

JAN100598      TORCH #6 (OF 8) $3.99

JAN100637      ULTIMATE COMICS IRON MAN ARMOR WARS PREM HC   $19.99

JAN100601      VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT #6    $2.99

DEC090549      WOLVERINE ORIGINS #45  $2.99

JAN100518      WOMEN OF MARVEL CELEBRATING SEVEN DECADES #1  $9.99

JAN100521      X-23 #1 $3.99

JAN100626      X-FACTOR FOREVER #1    $3.99

JAN100619      X-MEN LEGACY #234      $2.99

**********

COMICS

DEC090725      28 DAYS LATER #8       $3.99

JAN101012      ANGEL #31      $3.99

JAN101009      ARMY OF TWO #3 $3.99

JAN100989      A-TEAM WAR STORIES HANNIBAL #1 $3.99

JAN101176      BAMBOO BLADE TP VOL 04 $10.99

JAN100734      BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #179   $3.99

DEC098278      BLACK BUTLER TP VOL 01 (PP #904)      $10.99

JAN101177      BUNNY DROP GN VOL 01   $12.99

NOV090602      CAT NAMED HAIKU $5.95

JAN100712      CHIP #1 (OF 2) $3.99

DEC090662      DAYS MISSING HC VOL 01 W/ DUST JACKET $19.95

DEC090729      DIE HARD YEAR ONE #7   $3.99

NOV090685      DISNEYS HERO SQUAD HC VOL 01 SAVE THE WORLD   $24.99

JAN101019      DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS SERIES 3 #1       $3.99

JAN101017      DOCTOR WHO ONGOING #9  $3.99

JUL090698      EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS #4    $2.99

JAN100812      FARSCAPE ONGOING #5    $3.99

SEP090616      FLASH GORDON SECRET HISTORY OF MONGO SC       $7.95

SEP090615      FLASH GORDON TP VOL 01 MERCY WARS     $19.95

DEC091047      FUSHIGI YUGI VIZBIG ED GN VOL 05      $17.99

NOV091002      GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND #1 (OF 6) A CVR FINCH  $2.99

NOV091003      GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND #1 (OF 6) B CVR FRANCHESCO     $2.99

JAN100981      GI JOE OPERATION HISS #2       $3.99

FEB100809      GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE #1       $3.99

SEP090594      GUNNERKRIGG COURT HC VOL 02 RESEARCH  $26.95

DEC091049      HOT GIMMICK VIZBIG ED GN VOL 04       $17.99

NOV090755      IN THE WALNUT GN VOL 01 (OF 2) $12.95

DEC091050      INUBAKA CRAZY FOR DOGS TP VOL 15      $9.99

JAN100816      IRREDEEMABLE #12       $3.99

JAN100735      JUGHEAD #200   $2.50

NOV090861      KRAZY & IGNATZ HC TIGER TEA    $12.99

JAN101032      LAST RESORT TP VOL 01  $19.99

JAN101096      LENORE NOOGIES HC COLOR ED (O/A)      $17.95

DEC090937      LOCKE & KEY CROWN OF SHADOWS #4       $3.99

JAN101178      MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA GN VOL 05       $10.99

NOV090763      MOME GN VOL 17 2010    $14.99

DEC090754      MUPPET KING ARTHUR #3 (OF 4)   $2.99

DEC090755      MUPPET SHOW #3 $2.99

JAN101179      RAIDERS GN VOL 02      $10.99

JAN100882      RED SONJA TP VOL 07 BORN AGAIN $19.99

DEC091024      RISTORANTE PARADISO GN $12.99

DEC091029      RUROUNI KENSHIN VIZBIG ED GN VOL 09 (OF 9)    $17.99

JAN100797      SIMPSONS COMICS #164   $2.99

JAN100795      SIMPSONS GET SOME FANCY BOOK LEARNIN TP       $14.99

JAN100740      SONIC UNIVERSE #14     $2.50

JAN101001      STAR TREK MOVIE ADAPTATION #2  $3.99

JAN101180      SUMOMOMO MOMOMO TP VOL 03      $10.99

JAN100701      TERRY MOORES ECHO #20  $3.50

DEC090971      TICK GOLDEN AGE COMPLETE WORKS TP     $10.95

JAN101181      TIME AND AGAIN GN VOL 02       $10.99

DEC090656      TIME LINCOLN ONE SHOT  $3.99

JAN100973      TRANSFORMERS ALL HAIL MEGATRON #16 LONG BEACH CON EX  PI

DEC090904      TRANSFORMERS MOVIE COLLECTION HC VOL 01       $50.00

JAN100963      TRANSFORMERS NEFARIOUS #1      $3.99

JAN100842      UNCLE SCROOGE #389     $2.99

JAN101182      WITH THE LIGHT RAISING AUTISTIC CHILD GN VOL 06       $14.99

DEC091129      YOUNG JESUS CHRONICLES TP      $9.99

Earlier today over at The Hollywood Reporter it was reported that Channing Tatum has been added to the growing list of actors being considered to play Steve Rogers in the Captain America Movie. As of now now he has only been approached and has yet to see a script.

It is also rumored that Keira Knightley has been approached to play Captain America’s love interest, Betsy Ross. However she isn’t the only actress being considered for the role.

UPDATE: Swank here.  I just want to say that I’m not exactly keen on either of these choices and I don’t really think anyone is.  These are just more names that are being thrown out.  And so many are being thrown out there so quickly, I’ve decided not to worry at all until an actual announcement is made.  Though I’ve heard from Jerk-Bot, a source on deep background, that the reason they’re having so many actors read for the part is because no one likes the script and the pay and commitment isn’t that worth it.

So, we’ll see what’s up.

UPDATE 2: Jerk Bot informs me that the Hollywood Reporter failed to mention that Twilight’s Kellan Lutz tested for the part as well.

UPDATE 3: HitFix is reporting that Ryan Phillipe is up for the part now, too.  I think we should revise this method of reporting news and only report when someone ISN’T up for the part.

In the lead-up to Kick-Ass, we were able to score an interview with the writer, Mark Millar.  While we don’t have the full interview ready yet, we thought we’d transcribe this little bit of news from the Ultimate Avengers front that came out during the interview.

Check back later in the week for the story about Kick-Ass.

“For Ultimate Avengers I’m revamping Blade which is a character I’ve loved since I was a little kid.  And I’m revamping The Punisher and so on.  So it’s all characters that we’ve never really seen in the Ultimates and I’m having a lot of fun doing that.  The next story line…the one that’s running just now is all about Captain America and his son, The Red Skull, and the second story arc is called “Crime and Punishment” and it’s where the Punisher  is captured, has an implant put in him and is forced to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.  And you see Ghost Rider.  I’ve done this with Ultimate Ghost Rider, Punisher, and I’ve got the African-American Hulk who was Bruce Banner’s mentor and the first Hulk, the guy who taught him everything he knows and he’s probably the character I’m most excited about.”

Then he said something in his accent that seems unintelligible about Blade and something called Vampire X.  We asked him about the artists on the Ultimate Avengers books, too.

“The first arc is Carlos Pachecho’s thing and that story is called The Next Generation.  The next one was called Ultimates Black, but I changed it to Crime and Punishment and the guy who’s doing that is Leinil Francis Yu.  Above that, I’m not sure.  I’ve written four of the six issues, but I haven’t decided upon an artist yet, because the guy who I originally was gonna use I’ve ended up pulling away and using on a creator owned property, you know? So, I’m meeting Marvel next week and I’ll finalize that next week.  And we’re thinking about Steve McNiven for the final arc.  We’ll see the Hulks versus, and see Punisher versus Captain America, you know the African-American Hulk versus the regular Hulk and so on.”

Check back soon for the full interview to talk about the future of Kick-Ass, the Kick-Ass movie and why Mark Millar would ever pour whiskey into his eyes on purpose.

We did an interview with John Romita, Jr. last week as part of the new blitz for Kick-Ass and he let drop a few juicy tidbits about his involvement with the new Avengers book launching this May.  This will be the first time the triumvirate of Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America will be reunited on The Avengers since Brian Michael Bendis’ “Avenger’s Disassembled” Arc from almost 10 years ago.

Romita is a superstar in the Marvel world and one of my favorite artists.  When he let slip a few things about the book, I was incredibly excited.  It might not be much, but it gets me going, for sure.

“I can’t tell you a whole lot about [the Heroic Age] because I’m not really privy to a lot of it.  And second I’m kind of jumping onto Avengers without a lot of advanced notice even on my part.  It was a last second thing.  It’s kind of like trying to hop onto a causeway with a tricycle.  I’m catching up. So I don’t know much about the Heroic age other than what’s in the Avengers book I’m working on, and it’s a very contentious story line.  Brian Bendis is brilliant and I know where he’s going with it and it’s amazing.  As far as how it’s connected to the other stories I don’t know, but what I’m doing with the Avengers and every character in the world is in it, I’m sure it has a lot to do with what I’m doing right now.“

When asked about keeping up with things in the Marvel U, he dropped this tidbit:

“But because of Brian and the advent of doing this, right after I was supposed to be doing Thor, and I did the Free Comic Book Day issue with Iron Man and Thor, I started reading some side issues and paying attention and I’m really loving it.  Now they have a time travel story line involved here and the Hulk is involved here. It’s amazing.  It’s incredible and it’s a testament to Brian, a testament to all the writers, but I don’t read enough to give you guys any insight.”

So come back later today or tomorrow for the full interview with John Romita, Jr. as well as another interview with Mark Millar, and a bigger look at Kick-Ass and the future of the Millar’s work in the Ultimate Marvel U.

Once again we’ve been given a space in the Salt Lake weekly paper IN This Week, and once again Swank tells you what comics you should buy.

This list was made for readers of the magazine who might want introductions to various sorts of comics or comic heroes that might not know where they should start.

You can read the full, unabridged version of the article online here.

To buy the comics listed in the article check out Amazon or your local comic book store.

Tlyer Kirkham is currently known for his work on the Marvel crossover series Fusion, but his career has had him working on titles such as Strykeforce, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Broken Trinity, Spider-Man and about a dozen others. Today you can read about his career and his look at local and national comics as he chats with Gavin Sheehan of City Weekly.

Tyler Kirkham’s interview on Gavin’s Underground

Gavin: How did the opportunity come about to work at Image Comics?

Tyler: I got really lucky I think. I started going to more conventions and really trying to pursue comics. I had a really cool art teacher in high school. He let us do what we wanted. So and few friends and I worked on our own comics. So what happened is I had a friend on a church mission is California. He was living in a house with another guy that also liked art and comics. I would send my friend my art and he would show people. The other guy that lived in the house said, “I know where a comic studio is that’s real close.” He took my art to the Top Cow offices. He showed one of the editors there. She saw promise in my art, but I still wasn’t ready. Now I had an in though. I would always do new work and show this editor, or if I went to a convention I would talk to her. So what happened is she was working with a the writer of The Gift. He was looking for a young artist. I wasn’t ready to work at Top Cow yet, but this was something good for me to wet my feet and grow as an artist.

Gavin: Going national, what’s your take on the comic book industry as it stands right now?

Tyler: I like the comic scene right now. I really love what Marvel and DC are doing as well at Top Cow. I love seeing all the films coming from comics. I think its great for comics. There are a lot of great stories and creators in comics and I think its smart for Hollywood to notice and take advantage of all the talent.

Disney XD (A Disney Channel aimed towards the slightly older children) announced their 2010-2011 programming lineup yesterday, and in the mix is a new Avengers cartoon that will be making its debut this fall! Here’s the official description:

“The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” — Further aligning the strength of Marvel’s hugely popular characters and stories with the burgeoning Disney XD brand and global reach, an all-new animated series, “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” will debut in fall 2010 on Disney XD and DisneyXD.com. Beginning with the “Iron Man” and “Incredible Hulk” movies in 2008, the release of “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” follows Marvel’s overall “Avengers Assemble” strategy introducing the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe through various content platforms, including the upcoming feature films “Iron Man 2” in May of 2010, “Thor” in May of 2011 and “Captain America” in July of 2011, all building up to the Avengers theatrical film in 2012. Produced by Marvel Animation, the animated series features 52 episodes targeted at kids 9-14, starring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Giant Man and Wasp — who form the Avengers, a team assembled when no single hero’s powers can save the world. A 20-part “micro-series” that focuses on each hero’s backstory will roll out in fall 2010 on Disney XD, immediately followed by the series premiere on Disney XD in the U.S. and, shortly thereafter, around the world. Disney XD, the single largest distributor of Marvel content around the world, currently showcases approximately 20 hours of Marvel series (including “The Spectacular Spider-Man,” “Fantastic Four” and “Iron Man”) each week.

And you all thought Disney obtaining Marvel would be a bad thing…

I got a note from Jerk-Bot, one of our favorite and most entrenched sources wanted to remind me about what no one else is saying in this rush about Captain America news (including us yesterday).

Here he is:

The thing not getting mentioned in all the articles bringing up Chace Crawford’s name, as well as John Krasinski, is that this is a “wishlist” … actors they’re sending the script to. And it doesn’t mention that they’ve sent the script to others, including Ryan McPartlin and Jensen Ackles. I still wouldn’t rule the latter out, though this “Friday Night Lights” guy, Scott Porter, is apparently high on their list.

From what I’m hearing, at least …

So put that in your pipe and smoke it.