Is this the face of the new X-Men in the Ultimate Universe?

Will Jeph Loeb finally deliver in the Ultimate Universe?

And what is it exactly that we’re in for?

These aren’t rhetorical questions, seriously, throw out some answers, guys.

This probably won’t come as a surprise to most, but amidst all the news about Spidey 4 delays, Raimi hating the script and Sony unsure about a villain, Malkovich visited an Italian sports show (for some reason) called “Quelli Che il Calcio” and was asked about playing the Vulture in Spider-Man 4. The interview is in Italian, but BadTaste.it sent Super Hero Hype the “overall idea” of what was said:

“When conductor Simona Ventura asked him about his role of Vulture in the movie, he not only didn’t deny his involvement, but confirmed that he’s waiting for the final script to be sent to him, and that the movie has been delayed. He also hopes that shooting will begin as soon as possible.”

I am a big supporter of this “Malkovich as the Vulture” idea and I hope Raimi gets his way and this is the direction the movie goes. But of course, none of this matters while production is on hold.

UPDATE: Swankmotron here.  A film critic and friend of the site asked me to stress the following on our reporting of this story:

It’s still not official. According to the flacks, Sony has not announced anything in regards to Malkovich, and if and when they do they’ll send out a press release to the trades (Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter).

It’s good advice.  I still think this story strongly indicates that they’re at least talking to him.

Hello folks! Dr. Cyborg just got himself a new gig. It doesn’t pay as well, but I love what I do. Today we’ll be shoving our camera up the ass of a few comic books that I’ve read recently, and hopefully finding out if they are in good health or not.

First up, Ultimate Avenger’s #1-4

Written by ultra mega star Mark Millar, I thought this was a pretty safe bet going in, and in that way it didn’t defy my expectations. I sure do appreciate Captain America kicking some ass, but I found that I like it a little bit better to see him get his ass kicked. Therefore I think my favorite issue so far was #1. But I like the direction it’s going in, and knowing Mark Millar it’s going to get a lot better. (Aside for Old Man Logan, which blew its load early, peaked, and then ended okay.) For anyone that hasn’t read this title yet, I suggest jumping on board. You won’t be disappointed, and you don’t have to know what’s been going on to appreciate it. (I know because no one knows what went on in Ultimatum.)

I haven’t had this much fun since Jr. prom! -Slugtron

Overview: It’s a good looking ass-hole, no debris, no irritation. I’m taking a wild guess that they are using a premium fluffy toilet paper, and possibly applying lotion afterward.

Prognosis: Colon in good order.

Suggested retail price: Priceless!

Next up is, The Haunt #1-4

Robert Kirkman, and what’s his names, new baby. (ummm…Todd Mcfarlane I think?) while it seems to me that even Mcfarlane is giving most of the credit to Kirkman on this one, it does have more of a Spawn feel. A special agent gets killed, then haunts his brother that’s a priest, who is now in a sticky situation because of his association with said dead brother. The spirit and the priest somehow combine, turning them into a sort of grim superhero.

Well, I didn’t hate Spawn, and I don’t hate this. I think Kirkman is good at writing this type of arcane gore, and he is  good at the slow reveal of the characters pasts. I just don’t know how interested I am in these characters anyways. The book does look awesome, with pencils by Ryan Ottley, but I just haven’t committed myself fully to this book yet. Invincible, and Walking Dead seem to be a little more my cup of tea. Although if you are still into what Spawn had to offer than you should definitely be on this book.

Overview: While this anus appears in good order, on examination of the fecal matter there seems to be traces of blood. Something you want to watch out for. I would give it a few months, and see if things have cleared up.

Prognosis: Possible mud-butt.

Almost as good as the robot equivalent to menstruating! -Slugtron

Suggested retail price: $2.99

Next we have Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.2 #1-6

I have to give it to Bendis, he can write a lot of comic books… I don’t think he’s doing a horrible job either, he’s definitely got me reading. My biggest problem with Bendis is I think he is only funny half the time. He writes an entertaining comic but he doesn’t know when to stop. His touching moments aren’t touching, and it doesn’t help that David Lafuente is only passable half the time as well. Some of his pages make me stop and say, “…” while others make me utter words. The point is, I like the direction of this book, it is a good read, but it lacks excellence.

What it lacks in looks, it makes up for in…Well at least it has pages.  –Slugtron

Overview: This ass-hole isn’t wiped well enough. The left over feces is irritating the skin around the anus, but it hasn’t become infected as of yet.

Prognosis: A smelly, but healthy ass-hole.

Suggested retail price: $3.99 (a little high for this book in my opinion.)

Join us next time when Dr. Cyborg illegally shows you other comics private medical charts! You’ll never guess what comic book character dying  of spastic dysentery!

Yesterday Marvel unveiled Tony Stark’s new Iron Man armor that he’s going to be kicking ass in starting in April. Unfortunately, I don’t follow Invincible Iron Man, so I’m not sure what’s going on in the story right now that might cause Stark to need new and improved armor. There’s a plus-side to my ignorance though in that you will be spared my commentary on this matter except for this: I think the new armor looks pretty badass.

Here’s what Invincible Iron Man writer, Matt Fraction had to say about the new armor:

“The inspiration for the new design came from thinking about a sleeker, leaner, tougher Iron Man,” revealed Fraction. “If technology is increasingly getting smaller and lighter it seems like the Iron Man should do the same: ergonomic and aerodynamic. We were looking for something that felt as sleek and glossy as a sports car Tony Stark would covet. I love what we’ve come up with. It feels like the next evolutionary step in the Iron Man’s design.”

Marvel has been kind enough to provide us with Part 2 in their teasing series on Jeph Loeb and Art Adams’ forthcoming Ultimate X book.

I’m not quite sure, but it seems as though the lensflare on this picture is meant to imply that this chick has some manner of psychic power.

Perhaps someone who knows more about this could weigh in in the comments?

Tobey Maguire was on a live webcam chat on latimes.com yesterday morning talking about his latest movie, Brothers. Of course, the conversation turned to the subject of Spider-Man 4 being delayed due to script issues. Maguire had this to say on the issue:

“Like anything, it’s a process, we’re just in the midst of the process. We have a lot of great stuff in terms of story and script. We’re just trying to dial it in and get it ready as quickly as possible. Of course, these movies are a very big undertaking and take a lot more time than a drama or something more straightforward.

“Not only do I have specific ideas, but the ideas are evolving on the page. It’s all happening right now. It’s all sort of coming together. It’s very exciting to me. I think the evolution of the character is really exciting, to be rooted in the history of what we’ve done already and to have a continuity, yet have a progression or evolution.”

So it seems like Maguire isn’t too concerned about the delay and the studio hasn’t officially given up it’s coveted May 6, 2011 opening day yet – despite the fact that Thor will now be opening that same day. I for one am fine with a delay, I trust Raimi, not the studio, and if Raimi isn’t happy with the script and needs to delay production to get his way, then I am all for it. I am guessing that this delay will cause Sony to push the opening date back a few weeks (or months), but if this delay ends sooner than expected would Marvel unleash comic book-movie-fury on us with two Marvel character movies opening the same weekend? It would be an epic weekend for Marvel if they did…

Androidika-Lad, Defender of both Space and Time, is a new robot and a certified comics geek.  For his first post, he’s offered us some analysis of this image:

Marvel has been on a roll lately in giving us lots of teases for what’s to come in 2010. This one is no different, as I am excited for what this could be.

Let’s look what seems to be the three main items of this tease. First thing I noticed is the drawing of Galactus in the style of da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man.” Next up the two Infinity Gems caught my eye. Here we have the Orange and Blue gems which are the Time and Mind gems. The last time we saw these gems could be argued. One, you could say it was in the “New Avengers: Illuminati” mini series from a couple of years ago. The gems were divided up among the group so that no one person would have them all.

Charles Xavier was given the Mind gem and Namor had been given the Time gem. However, the gems have shown up more recently in the “Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers” mini series where at the end Lockjaw gave all the gems to Reed Richards. Although I’m not sure if that story is in continuity.

Last is a metallic skull in the upper left. Could this be an adamantium skull? How do these three things fit together? What will the world need to be saved from? If Galactus and the Infinity gems are involved its gotta be big!

Draw your own conclusions, but I believe this to be another teaser for “Fantastic Four” written by Jonathan Hickman. This is really exciting because his run on the title so far has been stellar! And if it isn’t FF related I do believe it to be Hickman related from an earlier twitter post by him, where I think he may be playing dumb:

Jhickman: I have no idea what this is – but April is a good month for awesome

I guess we’ll just have to wait until April to see what the world will need saving from and how awesome whatever this is will be!

Marvel has once again given us a cryptic (or not so cryptic) look into another of their big titles for this upcoming year.

This time, it’s a preview of Jeph Loeb and Art Adams’ Ultimate X.

It was sent with the headline “Who Or What Is Ultimate X?”

My guess based on this image is pretty obvious. Did you really think Marvel would let any of its universes go too long without a Wolverine?

Marvel was kind enough to send us a preview image of what might be in store for the Fantastic Four in 2010.

Read the tealeaves and share your thoughts below:

Here it is, the full image.  What do you guys think this says for Spider-man?