Apparently, there are a bunch of movie studios out there looking to turn old board games into films, including Risk, Candyland, and Battleship. Believe it or not, Battleship is actually currently in post-preduction and is due out next year – and somehow they got Liam Neeson to star in it along side Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker and Rihanna. Yeah, I can’t figure that one out either, but I digress. . .

The latest board game to be put on the track to movie obscurity theaters is the board game Risk. If for some reason you don’t remember this game – or have just never played it – it’s “the game of world domination” in which players try to take over the world with their armies doing battle by rolling dice. Or, as I remember it, “the game of losing friends because the same game has gone on for six weeks now while one of your asshole friends has holed up in Australia with a massive army and refuses to surrender despite the fact he is only prolonging the inevitable”, seriously, give it up Jimmy, you dick!

In any case, looks like Columbia Pictures has hired John Hlavin (The Shield, Underworld: New Dawn) to pen this “Cold War-era action thriller”:

Screenwriter John Hlavin is angling for world domination — in the form of the classic Parker Brothers board game Risk.

Columbia Pictures is developing an action thriller based on the Cold War-era strategy game, in which players form armies and use them to attack the territories belonging to other players, and the studio is hiring Hlavin to pen the adaptation. The game, now owned by Hasbro (also home of Transformers and G.I. Joe–both at Paramount), was launched in the 1950s by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse (The Red Balloon). –THR

What? Columbia Pictures should save some of that money in their budget and just hire me to write the screenplay for Risk, I would do it for five dollars. As an aspiring film-writer guy who writes down drunken ideas on a napkin in a bar, this is how I would tackle this film:

The film opens up, Ang Lee split-screen style, four world leaders are looking at a map of the world from the war-room in their respective home countries, each planning for world domination. As the film goes on, battles take place all over the world as these leaders strategically position and advance their armies around the globe with their forces growing in numbers with each country they take over. Over the course of several years and seemingly never-ending battles, one leader has taken over the entire world – except for the island of Australia where one leader with an army the island can barely support makes his final stand. The final six hours of the film will be the would-be world conquerer sending wave after wave of men into Australia slowly chipping away at this coward’s numbers of men in battle sequences in the style of Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Saving Private Ryan, and Shoot ’em Up. As Australia is finally overwhelmed and taken over, the new President of the World sits back in his chair and lights up a cigar in victory as celebrations occur in the streets outside his palace – but he doesn’t seem 100% pleased, and this is where we discover the twist! SPOILER ALERT: It turns out that these four men vying for world domination were once friends. But now their not. Because the game of world domination makes you lose friends because assholes named Jimmy just build an army in Australia, cornering themselves for the entire game but managing to build a pile of armies that takes forever to conquer. This is a bullshit game, and no one likes it.

Boom. Done. I just wrote the outline for a movie based on the board game, Risk. Total movie run-time: 47 hours.

You’re welcome Hollywood.

I’m not even sure where to begin with Super 8. I don’t want to tell you too much about the story of this film since knowing next to nothing about it was what helped make it so magical. All you need to know about the film is what you saw in the trailer. It’s about some kids making a zombie movie on Super 8mm film. There’s a train wreck and something gets let loose. That’s what you need to know.

Knowing too much about this movie will not help you in any way. It is good and the images in the trailer are enough.

JJ Abrams knocked this out of the park. Steven Spielberg is one of my favorite filmmakers and aside from Abrams’ signature use of lens flares and the lack of John Williams music it would be indiscernable from an actual Spielberg picture. But not today’s Spielberg. This was the self-assured director of the early eighties. Super 8 is equal parts Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial and I couldn’t have been more happy about that.

Everything about this film worked. The kids were perfect. The acting was top notch. The script was efficient and well-conceived. The special effects were fantastic. The mood and energy were kinetic, keeping you well entertained. It captured the spirit of those 80s Spielberg pictures so well that I hope this causes a resurgence of them.

The two main kids, though, are incredible. Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney are two of the most believable kids on screen I’ve seen in a long time. And above that, Elle Fanning is incredible in this movie. She’s mesmerizing in a way I don’t understand. She’s only 13 years old and, like her older sister, has a command of the screen I just don’t comprehend.

Add to that a story that stokes so much nostalgia for my childhood, the movies of my youth, and great cinema and you have something that’s truly special.

I can’t communicate how thoroughly I enjoyed this movie. In fact, my only complaint is that John Williams didn’t do the score. The score that was in the movie was adequate, I suppose, but it was slightly distracting toward the end of the movie and you could almost imagine the heights Williams would have taken it. I love Michael Giacchino and to be honest I was pretty surprised to see that he did the score. There was just something about it that left me wanting. But I fully admit that this is too nit-picky.

I was very happy with this film and it was a perfect summer blockbuster. It was original, had plenty of heart, and was incredibly well made. We need more like this one, please. This had no big name actors in it but is going to make tons of money at the box-office, proving that original stories well told trump big name stars and gimmicks.

This film ups the ante on the Summer of 2011. As long as Captain America is as good as we’re all hoping and Green Lantern doesn’t suck, this might go down in history as one of the best summer movie seasons in a long, long time.

So far, the DC relaunch titles that we know about pretty much are all about superheroes, “dark” titles notwithstanding. Today’s reveals are a different animal entirely. We’ve got your war book, your western book, your espionage book, and yeah a few superheroes. One of which is very welcome. As always, I’ll show off the titles and give my quick impressions. On with the show!

Stormwatch is a dangerous super human strike force whose existence is kept secret from the world. Jack Hawksmoor and the rest of the crew look to recruit two of the deadliest super humans on the planet: Midnighter and Apollo. And if they say no? Perhaps the Martian Manhunter can change their minds. Featuring a surprising new roster, STORMWATCH #1 will be written by the critically-acclaimed Paul Cornell (Superman: The Black Ring, “Dr. Who”) and illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda.

Well, isn’t this interesting? Normally, I would write this off, as I am not huge into the WildStorm characters, but it’s great to see J’onn have a role somewhere. Also, after his run in Action Comics, Paul Cornell gets an automatically “I’ll try anything he writes” pass.

Blackhawk is an elite group of mercenaries made up of brave men from around the world equipped with the latest in cutting-edge hardware and vehicles. Their mission: Kill the bad guys before they kill us. A set of contemporary tales that battle the world’s gravest threats, BLACKHAWKS #1 will be written by Mike Costa and illustrated by Ken Lashley.

This could go either way for me. I like the original Blackhawks, and this makes me wonder what’s going to happen with Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk. At any rate, if you like Checkmate-style covert ops stuff, this is probably right up your alley.

The grandson of the original Sgt. Rock assumes the command of Easy Company, a team of crack ex-military men financed by a covert military contractor, as they brave the battle-scarred landscape carved by the DC Universe’s super-villains. SGT. ROCK AND THE MEN OF WAR #1 is contemporary military story fighting under modern conditions, and will be written by Ivan Brandon and illustrated by Tom Derenick.

I’ve never been into war books, but this is a really ballsy move by DC. An all new Sgt. Rock? It could work. It makes a lot of sense to have a modern day war comic, as I don’t think I’ve seen an ongoing that tells stories after the Vietnam War.

Even when Gotham City was just a one-horse town, crime was rampant – and things only get worse when bounty hunter Jonah Hex comes to town. Can Amadeus Arkham, a pioneer in criminal psychology, enlist Hex’s special brand of justice to help the Gotham Police Department track down a vicious serial killer? Featuring back-up stories starring DC’s other western heroes, ALL-STAR WESTERN #1 will be written by the fan-favorite Jonah Hex team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Moritat.

No brainer. Gray and Palmiotti have been the Jonah Hex go-to guys for a long time now, and even though that book may not sell like hotcakes, it’s pretty awesome. If a new high-profile #1 gets more people to try it out, then I think it’s a great idea. Also, ever since I saw the Justice League episode with all of the western heroes, I’ve wanted to see more of them. The back ups in this book will fit the bill nicely.

A metahuman mercenary who made a living taking out the toughest targets, Deathstroke will reclaim his fearsome legacy by any means necessary in DEATHSTROKE #1, a new series from rising star Kyle Higgins (Batman: Gates of Gotham) and artists Joe Bennett and Art Thibert.

I like Deathstroke when he’s not overused. I like super-awesome villains, don’t get me wrong, but when they get used a lot and they lose, they aren’t as badass. He’s interesting and all that, but I didn’t buy his old series, and I probably won’t buy this one either.

Ex-black ops agent Cole Cash is a charming grifter that few can resist. And yet he’s about to be branded a serial killer when he begins hunting and exterminating inhuman creatures hidden in human form – creatures only he can see. Can the biggest sweet talker of all time talk his way out of this one when even his brother thinks he’s gone over the edge? Find out in GRIFTER #1, written by Nathan Edmondson with art by CAFU and BIT (the team behind T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS).

So um, the 90’s live, huh? Well, that’s not fair, I guess. I know nothing about this guy. This book doesn’t appeal to me, but it’s wrong to write it off just because I don’t think I’ll like it.

A man loses control of his life as the omnipresent Brother Eye transforms him against his will into a powerful killing machine OMAC #1, written by DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio and co-written and illustrated by Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish.

I had heard rumblings of a new OMAC book, not with this exact creative team though. I was hoping for more Kirby and less “killing machine”. This is some kind of hulk-out hybrid. It could be good, it could be a train wreck. I’ll check it out at least. It always weirds me out when DiDio writes a book though. I’m not saying he doesn’t have the chops, it’s just odd for him to take time out of his other duties.

That was it for today until another two books popped up. I am very, very excited one about these, so check em out!

Harley Quinn! Deadshot! King Shark! They’re a team of death-row super villains recruited by the government to take on missions so dangerous – they’re sheer suicide! Who will be the first to crack under the pressure? Find out in SUICIDE SQUAD #1, written by Adam Glass (FLASHPOINT: LEGION OF DOOM) with art by Marco Rudy (THE SHIELD).

I have never seen this creative team’s work, and some of the characters in it have me worried about the future of Secret Six, one of my favorite DC books being currently published. It could be good, and I will try it, but this really has me wondering what’s up with the Six… Also, I am not sure about Harley Quinn being all “Psychotic Crazy” as opposed to “Playful Crazy”.

It’s not easy being Jaime Reyes. He has to deal with high school, family and all the drama that comes with being a teenager. Also, he’s linked to a powerful scarab created by an alien race who seek to subjugate planets – or annihilate them. It’s up to one teen hero to turn this instrument of destruction into a force for good in BLUE BEETLE #1, written by Tony Bedard (GREEN LANTERN CORPS) and illustrated by Ig Guara (FLASHPOINT: GRODD OF WAR) and Ruy Jose.

YES!!!!!! Ahem, I love Jaime as Blue Beetle, I love Bedard’s work on Green Lantern Corps. His last ongoing was one of the most awesome books I have read, ever. I will buy this book and buy extra copies to give to others. Thank you DC for giving Jaime another ongoing.

So it’s kind of a mixed bag for me this time, but that last bit just bowled me over. What do you have to say about them?

GameSpot got an exclusive interview with localization producer Eric Petersen.  In the interview they spend about 20 minutes discussing the game showing off the different aspects, and avoid ruining any major story elements.

The game looks simply fantastic, as good as and possibly better than Twilight Princess.  The huge world above the cloud is nice looking, but I hope they can insert some form of excitement into navigating it. I’m more than happy to use the clouds to move between temples and towns, but  the biggest complaint I had with Windwaker, and Spirit Tracks was the lengthy travelling, (especially spirit tracks). During late night game sessions I found myself dozing during the train rides and missing things that needed to be done, or running into the evil phantom trains and being forced to relive the nightmare. (By relive the nightmare I mean of course start the train ride over again.  I loved the dungeons but they could have made the game navigation interesting, not.. well a necessary evil.  The bird riding looks like a solid attempt to do exactly that, and I hope it works out. If they don’t require a flight with the same four or five control changes, and maybe throw some interesting combat in-between they could do exactly that.  It would then be perfection.  The motion plus integration made the sword play look a lot more realistic.  Twilight Princess had the basic swat motions going on which made the motion controls feel more like an afterthought, and less like an integrated combat experience.  This looks as if the controls will be more intuitive and follow your hand motions much more fluidly.  Anywho I’ll stop rambling about it.  The game looks gorgeous and here’s the video.  Put your thoughts below!

At this point, DC is rolling out their new #1s in such a way that when the solicitations for September are finally released there aren’t going to be any surprises. Regardless, showing stuff off a bit at a time like they have been is pretty smart. This way, we won’t be overwhelmed by all the new. Of course, they’ll all be on the shelf at your local comic shop at the same time, so it’s still going to be a deluge. Anyway, let’s get to it!

Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from total annihilation. When the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world and an ultimate struggle to survive. LEGION LOST #1 will be written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Pete Woods, fresh off an acclaimed run of Action Comics.

I like the Legion, I don’t have any particular expectations of this book, but at least it doesn’t look like it’s been rebooted again… I hope. Also, just for clarity’s sake: Some bloggers have been wondering if the young black man is a rebooted Cosmic Boy. I don’t think it is. I think it’s Tyroc, the sonic-powered Legionnaire who has become much more prominent lately.

In the 31st century, the Legion of Superheroes is reeling from the loss of seven of their finest — and trying desperately to keep their youngest recruits alive against a series of terrible new threats. LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #1 will be written by fan-favorite Legion writer Paul Levitz and illustrated by Francis Portela.

It’s nice to see that the Legion is still going to have two books a month, since they’re being ousted from Adventure Comics. I’m not digging Chameleon Boy morphing into a weapon though. If I’m not mistaken (which is totally possible), that’s not how his power is supposed to work.

Tim Drake is forced to step out from behind his keyboard when an international organization seeks to capture or kill super-powered teenagers. As Red Robin, he must team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and a hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash in TEEN TITANS #1, by Scott Lobdell and artists Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.

I don’t want to be super-vitriolic about this, but it is really hard not to be. DC had the opportunity to give Superboy a proper costume, but instead he looks super-douchey. Secondly if Kid Flash and Wonder Girl are the same characters from before the relaunch, man are they just… wrong. It’s nice to know Tim Drake has a place in the relaunched DCU, but this is the first book I have absolutely no excitement about.

Virgil Hawkins has been gifted with incredible electrical powers. Adopting the persona of Static, he faces super-powered street gangs, raging hormones, homework, and girls in STATIC SHOCK #1, co-written by John Rozum and Scott McDaniel, with McDaniel also illustrating along with Jonathan Glapion.

This on the other hand, I am all in for. It’s a complete no-brainer. I’d probably buy a Static book no matter the creative team, but this one seems like a fine fit. I do think it’s a bit pretentious for DC to tout themselves on the cover art like that, though. It’s kind of like them saying “Hey! we have black characters that we want to promote now! We’re joining the 21st century only a decade late!”

It’s up to the living avatars of war and peace to root out the hidden forces who look to plunge the country into a deadly civil war in HAWK AND DOVE #1. The exciting new series will be written by Sterling Gates and illustrated by legendary superstar comics artist Rob Liefeld.

Finally, Hawk and Dove. I was just going to make my comments on this one a giant hahahahaha string, but then I realized that Rob Liefeld has now worked on Hawk and Dove more than Steve Ditko, their creator has, and that made me sad.

Well, there’s that. Is anyone keeping a tally of announced titles thus far? There can’t be too many left. Are you still holding out hope for any books to be relaunched? We also haven’t seen any of the Super-titles yet… Still have my fingers crossed for Blue Beetle, but those hopes diminish each time we get a wave of these announcements.

I’ve seen Super 8. There will be a review up tonight at midnight. It was very, very good though. And you definitely want to jump at the chance to see it early.

Because the advanced screenings are selling so well, Paramount and Twitter decided to release it a day early, mostly in IMAX. And they’re giving you free popcorn. That means you can see it TOMORROW. It’s really good. You really want to see this movie.

Here’s the release I got today with all of the details:

PARAMOUNT AND TWITTER TEAM UP FOR FIRST-EVER ‘TWEET MOVIE SNEAK PREVIEW’ OF “SUPER 8” ON JUNE 9th

MOVIE FROM J.J. ABRAMS AND STEVEN SPIELBERG SET TO PLAY ON OVER 300 IMAX® AND OTHER SELECT PREMIUM SCREENS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ONE DAY AHEAD OF ITS NATIONWIDE RELEASE

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 8, 2011) – Paramount Pictures and Twitter jointly announced today sneak preview showings of the movie SUPER 8 for 1-day only on Thursday, June 9th, in advance of the film’s scheduled nationwide release on Friday, June 10th. To promote the sneak previews, the companies have designated the hashtag #Super8Secret, which Paramount has also sponsored as a Promoted Trend, allowing Twitter’s global user base a direct link to buy tickets to the advanced previews. At select, participating theatres in the United States, Super 8 Sneak Preview moviegoers will be treated to a free popcorn (with a concession purchase) at each sneak preview show. Hosting movie sneak previews marks a first for Twitter. This promotion continues a key partnership between Paramount and Twitter on SUPER 8. The duo joined forces in March for the movie’s exclusive trailer premiere via Twitter, another exciting first for the site.

SUPER 8, from writer/director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, will open exclusively tomorrow, June 9th, on over 300 screens nationwide, featuring all 239 IMAX playdates in the U.S. and Canada. Fans can go to www.Twitter.com/Super8Movieand use #Super8Secret to share information about the movie with friends. To be among the first to see SUPER 8, visit www.Super8-Movie.com/Sneakfor tickets and show times.

“With SUPER 8, J.J. and Steven have created a really fun and engaging movie for all ages,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “We are excited to finally get it out into the marketplace and using this sneak preview promotion with Twitter to kick start the film’s release, is an unprecedented way to get people into theaters and talking about the movie.”

If you’re near one of the 300 screens doing this, you owe it to yourself to go.

Fans of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions should be happy to see the same development team coming back for a second round with the ol’ Web-Head, and bringing Spider-Man 2099 along for the ride again.

The new trailer for Spider-Man: Edge of Time debuted at E3 and you can check it out above. This game will feature some pretty creative and dynamic game play where in you will see how the actions you take as Spider-Man in the past affects the world of Spider-Man 2099 simultaneously.

Playing the roles of Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Man: Edge of Time propels gamers on a high-octane, adrenaline-fueled adventure in which the two versions of the heroic web-slinger must urgently work together across time to save each other and prevent a disaster that ultimately leads to the death of Amazing Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time will be hitting game shelves later this year.

Green Lantern month continues this week! Last week covered Guy Gardner (and Hal Jordan, kinda). This week, we see Guy again, for a couple of seconds before we’re introduced to the newest recruit in the Corps. Like Guy, he was largely ignored for a while after being introduced. Also like Guy, he became a full-fledged Lantern in the 80’s. His career and history have had more ups and downs, retcons and rewrites than most. He’s endured it all to become one of the most recognized Lanterns in the public eye. Now, I give you… The Secret Origin of Green Lantern John Stewart!

Our story opens with Green Lantern Hal Jordan charging his ring, when all of a sudden an earthquake hits! One thing you have to love about older comics is that they get right down to business! GL gets right to saving people, just like he should. It seems the quake wasn’t too bad. That’s what the narration says anyway. It was still bad enough to totally destroy one of the city’s bridges! Living up to comic book cliché, there is of course a bus full of schoolchildren on the bridge when it’s on the verge of collapse. That bus has a bona fide hero on board, and he manages to get everyone away to safety, except for one little girl. Who is this hero? Well, it’s mild-mannered gym teacher Guy Gardner, of course!

"Got to try my 'Guy the Magic Clown' routine to lift her spirits!"

Actually what Guy does is incredibly brave and completely fearless, just like a Green Lantern should be. He’s calmly trying to help his young charge return to safety, but as fate would have it, the girders holding the bus collapse and the bus full on smacks Guy with all of the force gravity can muster. Hal is on the scene and “saves” them both, but to be honest, he was there before the bus collapsed. I think he’s being negligent in his GL duties. Even though Guy has been saved, he’s pretty banged up…

The least Hal can do is take Guy to the hospital. The docs tell Hal that Guy is lucky to be alive, but even so he’s gonna be bedridden for at least six months! Now, six months in comic time can be an issue or two, or considerably longer. In this case, it is a lot longer. Nine years, to be exact. Hal is actually a bit of a jackass in this scene (no surprise), as he monologues about how he was counting on Guy to take over for him soon. He even goes as far to say that he’s deliberately been neglecting his duties. What a guy! Seriously, if he hadn’t been neglecting his responsibility, Guy wouldn’t have been injured. Jerkwads stick together it seems, because just then a Guardian of the Universe contacts Hal and tells him that another alternate needs to be picked ASAP. Hal of course agrees. The Guardian already has someone picked out, and we’re introduced to him in an oh-so-70’s way…

Tough talk from a guy in an ascot, I must say.

Actually, our potential Lantern was actually taking the initiative to stop a rather racist policeman hauling some neighborhood kids in for playing dominoes. Now knowing how these things go, you might think this pig would physically assault John with some flimsy excuse, but the pig’s partner is actually a well-adjusted type of guy and tells his compatriot that he indeed was in the wrong. Looking in from above, Hal is appalled by the behavior of John, and the Guardian tells his to shut up, because despite Hal’s bigotry, our Mr. Stewart meets all of the qualifications to be a Lantern. Hal asserts that it’s not because of that, but because of the apparent chip John has on his shoulder. Nevertheless, Hal heeds the Guardian and pitches to John, and he accepts, in the silliest way possible.

Little known fact: A milk mustache indicates sincerity.

Hal then proceeds to give John a crash course in Lantern-ology 101. He is introduced to the Oath, and gets his own costume. He immediately eschews the mask, saying he has nothing to hide. As is the case with most Earth-based Green Lanterns, John is pretty adept at flying from the get go. He and Hal are hot-dogging the skyways, when they happen upon the airport. It looks like a bigwig celebrity is landing, so the two Lanterns decide to check it out. It’s a good thing too, because there is a runaway fuel truck going straight for the plane! John shows the initiative and tells Hal to make sure the passengers are safe while he stops the truck. They both succeed, but John wasn’t perfectly gentle with the tanker, and a jet of oil gushes forth and hit the “celebrity” square in the face. Said celebrity is Senator Jeremiah Clutcher, and when John approaches him, well, it’s not to apologize exactly…

John really IS fearless. Talk about ballsy!

Hal is pissed at John for his display, saying the younger Lantern is stupid and irresponsible. He goes on to imply that John didn’t exactly splash the senator by accident. John, full of righteous anger says that he did indeed do it on purpose. He explains that Senator Clutcher is a racist and that his bid for the White House is going to be on the backs of his people. Hal here is actually kind of awesome. He tells John that whether that’s true or not, it isn’t their place to be the Judge. As penance, Hal assigns John to be Clutcher’s bodyguard at the rally. He also tells John not to call him “Whitey” which is perfectly reasonable. The Green Lanterns get to the rally, and John is pretty well justified.

He neglected to tell the audience that the scientific journal he's quoting from is from 1845.

John is all like “See!?” to Hal. Hal tells him to button it, as free speech is unfortunately a two-way street. Just then, shots are fired at the Senator! Hal leaps into action and beckons John to follow, but John says he’s sitting this one out! Hal doesn’t have time to argue, and decides to deal with John’s insubordination later. Hal chases the gunman, wondering why he isn’t using his pistol even though he knows he’s being pursued. Being the punch first and ask questions later type, Hal lays the guy out before he can ask what’s up with that. Meanwhile, an officer on the scene is in the sights of a submachine gun! Luckily the timely intervention of a Green Lantern powered shove saves the boy in blue. Emerald beams of light disable the gun and encase the foolish thug in an impenetrable box of green light. We then find this was all the handiwork of John Stewart, he’s pretty happy with himself for his adept ring-slinging, but someone else is decidedly not.

"How dare you steal credit from me!"

John seems to have an answer for everything, though. John explains he saw both gunmen all the way back at the airport. So when the pistol-packer showed up, John naturally wondered where the dude with the machine gun was. It also turns out that the pistol is filled with blanks. Then, just to make sure Hal comprehends the extent of the plot (and to make him look like the idiot he’s acting like), he just straight-up puts all of his cards on the table.

"Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"

John goes on to say, with his newfound support, the Senator could easily become President, and thereby use his platform to start another Civil War! While I am sure most politicians would be happy just getting into the White House, this is comics, so I have to side with John’s reasoning. Hal, having seen the light, tells Clutcher that his Senate colleagues are going to have a field day running him out of office. I have to say… That’s all well and good Hal, but um, how about jail? That was certainly a worthy reason to put the guy in a cell for a while. At any rate, his first adventure over John Stewart has a bit of a heart to heart with Hal, and it looks like things are going to be A-OK…

And so, racism was conquered forever! If only...

After this tale, John was actually used a few times as Hal’s alternate. He even served with the JLA on a few occasions! He wouldn’t really come into his own until the Crisis on Infinite Earths. After that, he had his trial of fire when his arrogance caused him to be responsible for the death of a planet. That changed John, and afterward, his guilt drove him to be not only one of the world’s greatest heroes, but also one of the best people in the DCU, period. He was given his due in the mainstream thanks to the Justice League cartoons. These were so successful that the military background the show gave him was integrated into the comics. That’s all well and good, but this version of John is just as valid. You can follow Mr. Stewart’s adventures in the various Green Lantern titles running today, where he serves with distinction.

This story originally appeared in Green Lantern volume 2 #87 January, 1972. It was reprinted in Volume 2 of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Brad Caleb Kane, a writer and producer on Fringe, will be taking care of writing duties for the Daredevil reboot.

From their piece:

Brad Caleb Kane, a writer-producer on cult Fox TV show Fringe, has been hired to pen the franchise’s relaunch, which has high ambitions: Kane is being asked to adapt one of the most influential and acclaimed comic stories of all time, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s “Born Again” run from Daredevil.

Born Again is an incredible run, but perhaps one of the darkest chapters in the life of Matthew Murdock. If that movie were to be made it would be pretty bleak. Sure, it all ends up well, but… Jeez… Talk about a nadir…

Having said that, I’m incredibly excited about that prospect. Hopefully, Fox learned their lessons with X-Men: First Class and now know the difference between a good superhero movie and one forced out of spite and greed. With the story they’ve chosen, if they follow suit with a great team, this could be a fantastic superhero movie. And I’m doubly excited since Born Again isn’t an origin story. And it’s probably some of Miller and Mazzucchelli’s best work.

And what excites me even more is the possibility that this could pave the way to an adaptation of Kevin Smith’s dynamite run on the book.

If you haven’t read it, you have no excuse. It’s a fantastic book whether it’s getting made or not. And it’s less than $15 on Amazon.

This week: catch Tiger and Bunny online for free, and pick up Tenchi Muyo: Ryo Ohki’s new Classic DVD Box Set release!

First up on this week’s update:

Viz Media announced last week that it has officially acquired U.S. Rights for Tiger and Bunny, which is currently the top selling Blu-Ray series on Amazon.jp and is rapidly becoming a huge success here in the U.S. You can already watch Tiger and Bunny on Viz Anime’s website (as well as Hulu) and the episodes have been premiering the same day as they release in Japan. (They’re already up to episode ten, so you can have a little marathon to catch up if you want!)

Since Viz has acquired the product license for this title, we should see announcements for DVD and Blu-Ray releases very soon (along with the possibility for toys, collectibles and other fun stuff!). It’s currently free to watch online, so check it out if you are a Shonen/Action manga fan (it fits the young-adult action genre quite well).
“TIGER & BUNNY follows veteran hero Wild Tiger on his fight against crime for corporate superheroes group NEXT, all the while being filmed by superhero reality show HERO TV… But a tendency to destroy public property while protecting the lives of the innocent has earned him the nickname “Crusher for Justice”… Now, under orders from his new employer, Wild Tiger finds himself forced to team up with rookie Barnaby Brooks Jr., aka “Bunny”… Will these two polar opposites be able to work together to fight crime?!”

Next up on this week’s update:

I’m happy to announce that Tenchi Muyo: Ryo Ohki got re-released in a new Classic Box Set today! The various Tenchi Universe series were some of my favorites back when they aired on Toonami in the late ’90s, and this is a great chance for those unfamiliar with the series to pick up the early episodes. You can find them here on Amazon for $13.99. Note that this boxed set is unedited (unlike what aired on Toonami back in the 90’s) so there will be some nudity.

Now if only they would release all the Tenchi Universe series on one huge DVD box set with special features!

For those of you who didn’t catch Tenchi back in the 90’s, here’s the English opening that aired on Toonami: