We’ve been keeping you up to date on the newest Superman news and we just got a this just in, Michael Shannon is to play Zod in the new Superman: Man of Steel movie. I know Shannon best from his role as Federal agent Nelson Van Alden in Boardwalk Empire where he does a really good job but you might also know him from his best supporting actor nomination in Revolutionary Road or his film debut as the wedding groom in Groundhog Day. He’s been doing a lot of stage work as well and the picture attached makes him look quite creepy as the always fearsome Zod.

From the full story at The Hollywood Reporter:

“Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role,” Snyder said.

I’m actually hoping instead of the normal origin story like we’ve been accustomed to when a new reboot happens that Zod comes out of the phantom zone and wrecks havoc upon the earth and it’s up to Superman to save the day. What do you think, how much of a role will Zod be in this movie? Is he going to be the main villain or will there be multiple villains screwing up Superman’s life?

We’re back for our twenty-third week of Convention Sketches!

We feature a convention sketch here every week. We’ve got a whole pile of our own, but we want to see yours, too. Email us convention sketches you want to show off and let us know what website you’d like credited for it. (bigshinyrobot(at)gmail.com)

This week, Sean Leslie from the Wednesday Warriors podcast sent in this sketch of Dr. Michael Ong by Doug Tennapel from his book Creature Tech.

Our correspondent with the Japanese connection, Miss Mecha, is back with another look at the X-Men Anime. You can read her review of the first episode here.

I am happy to report that Madhouse really delivers in Episode 2 of their new X-Men anime. We see some great, fast-paced action as the X-Men really come together as a team, and the characters start to interact in more familiar ways. Furthermore, they kick ass together – an essential of any X-Men cartoon! It’s a solid episode that features new plot development around mutant hunting, the appearance of the enemy (The U-Men), and some really awesome robots. At first I expected them to be the Japanese version of Sentinels, but these robots were new…different. These have been made by the U-Men to be smart, drive motorcycles, pilot futuristic jets and be sufficiently armed to the teeth.

Let’s face it; the normal Sentinels we’ve seen in past animated series are, for the most part, pretty average at best (and at worst, some of the most poorly designed robots ever). Classic example: the very first episode of the 1990’s X-Men Cartoon, “Night of the Sentinels Part One”: those sentinels were – although capable of shooting huge laser beams – really, really stupid. “Identification error: non-living objects. Begin tracking…” Ugh, seriously? Why couldn’t you put a higher-end infrared system in those things? Or, how about when the Sentinel marches right through the front end of a mall, destroying a major portion of the building as it says to the terrified people below, “Do not be alarmed. I am here to serve and protect.” Really? Really!? (For the record though, I loved that series.)

Overall, this week’s episode was a great watch and I’m fully recommending it. My outlook on where the series is going has improved tremendously, and I can hardly wait for next week’s episode!

Want the specifics?

—–Detailed review and spoilers below!—–

The episode opens with two insane-looking scientists who are apparently in charge of the U-Men, an organization of rogue scientists who want to capture mutants in order to utilize their powers to destroy all of mutant-kind. They have advanced technology and an army of robots at their disposal. It’s no surprise to me that we find out in this episode that their labs are in an abandoned Japanese hospital…because there is always messed up sh*t going on in abandoned Japanese hospitals!

The X-Men arrive in Japan in an attempt to locate the kidnapped Hisako Ichiki, and they meet with the Ichiki family at their home in the snow-covered Tohoku region. Apparently, Hisako went missing one day when she had to take the bus to school (her parents normally drover her). Other mutant children have been going missing, as well, and that there is a lot of fear from people in the area that believe that mutants have been causing strange, dangerous accidents. “Will there ever be a day when people will understand mutant kind?” – Ichiki-san.

Wolverine, who knows a bit about the U-Men, has heard that they may have been hiding out in Japan and could be behind these mysterious circumstances. While discussing this with the Ichikis the phone rings and we learn that another young mutant has gone missing. Doesn’t this seem like convenient timing to anyone? Oh wait, “IT’S A TRAP!” Wolverine and Cyclops go to investigate, only to find out that they have been tricked by the Ichiki’s. Cyclops and Wolverine are intercepted on their way by U-Men robots – a test by the scientists to determine their power levels and abilities. Storm and Beast are also intercepted, and we see some excellent robot smashing.

The characters have really started to feel like the X-Men. Wolverine claws through any obstacle in his way while making familiarly sarcastic remarks, Storm absolutely obliterates a bunch of robots with ice, Beast’s strength and calculated intelligence are a fantastic asset, and Cyclops is showing more signs of being the leader he should be…though he is going through a lot with the loss of Jean. It seems as though Scott is still struggling somewhere between the need for revenge and the need for peace, and every thought of the innocent mutants who are suffering at the hands of the U-Men tugs at his insides. Repeatedly, Logan yells at him to get it together, because he’s “acting like a rookie,” but he also shows an admirable amount of compassion for the grieving Scott.

After the battle with the robots, the X Men travel to the abandoned hospital that has become a lab for the U-Men. It is immediately apparent that there is some serious mad-scientist, crazy-work going on here. Green lights illuminate a series of doors in a creepy hallway (which, by the way, looks nothing like an abandoned hospital anymore…more like an abandoned insane asylum with technology exploding down its hallways). From the shadows, the missing boy mutant appears and completely loses control. In an Akira-like explosion of flesh and mutation, the boy changes beyond any recognition of his former self, and the X Men are forced to destroy him.

Cliffhanger of the week: Hisako Ichiki and Emma Frost are found alive in the lab. Next week on X Men: “Armor – Awakening!”

Overall verdict: This show is getting to be pretty awesome. I can’t wait for more!

The film world suffered an incredible loss this morning, when director Sidney Lumet passed away at his home in Manhattan.

He has had an indelible effect on the world of filmmaking and has inspired me personally on a consistent basis for most of my life. (In fact, I was even quoting some of his movies in an article I wrote just yesterday.)

Everyone has seen a Sidney Lumet picture. His first film, 12 Angry Men, seems to be required viewing in middle schools across the country and no one could ever forget Henry Fonda’s riveting performance in that film.

Perhaps his best streak was in the 70s, where in a row he knocked out of the park movies like Serpico, Network, and Dog Day Afternoon. Each of those three movies is a masterpiece, each with its own unique visual style and direction, each mostly flawless. And in the 80s he hit us with one of Paul Newman’s best performances with The Verdict.

For his incredible contributions to cinema (despite having directed The WIz) he was given an honorary Oscar in 2005, and then went on in 2007 to direct one of his best films, Before the Devil Knows Your’re Dead, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, and a mostly naked Marisa Tomei.

As someone who purports to be a filmmaker, I can safely say that Sidney Lumet was one of my favorite filmmakers and I have learned so much from him and his films. I must have read through his book, Making Movies, a dozen times for its enlightening perspective. And his films call to be watched over and over again. Sure, he wasn’t as consistent a director through his career as, say Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg or Alfred Hitchcock, but he was consistently ambitious and knew how to tell a story.

I’m very sorry to hear of his death. Though he was 86, I was still hoping to see more from him. But thankfully we still have so much incredible work he left behind.

His films have always held a special place on my shelf and in my heart, and I’m going to retreat there and watch some of his films to honor and remember him.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite scenes from one of his best films:

It’s the penultimate chapter of The Green Hornet! The war between the racketeers and the Hornet sways back and forth every weeks, but it seems like the forces of good are getting a foothold, thanks to some recent arrests. When we last left our heroes, they were involved in a thrilling scuffle on the rails, how will they get from that to what lies in store for them in Chapter 12: Panic at the Zoo?! Well, watch and find out! I’ll meet you back here next week for the final thrilling chapter!

While today’s clip doesn’t have a shot of Hawkeye, It is much easier to follow the action. In this clip, the newly Midgard-bound Thor wakes up in a hospital after being tased. Not knowing what to do, he kind of freaks, and considering his situation, that’s understandable. The way he gets taken down does make one think about the overall plot of the movie. If my guess is correct, Odin not only banishes Thor to Earth, but makes him mortal. While that probably takes the whole “Don Blake” thing out of the equation, it still makes for an interesting concept. Thor is much more likely to learn humility if he isn’t all powerful, after all. Anyway, I’ve hemmed and hawed enough, let’s watch the clip!

Not to be outdone by the new news about Dark Knight Rises, The Marvel movie camp has some news of their own! The upcoming ‘Deadpool’ has found a director in Tim Miller, according to Deadline. You may not know the name, but Miller had ties with the X-Franchise, having worked on the visual fx in X-Men. While this is Miller’s first foray into directing feature films, he has a track record of directing various video game trailers, so the craft is not an entirely new animal.

According to Deadline, because of Darren Aronofsky leaving The Wolverine, the production schedule has changed and put Deadpool next in line after the upcoming X-Men: First Class. The Scriptwriters and producer are already in place, now with a director things are falling in line. Time will tell if the unproven Mr. Miller has what it takes to have Deadpool make a killing (terrible pun) at the box office.

Miller’s own VFX Studio, Blur, is responsible for the cinematics for DC Universe Online, and those were particularly awesome, so hopefully there will be more nerd hope rather than nerd rage at this announcement!

Josh Pence, who played the body of one of the Winklevoss twins (having Armie Hammer’s face superimposed over his) has been cast as the young Ra’s Al Ghul in a flashback sequence in The Dark Knight Rises, the Hollywood Reporter has learned.

This lends quite a bit of credence to the idea that this film will feature Talia Al Ghul and possibly the return fo Ra’s Al Ghul. No word about whether or not Liam Neeson will be back reprising his role, but I would bet on it. The guy can keep a secret, news of his appearance as Qui-Gon Jinn on The Clone Wars didn’t come until the week before his episode aired.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Sources say Pence will appear in scenes that take place 30 years prior to the present story.

Pence is also in the “much-anticipated” Battleship (the boardgame) adaptation.

I don’t need to tell you things are bad, everybody knows things are bad.  It’s a depression.  A dollar buys a nickel’s worth, shop-keepers keep a gun under the counter.

We don’t have heroes and with an obstinant minority of people in the government working hard to obstruct spending on innovation, who knows if we’ll even have a NASA anymore?

Well, there is a new campaign that has applied to Kickstarter and I think it’s a dream worth having.

It’s been proposed that we crowd-fund a project to build a fully operational AT-AT.  And why not?  All of our best technical innovation has come from thinking of the end-game and not knowing how we were going to get there.  A tumblr has been started and this is what it has to say about the whole project:

We were once a country that made things: giantmetal cars, Hoover Dams, non-AutoTuned popular music.

But now we are stuck in an economy in limbo, surrounded by our Internets, our hipsters and our arguing politicians.

Nerds, I have a great idea to make America great again. We can show our brain power, our manufacturing prowess, our organizational skills and our geek-fueled eye for detail.

That idea: an AT-AT for America.

Now I have an idea, but no money and a total lack of mechanical aptitude.

That’s why I am hoping this project spreads like wildfire, inspiring the nerds, makers, geeks, motorheads, sportos, dudes, steampunks, Jedis, halfwits, greasers and geniuses to band together for one goal.

To build a fully fuctional, full-scale model of an AT-AT Imperial Walker from The Empire Strikes Back.*

Impossible? Perhaps. Inspiring? Of course.

The AT-AT would become an instant monument of America’s obsession with popular culture and our ability to be awesome.

Why not prove our might by building an AT-AT?  As long as our enemies don’t figure out repulsor technology and tow cables…  But seriously, If nothing else, this could become an attraction of incredible proportions, at best we could develop all kinds of new technological breakthroughs and get an amusement park ride out of it.  At worst we’ll have a life-size shell of an Imperial Walker.

My suggestion?  Build it near Utah’s salt flats.  It’ll give you lots of wide open flat space to test out its legs.

But maybe my reasons for that are just selfish.

And I bet this is something that would make the entire R2-D2 Builder’s club membership drool with delight. Let’s make it a reality. I’ll be monitoring the website to see if they make it on to Kickstarter and will let you know when they do.

(Thanks to Kyle Newman for bringing this to my attention)

FEAR ITSELF (seven-issue miniseries, published monthly, $3.99)

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE? Matt Fraction (writer); Stuart Immomen and Wade von Grawbadger (artists).

Guilty admission time: I came prepared to fully hate “Fear Itself,” Marvel’s latest crossover comics “event.”

Why, you may ask, would such a faithful Marvel Zombie feel that way? Two words: “crossover fatigue.” After being let down by the company’s less-than-impressive crossovers “House of M,” “Secret Invasion” and, yes, “Civil War,” I’m more than a little skeptical about another one. Especially since we were sort of promised that the more-fun “Siege” would end this nonsense for a while.

And frankly, I’ve been less than impressed with Matt Fraction’s recent output for Marvel. His “Immortal Iron Man” series has stagnated, and his run to date on “Thor” has been a real dud.

Here he’s tackling even bigger themes, using Norse mythology that hasn’t even been referenced in nearly 50 years of continuity. Essentially, the idea is there’s a more powerful god than Odin in the Asgardian pantheon, and he’s just been released by Sin, the daughter of the Red Skull. Together, they’re planning to unleash real fear across the world.

In the meantime, the Marvel heroes … including Thor, Steve Rogers, Iron Man and their fellow Avengers … have joined forces for a rebuilding project in Broxton, Okla., which has been sharing space with Thor and his fellow Asgardians. That is, until Odin arrives and calls the Asgardians home, apparently never to return to Earth. If he’s scared of what’s coming, what should our heroes be feeling?

THE GOOD.

The ending of the first issue. Without spoiling anything, this is one of those real “uh-oh” moments. Fraction promises further bombshells in the months to come, including a supposed “major” character death in issue #3.

And you have to like the way Fraction uses the current political and economic climate to reinforce major the story’s themes. There’s a real grounded quality to the story. Especially when rioting gets so far out of hand that even Steve Rogers … a revered figure … isn’t safe from harm.

Also, do I need to say anything about the art of Stuart Immomen? As he’s proven with books like “New Avengers,” “NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E.” and “Ultimate Spider-Man,” he’s got a lively style that’s well-suited to not only big-screen action but smaller character moments. He’s joined by longtime inker Wade von Grawbadger and colorist Laura Martin, who doesn’t overdo the hues. Her work is subtle and nuanced. It’s a great-looking artistic package.

THE BAD.

The pacing is a little rushed, and there could be a “rest moment” or two. But you can understand why Fraction and co. wanted to get off to a fast start.

I’m still not sure Fraction has the right “voice” for the Asgardian gods either. While I’m glad he … and every writer who has touched the characters since J. Michael Straczynski … did away with the faux-Shakespeare talk, these Gods Among Men still sound a tad colloquial for my tastes. Still, that’s a minor quibble at best.

THE UGLY.

A tie-in miniseries, “Fear Itself: Home Front,” is supposed to augment the story and fill in some blanks. However, its first issue already makes it looks like one of those dreaded “jam books.” It features four related stories … including a bash-your-over-the-head Speedball story by “Avengers Academy” scribe Christos Gage. You can skip this one, unless you want to see writer Peter Milligan put a new spin on Jeff Parker’s Agent of Atlas characters.

IN CONCLUSION: If the first issue is any of how this whole miniseries is going to go, we’re in for something really good, really special. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect. “Fear Itself” is likely going to feature Thor and Captain America as its main characters. Just in time for their movies to hit theaters. Hmmm …

Jerk-Bot is the robotic nom de plume or Utah-based writer/reviewer Jeff Michael Vice. He would like you to listen to him rant about movies and other geeky stuff on both the Geek Show Podcast and the Mediocre Show, as well as watch him review movies on the Big Movie Mouth-Off .