If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like for a comic to be composed entirely of one-liners, wonder no more.  This Fall, writer Joe Kelly and artist Ed McGuinnes are teaming up to create the very first Spider-Man/Deadpool crossover EVER.  No further news has been announced at this time, so we can only speculate on whether the world will survive the weight of these heroes’ collective puns.

Offered without comment, the cast of Deadpool promoted their upcoming film and saluted the greatest sitcom of the 90s with a series of tweets.

Hey #SDCC, Thank you for being a friend… pic.twitter.com/Kl52TtOPio

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 8, 2015

Travel down the road and back again…. #SDCC #Deadpool https://t.co/nQVy47vLFt

— Gina Carano (@ginacarano) July 8, 2015

. @ginacarano @VancityReynolds @deadpoolmovie "Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant…" pic.twitter.com/vAVbLTIY0n

— t.j. miller (@nottjmiller) July 8, 2015

.@nottjmiller And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew… #SDCC #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/z4l9m7ZAF4

— Morena Baccarin (@missmorenab) July 8, 2015

.@missmorenab You would see, the biggest gift would be from me… pic.twitter.com/s2FpAxY30Q

— Brianna Hildebrand (@briannahilde) July 8, 2015

.@briannahilde And the card attached would say… pic.twitter.com/4s7W3vYyES

— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) July 8, 2015

@edskrein Eat me. https://t.co/BjDq8Y5khO

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 8, 2015

By: Nick Eskey

Hello again toy enthusiasts, and welcome to another installment of San Diego Comic-Con Funko releases! You know Funko, the purveyors of the highly popular POP! series of collectible figurines, who also vow to “cover as many beloved licenses and characters as possible to remind every Comic-Con attendee why they fell in love with these stories in the first place.”

Monday will be the last announcement for San Diego Comic-Con exclusives, so make sure to check back soon. And remember, there is no pre-buy option this year. So if you see any of these toys you want to get, you’ll have to visit the booth while supplies last, or cry into your Lean Cuisine.

Without any more procrastination, here’s the next installment:

Pop! TV: Arrow – The Arrow: Unmasked

We can’t get enough of the show “Arrow.” Feed the hunger with this ruggedly-handsome Arrow: Unmasked. His arrow will go straight… to your heart!

Pop! Disney: Big Hero 6 – Transluscent Glitter Emoticon Baymax

How would you rate the “kawaii” factor of this toy? The Translucent Glitter Emoticon Baymax from Pixar’s “Big Hero 6” always rates a big smiley face in my opinion.

Pop! Movies: Minions – Gone Batty

Can you imagine you’re life without a minion? Not only do they get the menial tasks done while you are plotting world domination, but they do it in historical style. Joining the large POP! minion collection is this Gone Batty. Wearing a purple cloak and showing off some pointy fangs, this blood sucker should be flying into your hands.

Pop! Disney: Tangled – Frying Pan Rapunzel and Burnt Pascal

Not too long ago, every Disney princess would be the equivalent of a damsel in distress; but not this feisty lady. Frying Pan Rapunzel and Burnt Pascal are ready for a fight. She’s got cookery, and she knows how to use it!

Dorbz: Marvel – X-Force Deadpool

The impending “Deadpool” movie has comic fans squealing with delight. Satisfy your Deadpool cravings with this X-Force Deadpool, dressed in his alternative grey onesie. If you don’t get it… well I just don’t know what this anti-hero will do to you. So, why chance it right?

Dorbz: Guardians of the Galaxy – Mossy Groot

And rounding it up, from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” we have this Dorbz Mossy Groot. We’ve already seen this fella on our list, but instead of the XL we are getting the regular size. Options are good to have.

Thanks for tuning it guys and gals, and don’t forget to come back for our last exclusive Funko releases post!

This week we celebrate the great Kyle Baker for Comics Illustrator of the Week! Baker contributed the variant cover to this week’s Bizarro Comics #1. I first saw Kyle Baker’s work gracing the covers of Web of Spider-Man and Marvel Age when I was a kid. The first full interior work I saw by him was DC’s excellent Mature Reader’s version of The Shadow with writer Andy Helfer.

After working as an intern for Marvel Comics during his senior year of high school and then working on art assists for a period of time, Baker started to pick up penciling & inking assignments for The Big 2, including drawing the Howard the Duck movie adaptation for Marvel. Not being satisfied with just doing work that others wanted him to do or drawing in the style that was considered popular & marketable for the time, Baker decided to write & draw his own comics. This led to the publication of The Cowboy Wally Show graphic novel. Although, it was a low-printed indy book, it was enough to get the attention of editors looking for new original voices. So, 2 years later DC Comics published Baker’s next original comic Why I Hate Saturn, which would go on to win an Eisner Award and help solidify Kyle Baker as a creative force in the industry.

During the 1990’s Baker began to branch out, contributing regular comic strips for major magazines & newspapers, as well as work on animation projects, including an animated music-video with KRS-One in 1994.

Kyle Baker, to this day, continues to be a diverse artist, working on films, games, music, comics, illustration, etc. You can see what he’s been working on, including animation storyboards and preview comics pages on his Quality Jollity website here.

Other notable works by Kyle Baker: Nat Turner, Plastic Man, Instant Piano, Deadpool MAX, Justice INC, King David, You Are Here, Special Forces, and Truth: Red, White & Black.

For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com – Andy Yates

We’re one day shy of DC rolling out their first phase of Convergence titles along with the rest of tomorrow’s new comic book day lineup, in the mean-time, here are a few of the entertainment headlines catching notice this week:

– The Marvel Studios films have become synonymous with post-credit stingers. At this point, audiences have become trained to not walk out of a Marvel film until the final credit has rolled, which I’d say is a good thing given the hard work that’s put into these blockbuster entertainments. Even non-Marvel films have attendees wondering if they should stay after the credits. No joke, I once heard some guys behind me at an Interstellar screening last year sticking around for a post-credits tag.

With Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron though, Joss Whedon tells Entertainment Weekly that you won’t have to stick around too long after the final scene:

There is nothing at the very end. And that’s not a fake-out. We want people to know so they don’t sit there for 10 minutes and then go: ‘Son of a bitch! I’ll kill them!’

He’s probably referencing the reactions to the final post credits scenes of Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, both of which elicited some groans from audiences that I attended with. To be fair, I found both of those examples to be the most germane scenes to the films that preceded them, but clearly, audiences are in it for the big surprises.

Kevin Feige quickly stepped in and clarified that there would be a mid-credits stinger, just not a second one. So, feel free to make your plans accordingly.

– We’ve got another character confirmation for 2016’s Deadpool, as Ed Skrein (Game of Thrones) has revealed on Twitter that he will be playing Ajax in the upcoming Ryan Reynolds-starring X-Men spin-off (that’s a lot of hyphens).

#deadpool#ajaxpic.twitter.com/wfyRU9i9fV

— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) April 7, 2015

Ajax is a mentally unstable member of the Weapon X program that crosses Deadpool’s path during their time there. Later on, he goes on a killing spree, attempting to take out anyone involved in the top-secret project, including Deadpool himself.

– In only tangentially news, the third Tron film continues to gear up at Disney, as both Garret Hedlund (one of the stars of the upcoming Pan) and Olivia Wilde (The Lazarus Effect) are set to reprise their roles from 2012’s Tron Legacy, itself a sequel to 1982’s cult classic Tron.

While the film is still untitled and the plot remains under wraps, the new sequel will also see the return of Tron Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski.

Tron Legacy accumulated around $400 million at the box office, sparking off a new franchise hit for the House of Mouse. This new outing will begin shooting sometime this fall. Wilde is repped by WME, Untitled and Ziffren Brittenham, Hedlund by WME, Brillstein Entertainment and Sloane Offer.

I was tempted to not write anything today, for fear that no one would actually believe it given the date on the calendar, but a few things of note did cross our attention on a slower than usual Wednesday:

– In Age of Ultron‘s worst kept secret, Andy Serkis has indeed confirmed that he will be playing long-time Black Panther nemesis Ulysses Klaw in the blockbuster sequel opening in 30 days…but don’t take it from me, you can hear the man himself say it at around the 4 minute mark in this video:

– In slightly more left of center news regarding that same film, Devin at Badass Digest has uncovered that Julie Delpy (Before Midnight) and Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks, Mad Men) are on tap for roles in Marvel’s biggest film of the year. They discovered this via a tip-sheet from Marvel announcing the World Premiere on April 13th:

Given that they’re on the back end of the cast list, it’s pretty unlikely that either is playing anything major, but you never know. As a huge fan of both actresses, I would not turn down either doing anything of significance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, I won’t get my hopes up for Cardellini as Carol Danvers either.

– For those folks that are excited about the sequel to the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you’ll be excited to note that they’ve found their Casey Jones in Arrow‘s Stephen Amell. He marks only the second live action appearance for the character (originally played by Elias Koteas), though interestingly, TMNT‘s animated version was voiced by Chris Evans.

– In a super-fun JoBlo video, Ryan Reynolds has confirmed that Deadpool will be rated “R”, you gotta check this out:

– And one more quick video, Charlie Cox, who you’ll see prancing around rooftops in a week and a half on Netflix as Daredevil, stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman to talk about the new Netflix series (that’s getting early rave reviews by the way) and food poisoning:

In an image posted today on his Twitter account, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds is all suited up to reprise his old role of Wade Wilson.

This is definitely a far cry from the days of the “sewn-up mouth” Deadpool that appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I think it’s pretty safe to assume they won’t even acknowledge that such a thing even happened, unless it’s in a fun fourth-wall breaking way.

This Deadpool basically looks like the costume as it appeared in the all-CGI proof of concept footage that leaked out last Summer, and received such a rapturous reception that this retooled take on the character got a green light right away.

Here’s the official synopsis of the film, directed by Tim Miller, which releases on February 12, 2016:

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Here’s your Friday round-up of all things Entertainment-related, have a great weekend everybody!

– Yesterday, recently announced Deadpool star Morena Baccarin tweeted out a photo while on set. The photo in question was of her chair, which lists her character name as “Vanessa”. Presumably this means the actress will be playing Vanessa Carlysle aka the mutant shape-shifter Copycat, who meets and falls in love with Deadpool before becoming a mercenary herself.

Here’s the photo in question:

Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/pNqcCGReSz

— Morena Baccarin (@missmorenab) March 19, 2015

– After adding Ruth Negga as Tulip this week, AMC’s Preacher cast is starting to grow rapidly, as last night it was announced that young actor Ian Colleti has joined the series as “Arseface”. Deadline describes the character thusly:

Even with his horribly disfigured face and severe speech impediment, Eugene’s still the nicest kid you’ll ever meet and really looks up to Jesse. Stomach-churningly difficult to look at, Eugene’s the town’s reviled Frankenstein’s monster, but that won’t change his earnest, sweet and pure outlook on life. However, he is troubled by something terrible he’s done in the past — something he fears might have turned God himself against him.

– Surprise, surprise, another Mark Millar comic has been picked up for a movie deal. This time, it’s his brand new collaboration with Sean Murphy: Chrononauts. The series is centered around the concept of the first two scientists to travel back through time (and we’ll have a review of the first issue up shortly). Chris Morgan, who has written 5 of the Fast and Furious franchise films, will produce under his Chris Morgan Productions banner in a deal negotiated by Paradigm and the law offices of Harris M. Miller II.

Along with Superior and Starlight being in development for feature length adaptations, it looks as though Millar’s presence in multiplexes will be getting bigger than ever.

– Captain America: Civil War begins shooting in two weeks here in Atlanta, and I’ll certainly be fighting the temptation to drive down and stand outside the set every day. Word spread about the upcoming shooting via a casting notice that went out for extras in the area, which included the following synopsis:

Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.

Sounds about right.

– Upcoming Sandman feature producer, and kinda-sorta former Robin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has signed on to produce and star in a Fraggle Rock feature film for New Regency, though what role he’ll be playing has not been revealed. Variety got the scoop along with Levitt’s thoughts on the project:

“The first screen personas I ever loved were Henson creations, first on ‘Sesame Street,’ and then on ‘Fraggle Rock,’” Gordon-Levitt said. “Jim Henson’s characters make you laugh and sing, but they’re also layered, surprising, and wise. From Oscar the Grouch, to Yoda, to the Fraggles. I’ve never stopped loving his work, even as a young frisky man, and on into adulthood. Collaborating with Lisa Henson makes me confident we can do something that Jim would have loved. I’m grateful and excited to be working with New Regency on this project.”

Deadpool keeps adding to their growing cast, and they now have their female lead as Morena Baccarin (Homeland, Firefly) has signed onto the X-Men spinoff.

Who she’s playing is being kept under wraps, but THR reports that she’ll be playing the love interest of Ryan Reynolds‘ Wade Wilson.

Baccarin had fairly stiff competition for the unnamed role including Orange Is The New Black star Taylor Schilling, Jessica De Gouw, Crystal Reed, Rebecca Rittenhouse, and Sarah Greene.

The popular actress joins Reynolds, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, and whoever is cast in the still unfilled role of Colossus, as Daniel Cudmore recently stated that he will not be returning.

Deadpool, directed by Tim Miller with a script from Rhett Reese, hits theaters on February 12, 2016.

If you had the day off yesterday, we hope you had a lovely Presidents Day! Here are a few of the big headlines of interest making the rounds this morning…

– There’s a Deadpool Casting Call that appeared on Casting247, under the fake-title of “WHAM!”, and has led to speculation as to which roles these place-holder names represent. As I’ve said before, my X-Men knowledge is awful, but people better in the know think that “Ridge” is at least Garrison Kane, the villain of the film.

– The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan sat down with Looper and Star Wars Episode VIII director Rian Johnson for a 30 minute interview regarding last year’s Interstellar at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. It’s a pretty great, lengthy chat for anyone interested in the art of filmmaking. (recording made available via SoundCloud user TheBigKahoona)

– Robert Downey Jr. was interviewed by Empire regarding Captain America: Civil War, and states that the lead-up to the new Captain America sequel is in Avengers: Age of Ultron:

The clues are in Ultron about where we might find [Stark] next, but what would it take for Tony to completely turn around everything he’s stood for, quote-unquote, because he was the right-wing guy who could still do his own thing. The idea of Tony being able to march into Washington and say, ‘I’ll sign up’, wouldn’t have made sense if the political climate in the real world hadn’t shifted the way it has. It’s a little bit of things following a real world continuum in, ‘What would you do?’ You have to figure, ‘Were you to ask the question, what would the American government do if this were real? Wouldn’t it be interesting to see Tony doing something you wouldn’t imagine?’

– Bryan Singer has posted another tease for the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, this time a piece of production art that shows…something. If you’re on Instagram, it’s worth following Singer’s posts, as he shares a ton of info via his account.

Some production art. #XmenApocalypse #GrantMajor I was a little busy but will continue to snap more.

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on Feb 16, 2015 at 11:52am PST

The Valentines State’s first comic con of the year wrapped up over the romantic weekend. Jimmy Jay, Amazing Arizona Comic Con organizer, didn’t let a hallmark holiday get in the way of putting on his three-day annual comic book convention on Friday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 15. The event kicked off with an intimate panel with Spawn Creator Todd McFarlane and the New York Times best selling Batman artist, Greg Capullo. They signed someone’s baby.

That's right, folks. @Todd_McFarlane and I signed a baby. An actual baby pic.twitter.com/zcegfWV5kQ

— Greg Capullo (@GregCapullo) February 14, 2015

Capullo was a selfie machine and gave the fans what they wanted. God bless him.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to attend the event until the last day because I was under the weather. Sunday was not uneventful to say the least. The line of eager con goers to buy their tickets around noon on the last day is always a good sign. The con was located at the south Phoenix Convention Center building.

Flash, Superman, and Captain Marvel. Photo by Henry Barajas.

The event hosted approximately 89 exhibitors and 144 creatives in artist alley. Jay expects that he beat last year’s attendance record of 25,000, but didn’t have the final numbers.There was a laundry list of legends like Steve McNiven, George Perez, Adam Kubert, Mark Bagley, Kevin Eastman, Herb Trimpe, and Steve Epting. Sadly, there weren’t any female guests of honor except Nei Raffino.  I hope there’s a little more diversity in next year’s line-up. All the guests seemed to have done well and appreciated the hospitality. One of the guests said he was amazed by the talent that were invited, and the response from the fans was overwhelming. The only “Hollywood” characters that had a big presence were the Power Ranger actors, but they seemed like real sweethearts and approachable folks. None of them seemed like cold-blooded-killers.

Deadpool aka Rob Liefeld Panel. Photo by Henry Barajas.

With recent Deadpool news, you could have nicknamed his con “Deadpool Con” with all the prints and cosplayers at AACC. Deadpool creator, Rob Liefeld, was on cloud nine and loving all the support from the fans. His Sunday panel was standing room only.  Liefeld jumped off the stage, broke the fourth wall, and started taking questions from the audience by handing them the microphone individually. This is Rob’s fifth AACC appearance and doesn’t intend on missing a single show as long as it doesn’t land on a government holiday.

Wasp. Photo by Henry Barajas.

Some of the lower level, lesser known comic book creators might have been a little overshadowed, according to some of the folks behind their booths.  A majority of the unknown creators I spoke with didn’t make the profit they were hoping for, but networking with some of their favorite creators made up for the loss. Some of the creators that exhibited at the Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest that that took place in December were glad they did both shows. It seems that Fan Fest was strategically planned to compete with the AACC, but Jay says it didn’t affect him. There’s a silent con war going on and both sides are pretty classy about it.

Another complaint that I heard from the artists was how loud the announcements were echoing through the intercom. It was hard to have a conversation while panel reminders were being announced.

Harley Quinn. Photo by Henry Barajas.

Still, there were a few bumps at the event. I have never had a negative experience at this show until now. Mike Olivares, Tucson Comic –Con director, was assisting Travis Hanson at his booth, so I went over to talk to Olivares about the upcoming Tucson Con and small press expo he’s organizing in the spring. While we were discussing the good old days, I noticed a large canvas with Bruce Timm’s artwork on it; obviously, it was not an original, and there was a $200 price tag.

Bruce Timm art printed on a canvas with a $200 price tag.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Instead of going the traditional route, take some pictures and post it on Bleeding Cool, I decided to question the people at the booth about this canvas. There were four guys sitting at the table selling prints that featured everyone’s favorite super heroes (Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America, ect.) by various artists in the Philippines, according to Aaron Luevanos. The table was labeled HeroicFineArt.com  #816. I asked them if that Timm piece was an original. One of them said no. The next logical question was: Does Bruce Timm know you’re printing his art on a canvas and charging $200? Luevanos and the group said that it was taken from a Timm original (apparently, they owned the original art) that was back in Texas. I asked how does that give them the right to print his art on a canvas and sell it for $200 just because they have the original. I couldn’t get a clear answer, so I had to walk away because I didn’t want to cause a scene.

Here’s some fan art that was for sale at the HeroicFineArt.com #816 booth.

Eventually, I came back (after letting off some steam) to get some names. Luevanos handed me his phone so I can talk to his attorney, Cesar Garcia, read on the iPhone screen, about the matter. The counselor asked me what was going on so I told him I was merely asking his client why is he selling art at his table that isn’t his, the lawyer said he had nothing to say, so I handed the phone back to Luevanos.

Yes. The same Aaron Luevanos that owns Capital City Comic Con. The same Capital City Comic Con that had that “Everything’s bigger in Austin!” Powergirl campaign everyone loved so much. Not.

Luevanos said he wasn’t selling the piece and it was his friend, Mark William. William took the blame and said he owned the art. Apparently, Luevanos had no idea it was there because he left his booth for five hours. I was baffled because I now know this guy runs a con and he was all of a sudden unaware the piece was at HIS booth. Some spectators said I was too hard on the guy and I was being a “hard ass.” I disagreed and pointed out that an artist the next row over caught a colorist that swiped his art and was selling the piece —recolored— in the same row when the con started, according to Olivares and Jay. Luevanos decided to remove Timm’s artwork from display to shut me up, and to avoid getting his lawyer involved.

We shook hands, eventually.

I left to thank Jay for the press pass and explain what happened. Jay asked one of his managers to escort me to the booth and point out where this happened so they can take care of it. Luevanos was more upset at this point and said I was harassing him. But I was just trying to make sure I did my due diligence so this wasn’t a complete shock to Jay and his con staff. I couldn’t take much more of Luevanos, so I left the con and headed back to Tucson. I’m confident that Jay and his staff resolved the matter, and I’m sure I’ll be hearing from Luevanos’ “legal counsel.”

I won’t let this altercation define my AACC experience. Phoenix is a big city and could use the con war/competition. Gives everyone another reason to cosplay visit Phoenix in the winter. The high was 85 degrees for crying out loud.

And we were just talking about Deadpool yesterday…

Former mixed martial artist and Haywire star Gina Carano has signed on to the Ryan Reynolds starring X-Men spin-off. THR has relayed that she’ll be playing a character named Angel Dust, and while my X-Men universe knowledge is deplorable, I understand she’s a part of the Morlocks.

It was only a matter of time before one of these superhero flicks picked up Carano, whose action chops are impeccable.

Additionally they report that T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley) is in place for a comic relief role, and that Colossus will also be returning for the picture. There’s no indication whether or not Daniel Cudmore will still be playing him, but fans of the character have to be a little excited that there’s a chance he’ll get some of the spotlight finally.

Here’s their description of the film, directed by Tim Miller and scheduled to open on February 12, 2016:

Reynolds is an assassin who is dying of cancer who undergoes a procedure that is supposed to cure him but ends up twisted and scarred while also imbued with super-powers.

It’s almost the end of the week, so let’s gather up a few more of today’s entertainment headlines:

– While on the press circuit promoting their new film, Focus, Will Smith and Margot Robbie discussed with USA Today the casting situation with the now-vacant Rick Flagg role in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad:

Robbie: This happens all the time. People act like, ‘Oh my god, the movie must be ending!’ It’s just the deal with movies.” Not to mention “a lot of the characters haven’t been portrayed before so it’s a pretty big undertaking. And it’s a big undertaking for the people who are going to play the characters who have been played, like the Joker (to be played by Jared Leto). It’s big shoes to fill.

Smith:  Ayer “turned the screenplay in before Christmas. What happens is Hollywood shuts down. But he was still working and he wanted to (start shooting) April 13th. So it takes a couple weeks to gear back up at the top of the year and people have taken (other) movies. He’s moving really quickly.

A few days ago, Umberto Gonzalez over at Latino-Review stated on Twitter that the Rick Flagg casting may be announced this week. We still have a day to go, so it’s possible that we may see some resolution there. I’m going to throw my money on Joel Edgerton, but it’s probably just because I just saw Zero Dark Thirty again on FX last night.

– Ryan Reynolds took to twitter today and celebrated being one year out from the release of 2016’s Deadpool, teasing fans with the mask that will be used in the upcoming film:

Sepia tone disguises the fact the mask is ballerina pink. It’s early. 365 sleeps early. #deadpool #prototypes pic.twitter.com/PekFa2KS7S

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 12, 2015

The fact that they’re even using a mask is cause for some celebration.

– It’s been some time since Sam Hamm had last been on the scene. The Tim Burton Batman, Monkeybone, and one-time Watchmen screenwriter’s most recent on-screen credit was for an episode of Masters of Horror about ten years ago. That all changes today, as Viz Entertainment has announced that Hamm will be adapting Sayuri Ueda‘s short story The Street of Fruiting Bodies, which originated in the Phantasm Japan anthology, into a feature-length film. That anthology, it’s worth noting, comes from the same imprint (Viz Media’s Haikasoru) as All You Need Is Kill, which was eventually adapted into last year’s Edge of Tomorrow.

Viz describes the story in detail:

The Street of Fruiting Bodies depicts the sudden spread of a mysterious and lethal species of hallucinogenic mushroom. The infestation is deadly, but it also offers visions of deceased loved ones to the infected, hinting at the reality of an afterlife, or at least a new kind of existence that is beyond human comprehension.

Hamm elaborates on the project:

Ueda creates a world in which the most profound human emotions – love, grief, longing, and hope – can lead to one’s salvation or one’s undoing, and the true horror is that it may be impossible to tell the difference. ‘The Street of Fruiting Bodies’ is not only disturbing, it is moving.

– Lastly, do you have $375 bucks to spare? Then you can be the owner of this pretty stunning looking Ultron Figure from Hot Toys/Sideshow Collectibles, expected to ship in early 2016.

If the Marvel Universe, as we know it, ends in this Summer’s Secret Wars then it’s not pulling any punches on the way out. Today the publisher announced ANOTHER tie-in book to its be-all-end-all Secret Wars event. Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars revisits the original 1984 event. Written by Cullen Bunn, this new series will see wade Wilson stick his nose, guns, and blades into the landmark 84′ war. Readers will see just how the Merc With a Mouth shaped events seven years before his first appearance in comics.

As Bunn tells it “Deadpool was always part of the original Secret Wars, it’s just been secret until now.” Details remain scarce outside of the premise, but Bunn had pitched Marvel the idea of Deadpool being part of past events from the shadows before. Secret Wars seems like as good a place as any for an off-beat idea like this to flourish. No artist or length of series was given but we expect to hear more about this and the already announced books in the coming weeks.

Given the recent announcement of the Deadpool’s demise  in April’s Deadpool #250, it may seem odd for the character to appear in more stories right away. So it’s almost certain Wilson’s incarnation in this Secret Wars tie-in would be one from the past instead of already being back from the dead.

Would you be willing to accept such a retcon to an event that shaped decades of the Marvel Universe? 

Green Lantern has been considered the low-bar for the recent wave of superhero cinema since its release in 2011, and while it has plenty of company in Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World, Kick Ass 2 etc…this beleaguered adaptation of Hal Jordan’s origin has haunted its star, Ryan Reynolds, for over four years.

In 2016, Reynolds will return to the comic-based spotlight with this X-Men spinoff Deadpool, and while promoting his upcoming comedy-thriller The Voices with Yahoo! Movies, he compared the two experiences:

When we shot Green Lantern, nobody auditioning for the role of Green Lantern was given the opportunity to read the script, because the script didn’t exist. I’m not complaining about it — it was an opportunity of a lifetime, and if I were to go back and retrace my steps, I would probably do everything the exact same way. But script, that’s what’s different on this one…we’ve had a script for three years. The script got leaked, and people even loved that. That says a lot — if you can create a script around a comic-book character that is directly within the canon of the character and be embraced. That’s a huge step in the right direction. I’ve since learned that a lot of superhero movies don’t really have a fully functioning draft of the screenplay ready until they’re already well into shooting.

The failure of Green Lantern had a pretty clear ricochet effect on how Warner Bros handles their DC properties. It was an attempt at brighter super-heroics of the Marvel variety, but without any of the sharp humor, storytelling momentum and populist appeal that Marvel was able to solidify, post-Iron Man, just a few months later with Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.

It’s fairly apparent that Green Lantern‘s critical and commercial flop is what pushed the studio into aping the grittier feel of The Dark Knight for Man of Steel. At the time, it seemed clear that the studio saw the situation as “you either do Iron Man or you do Batman”, based on box office draw. Given the massive success of The Avengers and every Marvel film that’s followed, I can’t help but wonder if WB’s position has evolved at all for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Happy MLK Day! It hasn’t been a terribly eventful Monday insofar as entertainment related news goes, but here are a few relevant links that you might find worth the click:

– Fox’s upcoming X-Men spin-off, Deadpool, starts shooting this Spring in Vancouver. Ryan Reynolds is back in the superhero world, and hopefully this trip will be better than his previous, all too painful, outing. I’m not terribly hopeful, but if the meta-jokes are allowed to fly, there’s a chance Reynolds sees some redemption…maybe.

– BleedingCool has a report about the spin-off of AMC’s The Walking Dead. They got their hands on the script of the pilot episode, and according to said draft, the series is entitled Fear The Walking Dead. I really hope that’s just a draft title and something better is around the corner.

– Collider recently posted a set of videos of a number of young actors and actresses auditioning for the roles of Kara Zor-El and Jimmy Olsen in CBS’ upcoming Supergirl series. The videos linked may have some possibly spoilery info for those hoping to avoid that altogether.

– Lastly, Clark Gregg spoke to building towards The Inhumans being set in place in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in an interview with Comic Book Resources. I especially like how he outright admits that the first half of last season was “treading water” as the writers waited for Captain America: The Winter Soldier to release. I appreciate that candor.

Yep it’s another high concept zombie crossover as RETURN OF THE LIVING DEADPOOl takes dead Deadpool and brings him back!

Prepare for pools full of undead Deadpools as RETURN OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1 shambles in to comic shops this February! Blockbuster writer Cullen Bunn (Magneto, Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe) joins Marvel newcomer Nik Virella take you to a world overrun with undead Deadpools – each with a snarky mouth of its own.

To stop the zombie apocalypse, Deadpool used his own healing factor to save the world. Only any zombie that ate Deadpool…transformed into another Deadpool. Believe us – hordes of Deadpool’s might just be worse than hordes of flesh-hungry monsters.

“So there are thousands of Deadpools, all of them originating from the one and only Wade Wilson,” says Bunn in an interview with Marvel.com. “Every time a zombie takes a bite of one of these Deadpools, the zombie becomes Deadpool. You know how Deadpool has numerous personalities? Well, these newly created Deadpools start to latch on to different aspects of Deadpools split psyche, forming factions. And these factions don’t get along!”

This February, the dead will rise. And this February, the Deadpools will…er, rise! Be there for the heart-stopping, flesh-eating, wise-cracking RETURN OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1!

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEADPOOL #1 (DEC140932)
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Art by NIK VIRELLA
Cover by JAY SHAW
Variant Cover by RYAN STEGMAN (DEC140933)
FOC – 01/12/15, On-Sale – 02/04/14

deadpool, zombie deadpool, return of the living deadpool

The Merc With A Mouth To Meet His End

By David Nieves

In Marvel Comics ongoing — who can we kill that isn’t in our movies — quest; it appears as though the publisher has set their sights on fan favorite loony bin Deadpool. News broke today over on Nerdist that says April’s Deadpool 250 will culminate in Wade Wilson’s death.

Issue 250 will see series co-writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn pen the final clash between Deadpool and terrorist organization Ultimatum. Several short stories from various comedy writers like Ben Blacker, Ben Acker, and Mike Drucker. Here’s the full solicit for Deadpool’s last stand.

DEADPOOL #250 (A.K.A. issue #45)

Written by GERRY DUGGAN, BRIAN POSEHN, BEN ACKER, BEN BLACKER, NICK GIOVANETTI, PAUL SCHEER, JASON MANTZOUKAS, MIKE DRUCKER, & MORE

Penciled by MIKE HAWTHORNE, SCOTT KOBLISH, & MORE

Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

FINAL ISSUE!

That’s right—if you add together all the Deadpool series (creatively) issue 45 is the big 250th issue of Deadpool! What better way to celebrate than to end the series? In our over-sized main story, ULTIMATUM comes at Deadpool for revenge, so he has no choice but to take them on—ALL OF THEM. Then, in an Infinity Gauntlet crossover, what would Deadpool do if he got the six gems from Thanos? Plus: a slew of stories showcasing Deadpool’s closest friends and allies by special guest writers! Also, SPOILER: Deadpool dies at the end of the issue.

Are you excited by the news or do you feel like Marvel is simply throwing darts on the board blindfolded?

This sells itself doesn’t it: hawkeye takes on the most popular Marvel character of the moment in a Halloween adventure. by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli with a cover by James Harren (!) and a Jason Pearson variant. ANd Cap, Black Cat and DD are all in on the fun…or are they?

This October, the no-holds-barred antics of the Marvel Universe’s most unlikely duo continue in HAWKEYE VS. DEADPOOL #1 – the official first issue of the blockbuster comic event of the fall. Even though this is really the second issue, but who’s counting? Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli return for the battle of the century (maybe) as the Merc with a Mouth battles the Avenging Archer! It’s Halloween night in Brooklyn, and that can only mean one thing – disaster is around the corner! And candy, always candy. The names and addresses of every active S.H.I.E.L.D. agent are about to be released, and it’s up to one Avenger and one (sometimes) X-Man to stop it. But is it trick or treat when they encounter bad guys dressed like good guys? Will Deadpool and Hawkeye kill each other before the night is through? Find out when the clash continues this October in HAWKEYE VS. DEADPOOL #1!

 HAWKEYE VS. DEADPOOL #1 (AUG140824)

Written by GERRY DUGGAN
Art by MATTEO LOLLI
Cover by JAMES HARREN
Variant Cover by JASON PEARSON (AUG140825)
FOC – 09/15/14, On-Sale – 10/08/14

 

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By Steve Morris

Following on from past killing sprees perpetrated by The Punisher and Wolverine comes a new miniseries from Marvel’s burgeoning ‘…kills the Marvel Universe’ genocide franchise, Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe. Written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Dalibor Talajic, this four-issue mini will see every character you love and cherish be hacked into pieces, presumably during a disconnected narrative ramble from the crazy protagonist about American Things like football and barbeque and… oh, I don’t know, The B—– In Apartment 23. That’s a thing, right?

With this in mind, things are looking more and more promising for the growing “Hepzibah Army” who have come to dominate the internet over the past few days, mobilising in their thousands to celebrate Cyclops’ bloodthirsty stepmother as she slices up Avengers and shoots Luke Cage with magic space guns. Seeing Wolverine, Punisher and now Deadpool all carve a bloody vengeance through the Marvel Universe,  it’s steadily becoming clear that Marvel are running out of genocide-friendly characters, paving the way for a four issue Hepzibah mini sometime next year. Clearly this is the case.

But let’s focus on this mini for the time being. Starting in Auguest with the Avengers, then moving onto the X-Men, and finally ending up with a Deadpool Vs Punisher matchup, the series will be focused less on the fun, cuddly, jokey Deadpool of late and more on the part where he’s a merciless serial killer and should be put in prison. This will be dark story brings fans a welcome return to the lost art of snuff comics, which we’ve all been deprived of ever since the last series of X-Force ended. In interviews Bunn has been careful not to give too much away about what happens… but handily the four covers give everything away, so we can discuss things in detail. Poor Cyclops!