Hulk smash on weekly basis?

I don't know how many mediums they have to try before they realize that the Incredible Hulk really, truly only works as a comic or cartoon. The best version of him may well be the "Super Hero Squad" version, in fact. Yes, I'm serious. You can't very well realistically have the kind of conflicts that occur in the monthly comic occur with actual actors. Look:

How do you make the giant green guy punch the giant lizard guy with two toes and have it look like anything near something would happen in the real world? I mean, honestly, the budget would have to be astronomical, something that the recent semi-floppy movie returns haven't warranted. So, obviously, they're developing a new "Incredible Hulk" television show. Good choice.

Look, I admire the moxy of Marvel to refuse to give up on their un-jolly green giant. I get it, he's recognizable. But if it were me, I would spend some time trying to think of properties that don't involve tons of CGI or painting steroid-users green. This is why I welcome the second half of the story, which is that they're considering a Cloak and Dagger TV series.
The comic, which is not about an angry black man who ate a skinny white blond girl contrary to the image above, follows two teenagers who are dependent on one another. She's the light, he's the darkness; she can throw light daggers, he can open his cloak into another dimension of darkness. Okay, so it may be a little out there, but I think you can have some simple effects and have kind of a cool story to tell in a serialized way. Unlike "The Incredible Hulk" TV show reboot, which hasn't been created yet and I'm pretty sure is almost canceled. Oh, and that means in the last decade, four actors will have played the Hulk. Five if they lather up another body builder in green spray paint for the series. That's a lot of Hulks. I know it's a murder of crows and a gaggle of geese, but what's a bunch of Hulks? A horde?

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Oh DC, I thought we talked about this

Today we had a battle of opposing comments from creative contributors of comic cinema.
Joss Whedon, while considering how to direct (and write) The Avengers, noted that with his talented cast and character-based style, he wanted to "put them all in a room and have them do Glengarry Glen Ross." Ha! How clever! That incredibly insightful guy who clearly "gets" what's going on just reassured me and millions of others that he sees this as an actor's movie, as a dialogue-based encounter, as something he is perfectly suited for.

Then you have Greg Berlanti. He wrote the first draft of The Green Lantern (and was set to direct it). He also turned in a draft for The Flash. He also directed Life as we Know it, the new movie with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Oh, and he created "No Ordinary Family." Ruh roh. Then he said that The Flash was influenced by him thinking about Silence of the Lambs and Se7en. And that it was more The Dark Knight than anything. This is The Flash he's talking about. The fast guy. Who runs and stuff. So we have a respected comic talent for Marvel putting his film in context of a famous play by a brilliant writer and a guy from DC on a press junket for a Katherine Heigl romantic comedy talking about how The Flash is like Se7en. DC was TOTALLY right when they said they don't feel pressure to do things like Marvel. Things like "make good decisions."

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You know what's strange? Hiring Conan writers.

I like Dr. Strange.
I was just discussing the character the other day, how he really stands out in the Marvel universe because, just like sensible immigration legislation, magic is rare. In DC's universe, you can't walk to your mailbox without tripping on a magician or sorcerer of some sort. Seriously, I'm half convinced there are no mechanics in Metropolis, only wizards who mystically heal cars. At any rate, Deadline is reporting that Dr. Strange will magically appear on screens soon, as Disney (God that feels weird to say still) is making their first Marvel movie. They hired Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer to write the film, which isn't all that encouraging because the latter guy's name is the same as the guy who helped invent the atomic bomb. Speaking of bombs, both also just wrote Conan, which looks, um, swell? No worries though, they also wrote an adaptation of a video game and a draft of Cowboys and Aliens. Although I'm jealous of their success, I fear their work. Maybe we should let one of their movies come out before giving them more work? I have this notion of Dr. Strange having some kind of "mystical firearms" and being played by Justin Bieber.

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Because Ant Man deserves a (cough) SHORT film

Avast ye mateys, it be Monday again! Blaarrrrrgggh! Why am I talking like a pirate (as in a "booty plunderer," not a Pittsburgh Pirate...because then I'd just have said "Rats, lost again")? Well, Omaha is currently in the midst of their rainy season, during which we accumulate so much precipitation that my house has now been washed away into Iowa. Is there a worse fate than to surprisingly wake up in Iowa? I kid, of course, as Iowa is far more socially and politically tolerant and has superior roads (I got mad love for you, Iowa). Can anyone tell that the relentless thunderstorms that have awoken me with rattling windows for what feels like a full month now have finally taken enough sleep from me that I'm rambling about pirates and Iowa?!

Anyway, Latino Review is far more alert and awake than I am, and they've announced a rumor that is potentially totally, massively, hugely small! Marvel Comics is contemplating introducing it's lesser characters to movie audiences via short films before bigger tentpole pictures. So you'd have characters like Luke Cage and Dr. Strange popping up before things like Captain America. Um, hello, yes please. This is perhaps Marvel's best idea since "You know what I think? I think we should make comic books, not chairs made out of horse faces!" The number one reason I'm a fan of this? You don't need to shoehorn in a cameo anymore. I liked Iron Man 2 a lot, but I thought without the Black Widow, they'd have had time to make it even better. With the flexibility of showing audiences The Black Panther without figuring out how Thor is going to end up in the jungles of Africa to meet him, Marvel has the best of both worlds. Personally, I sincerely hope this happens. Then again, you knew that.

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Ryan's Junk Drawer

I love short weeks almost as much as I love short shorts (wearing them right now, babies). Thanks to the magic of governmental holidays, we're already at Thursday, even though it feels like it should be Wednesday (but I wish it was a Friday...f**k Monday and Tuesday, those guys are assholes). What this really means is that even though you feel like you JUST got to look at my junk, you get to see it again! Obviously, this is a clever ruse. I use phrases like "see my junk," even though what I really mean is that I'm just showing you movie tidbits that are too small to warrant their own blog post. I think it's clever. It's certainly more clever than Alanis Morissette changing the most infamous words of her most popular song on American Idol to "We should go down with you to the theater." Anyhoodle, we begin this weekly exercise in goofing around under the guise of movie news reporting by examining the creeptacular image above from Highlights Magazine FOR CHILDREN. I then select one item at random, write a fictional and really weird backstory for it, and then move into what you actually came here to see. Why? Who knows why? It's something I did once and it amused me, like that time you voted for Nader. Only it stuck. Unlike that time you voted for Nader. Today's item is the green and red tube in the lower right corner. For years, people have wondered about the magic that goes into puppet/muppet creation. The simple explanation of "it's someone's hand up there" seemed too easy. Indeed, it was. Klaus decided to figure it out for himself, not content with the "puppeteer proctologist" answer. After feigning an attempt to learn his ABCs, he was confronted by a helpful, overly cheery, fuzzy, googly eyed bastard named Elko. Elko's skin came off easy. Almost too easy. What lay beneath horrified Klaus beyond all belief. Oh, there was a hand all right. A hand covered in a green cloth of some kind, like a protective suit. But it was JUST a hand. There was no body behind it. The free-floating, speaking hand soon died without its muppet covering. But Klaus kept it, as a reminder not to mess with that we do not understand.

Okay, that's enough shenanigans, time for some movie tidbits!

1.) There's a hole in the bucket, at Marvel, at Marvel...- Yesterday was a big day for my friend Matt. Matt's a Captain America lover, which is to say he adores the comic book character, not that he's a ranking officer who wants to sleep with the United States. Thus, it was exciting for him to see this:
That's leaked concept art for Chris Evans as Captain America. That sound you heard was Matt french kissing his computadora. I think it's absolutely spot on, personally. (A) He's bringing back utility belts, (B) it sure does look period-acceptable...again, that means it looks like it could be made in the 1940s, not that he should wear it during that time of the month, and (C) it feels like, well, Captain America! After he calmed his mess, Matt turned his attention to wanting to know what the Red Skull looks like (spoiler alert: He has a red skull). In due time, my overeager beaver, in due time. Instead, we got more leaked concept art! This time of the Norseman!
As you can see, that's what the Thor costume is going to look like. I have a bit harder time finding this one "period appropriate," and I do want to know if they're just ditching the helmet (this lack of a helmet and Cap's bucket-covered-dome must be indicative of Marvel's new "nobody gets friggin' wings on their heads anymore" editorial policy). Comic dudes, help me out a bit...this is Greg Land art, right? There are people discussing the validity of these despite resembling both on-set descriptions by people who have seen them and the photo of Thor we saw. The fact that both seem to be done by Marvel painter/artist Greg Land tells me that these are accurate. I'm pumped for both of these films, potentially more than The Avengers. The key is that they have to make us care for these guys on screen BEFORE we care for them in a massive superhero orgy. Take note, dudes: You still have to get these individual films right.

2.) Jennifer Aniston may or may not be a screamer - The following report quickly went up and was quickly denied by people "in the know." Why am I still posting it? Because reps for celebrities are dirty, dirty, dirty liars. They are so untrustworthy that lots of girls I know from high school want to date them and I want to elect them. The rumor was (albeit from "Star Magazine") that J-Ant was going to be in Scream 4.

She would be playing the Drew Barrymore-type role of "big name actress who gets all murderdeathkilled in the first scene." Her reps instantly denied it, which means it still may be true. Sure, it's easy to dismiss Star Magazine (and we've been told to do so by her agents), but consider these three facts: (1) Courtney Cox, J-Ant's good friend, is in the film; (2) it would REALLY help her "buzz factor" and for those who think she doesn't need it, her biggest movie has been the one with the dog who dies; and (3) you would HAVE to deny it to keep the surprise. I'm not saying it's happening (or that I care...even though I've kind of wanted her to die on screen since Along Came Polly), but it could be...it could be.

3.) The Crow reboot is nothing to squawk about - So the producer of the latest attempt to revive the goth-perfect 90s cult hit The Crow, which should really be left to be a fond memory and a great comic, has begun describing the impending abomination. MTV talked to Ed Pressman, who said things that I think he thought would help us get excited. They didn't. Apparently, the film moves back and forth from the Southwest U.S. to Detroit. Whatever. What bothers me is the next quote: "The Crow itself is a creature in this movie— it’s not just a bird…It’s got a personality and a character. Not like Godzilla exactly, but it’s very different [and has] a more active role in the story." It's "not like Godzilla EXACTLY?" In what f**king way IS IT like Godzilla then? Are you kidding me? Clearly they've seen into the heart of the story written by a guy who really had his girlfriend get murdered and experienced untold pain and rage and decided it needed to be more like a movie with a guy in a rubber suit. I know this is just a producer who probably only skimmed the draft, but whoever first uttered the word Godzilla in association with this project needs to be eye shanked.

4.) Chloe Moretz to kick ass in Nebraska? - Well, no. Variety says that the incredibly talented young actress (who I pray goes the Dakota Fanning/Abigail Breslin direction and not the Jodi Sweetin direction) is going to star in Hick, based on the novel of the same name. Nebraskans will be flattered to know that she'll play a 13-year-old native of the state, and outraged to think that people consider Nebraskans to be hicks. The book was apparently written by someone who's never been below the Mason-Dixon line. Anyway, terrible, terrible things happen to this 13-year-old who is abandoned by her loser parents and tries to trek across the country with just her pistol and belief that nobody will do unspeakable things to her (spoiler alert: they do). The kid's a great actress, and it's gotta be hard finding roles that fit...but if they want to go ahead and soften some of the events that occur, I'm okay with that. I'll always think of her having kick-ass fun in Kick Ass, like this:
I don't need to think of her like Fanning in Hound Dog. Ugh.

5.) Trailers, Parked - If you start anywhere other than with the new Scott Pilgrim vs the World trailer, you suck. I don't want to suck. This movie also will not suck. I love the feel of the whole thing, from the over-video-gamed style to the delightfully whimsical visuals. This is going to be a love-it-or-hate-it affair, and we nerds must brace for the fact that it likely will not find the mass audience it deserves. This won't be for lack of our trying to get people to see it though. I love Edgar Wright so much that I hope it makes a bazillion dollars.



Finally, we have the second Dinner for Schmucks trailer, which confirms my suspicion that it is going to make the pee come out. I love Steve Carell best in his decisive roles, the ones where he's either totally insane (Brick from Anchorman) or totally normal (Dan in Real Life). I find Paul Rudd is the best whenever he does anything. Dude love is cool.



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That gaping hole in my soul

Yeah, so today's the day I'd usually be talking about last night's "Lost." Except, there is no more last night's "Lost." I'm sure that like any loss, I'll one day feel whole again, but it would sure help if Evangeline Lilly were here to kiss the boo-boos and make it all better. Instead, there's news that another sexy Lostie is about to get a shot at fame and fortune. Avengers News says that Josh Holloway, he of chesty glory, has been picked up to...do something in some movie. Yeah, that's as specific as they get. He's been tasked to play "a major role" in "an upcoming movie." Many have started inserting him instantly into The Avengers in every role from Ant-Man to Dum-Dum Dugan (yes, somehow someone heard "major role" and thought "Dum-Dum Dugan"). I think the former is more likely, although there's still the chance that the studio ditched Jeremy Renner and inserted Holloway into the Hawkeye role, which is about the best fit I could see for him. Then again, who is to say that this isn't for some other movie? A headliner in some other film we're not thinking of? I mean, seeing as how even though I love the guy I acknowledge the only superhero that springs to mind for him is Gambit and that's at another studio, it could be absolutely any other role (except Black Panther).

All I know is that whatever role he is in better have a few of these in the script:



Speaking of Marvel casting, I still haven't given up on the #donald4spiderman twitter campaign, and you shouldn't either. The more I think about it, the better of an idea it is. I will say that all the hate directed on the interwebs about the race issue is enough to make me champion this cause extra hard. I talked to a guy (non-hate-filled, but not exactly open-minded) on Twitter yesterday who said "What if they offered Luke Cage to a white guy." I explained how stupid that would be, on account of his race being KEY to his character. Facts are facts: Spider-man is my favorite character, I've studied him for years, and he doesn't have to be white. He does need to be funny and played with affection: He needs to be Don Glover.

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Drew Pearce is born to run

A few years ago, I saw a trailer for a British comedy show called "No Heroics," which looked as hilarious as Ashton Kutcher's serious face. Then I never heard about the project again, partially because I do not live in England. Here's what it looked like.




Whenever the bizarre embargo against America by the British DVD makers ends, I will rent it and laugh. I mention all of this because it seems like the guy who wrote that is perfect to adapt The Runaways, Brian K Vaughn's comic book about a bunch of superpowered, well-intentioned teenagers who are the sons and daughters of supervillains. So, it's a good thing Deadline says that's exactly what is happening. Personally, I'd just let Vaughn do it. He wrote a few of my favorite episodes of "Lost," so he has screenwriting chops, and nobody will know better how to serve the story than the guy who invented the characters. But you know what, it's Friday on a three-day weekend, so I ain't gonna be naysaying and pissy (that sounds like a pricey bar drink, "I'll have a naysaying and pissy"). I'm just happy that the movie is happening at all, and if someone else has to do something, I'm glad it's someone who seems to get the more human side of superpeoples.

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Tony Stark is older than I thought.

I'm not a math whiz, so help me out. Salon talked to Dominic Cooper (you don't know him, so just assume he's young and handsome), who said he'd be playing Howard Stark (Tony Stark's papa) in Captain America (I'm not calling it The First Avenger unless a congressional mandate specifying me by name says I have to). That's all well and good, until you start adding. What do I mean? Okay, let's fudge some numbers a little. Let's say that Captain America takes place at the verrrrry end of the German conflict in World War II. That's 1946. We know from Iron Man 2 that Howard Stark was creating technology and stuff during that war. Okay, that's fine, we all know he probably built Cap's shield. Nice to have on your resume. So if Howard Stark were a GENIUS, like a GENIUS GENIUS, he'd be what, 17 years old in 1946? That means he was born in 1929. Again, Dominic Cooper has got himself a baby face, but he don't look 17, but watch the math play out. Provided that Howard got his reproduce on at a late age, let's say 40 years old, that means Tony Stark would be born in 1969, which makes him 41. Again, that's provided that Howard was 17 while designing war technology and had Tony when he was wicked old (I mean, not Larry King old, but you get the idea).

So what does this mean? Well, nothing. I don't care if Tony Stark is 41...or 50. It's fine either way. But it does illustrate a concern of mine with this Marvel universe they're creating: They have to be careful not to shoehorn too many connections in. Comic books do this stuff organically, and I know it's not second nature to these guys, but maybe some more comic book writers should be involved. Someone should be asking what it really adds to the story to have these connections going on, not "hey, you know what would be cool." Friends don't ask friends "hey, you know what would be cool." Friends just do cool things and have other friends appreciate the coolness. This has been a blog-version of a "More you Know" NBC PSA.

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Friday Blitz 5: Spider-woman is less sad than the new Spider-Man

I know, I can't believe it either...WE'RE STILL IN THE FRIDAY BLITZ!!!

MTV UK is following up the news that we told you yesterday about how Marvel is making a bunch of smaller films based on lesser characters with news that Vanessa Hudgens is in talks to play the lead in Spider-Woman. This is Vaness Hudgens:
If you squint, she sort of looks like the more talented and prettier Mila Kunis. Look, I don't know that much about Hudgens. All I know is that she was in High School Musical, that she's Zac Effron's "girlfriend" (the quotation marks are because the chances of Effron being gay increases almost daily), and she took some nudie photos of herself, likely so that people would be able to say "oh, I've heard of Vanessa Hudgens." I don't have some intense affection for the character of Spider-Woman, who was mostly lame until Brian Michael Bendis reinvented the character in the comics a few years ago. What I do know is that the way she's drawn...
...half the budget will go to padding. This could all be hooey, who knows. But if it isn't, it's a sign that Marvel is not going to be content to rest on their Avengers, but are interested in moving on other projects quicker than you can say "Vanessa who?"

Ryan's Junk Drawer

Congratulations! If you're reading this, you have made it to Thursday. Bravo on surviving a full week since last we met to discuss my junk (and by junk, I mean movie news that's not big enough to warrant a full blog post). I've had an insanely productive week, which means I shall reward myself at the first opportunity with meat and beer. Perhaps as early as right now. Thanks to the magic of the internets, you'll never know. As is our special tradition, before I dive headfirst into thoroughly flaunting my massive junk (again, movie news, people), we take a peek at the image above from Highlights Magazine (FOR CHILDREN), which is supposedly of an average junk drawer but is obviously the creepiest thing this side of "Charlotte's Web." Each week, we select an item from the illustration above and make up a wacky backstory for it, because it entertains me (and potentially nobody else). Today's item is the green and red pile in the lower right corner. When Claudette didn't receive the Barbie Hot Pink Fun N' Ride Ultra-Wheelie Mega Cycle for Christmas, she didn't get mad. Using the same evil genius that prevented Santa from delivering the gift in the first place, Claudette simply waited 364 days until the following Christmas Eve. Silently, ever so silently, she stealthily positioned herself just outside the chimney of goody-too-shoes Becky Butterbean's house. When she saw her chance, she sprang into motion. She was only able to catch an elf. But he would do...he would do. The terror inflicted upon that little red and green fella...is a tale best left for another day.

Okay, enough with the fun preamble, let's get to this week's peek at my junk!

1.) Because, by God, why not have a Power Pack movie? - It may sound like I'm about to disparage smaller comic book properties in the following paragraph. I am. But it's with love and a surprising amount of hope. Chud dropped the info that Marvel is going to be making movies based on some little-known characters (I mean, of course, little known to "regular" people...those who think a Ka-Zar is Obama's new appointee to watch over all things involving the letter K). These flicks are going to carry smaller budgets (we live in a world where $20-40 million is now a "small budget") and will feature folks like Dr. Strange, Luke Cage, Dazzler, and Power Pack. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Ryan, did you just f**king say Dazzler?" You bet your sweet disco-ball underoos I did. Dazzler, a superhero who was created in the heyday of disco and who can turn music to light or some such crap, is a perfect example of the the type of comic that should be made into a movie. Why? Because nobody cares about Dazzler. Basically, other than a few uber-dorks, what this move allows is for people to make aggressive, unique takes on characters with some measure of promise without the intense worry of studio suits because the budget is reasonable. Personally, I find this exciting. Then again, I own the first appearance of Power Pack. Suck on that.

2.) Robert Downey Jr is magic - Steve King from CD105.9, who is the incredibly kind and funny guy whose radio show I appear on every Friday morning at about 7:35 (you can also listen online), asked me today (I did the show early this week) about the Wizard of Oz shenanigans going on in Hollywood. They want to do something Oz-related really bad in Tinseltown, even if that means urinating on a piece of our collective cultural history so beloved that anyone who doesn't like The Wizard of Oz is either legally stoned to death by age 8 or forced to move to Canada. Personally, so long as they don't remake the movie, I don't mind them playing with the world of Oz...well, I don't mind as much. See, the LA Times mentions that the new project may involve Sam Mendes. You'll remember Sam as the guy who directed American Beauty. He's also the guy who just got divorced from this:
So, yeah, he makes bad decisions. Either Sammy the stupid or Adam Shankman, who directed the exceptionally forgettable Bedtime Stories, will likely direct Oz the Great and Powerful, with Robert Downey Jr starring as the Wizard of Oz. The script is written by the guy who wrote The Whole 9 Yards, so clearly there's no reason to be alarmed. As much as I love Downey, this can't be a good idea, right? When I said they could play in that world, I meant they could follow the misadventures of some minor character, not make a prequel to the classic film. Folks, somewhere over the rainbow, things sure suck.

3.) Spock no more - After a long, storied career, Leonard Nimoy is calling it quits. Likely because he's unable to physically beat away the groupies at his age, the man who made Spock the nerd touchstone that he is has decided to spend his remaining years out of the spotlight. He's said something similar before, but this seems to be the real deal. I would say too bad, but I feel like he's doing the right thing. Hell, at least he had the decency to go out on a good note, relaunching Star Trek. Not like Gene Hackman (Welcome to Mooseport) or Sean Connery (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Those dudes should come out of retirement and do one movie together just to clean the poop flavor from their mouths. How do you retire on those films? Anyway, you done good Leo. You done good.

4.) Batman 3 may not be in 3D...but it probably will - First up, we have news that the real Batman 3 news will actually come in July...or May...or June. The idea being, the timetable is set up as such that if development mirrored The Dark Knight, we'd get an announcement at July's San Diego Comic Convention about the title and a major piece of casting, along with a release date. Maybe that happens before the Con, maybe it happens after. What you'll find about the third Christopher Nolan Bat film is that nobody knows anything and that doesn't stop people from talking about it. Aint it Cool News actually got some important news, in that they got the cinematographer who worked with Nolan on the last 2 flicks to say that neither he nor Nolan wants to do Batman 3 in 3D. Woo hoo! So, what will probably happen is, they'll do the film in 3D. Look, the studio isn't going to throw away literally tens of millions of dollars. They will force Nolan to do 3D unless he's willing to walk over it, which I doubt he is. The only possibility is that he convinces them that they can get the same sort of bump by just doing IMAX screenings, because he loves that format. I agree with him. The scenes in IMAX from The Dark Knight were the film's best. So there you have it: it may or may not be in 3D and it may or may not be officially announced some time in the near future. Ah, the nonsense of Bat-news.

5.) Trailers, Parked - This week brings us ladies who are killers, a lady who is killer hot, and Robert Duvall. I'll take all three please.

First up is John Woo's Reign of Assassins. Yes, it looks like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but I loved that movie, so I don't care. It's been awhile since I've seen a flick like this on the big screen, so I'm ready for it. See for yourself.


Next up is Easy A. This isn't really a telling trailer, but shows off (A) how adorable Emma Stone is, (B) how charismatic she is, and (C) how poised she is to be huge. The film is actually about a high-school girl who tells a lie about how she lost her virginity and finds herself in a situation that she feels mirrors Hestor Prynne's in The Scarlett Letter. I, for one, am actually quite excited about this. Given the good casting and clever idea, this could be the next Mean Girls.


Finally, we have the killer trailer for Get Low, which looks like what would happen if you mixed a non-washed up Tim Burton movie with the Coen brothers. You had me at Bill Murray and Robert Duvall, but the trailer actually goes beyond that. This is surprisingly rising fast on my must see list.


Okay, sinners, that's it for now. Thanks for peeking at my junk, and see you tomorrow for a fun-filled Friday!

Kirb your enthusiasm

If you're a fan of Marvel Comics (I cannot fathom the subhuman pig person who isn't, so let's just assume you are), you have respect for Jack Kirby.
The man was, in this Marvel Zombie's opinion, the most influential and important comic book artist of all time (suck a duck, Todd McFarlane). Thus, today's news about Kirby troubles me. I'm divided worse than those issues of the Incredible Hulk when they split Bruce Banner and the green monster, I'm more conflicted than the Silver Surfer's sexuality, I'm more confused than Thor's word choice, I'm more troubled than Peter Parker after finding out that Harry Osborn was riding the heroin train to Whitney Houston-ville, I'm...you know, I could do this all day. You get the idea. See, Kirby's estate, having seen how Seigel and Schuster's estate (the guys who created Superman), is now suing Marvel and all related enterprises to get some of the rights to these characters back. Virtually every character in that picture up there (save for Spider-man, who was co-created by artist Steve Ditko) is up for grabs. I'm not sure how I feel about this, as it seems from various reports that Kirby's departure from Marvel wasn't a straight-up case of him getting jobbed by the company but more of a creative difference kind of thing. Plus, unlike the Seigel and Schuster families fighting together, Stan Lee co-created almost all of those characters and is STILL at Marvel. Then again, the Kirby estate got the lawyer who just WON the Seigel and Schuster case, which is going to have very, very serious and real implications for how and when you see Superman (if you do). The whole thing is far too troubling for a simple man who just loves his comics and comic movies. Really, it just makes me sad because I love everyone involved. Why do mommy and daddy have to fight? Is it because I'm bad?