Tim Burton's Joker

MTV.com has pictures from the Tim Burton Museum Of Modern Art Exhibition going on in New York, which includes artwork the director created for his Batman movies and his never-made take on Superman. You can also read their related article here.

Inglourious Basterds #1

These have been making the rounds the last couple of days ... CHUD posts a series of faux Inglourious Basterds comic book covers they found on Harry Knowles' Twitter feed that look like they were created in the 1970s. Cool stuff; go check out the rest of them.

Update: The covers were created by Martin Duhovic.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, the animated movie about fox and his family fighting evil farmers. I haven't seen it yet, but apparently there's a comic called WhiteCape in one of the scenes that Anderson is considering turning into a real comic.

"I had an idea for this costume for this character and it included him wearing this cape," Anderson told MTV. "He's trying to somehow be heroic, to insist that he's a hero. Then I wanted to give him something to read — what's he reading? With a movie like this, you can't just find a book, you've got to make it because it's going to be [tiny]. So usually we would take time and say, 'What can we think of to go here?' There's a lot of opportunity to invent something. And we said, 'Let's say that's where he got the cape.' "

Christian DeVita, the storyboard artist for the film, also talked about the comic to Drawn.

"Also there may be a comic book in the works based on WhiteCape, the superhero that Fantastic Mr. Fox’s son Ash reads throughout the movie," DeViat said. "It was created by Wes and myself and we’ve been talking for a while about doing something with it, but he’s a busy man so it may be a while. Hopefully if we produce it it would be written by Wes and drawn by myself… Who knows, maybe we could even make it into a spin-off 2D animated TV series!"

Zack Whedon

Among the comics coverage on Time.com's newly launched Techland site is this announcement that screenwriter Zack Whedon, brother of Joss Whedon, is penning a six-issue Terminator miniseries for Dark Horse.

"I just turned in the first script and I’m very excited about it," he writes on Techland. "I love Terminator. I think that movie is so good. Holy Toledo is it good. Now I get to play in that universe and make up Terminator stories of my own that people will get to read. I am not a big-time, famous dude and yet now I am choreographing action sequences set in a post-apocalyptic future overrun by evil cybernetic organisms hell bent on destroying the human race. How is that possible?! I’ll answer your question, Made-Up Person. It’s possible because in comics it doesn’t cost 150 million dollars to tell that story. They can put an idiot like me in charge!"

Whedon, who co-created Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog with brothers Joss and Jed and actress Maurissa Tancharoen, wrote the upcoming Dr. Horrible one-shot for Dark Horse and has penned episodes of the television series Fringe and Deadwood.

Eminem

ScreenDaily.com is reporting that New Warriors writer Kevin Grevioux, who also wrote the Underworld movies, is teaming with writer-producer Dallas Jackson to write Shady Talez, a four-issue comic book series due out in 2010 under the Marvel Icons imprint.

According to ScreenDaily.com, the comic is based on a movie of the same name that will star rapper Eminem. He's also co-producing it, along with Jackson, Grevioux and I, Robot producer John Davis. The 3D film is said to be in the vein of The Twilight Zone and Creepshow.

It seems odd that Marvel would use its Icon imprint for something like this, since it seems to be reserved for creator-owned comics by their biggest creators, but I guess it's not out of the realm of possibilities. I checked with Marvel, and they had no comment.

Google

Legal | Google and a group of authors and publishers have until Friday to revise a proposed settlement over the Internet giant's plans to make millions of out-of-print books available online. They originally were given a deadline of Nov. 9. DC Comics is among the parties that objected to the terms of the agreement -- -- $125 million and a registry to identify and compensate copyright holders -- arguing that it violates international copyright law. [Bloomberg News, Media Decoder]

Legal | The sentencing of Christopher Handley, the 39-year-old Iowa man who in May pleaded guilty to possessing manga depicting children in sexual situations, is scheduled for Jan. 25. He faces up to 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. [ICv2.com]

Dick Tracy

Legal | A federal judge has ruled that actor Warren Beatty may proceed with his lawsuit against bankrupt Tribune Media Co. over ownership of the movie and TV rights to the Dick Tracy comic strip. [Reuters]

Comics | A study by marketing-research company Simba Information contends that one in 10 adult book buyers in the United States read comics. [press release]

Conventions | Miami New Times previews this weekend's Miami Book Fair International with a brief Q&A with Dan Goldman. Graphic Novel Reporter breaks out the comics programming, which includes panels and workshops featuring James Sturm, Carol Tyler, Harry Bliss, Josh Neufeld, Sid Jacobson, Brian Fries, Neil Kleid, Marisa Marchetto and Kurt Hassler. [Miami Book Fair International]

Conventions | Alan Gardner rounds up comics-related coverage from last weekend's Chicago Humanities Festival. [The Daily Cartoonist]

King Con Brooklyn

Conventions | Becky Cloonan posts her report from last weekend's inaugural King Con Brooklyn. [Ink and Thunder]

Libraries | Joseph P. Smith spotlights graphic-novel collections in a few New Jersey libraries. [The Daily Journal]

Creators | Craig Yoe discusses comics, his career and growing up in Akron, Ohio. [Akron Beacon Journal]

Creators | Brian Heater launches a four-part interview with Jerry Moriarty. [The Daily Cross Hatch]

Creators | Is Dave Gibbons working on a new version of the freeware video game Minesweeper? [GamePro]

Comics | This blog is in the middle of a series that highlights what it considers the best comic books of the decade. [Berkeley Place]

Comics | Matt Wilson counts down the five best and five worst villains introduced in the post-"Brand New Day" Amazing Spider-Man. [Topless Robot]

Fandom | Show us these superhero tattoos in another couple of decades. On second thought, don't. [Great White Snark]

Batmobile by H.R. Geiger

The essential Super Punch has more images and information on Giger's rejected designs for the Batmobile from Batman Forever.

Aliens by Paul Maybury

Artist Paul Maybury posted a short "fan" comic set in the Aliens universe, along with a bunch of other cool random art, over on his LiveJournal.

Via

Batman & Robin #6

DC's The Source blog shows us Frank Quitely's cover to Batman & Robin #6, which features Batman's "most dangerous, psychopathic, murderous foe," The Flamingo, according to editor Michael Marts.

Now all the motorcycle-riding killer needs is a string of one-word named "apprentices" of the female persuasion ...

The Count

Editor's Note: As mentioned earlier today, we're celebrating Halloween all this week here at Robot 666. Here's the first of six Six by 6 columns with that theme, by guest contributors Tony Trov and Johnny Zito. They are the creators of Black Cherry Bombshells, the girl-on-zombie web comic from Zuda Comics. This October saw the debut of their newest title, LaMorte Sisters, about a vampire orphanage run by strict nuns.

By Tony Trov & Johnny Zito

(In no particular order)

1. The Count

Tony Trov: The Count is a mysterious force on Sesame Street. He has these neurotic ticks that makes him really intense. The Count counts things, even when there's just one. His math OCD makes him great at figuring out the tip.

2. The Lost Boys

Johnny Zito: Nothing's cooler than drinking weird substances out of bejeweled bottles in a crazy vampire cave with Kiefer Sutherland. Raising terror on Santa Carla Boardwalk looks like a lot of fun, too. Unfortunately, all the Chinese food out west sucks. Ew, maggots.

3. Salma Hayek

Tony Trov: I like when people bring their pets to the bar. Dogs are cool but snakes are bad ass. Drinking with the Vampire Queen from From Dusk 'til Dawn doesn't necessarily mean she'll put her foot in your mouth. But I'm OK with it either way.

4. Vampirella

Vampirella

Johnny Zito: Vampirella is the crazy girl dancing on the bar, knocking back Walker Red. She's gonna leave you broke and send you home with bruises. It's worth it though, your ex will be so jealous when the pictures hit Facebook... Please take me back, Elvira?

5. Nosferatu

Tony Trov: The OG vamp from the days of silent film is celebrity royalty. I'd really like to kick back with the old man and ask what it was like meeting David Bowie and Freddie Mercury on the set of their music video for Under Pressure.

6. The Brides of Dracula

Johnny Zito: With wingmen this good we could ALL be smooth as Dracula.

Tony Trov: Let us know if we missed any vampires worth boozing with.

Johnny Zito: And please check out LaMorteSisters.com every Friday for more vampire action.