smallville
SDCC ’10 | A roundup of Sunday’s news
Comic-Con International
Announcements slowed down on Sunday at Comic-Con International, and apparently so have I. So let’s get to it …
• Marvel announced that Dan Slott will be the sole writer on Amazing Spider-Man, as the “Brand New Day” storyline comes to a close. He’ll work with artists Humberto Ramos, Marcos Martin and Stefano Caselli on the series. The book will ship twice a month.
• At that same panel, Marvel announced the creative team on the new Spider-Girl series teased in recently in Previews will be Paul Tobin and Clayton Henry. They also announced a new Carnage miniseries by Zeb Wells and Clayton Crain, as well as an Osborn miniseries by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios about Norman Osborn’s time in prison.
SDCC ’10 | Chloe Sullivan to appear in Jimmy Olsen’s Action Comics co-feature
Back in 2007, there was talk of Smallville‘s Chloe Sullivan making the jump from the long-running TV show to the comics world. It ended up not happening at the time, but if you’re a fan of the character played for so long by Allison Mack, you’re in luck — Chloe will appear in the Jimmy Olsen co-feature that’s debuting in Action Comics #893 and being written by Nick Spencer.
Here’s a teaser image, featuring both Jimmy and Chloe, courtesy of DC’s the Source:
Jimmy Olsen and Chloe Sullivan
SDCC ’10 | DC, Batman and Smallville help open your hotel room door
In addition to the bags that Warner Bros. is offering at Comic-Con this year, they’re also bringing back the hotel room keys that they did at last year’s con. A total of 29,000 branded room keys, designed to promote DC Comic’s digital comics application, Batman: Under the Red Hood, V, Smallville and Supernatural, will be distributed at 36 participating hotels throughout the San Diego area during the week of the Con. You can find more details here, and check out additional key artwork after the jump.
SDCC ’10 | Highlights of Sunday’s comics programming
Comic-Con International
At last we arrive at the schedule for the final day of Comic-Con International — Sunday, July 25 (aka “Kids’ Day”).
Below you’ll find highlights of the comics-related programming, which include the final Smallville panel, an appearance by famed Japanese artist Yoshitako Amano, spotlights on Matt Fraction and Dennis O’Neil, and a look at the upcoming Spider-Man storyline “Origin of the Species.”
The full programming schedule for Saturday can be found here.
10 to 11 .m. Emily The Strange — Get your last day of Comic-Con off to a strange start with Dark Horse’s Emily the Strange panel! Meet Emily’s creator Rob Reger and Dark Horse editor Shawna Gore, and come prepared to quench your curiosity about all things Emily. Exciting announcements, wacky wordplay, and tasty news bits are all on the menu for this early bird panel! Room 3
10 to 11 a.m. Jack Kirby Tribute — It’s time once again to pay tribute to Jack “King” Kirby, the prolific writer/artist who co-created some of the world’s most famous superheroes, including the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, the New Gods and many more. Kirby biographer and friend Mark Evanier (Kirby: King of Comics) hosts this annual Comic-Con tradition and is joined this year by writers Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula, New Teen Titans) and Kurt Busiek (Astro City, JLA/Avengers) and other Kirby fanatics to discuss the King. Room 4
Smallville creators sue Warner Bros. over licensing deals
"Smallville," Season 9
Smallville, the long-running television series that’s already part of the dispute between Warner Bros. and the Siegel family, is now at the center of another legal battle.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s legal blog, THR, Esq., reports that Smallville creators and longtime executive producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, and series co-producer Tollin/Robbins Prods., have sued Warner Bros. Television, claiming the division made license-fee deals with The WB Television Network and its successor The CW Television Network that “were not arms-length.”
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, accuses Warner Bros. of licensing Smallville for broadcast on its co-owned WB and CW networks “for unreasonably low, below-market license fees, resulting in lower gross revenues for the series and less compensation for plaintiffs, and failing to renegotiate the series’ license fee to cover its production cost.” The plaintiffs also say Warner Bros. sold the series to foreign markets in a package with other, less-successful shows, resulting in a misallocation of licensing fees.
Although the complaint doesn’t specify damages, THR, Esq. notes that, “given the allegations and the longevity of the series, they could total in the tens of millions of dollars.”
The claim brings to mind one made in 2008 by the family of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, who accused DC Comics with striking a “sweetheart deal” with parent company Warner Bros. when licensing characters for Smallville and Superman Returns, a violation of the terms of their profit-sharing agreement. However, in July 2009, a judge ruled against the Siegels, determining that DC and Warner Bros. participated in a “fair market deal.”
Smallville, which debuted in 2001, was renewed earlier this month for a 10th season. Gough and Millar left the series in 2008 after seven seasons.
Your Mileage May Vary: Smallville: Absolute Justice
Smallville event “Absolute Justice” hit this week, and the long-awaited appearance of the Justice Society definitely got people talking.
It probably goes without saying that this post contains episode spoilers.
The scene from Smallville you’ve been waiting for: Hawkman vs. Green Arrow
Hawkman and Green Arrow, together again
Entertainment Weekly has a couple of new shots from the upcoming Smallville episode Absolute Justice, including the one above of Hawkman laying the smackdown on Green Arrow. What, tension between those two?
Click on over to EW’s site to see the other new photo of Dr. Fate and Stargirl, who actually look like the comic versions of Dr. Fate and Stargirl.
Get a first look at Smallville‘s grim-and-gritty ninth season
From "Smallville," Season 9
Entertainment Weekly‘s Michael Ausiello has the first look at the trailer for what appears to be a very dark Season 9 of Smallville. Metallo, the iconic “S,” a scene-chewing Zod — it’s all there.
The new season debuts Sept. 25 on The CW.
SDCC ’09 | Tom Welling to appear on panel (but what’s this about a suit?)
Tom Welling
Smallville star Tom Welling will make his first-ever appearance at Comic-Con, fanning rumors that the actor will debut a new, cape-less Superman costume at the show’s Sunday panel.
According to EW.com’s Michael Ausiello, this will be the first time the entire cast has assembled for the convention.
The news adds a new wrinkle to online rumors that Warner Bros. representatives have been randomly selecting Comic-Con attendees to view a redesigned Superman costume destined to debut in the Season 9 premiere.
However, a source close to the series told Robot 6 that they knew nothing about a suit being shown.
AICN reported speculation in June that The CW is planning a Smallville television movie for Christmas 2010 titled Metropolis, which also might explain Welling’s appearance on the panel.
The Smallville panel will be at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
SDCC ’09 | Warner Bros. lends a hand with your room key
Red Son door key
Fans checking into their hotel rooms over the next couple of days in San Diego may be in for a fun surprise, as Hero Complex shows off the designs for five different room keys featuring Warner Bros. properties, including Superman: Red Son (above). In addition to giving you somewhere to sleep, the cards also will allow users to download a free episode of one of the shows that are spotlighted — Chuck, Fringe, Supernatural or Smallville — or the Superman: Red Son motion comic.
I hope my hotel is one of the lucky ones …
DC reveals Batgirl creative team — and who did that cover
Batgirl #1
Earlier this week DC teased fans with an image of Batgirl on their Source blog, leaving fans wondering who was behind the mask and who drew the image. Now they’ve revealed the answer to one of those questions — the image was done by Phil Noto.
(If we’d been taking bets, it looks like Brandon Perlow would be the winner).
They also gave the lowdown on the Batgirl creative team. Smallville writer Bryan Q. Miller, who is also writing a Teen Titans storyline that starts in July, is writing Batgirl. He wrote the “Hex” episode of Smallville that featured Zatanna earlier this season. Lee Garbett and Trevor Scot are the art team.