The Variants, the humorous web video series set at Zeus Comics in Dallas, wrapped up its second season this week. The episode features the cast dealing with a potential investor and his attorney. “Can the Zeus employees handle their scrutiny, or will they throw each other under the idiot
bus in pursuit of vacation days and dental?” The episode also features appearances by Curt Franklin and Chris Haley of the webcomic Let’s Be Friends Again.

The episode wraps up a season that featured some fun moments, like the D&D episode and the guest appearance by Mark Waid. According to Zeus Comics’ Richard Neal, a third season is in the works for late summer/early fall. “There will be a couple of bigger cast and character announcements closer to the launch of the new season,” he said.

This Sunday’s Popeye comic strip by Frank Caruso and Ned Sonntag featured the band Wilco joining the regular Popeye cast in handing out Wilco-brand spinach. The band’s guest appearance was just part one of the crossover, however, as Wilco’s latest video features the band jamming with Popeye, Wimpy and the rest, with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy providing a third potential suitor for the ever-popular Olive Oyl.

The song, “Dawned On Me,” is from the band’s album The Whole Love, and the video is directed by Darren Romanelli, who conceived the collaboration between Wilco and King Features for the band’s first video since 1999. No doubt a cover of “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” can’t be too far away.

If the season has you missing Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes — particularly, Calvin’s scenes of snowman carnage — you’re not alone. Jim Frommeyer and Teague Chrystie have created a wonderful short film called “A Very Calvin & Hobbes Christmas” that pays homage to those fondly remembered strips and delivers a touching message to their creator. For the curious, Frommeyer even walks us through the process.

(via Crave Online)

It seems like we were running a different trailer every day and twice on Sunday for one of DC’s New 52 books back in August and September, but then they stopped coming once the first issues hit the stands. Until today, anyway; Scott McDaniel, co-writer and penciller of Static Shock, sent over one for issue #4, which comes out Dec. 7. It’s the last issue he co-wrote with departing writer John Rozum; McDaniel’s writing issues #5 and #6 himself, with Marc Bernardin joining McDaniel as of issue #7.

If you thought the DC Comics New 52 trailers were done, think again. Teen Titans artist Brett Booth has posted one on his blog featuring the latest version of the young heroes.

In addition, Booth has also posted a couple of teasers for the book, featuring the emblems for Batman and Flash covered in graffiti. Check them out after the jump.

Teen Titans #1 by Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth arrives in stores Sept. 28.

*****

Too Slow

After hosting a live stream of their 300th iFanboy Pick of the Week podcast, hosts Ron Richards and Conor Kilpatrick ended up chatting with a surprise guest, writer Scott Snyder, who shared a bunch of Batman-related information. How old is Bruce in the New 52? How does he have a 10-year-old son? What villains will appear? Watch the above video to find out more.

If you’ve been following the media on Spider-Man:Turn Off the Dark, then no doubt you’ve already heard “Rise Above,” the song written by Bono and the Edge for the multimillion-dollar musical. If not, the producers have you covered, as they’ve released a video of the song featuring the two U2 members and Reeve Carney, who plays the webslinger on Broadway. The video shows rehearsals as well as a few on-stage clips, but probably not nearly enough Spider-Man. Watch it above and see.

Via Vulture

I might still like to do the Atom. I think there’s something great to be done with the Atom that hasn’t been done yet…I like the idea of doing an Atom story where he can only shrink to a certain size for each episode. One of the things I felt didn’t work about the Atom was that he was up and down [in height] and could do anything. I thought it would be really good to do stories of a guy who has so much power to shrink that he does it for missions when he’s brought in. So it’s slightly more Indiana Jones, where this guy works as a professor during the day, but sometimes he’ll get a call from the President — “There’s monsters in the White House carpet” kinda stuff. — and he comes in and deals with that. But in another episode he might just shrink to six inches and be chased around a room by bad guys and cats and dogs, like Incredible Shrinking Man stuff. I thought there’s a sci-fi series in there, where each issue is him at a different scale. In some he could be trapped at a molecular scale, and in other ones he’s one inch and trapped in the garden.

–Action Comics and Supergods writer and superhero-revamper extraordinaire Grant Morrison in conversation with CBR’s Jonah Weiland, who asked him what B-list characters he’d still like to take a crack at. And hey, Morrison’s proven his proficiency with sprawling supporting-player revamps in the past with projects like Seven Soldiers (not to mention the upcoming Multiversity, which he says will have a similar focus on DC’s deep bench), so would it be out of the question for him to throw a Ryan Choi: Rebirth and Atom Incorporated into the mix? For now, I’ll file this with his much-discussed desire to write Wonder Woman under projects we’ll hopefully get to see one day.

Watch the entire video above for more Morrison commentary on the Lois & Clark marriage, Superman’s costume, Action Comics, New X-Men, Supergods, Sinatoro and more.

Legendary Comics, the comic-publishing arm of Legendary Pictures, has revealed a new trailer for Frank Miller’s upcoming graphic novel Holy Terror. The project began as a “Batman vs. al-Qaeda” book for DC Comics before Miller eliminated Batman from it in favor of a new character called The Fixer, who you can see in action in the trailer.

The book will be published this September to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The trailer was revealed by Legendary as the “first of four locks” being opened, and they ask fans to help open additional locks by sharing content on Facebook and Twitter. “This was the first of four locks that will reveal exclusive content throughout the weekend, so be sure to check back regularly. Remember, the more you spread the word, the faster each reveal will be released!”

Our friends in the Seattle nerd rock band Kirby Krackle have released a video for the song “Ring Capacity,” their ode to Green Lantern. The video features an animated battle between Hal Jordan and Sinestro, with a little help for GL from the band members.

The timing couldn’t be better, what with the Green Lantern film landing in theaters in a few weeks. There’s also a Facebook group for fans of the band hoping to get the song on the movie soundtrack.

Writer Michael “Frick” Weber has posted a couple of videos titled Comic Book Storytellers on YouTube that feature interviews with folks like Terry Moore, George Perez, Ron Frenz, Talent Caldwell, Pat Olliffe, Scott McDaniel and more at the Pittsburgh Comicon. In the first one (above), the creators talk about what they wanted to be when they grew up and how they got started in their careers. In the second one, they talk about their first breaks. Check out the second one after the jump.

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Really, it was always just a matter of time before these two great products of the 1980s, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen and Hasbro’s My Little Pony, met. Even if it is The Hub’s strange new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon — seriously, that’s the name — mashed up with Zack Snyder’s 2009 comic-book adaptation.  “From the visionary director of 300 Ponies,” it’s … Ponymen. Stay gold, Ponymen. Stay gold.

(via Colleen Doran)

The second season of The Variants, the humorous web series set at Zeus Comics in Dallas, kicks off today. It picks up with what the employees have been doing since the store was seized by the IRS at the end of last season.

“Oh the places our crew will go to make a buck,” said Chris Williams of Zeus Comics. “Our story continues after the shop closes, the crew have to make their own way in the world — to varying degrees of success. Keli’s peddling comics to little girls, Richard manning a bath house, and Barry waiting tables at ‘The Vertical Smile.’ I know, it’s hammy for sure!”

The first season of The Variants will be released on DVD later this month.

Scott McCloud offers a “how to” guide on the under-appreciated art of lettering comics. Above is part one; you can also watch part two on YouTube.

Toronto Comic Arts Festival: Pencil it In from Toronto Comic Arts Festival on Vimeo.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, or TCAF, is coming up May 7-8, and to promote it some friends of the organizers have created this nifty video featuring many of Toronto’s talented comics folks — Chester Brown, Michael Comeau, Steve Charles Manale, Vicki Nerino, Michael Cho, Michael DeForge, Seth, Fiona Smyth and Britt Wilson.

While in the Bay Area a few weeks ago for WonderCon, Paul Levitz, former DC president and publisher and current Legion of Super-Heroes writer, headed down the peninsula to speak at Google’s offices in Mountain View as a part of their Authors@Google speaker series. It’s a lengthy video, but well worth the time to check it out.

(Hat tip: Tom Galloway)

Marvel spoofs the Darth Vader Volkswagon ad from this year’s Super Bowl, sharing several little Easter Eggs with fans in the ad — see if you can find them all.

As if Portland, Ore. needed any more help in becoming comic-friendly, apparently their mayor is also a superhero. Mayor Sam Adams appeared at the recent Stumptown Comics Fest in full cosplay, dressed as SamDroid, a character designed by Manny McIvor as part of a competition held by the Alter Egos Society. The above video, courtesy of Things From Another World, includes interviews with the mayor, McIvor and Alter Egos Society founder Benja Barker.

COURTNEY CRUMRIN live w/ Ted Naifeh & This Can’t End Well from theisotope on Vimeo.

Here’s another one that came out of San Francisco’s Noise Pop event last month — Courtney Crumrin creator Ted Naifeh and indie musicians This Can’t End Well did a live performance of Naifeh’s Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things.

“Performed before a truly packed house for San Francisco’s beloved indie music festival, Noise Pop, and truly a shining moment for the first-ever Noise Pop Culture Club,” said Isotope Comics owner James Sime on the store’s blog. “I think you will all really enjoy watching it and seeing what Ted and his merry band of fabulous musicians, actors and sound effectians brought to wow us with.”