Mike Deodato, Jr. sent us a link to his YouTube video of him sketching the Hulk. Can’t think of a better way to start the day.

Sometimes life just kicks you in the teeth for fun

Even though Peter Parker is the everyman hero that we can all sympathize with, I in no way would ever want to be Peter Parker.  The kid can’t catch a break.  If it isn’t some huge international military agency keeping tracks on your every move, it’s the villain of the week trying to wreck your day, and to top it all off, just when you think you’re going to make with the snoo-snoo with that hot red head Mary Jane, your personal stalker shows up.

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There’s lots of discussion going around that the Incredible Hulk might be the big bad the Avengers must go up against in the Avengers moving currently in pre-production. Sounds an awful lot like the first Ultimates, but seeing how Nick Fury is Sam-Mutha-F’in-Jackson in Iron Man, it seems like a given the Avengers movie is heading toward Ultimates territory.

If you have some concerns about Hulk taking on everyone, check out this trailer for Hulk vs. Thor an animated direct to DVD feature arriving in January 2009.

via Marvel

Stephen King’s The Stand is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than releasing the series in comic book form.  Marvel Comics has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of The Stand: Captain Trip #3 that arrives November 12, 2008.

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Or - “And We Still Have Almost NO Idea What’s Going On…”

The art of the big crossover event has changed over the years.  The first one, (in my memory, anyway) Secret Wars, was done almost entirely outside of the regular titles’ continuity, with the individual heroes stories jumping forward a few weeks in time, while the miniseries played out separately for the rest of the year.  Crisis on Infinite Earths took place everywhere at once, causing for weird moments where characters we expected to see in one place turned up in another.  Civil War annoyed me with it’s tendency to put the home titles in low gear or idle while we waited to see what played out in the main title.  Secret Invasion has done a little bit of all of these, in that the Avengers titles have been indefinitely suspended in favor of Skrully Flashback Theatre, whereas Spider-Man’s home books completely ignore that anything called Skrullapalooza even happened, except for that “Mary Jane vs. Sinister Six Super Skrull” miniseries, and both Fantastic Four and X-Men have done their crossover bits as separate from their regular minis.  Last issue, our heroes rallied, banding together for the big fight…  What happens this issue?

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They meddled in God’s domain

I love how Marvel introduced the Watchers into the Ultimate Universe.  Throughout the five issue run of Ultimate Origins, they have been the silent central characters who bare witness to all the key moments in this universe’s history.  And now that this prequel to Ultimatum is over, it suddenly clicks.  Beware! Major Spoilers of Ultimate Origins #5 ahead!

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Woot!  The next comic book adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game sereis is getting the treatment from Marvel.  The company has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of Ender’s Shadow: Battle School #1, that follows the continuing adventures of Ender Wiggin.

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More solicitation goodness coming your way, this time from Marvel Comics, as the company has sent Major Spoilers the cover images and solicitation information for titles arriving in January 2009.

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What happens when you take four superheroes, lock them in quarantine until a space toxin is removed from their systesm?  Welcome to the real world like you’ve never seen it before as the Fantastic Four get a little cabin fever and start taking it out on one another.  Good thing there are those kids hanging around… They always solve the problems the adults can’t… yeah… stupid grown ups…

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Who’s under the mask?  There’s a new Black Panther in town, and she’s smokin’ hot.  In an interview with the Washington Post, both Joe Quesada and Reginal Hudlin were mum on the new player in T’Challa.

The news, of course, is sure to spark controversy among fans — not unlike when Captain America began packing heat this year. How will Hudlin react to that?

“Honestly, my entire run on the series has been controversial. Which is great,” he says. “All the writers I admire are hotly debated online, and I feel like I’m always in great company in that situation. But more importantly, it means that people care about the book.”

Anyone want to take bets on if it is the X-(wo)Man formerly known as Storm? We’ll find out when the issue arrives in an extra-sized volume in February 2009.

via Marvel

The battle between Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze just turned into an all out war.  In an election year, one has to wonder why one if blue and one is red, and if the outcome of the election will in anyway be influenced by this issue…nah, I didn’t think so either.

Marvel was kind enough to send Major Spoilers a sneak peek of Ghost Rider #29.

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Deadpool has been kicking some Skrully butt for three issue now, and for the third time in a row, the title has sold out at the distributor level.  Marvel has promised it will go back to press with a new printing that will arrive November 19, 2008.

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Or - “Two Guys With A Lot In Common…”

Richar Rider and Chris Powell.  Two characters designed to be the next Peter Parker.  Each wearing a strangely shaped bucket on their head, empowered by alien forces, using their powers to fight crime.  Both former New Warriors, both summarily cancelled after a couple dozen issues.  The main difference?  Nova’s third shot at series fame seems to have actually stuck, while Darkhawk has been used as not much more than a prop in the inscrutable and unnecessary Loners miniseries… 

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Many of you  guessed those cute cuddly Marvel heroes were indeed based on the Hasbro action figure line aimed at the young’uns.  Today, Marvel announces the Super Hero Squad: Hero Up! One-shot.

Written by fan favorite scribe Paul Tobin (Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes) and featuring art by the can’t-miss team of Marcelo DiChiara & Chris Sotomayor, this extra-sized one-shot features all your favorite Marvel characters. Experience the Marvel Universe like never before, as the heroes & villains of Super Hero City clash in epic confrontations! Take a stroll down to the Xavier Institute, past the FF’s Baxter Building…but don’t stray too far, because dastardly Doctor Doom’s domain is the next block over…! Plus, learn more about your favorite heroes with bios and more!

In addition to shipping with two covers (previously seen), there’s also a full poster featuring both covers joined together.

Super Hero Squad: Hero Up! arrives January 07, 2009 for $3.99.  The poster will sell for $8.99.

via Marvel

News last week that Don Cheadle was replacing Terrence Howard in the Iron Man sequel probably didn’t suprise anyone more than Terrence Howard.

It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. [The contract] just…up and vanished. I read something in the trades implicating that it was about money or something, but apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren’t worth the paper that they’re printed on, sometimes. Promises aren’t kept, and good faith negotiations aren’t always held up.

That’s Howard in an interview with NPR this past weekend. Having been on the short end of contracts several times, I know how these things look like they are going somewhere and then disappear in the middle of the night.  If there were contracts that were signed, then there may be more to this story than what we are hearing on NPR and the H’wood trades.  However, if no contracts were signed and things were being negotiated between Marvel and Howard’s agent, then anything goes.

via Chud