The "Speeding Bulletin" is your weekly Superman news video, recapping the latest events in the world of Superman. It also includes the "Bailey Planet" rant, Neal Bailey's thought of the week, brought to you in his own infamous style.

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Posted by Steve Younis on July 25, 2008 12:06am EST

0 Comments · 27 Reads ·

Some of you might consider the information to be spoiler-ish in nature so you've been put on notice.

The Superman books are planned until 2010. This includes "Superman", "Action Comics", and "Supergirl". Johns explained that "Superman/Batman" is not under the purview of the Superman creative team, that its considered more on its own, though they will be examining the relationship between Superman and Batman more in the Superman titles.

Among the major revelations: The triangular numbering system is returning, though not on all the Superman titles. It will be used when there's a continuing storyline that specifically crosses the three super-titles.

Here's some of the more interesting parts of CBR's report:

The panel then turned the floor over to fans for questions.

Any ideas beyond New Krypton? Johns: Books are planned into 2010. "One of my favorite characters is coming up: Superwoman....

Johns said Captain Atom will play a role in future Superman storylines.

Rumor: the triangle numbers are coming back? Yes. They won't be on every single issue, but they will be present for crossover issues.

What happened to Donner on Action Comics? Johns: "He was always meant to be on for a year, and with the delays that meant we worked together for about a year. But we're eight months ahead now, I'm really excited."....

What's your take on Supergirl? Gates: "I think she's the strongest girl in the world, she's just inexperienced. She's a teenager."

Is there anything in store for Lois Lane? Johns: "Many, many things. She's obviously one of the most important characters, if not the second most important character. We have a major storyline coming up. She has to be cool. If Superman's going to marry her, she has to be the coolest girl in the world."

Does the Lois Lane storyline have anything to do with Superwoman? Johns: "No."

Johns said that books like his run on "The Flash" and Robinson's "Starman" are kind of models for the approach to the Superman titles whereby character is the focus.

Robinson said he is eager to bring Jimmy Olsen back to "being a guy who one day will be the greatest reporter Metropolis has ever seen. He still stumbles, but one day he'll be this great guy. It's meant to be an interesting dichotomy of a young man finding himself. Jimmy will be around and we'll make him almost as important as Lois and Clark."

Any chance of the Superman team becoming involved in the Superman films? Johns: "We have no connection to that, but we'd love to do it. It'd be fun to see Brainiac on the big screen."

CBR also caught up with Geoff Johns to ask him about the up-coming "New Krypton" saga...

"The story grows out of my 'Brainiac' arc in 'Action' and the 'Atlas' arc James has going in 'Superman.' But to put it simply, when those stories end there are 100,000 Kryptonians left on Earth going: 'This must be New Krypton, how wonderful.' And the story builds from there.

"It's obviously a very personal story for Superman, and Supergirl gets caught up in the action pretty quick."

Posted by Steve Younis on July 25, 2008 12:06am EST

3 Comments · 76 Reads ·

"SUPERMAN/BATMAN features key elements that make a great game -- superhuman powers, adventure, and exciting characters taken right from DC Comics' mythology," said Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu. "This new title brings two of the world's most recognized and beloved super heroes together for the first time on mobile, and we're excited to offer this title to fans around the world."

In addition to the mobile game, Glu will publish additional mobile content including wallpapers, ringtones, animated screensavers, voice tones and ringbacks.

"Together with Glu, we look forward to giving gamers the opportunity to experience action as SUPERMAN and BATMAN by making the game available to a broad audience of mobile consumers around the world," said Maria Seidman, vice president, business development, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

The SUPERMAN/BATMAN mobile game will be released in December and will be available worldwide through Glu's global network of wireless carriers and distributors.

For information visit www.glu.com

Posted by Steve Younis on July 25, 2008 12:06am EST

0 Comments · 46 Reads ·

On Monday, July 21st, a strange visitor from another planet was celebrated much closer to the hometown of his creation than the planet of his "birth." The Main Branch of the Toledo (Ohio) Public Library held its "Superman at 70!" program hosted by comics journalist and historian, Jim Beard. The event was scheduled to be a multimedia affair, giving people new insight into one of America's most beloved icons while at the same time providing fans (old and new) with a glimpse of the future.

The evening began with Rhonda Sewell (the Library's media relations person), but is wasn't long before Beard was brought up and given the chance to take the fans through a brief historical tour of the history of Superman in comics. Jim fired up the PowerPoint and provided insightful commentary through a concise recollection of highlights from the Man of Steel's seventy years in publishing. Before that began, however, Jim shared a drawing from 1933 that Siegel and Schuster used to shop their idea around. Eventually, Sheldon Mayer (with National Periodicals, which would one day become DC) gave the fellas a chance and took the character on. Following his debut in "Action Comics" #1, where Superman grabbed the cover of the anthology, Superman was awarded his own title in 1939.

Chuckling about the "Superman 101" lecture-style setup of the filled to capacity room, Beard dazzled the attendees with rare photos and art samples, including a photo of Ray Middleton - the first actor to assume the mantle of Superman while working the 1940 World's Fair. His costume was resplendent in the Ben Cooper sense in that the word "Superman" was emblazoned as part of the S-shield.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 25, 2008 12:05am EST

0 Comments · 21 Reads ·

It's summer. I'm hot and bored. So let's mix it up a little this week. First I'm going to tell you what's on the tube that's directly Superman related. Then, rather than the typical alphabetical listing, this week's listings will be listed by the character the actor is best known for playing. It'll all make sense, you'll see.

"Hollywoodland", featuring Ben Affleck as George Reeves ("The Adventures of Superman") airs on HBO Signature Tuesday at 9 AM and again at 11 PM on HBO Signature.

"Superman Returns", which stars Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, airs on More Max Tuesday at 4:50 PM.

"Smallville" repeats "Traveler" Thursday at 8 PM on the CW. For high-definition "Smallville" repeats, check the schedule over at HD-Net.

"Superman: The Animated Series" airs on Toon Disney weekdays at 8 AM, weeknights at 7 PM, and weekends at 6 PM and 10:30 PM. Also on Toon Disney is "Batman: The Animated Series".

On Boomerang, catch "JLU" nightly at 11 PM, "Krypto the Superdog" weeknights at 7 PM, and the "Super Friends" nightly at Midnight. Check the Boomerang website by clicking here for episode listings.

Click "Read More" below to view Barry's complete "Superman on TV" article.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 25, 2008 12:05am EST

Read More · 1 Comments · 36 Reads ·

In part 2 Brian Peterson and Todd Slavkin discuss how the writer's strike affected the show, the death of Lionel Luthor, appearances by other DC Comics characters, and the introduction of Davis Bloome (aka Doomsday). Here's an excerpt from the interview...

TVGuide.com: I was telling Justin Hartley that I hope his return to the show as a regular means more Oliver and Lois. It's a successful pairing, even though it's outside the comic-books' mythos.

Peterson: Al and Miles really set up a show in which every character and every situation has a slight twist to it from the mythos, much like the different versions of the comic books do. We really pay attention to the mythos, but then try to put a spin on it. This year, we're introducing Davis Bloome (Battlestar Galactica's Sam Witwer) as Doomsday [the comic book villain that "killed" Superman in 1992], and we have a completely different take on it. As the season goes by, people will find he's very much in line with the mythology.

TVGuide.com: But Doomsday won't have the concrete jagged edges coming out of his body?

Slavkin: It's a reimagination and a reinvention. We didn't want to take a character straight out of the comics, just as Al and Miles took Lex and created their very own version, which, in our minds, is the best version of any Lex Luthor in the history of the Superman folklore. We're doing the same thing with Doomsday. So while we definitely make a nod to the original, this is our own. I think the fans will be pleasantly excited.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 24, 2008 7:50pm EST

8 Comments · 182 Reads ·

Why is he [Davis Bloome] evil if Superman is so nice?

Well, in our version, in our interpretation of the character, there are very specific reasons. I can't really go into them, but what I can tell you is the character's name is Davis Bloome. He's a paramedic in Metropolis, he's very good at his job, and he was raised in the foster system. He went from home to home - he's this survivor character, and he's kind of an outsider. But he's a really nice guy, really cool guy.

How is he introduced?

He's brought into the story when he strikes up a friendship with Chloe (Allison Mack) on the show. Chloe is dating Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore), so he doesn't want to step in - he's too nice of a guy to steal her. Because who wants to steal from Jimmy Olsen? Sweet little red-haired kid. Anyway, David starts losing large amounts of time. He's blacking out. He doesn't understand why.

Uh-oh.

Yeah, eventually this character will embark on a quest to find out why these blackouts are happening, and what he discovers is horrifying for the character, and hopefully horrifying for the audience. The producers, I don't know if they saw me in The Mist or in Dexter, but they approached me for the role, and they pitched a very interesting idea, and they wanted to get dark with it. Like darker than anything than anything that's been on the show. They want to get really psychologically messed up.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 24, 2008 7:50pm EST

7 Comments · 161 Reads ·

Any scoop on when Kristin Kreuk will be returning to Smallville?

Ausiello: Would you believe sweeps? Shocking, I know. According to exec producer Brian Wayne Peterson, who I cornered at The CW's press tour party last week, Kreuk's five-episode stint as Lana will kick off in early November. "She'll come back at a very inopportune time for Clark," he hints. In the meantime, while Ms. Lang's off "giving Clark some space," the man who would be Super will be growing closer to Lois. "They'll be working together this year at Daily Planet," Peterson says, "and some friction is going to come out of that." Not to mention several winks to classic Superman lore - beginning in the season premiere. Teases Peterson: "There might be a phone booth moment between the two of them."

Now that Al Gough and Miles Millar are gone from Smallville, will the new show-runners amend their "No flights, no tights" policy?

Ausiello: Um… hell, yeah! "We are respecting everything that Al and Miles have set up," offers Peterson, choosing his words carefully. "All I'll say is we can definitely guarantee that there are no tights."

Any other scoop about Smallville?

Ausiello: Obviously, I wasn't going to cut Peterson lose without asking him about Smallville's most celebrated non-couple, Clark and Chloe. "We definitely touch on [her feelings for him]," he says. Adds fellow EP Todd Slavkin: "They've been best friends for a long time, and Clark would never get in the way of her pursuing her happiness. But oftentimes, feelings have a way of creeping in. That's all we'll say." Um, you've said more than enough, my friend. More than enough!

Posted by Steve Younis on July 24, 2008 1:38am EST

21 Comments · 466 Reads ·

Comic-Con International 2008 runs from July 24-27 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Click "Read More" to see what other Superman-related events and panels are scheduled over the 4 days.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 24, 2008 12:00am EST

Read More · 4 Comments · 176 Reads ·

Singer, who has directed films about virtuous superheroes with the first two "X-Men," "X2" and "Superman Returns," is interested in exploring the darker side of the subject. He will only be producer on the project.

In "Capeshooters," two slackers become paparazzi who specialize in shooting covert videos of superheroes find themselves on the run after they stumble onto evidence that a revered superhero is actually a villain.

UPDATE: On the back of the above news, Variety is now reporting that Singer's Bad Hat Harry Productions has also teamed with Radical Pictures to develop a live-action feature from "Freedom Formula", a five issue comic book series created by Edmund Shern.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 24, 2008 12:00am EST

13 Comments · 387 Reads ·

Q: How will DC Universe Online differ from other MMOs?

A: To me, a lot of MMOs are fairly, I wouldn't say static, but it's the kind of thing where you start, push "attack," and get a cup of coffee, come back and say, "I won." (In DC Universe), you are constantly moving and actually doing a lot more dogfight-type battles, running along on the ground and flying and going around buildings and blasting people. It's chaotic, but it's organized and it's very, very dynamic. To me, that is kind of how superheroes fight. It's not like they stand there and trade blows. The cities are their playgrounds, and they demolish them.

Q: What can you say about the artistic style of the game?

A: I actually spend a lot of time on the faces. As a gamer, I like to go up and look at people's faces and see how good of a job they did. For me, it does feel more alive because the video games have sound and movement. ... To me, I'm not trying to get Superman to look like he is the guy who lives next door. To me, he should still look iconic and bold, and that's what we do best.

Posted by Steve Younis on July 23, 2008 12:14am EST

8 Comments · 200 Reads ·

Click on the cover image or title below to download the sneak peek PDF file for each comic.

SUPERMAN #678
Written by James Robinson
Art by Renato Guedes
& Jose Wilson Magalhaés
Cover by Alex Ross
James Robinson's run on SUPERMAN continues as the battle for Metropolis between Superman and the long-vanished Atlas rages on. It's full-scale war, mano a mano, in the streets of the city.
Plus: the secret of where Atlas has been and how he ended up in the modern age is revealed! And if that weren't enough, who is the shadowy figure pulling the titan's strings?
On sale July 23. 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #23
Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Art and cover by Ed Benes
It's all-out Amazon fury against Amazo! Wonder Woman is the last Leaguer standing against the souped-up android - and the prize is Red Tornado's body!
On sale July 23. 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Posted by Steve Younis on July 23, 2008 12:14am EST

9 Comments · 205 Reads ·