I Hope They Give Her A Skimpy Costume

Believe it or not, the CW drama Smallville, the show about Superman's coming of age, is still on the air. At this point, I'm not sure who's watching it. Don't get me wrong - the show started off great. But it's been a tough road over the years. The mythos of the Man of Steel is long and detailed, so there's only so much that can be done before you start stepping on toes and pissing people off. The other side of that is the show has spent many seasons doing nothing - story arks that go on for half the year are conveniently wiped out just before the point of no return, which usually doesn't sit well with the more general, non-comic fan part of the audience.

For the past couple of years, the formula for keeping the show going has been to involve other DC characters in the mix. Lois Lane became a regular, and we've seen guest appearances by Aquaman, The Flash, Green Arrow, and a few other lesser heroes that no one really cares about. They even started the Justice League, which was really lame.

And word has just dropped that it'll be more of the same next season. In an official press release, it was announced that Supergirl would be joining the cast. There have been multiple back stories for this character, but the one they're going with is that she's Clark's cousin from Krypton, and she has all of Kal-El's abilities. The distinction is important - this means she can fly, something that Clark has yet to do in the series. If you ask me, it's about time he started. Flying is the coolest part of being Superman. Well, that and the x-ray vision.

The release doesn't mention who'll be playing the role, but it should be a hottie. Supergirl has been portrayed by some foxes over the years, and is usually drop dead gorgeous in comic form.

Despite the "boring" persona that many attribute to the character, Supergirl has always been one of my favorites. There's just something about a hot chick that can bend steel - know what I mean? I don't think this will be anywhere near enough to please the dissolving fan base of the show, but I'm sure as hell happy about the announcement. I wonder how long it will be before someone pitches a show about Black Cat or Black Canary...

And Here I Thought Robin And Aquaman Were The Only Gay Superheroes

Ever notice how Spiderman's "spidey sense" only tingled when he was around other men? It looks like Marvel's favorite son is finally coming out of the closet, and he's heading straight for Broadway. That's right, it's Spiderman: The Musical.

Let me say that for you one more time: Spiderman: The Musical. Let's wait a minute before we go on, to give the comic fanboys a chance to calm down, breathe, and pick their jaws up off the floor. Okay? Great. I guess all those years of wearing tights and shooting men with his sticky goo have finally caught up with everyone's favorite webslinger. Now Spidey's fabulous, and he's gonna shout it from the stage.

The music for this monstrosity will be developed by U2's Bono and The Edge. Don't these guys have a tree to go save or something? And as of right now, there's no release date.

Honestly, I'm just as surprised about this as you are. Sure, the costume's a little fruity - a real man wears a cape when he fights crime. But still, between Mary Jane and Black Cat, he always had a hot chick on his arm. Still, you've got to wonder about a grown man that lives with his aunt. That's never a good sign.

Do You Like Movies About Gladiators?

I don't know about you, but it looks like a few million people find something appealing about a bunch of sweaty guys in shorts. Damn, I hope we're talking about women here...

Opening this past Friday, 300 earned $70 million in its first weekend, making it one of the top grossing R-rated movie debuts in history. The kicker? The movie only cost $60 million to make, thanks to shooting just about everything in front of a blue screen. Here come the money.

300 follows the 300 man (get it?) Spartan army in their battle against the million man Persian army. The movie is based on a graphic novel, aka fancy comic book, written by Frank Miller, the man who also brought us Sin City. And when I say based on, I mean based on. Many of the shots in the movie are direct recreations of panels in the comic. Whether this is a good or bad thing is hard to say - some fans will love that the film says true to the novel, while others will feel it's just a Hollywood rip-off. Make your own decision.

Despite all the partial male nudity, this is a good film. The blood and gore are over the top, so this is not a film for the youngins', but truthfully it's all just CGI. The action sequences are great, but I'm not thrilled with the overall "look" of the movie. The colors and tones are all very muted, and it just doesn't pop. Maybe that's a good thing, since more vibrancy might make the CGI aspects stand out as totally fake.

Gladiator movies have never really been big-time, but 300 seems to be bucking the trend. Despite the shirtless action. Have I mentioned that there's way too much male skin in this thing? Sure, there are a couple of hot ladies there as well - like the oracle - but directors need to remember the audience this type of movie plays to. How about a sequence with warrior women, where they all wear skimpy little leather bikinis and dance around the fire pit at night? I smell a sequel.

Nothing Says Snazzy Like A Cape

Captain America may have just bitten the dust, but it's still a good time for superheroes - even old school ones. And when you think of a superhero, who else comes to mind but the one, the only, Superman. But this time, it's not about a crappy live action movie. No, sir. This time, it's a crappy, direct to DVD, animated movie. Yeah, now we're talking.

Actually, the whole death motif is rearing its ugly head once again, as this movie will be a film adaptation of the comic book "Death of Superman" ark from back in the 90's. This was an excellent story, about Superman's battle with Doomsday and his subsequent death. Okay, maybe that ending wasn't so good...

Despite my initial reaction, this movie does have a shot at being good. Anyone who remembers the Superman animated series from a decade ago knows that it didn't suck. And the Justice League/JLU series recently on Cartoon Network was critically acclaimed - by comic book geeks and nerds everywhere. But hey, those guys have high standards.

I'd be more excited about this project if it premiered on TV first, since it would suggest higher production values. Then again, it's possible this could be aimed at an older audience, and could be drawn in a darker, more modern perspective. I think a lot of the fans would appreciate that. It would go a long way in making up for steaming pile of kryptonite that was the last live flick.

This should at least be worth a rent - the man of steel has earned that. And as for Captain America, don't shed too many tears. Superheroes don't tend to stay dead for very long.

Comic Con NY - Cause East Coast Geeks Need Love Too

For years, east coast comic book geeks have had to haul a$$ all the way out to San Diego just to get their X-Men and Incredible Hulk fixes at Comic Con. But all that changed last year, with the introduction of New York Comic Con. East coast comic freaks were thrilled, as it meant less money spent traveling, and more money spent on a life size bust of Black Cat (money well spent).

The second annual New York Comic Con took place this past weekend at the Javits Center in NYC, and it was bigger than last year. All the major players in the comics, movies, and toy world were there, including Marvel, DC, Amok Time, Mattel, and Lions Gate (full list here). You see, Comic Con isn't just about comic books - it involves all the major entertainment players. Over the years, the big companies have realized just how much money there is to be made in the comic universe. Unfortunately, that's meant that we've had to suffer through such mediocrity as Daredevil and Elektra, but good things, like the Spiderman movie franchise, have also come from it.

Some big news this year revolved around the 10th anniversary of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV show. Much of the cast, but not Gellar, showed up for a panel on Saturday, to interact with the fans and sign autographs. Some other notables at this year's convention included Stan Lee (wouldn't be a Comic Con without him), Stephen Colbert, Jason Mewes, and Hayden Panettiere - probably the first time a hottie TV cheerleader was within 10 feet of a comic book.

Notable by his absence was Kevin Smith, unless he was hiding somewhere in the back. Smith has been very involved in the comic book world over the years, although he's never really had as much time for it as the fans would like.

Unfortunately, Hasbro was too tied up with Toy Fair to have any major Transformers announcements at the show, but there's still plenty of time for more news to drop between now and July. But Comic Con International (in San Diego) will be in the end of July, after the Transformers movie release, so a large presence there probably isn't a good bet.

Check out all the details about this year's NY Comic Con at the official website here. And truthfully, that stuff I said about one or the other show is nonsense. You're not a true fan unless you hit both. So save those pennies, and sell that autographed hardcover copy of The Watchmen if you have to, but be sure to make it to San Diego this summer, and NYC next winter. Cause you never know when a hot TV cheerleader is going to be at the Con.