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Stephen King is not just a prolific writer, he's a ravenous reader. Those two qualities mean that he has a strong sense for, among other storytelling talents, what makes a great antagonist. (King's favorite villains include Count Dracula and Anton Chigurh.)

King's own books have plenty of memorable bad guys: Pennywise, Randall Flagg, Greg Stillson, Cujo, etc. One of his more obscure villains resides not in the "Kingverse," though, but the Marvel Comics universe.

Stephen King doesn't watch or like Marvel Studios movies, but he's been a comic book fan for a long time. Some of King's earliest stories, he's said, were ones he copied out of the comics he was reading as a kid. The love has endured since he became a professional writer. King's novel "Firestarter" feels like the superhero and horror genres converging, while "The Dark Tower" series features werewolves dressed like Doctor Doom ("the Wolves of...

This post contains spoilers for "Deadpool & Wolverine."

The end credits of "Deadpool & Wolverine" feature clips from past "X-Men" movies, set to Green Day's misunderstood break-up song "Good Riddance." Marvel Studios is prepping the merry mutants to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so the era of early "X-Men" films is over. But are these movies really worth celebrating?

Look, I like some of the "X-Men" movies on their own terms. "Logan" is a gem; I even think director James Mangold's first mutant rodeo, "The Wolverine," is underrated. "X2" is solid, despite being a much-less complex story than its source material, "God Loves, Man Kills" by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson. I like the story about Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) buried inside "X-Men: First Class." And "X-Men: Days of Future Past" has some of the best silver screen superhero action ever.

But as I dive deeper into the comics,...

Spoilers for "X-Men '97" follow.

You may not remember that the original "X-Men" cartoon from 1992 kicked off a flurry of '90s Marvel cartoons sometimes known as "The Marvel Animated Universe." This universe is less well known than the contemporary DC Animated Universe ("Batman: The Animated Series" up to "Justice League Unlimited"). The DC cartoons were overseen by a single creative team, so the connections were organic and culminated in story arcs. The Marvel cartoons, though? They all aired simultaneously (rather than in succession like the DC ones) and had different creators, so the most intersection was occasional crossovers.

"X-Men '97" remains laser-focused on the marvelous mutants, but it hasn't been shy about including cameos from other corners of the Marvel Comics setting. Episode 6, "Lifedeath – Part 2" featured Ronan The Accuser (you might remember him as the villain in "Guardians of the Galaxy"). Episode 7, "Bright Eyes," saw Rogue butt heads with Captain America.

Exclusive: Candidates backed by Fran Drescher in local SAG-AFTRA elections are racking up impressive wins as early results from around the country continue to come in. Candidates that her Unite for Strength slate deem “Drescher-friendly” already have won in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Austin, Miami, the Missouri Valley, Portland, San Francisco, the Twin Cities and elsewhere.

Members backed by the opposition MembershipFirst slate have won just a handful of races thus far.

Today, members of the union’s Michigan Local re-elected Erik Wydra as president, who Drescher endorsed in a campaign video in which she said: “You must, must, must vote for Eric Wydra for Michigan Local president. He’s been an incredible leader locally and nationally.” Wydra got 132 votes, defeating challenger Franco Pulice, who received 55 votes. Three of the four convention delegates Drescher endorsed also won there.

Only 11 of the union’s 25 locals have completed their elections so far, while...

Scotty McCreery will release his new studio album later this year. The singer’s Same Truck arrives September 17th and includes his current single “You Time,” as well as the recently released song “Why You Gotta Be Like That.”

Same Truck follows McCreery’s 2018 album Seasons Change, which saw him return to the radio airwaves with a succession of Number Ones including “Five More Minutes” and “In Between.” As with that album, McCreery’s collaborators Frank Rogers and Aaron Eshuis are back to handle production alongside Derek Wells. The Same Truck track list includes 12 songs,...

With SXSW mere weeks away, the annual confab has added more featured speakers and keynotes to the 34th edition of its conference which takes place March 13-22.edule.

Added to the lineup of keynotes are Chief Creative Officer of Tbwa\Media Arts Lab Brent Anderson, and the “Are You Ready for the Future of Space Exploration?” Keynote with Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, Tyler N. “Nick” Hague, and CNN Business writer Jackie Wattles. They join previously announced keynotes that include Janelle Monae, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Damon Lindelof, Lulu Wang, Michael Moore and more.

On top of that, they have added a roster of more names from film, TV and media to their featured speaker programming including Katie Couric, Mr. Eazi, Chris Evans, Emily V. Gordon, Tamron Hall, Gillian Jacobs, Karlie Kloss, Kumail Nanjiani, Frank Oz, RZA, Alicia Tillman, among others.

Read the full list of additions below.

South by Southwest has unveiled a new batch of keynote conversations and featured speakers for their forthcoming tech-film-music confab which will take place March 13-22, 2020.

CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King will hold court in a Keynote with Bumble CEO and Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, and Blackstone’s Global Head of Growth Equity Jon Korngold.

“Whitney Wolfe Herd’s journey from entrepreneur to CEO of one of the most successful tech companies focused on connecting people embodies the spirit of creativity and innovation that is inherent to SXSW.” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer. “The event continues to be a unique destination for learning and discovery, and we’re honored to bring together so many influential voices and business leaders next March.”

In addition, there will be a Better Call Saul conversation with co-creators and executive producers Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, actor Bob Odenkirk, and actress Rhea Seehorn. Acclaimed...

The hotly contested SAG-AFTRA presidential election is in full swing, but the presidents of 16 of the union’s 25 locals spread out across the country already have been “declared elected without the necessity of a membership vote” because they were running unopposed.

Members of five locals – in Colorado, Dallas-Fort Worth, Portland, Seattle and the Twin Cities – didn’t cast a single ballot for any of their officers, board members or convention delegates because all were running unopposed. In Colorado, there was no presidential candidate on the ballot because no one submitted in a timely manner.

On the national level, there is plenty of competition in the races for president, secretary-treasurer and the national board of directors. But that’s not the case at many of the smaller locals, where more often than not, incumbents are returned to office without opposition.

Local presidents elected or reelected without the necessity of...

Jim Dandy Feb 26, 2019

I very nearly started this preview of Action Comics #1008 with “Who would have guessed Steve Epting would be an Amazing Superman artist?” I realized about halfway through typing it, though, that this is an incredibly stupid thing to write. Literally everyone would have guessed that. Even me, once I thought about it for the briefest of seconds.

The initial surprise was seeded by the work I know him best from. His time on Captain America with Ed Brubaker and New Avengers with Jonathan Hickman is decidedly not-Supermannish. Cap was all about putting Steve Rogers in a hole so deep he could barely climb back out of, breaking him with his own past. New Avengers was the opposite and simultaneously darker by an almost ridiculous amount - ripping down the entire multiverse, while also tearing down the moral centers of the characters who mostly occupied the moral center of the Marvel Universe.

Known for his Emmy-winning roles playing curmudgeons, ranging from Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Carl in the Pixar film Up, actor Ed Asner's true character is that of a philanthropist and loving father who shared his passion for comic books with his children.

Earlier this year, the legendary actor and founders Matt and Navah Asner opened The Ed Asner Family Center, to offer a host of programs, classes and therapy dedicated to promoting self-confidence in differently abled individuals. They plan to open in their new location in November.

On Oct. 17, Heritage Auctions is hosting The Ed Asner Family Center Original Comic Art Charity Auction at Ha.com/Asner. Today’s leading comic book artists, including Kevin Nowlan, Alex Ross, Jim Lee and more, have donated high-profile work for the online auction.

“The Asner family have always been comic book fans,” said Matt Asner, Ed Asner’s...

Cole Swindell will release his new album All of It on August 17th, a record that, judging by the tracks he’s unveiled so far, indicates a more mature direction for the Georgia songwriter.

“Love You Too Late” is the latest taste of the album, a road song for the one who got away and is now off traveling some interstate. The narrator, meanwhile, is trying in vain to reverse what went wrong – and even the brown liquor won’t help. Written by Swindell, Brandon Kinney and Michael Carter (who...

Welcome back to another installment of Panel Discussion – this time featuring a rundown of my picks of the Top 50 comics released in April 2018. This is part two, a countdown of books 25 – 1… But first the caveats:

First and foremost this is simply my list and with that comes a great deal of subjectivity. Any art form is a subjective medium and taste plays a major role. So if you feel my rankings are way off you probably have a legitimate point. My hope is to simply to highlight great books that deserve attention. We too often focus on the negative so why not take some time to celebrate the positive.

Since this is my list that also means I can only rank issues I have actually read. There may be a book that is in your top five that does not make the cut. Please let me know. I try to...

The producer of Neil Gaiman's American Gods series, FremantleMedia North America, has acquired the rights to a superhero comic book series, Astro City. Their plan in to develop it as an epic live-action TV drama series.

Astro City was created by writer Kurt Busiek and artists Brent Anderson and Alex Ross. This is a big universe that consists of 16 standalone loosely-connected story arcs and contains more than 2,000 original characters. The comic made its debut in 1995 at Image Comics but is now being published by DC Comics. This is such a huge world and it has awesome potential as a series.

For those of you who are not familiar with the comic, here's a rundown of the story:

The fictional Astro City universe explores the lives of ordinary people and those of the all-too-human superhumans in their midst, and their collective, daily struggle to hold on to hope in the face of world-shaking,...

Fremantle Media, the producer behind the American Gods TV show on Starz, has announced that they'll be developing a live-action television series based on the  Astro City comic book series. Created by writer Kurt Busiek and artists Brent Anderson and Alex Ross, the on-going series boasts a population of over 2,000 original characters, who throughout the years have been introduced by... Read More...

American Gods producer FremantleMedia North America has acquired the rights to Astro City superhero comic book series to develop as a live-action TV drama series. The Astro City comics, created by writer Kurt Busiek and artists Brent Anderson and Alex Ross, spans 16 (and counting) standalone yet loosely-connected story arcs containing more than 2,000 original characters. It is claimed to be the last, fully fleshed out superhero universe in the English language comic book…...

DC Comics' "Astro City" #50, now available, is written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Brent Anderson, with a cover by Alex Ross:

"...'Michael Tenicek' lost his wife, years ago, to a 'chronal' cataclysm. 

"But he's not the only one in 'Astro City' whose life has been upended by life among the superheroes...

"...in this sequel to the 'The Nearness of You'..."

Click the images to enlarge...

The Performer | Ellen Pompeo

The Show | Grey’s Anatomy

The Episode | “The Sound of Silence” (Feb. 11, 2016)

The Performance | If a picture really says a thousand words, this review is superfluous: Any image we publish of Pompeo’s stricken face from this week’s Grey’s will tell you all you need to know about her visceral performance.

After an attack by a disoriented patient left Meredith temporarily deaf and unable to speak, her portrayer turned her visage into a notepad, on which she scrawled volumes about her character’s fear and confusion, her rage and despair. Frankly, between the articulateness...

If I had to place a wager on who will "out-Mars" Austin talent Jonny Mars with the number of film projects that one Texan can possibly be associated with in one year, my bet for the top contender is Dallas-based Farah White. At this year's Dallas International Film Festival, White was involved in five films as either a member of the cast and producer.

Hell hath no fury like a Texas woman scorned in Rachel Shepard's About Mom and Dad, a comedic drama of a couple whose decades-long marriage disintegrates. White leads the ensemble Texas cast as Teri, effortlessly delivering many of the film's witty lines including, "There are no sides -- you just need to know that I am right." Dallas-based Brent Anderson stars as dad Eddie, and Austinites Heather Kafka and Jonny Mars also appear in supporting roles in the movie.

White is also executive producer for About Mom and Dad,...

Another day, another Comic-Con schedule! Are you ready to plan out our Saturday at this years convention!? Once again there's a ton of great panels going on including Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, The Hobbit, Marvel TV, Django Unchained, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and more!

Saturday has shaped up to be a hell of a great day for those of you attending Comic-Con. I've put *** next to all of the panels that we want to attend, but like every year, I'm sure we'll be covering a lot more stuff.

We'll be wearing our GeekTyrant shirts, so if you see us walking around San Diego and the convention center, please stop and and say hi! We'd love to meet our readers. We will also be holding our annual meet-up on Wednesday night before the crazy geek storm.

Check out the schedule below and let us know what panels you'll be attending,...

We hold in our hands the covers for DC Comics this February. As a child of four can plainly see, these comics have been hermetically sealed in a Cgc 9.9 slab, and they’ve been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar under a giant stack of returned copies of Holy Terror since noon today.

What do we have worth noting? The new look of Darkseid, and we’re far enough into the new 52 books that it’s time for Batman to start crossing over in all of them. Plus Mara Jade, the red-haired assassin who fell in love with her blond-haired man she was sent to kill– oh, I’m sorry, that’s from Star Wars. This is Mera in a jade outfit. Our mistake.

Shall we? Surely!

As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.

Justice League #6

Written by Geoff Johns

Art and cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams

1:...

Once again, a look into the future, with some very interesting looks at the past, including the reprinting of a comic that was never released in America in the first place, the infamous Elseworlds 80 Page Giant that was pulped because of concerns about Superman’s babysitter.

And of course, a whole lot of #3 issues, which is traditionally the issue where Spider-Man guest stars.

Shall we? Surely!

As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.

Justice League #3

Written by Geoff Johns

Art and cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams

1:25 Variant cover by Greg Capullo

1:200 B&W Variant cover by Jim Lee

On sale November 16 • 40 pg, Fc, $3.99 Us • Rated T

Combo pack edition: $4.99 Us

Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.

The superstar team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee continue to make history as they unleash the amazing Amazon,...

Here’s the complete hit list of missing art. You can see some of it here:

Art collectors, Art Sellers and Retailers,

Here is an update on the Green Lantern pages stolen from me on Monday July 25, 2011:

Green Lantern Stolen Art List

Green Lantern: Legacy pp. 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 18, 20, 21, 24, 30-36, 38-40, 42-46, 48, 51-57, 60 67-69

All other pages between 1 and 70 sold prior to Monday July 25, 2011 are “safe” pages. If any person’s safe page is on the stolen list, email Brent Anderson at [email protected] with the page number and the location and date the page was purchased, and it will be recorded with the San Diego Police Department as safe and added to the Safe List.

Silver Age: Green Lantern #1 pp. 3, 5, 7, 8

All other pages sold prior to Monday July 25, 2011 are “safe” pages. If any person’s safe page is on the stolen list, email Brent Anderson at [email protected]...

Brent Anderson had a lot of his art stolen in San Diego. His car was broken into at the San Diego Zoo and the following original art was stolen:

50 pages from Astro City Vols. 1 & 2 & Local Heroes; Astro City: Dark Age Books 1 (#s 1-4), 2 (#s 1-4) & 3 (#s 1-4) (50 pages). Green Lantern: Legacy approx. 45 pages between pages 1-45; Green Lantern Silver Age Special (approx. 4 pages); Gl/Plastic Man team-up special (approx. 8 pages); Rising Stars #s 15-24 (approx. 48 pages)”

One fan has offered a reward for the pages, just to get them back to Brent.

Please share this to as many venues as possible, to get the thief caught and the art returned.

Related articles Alert: Brent Anderson’s artwork has been stolen (comicsbeat.com) Astro City Original Art Stolen From San Diego Zoo (bleedingcool.com)...