Greg Rucka is one of the most acclaimed comic book writers and novelists in the business. Along with wife -- and fellow comic writer -- Jen Van Meter, Rucka is at the forefront of modern comic book writing, as evident from his work on Queen and Country, Whiteout, Gotham Central, Superman: World of New Krypton, DC's Action Comics, and most recently Detective Comics, starring Batwoman.

So you can imagine how excited we were when he agreed to guest host Fresh Ink Online in place of host Blair Butler, who happens to be one of his biggest fans. So sit back and enjoy this special edition of Fresh Ink Online, where Greg chats about three of his all-time favorite comics, The Question, Justice League International, and Mage: The Hero Discovered. Enjoy!

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Rocksteady Studio developers (and famed writer Paul Dini) take you behind the scenes of Batman's "...worst night of his life" in this behind-the-scenes developer video for the Eidos-published Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Inside the Asylum

The Batmobile will lose it's wheel when the Joker gets away August 25 on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

In a recent interview with MTV, Samuel L. Jackson discussed his reprisal of the Nick Fury role for the upcoming Iron Man 2 (a part, which he has now finished shooting.) In a bit of news that may disappoint some fans, it seems that there actually wasn't much to tell. Apparently Jackson's portrayal Nick Fury will NOT see action of any kind in the new film. According to Jackson:

“We still haven’t moved Nick Fury into the bad-ass zone. He’s still just kind of a talker.”

This "rationing" of Jackson might have to do with the terms of the 9 picture deal he signed with Marvel films. (Pure speculation.) Perhaps, the idea was to have Nick Fury play a kind of "puppet-master" behind the scenes for the majority of his film appearances, making the plot of the Iron Man/Avengers-related  films move forward.

Jackson first played the role in a hidden, post-credits scene in the first Iron Man film, where he waits at Tony Stark's home to discuss "The Avengers Initiative." (In a scene that still sends fanboy chills.) Due to the way the scene came across, it was generally assumed that he would fighting alongside Iron Man in the sequel against whatever threat would present itself. That, however, does not seem to be the case, as Fury will likely be a man who simply makes things happen. (Presumably assembling the new Avengers team.) Further strengthening this speculation, Jackson also seemed to imply that his role in the film would be minimized to merely two scenes. In the interview, he stated that "both" of his scenes are with Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson.

When asked if the action would hopefully come in The Avengers, Jackson replied, "looking forward to that, yeah." So, it seems fans will have to wait a while longer to see Nick Fury kicking ass and making evil supervillains look like 10-year-old girls in sundresses.

What do you think about this? Good or disappointing news?

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Fresh Ink Online host Blair Butler ran into legendary comic book writer Grant Morrison at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles, and talked with him about some of the highlights of his long and storied career, which includes having written Animal Man, Final Crisis, and We3. They talked about what's next on Morrison's docket, and where he sees the future going for the world of comics. 

Here, Grant Morrison talks about the film adaptation of his comic, We3:

Movie and TV news site, NukeTheFridge (whose name either represents a sarcastic jab at Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or a deep hatred for William Perry), has exclusively revealed a tidbit on the upcoming Iron Man 2. Was it about something major, like news on the upcoming role of G4's own Olivia Munn? Nope. It was, however, about Marvel God, Stan Lee's obligatory cameo in the film. According to the site:

"Iron Man creator and Marvel comics legend, Stan Lee will be playing "Larry King" in "Iron Man 2."  Lee as "King" will interview Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) on "Larry King Live."   Stan Lee will be questioning Stark about his new, modified "black" Iron Man suit. Our source has also told us that Stan Lee will be a hidden character in the upcoming video game, "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2."  Stan Lee will play a senator in that game."

We've always seen "Stan The Man" in various cameos in Marvel films, almost like a physical watermark tribute to the creator himself. They've always been small, "blink and you miss him" roles that last a mere few seconds. However, this time, it seems Marvel's Living Legend will get a lot more face time, both on the big screen and on the console screen. It's always good to see Stan Lee out and about whether it be on TV (with the cheesy and overly-dramatic reality show, Who Wants To Be A Superhero? being the exception) and in the big Hollywood epics that owe him so much.

Break a leg, Stan. Bust out those acting chops! Show us "True Believers" what's what!

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It's been a weekend of grief for fans. Whether it was spent staring at an old crusty poster of an ex-Charlie's Angel (I'll do you the courtesy of not asking why it's crusty), "Moonwalking" while in tears, or making tribute sculptures with 10 packs of "Mighty Putty" of the man who convinced you to make that fateful 3:00 AM phone call to order them, it was a time to mourn....but not for long. You had movies to see!

Predictably, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hit huge this past weekend, after coming off a $60+ million debut last Wednesday. The film, practically ubiquitous at 10,000 screens and 4,234 sites, has raked-in $112 million for the weekend, pushing the domestic numbers to the level of $201.2 million. Successful? Yeah, probably.

On top of that, it has broken records for being the largest June opening weekend of all time, as well as being the highest non-holiday, non-Friday opening, as well. (7th in the list of all-time opening weekends.)

So, Transformers hit big, yada, yada. No surprise, and hardly earth-shattering news. However, there was an interesting occurrence with the weekend box office that has been somewhat overlooked. Sleeper comedy hit, The Hangover has achieved some bragging rights of its own, as its $183.2 million domestic gross (24 day total) has officially surpassed the total numbers for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which is currently at $177.8 million after 59 days.) Yes, you read correctly! The big-budget comic epic, Wolverine, which was a bona fide hit, and will spawn spinoff films, has now fallen behind to a film that may end up being responsible for a "grown men piss-drunk while traveling with infants" genre. (And more power to them on that, btw.)

However, you shouldn't get the wrong impression. When all is said and done with foreign totals and DVD sales, Wolverine WILL make more money than The Hangover will ever dream of making. (So don't be so quick to brand it a failure, because it was still a tremendous cash cow.) However, it is always interesting when numbers like this pop-up. They are probably the kind of statistics that make film executives who are on the constant lookout for the "next big thing," scream from the rooftops: "WHAT THE F**K DO YOU PEOPLE WANT?!" The answer is probably a simple one: "We don't know."

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As we ramp up for Comic-Con ’09 in San Diego, host Blair Butler blasts through a slew of new comics to wet your appetite, including Viking, Berserker, Gotham City Sirens, Northlanders, GI Joe: Cobra, Elektra and Utopia. But is it Runaways or Batwoman’s run in Detective Comics that nabs Pick of the Week? Stay tuned and find out…

Make sure to tune in next week when the great Greg Rucka guests hosts! Make sure to visit us on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace as well, kiddies!

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Director, Zack Snyder recently talked with ComingSoon/SuperheroHype! about status of the long-rumored sequel to his 2007 ultra-violent, testosterone-laden epic, 300. There had been talks for a while that Frank Miller had bunkered-down to write a sequel to the film (which was based on his 1998 graphic novel.) That appears to be no longer a "rumor."

"I know for a fact that Frank [Miller] is writing right now," says Snyder, who explains that the plan is for Miller to create the story as a comic book first, "[He's] drawing away and seems to be knee-deep in it. I think he's going to head back to Greece again and do another reconnaissance."

Snyder would go on to elaborate that style of the film will essentially match that of the first film. However, Miller's vision will apparently call for scenes on a much grander scale. Will Snyder be able to maintain the spirit of the first film, or will he fall into the trap of overdoing things? According to Snyder:

"I think we would use the same technology... I don't want it to look too Star Wars-ian... Just from what [Miller] told me, it would be bigger as far as landscape and terrain. We're going to see Athens and the Aegean and other places. There would be an opportunity for bigger visions, though I'd hope for the same aesthetic. The tech we used for '300' was not a revolution. It's basically what the weatherman has. Look, instead of Accuweather it's Sparta... It's going to be the same way, but on crazier steroids."

Random observation: "Steroids" is a word I'd be sensitive about if I were involved in this project.

It seems that casting news for Smallville's upcoming ninth season keeps coming. British actor, Callum Blue (The Tudors) will play the Superman villain who seems to have a penchant for the company of kneeling peons and ABBA jumpsuits. That's right, Blue will play the one and only General Zod.

While the character has been represented in some form or another on the show, in spirit form, inhabiting the body of Lex Luthor, we had yet to see the full corporeal version of the iconic villain, until his presence was teased in the finale for season eight. While the style in which this version of General Zod will be played is still unknown, it will no doubt be strongly influenced by Terence Stamp's memorable performance as Zod in 1980's Superman II.

Frankly, Smallville is a show that has never really caught my attention. (A little too "teeny" for my taste.) However, with the recent news of the addition of Brian Austin Green as the cyborg villain, Metallo, and now the possibility of a genuine version of Zod tangling with Supes, I think it might be worth checking out. (Albeit out of morbid curiosity.)

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In a bit of news that could only be qualified as "bad" for Heroes fans (who have had no shortage of it for the past few years), it is being reported that writer and co-exec producer, Bryan Fuller has exited the show...again!

Fuller first exited the show after its monumental first season to work on his other project, Pushing Daisies. When news hit last Fall that Fuller would be returning to Heroes for the upcoming fourth season of the show (after the cancellation of Pushing Daisies was finalized), it was generally viewed as optimistic. Fuller, who wrote some of the more memorable episodes of the show's first season, would presumably have returned the show to its roots, after being stuck in creative ambiguity and declining viewership in its subsequent seasons. However, while the exact direction that this Fall's fourth season will take remains a mystery, it cannot be a good sign that the show's "savior" has already decided to move on to other projects. According to Fuller:

"Development was really starting to heat up, And it appears like I may be writing multiple pilots for NBC so that wasn't leaving a ton of room for 'Heroes,' unfortunately," the star writer-producer tells AICN exclusively. "We crafted some really great arcs for the season that I'm excited to see come to fruition. I love that cast dearly and am sad to go, but the plate -- she was over-flowing."

One of the things that is rumored to be on Fuller's "plate," is the proposed TV series set to take place in JJ Abrams' Star Trek universe. (You know, the one where Starfleet cadets can be promoted to Captain, there are two Spocks, and the planet Vulcan has imploded?) While nothing has even been close to being confirmed, Fuller has openly expressed his desire to be part of that project.

"I'm hoping that by the time they're ready to do a television series that I am available and can participate, because, I mean, even if it's J.J. Abrams' team, I would love to join that team for a new Star Trek series. I think it would be a ball."

On this very special webisode of Fresh Ink Online, Blair welcomes two very special surprise guests. Plus, she reviews the latest and greatest comics, including Phonogram: The Singles Club, The Invincible Iron Man, Punisher, Red Mass For Mars, Destroyer and Batman: Streets of Gotham. But it’s the gore-tastic Invincible that really has her talking. Did it make Pick of the Week? Tune in and find out.

…and make sure to visit us on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace…

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According to TV Guide, the long-running Superman television epic, Smallville will welcome the addition of Brian Austin Green to the cast in this Fall's 9th season of the show (which debuts Sept. 25.) He will be playing the classic villain, Metallo. The irony of Green (who is coming off a career-redefining role, fighting cyborgs on the ill-fated Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) landing the role of a Cyborg is certainly pretty obvious. However, it's clearly a step in a new career direction that was previously unavailable to him before his Terminator tenure.

If I had gone back in time about 10 years (forgoing the "naked in a bubble of energy" Terminator-style ) and told myself that "I think I'm becoming a Brian Austin Green fan," my doppelganger from 10 years ago would probably slap me...hard. However, it just might be the truth. Green, the former Beverly Hills 90210 "hunk" whose posters in the early 90's used to adorn the walls of teenage girls alongside Joey Lawrence and "Rico Suave" has (in some hugely ironic twist) become a geek icon! He passed up a role on CW "Teeny-Drama" One Tree Hill to take this role, so it's good to see that his actions seem to indicate that he is embracing this idea. (As well as Megan Fox on and off. --- Lucky ***hole, I think I hate him again.)

For the uninitiated, the villain in question, Metallo, has been represented in many forms during Superman's many years in print. However, the contemporary version depicts him as a con-man named John Corben, who was fatally injured in a car crash, but brought back to life by a Mad Professor's experiments in the form of a cyborg with realistic hair and skin which looks exactly as he did when he was human. However, as it so happened, the Mad Professor made Corben's cyborg body to be powered by none other than kryptonite, Superman's fatal weakness. Corben would often find himself embroiled in battles with Superman (often as a pawn of Lex Luthor). Flashing his kryptonite core to a weakened Superman would become a signature tactic.

Brian Austin Green has now proved that he can play a hardened bad-ass. This time, he will likely have to play a man who is driven by pure rage, that is constantly being manipulated into various directions to serve others. It will be great to see how he pulls off this dynamic. (And whether or not it will be interesting enough to prevent this aging show from having its plug pulled.)
 

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Is Michael Bay done with the Transformers franchise? Apparently that's what he made clear in a recent interview. According to Bay, he's had just about enough of the big-budget, CGI-centric epics:

"It's easy to go shoot an art movie in a winery in the South of France. But people have no idea how hard it is to create something like Transformers. They (the critics) review me before they've even seen the movie."

We can rip on Bay all we want, but if he wants to leave the big-budget scene and explore his artistic side, then more power to him. However, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen seems to be tracking extremely well, dominating early ticket sales with a 45% share (which beats Star Trek and the original Transformers in advance sales.) It's looking like the June 24th release of the sequel will be extremely huge. Will those huge numbers persuade Bay to possibly put aside his inner Francois Truffaut and get back to giant transforming robots amid tons of explosions? I tend to think so. However, according to Bay:

"After the three and a half years I've spent making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the Transformers world. I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions."

"Without any explosions"? Don't kid yourself, Michael. You'll miss it too much! Those explosions will come to you in your dreams and say "Michael don't you think I'm cool anymore? How could you leave me? I can be artistic too! " Oh, and the payday that he will receive for Revenge of the Fallen, which is sure to exceed the percentage-based $75 million he raked-in for the first film, might also be a strong persuader.

What do you think? Is the Transformers franchise better off with or without Michael Bay? Love him or hate him, he did set the bar and defined the style and direction of the hugely successful first film, (and surefire money-making sequel.)

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A few days ago, the news wires began reporting of a possible merge between the movie-making ventures of Sony and Paramount. According to the initial report:

"Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures could merge with Sony Pictures, Universal Studios or another movie studio amid a wave of consolidation in the industry over the next few months, veteran investor Mario Gabelli said in the latest issue of Barron's.

The chief executive of Gamco Investors Inc, who owns shares of Viacom, said he expects dealmaking among movie studios as they seek to cut costs.

 Viacom is owned by media mogul Sumner Redstone, who also owns CBS Corp.

'Today there are seven or eight motion-picture studios. A round of consolidation will occur in the next six to 12 months because of the costs of financing, prints and advertising, the benefits of globalization and such,' Gabelli said. 'We hear talk of something going on.'"

While there are surely plenty of "big business, white collar" implications that are probably too complex to document in a compelling news story towards any other demographic but Corporate Lawyers, the legions of "geeks" (I hate that word, but it's kind of hard to find a proper noun) have latched on to the possibilities that such a merger presents for the world of Marvel comic films. As Latino Review correctly points out, this merge presents an endless amount of possibilities for our insatiable comic tastes.

As of late, Marvel Studios (through Paramount) seems to be on a mission to present a "single universe" in its film adaptations. The most notable example of this was Iron Man, Tony Stark's cameo in Incredible Hulk. That appearance will only be the first of many of these type of cross-overs, with the upcoming Iron Man sequel and Avengers spin-off films to broaden the idea of having one cohesive "Marvel Movie-verse" in which all these films exist. However, the most unfortunate obstacle to this idea still left them deprived of the Marvel Universe's most popular and recognizable character, Spider-Man (Whose films have been distributed through Sony.) With this possible merger on the horizon, as well as a fourth Spider-Man film in the works, one wonders if this event could shape ALL of the upcoming Marvel projects on both fronts.

Director, Martin Campbell's $150 million monster, Green Lantern seems to be moving forward. In an interview with Sci-Fi, screenwriter, Marc Guggenheim reveals some details (albeit minor) about the upcoming comic adaptation. According to Guggenheim, a new draft of the script has been submitted, (which was collaborated by himself along with Michael Green and the film's previous director, Greg Berlanti.) With the production expected to be based in Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, the film in itself, will provide their nation with a much-needed stimulus package (topical satire, don't you just feel smart, already?)

For those pondering the inevitable questions about the film's direction, Guggenheim has revealed that it will indeed, be based on the Hal Jordan, the version of Green Lantern established by DC in the Silver Age of comics, and will also focus on the famed Green Lantern Corps. Unfortunately, while he was unable to reveal much more than that, he did emphasize on the creative intentions that their team had for the project.

"You know I really can't [say anything], I've sworn a blood oath of secrecy in relation to the project. But, you know, the thing I can tell you is that it is a very loving and respectful approach. The goal here is to do the best cinematic representation of the Green Lantern character. You know, there's no desire on anyone's part to completely change the character and just call this other character Green Lantern and try to ... draft off the name recognition. This is all about 'How do we bring the best version of this character to the silver screen?'"

It's not completely unfeasible to put the Green Lantern story on the big screen, or in any kind of live-action context, for that matter. (Which makes it kind of odd that it has yet to be done.) As a film, it could fall into the paradigm of "an ordinary man who has an unlikely encounter, is given great power, and now has been thrust into an existence having the heavy responsibility of saving the galaxy." (Which could be a combination of any superhero film, with the 1984 classic, The Last Starfighter.) However, in the comics, Hal Jordan was a Test Pilot (hardly and "ordinary Joe" that people can identify with.) So, that leads us to the question of whether or not the key points of the characters or plot will have to be altered. Is he going to be a Test Pilot or an Accountant? A Tony Stark or a Peter Parker? According to Guggenheim: