I’ve been a Marvel fan for the past six and a half years, going all the way back to Bendis’s New Avengers #1. At the time, I never in a million years thought I could pick up a Marvel book, but hey. I got hooked and I’ve been reading your comics in mass opiate quantities ever since.

But I’m going to have to quit you.

I know times are tight and tensions are running high. I know the comics market is shrinking. Individual issue sales are down and decreasing across the board. Having giant movie blockbusters every summer doesn’t seem to be affecting monthly issue sales too much (especially in terms of people coming into the stores). Both you and DC are having a hard time, but that’s okay for you because you guys are the bigger, stronger company at the moment. Your books are dripping with talent and creativity and it’s showing in the numbers.

But I don’t know why you insist on continuing this petty rivalry even in the face of adversity.

I’m all for rivalries. Competition makes the world go round. But when your brand of competition comes out on Twitter and in interviews as jabs and digs, you guys come off sounding petty and immature. Take the September Previews catalog, for instance. You thought it best to take a swipe at DC by advertising your solicitations with tags like  “Uncanny X-Men: Still #543!” or “New Avengers: Still #16!” in some attempt to make yourselves look good in the wake of DC’s complete #1 relaunchment in September. Nevermind the fact that Uncanny X-Men is canceled and rebooting after issue #544 (October’s issue) or that New Avengers just relaunched 16 issues ago (I remember, I was there). Anything to show that you guys are the bigger guy.

And as if that’s not bad enough, you have someone like C.B. Cebulski, a talent scout and widely known, high profile, upper echelon, Senior Vice President at your company, coming out and SLAMMING DC over Twitter for its most recent Green Lantern film by saying:

“Man, DC just loves the number 52, huh? They even used it in their weekend GL movie grosses. Good thing we like bigger numbers at @Marvel!”

I can’t help but get a little offended at the sheer unprofessionalism of his comment. Granted, Cebulski later said it was a “nice little jab” and he was just “poking fun at the competition,” but that doesn’t really sound so much it’s “all in good fun” as much as it is pointing and laughing at someone and using that to brag about one’s own awesomeness. It’s petty, it’s cheap, and it’s kicking the competition when it’s down. Was Green Lantern perfect? Hell no. I’m the first to admit that. But does that mean one of your top guys has to backhand the competition on a bad day?

And fine, maybe that’s just Cebulski talking off the cuff (if Twitter could be considered off the record, which it isn’t), but I don’t really see him apologizing or thinking he did anything wrong. Nor do I see anyone at Marvel saying “the views of Mr. Cebulski are just Mr. Cebulski’s, not necessarily those of Marvel.” No. You must have heard it. Your company’s Twitter account follows him. He got plenty of @replies. He even spent some time firing back a few self-righteous responses. Surely it must be on your radar. Saying nothing tells me that either you’re ignorant of your employee’s actions in the public sector (which in the modern internet age is hard to believe, especially given his high profile) OR that you endorse this rhetoric and behavior (which is unprofessional and immature, to say the least). Given what I know about you as a company, I’m almost certain it’s the latter.

The worst part of all this? This is par for the course. This ritualistic DC bashing is the sort of thing we see from your people all the time at Con panels and on Twitter. When it’s mean-spirited and personal, that’s not you being the cute rival, it’s roasting the competition simply to be a giant dick about it. This isn’t a roast. It’s a place where I expect some modicum of decency in the public sector. Behind closed doors, misbehave, berate, and bash as much as you want, fine. I can’t stop you. But there’s no need to alienate potential fans who like both major comics companies in favor of making the die-hard Marvel Zombies go “Heh heh, yeah. Fuck those guys.”

And if that’s your goal, to make the Die-Hard Marvel Zombie happy, then fine. I guess that’s your prerogative. But I have to ask, do you actually care about the Die-Hard Marvel Zombie?

I ask because at the time of this writing I’m just hours away from finding out what happens at the end of Ultimate Spider-man #160, the purported (but not really because you’re re-launching in September with a new #1, but I’m not here to bitch about that) final (again!) issue of Ultimate Spider-man, despite the fact that the issue won’t be coming out for another couple of days. I know this because Bendis was talking it up on Twitter this afternoon, bragging about how he got off the phone with the AP and USA Today and who knows who else so your company could tout and spoil the ending for Ultimate Spider-man so you can get as many people as you possibly can into the stores come Wednesday.

Fine. That’s business, I suppose. I mean, it worked for Captain America a few years back. And in Bendis’s own words, this is about getting the fans you don’t have, not about keeping the ones you do.

And I get that. You want the sexy chick across the bar, not the one who’s in your lap. But isn’t that basically saying existing Marvel fans don’t matter as much as potential Marvel fans? Isn’t that just kicking your existing base because you know you’ll get away with it?

You’re damn right it is. Because you know as well as I do that your fans aren’t going anywhere. You have enough fans that will stick around regardless of your behavior, fans you guilt into buying more comics so you can keep the existing ones alive, fans who will stick around despite you increasing prices on your books to $3.99 “because you can.” I know, because I’m one of them. Or, I used to be.

So when I hear about you guys doing this, I get outraged. I get livid. I’ve been buying and reading Ultimate Spider-man nonstop for the past eighty issues (that’s double-dipping single issues and trades) despite going through three years of high school and four years of college. And now, on the eve of this long, long story getting to one of its fantastic turning points, you’re going to kick me (a loyal customer) in favor of the hundred or so (max) people who are going to pick up the FINAL issue of your not-in-real-continuity Spider-man and then never pick up a comic again?

And you’re going to get away with this, Marvel. I know because C.B. Cebulski is not going to apologize (nor are you going to pretend to attempt to make him). I know because the people his comments are going to enrage won’t stop reading comics. I know because people are still reading Fantastic Four (even if it’s not called that). I know because this “revealing the ending before it happens” bullshit has become “something we as comics fans just have to live with” because “this is our reality.”

But not for me. I refuse to continue to put up with your bullshit. I refuse to ignore or put up with your immaturity. I refuse to have you spoil the stories I’m reading. I refuse to stand silently by while you kick your base to make a quick buck.

And it’s because of this, Marvel, that I have to quit you. I’ve been a loyal reader for six and a half years. I’ve bled THOUSANDS of dollars into your books since then. I’ve gotten tons of my friends into comics (not just yours, but yours too). I love your properties, I love your stories, I love your comics. I’ve loved, cried, and laughed at your books since becoming a Marvel fan.

But no more. I can’t handle your attitude and I can’t handle the way you treat a fan like me. How dare I decide to support DC’s failed movie so we can get more non-Batman-or-Superman DC movies? How dare I support non-spoiled stories (Super 8 only made $40 million its first weekend. What must C.B. Cebulski think of that)? How dare I demand maturity from a company owned by Disney, who would NEVER allow such discourse from executives or VPs in “more respected media” like film or television?

I think of it differently. More like how dare I continually support your company in the face of all this? I can’t. Maybe if you guys acted with a bit more professionalism, you could help make this medium look a bit more grown up. I’m done fighting against being viewed as immature while your company perpetuates just that mentality.

But that’s okay, guys. I’m sure your massive-and-ever-expanding-and-growing comic fanbase will keep you guys afloat. There’s plenty of fans to keep kicking around while you try to bring in more so you can do just that.

I’m sure I won’t be missed at all.

Sincerely,

Matt Smith

We start our discussion with non-spoiler reviews of the film before falling into a full-on dissection/discussion of the show with heavy SPOILERS. Enjoy!

The new game staring everyones favorite neighborhood Spider-Man has premiered at WonderCon and has been released online! From the storyline it looks like we will getting a tale centered both around the present Peter Parker Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099. The story was penned by Peter David (The Incredible Hulk comics, and Aquaman comics) and is set for a fall release.

They say this game isn’t a sequel to “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions”, however from what I see in the gameplay it is very similar. Take into account I played very little of “Shattered Dimensions” (a little past the Kraven level), but I did not enjoy it mostly due to clunky controls. Let’s hope this will be better!

Listen to SuperGeeks and maybe Thomas and Jeff might have a take on it! What do you guys think of it?

-Reid Ackerman

So yeah…this is actually happening. Stan Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger are working on an animated Governator television series as well as a comic book! After watching this trailer/test footage looking video I can’t help but express complete astonishment. It’s really one of those things you have to experience for yourself.

Play Along: How many summer blockbuster movie references are there? I counted Iron Man, Transformers, Terminator, The Dark Knight, and The Matrix

-Reid Ackerman

I’m not sure why I didn’t post this when it came out last week (probably laziness), but man, this thing rocked my socks off. Between this, THOR (which looks like fun), X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (which looks amazing), and GREEN LANTERN (which now looks EPIC!!), this summer is going to be an overdose of spectacular comic book films.

Behold! The trailer for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER!!

Isn’t it a great morning to wake up and see footage from the new Green Lantern movie? I was a little disheartened when I learned that I would have to wait until Thor’s release in May to get a new trailer. Well wait no further. I’ve seen the 4 minutes and it is awesome! It really blows the old trailer out of the water for me.

What do you think? Not doing it? Does it get you more excited?

-Reid Ackerman

After much speculation the role of Superman’s love interest and co-worker Lois Lane has been cast! Amy Adams who has appeared in The Figher, Enchanted, and much more has won the role! The film will be directed by Zack Snyder and is set for a December 2012 release. Does she have what it takes to play our Lois? Could this be the best Lois yet? Discuss!

-Reid Ackerman

We’ve all been speculating for a while that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would play a role in the The Dark Knight Rises. First, he was rumored to take over as The Joker, then it seemed everybody was tapping him for The Riddler, and today it was confirmed that he will indeed be playing Alberto Falcone. This character plays an extremely crucial role in the the Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale mini series Batman: The Long Halloween. If you want to know more about the character, this is the book you should check out.

In addition to Levitt, Juno Temple (Year One) has been cast in Dark Knight Rises as a “Street smart Gotham girl”. I have no idea where to begin on speculation for this role. any ideas?

UPDATE: ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY IS NOW CLAIMING THAT “A SOURCE CLOSE TO THE SITUATION” IS SAYING THE NEWS THAT “GORDON-LEVITT WILL PLAY ALBERTO FALCONE IS INCORRECT.” IF YOU WERE EXCITED FOR A MORE THE LONG HALLOWEEN TYPE STORY, IT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN.

]]> http://www.geekshow.us/content/articles/joseph-gordon-levitt-and-juno-temple-confirmed-for-dark-knight-rises/feed/ 2 http://www.geekshow.us/content/articles/first-photo-of-adrianne-palicki-in-wonder-woman-costume/ http://www.geekshow.us/content/articles/first-photo-of-adrianne-palicki-in-wonder-woman-costume/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:35:12 +0000 ocdavenger http://www.geekshow.us/?p=7787 Our first official look at David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman series!

So this is our first official look at the David E. Kelley’s live-action Wonder Woman television series being made for NBC. Judging by the photo I assume that the studio just wanted to get the photo out before anyone could snag a crappy quality set photo (a la The Amazing Spider-Man). There doesn’t seem to be a lot going for it and if anything I would mistake it for a Halloween costume model. Everything in the suit looks a little too plastic and fake for me. If anything my excitement (which wasn’t much) hasn’t changed. I’d like to get a look at trailer though and see the costume in action as well as the narrative.

What do you think?

A few days it was reported that Sandman, a comic book series by Neil Gaiman was being put on hold from becoming a television sereis. The series was supposedly being developed by Supernatural showrunner (Seasons 1-5) Eric Kripke. T’was a sad day or glorious day depending on your take of the adaptation. Cut to Geoff Johns, comic scribe and the Chief Creative Officer at DC Comics recently tweeting “Correction to world: The Sandman is AWAKE! :) Psyched to be working with @neilhimself on developing one of the greatest series ever!”, and “Sandman in any form – comics to live action – doesn’t work without @neilhimself #sandman“. Kripke’s involvement is still up in the air, however with Johns and Gaiman’s involvement I think we’re looking at some quality television here. While Sandman series is one of those series I’ve been really meaning to read, but just haven’t had the time yet, the promise of a television series gets me excited.

Anyone read Sandman? Is this a bad idea? Who would you cast?

-Reid Ackerman

Stumbling through the local comics news today I discovered an abundance of sketches by Skottie Young and Scott Morse. These drawings are translations of memorable Harry Potter characters and scenes from the movies and books. Skottie Young has gained recent fame from his beautifully and creatively illustrated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Scott Morse has done many graphic novels for Oni Press. These designs seem to blend and take bits and pieces from the movies, but also have their own style. Could these open the door for a Harry Potter comic?

What writer do you think would suit this art? A different artist you’d want? What would you like out of a Harry Potter comic?

Head over to http://www.skottiescott.com for more!

Skottie Young’s Mad Eye Moodie

Scott Morse’s Remus Lupin in Werewolf form

Skottie Young’s Sirius Black

-Reid Ackerman

This. Looks. AWESOME.

Thor lands in theaters May 6, 2011.

Shane Black will be reuniting with his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang star as he takes over the Iron Man franchise from previous director Jon Favreau. Favreau left the Marvel Studios franchise to focus on new projects (namely Disney’s Magic Kingdom which he is set to direct).

Whether Black, best known as a screenwriter, will write a draft of the screenplay to Iron Man 3 is still being worked out at this point, but it should be a given that he will have something to do with the final draft.

John and I discussed this possibility on GeekiN #144 last week, and we both expressed how this may very well be the best thing to ever happen to Iron Man. It could even lead to the best entry in the franchise.

What do you guys think?

The new Wonder Woman series has cast it’s leading lady. Diana Prince will be played by Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights, Supernatural, Aquaman), but Palicki didn’t win the role so much as it was her role to begin with (she was the only actress invited to test for it).

David E. Kelley’s re imagining of Wonder Woman sounds a little like this:

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Palicki) is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.

SO happy with the new title! Exactly what I was hoping for since the moment this reboot was announced!

This new picture of Andrew Garfield in full Spider-Man gear (costume AND mask)  isn’t half bad either (Click for HUGE version):

The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters July 3, 2012.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

From director Matthew Vaughn, X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

The story begins June 3, 2011.

Variety is reporting that actress Cobie Smulders, best known as Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother, has been cast as Maria Hill in The Avengers. A few years back, Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon had stated that the actress was his top choice for the role of Diana Prince in his Wonder Woman film that was ultimately never produced.

In the comics, Maria Hill became the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. when Nick Fury went MIA after the events of Secret War.

In Joss Whedon’s film, Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill will be an assistant of sorts to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury.

The Avengers will assemble in theaters May 4, 2012.

Marvel Studios has released the teaser poster for Captain America: The First Avenger from director Joe Johnston and starring Chris Evans as the man in the red, white, and blue.

Check out the image below:

Captain America: The First Avenger heads into battle (and into theaters) on July 22, 2011.

It was announced a few hours ago that Warner Bros and Zack Snyder have cast the new Superman. A press release was sent out this morning announcing that Henry Cavill (The Tudors, Stardust) will be playing Clark Kent in the new film.

Press release:

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Henry Cavill has won the coveted role of Superman, the iconic superhero.

The film will be directed by Zack Snyder, who stated, “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

Cavill recently wrapped production on “The Cold Light of Day” and stars in the upcoming “Immortals,” opening this fall.

Targeted for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Cool photoshopped image of Cavill as Superman:

What do you guys think?

By Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura

From writer Joe Kelly(Amazing Spider-Man, Four Eyes) and artist J.M. Ken Niimura comes the graphic novel I Kill Giants.

Barbara Thorson, bullied and friendless, will not back down. She is smart, angry, won’t follow the rules, won’t let anyone close, and sees things no one else does. In short, she is a very disturbed girl, and the power of I Kill Giants is its ability to convey the reality of a frightened little girl’s pain along with the wonder of her apparent fantasies. Kelly’s portrayal of the material is nothing short of literary, echoing the similarly combined elements in Roald Dahl’s Mathilda (1988), just as the giants that Barbara describes to her tentative new friend Sophia recall Quentin Blake’s illustrations in The BFG (1982). Nimura’s line work also retains the jittery quality of the British illustrator’s style, creating a world of sharp tension. As Barbara begins to let people in, her insistence that the giants are coming threatens these intensely longed-for relationships. Whether or not they exist, the metaphor of giants to symbolize the vast terrors of a person’s inner life has never been better realized. Along with Storm in the Barn (the 2009 Booklist Top of the List winner for Youth Fiction), this is graphic storytelling at its zenith: employing fantasy to offer profound insight and take readers on a deeply emotional journey.

From In Stock Trades:

SRP: $15.99
IST price: $10.07
Discount: 37%

By John Layman and Rob Guillory

From writer John Layman (Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness) and artist Rob Guillory (Popgun Anthology).

Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He’s been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.

From In Stock Trades:

SRP: $34.99
IST price: $22.04
Discount: 37%

(Click the the image below for a preview of the ENTIRE FIRST ISSUE!!)

Based on the Image comic book by Robert Kirkman.

The Walking Dead, from writer-director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist), premieres on AMC at 10pm on Sunday, October 31st with a 90-minute pilot episode.

If you have Halloween plans, don’t forget to set your DVRs!

A prequel to Edgar Wright’s live action film currently in theaters (GO SEE IT NOW!!), Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation shows a flashback to Scott’s High School years and his romance with future Sex Bob-omb drummer Kim Pine. It also features the character Lisa Miller,  my favorite character from the graphic novel series who was tragically left out of the film (though not without good reason). Enjoy the 4-minute short below:

By Bryan Lee O’Malley

Scott Pilgrim is 23 years old, lives in a cold, unnamed Canadian town, plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and has a very cute 17-year-old Chinese-Canadian girlfriend, Knives Chau. His “precious little life” is amiably unstructured, and he drifts, happily unemployed, between band practice and time spent with Knives. His relationship with Knives is chaste—walks, chats and hugs—although Knives is getting bigger ideas. “We haven’t even held hands,” Scott explains. “It’s just nice, you know.” But then he starts having dreams about Ramona Flowers, a mysterious, equally cute and perfectly legal hipster chick on Rollerblades who delivers books for Amazon.ca. Ramona is anything but simple, and O’Malley’s tale of adorable slackers in love is transformed into a wildly magically manga–kung fu fantasy adventure. We meet the first of Ramona’s seven evil ex-boyfriends, Matthew Patel, who challenges Scott and his band to a supernatural martial arts duel right out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. O’Malley has crafted a delightfully hybrid comics love story. It’s an alt-lit, rock ‘n’ roll graphic novel with wonderful manga-influenced drawing and a comically mystical plot that manages to capture both the genuine intimacies and serial dishonesties of young love.

Buy all SIX volumes and qualify for FREE SHIPPING from In Stock Trades!

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life (Vol. 1)

SRP: $11.95
IST price: $8.37
Discount: 30%

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Vol. 2)

SRP: $14.95
IST price: $10.47
Discount: 30%

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (Vol. 3)

SRP: $11.95
IST price: $8.37
Discount: 30%

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (Vol. 4)

SRP: $11.95
IST price: $8.37
Discount: 30%

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe (Vol. 5)

SRP: $11.95
IST price: $8.37
Discount: 30%

Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (Vol. 6)

SRP: $11.99
IST price: $8.39
Discount: 30%

The pilot is being directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Majestic) and the six-episode first season premieres this October during AMC’s annual Monsterfest.

DARKWING DUCK #1
Written by Ian Brill
Drawn by James Silvani
SC, 24pgs, FC, SRP: $3.99
COVER A: Magic Eye Studios
COVER B: James Silvani
Diamond Code: APR100836

You demanded it. And BOOM! Studios delivers. Don’t miss the long-awaited, much requested return of your favorite, Darkwing Duck. Once St. Canard’s greatest protector, Darkwing Duck was known the world over as ‘The Terror That Flaps In The Night.’ Now, mysteriously, DW has not been seen or heard from in well over a year – and St. Canard finds that evil is once again on the rise. But when a nefarious plan threatens everyone, Darkwing Duck knows it’s time for the Duck Knight to return! ‘Let’s Get Dangerous!’ with Disney and BOOM! Studios as one of Disney’s most beloved characters makes a comeback in his own not-to-be-missed original ongoing series!

While there is no debut date quite yet, Cartoon Network and DC Entertainment have announced Young Justice, a new animated series from Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man).

In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over—to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—will found out, whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero. This all-new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon characters from DC Comics. Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H.) are the producers.

This looks to be everything I’d hoped and wanted the Teen Titans animated series to be. Can’t wait.

UPDATE: It was just reported that Marvel Studios is in final negotiations with Joss Whedon to helm The Avengers. Which means he’s essentially seconds from signing on.

Wow. I honestly didn’t think this was going to happen. I’m much more excited than I thought I’d be. What do you guys think?

Original Post:

Originally reported by IESB and then later confirmed by LA Times, Joss Whedon is Marvel Studios’ favorite pick for the director of The Avengers. Is this a geek dream come true? The only thing better (for me) would be a Whedon directed X-Men First Class, or if he got the reins of Marvel’s Runaways adaptation (which I guess he could even still do after The Avengers wrapped).

But it is important to note that the film will not be WRITTEN by Whedon, he would strictly be calling the shots behind the camera and nothing more. He’s only done this three times before to my recollection (two episodes of The Office and his upcoming episode of Glee), and never for a film. This would be an interesting experiment at the very least.

What do you think of the possibility of The Avengers being helmed by Joss Whedon? Let us know in the comments section below!

Marvel Entertainment just announced it has greenlit a new Spider-Man animated series, this time based on the mega successful Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and artists Mark Bagley, Stuart Immonen, and David Lafuente. It will premiere in fall 2011 on Disney XD.

First seeing publication in 2000, Ultimate Spider-Man was meant to make the character more “new reader friendly” by ditching the 40 years of continuity, and bringing the character back to its roots as a teenage superhero.  The animated series will “chronicle Peter Parker’s transition from a wise-cracking teen to a hero with a definite sense of responsibility who can hold his own with other Marvel superheroes who will join him in this series of animated adventures”.

Can.

Not.

Wait.

(Source: ICv2)

THR is reporting the offer, and I have mixed feelings about it. Is Evans the right choice for Steve Rogers, arguably the most important role in Marvel’s Avengers movie plan? I mean, at least he has charisma (which is more than I can say for that cardboard standee some refer to as Channing Tatum), and he’ll definitely be able to hold his own among the likes of Robert Downey Jr and Edward Norton, but is it the right kind of charisma? Steve Rogers needs to have that old soul out of time leader-y vibe, and while I’ve heard that Evans has proven that he isn’t always Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm, can he really play Captain America?

But at the same time, he was probably the best choice of what was left (and since Marc Blucas never got an audition…). Plus, I’m just happy a decision has finally been made.

UPDATE: Chris Evans has accepted the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America in a nine picture deal with Marvel Studios. He is officially wielding the shield.

This leaves me with only one question: Who should play Cap’s teenage sidekick, Bucky Barnes? If he doesn’t get Spider-Man, I’d say Anton Yelchin.

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments section below!