Splash Page ›

Traditionally speaking, Halloween Week is a time for the carving-inclined to sharpen their tools of the trade and dig into a pumpkin. Yeah, there's some gross seed scoopage involved, but after a gourds' chewy center is removed, the plants present a perfect canvas for inscribing a fans' glowing facade of choice.

Unfortunately, too many carvers have turned to lives of crime, adopting the glowing jack o' lantern for fiendish purposes—especially in comic books.

It seems like no universe is safe from pumpkinheaded hoodlums and their equally affable and/or evil ways. That said, Splash Page counts down five pumpkinheads of note on this, the spookiest and most pumpkin laden week of the year. Read more...

Tags halloween 2009, Lists

There are a lot of questions flying around about which character Bruce Campbell will play in "Spider-Man 4," so last week we took 'em all, put 'em together, and had you vote on the casting you'd like to see for the "Evil Dead" actor in the next installment of Sam Raimi's superhero franchise.

In the end, the most buzzed-about rumor was also fans' favorite of the bunch, with nearly half the votes tagging Campbell to play Marvel's bubble-headed Master of Illusion, Mysterio. Some have wondered whether his trio of seemingly unrelated cameos in the previous "Spider-Man" films could play into the role, too—since it wouldn't be too unbelievable for a master of special effects to be found in the background during a few key moments in Peter Parker's recent history. Read more...

Tags bruce campbell, poll results, Polls, spider-man 4

Not only is it Halloween Week here on Splash Page, this year also marks the 15th anniversary of Brandon Lee's debut in the live-action adaptation of James O'Barr's dark comic book series "The Crow." With that in mind, we're celebrating with a five-part retrospective on the 1994 film, its origins and its legacy, culled from interviews with the cast and filmmakers behind director Alex Proyas' celebrated film. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

PART ONE: 52 MEETINGS FROM THE COMIC TO THE SCREEN
By Ryan J. Downey

Sure, there's Richard Donner's Superman, the Christopher Nolan Batman films, but to many, "The Crow" remains the greatest comic book flick ever made.

The late, great Brandon Lee, who was killed in a tragic onset accident just days away from completing the film, completely embodied the pathos, grace, otherworldly invincibility and dark humor of James O'Barr's Joy Division fueled black and white comic book about murder, heartbreak, the afterlife and justice. Read more...

Tags halloween 2009, jeff most, the crow, the crow: 15 years of devil's night

Back in August, we gave you the first look at the upcoming "Tribute: Michael Jackson, King Of Pop" comic book with a five-page preview. Now, just two days before it hits shelves—right alongside the premiere of the Michael Jackson movie event "This Is It"—we have six more pages to show you from the comic.

Promising to chronicle the entertainer's life and many contributions to music and pop culture, "Tribute" features a wraparound cover and forward by Giuseppe Mazzola, a member of "The Official Michael Jackson Fan Club" and a personal friend of the musician. Wey-Yuih Loh ("Political Power: Colin Powell") and Giovanni Timpano ("Vincent Price Presents") will write and illustrate the book, respectively. Read more...

Tags Michael Jackson, Preview

The Phantom isn't the only classic pulp comic book icon getting the live-action treatment—though he is the only one getting two adaptations, to the best of my knowledge. Now it looks like Doc Savage is making a comeback.

Ain't It Cool News webmaster Harry Knowles spoke with writer Shane Black, best known for his "Lethal Weapon" and "The Last Boy Scout" screenplays, during a chance encounter this weekend. The screenwriter revealed that "Doc Savage," based on the Lester Dent-penned pulp icon, would be his next project.

Additionally, Black said that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman of "Star Trek" and "Cowboys & Aliens" fame will produce the "Doc Savage" adaptation. Read more...

Tags Alex Kurtzman, Doc Savage, Roberto Orci, Shane Black

The last time J.J. Abrams had the Man of Steel on his mind, things didn't exactly work out as planned, but given his resilient career in television and film since 2002, the creator is in a better position than ever to make a hypothetical return to the property. However, despite the support of high-profile fans such as filmmaker Kevin Smith and many in the fan community, at this point, nothing is officially moving forward with Abrams' version of Superman.

"No one has talked to me about it," Abrams told MTV News. "Obviously I’m sure Warner Brothers has a plan for what they want to do."

"Writing that script was a long process," he explained. "It was a very passionate character for me. As a kid growing up it meant a lot to me. It would be wonderful and fun to see that brought back. I don’t know what Warners is thinking or what their plan is. It would be a blast." Read more...

Tags brendan fraser, brett ratner, j.j. abrams, kevin smith, star trek, superman

Epic competitions abounded last night as the Yankees bested the Angels to win yet another World Series appearance. New Yorker and Marvel EIC Joe Quesada was so overcome with hometown pride that he's even forsaken his allegiance to the Mets for the duration of the MLB post season, according to his tweets.

Meanwhile, on the Internet, "Adventures of Dr. McNinja" creator Chris Hastings was involved in a cutthroat contest of voting, wherein his super-cute dog Commissioner Jim Gordon might have won him $1 million. He seemed to have the backing of nearly every webcomic creator on Twitter, that's for sure. Check out who was behind him, as well as the problem Mike Oliveri has with "New Moon" werewolves, which artist Andy Diggle is planning a new creator-owned series with and whether Gail Simone will ever want to write for Marvel again.

It's all after the jump in the Twitter Report for October 26, 2009. Read more...

Tags andy diggle, chris hastings, claudio sanchez, gail simone, joe quesada, jon rosenberg, marc bernardin, meredith gran, mike oliveri, rob liefeld, ron marz

In a season already filled with guest appearances from across the DC Universe, “Smallville” executive producer Brian Peterson recently revealed that Zatanna and Martian Manhunter will both return to the series before the end of the current season.

“We bring some old favorites back in like Zatanna and Martian Manhunter,” Peterson revealed to Daemon’s TV. “So [Clark’s] in the thick of the universe that he's going to be in when he's Superman this season.”

While Peterson didn’t mention if Serinda Swan and Phil Morris would reprise their respective roles as Zatanna and Martian Manhunter; it seems likely given the reluctance that the “Smallville” producers’ have shown towards the idea of recasting important roles like Lex Luthor and Lana Lang. Read more...

Tags brian peterson, martian manhunter, smallville, Zatanna

Halloween Week kicks off here on Splash Page with the first in our series of guest columns from comic book creators known for their work with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and all manner of terrifying subject matter. First up is writer Tony Lee, who's currently hard at work on the comic book adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," as well as the webcomic "Where Evils Dare" and his original graphic novel "From The Pages Of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': Harker," a sequel to the classic 1897 novel. Keep it locked to Splash Page all week for more Halloween-themed guest columns, features and exclusive previews!

I was never much of a horror fan as a kid. Growing up in the '70s and '80s, I was too young for movies like "The Exorcist," "Rosemary's Baby," "The Shining" and "The Omen," only finding them later in my life. No, I was a child of the '80s, and as such, my first exposure to horror was the movies of Wes Craven and Sam Raimi. But I had a problem with the genre—I just didn't understand why there had to be so much blood. Read more...

Tags Guest Bloggers, halloween 2009, harker, pride and prejudice and zombies, Tony Lee, where evils dare

Acclaimed horror novelist Stephen King is hardly a stranger to comic books thanks to Marvel's adaptations of "The Dark Tower" and "The Stand," and Del Rey's upcoming adaptation of "The Talisman," but the writer is looking to branch out into unchartered territory with entirely original comic book content.

According to The New York Times, King will co-write a new series titled "American Vampire" for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The title's first five-issue arc will feature two 16-page stories, one written by King and the other written by Scott Snyder. Rafael Albuquerque will illustrate.

"American Vampire" focuses on "a new breed of vampire through the lens of different eras in American history," according to The Times. Snyder's story features a vampire named Pearl seeking fame during the jazz age, while King tells the tale of "Skinner Sweet, the first American vampire who does not fear the sun." Read more...

Tags American Vampire, stephen king