Vigilante Entertainment has optioned Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp’s comic book series “Black Summer” with Ryne Pearson ("Knowing") onboard to adapt the script.

Originally published in 2007 as a seven issue miniseries by Avatar Press, “Black Summer” chronicles the rise and fall of a superhero team called the Seven Guns—composed of scientist-adventurers who modified their bodies to gain powers—in the wake of one member's decision to kill the President of the United States and create a better government.

According to Variety, Vigilante Entertainment is a new company formed by Hicham Benkirane, the former head of audiovisual development at French comic book publisher Humanoids. Read more...

THE STORY: "FreakAngels" by Warren Ellis (W) and Paul Duffield (A) - Avatar Press

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: A group of super-powered misfits carve out their way in a flooded post-apocalyptic London that they helped destroy.

Personal issues and histories gradually complicate their situation as the story zooms out to show who and what lies beyond their urban fortress community of Whitechapel.

Read more...

“Gravel,” the comic book series by writer Warren Ellis and artist Mike Wolfer, has been optioned by "Superman Returns" producers Legendary Pictures–and the acclaimed writer will apparently be taking a much more active role in the project than he has with some of his previously optioned books.

According to Variety, Ellis will write the first draft of the “Gravel," screenplay, which is based on a series of limited and ongoing series published by Avatar Press and created by Ellis and artist Mike Wolfer. Ellis will also be an executive producer on the film. Read more...

After taking a much-needed, post-Comic-Con week off, we're back with all of the regular features here on Splash Page -- and that includes your weekly dose of comics crossovers to look out for among this week's titles. Our spotlight comic this week is one of the most heavily promoted new series lately, with a famous creator who's taken every opportunity possible to let you know about his his new book.

"MAYHEM" #1 (Image Comics): Created by actor/musician Tyrese Gibson ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"), this new series is Gibson's first foray into the comic book world, but he's been saying all the right things and making all the right moves to prove it's not just a passing whim.

The story of a gun-slinging vigilante who battles with an evil drug kingpin in L.A., "Mayhem" has been the first (and last) thing Gibson's talked about during countless interviews and press events, while also never shying away from his status as a newcomer to the comics world. As he told MTV News back in June, he's knocking at the door of the comics world, and it's up to fans to let him in. Read more...

The worlds of comic books and hip-hop certainly seem to be bumping into each other more often these days -- whether it's lyrics and album art referencing popular characters and storylines, or even the musicians themselves popping up in comics. In the case of 50 Cent's new street album, "War Angel," it's the concept of a comic that inspired the album's title and best summarized the vibe of the project.

"I used the War Angel title for it [because] I read a comic book through Marvel Comics. The guy who created it, he's done 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and illustrations I'm familiar with," 50 told MTV News. "He created this concept: War Angel. God created these angels to create war. It's necessary on some level. I took the concept. It's kinda from the perspective I grew up under."

While the "War Angel" miniseries that debuted the Brian Pulido character in 2005 was actually published by Avatar Press (not Marvel), we'll forgive 50's attribution confusion. I mean, come on -- do you want to be the one to tell him he made a mistake?

For more on 50 Cent and "War Angel," head over to MTV.com.

There's a bunch of great comics hitting shelves this week with Hollywood connections, so it was tougher than usual to decide what titles to spotlight. In the end, though, the decision regarding which comic to give the top slot came down to one factor: Khaaaaaaaan!

TOP OF THE STACK: "STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN" #1 -- IDW Publishing corrects a grave injustice this week by kicking off the first comic book adaptation of 1982's "Wrath of Khan" -- a film that many argue is the greatest of the movies to come out of the "Star Trek" franchise. Will Ricardo Montalban look as awesomely '80s in the comic as he did on the screen? Will Pavel Chekov's introduction to the mind-controlling eels be as squirm-inducing on the printed page as it was in live-action? Can the comic truly capture the moment when Admiral James T. Kirk screams Khan's name? Find out this Wednesday! Read more...

Sure, we've seen comics about superheroes becoming government-sanctioned police before, and there's been no shortage of stories depicting super-powered vigilantes dishing out brutal justice -- but what about a hero who walks in both worlds?

This week, "Absolution" #0 hits shelves from Avatar Press, introducing readers to a world created by "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" writer Christos Gage in which super-powered police wield immense power, but run up against the same red tape as real-world law enforcement officers. When one hero decides he's tired of seeing the same repeat offenders, he's forced to lead a dual life while struggling with both a crisis of faith and his own sanity.

Avatar Press has provided Splash Page readers with the first look at two of the covers to issue #1 of "Absolution," featuring the art of Juan Jose Ryp and Jacen Burrows. Read more...

There’s been no shortage of comic books jumping from the shelves to the big screen lately, but as any fan will attest, there are still a lot of great books out there flying below Hollywood’s radar. In this weekly feature, we’ll take a look at stories that merit attention from filmmakers — and offer some thoughts on why (and how) they should be brought to the big screen.

THE STORY: "Streets of Glory" by Garth Ennis and Mike Wolfer

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Writer Garth Ennis previously earned the attention of Hollywood for his irreverent, adult-oriented take on organized religion in "Preacher," but he turned his focus to the Wild West in 2007's "Streets of Glory." The six-issue series follows a gunfighter in his twilight years as he's forced to confront danger from both his bloody past and the industrialization that will bring an end to the era.

White-haired, hard-nosed and weathered by the sins of his past, Joseph R. Dunn is well aware that he's a holdover from a rapidly closing chapter in American history. His efforts to peacefully transition into whatever future awaits an old gunslinger are complicated by various forces, including a terrifying enemy from his past, looking to bring an early end to him and the way of life he represents. Read more...

Sure, in the Marvel Comics universe, Stephen Colbert is running for President of the United States. Here in the live-action U.S., though, we have Barack Obama, John McCain, Bob Barr, Ralph Nader and a host of other candidates who are bringing people to the polls in big numbers this year. But how would our real-life candidates fare in the comics world?

We posed that question to various comic book writers, asking them how some of the characters they're well-known for scripting would've voted in today's election. Here's how they responded:

"All of the X-Men voted early either in person or by mail for Barack Obama," said "Uncanny X-Men" writer Matt Fraction.

"Astonishing X-Men" writer Warren Ellis didn't exactly disagree with Fraction's assessment, but he did tell MTV, "God, you wouldn't want those people to vote. Have you seen how they dress?" Read more...