Let's get this out of the way right at the start, folks: 2009 was not a memorable year for comic book movies.

Where 2008 gave us two of the best comic book movies of all time in "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" (as well as the darn good "Wanted" and "Hellboy II"), the 2009 theater slate gave us one of the most polarizing comic book adaptations to ever hit theaters ("Watchmen") and an uber-hyped but critically panned blockbuster ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). A few more forgettable adaptations slipped in the back door, too — namely, films based on Top Shelf's science-fiction thriller "The Surrogates" and the Oni Press murder mystery "Whiteout."

So it's no surprise that comic book movies were noticeably absent from this year's list of Academy Award nominees. However, since public outrage over last year's "Dark Knight" snub paved the way for an expanded nomination pool this year, it's worth giving this year's list a look to see what should be celebrated, what's missing and what's worth pondering at the intersection of comic book movies and the 2010 Oscars. Read more...

A pair of films we covered from every angle in the run-up to their theatrical release dominated the DVD and Blu-Ray sales this week, with "Watchmen" dominating its first week on shelves and "Coraline" following up in second place.

The Zack Snyder adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic series took the top spot in sales and rentals for both DVD and Blu-Ray formats its first week, with a high percentage of both "Watchmen" and "Coraline" business targeting the high-definition Blu-Ray versions of each film. According to Home Media Magazine, the "Watchmen" Blu-Ray accounted for 36 percent of sales since hitting shelves on July 21, while the hi-def editions of "Coraline" tallied 18 percent of total sales.

While Blu-Ray continues to stake out a place for itself as a viable format for the long haul, the numbers also seem to indicate a decent life for "Watchmen" in the home entertainment world. That's also a pretty significant showing for "Coraline," which grossed far less at the box office than Snyder's epic adaptation ($75.3 million to $107.5 million) but still placed high on the home video charts.

Planning to pick up "Watchmen"? Already own it? Which version?

With "Coraline" dropping its DVD this week, it was naturally perfect timing for director Henry Selick and writer Neil Gaiman to bring their parade to the San Diego Comic-Con. We of course had the pair drop by our studio for an interview, and before they left we asked if they'd pose for our ever-growing photo booth. The result is below, check it out and then hit the gallery link for Stan Lee, Anna Faris and many others.

Neil Gaiman's works are no stranger to multiple mediums. With his stories onscreen ("Stardust," "MirrorMask") as well as onstage ("Mr. Punch," "The Wolves In the Walls") it only seems natural that "Coraline," the author's award-winning children's book (as well as graphic novel, 3D animated film and video game) has been joined by a musical incarnation.

Playing now through June 20 at MCC's Lucille Lortel Theatre, the musical features lyrics and music by Stephin Merritt ("The Magnetic Fields"), with a book by David Greenspan. Leigh Silverman is directing and Jayne Houdyshell ("Wicked") stars as the reality-hopping Coraline. Read more...

The February 6 release of "Coraline," Henry Selick's 3-D, stop-motion adaptation of a story by award-winning comic book author and novelist Neil Gaiman, is almost upon us -- and that means bunches and bunches of clips, interviews and "Coraline"-related content are hitting the 'Net. Today, we have your first look at another clip from the film, featuring a scene in which Coraline begins to see -- with her own eyes -- the true nature of the "perfect" world she discovered.

We've brought you everything from interviews with "Coraline" director Henry Selick to "Coraline" sneakers over the past few weeks, and even another exclusive "Coraline" clip a few days ago. Check it out after the jump. Read more...

With his new film "Coraline" off the assembly line and hitting theaters February 6, director Henry Selick is ready to see how his 3-D, stop-motion creation performs. Now that the heavy lifting is done on the adaption of award-winning storyteller Neil Gaiman's children's book, Selick can now look ahead to his next big challenge -- and he hopes that another collaboration with Gaiman is in the cards.

"There's always a chance for a sequel," Selick acknowledged in an exclusive interview with MTV News, "but I'd like to do something else with Neil." Read more...

Contributed by Steven Roberts

Here at Splash Page HQ, we’ve been on top of everything “Coraline” for a while now. From a 20-minute screening of "Coraline" last October to conversations with director Henry Selick about why he chose to make the film in 3-D and his minimal collaboration with “Coraline” creator Neil Gaiman when writing the screenplay. We’ve even brought you an exclusive clip of "Coraline." Yes, we've covered nearly every angle of the film, except... the “Coraline” sneakers!

As MTV News’ resident sneaker head, I felt this was being overlooked. I also wanted to weasel myself a pair. Read more...

With large-scale stop-motion works like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “James and the Giant Peach” under his belt, there’s no question that Henry Selick was an ideal director to decide how Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline” would look on screen. Selick isn’t afraid of taking chances, even if it means scrapping one direction for another or taking a "less is more" approach toward his interaction with Gaiman. But when MTV sat down with the celebrated director, we still had to ask: why was filming a stop-motion world in 3D the right choice for “Coraline”?

Simply put, when it came down to turning “Coraline” into a believable, inhabitable world, Selick chose the technology he thought would best energize everything on the screen.

“The story itself -- finding a different world -- I wanted to draw people into that world, too,” Selick told MTV News. “3D was a way to enhance that space, that sense of being drawn in. I didn't want to punch people in the eye, which is actually one fine trick to do with 3D, but I’d rather sucker them into this world.” Read more...

Yesterday, "Coraline" director Henry Selick told us why scaring children isn't always a bad thing, and today we have an exclusive clip from "Coraline" that hints at some of the frights to be found in Selick's 3D, stop-motion animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's story.

When Coraline finds a door to another world -- a better version of her own world, in fact -- she learns that a world where everything is the way she wants it isn't always preferable, and that her "Other Mother" might not have Coraline's best interests in mind.

"Coraline" hits theaters February 6, but just in case you want to catch up with the much-anticipated adaptation, read on for a roundup of all things "Coraline" here on Splash Page. Read more...

Making scary stories family-friendly for film is somewhat of a specialty for director Henry Selick. And when it comes to collaborations with creators like Neil Gaiman on “Coraline” or Tim Burton on “The Nightmare Before Christmas” his source material comes steaming with tongue-in-cheek horror tropes ripe for Selick’s particular style of stop-motion animation.

“Some would say it's too scary for kids, or it's not scary enough for adults,” Selick said of “Coraline” in an exclusive interview with MTV News. “Doing it as a stop-motion film would sort of bridge those two audiences in some respects. Stop-motion has its own creeky feel to it. It has a charm, in a sense. You don't know how big that thing is you're looking at, but you know it exists.” Read more...