So let’s just review this document my clone has passed in…we’ll call him CLunkiedev. *Puts on reading glasses, clears throat* Ahem.

GOOD FOR YOUR EYES

Well, I already have to step in to editorialize. Clunkie’s written here “Darhrazz 8” and then a sort of squiggle. Due to me taking this particular clone out of the tank a little early his hands aren’t strictly speaking hands…he can grip but his nailless fingers are sort of boneless and stumpy. I think IT is trying to recommend Dark Horse Presents #8 which, on top of some great new stuff from Brian Wood and Howard Chaykin promises to have a Hellboy B.P.R.D. tie-in story. It’s a good book to cover.

Speaking of which, Clunkiedev has scribbled a sort of moist rectangle with a Superman symbol, the number 6 and a big “X” through it. I think It is as disappointed in the cover to Action Comics #6 as I am…sort of a green and purple blob in which Superman is stuck as though in a Japanese tentacle manga. It reminds me of Clunkie’s forehead…see eyelashes are really hard to clone, and they came out all…never mind. AC #6 has a lousy cover, but I’m sure Grant Morrison’s superlative writing on these Super-books will be top notch.

Two covers that leap off the shelf are Fear Itself The Fearless #8 and The Twelve #9! Fear Itself The Fearless is the spin off series from last summer’s Fear Itself event. Good  Marvel fun. The cover, however, is the best Art Adams has to give! Amazing perspective, detail and poses as only Adams can deliver.

As for The Twelve #9, this HIGHLY anticipated book begins the ending to a great story line first launched in 2007. That incredible, shirtless wonder you see on the cover is the BLUE BLADE, one of Unkie’s top picks for relaunch glory! His powers? He can pull of that outfit and ride a horse! NICE! Twelve trades are available here at the Forbidden Planet to get you up to date on this fun, weird story.

MARK OF THE BEAST

Detective Comics #6 featuring Batman vs. Penguin and Justice League International #6 join Action Comics as top #6 picks here on Clunkiedev’s list, but they’re rather hard to make out as the clone machine malfunctioned and his tongue is flopping out of his elbow. Every time he finishes a sentence it gets all drooly and blurry. Eww.

I’ll wrap this up; Image has a new issue of Invincible out this week, as well as top cartoonists such as Jill Thompson, Shannon Wheeler, and Mike Allred doodling silly all over fairy tales in Fractured Fables. NO cartoonist tops Sergio Aragones, who gifts the world with another volume of wonders in this week’s Sergio Aragones Funnies #7 from Bongo.

Avengers X-Sanction #3, Hulk #48, Venom #13 and a slew of new X-Books. Round out Marvel’s offerings. What’s that sound?

*CRASH* Uh-oh, I’ve gotta’ run! Clunkie’s found the sugar bowl and he’s getting a little rambunctious. As I’m typing this he’s sweating all over my linens; only due to the clone-machine’s increasingly poor quality control standards, his sweat glands have been replaces with…You know what? Don’t worry about it. Let me just take care of this.

NEXT WEEK: How to bury a clone in five easy pieces…I MEAN STEPS! Now where’s that machete?

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More musings from Unkiedev, Earth’s own sidekick, can be read at unkiedev.blogspot.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

A brand new show! Dan Roth guides us through what’s new at Forbidden Planet each and every week with Morgan Pielli on camera. This week: Predator, Doctor Who, and comics to review!

Ok, it’s about a zombie, so I obviously don’t have to sell you on it (face it kid we know you love dem zombies) but at least let me tell you a little about  the talent behind this comic.  It’s Written by Chris Roberson who’s Cinderella From Fabletown With Love was an instant hit, and illustrated by comic God,  Mike Allred!  Mike’s art is like a cross between the most psychedelic Jack Kirby stuff and the most beautiful classic Disney animation.  You might also be familiar with a little book he does called Madman! I’m saying it in print so it goes on record, I believe that his Superman Madman Hullabaloo is one of the best comics ever created, and I’m not even a big Superman fan.

So get yourself a copy of I Zombie, you will not be disappointed.

Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Deluxe HC- Oh, happy day.  One of my most coveted comics of all time is finally reprinted!  No hyperbole there- I’ve literally yearned for a copy of this since it first landed on my comic-loving radar nearly 25 years ago.  Scarcity, lack of timely funds, and other circumstances have led me to a frustrating wait for this lovely day when DC Comics finally reprints this historic work by Dennis O’Neil (writer) and Neal Adams (artist).

In 1978, an alien race called the Scrubb demands that Earth’s greatest champion battle their world’s own greatest fighter. Both Superman and Muhammad Ali step forward – and to determine who is truly Earth’s greatest fighter, Superman temporarily loses his powers and faces Ali in the ring. Ultimately, the duo must work together to defeat the Scrubb, with Ali taking on their champion while Superman battles their space-armada.

As an added bonus, DC is republishing the comic in two hardcovers.  Retailing at twenty bucks, the deluxe edition has a trim size of 7.0625″ x 10.875″ and features a new cover by Neal Adams, previously unpublished artwork and various other extras.  At forty bucks, the facsimile edition features the original, iconic cover, and is reprinted in the classic’s 10″ wide by 13.25″ high trim.

Decisions, decisions.  I may just have to go with both.

On a very tangential note, by the time I was old enough to grasp the cultural significance of Ali he was hawking roach motels all over television.  Around about the same time (maybe a few years later)  Billy Dee Williams was schilling for Colt 45 malt liquor in commercials as well.

Do you solely associate Ali with roach motels to this day?  Not at all.  He was one of the most charismatic and inspirational figures of the 20th Century.  Billy Dee Williams played Lando Calrissian for the love of Pete!!!  Yes, he was smooth, but why the hell are we still lumping the man with the booze he pushed?  Surely we can respectfully retire the “Works Every Time” refrain in deference to Mr. Williams’ acting geek-cred as surely as Mr. Ali will be remembered for his achievements outside of bustin’ up household pests.

Right?  Please?

Great for Halloween Humbugs (such as myself) who don’t want to plunk down a bundle on a costume, or if you need one on the fly.

A copy of Superman’s first appearance has sold for…

ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!

The rare comic was sold by an anonymous party to an anonymous buyer (Shaq? Apparently not, as the sucker buyer is purported to be a “well known individual” here in New York whose impressive collection already includes a copy of the classic issue, albeit at a lesser condition grade) and conducted through auction site ComicConnect.com.

The ludicrous sale price is more than double any previously reported tendered for a copy, “justified” by the book’s 8.0 CGC grading.

In other news, your copies of Spawn #1 ain’t worth nothin’.

And it could mean deep shit for DC/WB, as the Judge decides to restrict the company certain rights.

In an ongoing Federal court battle over Superman, Judge Stephen Larson ruled Wednesday that the family of the superhero’s co-creator, Jerry Siegel, has “successfully recaptured” rights to additional works, including the first two weeks of the daily Superman newspaper comic-strips, as well as portions of early Action Comics and Superman comic-books.

The ruling is based on the court’s finding that these were not “works-made-for-hire” under the Copyright Act.

This means the Siegels — repped by Marc Toberoff of Toberoff & Associates — now control depictions of Superman’s origins from the planet Krypton, his parents Jor-El and Lora, Superman as the infant Kal-El, the launching of the infant Superman into space by his parents as Krypton explodes and his landing on Earth in a fiery crash.

However, while the Siegels still own the origin rights, the court affirmed that DC Comics still owns the rights to Lex Luthor, Kryptonite, and flying.  Additionally, the court also ruled that the family owned the rights to Lois Lane, The Daily Planet, Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent and the love triangle.

However, the article says the real purpose of the suit is to secure how much money DC and Warner Bros., owe the Siegels after the rights reverted back to them in 1999.

To say the least, I’m pretty happy that the Siegels are getting something back but it’ll be interesting to see how this affects the comics and other media branches of the character.

Earlier today, Heidi informed us of the Comics Interweb on a recent ruling in the Superman case. It’s a ton of legalize in the release statement but essentially, a court ruled back in 1999 that the Siegel family had a legal right to royalties from the Superman property, but recently the family pushed to get some of those royalties for the “Smallville” property, since it is Superman-related.  Excuse the Sportscenter reference, this may be the wrong crowd, but DENIED. From the ruling:

Accordingly, the Court finds that the non-exclusive rights conveyed by DC Comics to Warner Bros. in the Smallville television agreement was not for below fair market value and, therefore, finds for the remaining defendendants on this point as well.

Conclusion: The Court decides this case, as it must, not on the evidence that could have been submitted or even the evidence that should have been submitted, but rather on the evidence that was in fact admitted at trial.  Based on the preponderence of that evidence, the Court is compelled to reach the conclusions set forth above and accordingly finds in favor of the defendants [DC Comics] on the issues before the court.

Looks like they won’t be getting anything from the eight seasons of best selling DVDs of Tom Welling running around in a red jacket and blue Levis.  Its a shame, but at least they are getting something from DC, it only took 60 years.

Supergirl #42 cover by Joshua Middleton

In a story with NPR, “Superman” group editor Matt Idelson declared that Supergirl would begin wearing bike shorts under her signature skirt.

From the copy:

The man in question: DC Comics editor Matt Idleson. The pronouncement he issued was just eight words long, but such is its paradigm-shattering power that it will surely stand one day in the annals of comic book history, alongside “With great power comes great responsibility,” “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” and “Shazam!”

Thus spake Idleson:

“I never want to see Supergirl’s panties again.”

And with that, the character of Supergirl — in a stark departure from many years of institutionalized cheesecakery — started wearing red shorts under her skirt.

It’s not a big deal, but it’s a pretty big deal, and here’s why:

1. The decision suggests that superhero comics may at long last stand ready to evolve beyond the adolescent objectification of the female form in which they have so gleefully wallowed for long decades; and

2. Supergirl flies, duh. She hovers over people’s heads. In a skirt.

After the jump: Hot pants, headbands, belly-shirts and other petty indignities foisted upon the Maid of Might over her long and storied career.

With this, as with many history making moments, we must rely on a second-hand account: Current Supergirl artist Jamal Igle cites Idleson‘s super-panties ban in this nifty — and niftily titled — interview with Matt Brady, on the comic news site Newsarama.com.

Interesting story there, NPR. Seriously, but before you start pulling out the very NPRish phrase: “Can someone not hook this young woman up with something in a nice athletic pant, already?” can you try to get the subject’s name spelled correctly? It’s Idelson, not Idleson.