1.  WOLVERINE 2. Yes, it’ll be in Japan.  Yes, it’ll star Hugh Jackman.  Yes, it’ll start filming in January.  January!  Why not now?  Claremont/Miller’s classic miniseries (and the best Wolverine story ever told) is practically a storyboard!  Even McG could direct it without screwing it up!

2.  UGH-D. I saw Alice in Disney Digital 3D (not iMax), and left annoyed and with a headache.  It’s barely 3D.  It’s more like 3 layers of 2D.  Then, the next day, new research came out showing that 3D causes eyestrain and may affect proper eye development in young people.  Now I learn that Green Lantern will be in 3D.  Not to mention the next Spider-Man and the Alien prequel.  I hope they still show them in “regular D.”  That’s how I saw Avatar, and it was still an amazing visual film.

3.  WB FAILS TO KILL SUPERBOY. They moved him from Thursday to Friday night, but that didn’t kill him.  Smallville has been renewed for Season 10.  Frankly, the move helped me (it no longer competes with so many other good Thursday night shows).  But it’s got to change if it’s going to keep me for another year.  Let him wear a cape, already, and let’s see lots more guest stars.  We want Nightwing!  Oh, and replace Lex Luthor, too.  The show lacks a solid villain, and Zod is kinda mealy mouthed.  I say they turn it into a Teen Titans show.  How great would that be?  And can anyone really argue that this would hurt D.C.’s chances at making another Superman movie?

4.  MORE UGH-D! And speaking of 3D, I saw a 3D preview of Tron Legacy.  Feh.  It doesn’t look so great.  It looks like an excuse to use that damn 3D.  Our kids may be entertained, but they’ll grow up blind.

5.  FRANKENCASTLE UPDATE. Warning: Spoilers ahead (sort of)!  If you read Punisher #16, you already know that the gem at the center of the drama has restorative powers.  I have been assuming that that will be the device used to restore Frank Castle to his original, scarred but bolt-less self.  But now, with issue #17, they’re changing the title of the book to “Frankencastle.”  I’ve been enjoying the storyline, mostly because it was a great way to bring back The Legion of Monsters, but I’m not sure how much longer I want to see Punisher as a superhuman.  Part of the fun of Remender’s Punisher run has been the way he’s helped Frank adapt to fighting in the world of superhumans—beginning with stealing a stash of supergear including Ant Man’s helmet, Doc Ock’s arms, etc., from the Red Hood.  Frankencastle is, essentially, a gimmick.  I’m not sure it can sustain.  But it will be cool to watch the next arc: Frank gets revenge on Daken for slicing him into little bits during the Dark Reign: The List one shot (one of the best-drawn non-Max Punishers I’ve ever read).  Oh, and if he’s staying in the supernatural world, a team-up with Blade seems highly appropriate.  The art in the new arc will be handled by three guys: Tony Moore, Dan Brereton, and Roland Boschi.  They’re all solid, and best of all none of them are Steve Dillon.  Why do people like him?  He’s the reason I don’t even want to bother with Jason Aaron’s reboot of Punisher Max, no matter how good the story sounds like it could be.  Seriously, any of you know why Steve Dillon gets so much love?  He’s not gritty, his art is flat, and it’s cartoonish!

6.  AVENGERS CARTOON. The Avengers have always been my favorite “group.”  I even bought a bootleg transfer of the old Avengers cartoon on e-bay, knowing it would suck, just because something is better than nothing.  So I’m psyched that Disney XD will finally release the new “The Avengers : Earths Mightiest Heroes” cartoon this fall.  52 episodes featuring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Giant Man and Wasp, preceded by a 20-part “micro-series” telling each of their origins.  This is a huge commitment.  Can’t wait!

7.  THE YEAR OF PATTON.  Do any of you watch the new BSG spin-off/prequel “Caprica”?  Because if you’re not watching it, you’re missing the best new show on T.V.  You’re also missing Patton Oswalt’s best role.  It’s the role he was born to play: A smarmy, cynical, liberal talk-show host.  And now he’s  signed on to write a comic book based on Joss Whedon’s highly underrated movie/TV series “Serenity/Firefly.”  Dunno if it will be any good, but it definitely has a high curiosity factor.

8.  THANK GOD! Deadline Hollywood reports that The Office’s John Krasinski won’t be throwing the shield for Marvel in the Captain America flick.  I had no problem with his age—he’s far younger than the hfolks he’ll be teaming up with in the superflicks (Don Cheadle, Robert Downey, Jr., etc.) because, after all, he was frozen in ice back in his prime, but John K. just doesn’t have the look.  Or the biceps.  I’d rather have seen The Rock in the role than him.  Or a Baldwin brother.  Or Zombie Cap.  Hell, I’d rather have them pick a black actor.  (Actually, that might be kinda cool.)  My first choice is still Jeremy Renner or Sam Worthington.  But John could be Batroc the Leaper.

9.  JACK BAUER. I dunno if “24” counts as comic-type news, but some of you might want to know that the show won’t be back next season.  I say, good riddance—this season is awful.  But they’ve also begun a script for a “24” movie.  Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of a serialized, real-time show?  Are Keifer Southerland’s two expressions (“Grrrr!” and “Ouch!”) really worth seeing on the big screen?

10.  SUPERMAN: LAST BATTLE FOR KRYPTONZZZZZZZ. Finally, a question: Why is it Marvel can handle several simultaneous events, like the Death of Cap/Rise of Bucky alongside Civil War or the current Fall of Hulks/Battle for Olympus/end of Dark Reign, but DC can only seem to manage Blackest Night (and that, just barely)?  Superman is the publisher’s flagship character, and yet nobody seems to care that Supes left Earth a year and a half ago, and now seems poised to return.  I know I don’t care.  (But at least the Nolan/Goyer team has confirmed they’ll reboot Superman after Bat3 wraps.)  Batman, too, has left his own books and is getting ready for the big “Bats: Reborn” treatment.  Yet, again, the only DC “event” that’s making any kind of news is Geoff Johns’.  Seems sad.  I was a big fan of the Braniac story that led to World of Krypton, but as soon as that ended it seemed like Superman went off the rails.  They need to invest in that character, make us care again….What do you all think?

Tags: Captain America, Filthy Muties, Superheroes