I don't see why people are so broken up about Fantastic Four #587

It's not comic book deaths are permanent, so Johnny Storm is going to come back at some point. Hell, if Bucky Barnes can be resurrected after being dead for decades, then Johnny can just sit back, relax and wait for a writer to revive him.

For those wondering, the [redacted]s are there because I don't want to post a spoiler and ruin the comic before anyone, although the Associated Press did just that Monday night. I'll wait until next Tuesday, then replace the [redacted]s.

A clear sign of how hard economic times are

Considering how long it took to find Osama bin Laden,
this is pretty inconspicuous, actually.
Credit: Chris's Invincible Super-Blog.

Cobra had to lay off several of its er...employees, seen here waiting in line to sign up for unemployment benefits.

This is from what has to be one of the most batshit insane episodes of G.I. Joe ever. In a nutshell, COBRA Command goes bankrupt, so Destro builds a machine that can make rock n roll music and hypnotize people. Meanwhile, Cobra Commander electrocutes and punches a midget, and Scarlet, Cover Girl and Lady Jaye dress up as slutty groupies. Just to top it off, the Joes sing their own theme song at the end to a cheering crowd, because at presumably, everyone there was already bombed out of their heads at that point.

Did I mention Cobra Commander electrocutes a midget, then punches him? Because it happened.

Colin Firth wants to play a villain...on Doctor Who

YES.PLEASE. This would be so fucking awesome! The only thing that would be better is if he succeeded Matt Smith as The Doctor.

...

I'll...I'll be in my bunk, excuse me.

Wonder Woman pilot greenlit by NBC and this is not a good thing

Saw this on iFanboy and about a dozen other sites. The pilot is the brainchild of David E. Kelly of Ally McBeal, Boston Legal and Boston Public fame and greenlit by new NBC president Bob Greenblatt. The reason why I say it isn't a good thing is because of the description of the show from Deadline Hollywood:

"a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman -- aka Diana Prince -- is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life."

So in other words, it's going to be Ally McBeal with magical bracelets and a lasso? I'd love to see the Amazon Princess get another TV show, but not if it's going to be total crap, which I think this will be. Five bucks says they cast an actress who bears absolutely no resemblance to Wonder Woman. She'll probably be blonde, skinny with a quirky attitude. If there is a merciful god, he'll kill this thing in the pilot stage.

We're screwed.

So long Comics Code Authority!

Source: Wikipedia.

DC Comics announced yesterday that they would no longer be using the Comics Code Authority. Today, Archie Comics also announced that they too would be abandoning the system, signaling the end of a controversial era in comic book history. DC will be replacing the code with their own rating system, similar to what Marvel did a decade ago. Archie Comics meanwhile just saw it as pointless, since they don't publish anything risque anyway.

Hit the jump for a brief history of the CCA.

The Comics Code Authority was an act of self-censorship committed by comic companies back in 1954, during a time with comics were experiencing a backlash in society and investigations by Congress. The main opponent to comics and it's Joseph McCarthy was a psychologist named Fredric Wertham. He wrote a book called The Seduction of the Innocent, wherein he claimed that comics, specifically the more violent and mature comics of the day were responsible for juvenile delinquency. Possibly the book had some merit, comics of the late 40s and 50s were violent and mature. Superheroes were incredibly popular during the 30s and WWII, but had declined after the war ended. In their place came western, horror, scifi and crime comics. The horror comics in paticular were violent and graphic, featuring beheadings and gore. Seduction of the Innocent caused an uproar and even Congress got involved. Faced with the possibility of government censorship, publishers created the Comics Code Authority.

The rules it imposed were strict, including:

* Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.
* If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
* Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation.
* In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
* Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.
* No comic magazine shall use the word horror or terror in its title.
* All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.
* All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated.
* Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly, nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.
* Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
* Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings are forbidden.
* Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure.
* Suggestive and salacious illustration or suggestive posture is unacceptable.
* Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.
* Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed. Violent love scenes as well as sexual abnormalities are unacceptable.
* Seduction and rape shall never be shown or suggested.
* Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.
* Nudity with meretricious purpose and salacious postures shall not be permitted in the advertising of any product; clothed figures shall never be presented in such a way as to be offensive or contrary to good taste or morals.

Source: Wikipedia. Thank god companies no longer have to obey those rules.

Yeah, I don't think we have to worry about Tom Hardy as Bane

One of the things I've seen posted on Tumblr and elsewhere since the announcement that Tom Hardy had been cast as Bane is whether or not the British actor could accurately portray the juiced up villain. For those who have no idea what Bane looks like, here's a picture:

Source: Comic Book Resources

Bane was a villain who, during the epic Knightfall storyline broke Batman's back and put him out of action. Now realistically the only people who can match Bane's physique are body builders, one of whom, Robert Swenson, played him in the train wreck of a movie called Batman and Robin. People are naturally skeptical if Hardy can match up and honestly, I don't think we have to worry.

Source: Total Film.

This is Tom Hardy as he looked in a movie called Bronson. He played Michael Gordon Peterson, who was known as Charles Bronson and was considered one of the most dangerous men in the UK. Hardy beefed up for the role considerably, to say the least. I think he can do it. I like the idea of Bane not being this overly muscled guy, which would be too much of a distraction on the screen. The focus should be on the character - who in the comics is a genius who concocted a plan and actually defeated Batman - and not how huge his biceps are.