Three Marvel Heroes Headed for the Small Screen

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Marvel comics is working on two upcoming live action superhero shows for television. The first is Cloak and Dagger (unrelated to the spy movie about the kid with the video game full of secrets and the lady with the missing fingers) a duo of light / dark power users. The second is yet another Hulk project.

I guess Cloak and Dagger could be interesting, but I really have no idea what to expect just yet. Hulk on the other hand is a bit of a surprise. Marvel seems determined to milk the Jolly Jade Juggernaut for all he is worth. In just the last few years he has been booted, rebooted, and now recast for The Avengers. I don't think casual audiences are that stupid, but having a new Hulk every couple of years is a little distracting at the least. Also, a parallel show makes a Hulk sequel movie seem unlikely in the near future. I know Marvel wasn't thrilled with the box office take for The Incredible Hulk, but it still seems like movies are the way to go with this effects heavy character.

Who knows, maybe Hulk will finally recapture the success of his 70's TV series, but if they go for TV budget CG transformations, I am going to be pretty skeptical. Rumors are they are also considering a Punisher series. Whats next, Elektra? Sometimes you just need to move on from a movie bomb to something fresh. I mean, does Catwoman the TV show sound like a good idea?

Spotlight on The Lizard

The cat is out of the bag, though this proverbial "cat" is actually a reptile. That's right, Spider-Man will face off against The Lizard in 2012's Spider-Man reboot. Dr. Curt Connors AKA the Lizard first appeared in 1963's Amazing Spider-Man #6. Connors, obsessed with reptilian limb regeneration inadvertently turned himself into a monster when trying to regrow his own arm with reptile DNA. His arm did grow back.

The Lizard first appeared onscreen in the 1967 Spider-Man animated series as Lizard Man. In this version, Connors used his reptile serum to cure swamp fever rather than to regrow an arm.

A more suave looking Lizard appeared in 1981's Spider-Man animated series, though his alter ego was never shown.

The Lizard would once again rear his scaly head in the 1990's Spider-Man animated series. Once again he was shown wearing the same old white lab coat and purple pants.


MTV's Spider-Man: The New Animated Series presented a much more reptilian, pantless Lizard in 2003.

Although the Lizard never appeared in the first Spider-Man trilogy, Doc Connors was mentioned in the first movie and appeared in parts 2 and 3. It seemed inevitable that the Lizard would appear eventually, though the Vulture was inexplicably scheduled for the canceled Spider-Man 4 rather than the Lizard.

Most recently, the Lizard appeared in the animated Spectacular Spider-Man animated series and the pants were back. As one of Spidey's oldest and most classic foes, I am sure his arrival in the new film will come as welcome news.

Marvelous Animation Tour - X-Men (1992)

Just three years after striking out with Pryde of the X-Men, Marvel went back to the drawing board and struck gold with the X-Men animated series. Running 72 episodes from 1992 until 1997, the series would be Marvel's longest running to date. Over the series run, most of the prominent members of the X-Men made appearances on the show. The main cast consisted of Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee. Frequent villains included Magneto, the Sentinels, Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, and unfortunately, Mojo.

Regular appearances by time-hoppers Cable and Bishop set up some interesting alternate reality storylines. Of course, the most epic stories were the multi-part Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Sagas. Other tales were crafted around guest appearances by Colossus, Nightcrawler, X-Factor, Alpha Flight, Angel, Iceman, Warlock, and non-mutie Captain America. Other notable X-Men characters including Morph, Cannonball, Banshee, Magik, Longshot, Dazzler, Psylocke, Emma Frost, Silver Fox, and Maverick also dropped in over the course of the series. Ironically, Kitty Pryde AKA Shadowcat, the titular character of the Pryde of the X-Men series remained one of the few prominent X-characters not to ever appear in this series.

Perhaps best remembered for faithfully adapting so many stories directly from the comics, X-Men stands as one of the most influential superhero series ever produced, and as one of Marvel's finest animated products. And though it shows its age a bit, this series is the bar by which subsequent X-Men series have been measured.

* The Marvel Super Heroes (1966) * Spider-Man (1967) * Fantastic Four (1967) * The Fantastic Four (1978) * Fred and Barney Meet the Thing (1979) * Spider-Woman (1979) * Spider-Man (1981) * Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981) * The Incredible Hulk (1982) * X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men (1989) * X-Men (1992) *

Young Justice First Footage

Killer Frost, Icicle, Mr. Freeze, and Captain usher in a cold front in this first look from the New York Comic Con. Now this is a series worth getting excited for. Does make you wonder though. What happens to Speedy?

Wolveranime Trailer

I don't know, this just doesn't do it for me. Marvel animation keeps churning out projects, but most of them are just nothing to write home about. Maybe the next look will be more inspiring.

More Peeks at Animated Green (and Red) Lanterns

In early August, I promised you Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns would be making their way to animation in the upcoming all CGI animated Green Lantern series. Well, here is the first look of the atrocious one along with the angry round one, Zilius Zox. There are also some Guardians, a trio of Green Lanterns, including some unnamed Green woman, and of course Star Sapphire in waiting. Thanks to ComicBookMovie.com.

Also dropped was news that:

*The show will run for at least 26 episodes, with the first 13 episodes already planned out.

*The main villains of the show will be the Red Lanterns, although the other colored Lanterns will show up at some point.

*Sinestro will not feature in the first 13 episodes, although he will be getting built up over the course of the series for his eventual reveal.

*This is very much a space-based series, which means the other major DC superheroes won't be making any appearances anytime soon.

*A preview will come out in late 2011, but the series isn't slated to premiere until the spring of 2012.

Tiny Teaser For GL Animated

I smell another hit.