Blessed Mother: Teaser For Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Released

It is Mother’s Day, and here at the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office we are  celebrating with our mothers the same as everyone else – and yes, we have mothers. You know full well that we do, or else that pejorative people shriek at us on the street would have no bearing on us.

But still, comics news goes on, including the official Go-Order for ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was just a rumor on Friday, but as of Friday night it was confirmed on the show’s Facebook Page… and that confirmation included the cast photo at the top of this article.

And yes, that photo does feature Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson. Agent Phil Coulson who was apparently shanked in the kidneys by Loki in The Avengers. And yes, we knew that he was gonna be involved somehow in the series despite the minor handicap of apparently being stone fucking dead… but it seems he will be walking and talking, based on this short promo of the show released by the production, that you can check out after the jump.

The Hulk On TV? That Almost Never Happens: ABC Reportedly Picks Up S.H.I.E.L.D. Series

We’ve known for months now that Marvel has been, with the help of Joss Whedon, putting together a television pilot about S.H.I.E.L.D. to tie into the Avengers and other Marvel movies, because hey: a billion or so dollars is nice, but who doesn’t want an extra 20 or so million dollars every yer between September and May?

And, beyond the reported resurrection of Agent Phil Coulson in the series, that’s pretty much all we’ve known. After all, a lot of TV pilots are shot every year that never make the cut (Powers, anyone?)… although you’d think that a series based on a series of movies that have made more money than Greece would be the kind of easy money bet that any network would take, let alone ABC, who’s one bad Dancing With The Stars cast away from having to offer to blow CBS for nickels.

And it looks like they’re ready to take that bet – Entertainment Weekly is reporting that ABC is ready to pull the trigger and order a full season of the S.H.I.E.L.D. series.

Thursday Night At The Movies: Patton Oswalt on Star Wars and Kick-Ass 2

It is yet another eventful evening in the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office – tonight, we have a plumber in replacing the sink garbage disposal. You know, that thing mounted under your sink that is designed, meant and sold to grind small bits of kitchen detritus so it can be washed down the sink, thus leaving more room in the trash for beer cans? The device that has a big warning on it to keep your damn hands away from it unless you want to sharpen your wrist like a #2 pencil? Yeah, that shit the bed. On an egg shell. A bit of garbage so known for toughness and resiliency that they are sold in padded specialty containers, and if the bag kid at the grocery store puts them at the bottom of the bag, you’re allowed by Massachusetts law to bust him in the mouth with a sack full of canned goods.

So posting must be quick tonight, what with my needing to keep an eye on this guy in case he asks for assistance… and if he does, considering all I know about plumbing is its spelling, I will be forced to respond, “Sure… hows about I staple the back of your BVDs to your spine so I can stop seeing that stereotypical man-ass cleavage there, champ?”

So in the spirit of quick improvisation, we have a couple of videos for you, starting with Patton Oswalt on the set of Parks & Recreation, filibustering the city council by spending almost ten minutes explaining what the plot of Star Wars: Episode VII should be – including Marvel superheroes, the X-Men (yes, I know they are Marvel heroes, but tell movie rights holder 20th Century Fox that) and the homoerotic cast of Clash of The Titans. It’s some good, impressive and funny stuff – as you can tell by the poster Entertainment Weekly made based on selfsame improvised rant.

And if that’s not enough, well, someone leaked an extended, bloody battle scene from the climax of Kick-Ass 2. Both of which you can find after the jump.

Phil? His First Name Is “Agent” – Clark Gregg On The Resurrection Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent Coulson

Clark Gregg recently spoke with Collider at WonderCon about his Marvel Universe character, Agent Coulson, who has been a breakout fan favorite. Fans were crushed when Agent Coulson went to the great beyond during a blowout with Loki on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, but the character’s death served the purpose of being the emotional focal point that rallied the heroes to the eventual defeat of Loki and the Chitauri. Coulson’s death also rallied fans into action, petitioning Marvel, Joss Whedon, and anyone else who would listen, for Coulson’s return. In this interview, Gregg discusses Coulson’s return with unabashed enthusiasm, along with how the S.H.I.E.L.D. television show fits into the larger Marvel Universe, and the overall weirdness of signing a multi-year television contract. He never quite spoils the actual mechanics of how Coulson returns, but I know I’m thinking Life Model Decoy. Who’s with me?

There’s no official drop date for the television pilot, but you can keep up with all news on the S.H.I.E.L.D tv show on its Facebook page.

FInal Crisis: Bruce Timm Leaving Supervising Producer Job at WB Animation

Well, this is a bummer, even though it was probably possible to see it coming based on the recent cancellations of Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice: Invasion by Cartoon Network and Warner Bros., but Bruce Timm, the guy who has been driving DC’s animated movie and TV efforts pretty much since Batman: The Animated Series started in 1992, is leaving the Supervising Producer job at Warner Bros. Animation. He’s going to be replaced by James Tucker, the guy who produced Justice League, Legion of Super Heroes and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and he directed the upcoming Superman: Unbound movie coming from DC Animated Originals.

There’s no particular word as to why Timm is leaving beyond the wish “to develop some of his own projects,” but this news was kind of a bummer for Amanda and me, personally. The art centerpiece of the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office Theater Room is a framed collection of two of Timm’s sketches, of Batman and Batman Beyond, respectively, with pictures of Timm drawing them for us… and with a bonus, a picture of Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series co-producer Paul Dini and his autograph, to boot. So to say that we are fans of Timm’s work with DC’s animated work would be a gross understatement. Just look up and to your left as proof.

But the important thing is whether or not Tucker is the right choice to continue Timm’s work on the generally excellent DC animated properties… and the answer seems to be: probably, yeah. Tucker seems to have a solid vision of what he wants to produce in the future beyond Superman: Unbound, and fans of DC characters who aren’t Superman or Batman are probably going to be especially excited.

Hope(less): Storyboard Animator Teases Nonexistent Green Lantern Season Two

Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice: Invasion on Cartoon Network are over now, cancelled apparently due to the low sales of associated toys and DVDs… although to be fair to fans of the shows like me, I would be more than happy to buy a decent high definition Blu-Ray version of either show. Blu-Rays that do not currently, you know, exist. Some of us are adults, people at Warner Bros. Animation, and are not moved by a ten-buck, standard definition “volume” of a couple of episodes in the way, say, a mother looking to buy something that will shut their child up for a Goddamned minute might be.

But regardless, what’s done is done. The shows are cancelled, to be replaced with, well, some crap… although is seems that no one told the respective creators, since each series ended with a massive tease: Young Justice ended with a reveal of Darkseid, and Green Lantern showed Red Lantern Razer flying off into the void, looking for his lost love Aya… with a Blue Lantern ring following him into the darkness.

Ending on what amounts to cliffhangers is a hell of a thing… but Jake Castorena, a storyboard artist at Warner Bros. Animation, took some pity on fans by at least extrapolating what might have been in a Green Lantern season two. It ain’t much, but it’s a small balm to show us what we might have been in for, while we wait in resignation for a cartoon about bubble-shaped Teen Titans making puns about defecation. And it’s available after the jump.

Teen Titans Go! – Here’s The Crap That Is Replacing Young Justice

For the past two seasons, Cartoon Network has been offering a DC Nation cartoon block. The one hour block showcased two twenty-five minute length cartoons, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice, as well as a variety of animated shorts ranging from a goofy take on Animal Man, voiced by Weird Al, a cute take on Supergirl, Wonder Girl and Bat Girl in Super BFFs, to an interminable anime inspired run of Amethyst: Princess Of Gemworld. While the Green Lantern series got off to a rocky start, with animation and storylines that seemed cribbed from The Clone Wars, it eventually did find its footing. Young Justice, meanwhile, was strong out of the gates and created a compelling ensemble story, proving that animation can be a vehicle that tells smart stories and isn’t just for kids.

Problem is – Cartoon Network and DC really only care about the “just for kids” part of the animation block. Neither cartoon series was moving enough toys and other merchandise to justify keeping it on the air, compounded by an uneven airing schedule that saw both shows unexpectedly pulled off the air last fall, despite having show times and episode synopses published for promotion. So, when DC Nation pulled the cord on the two series this month, it was hardly surprising.

Compounding the “no really, we’re in this to sell toys to the kids” vibe is the decision by the suits to replace these shows with Teen Titans Go!, an ultra child friendly version of the previous WB anime style Teen Titans property that aired back in 2003 and spawned a children’s comic, also titled Teen Titans Go!.

Check out the trailer for the new series, after the jump.

In Our Cups: New Game of Thrones Season 3 Trailer, Episode Synopses

It is St. Patrick’s Day, and that means that we will be adjourning to a local drinking establishment to drink to excess and act like degenerate spastics. Well, the fact that it’s a Sunday means that we will be doing those things; the fact that it’s St. Patrick’s Day means that we will be surrounded by people who are not very good at doing those things.

This commitment to debauchery means that my review of Paul Cornell’s and Alan Davis’s Wolverine #1 will need to wait until tomorrow morning (sneak preview: it’s damn good), but the concept of medieval excess (and, once the rubes get to Green Budweiser number 11 after a pile of corned beef and cabbage, medieval plumbing facilities) brings to mind Game of Thrones, which is returning for it’s third season on HBO on March 31st, and which is therefore in full publicity mode right now.

In fact, HBO has released another preview trailer for the new season, as well as some plot summaries for the individual upcoming episodes, which you can check out after the jump.

Robert Kirkman Talks Rejected Walking Dead Merchandise On Conan

You ever finish an episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead and think “I wish I could smell like the zombie apocalypse?” Just me? Well, turns out that was very nearly a possibility. Robert Kirkman discusses The Walking Dead merchandising opportunities he’s passed on, including perfume and energy drinks, in this clip from Conan.

The Walking Dead can be seen Sundays at 9 PM Eastern time on AMC.

Via Bleeding Cool

Winter Is Coming Back – New Trailer For Game Of Thrones Season 3

“Death is coming for everyone and everything”, says Catelyn Stark in this new trailer for season 3 of Game Of Thrones and I say: it can’t get here fast enough.

Game Of Thrones returns to HBO on March 31 at 9pm.

And, a little treat for everyone who loves to hate Bitch King Joffrey, after the jump.