Wednesday, January 9, 2002

SMALLVILLE ACTION FIGURES, EPISODE UPDATE

DC Comics announced on Tuesday that DC Direct will be producing a line of action figures inspired by The WB's show Smallville.

The three figures will be based on the likenesses of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), as they appear on Smallville.

They are tentatively scheduled to be solicited in April, and will be released simultaneously in the comics specialty market and other venues. No release date for the action figures has been set yet.

"We're absolutely delighted to be able to offer figures based on such an enormously popular series," said Cheryl Rubin, DC's vice-president - licensing and merchandising.

"Everyone at DC loves the way Smallville has reinvented the Superman mythology for a new audience," said Paul Levitz, DC's executive vice-president and Publisher. "The Smallville guys have been doing such a great job playing with our toys, now we'll get to play with theirs!"

In other Smallville news:

* The Jan. 24 episode will be a repeat of "Craving."

In the episode, Clark (Tom Welling) must save Pete (Sam Jones III) from literally being devoured by a female classmate (Amy Adams), whose crash diet of kryptonite-infected vegetables causes her to shed weight faster than she can handle and she must somehow satisfy her ravenous hunger. Meanwhile, Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) gets one step closer to the truth about Clark after funding a study on the green meteor fragments."

Phil Sgriccia directed the episode, which was written by Michael Green

NEW X-MEN: EVOLUTION, STATIC EPISODES

"Mindbender," a new episode of X-Men: Evolution, will air on Kids' WB! on Saturday, Jan. 26.

The episode is No. 25 in the show's production order, but will air before No. 23, "Walk on the Wild Side," or No. 24, "Operation: Rebirth."

That day also marks the return of Static Shock at 8:30 with "The Big Leagues" episode featuring Batman and Robin.

Here's how Kids' WB! describes the episode:

"Dakota gets a real jolt when The Joker comes to town, recruiting a band of metahumans to wreak his own special brand of havoc. Of course, with The Joker on the loose, Batman and Robin cannot be far behind. The biggest challenge for Static comes when he must help his heroes save the day, and earn the respect of the famed caped crusader."

To accommodate Static Shock, the network is moving Cubix to 8 a.m. and reducing Saturday Pokemon episodes from two to one.

IMAGE'S FUSED!

Image Comics has announced an artistic change and released preview images for Fused!, the new bi-monthly series from writer/creator Steve Niles.

Paul Lee will be the artist, although Nat Jones was named in the original solicitation. According to Image, "A creative team change was made from the original solicitation to ensure timely delivery of the first issue."

"I'm sad that things didn't work out with the old team, and I wish them the best of luck, but I'm extremely thrilled with Paul's take on the concept," Niles told The Continuum. "I think it's fresh and original and I think in the end, Fused will be a better book for it. There's nothing like it on the stands."

Here's how Image describes the book:

"Imagine that you have become imprisoned within a suit of armor...and that it has fused with your entire nervous system. How will you eat? How can you touch anything or anyone? How will you cope when even the simplest of bodily functions are denied you?

"Fused! Is more than merely a sci-fi/superhero series. It is, instead, a psychological horror/thriller that places an ordinary man in one of the most terrifying predicaments imaginable."

Said Niles: "This isn't just a big guy in a suit. I think our take on this concept is fresh and exciting. This is a real human with a life, a family, and a wife who has become encased in a virtually inescapable carapace."

The man who becomes fused inside of the Cy-Bot is a young scientist/engineer named Mark Haggerty, who lost his hand in service to his country. Unlike armored heroes of the past, however, his first instinct isn1t to save the world, but to ensure his survival and reclaim his life.

"Being trapped inside the suit is the least of his problems," Niles said. "He's stuck in the middle of a grudge war between rival factions in the U.S. government and there are government-sanctioned superheroes hunting him. Then, to make matters worse, he's being blamed for his own murder."

The first four-issue story arc, "Canned Heat," introduces readers to Mark Haggerty, the Cy-Bot he has become, and the life-altering predicament he finds himself in.

Fused!, an ongoing series, launches in March.

FIRST LOOK: SOJOURN #7

Sojourn #7 will arrive in stores on Jan. 7 from CrossGen Comics. The issue is written by Ron Marz, penciled by Stuart Immonen and inked by John Dell.

Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:

"As Arwyn begins her quest for the Five Fragments, the focus shifts to her despised enemy, Mordath. The undead tyrant ponders both his past and the sigil that has given him sovereignty over the Five Lands -- and vows no one will take it from him."

Sojourn #7 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY