C2E2: MARVEL TELEVISION

CHICAGO - Jeph Loeb has been on the job for a few months as head of Marvel's television department and on Saturday at C2E2 he provided a sneak peek at some of the studio's projects, including the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.

Loeb said it was difficult to reveal what was going on at Marvel television.

"We've been working behind the scenes. I know there's a lot of rumors out there in terms of what we're doing at Marvel TV, especially in terms live things, but Marvel has a very strict policy on not commenting on rumors."

Loeb said Marvel doesn't want to go through the roller-coaster that has happened with DC's Sandman property.

* Loeb talked about Ultimate Spider-Man, noting the involvement of Paul Dini and Man of Action, along with Brian Michael Bendis. Dini is writing the pilot, and Loeb said Bendis has just finished writing his second episode.

* Loeb said the show is run from a writer's room approach.

* While Loeb praised the DC animated series from Batman: The Animated Series to Young Justice, he said the shows lacked one thing.

"I don't see DC Comics. What I see is peanut butter in their chocoalte. They don't look like DC Comics, they look Warner Bros. Animation," he said.

* Loeb then showed a test of the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, coming in to Disney XD in 2012. It featured a berating voiceover by J. Jonah Jameson as Spider-Man swings through New York City. He is then summored by Nick Fury.

The voice of J. Jonah Jameson was done by J.K. Simmons, who played the character in the first three Spider-Man movies.

"I can't comment on who those voices are, but if that was him, wouldn't that be cool?" Loeb said of Simmons.

" That's a step in the right director of what we want to do. We want to capture what a Marvel comic is and bring it to animation."

* Spider-Man art from Ed McGuinness, Paolo Rivera, Stuart Immonen, Humberto Ramos and Joe Quesada was collected. "We want to let that sink in with the animators," he said.

* Loeb said new episodes of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes will resume in May, just before the opening of the Thor movie. The first season is expected to conclude in July around the time of the Captain America: First Avenger movie.

* The next new episode of Avengers was shown. Written by Brandon Auman, the episode features Ultron turning on the team and the apparent death of Thor.

* Loeb then talked about Thor & Loki: Brothers from Marvel Knights Animation. "We really think this is the next step of what Marvel Knights Animation can and will be," Loeb said, showing two trailers for the project, which launches on March 28.

* The order of the Marvel Anime releases will be Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men and Blade. Iron Man and Wolverine have premiered in Japan.

* A scene from Iron Man was shown. It included Iron Man fighting Scopio, as the 12-part story will feature the anime version of Zodiac. "It's a pretty incredible story," Loeb said.

To conclude the panel, Loeb showed the pilot for Wolverine anime, with subtitles done for show. It featured Mariko and a prolonged fight scene. Loeb noted the anime series are more violent than Marvel's animated fare and will be shown at night on G4.