Meet The New Boss

There’s been a lot of noise and uproar about how The Amazing Spider-Man writer Dan Slott might intend to conclude his final arc in Amazing Spider-Man #700 next week, even though the larger notes of the story were (supossedly… but probably) given away days ago. While those story beats remain unknown for the time-being (unless you have a Bittorrent client), what has gone somewhat underreported is that, whatever version of Spider-Man that Slott intends to persist in The Superior Spider-Man come January, that Spider-Man makes his first appearance in this week’s Daredevil #21.

And based on a quick flip-through of that issue? Well, assuming I wasn’t already pretty sure who winds up behind the Spider-Man mask, I would now be at least pretty sure that it isn’t gonna be Happy Smurf.

However, even though the comics press (including us) is acting like the fate of Spider-Man is the end-all and be-all of the comics world this week, rumor has it that there are at least one or two other comic books out this week. So be it Spider-Man or Octo-Douche, all it means is that this…

…means the end of our broadcast day.

And take a look at that take, huh? Even if you don’t give a tin shit if Spider-Man’s strong or if he has radioactive blood, bub, there is some cool stuff in this week’s comics. We’ve got the second issue of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers, the third-to-last issue of Vertigo’s Hellblazer, a new issue of Brian K. Vaughn’s and Fiona Staples’s Saga, the first issue of DC Comics’s adaptation of the uncut version of Quentin Tarantino’s uncut original script for Django Unchained, and bunch of other cool-looking stuff!

But you know the drill: before we can read them, we need to battle a supervillain for ultimate control of our own brains, and then we need time to read them.

So until that time (and until we resolve our battle for supremacy against our archnemesis, Doctor OldNumberSevenDaniels)…

…see you tomorrow, suckers!

New Blood: Shelly Bond Named Executive Editor of Vertigo

There was some speculation, not just here at the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office, but around the Western comic reading world, that Karen Berger’s exit as Executive Editor of Vertigo Comics, combined with the cancellation of Vertigo’s longest running title, Hellblazer, to move the character full time to the DC Universe, might mean the end of the imprint completely. Because surely, anything that could kill John Constantine, be it demon, cultist or “Corporate Synergy Consultant,” would think nothing of wiping out his friends, too.

Well, it looks like we were wrong, at least for the time being. Because DC Entertainment has just announced the promotion of Hellblazer, Lucifer and Fables Editor Shelly Bond to Executive Editor, as well as promotions for Scalped and 100 Bullets Editor Will Dennis, and for American Vampire Editor Mark Doyle as well.

So unless this secretly is one of those “Johnny Fallguy Named CEO of ENRON” kinda deals, it looks like the Vertigo line will still be around. For at least a while.

You can check out DC’s full press release after the jump.

Wishing For A Sonic Zippo: New Doctor Who Christmas Special Trailer Online

I am not the resident Doctor Who-head in the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office – those duties fall to Amanda and Lance Manion, who as children both thrilled to the adventures of the Fourth Doctor on PBS during the early 80s while I was instead busy flipping around the channels saying, “Dad? Why is that freak in the scarf arguing with a crappy Artoo-Deetoo knockoff on an obviously cardboard spaceship? Could we get a VCR so I can watch the actual Star Wars and not be subjected to bankrupt English people playacting?”

Amanda and Lance have since changed my mind about the Doctor- if everyone has “their” Doctor, mine’s Christopher Eccleston – so I have a certain level of excitement about the Doctor Who Christmas Special coming up on, well, Christmas. The concept of a Christmas Special is apparently a particularly British tradition in television – do a six episode “series,” take a little nap, drink a little tea, do a quick Christmas special, and then binge drink on lager while arguing whether Tom Baker could kick Matt Smith’s ass, or vice versa, all while pretending that they don’t know full well that Han Solo cold kill them both before they hit the ground. But I digress.

This special looks to properly introduce new Companion, Jenna-Louise Coleman, with the Doctor battling evil, supernatural snowmen. And based on the latest teaser, these Snowmen look to be a threat as creepy and dangerous as the Weeping Angels… provided the Weeping Angels could be destroyed by fire, or perhaps a warmish late-winter day.

Don’t believe me? Well, you can check that trailer out after the jump.