What Could Have Been

If you needed more proof that we indeed are not living in the best possible of worlds, animation director and storyboard artist Steven E. Gordon told Marvel Animation Age (as reported by MTV's Splash Page), that there was maybe going to be, but now definitely won't be a Beta Ray Bill animated movie:

“The DVD was going to be done like they did the 'Hulk Vs.' DVD where half would be devoted to the ‘Ultimate War’and the other half was planned to be a ‘Thor’ story,” continued Gordon. “At one point the ‘Thor’ story they intended on adapting was Beta Ray Bill, but I believe they dropped that after some exploration. We never got too far on finding a look for the Thor adventure.”

Argh! So close. This news begs the question: is it better to know the miserable truth, or live in ignorant bliss? I blame Steven E. Gordon for not fighting hard enough to get us a Beta Ray Bill animated feature. And there is your non-news of the day.

Beta Ray Bill appears in Planet Hulk movie!

According to reviews I have read, Beta Ray Bill makes an appearance in the new Planet Hulk movie due out on DVD on Feb. 2! Apparently, Bill is replacing Silver Surfer's role from the original story, which isn't a large role, but an important one. And it is always nice to get some more animated Beta Ray Bill, since all we have up to this point is an episode of the 90's Silver Surfer cartoon, in which the Korbinites are depicted as weaklings trapped in an illusion of gladiatorial combat. (with Scottish accents?) I am now more excited about this release than I was, and I was pretty excited before.

A Cheery February

There is some cool stuff coming down the pipe, and frankly, I can't wait! Those long, excruciating weeks between the Super Bowl and the beginning of the baseball season needs to be filled with something, lest you are driven into the depths of depression and despair by winter's icy grip, and this year we are extra lucky. In February we get the Winter Olympics, complete with hockey and curling, two of my personal favorites, as well as the animated feature Planet Hulk on DVD Feb. 2.

Plus, on Feb. 23, we get Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD from Bruce Timm, which looks fantastic.

(By the way, Mark Harmon of NCIS fame will be voicing Superman in that one!)

These bits of animated goodness should be able to get me through the winter, and tide me over until the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starts in March.

So rejoice, for this is a rare February that won't feel like it is actually longer than its total 28 days suggest. Just try not to get stuck in a loop on Groundhog's Day to make up for your life's moral failings and everything will work out just fine.

Sif mini-series to contain Beta Ray Bill, awesomeness

That's right, there is a Sif mini-series due out in March from writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Ryan Stegman. Thor's Asgardian girlfriend gets to go on her own head-busting solo adventure, and the best part is that none other than Beta Ray Bill makes a showing as well. I can't wait for this series, as Sif will have a serious chip on her shoulder for Loki who had been hijacking her body for quite awhile leading up to the current Siege event. If you don't know, Sif and Beta Ray Bill have a bit of romantic history as well, from way back during Walter Simonson's epic run on Thor, and I'm guessing that issue will be dealt with as well. I wonder if Bill's new Korbinite girlfriend will play a part in this saga? I can't wait to find out!

S.W.O.R.D. over in five

Straight from the blog of Kieron Gillen himself, Marvel has officially canceled S.W.O.R.D. after 5 issues. I am, of course, saddened by this news, as I was enjoying the title very much. This news is made worse by the timing, basically cutting off the series before it even has a chance to get going. Perhaps there wasn't enough Wolverine in the series...


It is a shame, as there aren't enough really unique comics like this one out there (at least not at the Big Two) I hope in the future, Marvel can at least bring these characters back for another round, be it mini-series or some other format.

Excuses, excuses...

So far the New Year is not looking promising for the Beta Ray Blog. Came back from a trip back east to see the family for the holidays, and returned to NO comics. Then the hard drive on my main machine turned itself into a poorly shaped hockey puck. So, no comic reviews for the foreseeable future. Once I get some comics in hand, I'll do a big multi-title story arc review of the past few months, as there have been some interesting events leading up to the coming Seige, as well as my enjoyment of Gotham City Sirens for the most part.

So there will be reviews and content in the future, but right now all I can offer you is empty promises and excuses, so take that as you will. In the meantime, look at this cool picture of the Spider-man lamp I got for my birthday:Cool.