We all dread the inbox flood of junk mail from family members–sappy proclamations of love, spiritual advice, Snopes-worthy hoaxes presented as dire warning. I know they come from a good place, but I tend to just delete them on instinct. But every now and then I get a gem…like a recent note from my mother about getting/feeling old, which was accompanied by these images. Geeky. Cute. Thanks, Mom!

Writer Brian Bendis’ exclusive interview with MTV Splash Page offered details on what to expect from a POWERS television pilot should the show go into production. Describing development as ‘healthy’, after recently revealing that showrunner Kevin Falls and director Michael Dinner were attached to the project, Bendis offers interesting bits about his process behind determining the story arc, and how to approach POWERS for television. See the video, as always, after the jump.

In this video interview with Marvel.com Editor Ben Morse, writer Brian Michael Bendis tells us what to expect with Siege, the latest — and they swear — the last big Marvel EVENT in the never-ending chain we’ve been besieged with since House of M.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS: ANTI-VENOM – NEW WAYS TO LIVE #2: Zeb Wells writes a hilarious Punisher, but this issue was very light on action or story of any kind. The title feels longer than the story, honestly. Zing! Plus, it’s basically “Venom: Lethal Protector” by any other name, which is too bad, because I would actually like to like this. Ah well.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #29: Another consistently solid issue of this title. There are some cheese-ball moments throughout, and the cliffhanger is paced far too quickly for it to have any sort of resonance (unless I’m forgetting things from previous issues). But those quibbles aside, A:TI continues to shine the light in the forgotten corners of the Marvel Universe, while still staying squarely in the middle. I’m going to be a little bummed if it gets canceled at the end of Dark Reign, but if the rumored Avengers Academy takes its place, and stays consistent to the tone presented here, I’m definitely on board.

HUNTER’S FORTUNE #1: It’s no secret that BOOM! Studios develops titles that, if not straight up movie pitches, have the distinct feel or potential of being turned into movies. Sometimes this, works, sometimes it doesn’t, but the new title Hunter’s Fortune (out today) definitely strikes the BOOM! balance just right.

Hunter is a regular joe down on his luck: he’s evicted from his apartment, his car is towed, and his best friend is an annoying jerk. That last part doesn’t go away, but the rest of his problems are instantly solved once he magically inherits his long-lost uncle’s fortune, as well as house, stables, cars, and sexy assistant. There’s just one catch: in order to keep the loot, he has to find Excalibur.

Yes, it is I, Norimaro — James Bond of videogame girls and comic book babes — here with my top secret, patented single page peeks at this week’s new DC, Vertigo & Wildstorm releases! Fear my elite scanner skillz!

Yes, it is I, Norimaro — James Bond of videogame girls and comic book babes — here with my top secret, patented single page peeks at this week’s new Marvel releases! Fear my elite scanner skillz and check back later for this week’s DC Teases!

Via Marvel
As the buzz surrounding the upcoming Iron Man 2 film heats up, the House of Ideas preps an exciting new limited series to usher the brand-new Whiplash – one of the film’s villains – into the Marvel Universe.

Yes, it is I, Norimaro — James Bond of videogame girls and comic book babes — here with my top secret, patented single page peeks at this week’s new releases from Avatar, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Image, Zenescope and more! Fear my elite scanner skillz and check back later for this week’s Marvel & DC Teases!

Forty-Five (or 45) is an ambitious project–a deconstruction of the superhero genre that is part anthology, part jam comic. The graphic novel is written by Andi Ewington and illustrated by 45 separate artists, each providing a single page for the collection–based only on Ewington’s script, with no additional instruction or communication with the other contributors. Forty-Five features the artistic talents of Liam Sharp, John Higgins, Sean Phillips, Charlie Adlard, Jock, Lee Garbett, Admira Wijaya, Carlo Pagulayan, Rodin Esquejo, Matt Timson, Neil Edwards, Trevor Hairsine, Francisco Kobasic, Andie Tong, Rufus Dayglo, Dom Reardon, Sally Hurst, Andrew Wildman, Stephen Thompson, Jeff Anderson, Frazer Irving, Ben Oliver, Eduardo Francisco, Dan Brereton, Barry Spiers, Robert Atkins, Fiona Staples, Bob Wiacek, Boo Cook, Gary Erksine, Ross Dearsley, Lee Carter, Sean O’Connor, Kevin, Dave Ryan, Randy Green, Tim Vigil, Simon Coleby, Calum Alexander Watt, Steve Sampson, Kit Wallis, Anthony Castrillo, Seb Antoniou, Dan Boultwood, Dan Fraga, Kenneth Rocafort; and colors by Kat Nicholson, Jason Cardy, Teodoro Gonzalez, Alex Owens, Matthew Wilson, Frank D’Armata, Bob Pedroza, Tom Smith.

The story comprises a series of interconnected interviews documented by the fictional James Stanley, a soon-to-be father who wants to find out what lies in store for his family if his unborn child turns out to carry “the Super-S gene,” which would grant the child superpowers. Stanley encounters a range of characters from single mothers struggling to raise gifted children, to rebellious super-teenagers, to suicidal risks unable to cope in a “super” world. But this isn’t just some sappy voyage of personal discovery, as Stanley’s series of inquiries lead him down an ominous path when he stumbles upon an organization known as XoDOS.

As a comic fan and new(ish) father, I find this concept very compelling. And with my own creative work centered on jam comics (see the origins of Division 18) and anthologies (see the ongoing Doctor Dremo’s Taphouse series), I’m curious to see how Ewington and the 45 team mesh those concepts in this book.

Several of the artists, as well as writer/creator Ewington, have come together again to give their personal takes on James Stanley’s quest, by answering one (not so simple) question:

If your own child were born with the Super-S gene, what power would you want them to have (and why)?