First Look at Silver Samurai on the set of 'The Wolverine'

A while back, Fox released this promo shot for 'The Wolverine', a sequel to the 2009 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine':

Just Hugh Jackman looking 80's-Stallone-level ripped for a reprisal of the title role.  Whether you liked 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' or not (count me in the latter), it's hard not to get excited when you see a photo like this.

The plot for the new Wolverine movie is based on the 1982 mini-series 'Wolverine' by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller which has Logan battling ninjas and the Tokyo criminal underworld for the heart of his ex-lover, the daughter of a Japanese crime lord.  It leads Logan to a clash with the Silver Samurai.  Created by Steve Gerber and Bob Brown, the Silver Samurai is the son of Yakuza Shingen Yashida, and possesses the mutant the ability to charge most anything, usually his katana, with an energy described as a tachyon field. 

Just recently a pic of the villain Silver Samurai has leaked from the set, check it out:

I know, it's not much, but it gives you an idea of how the character is going to be portrayed on the big screen.  And not too bad all things considered.  I've seen worse stabs at comic villains.  For comparison:

I'm a little skeptical of the Fox Marvel movies.  X3 was terrible and the first solo Wolverine movie was kind of a mess, but an 'R' rating and some scenes taken from Frank Miller art combined with distancing the Wolverine character from the X-Men has me cautiously optimistic for this one.  

I'm curious to see how the movie continues to develop as it nears its July 23, 2013 release date. 

The Amazing Screw-On Head

I enjoy reading comics.  Now, I'm more likely to pick up a couple of trades from an online retailer than to pick up floppies monthly.  That said, I will try to make it to my local comic shop (LCS) periodically to look through and pick up some back issues or some new stuff that catches my eye.  Because you need to patronize your LCS.

Anywho, I was perusing my local comic shop's bargain bin selection recently and was very excited to find a copy of The Amazing Screw-On Head, a one-shot story from Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy.  The story is set in 1860's America and follows the missions of Screw-On Head, a mechanical secret agent who takes orders from Abraham Lincoln on affairs regarding the arcane and paranormal (standard Mignola fare).  I should also mention Screw-On Head is just that, a screw-on head that uses different bodies to suit the mission.

Now, I like Mignola just fine.  He's got a unique art style and his writing carries a good sense of humor.  But I was overly excited to see this particular title, and at first I couldn't put my finger on why...  Then I remembered, the old Sci-Fi channel made an animated pilot of this back in 2006!  The cartoon featured the voices of Paul Giamatti, David Hyde-Pierce, and Patton Oswalt.  Check it out:

Fun Stuff.  It was never picked up, which is a shame, but we'll alwas have the pilot.  Maybe it's fitting... a one-off show for a one-off comic.