Hey everyone, after a little bit of a post-holiday lull we are back and better than ever with an all new installment of The Impact.

Warner Bros. Wins Big Victory in Superman Copyright Case.

This week an appeals court made the decision that is pretty much a decisive victory  for Warner Bros. over the heirs of Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. You can read the entire legal decision HERE. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a 2008 decision to grant the heirs of Jerry Siegel to reclaim half the copyright of Superman was wrongful and that  a binding deal between the Siegel heirs and DC had been struck in 2001 superseded it. This clears the way for Warners 2013 release Man of Steel.

New Creative Teams Announced for Red Hood and the Outlaws and Swamp Thing. 

DC announced some creative team changes on Friday.  Talon and Batman back-up writer James Tynion IV and artist Mico Suayan will be taking over Red Hood and the Outlaws. Starting with issue #19 Tynion will put the spotlight on Roy Harper for the first arc. While talking with Newsarama, Tynion talk spoke about his take on the series.

 I think that, at its essence, this is a fun,adventure book with three friends that are doing these insane things all over the world. And that’s not going to changes.

I’m not looking to take this book in a grim and gritty, dark direction. It’s not going to be a moody, dark book.

It’s going to be high action, high concepts, lots of new villains, threats lurking in the darkness.

I’m having so much fun writing it, and I think that will come across on the page. I thinkTalon has an inherit darkness to it. This does too, but it’s muted by the fact that the personalities of the characters, except for Jason, are brighter. Roy in particular.

Anyone who’s worried that I’m going to take the book and make it a bit darker and moodier like Talon don’t have anything to worry about. 

27 and Strange Attractors writer Charles Soule will be taking over Swamp Thing with issue 19 after Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire wrap up their “Rot World”  storyline. Soule spoke with io9 and talked about his first issue.

My first issue, #19, picks up just a little while after the end of Rotworld, with Alec still reeling from the events of #18. As Rotworld takes place largely in an alternate future, and the pace of 1-18 was pretty much (awesomely) go go go, it means our hero hasn’t had much chance to actually be in the “real world” as Swamp Thing, or to reflect on everything that’s happened to him and what it means to have assumed the mantle of the Avatar of the Green. Lots to process. So, we’ll deal with that, as well as a larger mystery about strange things that have been happening in the Green – mysterious forms of plant life appearing all over the world that simply should not be. The “oddness in the Green” question is a throughline I plan to run with for a little while in the background of the main issue by issue stories. 

It looks like both books are in great hands and I can’t wait to see what these guys do.

Frazer Irving Joining Uncanny X-Men in February and Other Interesting Teases. 

This week Marvel teased us with a lot of great images for what is in store for fans this April. One huge surprise was that Frazer Irving will be taking over art duties from Chris Bachalo starting with April’s issue #5. I can not wait for this series. Bendis writing has felt really fresh since taking over the X-Books and with artist like Immonen, Bachalo, and now Irving we are in for some great books.

Marvel released two one word and creative team teasers. “Birth” with the creative team of Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi while details are scarce I have a feeling this may give us the origin of Thanos. The second teaser simply featured a “XX”  with the names Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel. The early speculation for that book is it will be an all female team of female X-Men.

It looks like the Superior Spider-Man may have to look for work this April when he is fired from the Avengers. Humberto Ramos will be returning to the book as well.

Walt Simonson will be joining Mark Waid on Indestructible Hulk. Which all I can say about that is, “Holy cow!!! That’s Amazing!!!”

The Activity Launches New Interactive Website. 

Image series and Comic Impact’s “Best New Book of 2012,” The Activity launched a new interactive website this week, www.WarfareWithoutWarning.com. The interactive website features interactive world map, visitors can learn more about the locations of Team Omaha’s missions, discover new comics stories, and purchase original art and merchandise. Check it out.

This week Entertainment Weekly released it’s summer preview issue which featured new photos from Iron Man 3, The Wolverine and Man of Steel.  Now I’m ready for a trailer for The Wolverine.

ILM Celebrates Avengers Oscar Nomination By Showcasing Special Effects in New Reel .

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnQLjZSX7xM&w=560&h=315]

This week The Avengers received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. To celebrate ILM put on line this AWESOME reel showing how they did a lot of the film’s amazing effects.Check it out it is really cool.

Y: The Last Man Finds a Director.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4drucg1A6Xk&w=560&h=315]

New Line announced this week that Dan Trachtenberg would be directing an adaptation of the popular Vertigo series Y: The Last Man. Who is Dan Trachtenberg? Trachtenberg became known amongst fandom after directing a fan film  based on the popular video game Portal, which garnered over 11.5 million views. This is not the first time we have gotten close to an adaptation of the Brian K. Vaughn, Pia Guerra series, previously director D.J. Caruso was attached but word is New Line is more determined than ever to bring it to the big screen. After watching Portal: No Escape you can clearly see Trachtenberg’s talent. No further announcements were made but I can’t help but feel optimistic.

FX President Offers Update on Powers TV Show. 

Speaking of projects long in development… Fans were very excited last summer when FX shot a pilot based on Brian Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming’s Powers. The pilot, which starred Jason Patric and Lucy Punch was never picked up, but fear not FX president John Landgraf spoke with IGN this week and offered a hopeful update. First up a new script has been written by novelist Charlie Huston. Landgraf went on to elaborate.

I want to make something else with Brian and Charlie and others that’s just as good but different, and trades on the particular strengths that television has in terms of what it can do. And if we can get Powers to that level, I’ll make another pilot, and I’ll put it on the air. But I’m not going to put anything less than an absolutely great version of Powers on the air. That’s like remaking a great film into a good film, and I don’t want to do that.

This is not the first time FX has scrapped and rebooted a pilot so fans should still be very hopeful.

AMC Releases New Poster for the February Return of The Walking Dead. 

After a stellar first half, season 3 of The Walking Dead returns on February 10th.  This week AMC released this badass poster for the show.