THE STAR EXPOSES
Christian Bale on the Scale!

The Star magazine recently ran this article on "Batman Begins" star Christian Bale. There's an interesting sidebar (pictured below) about casting Batman for the movie. Can you imagine zany "Pacey" from "Dawson's Creek" as Batman? Or teen heart-throb Jake Gyllenhaal? No. No. No! Anyway, the article focuses on Bale's WEIGHT! Click the article pic for a large version to read the whole thing.

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PULP ROOTS OF COMICS
Secret Origin of Giant Turtle Man Jimmy!

Jimmy Olsen was NOT the first giant turtle man -- or even the second! It all started in the pulp "Thrilling Wonder Stories." Here's the proof:

Here's the latest shot of Brandon Routh as Clark Kent in the upcoming movie "Superman Returns," directed by Bryan Singer. In this shot, Clark is throwing a baseball.

From Publishers Weekly: "Joe Kubert explores what might have been in this gripping account of WWII's Warsaw ghetto uprising. In the text introduction, Kubert recalls how his Polish family attempted to emigrate to the U.S. in 1926, but they were denied because his mother was pregnant with him. Luckily, they succeeded a few months later. But what if his family hadn't gotten away? In an immediate, sketchy pencil style, Kubert imagines an alternate version of his family history ... Kubert's loose pencil art excels at catching character and setting in a few lines, although the layouts are sometimes plain. Yossel tells its tragic story with both emotion and dignity."

I love it when civilians try to critique comic artists. Here, they say of Kubert's work, "sketchy pencil style ... the layouts are sometimes plain." Sketchy pencil style? Plain layouts? Joe Kubert? No. I don't think so. How about "Raw dynamism that explodes out of every single panel from the gifted genius who practically invented war comics!" Better. Anyway, click the book to go to its page on Amazon.com.