Link: http://www.secretstashcasting.com/

Would you like to be in AMC's (The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men) reality TV show based around Kevin Smith's comic book shop Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash? If the answer is yes and you live anywhere near Redbank, New Jersey here is your chance. All you need to do is go here, fill out an application, upload a photo and a youtube video and you're on your way to geek heaven. The show seems to be based around the staff and the customers who visit the store to buy and sell geeky collectibles, kind of like Cash in the Attic/Antiques Roadshow for fanboys. No doubt much of the hilarity will come from the staff in the store which includes sometimes Batman artist, co-host of Tell 'Em Steve-Dave and lifelong friend of Smith, Walt Flanagan.

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I am the Watcher. Of various films and TV programmes. I’ve watched loads of ‘em. And do you know what you need to make a film or a TV programme? Actors. You need people to play the many characters who will be appearing in said moving picture show, otherwise all you’ve got is a script scrolling across the screen or images of places where not much is happening.

The thing is, there are a number of actors who become so very linked to one of the parts they’ve played, that when you see them in something else, certainly to begin with, you can only see them in that part. A good actor can overcome this, and by the end of whatever it is you’re watching, they’ve become this new character, all trace of that other part you know them for gone and forgotten, at least temporarily.

But, sometimes, your brain starts to ask the question. “What if…” you ask yourself, “What if they were that other character I know them so well for? How would that change what I’m watching now? Would it make it better? Worse?” And then you’ve rewritten the entire film in your head. We’ve all done it. I know I have. So, here, for you, I present five of my own personal what ifs.

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By now y'all know I've got a full on robot chubby for Bored to Death, here's your 10 day warning, the boys are back...

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The conclusion to our trilogy of columns looking at the Avengers Big Three, and the best actors to portray, them is here, and I’ve saved my favourite for last. Regular readers will be aware that I do love Captain America. Even wrote a whole piece about why a little while back. Cap’s put in more screen appearances than Iron Man or Thor, thanks in part to the fact that he precedes them in the comics by a good couple of decades. There were also two attempts at live action Cap movies before the recent effort with Chris Evans in the title role (winner of your vote for best Cap, by the way). In the seventies there were a couple of made for TV movies starring Reb Brown as a rather lacklustre, one-note Captain America. Then, the early nineties gave us Matt “son of J.D.” Salinger in the title role in a disastrous movie in which Salinger did his best impression of… Well, Reb Brown. And wore rubber ears as part of his costume. Who thought that was a good idea?

Neither of these efforts were ever going to make this list, and are now mostly regarded as, at best, curios. However, leaving them aside, I was more than ready to bombard you with a Super Soldier Serum charged column featuring one awesome live action Cap, and four awesome animated Caps too.

Then I discovered one more live action version...

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There have been some truly awful Thors over the years. In researching this column (yes, I do research. It involves watching a lot of cartoons) I was reminded of how difficult it can be to bring a character like Thor to the screen. Things that work well in the comics, such as his faux Shakespearian dialect or his long, girly hair, just don’t really translate that well unless done properly. You either have to go all the way, and adapt the comic character as is (will only work in animation), or you have to make some pretty drastic changes somewhere.

To pick a prime example, check out Eric Allan Kramer’s awful turn in nineteen eighty-eight’s The Incredible Hulk Returns. While the original Hulk TV series was absolutely brilliant, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno’s return to our screens in several low budget TV movies left a lot to be desired. Of the three, and opinions are divided, but in this writer’s opinion, this first one was the worst. Yes, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk featured a completely uninspired version Daredevil, but the Thor who showed up in Returns, and had his ass handed to him by the Hulk, was, at best, a one note joke. An Asgardian warrior who relished battle, women and drink. There was no nobility to the character, and he was incredibly difficult to sympathise with. He also looked bloody stupid.

So, as with last week’s look at Iron Man, we’re faced with a dilemma. There are few truly great Thors, and not a whole lot of good ones to choose from either. Still, I did manage to find five who, at the very least, could be considered adequate. Four of the men on this list deserve their places. This first guy though, I’ll admit, is mostly there to fill out the numbers...

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There’s a problem with recommending this book to people. Russell T. Davies.

You see, having been a nerd with access to the internet for a while I know he brings out strong reactions in people. A lot of them totally f*cking wrong of course (I’ve read him being accused of racism and homophobia FFS), but still, many out there aren’t fans of his writing so as a result won’t give this book a shot. That’d be a shame.

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Superman is the greatest and most powerful superhero in the DC Universe. You all know the drill, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And yet, his greatest enemy, the one man he can never truly defeat, is a megalomaniacal bald bloke with a penchant for nice suits.

Lex Luthor is the archetypal supervillain, the polar opposite of his nemesis. Where Superman is physically powerful, Luthor’s greatest asset is his mind. Superman is decent, upstanding and completely selfless, Luthor is shallow, nasty and thinks of nobody but himself. But what sets Luthor apart from other supervillains are his goals. While he’s never going to stop seeking more money and power, his ultimate goal is simple. He wants to kill Superman. Luthor can’t stand that there’s someone in Metropolis who is more powerful, and more loved, than he is. That’s it. Pure, simple, jealousy. Everything Luthor does is ultimately about destroying the Man of Steel, and he takes everything Superman does personally. There’s a short speech from Luthor in JLA #11, written by Grant Morrison, which sums up his relationship with Superman perfectly:-

“There have been ‘Justice Leagues’ before, of course. I’ve indulged their existence. Let them conduct their colourful public brawls, like drunken sailors with a Hollywood budget. Let them play their games. I could have destroyed any of those organizations at any time. I chose not to. Until now. Until Superman. I would have overlooked this latest media-friendly pantomime by creatures whose very existence makes a mockery of human achievement. I would even have been prepared to indulge the astonishing arrogance of their lunar clubhouse. But for Superman. I take his leadership of this preposterous team of alpha males as a direct challenge, a throwing down of the gauntlet, a clear escalation of hostilities between us. I intend to utterly destroy Superman’s private army, and to do so I have assembled the perfect weapons…”

Superman takes up leadership of the League, never even giving Luthor a second thought, and Luthor genuinely believes that it’s all about him. This is why he’s such a good adversary for the Last Son of Krypton. He doesn’t know how to be anything else.

Luthor on screen has been tackled by a lot of different actors, many of whom have gotten it shockingly wrong. There seems to be a propensity to portray Luthor as a cackling, pantomime villain, ignoring any of the quieter moments which make the character so menacing and launching into full on over the top histrionics *cough* Kevin Spacey *cough*. But, there have also been a few actors who just get Luthor.

I was quite surprised at the results of your votes for the best Luthor of all time, which was won by Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum. I was genuinely expecting Gene Hackman to clinch the top spot. But who features on my list of great Luthors? Let’s find out...

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Is it better to know what you could've had? You can't go back so what's the point? Normally I'd agree with that sentiment but when I saw that the pilot trailer for the now defunct Locke and Key TV show was online, I just couldn't help myself. If you feel the same way continue past the jump to take a look for yourself, we can discuss our issues there...

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With the return of "Fringe" to American TV, shouldn't the question be "Is Peter Alive....?"

Continue past the jump to learn more but be warned, here be SPOILERS!

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The above image has the distinct honour of acting as the longest running desktop wallpaper on my very own Bat computer, over six months, no mean feat considering I usually change the wallpaper more often than I change Captain America underoos. It is of course the dvd cover for the second season of Bored to Death, the show is created and written by Joathan Ames, writer of The Alcoholic and starring Jason Schartzman, Zak Galifianakis and the undeniable Ted Danson. If you haven't seen the HBO show then you're sorely missing out and you have my pity. Last season saw the most unlikely trio visiting Brooklyn's Bergen Street Comics, the success of Ray's (Galifianakis) self-published Super Ray comic and the finale was set in a Brooklyn Comic Con, it's not really about comics though, I'm just trying to reel you in.

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