Joss Whedon to Write, Direct, Produce Marvel Pilot for ABC

A few weeks ago, it was formally announced that Joss Whedon - writer/director extraordinaire and creator of such beloved cult series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse - had signed an exclusive three-year contract with Marvel, for whom he helmed the record-smashing juggernaut that was The Avengers. The details of said contract confirmed his involvement with the Avengers sequel and hinted at the development of at least one live-action Marvel television show.

Just yesterday, it was reported that Whedon would be developing a pilot for ABC based on S.H.I.E.L.D., the top secret world peacekeeping task force led by Nick Fury. Joining him on the project are his brother, Jed Whedon, and Jed's wife Maurissa Tancharoen. The team previously worked together on the internet musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, as well as Dollhouse. Joss will be co-executive producing and co-writing the pilot. He's also slated to direct, schedule permitting.

Very few details have been released, but Whedon has noted that the show's storyline will be, "autonomous," from the Avengers sequel, which suggests that it will be allowed to develop as its own entity, rather than as an empty promotional tool for future films.

While many of Marvel's, "big guns," have already been employed by the film department, a wealth of characters remain untapped, many of whom have ties to S.H.I.E.L.D., giving the show plenty of potential for cameos and team-ups. However, the concept really opens the door for audiences to learn more about the agents who tend to turn into a backdrop for Hulks and hammers.

Best of all, fans might finally get another Whedon series that lives long enough to reach its full potential. Unlike Fox, who helped drive Firefly and Dollhouse to unforgivably early graves with poor advertising, pre-empting, and time slots of doom, ABC has a less disruptive sports and award show schedule and a better track record when it comes to making shows work (still, a moment of silence for Pushing Daisies). Plus, as both Marvel and ABC are owned by Disney, success will literally be in everybody's best interest.

For more information about the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot announcement, check out this post from The Hollywood Reporter.

Marvel Releases Alternate Avengers Opening

Check out this alternate opening from The Avengers, featuring Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill.

Do you like the idea of starting at the end, which would have turned the rest of the movie into a retrospective, or did you prefer watching events unfold in "real time?"

Getting Started...

I love comic books.

I love everything about them - the story, the art, the characters. I love the possibilities, the history, and the worlds. There's a comic book out there for everyone, whether you're a fan of superheroes or zombies or noir or whatever, and that's kind of amazing. Better still, there's a whole realm of comic-related media that lets you travel beyond the page. There are movies, TV shows, cartoons, and games, the quality of which has been improving dramatically in the last decade alone.

In short, it's one of the best and most exciting times ever to be a comic book fan.

It's also one of the most daunting times to start being one.

Saying, "I want to start reading comics," is like saying, "I want to start reading books," or, "I want to start listening to music." It's way too broad a goal, and if you walk into a shop without at least a general idea of what you're interested in, odds are it'll be more than a little overwhelming. That being said, if can be hard to figure out where to begin, especially with comics.

A lot of comic books, particularly the hero comics, are unique in that they feature characters that have been around for decades. Really cool if you're a historian, kind of tricky if you're a new reader who wants to know where to pick things up.

That's kind of why I wanted to start this blog. A few months back, a friend of mine told me she was interested in reading comics, and I gave her a list of suggested titles to read and where in the timeline to start reading them. I fielded questions as they arose, and she pointed a couple other people who needed help in my direction. I was delighted, as I really enjoy introducing people to books/writers/artists that I loved.

It's a nice thing, being able to talk about awesome stuff with people who are legitimately interested in an environment that's not intimidating, for them or for you.

So that's what I'm going to do here, on a slightly larger scale. I'm going to review and/or talk about what I read, watch, and buy. I'm going to share articles, announcements, and other cool bits and pieces of stuff relating to the world of comics, including comic-based media and merchandise. Everything is meant to be accessible, whether you're a new or intermediate reader.

Here's the other thing: I'd love it if I wasn't the only person dictating the content of the blog. I'm always on the lookout for new reads, and while the bulk of my titles are hero comics, I'm open to just about anything. If you have suggestions or requests for anything at all - books, artists, shows, etc. - leave them in the comments. Maybe I'll even be able to get a guest blogger or two in. Who knows?

Thanks for joining me in this little experiment. Please subscribe, share with anybody you think would be interested, and stay tuned!