Spinning out of this week's Incredible Hulk #600, the storyline - that will join Loeb's Hulk series with Pak's revived Incredible Hulk for its duration - follows Bruce Banner now that he is unable to become the Hulk ever again. According to Loeb, the de-Hulked Banner isn't the nerdy, nervous scientist we're familiar with, but a "kick-ass guy" trying to help the Hulk's son, Skaar, survive in a world where the mysterious Red Hulk has made life more uncomfortable for gamma-irradiated beings. Just to complicate matters, the storyline will also feature Loeb's newest creation, Red She-Hulk, due to debut soon in the Hulk series. "And if I'm not told you who Red Hulk is, I'm definitely not gonna tell you who Red She-Hulk is," Loeb joked.

World War Hulks begins in December's World War Hulks: Gamma, written by Loeb and drawn by John Romita Jr.

When prompted by a fan question (and then even more prompting from Marvel's Jim McCann), Teen Wolf creator Loeb talked about the third Teen Wolf that we never saw. Back in the 1980s, Alyssa Milano was a big fan of both the Michael J. Fox movie and hockey, and tried to make a third movie that she would star in as a white wolf who played hockey. As other members of the panel admitted that they'd watch the movie, Loeb clarified "that did not happen. In case you think you just missed it, it did not happen."

Surprising the fan who'd asked the original question, Loeb said something is happening with Teen Wolf, but that rumors about MTV and Warner Bros being involved are not true. He didn't hint at who was, however.

From the latest issue of Loeb's current high-profile Marvel series, Ultimatum:
You may be wondering what's going on there, because what you're seeing doesn't make that much sense, so I'll happily confirm: That is X-Men villain The Blob eating former Avenger (or, considering this is the Ultimate universe, "former Ultimate") The Wasp.

Now, last time I checked, The Blob wasn't actually a cannibal... he was just a guy whose superpower was being really, really fat (A superpower that, let's face it, should belong to someone like Tenzil Kem). But then again, this is the self-consciously "extreme" Ultimate Universe version of the character, as well as the somewhat bombastic Jeph Loeb, a man for whom cannibalism is apparently just one of the many traits of a successful supervillain.

I have to admit, seeing this scene brings about two reactions in me. Firstly, sadness for poor Wasp, who has just been killed for the second time in a month (The "regular Marvel Universe" version of the character died at the conclusion of the publisher's big Secret Invasion series), and perhaps most importantly, happiness at the realization that, with Loeb no longer involved with the NBC drama, we're much less likely to see Hayden Panettiere being eaten on network television.

Ultimatum [Marvel.com]

For once, let's get the superhero stuff out've the way first: Marvel have two hardcover collections out this week that are worth a look. First up, Hulk Vol. 1: Red Hulk collects the first six issues of former Heroes writer/producer Jeph Loeb's weirdly enjoyable comedy about a brand new, psychopathic Hulk running around shooting bad guys and punching good guys, while Mythos Vol. 1 brings together some dully-written, but beautifully-painted retellings of the origins of Spider-Man, the X-Men, Captain America, the Hulk and Ghost Rider. Image Comics launches I Hate Gallant Girl, a new series about what happens to the girl who lost the superhero version of the Miss America contest (Clue: Bitterness). Little beats DC's superhero haul for the week, though; besides the paperback edition of the wonderful Darwyn Cooke anthology Batman: Ego And Other Tails, there's also the first issue of Kevin Smith's new Batman mini-series, Cacophony and, only five years later than you'd expected, a paperback edition of the more-enjoyable-than-it-has-any-right-to-be JLA/Avengers crossover series.

However, there's more to life than capes, you know, as the song almost goes. Dark Horse are leading the non-superhero charge this week with the first issue of The Cleaners, about a forensic clean-up team in LA that has to deal with deaths caused by somewhat supernatural sources... something that Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden would know about; sadly, he's busy in his own first issue of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Storm Front, a four issue adaptation of the novel that makes its debut this week (Somewhere, everyone who told me to read the novels is cheering). Urban fantasy of a particularly weird kind can be found in two collections from Image Comics: Bill Sienkiewicz's psycho-serial killer drama Stray Toasters and Ted McKeever's Ted McKeever Library Vol. 1: Transit both return some classic 1980s weirdie comics to print that are well worth your time and money.

Book of the week, however, isn't actually a comic. But don't let that put you off Fables: Covers By James Jean, a new hardcover that collects more than seventy-five of the the most gorgeous creations ever to grace the front cover of anything, never mind just comic books. Jean, who's worked for Prada, the New York Times, Knopf, Target and many, many others, has been creating some of the most beautiful images on a monthly basis for the (very enjoyable in its own right) Fables series for years, and this collection pulls them all together, along with sketches, commentary from the artist and others, and yet another brand new, beautiful cover image. It's the holiday gift that you should get for yourself and others, in case you were wondering.

(All of the images in this week's column are Jean Fables covers, by the way.)

In case you need any other reason to hit your local comic store (found, of course, via the Comic Shop Locator Service), then the complete list of this week's new comic releases should be able to provide many. But, seriously; how can you resist that James Jean book? Have you no eyes?

We reported the departure of Loeb and Alexander yesterday morning, with the news breaking Sunday evening; with the exception of Alexander posting the news on his blog ("I write this with a heavy heart. As of today I am no longer a writer/producer on HEROES.") and a short, generic comment from Loeb to Comic Book Resources, neither have yet commented publicly on their removal, nor have NBC or show creator Tim Kring, leaving a lot of people wondering what's going on over there. Many people inside and outside of the TV industry are pointing to Entertainment Weekly's cover story about the show's third season troubles as the final straw that forced NBC into action, but the question still remains - was firing Loeb and Alexander the right action?

I think that it's definitely a step in the right direction; Loeb and Alexander were often credited with being in charge of the writers' room at the show, and many of the problems that EW (and us, as well, but at least we didn't get anyone fired) were story-based - but without Loeb and Alexander there, who is in charge of the writing of the show? EW's own report of the firings said that it "was unclear" if the two producers would be replaced (although subsequent reports are now suggesting otherwise), which leaves it equally unclear who'll step in to provide the show's direction, storywise, from now on.

The careers of both Loeb and Alexander can also be used to identify some of the show's problems in terms of writing - The sudden reveal of Sylar's Petrelli heritage, his nonsensical turn towards being a good guy, the return of the previously dead Arthur Petrelli and overall uneven juggling of a far too large cast seem reminiscent of Loeb's past as an Marvel Comics writer from the 1990s - although the show lacked the stupid fun of his more current work like Hulk or Superman/Batman - and the never-ending plots and unconvincing personal traumas of the characters harkened back to Alexander's beginnings on Alias.

The obvious suggestion would be creator Tim Kring himself; after all, he appeared to be aware enough to identify and own up to the problems of the show's second season last year - problems that, tellingly, Loeb denied existed in interviews - but that's doesn't necessarily mean that he has the time, availability or even the ability to turn around the show's current creative direction; look at the ways that the third season has gone overboard in the opposite direction (and, at the same time, returned to old and tired themes and plots) in trying to course-correct from last year. There are many other producers on the show, but none of them have the writing experience - or the geek chops - of the axed duo, which doesn't necessarily bode well.

Axing some more of those producers - including Kring - is, of course, still an option for NBC, who are said to be unhappy about the show running over budget currently. Were Loeb and Alexander really in charge of the purse strings? It seems unlikely. Kring is apparently already under pressure from NBC to simplify the show, showing that the network isn't relying on the removal of Loeb and Alexander to save the show alone.

Also a problem, at least in terms of perception, is the nature of the move; NBC axing executive producers of an underperforming, high-profile, show brings to mind memories of last year's perpetually-endangered Bionic Women relaunch, where the (admittedly low) quality of the show eventually became irrelevant because the real story became the behind-the-scenes problems... Problems that NBC were never really shown to be able to fix (BW went through, what, three creative teams on eight episodes of that show?) - leading to an impression that the network couldn't fix its own problems... which won't help with this situation.
The best case scenario for both NBC and Heroes as a series, is getting new producers in place who can revitalize the writing of the show, bring a new discipline to the series that will silence critics, and have some level of nerd cred to reassure the hardcore fans that it won't become ER Plus Flying Dudes. E!Online is claiming that NBC want Bryan Fuller to return to the show post-Pushing Daisies cancellation (although that isn't necessarily a done deal yet), and Meredith's already suggested Steven DeKnight as another alternative, but I'm thinking of a couple of people a little more unexpected (and a little more employed): Drew Goddard and Brian K. Vaughan, both currently at Lost. Goddard's experience on Lost, Alias, Angel, Buffy (not to mention Cloverfield) show that he's good with the fantastical, multi-character, labyrinthine nature of a show like Heroes - and also that he's able to pare back a lot of the growth to get to the core of the stories, emotions and concepts necessary to make said series work - while Vaughan brings a similiar comic book experience of superpowers, superhero teams and longform storytelling to Loeb, but with the addition of better (or, at least, more subtle) character work and a fresher eye towards how to deal with the stereotypes of the genre.

Whatever happens next, however, one thing's for sure - Sunday's firings has taken Heroes from being a troubled show to a symbol of NBC's problems as a network; their stepping in to try and fix the show in such a public way has meant that it's going to become a priority for the people in charge - and one that they can't afford to mess up. Save the Cheerleader Show, Save the Network.

According to the trades both executive producers/writers Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander were fired due to:

The execs' frustration with the creative direction of the show. The show is also said to have been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season, that are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-seg pricetag.

While it's sad to see Loeb (the only writer with any comic-book cred) exit the NBC doors, I have to say this was probably for the best. Let us not forget the creative direction Sylar (the once bad ass villain has taken), the many tacked-on characters and the bazillion ho-hum plot lines.

Now who should they get to replace them, besides all the J.J. Abrams people who are busy writing Lost, Fringe and StarTrek 2? (Just guessing on that last one). Actually, I think Steven S. DeKnight (Buffy, Angel, Smallville) is available, having just left the staff of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.

[Variety]

Jeph Loeb, whose resume also includes stints on Lost, Smallville and a pretty impressive career as a comic book writer, talked about the special Summer series on the WordBalloon podcast:

There's kind of a historical importance, if I'm not putting too much importance on it, in the sense that, like I said, these are the first [Writers] Guild-sanctioned [web] episodes, which kind of allow for... You know, if you believe that members of the Writers Guild have a higher quality of writing than somebody who isn't, that's an opportunity to see what you can do if you let the big boys come in and play... They do have a historical precedence to them. You're looking at the future. And even if you look at it and go, "Well, you know, it doesn't have the big glory of a television show". Yeah, guess what? It is a baby step towards that, and I think they're terrific. Everyone involved did an amazing, amazing job on very little to make it with... It's like a small independent film when Heroes the show is, like, this $100 million blockbuster.

Not that they don't have any value beyond historic importance to the industry, mind you:

They're very clever pieces that you can watch over and over and over again, and will tie into our mythology, as people will see. Everything does, in the same kind of way that the comics do. But [they] will also give you an opportunity to kind of tool around in the NBC.com area that's designed for Heroes, because that way, you'll get to see the comics, and you'll get to see interviews with people.

They tie into the mythology the same way as the comics do? So, either hardly at all, or else giving you backstory that you didn't really need to know nor care about, then.

[Wordballoon]

First, a little bit of history of the Superman/Batman teamups. The two first joined together in 1952, and quickly learned each other's secret identities. Their monthly teamup comic, World's Finest, lasted until the mid-1980s. They were best friends, and their stories often had a sort of boys' clubhouse feel, with Robin along for the ride. Occasionally a girl like Supergirl or Batgirl would want to join the club. Or either Superman would get a new "best friend," leaving Batman to feel sad and rejected. Or some mean boys, like the Composite Superman or Anti-Batman and Anti-Superman, would show up and ruin everything. But the stories would always end with the club intact again.

And then in the mid-1980s, Frank Miller and John Byrne came up with the idea of making Superman and Batman uneasy allies, who didn't trust each other. Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns ends with the two slugging it out, and Byrne's Superman: The Man Of Steel has the young Superman meeting the unsavory vigilante Batman for the first time. Batman thinks Superman's a callow boy scout, and Superman disapproves of Batman's violent methods. This is the one where Batman tells Superman that he's implanted a deadly bomb in "an innocent" that will go off if Superman tries to grab Batman... and then it turns out the bomb is actually in Batman himself, which means Batman is an innocent. I keep waiting for Superman to pat Batman on the back or brush against him accidentally. (Why couldn't Batman have just implanted the bomb in a chihuahua? Chihuahuas are people too. But maybe Batman doesn't believe chihuahuas are ever innocent.) In fact, there are approximately 1,000 DC comics from the late 1980s where Superman says that he disapproves of Batman's methods, before teaming up with him.

Now, the two are back to being friends, more or less, although Superman/Batman always shows that they have very different perspectives by giving us thought captions from both of them. Superman is bright and optimistic, Batman is dark and brooding. So occasionally, Superman will think to himself, "Wow, Bruce is so dark and brooding." And Batman will think, "Oh Clark, I could never be as optimistic and bright as you are." (It's all about the first names nowadays.) And now DC is working on a weekly Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman team-up comic, written by Kurt Busiek.

So in a nutshell, the dynamic between Batman and Superman has always been a tad cartoonish and oversimplified, based on whatever the prevailing version of Batman has been at the time. (Fun caped crusader, grim 'n' gritty avenger, or paranoid-but-brilliant member of the superhero family.) Superman hasn't changed nearly as much as Batman has.

So here's how I'd make the dynamic between Superman and Batman more interesting: I'd turn them into Lethal Weapon.

Superman is the cautious one, the straight arrow who does everything by the book despite (or because of) his almost limitless power. Batman is the crazy, out-of-control risktaker who keeps dragging Superman into situations he's not equipped for. Batman is the guy who sends Superman and himself diving into a black hole on a spaceship with one dud engine. He's the one who drags Superman and himself into a nest of trolls, whose magic weapons can hack Superman to pieces. He seems to make impulsive, rash decisions, but always turns out to have a plan. Sort of.

And yes, I know that since Grant Morrison's JLA Batman has been portrayed as the uber-control freak who always plans twenty steps ahead in every situation. But he's also the non-powered guy who dresses up in a bat costume, with his face unprotected, and jumps off rooftops into gunfire every night of the week. He's the crazed, half-suicidal Mel Gibson to Superman's Danny Glover.

Every Superman/Batman storyline should start with Superman being totally on top of things as usual, crushing a rogue giant robot with one hand while using his heat vision to stop a falling satellite from crashing on a populated area. And maybe using his super-breath to avert a tsunami at the same time. And then suddenly, Batman comes zipping up in his Bat-plane and is like, "time to go, boy scout!" Superman starts to protest, but he knows Batman only resorts to asking for his help when it's a serious problem. The next thing he knows, he's lost control over his superpowers and Batman is sending the two of them in a tailspin into a magical soul-eating volcano. "This volcano is connected to a crime that happened in Gotham City, which means it's MINE," Batman explains helpfully.

Instead of looking at Batman and thinking, "I don't approve of his methods," or "He's my pal," or "Bruce, why are you so grim and dark?" Superman should be shouting "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce! What have you gotten me into this time?" at the top of his super-lungs, while Batman cackles.

So with the strike dragging on and...

Jeph: Strike? What strike? You mean, it might last longer? What?

Well, since you've completed a whole volume before the strike, will NBC be putting that out on DVD a bit sooner to give fans something in the interim?

Tim: Well, there are really no plans for that, and we're not talking to NBC right now. But, it seems like a very logical thing to do since we have a whole volume with a completed story.

Jeph: Great, I can see the headlines tomorrow. "NBC Releasing Heroes DVD Early!"

There's been a great effort in the show to tie powers to genetics, but at some point will you look to other methods for people getting their powers?

Tim: I shied away from that idea initially, but I also said I reserve the right to have it morph and change into other theories. There have been other theories posited, like that maybe someone made them and that this was all experimental. Since we know the company is a big nefarious operation, you could definitely come to that conclusion.

Jeph: I think it's God. I've always thought it was God!

Tim: And there has been some talk about the possibility of the spiritual aspect of the powers.

Suresh has been the human voice of the series and been used as a framing device. Will that continue when the series comes back?

Tim: Yeah, we didn't lean on it as heavily in Volume Two as we did in Volume One. There is an omniscience to that voice, as if he's talking from some distant knowing place in the future, and that idea is still good for us.

The Heroes graphic novel has been the first foray at taking the show into the comic book realm. Jeph, are you still writing comics?

Well, we didn't really do a graphic novel. Every week we put out a comic book online, so it's a webcomic. This was just a collected volumes of those issues, but it was all recolored by artists, and it looks a lot different on paper.

And, I'm proud to say that I have the number one comic book in the world right now, the new Ultimates that has just been relaunched, and next month I'm relaunching The Hulk.

Well, thank you both, we love the show.

Tim: Thank you very much!

Jeph: Yes, thanks a lot, and good luck with io9!

With this week's release of the final issue of the World War Hulk series - which saw the Hulk return to Earth from a year in space with the aim of kicking humanity's ass, only to get his own ass well and truly handed to him - Marvel also released three preview images for upcoming Hulk-related comics. First up is Hulk, which sees current Heroes and former Lost producer Jeph Loeb writing a new monthly comic starring a mystery bright red Hulk, while the existing Incredible Hulk comic gets a new star and new title, becoming Incredible Herc as Greek god Hercules takes over for a few months. Most soap operatic of all is the announcement of Skaar: Son of Hulk, another new monthly comic based around the bastard son the Hulk spawned during his year in the stars.

What do these changes say about Norton's movie plans for Dr. Robert Bruce Banner and his Gamma-spawned alter ego? Probably very little, but if any of this raises the possibility of stripping Norton naked and painted bright red, then really, who will complain that loudly? Image courtesy of Marvel Entertainment

The Hulk To Come? [Newsarama.com]