Wright has been posting regular tidbits from the production, and yesterday gifted Scott Pilgrim watchers with this apparent still from the film:

We skewed the photo a little to get the top image. It looks like we're getting a shot of Scott, Ramona, Young Neil, Knives Chau, Kim Pine, and Stephen Stills at a show at Lee's Palace.

Now that the actors are posed and in costume (albeit under reflective glass), do they look the way you'd hoped? Does Michael Cera fit the Scott Pilgrim role after all?

[Edgar Wright Here via /Film]

If it's the end of a decade, then it's time for multiple Best Of The Decade lists. This isn't exactly one of them, though, despite what it looks like; for one thing, even if it was, you'd all disagree with it and complain that we left off something essential - although anyone arguing for the inclusion of Ultimatum, we believe that can be disproven through the use of science and charts - and for another, we've not read every single thing published in the last decade, so for all we know, there's something really obvious that we'll have somehow overlooked through accident instead of malice. Instead of The Ten Best, then, these are Ten Of The Best (Click on the titles for our explanations why and, in some cases, runners-up to the list that we couldn't help but sneak in):

100% by Paul Pope (DC/Vertigo)
All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC Comics)
Black Hole by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
Casanova by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon (Image Comics)
Laika by Nick Abadzis (First Second Books)
Planetes by Makoto Yukimura (Tokyopop)
Pluto by Osamu Tazuka and Naoki Urasawa (Viz Media)
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press)
We3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC/Vertigo)
Y The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and many more (DC/Vertigo)

(Thanks to Lauren, David Brothers, Jeff Lester and all who offered advice and good reasons why we were entirely wrong in some original choices.)

Next: We3

2012

Here's a new TV spot for Roland Emmerich's disaster porn:



[via Trailer Addict]

And a behind-the-scenes featurette goes beneath 2012's tidal waves:

[via Spoiler TV]

Transformers 3

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman won't be scripting the third Transformers film, leaving Ehren Kruger, who worked with them on Transformers 2, as the sole screenwriter. Michael Bay says he'll be collaborating with Kruger on new toy-based characters. [CinemaBlend]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Anna Kendrick says that her character, Scott's sister Stacey Pilgrim, is pretty true to the book, and she that most of her role involves yelling at Michael Cera on the phone. She also says creator Bryan Lee O'Malley's actual sister — also named Stacey — is an extra in one of the scenes. [MTV News]

Lost

A Lost watcher ran into L. Scott Caldwell, who plays Rose, at LAX airport, where she was on her way to Hawaii to film. No word on what she's filming, but apparently she won't be working more than a day. [DocArzt]

And Locke's wheelchair and Hurley's Hummer are visible in a recent set photo:

[DocArtzt]

In an interview, Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Desmond, says that the new season picks up where it left off then "jumps all over the place," but that the cast is still as confused as ever when they pick up new scripts. He still doesn't know what happens to Penny or Desmond at the end, and he's not sure how much will be resolved, as Desmond has become a more peripheral character. [TV Guide]

Suzanne Krull tweeted that she's off to Hawaii to film for Lost. Krull played Lynn Karnoff, the woman Hurley's dad paid to pose as a fortune teller. [Lost Spoilers]

Supernatural

We're coming up on the infamous Paris Hilton episode "Fallen Idol," in which Sam and Dean go hunting and come across a town where the residents are being killed by American icons like Abraham Lincoln and James Dean's car. Hilton plays herself (or rather a demonic version of herself — insert your own joke), and she's got the Winchester boys all tied up:

[TEN Gossip]

And the Winchester boys suit up for "I Believe the Children Are Our Future:"

[SPNsite]

Heroes

Here's the official description for Monday's episode "Hysterical Blindness:"

"SELF-DISCOVERY ROCKS THEIR WORLD AS OUR HEROES ENCOUNTER NEW ABILITIES, TRY TO RECALL PAST LIVES AND STUMBLE UPON AN UNEXPECTED KISS — MADELINE ZIMA, DAWN OLIVIERI, DEANNE BRAY, TESSA THOMPSON, ERNIE HUDSON, RAY PARK AND ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER LOUISE FLETCHER GUEST STAR — Samuel (Robert Knepper) prepares for new additions to his family, while Lydia (guest star Dawn Olivieri) warns him of the consequences. Claire (Hayden Panettiere) discovers that her roommate Gretchen (guest star Madeline Zima) may have a hidden agenda. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) finds an unexpected way to connect with Emma (guest star Deanne Bray), who would prefer to stay distant. Elsewhere, a different side of Sylar (Zachary Quinto) emerges as he desperately tries to remember the person he used to be.

[CinemaBlend]

Oh, and here's that much-touted girl-girl kiss:

[The ODI]

Kavi Ladnier will return as Mohinder's ex-girlfriend Mira, probably in the November 9th episode "Shadowboxing." [The ODI]

Greg Grunberg posted a POV video to his Twitter account. It appears Matt Parkman will be on a gurney at some point, and his face will be covered with gauze:

He also takes us on a tour of the show's wall of death:

[via Spoiler TV]

Dollhouse

We'll finally get some background on Sierra in this season's fourth episode:

Sierra is forced to face her past as her connection to the Rossum Corporation leads to obsession and murder in the episode "Belonging"

[via Spoiler TV]

And here's our first look at Summer Glau as Topher's counterpart. Nice glove:

[Dollverse]

More set pics reveal Echo and Alexis Denisof's Senator Daniel Perrin in matching outfits. They look comfy, but not quite like Activewear:

[Spoiler TV]

Better Off Ted

In the ninth episode "Beating a Dead Workforce," Ted plans to surprise Gordon Jenkins, an overworked Veridian employee, with a cake as appreciation for all his hard work. But Jenkins has passed away overnight at desk. Veronica gives an inspirational speech at Jenkins' memorial service. The employees are moved to work even harder and Jenkins becomes a folk hero at Veridian. We'll meet April, a pretty young scientist, and Perry, a "cool dude" from accounting, who both listen to Lem's fake stories about how close he was to Jenkins. We'll also meet Beaver, Perry's best friend who has trouble living under Jenkins' shadow, and Johnny, who has driven all night while on meth to pick up parts for a prototype of a new sleep machine. [Spoiler TV]

Smallville

We get a look at the ravenous zombies in Friday's episode "Rabid:"

FlashForward

Here are four previews (in one video) from Friday's episode "137 Sekunden:"

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown and Charlie Jane Anders.

Doctor Who

A poster on the Gallifrey Base forums claims to have a list, from an inside source, of which writers will be writing which episodes in season five. If he's to be believed, Steven Moffat will be writing the first, fourth, fifth, seventh, twelfth, and thirteenth episodes; Mark Gatiss the second episode, which features Daleks in WWII; Gareth Roberts the third; Richart Curtis number five; Torchwood's Chris Chibnall the eighth and ninth; Neil Gaiman the tenth; and Toby Whithouse will write the eleventh episode. And the list puts the story featuring Professor River Song in episodes four and five. Note: This is purely a rumor, and should be taken with many, many truckloads of salt. Neil Gaiman has never said he is writing for Doctor Who, and there's no actual evidence that he is doing so. [Gallifrey Base]

Returning to more evidence-backed claims, another poster has images of the set, but Matt Smith is still hiding his wardrobe. The pictures do include a glimpse of a new guest star, Annette Crosbie.

[Gallifrey Base]

Lost

Desmond will reportedly appear in the sixth season premiere. [Lost Spoilers]

Lost cast members confirm that a bomb went off at the end of last season and that means "all bets are off." As previously reported, we'll still be seeing ill-fated fertility expert Juliet Burke in the sixth season; Elizabeth Mitchell has already filmed some scenes and may be headed back to Hawaii for more. But Jorge Garcia says it's unlikely that we'll see Libby again. [TV Guide]

Stargate Universe

Things get tense aboard the Destiny in a clip from this week's series pilot:

Alaina Huffman says her character, medic Tamara Johansen, will gradually come into her own over the course of the episodes, though she is initially overwhelmed by the situation. [CinemaSpy]

CinemaSpy also spoke with Elyse Levasque, who plays Chloe Armstrong, the aide to her US senator father. She went to Harvard Law and did her best to fit in with the popular crowd. Where many others aboard the Destiny come in with training or a special skill set, Chloe is more completely out of her element than she has ever been, and it comes as quite a shock to her to be useless. Eventually, though, her political training will come in handy in dealing with situations on board. As the season goes on, she will delve more into Stargate history and become more of a go-to person. [CinemaSpy]

Fringe

The Observer has been spotted on set, although it's not clear what episode these pics are linked to:

[PianoDentist via Spoiler TV]

A behind-the-scenes promo for Thursday's episode takes us inside a railway station where a human being has just gone kablooey:

V

The UK promo for V shows a little bit more of the moments prior to first contact:

[VisitorSite.net]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Michael Cera says that the Scott Pilgrim adaptation has more air cannons and lightbulbs in it than any movie he has ever seen. He also said that Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley gave each actor a list of 10 things only they were supposed to know about their character. [MTV]

Survival of the Dead

/Film has posted a review of George Romero's latest zombie flick, which focuses largely on the feud between two Irish families living in an isolated island community: one that believes undead family members should be kept alive until a cure can be found and another who wants to wipe out all zombies. We'll be seeing zombies that walk underwater (which doesn't bode so well for the whole "escape to an island" plan), and Romero has even more tweaks to his zombie rules. [/Film]

FlashForward

Joseph Fiennes takes us further inside the mind of Mark Benford:

Heroes

It's all politics and violence in this sneak peek for next week's episode:

The Sarah Jane Adventures

The rhino-headed Judoon return to Earth in another new trailer for the first arc of season three, "Prisoner of the Judoon:"

[Blogtor Who]

Sanctuary

The second season will see a shift in the interpersonal relationships between the characters. We'll be seeing the relationship between Helen Magnus and her protege Will Zimmerman intensify and we'll see more brutal honesty between them, and Druitt and Magnus' relationship will change as well. Henry will feature much more prominently, and we'll see new Sanctuary team member Kate Freelander. We'll also see a possible future for the Sanctuary, and in the episode "Next Tuesday" Will and Magnus will end up in an abandoned oil rig and we'll learn a bit about Magnus' past in WWII. Also, the Cabal will appear in the premiere to resolve the season cliffhanger, but will not appear throughout the season. [CinemaSpy]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown and Charlie Jane Anders.

Firstly, am I the only person who secretly sides with Bowser and has no problem watching Mario plunge to his death on any number of occasions? Somehow, I doubt it, and the existence of Single Second's Zombario t-shirt backs me up on that one:

Next up, NBC start the teasing for the next season of Chuck by teasing the release of a "Chuck 2.0" action figure shirt on Twitter, of all things. I'd complain about the cross-marketing, but I kind of really want the shirt:

However, nothing matches up to the sheer level of fanboy desire I got while seeing this here for the first time (The t-shirt, not Ellen Wong, for those who may be confused):

All of Ramona's Seven Evil Ex-Boyfriends? On one shirt? I'll agree with Devin that this other Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World shirt is kind of cool, but, man. This is the one that I may have to kill someone to get. Why couldn't you people have come up with these before I had to start thinking about Portland's fall rains?!?

Talking to MTV's Splash Page, Schwartzman called the filming of Edgar Wright's adaptation of O'Malley's critically acclaimed series a surreal - but welcome - experience:

I've played people who have some villain-esque tendencies, but I've never played an-out-and-out enemy of the people before... It was incredible. I loved it. Basically, Michael Cera falls in love with a woman [and] in order to go out with her and win her affection, he must defeat her seven ex-evil boyfriends in a series of battles. And I am the final boyfriend; I'm the mastermind. And I am quite lethal.

But lethal to whom, exactly? Those of us reading the books know that the sixth in the series derailed the way the story seemed to be going, but will Scott get his fight with Schwartzman's Gideon Gordon Graves nonetheless? The actor says that, while he takes part in a wire-assisted swordfight, it's not what you might expect:

No, [I'm not fighting] Michael-somebody else... But I can't say who.

Set your speculation on stun: Ramona? Knives? Young Neil, emerging from his depression chrysalis in an action-packed new form? Or could it even be a Scott Pilgrim that isn't Michael Cera (If it's some CGI-generated Mecha-Pilgrim, color me stupidly excited)?

With Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World due next year, and the sixth and final book due out somewhere around the same time, it's going to be a long wait finding out... if the two stories even end in the same way.

Jason Schwartzman Describes His High-Flying 'Scott Pilgrim' Battle—And It's Not With Michael Cera! [MTV Splash Page]

Ubisoft has announced that it plans to make a game based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's six-book series, and it's certainly a game tie-in that makes sense. After all, the entire Scott Pilgrim universe seems to be trapped inside an indie rock arcade game. In each book, Scott must defeat one or more of his girlfriend Ramona's evil exes, who each present special challenges and possess otherworldly abilities. And whenever Scott defeats an enemy, he vanishes leaving behind some sort of reward (the most creepy being the extra life, shaped like Scott's head).

Ubisoft is looking to retain the character and charm of the books, opting for a classic side-scrolling design and working with O'Malley to develop the gameplay. As much as I'm geeking out over Edgar Wright's daily dispatches from the Scott Pilgrim film set, I suspect the game might prove a more apt adaptation, since the structure of the books is more suited to a video game. And O'Malley has promised plenty of fun gaming treats for fans:

It's still in the really early stages, but we're talking about having lots of characters, lots of Easter Eggs for readers of the books – a lot of stuff that couldn't fit into the movie but is more suited to the game. That's what I'd like to see and what we're working on.

[Comic Book Resources]

The Borders Ink section will replace the music/DVD sections in hundreds of stores, as music and video sales crash and sales of youth-oriented escapist reading soar. An article about the change in the Wall Street Journal namechecks the Twilight series, of course, but also the Scott Pilgrim comics. And there's this cheering tidbit for YA authors:

At a time when book retailing is slumping, young-adult titles and graphic novels are still delivering growth. Albert N. Greco, a professor at the Fordham University's Graduate School of Business Administration who studies the book industry, estimates that young-adult fiction, fantasy and science fiction will generate $744.3 million in U.S. publisher revenue this year, up 13% from $659.1 million in 2008.

That compares with U.S. publisher revenue of an estimated $9.73 billion for consumer books as a whole, a 4.7% decline from 2008's sales, according to Mr. Greco.

Of course, 744.3 million is still just a fraction of a nearly $10 billion industry. But still. [Wall Street Journal]

Scott Pilgrim:

Director Edgar Wright posted another video diary during the filming, involving a rock concert. [Scott Pilgrim The Movie]

And Wright also posted a couple cryptic set pics. [Edgar Wright Here]

Cowboy Bebop:

A slight update on this live-action adaptation, starring Keanu Reeves as Spike. Writer Peter Craig is a huge fan of the original animated series, and he spent some quality time with the original studio, Sunrise, talking about their take on the show and how it might convert to live-action. He mentions that he's a fan of many of the minor characters from the original episodes, namechecks a lot of story elements he loves:

I've probably watched every episode at least three or four times now - and I really adore what a complete world Watanabe and Nobumoto created. I was also extremely drawn to all of the characters' backstories: Faye's amnesia after being taken out of cryogenic freeze, and the con played on her; Spike's history in the Syndicate and with Julia; Jet's days as a cop on Ganymede, and his run-in with Udai Taxim.

[AnimeVice News via Sci Fi Squad]

Lensman:

Remember this in-development movie adaptation? Writer J. Michael Straczynski says he's finished his second draft, and producer Ron Howard and Universal are happy with it. He says it'll be very character-based, typical of Howard's work, and yet the special effects will be cutting edge. And it'll keep the massive scale of the original novels, as much as possible:

I think it really does create that world and what's cool about it is all the character stuff that's in there now. It's just the sheer scope and scale of it, which is what the Doc Smith books were always about to me to a large extent; the scale was insane. We found ways to really dramatize that.

And he describes one crucial sequence:

Case in point, this is a very small example from the script, take this as being emblematic of the scale of the whole thing: you've got these two fleets battling it out, you've seen it a hundred times before. But now, within that massive fleet battle you have two ships locked on with gravity (lances?) firing at each other, they're linked together like scorpions in a bottle tied with a string, by the gravity beams. Inside that, you have the crew of one ship in EVA suits with armor coming out to try and board the other ship. They send their people out to stop them, so we have hand-to-hand combat.

[Babylon Podcast via Cinemablend]

Doctor Who:

David Tennant talks his final three "specials" as the Doctor, "The Waters Of Mars" and the final two-parter:

I think inevitably, because we all know the Tenth Doctor's days are numbered, the storm clouds hang over the last stories. "Planet of the Dead" [the special that airs July 26] is in some ways, the Doctor's last hurrah. He's clearly in a death-defying situation, but he's enjoying himself and having a blast.

By the time we come to "Waters of Mars," things start to happen that mean things can never be quite be the same again. Stuff occurs in "Waters of Mars" which leads directly into the final story, where the Doctor really is on the run from the inevitable, I think it's fair to say.

Mostly stuff Tennant has said before... except for the "on the run from the inevitable" part, which is intriguing.[Chicago Tribune]

Fringe:

Judging from a new casting call, season two episode two, "Night Of Desirable Objects," will be about a series of disappearances in Vermont, which our heroes arrive to investigate. There's a local sheriff, the fifty-something Sheriff Golightly, who meets a male and female FBI agent (Olivia and someone else?). And Golightly warms to the male agent — especially after they bond over fishing lures, but stays stand-offish towards the female agent. The chief suspect in the series of disappearances is the fiftyish Anton Hughes, a former doctor — who shoots himself in the head as soon as the agents come knocking on his door to interview him. [SpoilerTV]

Virtuality:

You're staying in and watching this TV movie tonight on Fox, right? In any case, Wired's review includes some details. It's six months into the ten-year mission, and the crew has already started bickering, much to the delight of the ship's reality TV producer. And after reality-TV host Billie has an especially nasty encounter in the virtual reality, it colors her real-world interactions with the crew, during a mission-critical crisis. The movie/pilot throws a lot of balls in the air, and most of them are still hovering at the end of the two hours — leaving you wishing for a continuation. [Wired]

Impact:

Are you stoked to see the final part of this two-part miniseries on Sunday? Of course you are. Here are some pics to help get you even more stoked.[Daemon's TV]

True Blood:

Here are some season two promo photos you may not have seen before. Not sure how many of these are new. [True Blood.net]

The latest video from the set of Edgar Wright's adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's series of graphic novels about a boy who just so happens to fall for a girl who has seven evil exes he has to defeat in order to win the day shows the kind of work that goes on behind the scenes of those effortless movie party scenes:


Of course, you may be more interested in watching even more effort go into making one of the movies' superpowered fight scenes come to cinematic life:



(EvlSushi, this is for you.)

[Scott Pilgrim The Movie]

Spider-Man 4:

I've been trying to avoid posting too many items about this movie where people speculate wildly because Sam Raimi coughed in the middle of an interview or mentioned that he likes anchovies. (That's a hypothetical example, but if Raimi did happen to mention he likes anchovies, that would mean the Sub-Mariner is in the film.) In any case, Raimi gave an interview where he was asked about the possibility of the new movie having Morbius the vampire in the film, and he gave a sort of non-committal answer. But he kind of winked. So, there ya go. [Fearnet via MTV]

Iron Man 2:

Jon Favreau and crew are building a massive set for this film. What do you think it is? More pics at the link. [Superhero Hype]

The Last Airbender:

Here are high-res versions of the two photos we ran the other day, plus another Dev Patel photo. [Slashfilm]

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus:

Here's a bit of a plot synopsis for this Terry Gilliam film:

Doctor Parnassus (an absolutely wonderful Christopher Plummer) is immortal as the result of a pact made over 1000 years ago with the devil, known here as ""Mr. Nick"" and played with gravelly aplomb by Tom Waits. In contemporary London, the doctor, his teenage daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) and troupe members Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Percy (Verne Troyer, perhaps best known as Mini Me, in a straight role) give impromptu performances from their portable theater. Playing mostly to the poorer areas of the city, they invite patrons to walk through a slit-down-the-middle mirror that leads to fantastic and unpredictable landscapes.

Ledger played Tony as a fellow who may be helpful, may be harmful and should definitely be dead. (Given Ledger's untimely demise, much will be made of how Tony cheats death, but those scenes should be read as long-percolating fantasy and not ironic wishful thinking.)

All four Tonys sport a white suit and similar facial hair. The three adjunct Tonys take on some of Ledger's mannerisms but also bring theirown flourishes to the part (one of the special effects that Law ends up with really stood out for us).

The result is an epic, frequently comical and always imaginative showdown between good and evil, played out with a slightly overbearing mix of declaiming and flailing and rescued by wonderful set pieces in the Imaginarium itself.

Although there are dark and scary moments along the way, the ending is both satisfying and happy.

[NY Post ]

Cowboys And Aliens:

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talk this comic-book adaptation, due out in 2010. It's about an invasion of extraterrestrials who want to enslave humanity, but a group of cowboys and Apaches stand in their way. They'd like to see Robert Downey Jr. in the film, but it depends on his schedule. And they say there are some things in the graphic novel that don't translate to the screen, so they're having to make some changes. [Sci Fi Wire]

Scott Pilgrim:

Director Edgar Wright posted some hilariously awesome photos of stuff in this graphic novel adaptation. [Edgar Wright]

Doctor Who:

More about those awesome rumors that Timothy Dalton would be appearing in the final Tennant episodes. A totally unreliable source says Dalton is staying in Cardiff because he's just been filming Doctor Who. Also, they claim Dalton was fitted for a "Time Lord costume" back in London. [Doctor Who Forum]

Also, the show's first writer for 2010 (apart from Steven Moffat) has been confirmed: an agent's website says Gareth Roberts is writing one episode of the new season. [Life, The Universe & Combom]

Sarah Jane Adventures:

The BBC press release includes more details about season three of this awesome Doctor Who spinoff, including another hint about that wedding:

The series includes 12 weeks of brand new adventures featuring a new alien race, the reptilian Veil and their enemies the Judoon, alongside an extraterrestrial girl that can make people play games against their will.

There will also be a living painting, the inhabitants of a supposedly haunted house, monsters who want to infect Earth with a strangely aggressive weed and a chance for Sarah Jane to find personal happiness with someone who could be the perfect person to complete her family

[Planet Gallifrey]

Sanctuary:

Producer Damian Kindler Tweeted a bunch about episode eight of season two, in which there's a trapped helicopter and a dead oil rig, and a deadly sea creature. Robin Dunne is involved, which makes fans speculate that the "sexual tension" Kindler mentions involves Dunne's character, Will. And the trapped helicopter will be "hanging over the water." [Sanctuary Daily]

Additional reporting by Alasdair Wilkins.

The first of the video diaries doesn't really reveal anything about the adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's series of graphic novels that we don't already know, but we do get to see some stunt rehearsal and training for some of the movie's many fight scenes, as well as find out more about Wright's facial hair dilemma:

Blog One - Introduction - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World from Scott Pilgrim The Movie on Vimeo.

[Scott Pilgrim Versus The World]

Whether it's DC Comics relaunching the Legion of Super-Heroes with a reprint of their first adventure in Adventure Comics #0, or launching a brand new superhero series with The Mighty #1, it's as if everyone is making an effort in this last new release day before this weekend's New York Comic Con.

Devil's Due's first issue of French WW2 supernatural thriller I Am Legion, Dynamite's debut of equally-supernatural western Dead Irons, IDW's collection of Mirror Universe stories in Star Trek: Mirror Images and Image's domestic superhero Jersey Gods all make their debuts this week, and Boom! have their very enjoyable Eureka spin-off appearing for the first time, as well (we have a preview of that later today, for those yet to be convinced about how it'll work as a comic).

However, it's definitely Marvel Comics who're going all out this week. In addition to the first issues of new anthology title Astonishing Tales, rebooted African royalty superhero series Black Panther, undercover hero series Secret Warriors and (our favorite) superhero spy (well, kind of) book Agents of Atlas — along with a new hardcover collection for the rightly-lauded Captain America: Truth series — the House of Ideas has the debut of Marvel: Your Universe, a new anthology series collecting recent issues of hit series for the surprisingly low price of $5.99. Can it get any better?

Well, yes, actually, it can. Because, even if you ignore all of the above books — although they're all very enjoyable and worth picking up — there is one book hitting stores tomorrow that you should beg, borrow or steal enough money to buy. Yes, tomorrow sees the release of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim Versus The Universe, the fifth in the series of his slacker/romance/magic realist/video game/all things awesome stories, and — even though it's only February — it's a fair bet to say that this may be the book of 2009. You know you want it.

There's no way around it; this week's shipping list is going to be a tempting one, and it'll just lead you to find your nearest comic store via the Comic Shop Locator, before eventually leading you to financial ruin. But, with comics like these? It'll almost be worth it.

The movie, Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, adapts the entirity of Bryan Lee O'Malley's award-winning Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels - including the as-yet-unreleased fifth volume (Scott Pilgrim Versus The Universe, out next month) and the as-yet-unfinished untitled sixth - telling the complete story of twenty-something Scott Pilgrim, who has to defeat the seven ex-boyfriends of the object of his affections before he can date her. Or as complete as one movie can fit, at least. Michael Cera will play Scott, with Death Proof's Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing Ramona Flowers, she with the evil exes.

For those of us who adore the books, even Wright's immediately apparent awesomeness (Exhibit A: Spaced. Exhibit B: All of his movies. Should I continue?) wasn't enough to entirely dismiss fears that the movie won't live up to the original, but two pieces of casting news have gone a long way to quelling fears. Firstly, Chris Evans has signed on to play one of the evil ex-boyfriends, former pro-skateboarder-turned-actor and sellout Lucas Lee - And anyone who's ever seen either of the two Fantastic Four movies knows that he can do comedic egotistical asshole pretty well - but more excitingly, The United States of Tara's Brie Larson will play Envy Adams, Scott's ex, and, in Larson's words:

[T]he worst ex-girlfriend ever that you just can't get away from... [H]er basic purpose is to make his life miserable and she's a constant reminder of everything that he's not and he'll never be.

The fact that Envy is in the movie at all gives me stupidly nerdy hope that we'll get to see a cinematic version of this:

Scott Pilgrim Versus The World begins shooting later this year.

Edgar Wright Draws A Formidable Lucas Lee For SCOTT PILGRIM! [Ain't It Cool], Brie Larson: Meet "Tara's" Teen Daughter [Teen Hollywood] (Thanks, Bryan!)

Meet The Final Cylon
If there's anyone out there who's not looking forward to the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica, then they've either seen them already or should consider putting down that crack pipe. It's not just the revelation of the identity of the Final Cylon - and I'm totally putting my money on Gaeta at this point - but also seeing just how Ron Moore and team will bring the story to what we're promised is a satisfying and "operatic" close.

A Summer Not Dominated By Superhero Movies
Sure, there's Watchmen in March, but that already feels like something from the past; superhero movies were so 2008. 2009, by contrast is The Year Of Reliving Someone Else's Childhood, with new Transformers, new Star Trek, new Terminator and GI Joe (Not to mention new Witch Mountain). I'm ignoring Wolverine by way of leading by example, because you should all do the same thing. Along similar lines:

Genre Directors Pushing Themselves Again
Maybe it's just my cynical eye, but with the exception of the Wachowskis and Speed Racer (and, arguably, Chris Nolan and Dark Knight), 2008 seemed pretty light on big name directors trying to dazzle us. Thankfully, 2009 offers at least two movies to fill that void. James Cameron's 3D Avatar may have the most eyes on it right now - if only because he hasn't made a movie since 1997's Titanic - but I'm much more excited about Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, which sees him try to reclaim the scope and grandeur of Time Bandits and Brazil. You know that, even if he fails, it'll probably be the most interesting movie of the year.

Scott Pilgrim
It's not just that 2009 will give us the fifth (and penultimate) volume of Bryan Lee O'Malley's video game-influenced magic realist series about life, love and being Canadian (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe is released in February), but the long-discussed movie adaptation from Shawn Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz's Edgar Wright should begin shooting, as well. Pretty soon, the world will know Pilgrim's name, and I'll have to fight my urge to say his earlier stuff was better.

Who Is The New Doctor Who?
Yes, I'm sad that David Tennant is leaving as well, but I'm looking forward to the announcement of his successor. Not just because I want to know who it is - I'm still leaning towards Paterson Joseph - but because I'm ready for everyone to stop starting wildly inaccurate rumors about "the latest name to throw their hat into the ring." And, yes, that's also my main reason for hoping that Chris Nolan starts thinking about a sequel to The Dark Knight, as well. I mean, Rachel Weisz is one thing, but when you're reduced to Eddie Murphy, that's just getting ridiculous.

Final Cylon image from Nerdgod.

Sky Doll:
This French story about a sexbot who stows away with space truckers to find her true destiny reads like a more enjoyable The Fifth Element, mixing spirituality, sexuality and awkward humor to create a beautifully-illustrated not-so-guilty pleasure.
(Published by Marvel Comics, $24.99.)

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus:
This four-volume series of hardcovers collects all of the various comics that made up X-Men and Fantastic Four co-creator Kirby's 1970s magnum opus about godlike aliens bringing their war to Earth. Ignored and cancelled due to low sales at the time, these have since taken their place as some of the all-time best American SF comics.
(Published by DC Comics, each volume $49.99.)

The Babysitter Collection:
You probably won't have heard of Andy Ristaino's mind-bending story of Setsuko Kagaku, the Japanese schoolgirl who happens to be the world's greatest babysitter, but once you've seen this amazing, mind-bending book that gleefully rewrites the rulebook on how comics work and questions the nature of reality, you'll never be able to forget it.
(Published by SLG, $29.95.)

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer Season 8:
Surely you need no explanation why the official comic continuation of the TV series - overseen and written in part by Joss Whedon, with the other writers including Cloverfield's Drew Goddard - makes this list. If you have to pick just one of the four collections to date, we'd suggest the Brian K. Vaughan-written "No Future For You", which brings back Faith and Giles for some ass-kicking in good ol' Blighty that doesn't rely too heavily on the uber-arc for the season.
(Published by Dark Horse, each volume $15.95.)

Laika:
Nick Abadzis' semi-fictional biography of the First Dog In Space is subtle, beautiful and enough to break the heart of even the most cynical bastard. If you're an animal lover, then you'll probably be in tears by the end.
(Published by First Second, $17.95.)

Scott Pilgrim:
Bryan Lee O'Malley's enjoyable series of graphic novels - Probably my favorite current series, not that that really matters to you - blends twenty-something ennui, surreal humor (Wait until you meet the vegan in the third volume), video game references, and some wonderful artwork to create something that's both timeless and effortless contemporary. Plus, where else do you get to read about a boy who has to fight his girlfriend's Seven Evil Ex-Boyfriends in order to win her heart?
(Published by Oni Press, each volume $11.95.)

All-Star Superman, Vol. 1:
Superhero comics may not get much better than this recently-completed series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely; pulling the genre away from angst-ridden punchfests, ASS - yes, I know - instead offers a more contemplative and imaginative Superman who falls victim to Lex Luthor's ultimate masterplan and still tries to save the day, every day. This volume collects the first half of the series; a second is due next year, so you can give it to someone this time in 2009.
(Published by DC Comics, $12.99.)

100%:
Yes, I'm stretching the "recent" thing for this 2005 collection of Paul Pope's series about life in a future New York, full of love stories and artists and people in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it'll always be an amazing book, the closest we'll ever get to Robert Altman directing a science fiction Bukowski. Or something.
(Published by DC Comics/Vertigo, $24.99.)

The Doctor Who Storybook 2009:
Is this too non-comic-booky? Possibly, but each year in the UK, a Doctor Who Storybook is released for kids, featuring brand new stories written by the TV show's writers (The 2006 edition featured the first version of "Blink," by Steven Moffat; this year, Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts and James Moran are all contributing), as well as a "Letter from the Doctor" written by the showrunner (This year is Moffat's first; Russell T Davies has done the last couple). If it helps, there's a comic strip in there too, but I don't think you'll need much more convincing.
(Published by Panini Books, price depending on whatever you pay on import; £7.99 in the UK.)

Any Showcase or Essential Collection:
Help a friend or family member relive their misspent childhood with these black and white phonebook collections of comics from the 1960s and '70s. DC's brand is "DC Showcase Presents", Marvel's is "Marvel Essential," but both offer over 500 pages of reprinted goodness for $16.99; you can find a list of each line here (Showcase) and here (Essentials).
(Published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, $16.99.)

Two Additional Stocking Stuffers That Aren't Really Comics, But Still:
Fables: Covers by James Jean:
All eleven volumes to date of Bill Willingham's wonderful Fables would make ideal stocking stuffers as well, but the pride of place has to go to this stunningly beautiful collection of illustrator James Jean's covers to the first 75 issues (and ten collections) of the series. Breathtakingly illustrated in paint, pencil and digitally, the work contained in this book is awe-inspiring.
(Published by DC Comics/Vertigo, $39.99.)

Thrill Power Overload:
Another import that's well worth tracking down, David Bishop's history of the first thirty years of British comic 2000AD is both salacious and educational, filled with gossip and stories about the creation of characters like Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper and the early careers of creators like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and even Neil Gaiman. Enjoyable even if you've never read an issue of the comic itself.
(Published by Rebellion Books, price depending on whatever you pay on import; £34.99 in the UK.)

The video, remixes the already very disturbing Lucky Star Decepticons video before giving it a new soundtrack that happens to be a cover of Underworld's "Born Slippy" by Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley. Why does it do any of these things? I have no idea. And for some reason, that makes it all the more perfect.

O'Malley commented on the mix:

It's just weird at first, but once the beat kicks in it gets kind of great.

He's not lying.

Decepticonboooy AMV (Kupek's Born Slippy Cover) [YouTube]