This week on The Watchtower, everyone’s getting a case of the Gay!

Marvel has a Gay wedding! DC has a gay character! Donnie has… the week off. But, we have a special guest host, Ari, who has a unique perspective on the progressiveness of The Big Two.

Then, Spoilers. Some love ‘em, some hate ‘em, and some just can’t avoid them. But are they really as bad as they seem?

Plus, the News of The World, the Forecast and of course, we take your phone calls!

This week on Watchtower Radio, we are literally in two places at once!

First up, we come to you live from the first annual Ottawa Comicon! It was a great show and we chat comics, Avengers and the New 52 with some of our crew and anyone else who happens to pop by!

Then, through the magic of… well, magic, we are transported to the brand new home of Watchtower Radio, The 4th Wall Podcast Theatre!

We’ve built our own little niche within The 4th Wall and for the first time ever we’re using it to bring you a mega-sized Forecast and take your phone calls!

Hey Kids!

Donnie’s getting himself settled in his new job this week, so I thought it would be a great time to sit back and dig through the record box and spin some tunes! A new mixtape for your reading pleasure.

So grab your stack (of comics you pervs) and enjoy!

-Moss

Tracklist:

Rhyme O’Clock – Wordburglar & More or Les

Drawings With Words – WordBurglar

Southbound – Ben Caplan

Wrecking Ball – Bruce Springsteen

I Knew Prufrock Before He got Famous – Frank Turner

All Alright – Fun

Eyes Wide Open – Gotye

Crush – The Horrible Crowes

Don’t Break The Needle – J Roddy Walston & The Business

Can’t Hardly Wait – Kristopher Roe

Women & Work – Lucero

Admit It! – Say Anything

Flute Loop – Beastie Boys

You Really Got Me – Ray Davies & Metallica

This week on Watchtower Radio, we’re talking about stuff that You probably never thought we’d talk about.

First up, Grant Morrisson thinks Batman is “utterly gay.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Also, Marvel is hosting a gay wedding in the pages of Astonishing X-Men! Our question is, why’s everyone so concerned with people using 1880′s slang for Happy?

Then, the the Spider-Men event is upon us, and it may have been going on longer than we thought… even longer than Nick Fury’s been having illegitimate children! We’ll talk about the “new” Nick Fury.

Plus, The Forecast, lots of movie tidbits in the News of The World and of course, your phone calls!!

This week on Watchtower Radio, there’s a lot of great advice.

Advice that DC for example, should follow when choosing the name of its rumored event next year. Could there really be a return to the Trinity days?

Then, With Avengers virtually on our doorstep, the most logical thing to do is start wondering what’s next? Iron Man 3, apparently and we’ve got some news!

And since there were no Phone Calls this week (hrm), we pick and choose some quoteable moments from the last week. Plus, The Forecast, News of the World and advice from Donnie on how to keep that liquid diet on track!

This week on Watchtower Radio, Donnie drinks Red Bull… with sexy results!

C2E2 in Chicago was chock full of news! Jhonen Vasquez, Before Watchmen and new Marvel Solo series were the big buzz! We’ve got the scoop on what you can expect as the summer unfolds.

Then, it’s been confirmed: In Spider-Men, “Amazing” Peter Parker is going to enter the world of “Ultimate” Miles Morales. This is going to be a big deal for one of these characters, but which one?

Plus, an almost all-movie edition of News of The World, an over-sized Forecast and since it was so much fun last time, some Craigslist ads from C2E2!

This week on Watchtower Radio there is only one think on peoples eyeballs: Avengers Vs X-Men.

Now that this Mega-event is underway, we take a look at the first issue, take you into an AvX Release Party and give our own bold predictions!

Then, according to some, Superhero Comics are a “dying genre.” We say if it is dying, it’s sure taking it’s sweet time.

Plus, we’ll have The Forecast, News of The World, Your Phone Calls and if you want to hook up at a Comic Con, you may want to consider some options first!

This week on Watchtower Radio we bring you the heaviest hitters in their greatest matchups!

or we talk about comics… yeah, probably the comics thing.

Avengers Vs X-Men is officially under way! With Issue #0 and Issue #1 in our hot little hands, we look forward to diving to the stuff we’ve… already read? Also, what’s the tale of the tape? We find out!

Plus, would you go see a movie about Middle-Age Alien Ninja Turtles? Michael Bay hopes you would! And, believe it or not, he’s not alone…

Plus, The Forecast, Your Phone Calls and in the News of The World we wonder what James Cameron’s X-Men might have looked… and smelled, like.

This week we have for you the debut of the all-new Watchtower Radio!!

First up, what the hell is Infinite Comics? Or Augmented Reality? If it sounds complicated, it’s not. Just follow along and we will explain all!

Then, Wondercon has brought us an absolute bucket of announcements! We break down the good, the bad and the X-Treme (yeah, I spelled that right).

Plus, News of The World, The Forecast, Phone calls and Ultimate Marathon is totally a thing

This week on The Watchtower we jam 10 pounds of awesome into a 5 pound bag.

There’s a new Captain Marv- er, Shazam in town, but he’s not the only one getting a New 52 makeover! Jay Garrick‘s got a new set of duds and we’ve got the scoop!

Archie comics are continuing to face down some of the biggest real-life problems out there and Avengers vs X-Men is beating out some stiff competition when it comes to pre-orders!

Plus The Forecast, a tribute to some lost friends and a plea to parents!

All and more on this week’s edition of The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower an interview like no other with a cartoonist like no other about a friend like no other.

Derf Backderf is our guest to talk about his graphic novel My Friend Dahmer. Derf went to school with serial killer Jeffery Dahmer and has a perspective on him that few get to see. He talks with us about cartooning, Dahmer and some of his may other projects.

But of course, that’s not all! The Image Expo has given us a lot to talk about in terms of their crop of releases for 2012! Plus, can Bendis work his magic on The X-Men? Or, will Bendis work his magic on The X-Men?

Also, New 52 Earth-2 is being revealed ever so slowly, the Forecast is chock full o’books and we have phone calls to get to!!

This week on The Watchtower, there is still yet more to get to.

First up, Con Season is upon us! DC had a great showing at Megacon on Orlando, and we’ve got all the details on FCBD, Static Shock, The New Gods, and more!!

Then, Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men has launched over on AMC. People seem pretty let down by the first episode, but is all lost? Find out!

And, this summer The Amazing Spider-Man will take on the Lizard! But what kind of Lizard is it? And what could his involvement at all say about future Spider-Man movies?

Plus, The Forecast, Your Phone Calls and Udon Entertainment has some surprisingly good ideas!!

Let us know what you think! (347) 655-3000!

This week on The Watchtower, there is a LOT to get to!

It seems like everyone is suing everyone else in comics today. We break down Moore V Kirkman and Marvel V Freidrich and what implications it could have on the industry as a whole!

Then, when do comics get too real? Buffy faces a tough choice and one has to wonder if its a bit too much.

Plus, Power Girl gets a new look, The Forecast has this and that, and as if that isn’t enough, We have a very special exclusive interview with famed Marvel Artist Mike Deodato Jr!

And as always, we want your input! Give us a call at (347) 655-3000!

This week on The Watchtower, the biggest story continues to be DC’s Before Watchmen!

We break down the series themselves, the ethics behind doing a project like this and even toss around a few names that didn’t get involved!

Then, Marvel wants us to get excited about Spider-Men this June. But is it really as exciting as the suit that Amazing Spider-Man is borrowing from the American Panther?

Plus a massive Forecast and for the very first time, we take your calls on The Watchtower!!

Got a question or comment for Donnie or Jeff? Leave a message at (347) 655-3000!!

Hey friends!

Moss here and Donnie is out sick with the flu, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to try something a little different!

Next to comics, my biggest passion is Music. I get quite a few questions about some of the music we use on the show and what I’m listening to and so on. Well, since Donnie is away I thought why not throw together a bit of a mixtape for y’all to listen to while you’re reading this week’s stack of books?

So kick back and enjoy a few of my favorites. Maybe you’ll even find a song or band or two that you hadn’t heard of that you can get into.

Next week, Donnie will be back and we’ll have all the reaction to Before Watchmen, speculation on Spider-Men, The Forecast and for the first time, your phone calls!

So be good, and we’ll see you then!

-Moss

This week on The Watchtower, we shine a light on an area of comics that’s rarely seen: Editing.

We chat with Dark Horse’s Scott Allie (Hellboy, BPRD, Buffy, Serenity, and more) about what it is exactly an Editor does, and how good editors can make or break a book!

Then, there are some huge rumors abound as some are speculating that a certain wall-crawler may appear in the upcoming Avengers movie. Not likely, say others…

Also, Nick Fury has been a lot of things, but a Baby Daddy? Oh yes my friends, there is questionable parentage afoot!

Plus the Forecast and a look ahead to what’s coming out (and not coming out) from Marvel in April!

This week on The Watchtower its a DC Free-For-All!

Starting of course, with this:

DC’s new Logo is… something, but that’s not all! Seconds after we wrapped last week’s show, DC cancelled 6 titles and announced 6 more! We break down this “Second Wave” of the New 52!

Also, Rob Liefeld’s Hawk & Dove has been cancelled. But don’t worry, he’s got not one, not two, but THREE new jobs up his sleeve. We marvel as you do.

All that plus the Forecast and an announcement so huge it will change the way you listen to this show forever!!

Got a question or comment for Donnie or Jeff? Leave a message at (347) 655-3000!!

It’s good to be back on The Watchtower!

While we had a bit of an extended holiday break, the comics world swirled around us! So much to talk about including:

-Avengers Vs X-Men Tie-In (note the sigular)!

-DC’s no-so-much holding the line at $2.99!

-Pandora’s box is open, and impending crossovers in the New 52!

-Comic Sales for 2011 were…up?

And so much more!!

All that plus we’ve got a massive Forecast, and Donnie turns fashion critic on the new Captain Cold!

It’s 2012! It’s The Watchtower! It’s Good To Be Baaaaack!!!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s almost Christmas! Which means we’re mailing it in! (not really)

Actually there is a lot of Movie news to get to this week. Brand new trailers for GI Joe, Ghost Rider and The Hobbit have all dropped and need to be picked apart.

Plus, I’m sure you’ve seen the excellent trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. Know who hasn’t? Donnie! We sit in as he views it for the first time!

But that’s not all! We’ve got some of our close personal friends stopping by with holiday messages, The Forecast, last minute gift ideas for the comic fan in your life and Jeff has a special surprise for Donnie!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower, there’s a whole lot of stuff to get to!

First up, Defenders #1 offered us not only a decent book, but a new level of teasing from the folks at Marvel. Isn’t it about time the tease ended?

Then, with Avengers vs X-Men on the horizon we look at the possibility of Tie-Ins. May we actually be spared the lions share with this event?

And, the publisher of Image says that Marvel and DC are out of ideas and living in the past. At first glance, he may be right, but when you think about it… really, Image?

Plus, The Forecast, some new collected editions and JMS did NOT listen to Jeff last week.

This week on the Watchtower there’s big things afoot in the Marvel U!

Marvel announced this week the mega-event Avengers Vs X-Men. With 12 issues, 5 writers and 3 artists can this be the most ambitious comic story ever told? Or too much putting all the eggs in one basket.

Then, from the forthcoming Amazing Spider-Man movie it’s The Lizard! Brought to you by… Pez?

And after all that, two old me yell at each other over something that has nothing to do with comics. Do with that what you will…

Plus, The Forecast and Jeff has a special message for everyone involved in comics: Hey, Don’t Be a Dick.

This week on The Watchtower we take a look at some burning questions!

First up, the Human Torch returns in Fantastic Four #600! An over-sized mess, or the new milestone for anniversary issues?

Then, you know what burns me up? Comic Book Marketing! Do these guys have any idea how to draw in the new readers?

And, the burning debate of who is the greatest foil for Batman?

All that plus The Forecast, and the Wonder Woman movie you had no idea was coming out!

This week on The Watchtower, anything can happen (and does)!

Marvel has gone cancel-crazy lately. X-23, Ghost Rider, Punisher MAX, Black Panther, Alpha Flight, Destroyers, Victor Von Doom, Daken: Dark Wolverine, Iron Man 2.0, and All-Winners Squad have all bit the big one. Some without even publishing an issue! Is it as a result of sales? Or Strategy? Could we be seeing these fringe titles go away to streamline things and set the stage for something really big?

Then, do we really need another Comicon? Image seems to think so, but the payoff? Well that’ll be determined for Gold Level Members only.

And, Joe Mad, So Sad. Seconds after the first issue hit stands, it was announced that Joe Mad was off Avenging Spider-Man, as Mad will be doing “Every other Story Arc.” Marvel says this was the plan all along, they just forgot to tell anyone. Shrewd move with a notoriously slow artist? Or another case of too much too soon?

All that plus The Forecast, and some TV news that’s just Golden!

This week on The Watchtower… We’re really tired. So there might be some… drifting, in this week’s show.

First up, Marvel’s Point One. This issue is supposed to set the stage for the Marvel U in 2012, but did it leave us with more questions than answers?

Then, Joe Mad is back! In a big, bad way and we dissect the Avenging Spider-Man.

And, Do you guys remember Thor? Neither do we! But Tanarus sure is great!

Plus, a heavy-duty Forecast, a rant from Jeff and even more of the excitement of us talking!!

This week on The Watchtower, we are making a whole lot of something out of nothing!

Nothing seemed to happen this week in comics, but that don’t stop us! We kick it off by talking some TV. With the success of The Walking Dead, can other networks make “geek-friendly” fare that will be just as good? Probably not.

And, Bucky is back! In what was one of the shortest death spans ever, Bucky is back and we will tell you why its awesome!

Plus we take a look a the Bad Guys of the New 52 and give you all you need to know in The Forecast!

And we’re back! After a brief hiatus, The Watchtower returns!

And what a world we’ve returned to! Watchtmen 2? Are you serious? Apparently there’s a good chance that it’ll happen!

Also, Fear Itself is over, but there’s something else scary lurking on the horizon. The Phoenix! It’s coming back, and no one really knows why.

Plus, it’s Halloween! So we get into some scary comics and discuss the state of horror in the funny books today!

All that and The Forecast, some sweet Ghost Rider news and some Arkham City talk!

This week on The Watchtower, we are sweeping up the floor and dealing with a lot of mini-topics!

-Marvel fires a Digital shot across DC’s Bow!

-The numbers on the New 52 are in!

-NYCC is almost here and with it come rumours galore!

-The Avengers trailer has hit but did it knock us out?

-Schism has come to an end, but what will it mean for the X-Men?

All that plus The Forecast, a mini-rant from the Rant Farm, and the impossible happens: Jeff endorses a polybag!

This week on The Watchtower, after a brief hiatus we’re back!

And while we were gone the whole world lost it’s mind over the New 52. Sexy Times, Homophobic Villains and The Crisis of Crisis’ are all covered!

Speaking of losing minds, Frank Miller might have lost his. At least that’s what our review of his “totally-not-Batman” graphic novel Holy Terror would have you believe.

And, of course, it’s the return of The Watchtower Checklist and we’re talkin’ cartoons!

Plus, 2 weeks worth of New 52 reviews, and a look ahead at whats on the shelves this week in a super-extended Forecast!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s the end of the world!

Slave Labor Graphics has announced it’s going all-digital with it’s single issues. The beginning of the end? or a shrewd business move?

Also, could X-Sanction be Marvel’s answer to some other time-spanning stories of late? One observer seems to thing so…

Plus, there’s a new member of the Teen Titans who’s Living Out Loud. But is anybody really listening?

All that plus The Forecast, New 52 week 2 reviews and the return of Questy’s Rant Farm!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s all about winning (and not in a Sheen-esque way)!

First up, Cable wins because he’s back from the dead! But can he win against the Avengers in the upcoming X-Sanction? And can any of it win at getting anyone’s attention?

Then who wins during the debut of a brand new segment, The Watchtower checklist!

All that, plus we discuss the winners and losers both this week and last in The Forecast, who’s winning the cheap shot battle, and we ALL win in the comic shops in August!

It’s here! It’s here! It’s the Watchtower!!

This week there is plenty to get to as we are finally able to get a toehold on the New DCU. Is it living up to the hype? And on that front, when is a comic book sell out really a sell out? Could it be never? We reveal all!

Plus, Marvel’s Season One is ready to go, but will it have the impact of an Earth One?

And, after a Flipped Forecast, Jeff reads some pretty amazing fan responses to a Batman status quo change!!

All that and more on this week’s episode of The Watchtower!!

This week on The Watchtower there is all kinds of newness afoot!

First, the new DCU is upon is! We finish off our three-part look at all 52 books, and a wee sneak peek at Justice League #1!

Then, we thought Fear Itself was over in October… Think again, true believers! If you thought comic book numbering was silly before, hold on toy out horses!

All this plus The Forecast, a musical spotlight and we reveal the results of last week’s much-touted Questy Awards!!

This week on The Watchtower, yeah we’ve got stuff.

Stuff to talk about in the Forecast, and our second-of-three part look at DC’s New 52.

But the big nut? The real thing that’s got everyone excited? We have and interview with, and will reveal the identity of the Special Mystery Guest who will be appearing at this year’s Questy Awards!

It’s a big surprise, and once you know who it is you aren’t going to want to miss anything he has to say!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s all about the books!

First up, we start a three-part series in which we break down the New 52. What’s good? What’s worth missing? What’s a Must Have? We let you know!

Then, the Marvelous Mavens of Marketing, Marvel have announced… ready for it? More polybags! But these ones have a surprise in them!

And meet the new God of Thunder! What?! I just started to like the old one!!

All that plus, Questy’s Rant Farm, The Forecast and more info on the 2011 Questy Awards!!!

That’s right folks! The most wonderful time of the year is here, and we have all the info you need on the 2011 Questy Awards!

Katherine Curtis joins us in studio to let you know the Where’s, When’s and very special Who’s that make up this year’s event!

Plus, lots has been said about Miles Morales, the new Ultimate Spider-Man, but has anyone actually talked about the book? Or the story? We break it down as it should be, a comic book.

And it would seem the Fantastic Four is making a comeback just in time for issue #600! Hey wait, didn’t we say that a year ago?

All that plus a very special offer from us to you on The Watchtower!

And we are back! And we’ve brought a friend!

Donnie’s girlfriend Sabrina is here, and she’s brought with her a non-comic fan’s review of Captain America: The First Avenger! Could this be the film that builds bridges?

Plus, we get the rundown on the SDCC experience, and don’t worry Marvel! We won’t spoil the contents of the book that you put in a bag to protect against spoilers but then spoiled in USA Today anyways.

All that plus The Forecast, Donnie Does The DCU Episode 12 and an extra special glimpse into the world of the man called Questy!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s San Diego Comicon!

(And by that, we mean that Jeff’s there and Donnie’s mad about it.)

So we are broadcasting from the past, but that doesn’t stop us from delivering your dose of the non-frightening lighting!

We take a look back at 2011 (so far). What were the big stories? What impact did they have? What impact is yet to come? Halfway through a year, and we’ve seen so much that we’ve never seen before!!

Plus, we have a full-length Forecast Through Time and the return of Questy’s Rant Farm!!

Dr. Who ain’t got nuthin’ on The Watchtower!!

It’s all about the tease this week on The Watchtower!

Marvel has released a virtual slew of teaser images that it promises to elaborate on during SDCC. Assuming of course they don’t tell the New York Times the day before the panel.

Also, the identity of the new Ultimate Spider-Man is a big tease? Have we seen him before? or have we not seen her yet?

And, we take a look at the ever-changing vibe of San Diego Comicon. How come zombies are OK, but Love and Romance is maligned?

Plus Donnie Does The DCU, and a complete and wonderful Forecast!!

This week on The Watchtower, we are diving deep into the mysterious unknown!

First up, DC has released it’s “New 52 FAQ” and it contains… well, a lot of the same stuff we already knew. But there are some new points that are worth a gander!

Then, Ultimate Spider-Man’s swan song has swung, so what’s next for the Ultimate Webslinger? Donald Glover would be happy with the rumored answer to that question.

And, We save comics (again) with the help of a wonderfully “seasonal” article on Newsarama.

Plus The Forecast, and Donnie Does The Questioning of Questy’s Rant Farm. Or something.

This week on The Watchtower, we get a whole bunch of stuff done.

First up, the DC Retailer Roadshow has swung through and given us some more details on how their relaunch is going to roll out. Advertising, incentives, variants and print outsells digital by how much?!

Then, it’s a somber, spoiler-riddled segment as we talk about the events of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160. It’s contents, it’s bag and the ball that was dropped.

Then circling back to the DCNu, we have a brand new JLA and everybody’s gotta wear pants?

All that, plus The Forecast and the return of Questy’s Rant Farm!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s a perfect storm.

Doing this show is always a blast, but there are three instances in which it’s even more fun:

1.) There is a big-budget superhero movie to review (ie Green Lantern).

2.) There is an issue to discuss that transcends the books themselves (ie racial or gender equality in comics)

3.) When one of the comic book publishers lobs us up a softball by doing something monumentally stupid (ie spoiling Ultimate Spider-Man #160 the day before it’s released).

As you can see, this week, we have all three.

Plus, The Forecast and the 10th edition of Donnie Does The DCU!

This week on The Watchtower, we’re going back and forth!

First we look ahead to the DCNu. The books have been announced, the teams have been announced and the looks have been revealed. And what looks they are. Five ups and Five downs to the DC Relaunch!

Then, we reach back a couple of weeks and discuss X-Men: First Class. Is this the best X-Men movie ever? or the “Maybiest” X-Men movie ever?

Then, looking forward to September, and blast from the past: Joe Mad is Back!!! And he’s drawing the character he was born to draw. But how long will it last?

All that plus The Forecast and Donnie Does The DCU!

This week on The Watchtower it’s wall to wall coverage of the DC-Nu-s that’s hit in the least week!

We run down what’s going to be happening with your favourite titles, characters and creators. JLA, Batman, Superman, Morrison, Lee, Johns, Lanterns, Legions and more!!

Then, we dive into the digital debate. Are “combo” packs really the answer? Or just another way to get comics in a polybag?

And, as a result of some of the rumored changes, Barbara Gordon will once again be Batgirl! A, er, walking, Batgirl… How?

Plus, Donnie Does The DCU, and as many books as we can cram into The Forecast!!

This week on The Watchtower, huge news that has rocked the comics world!

Yes, that’s right Katherine Curtis, the Naked Nerd is back!

Also, there may be something about DC comics rebooting their entire universe with all-new first issues in September. Might we have something to say about that? Yeah, I’d like to think so.

We also stage a requiem for a planet, throw out a whole bunch of stuff in the Forecast and do a little re-booting of our own.

All that, and the Wonder Woman TV show that will not die!!

Greetings friends and neighbours! It’s, once again, The Watchtower!

This week, its all about Flashpoint and Fear Itself! The opening salvos have been thrown in the “Big 2” summer events, so which one seems better? Which is being executed properly? And more importantly, which one will be getting the numbers?

Then, a discussion about comic book numbering. As DC is poised to take the majority of their titles “back to #1,” we ask who wins with renumbering? And, do we need numbers at all?

Then, in the wake of the tragic cancellation of the Wonder Woman TV show that no one ever saw but everyone had an opinion on, we don’t revel in sadness. Instead, we look at how it could have been saved, and what should be done next!

All that plus The Forecast, and the return of Questy’s Rant Farm!

This week on the Watchtower, we’re heading to Asgard and back!

Thor has officially hit world wide movie screens, which means we’ve seen it and we’ll give you the ins and outs of what was good and what was not so good!

Then, in other movie news, huge and gargantuan spoilers from the sets of Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. There could be huge characters in both, but will it work?

Also, the question of diversity in comics has been raised again. We raise the question is it diversity that’s the problem? Or simply the way we view diversity?

All that plus The Forecast, and for the second week in a row Donnie Does The DCU!! (he must be exhausted!)

Yes, you read that right folks. It’s the 200th episode of The Watchtower!!

To kick it all off, we get Ultimate as Marvel unveils it’s new line of Ultimate comics. Can Hickman, Spencer and Co revive what was greatest about Ultimate Comics? Or could be be looking at another Ultimatum?

Then, someone’s gotta call Batman because there seems to be a rash of scumbags at conventions making things hard on artists. One prominent wielder of pencil and ink has even stopped sketching all together! Is there something that can be done? Or is this the new normal in our art community?

And, it’s the greatest day of the year this weekend: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!! That’s right, lots of comics, totally free, and we’ll let you know what to keep an eye out for!

Plus Donnie Does The DCU, another Wonder Woman update and a whole lot more on the 200th episode of The Watchtower!!

This week on The Watchtower, Donnie has the night off so in between periods of the tragic Montreal/Boston hockey game, Moss is going solo!

There’s plenty of stuff to get fired up about, including the arrival of yet another huge Vertigo Character in the DCU! Could this be the start of a whole new trend?

Plus, Superman is an American no more!! But does it matter?

And an update on the biggest story in comics: The Wonder Woman TV show. Some plot points have been tinkered with, but will it create divisive opinion and discussion the way the color of her pants did? Find out!!

All that, plus a complete Forecast and a first ever live cold-call!!!

This week on The Watchtower, we’re taking it to the streets!

I have no idea what that means.

What I can tell you though is we’ve got big news to talk about! Starting with a brand new Ultimate Spider-Man! Who will wear the costume? What will become of Peter Parker? Will the fact it’s been spoiled for us 3 months before it happens matter? We ask these and other questions!

Also, can the Anthology save print comics? And, where did the numbers go? Are publishers going out of their way to make reading comics hard?

All that plus the Forecast, Donnie Does The DCU, and lots, lots more!!

That’s right kids, The Watchtower is back!!!

And we have a lot of stuff to get to: First up, there’s two huge returns in comics and both were spoiled before we could read the book! Swamp Thing has hit the DCU, and Steve Rogers is picking up the shield once again. Also, some interesting Batman tie-ins…

Then, we get Scaaaaaary as we talk Fear Itself #1! Is Marvel’s big event all it’s cracked up to be? Or will we be scared of its…reality?

And, there’s no place like home. Which has nothing to do with the fact I can’t remember what this segment is about, and plan to keep typing until I rememb— Oh Yeah! Kapow Con! The Millarworld convention has come and gone, but was it worth the (continuing) hype?

All that plus a detailed Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm and we keep you up to date on the biggest story in comics: Wonder Woman’s pants.

This week on The Watchtower, I’m tired, cranky and can barely remember what I said.

So, on with the show!

First up, the Black Panther is on his way to becoming the American Panther. Will this be another triumphant usurping of Cap’s costume a-la Captain Punish-erica? We shall see…

In other costume news, the internet has won! The TV version of Wonder Woman will have a much more appealing costume on the show. But if no one’s watching, will a costume falling in the woods make a sound?

Plus, the re-boot of Batman is about to take place! By Chris Nolan! Before he’s even started filming The Dark Knight Rises! Or something like that, as 2013 will (maybe) see (perhaps) a (not likely) Justice League Movie (never happen).

All that plus two massive editions of The Forecast and a double Rant Farm! I mean what else can you ask? I don’t know, but text me. I’m going to nap.

This week on The Watchtower, everyone’s jumping on the Charlie Sheen saga so why not us?

Joining us for an exclusive interview is Mark Shapiro, writer of the upcoming Charlie Sheen bio-comic from Bluewater. Have we seen all there is to The Warlock? or is there more?

Also, the Year of The X-Men is upon us, and as usual death might be coming knocking for a major character. Could Cyclops’ greatest moment as X-Leader be his death?

All this plus The Forecast, Donnie Does The DCU Part 3, the new Liefeld/Kirkman connection and Marvel’s double baggin’ it!

It’s The Watchtower, more powerful than a thousand bitchin’ rock stars from Mars!

This week on The Watchtower, there is an absolute ton of stuff to get to.

There really wasn’t a single huge story this week, but there were certainly lots of things to talk about! The Cape says goodbye as Powers starts up. Scooby’s done something wrong, and Anne is totally a cat, AND: Spidey’s daring new look:

Plus, The Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm and the winners of our All-Star Superman Blu-Ray/DVD Combo packs!!

This week on The Watchtower, there are a ton of things to get to, both big and small.

First off, the comics world was stunned this week by the sudden death of Milestone co-founder Dwayne McDuffie. We take a moment to remember a man who may have been under the radar for some, but who’s impact was felt by all of us.

Also, Geoff Johns has dropped some tidbits about Flashpoint. The DC mega-event is starting to take shape, but what does it all mean? What indeed…

All that plus Internet Panic, The Forecast and Donnie Does The DCU. Oh, and one more thing:

Be sure and listen this week for your chance to win a free Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital combo pack of the All-New DC Universe Animated Original Movie ALL STAR SUPERMAN from Warner Home Video, courtesy of our friends at Warner Home Video and Lex PR!

This week on The Watchtower, there is so much to get to it’s a wonder this wasn’t a 2-parter!

In the wake of Johnny Storm’s death, the remaining members of the Fantastic Four are re-branded as Future Foundation. They add Spider-Man to their roster and steal X-Force’s uniforms. Big Mistake? Or the Future…? um, foundation.

CANCELLED! DC drops the axe on 5 books and the biggest selling book in Dec (The Dark Knight #1) barely cracked 93,000 copies. Maybe it’s time for Comic fans to appreciate the fact that they still print these things at all.

AND The new animated ALL-STAR SUPERMAN movie hasn’t hit the shelves yet but we got our greasy mitts on a copy, and Donnie has the lowdown for you!

All this, plus the X-Men: First Class trailer has us (and only us, apparently) underwhelmed, There are a ton of cool new toys out this year, Spider-Man is “Amazing” and Alpha Flight returns!!

There is a metric ton of stuff to get to in this week’s episode of The Watchtower!

First up, we break down and review the Superbowl’s biggest Comic/Sci-Fi trailer Debuts!!

-Thor -Captain America -Transformers 3 -Cowboys & Aliens -Pirates of The Caribbean 4 and More!

Then, the Mecca of ComiCon’s, SDCC has sold out again. Supposedly there were 350,000 people trying to buy tickets. Our question: How come these people aren’t buying, y’know, COMICS?

All that plus The Forecast, and The Debut of not one but TWO new segments!! A companion piece to Why Do I Own this, and the much-requested beginning of Donnie Does The DCU!

You Ask, We Deliver on The Watchtower!!

This week on The Watchower we got snowed in. But fortunately we’re Canadian so that didn’t keep us down for long!

Flashpoint has been revealed to be DC’s next MEGA event. And when they say Mega, they mean MEGA. With 15 mini-series and several tie in one-shots ON TOP of a regular series, is this the next big thing? Or a big step backwards.

Next, Goon creator Eric Powell is making some noise about indie comics, and the Superhero dominance of the comics industry. The question isn’t about right or wrong, the real question is, has Powell made so much noise he’s drowning out his point?

And the script for David Kelley’s Wonder Woman TV has hit the net and, well… it’s something.

All that plus the Forecast, Rant Farm and the announcement of a brand new “Donnie Does…” Segment!!

This week on The Watchtower, we discuss two huge deaths in the comics world.

First up, Wizard Magazine, the publication that used to make or break those in comics industry has closed hit’s doors forever. A sign of the times? or a sign that should read “under new management?”

Also, the Fantastic Four suffers a blow with the loss of one of their own. But who’s really suffering? Comics fans, old and new.

All that, plus Spider-Man’s new movie duds, Wonder Woman gets a win, the Forecast, Rant Farm and anything else we can cram into this bad boy!!

This week on The Watchtower, I won’t lie: Things get weird.

First off, Donnie’s sick with Bubonic Dysentery or something, and I can’t even reach him by phone. So, I’ll do waht any good friend would: Assume he’s ok, and soldier on in his absence.

So we’ve got a SLEW of new movie pics to talk about. Spider-Man, Thor, X-Men: First Class and Captain America images have been raining down on the web like, well, rain. What to think?

Also, Marvel’s giving you a free comic! That’s right, free! But if you already bought it, too bad so sad.

And the teaser parade for DC’s upcoming Flashpoint event has the internet buzzing. But could they be from another world? An ELSEworld, if you will?

Plus, a whole bunch of Forecasting and me babbling on about the goings on in my personal life.

Oh yeah, it’s good stuff.

This week on The Watchtower, we shine up a Diamond as there’s NOTHING going on.

But fear not, there’s always something to talk about. Like the comic book “Media” for example. Could they be contributing to the success or defeat of certain titles?

And Wonder Woman… first a lukewarm re-launch, and now a passed over TV show. Is it maybe time for the Amazonian Princess to take a bit of a break?

Also, the DCU Online MMMMMMMMMMORG has gone live. It’s taken 2 years longer than they though, cost over $50 Million, and features the work of over 150 programmers. But the question remains: Is it worth playing?

All that plus The Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm and more, oh, so much more!!

Yes, that’s right it’s The Watchtower in 2011!!

We took a couple of weeks off but we’re back, and have a TON of stuff to get to!

Marvel’s got a new evernt on the horizon: Fear Itself. Are we ready for another big event? And more importantly, is Marvel?

There’s a new Venom in town, and before you ask what happened to the old Venom, wait until you hear about the makeover the alien suit is getting!

Also, Bendis & Bagley are back together on Ultimate Spider-Man. It’s a great thing, but what other great teams in modern comics should be putting the band back together?

Plus, a massive Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm and a whole lot more! It’s 2k11, the year of The Watchtower!!

This week on The Watchtower, we go a-wassling!

That’s right, it’s the annual Christmas List edition, in which we spell out for you the best Christmas gift ideas for the geeks on your list!

And this year as our gift to you, we’ve brought in the lovely Katherine Curtis of Naked News to decode the best way to shop for the Fangirl on your list!

Plus The Rant Farm, The Forecast, and a special segment about what NOT to get your geek!

It’s Christmas Cheer all around on The Watchtower!!

This week on The Watchtower, we’re back! But somehow still phoning it in.

First up: Shadowland is over… and Daredevil is… something? …maybe?

27 #1 from Image is on shelves this week, but advance copies are already selling for $35-$50 on ebay. Has Image grown to be the best place for creator owned and indie titles?

And the next big comics property to get adapted to tv is… Raven? Really? Did they forget they had other stories?

All that plus, The Rant Farm, a double Forecast and Donnie has 90 seconds to tell me why I should care about Tron.

This week on The Watchtower its big news, big people and big ideas!!

We kick it off with all kinds of news on the new Spider-Man movie… that starts shooting in 2 WEEKS?!?! Also, rumor has it director Zack Snyder is looking to Avatar’s special effects crew, because he wants his version of Superman — rumored to be Watchmen’s Matthew Goode — to be fully CG. Could a CG-Heavy movie be the only way to save Superman?

With the recent cancellation of “Thor: The Mighty Avenger” we ask the question no one wants to: If it was so great, why didn’t you buy it?

And, Mark Millar’s Millarworld crossover… it’s not what we think, but should it have been what Donnie thinks?

Plus the Forecast, The Rant Farm and another awesome edition of “What I Did On The Weekend!”

This week on The Watchtower, we dodge disaster after disaster!!

JMS is leaving Monthly Comics to focus on the sequel to Superman: Earth One, and apparently THE WORLD IS ENDING BECAUSE OF IT!!!

Spider-Man is going to die (but not that Spider-Man), and Doomsday will reign… and apparently THE WORLD IS ENDING BECAUSE OF IT!!!

The first Green Lantern Trailer has hit and you can watch it along with Donnie as he sees it for the very first time!!

Uh, and apparently THE WORLD IS ENDING BECAUSE OF IT!!!

But we keep the planet spinning with The Forecast, The Rant Farm and oh, so much more!!

The week on The Watchtower, The Dark Knight isn’t the only one returning! The Naked Nerd Katherine Curtis joins us in studio!

Batman’s Back!! And with him comes more details on Batman Inc! Is this gonna work? Or is he doomed to be “Bruce” the way Captain America is “Steve?”

Judging a book by it’s cover: With Variants, non-canon covers and even Blank do-it-yourself covers, is the comic cover a lost art? Or the biggest selling tool of them all?

Legendary Pictures launches Legendary Comics. A shrewd business move? Or didn’t Radical try the same thing?

All this plus The Forecast, The Rant Farm and plenty of the (semi) Witty banter you’ve come to know and love!

This week on The Watchtower, there’s plenty of tomfoolery afoot!

In the new year, DC and Marvel are going to be focusing on attracting new readers. Marvel has set up a “Point One” program, and DC is trying a series of one shots featuring it’s “Key” characters. Will either of these work? Or are they just grabbing at that cash?

The Walking Dead debuted on Halloween, and 8.3 million people can’t be wrong! We’ll tell you why this should be the blueprint for comic adaptations from here on out.

Also, Superman’s trip to Earth One has been big talk in the media and at the stores, but does it live up to the hype? Sorta…

Plus, the Forecast and Questy Rants against… himself?

This week on The Watchtower, there’s a ton of stuff to cram in!

In addition to your weekly dose of The Forecast, there’s also the title of the new Batman movie, and news that The Riddler will not be the villain as suspected! But what does it all mean…?

Also, does the internet kill comic sales? Not through downloading or scanning, but through negative buzz? Some folks think so!

Plus we talk Halloween, the strangest comic gear and stories out there, and a somewhat apologetic Rant Farm!!

This week on The Watchtower there are many shocking and appalling moments!

First up, we talk TV as we run down ABC’s wishlist of Marvel properties to make into ongoing shows. Are they close to a hit? Or way off base?

Also, Ryan Reynolds has a Lantern. It looks like this:

Finally, along with an awesome Rant Farm and in-depth Forecast, Jeff says a bad word and commits the ultimate comic book sin!!!

After an absolute SLEW of problems (Physical, Mental and Societal), The Watchtower is here!!

Last weekend was New York Comicon, and it ended up being a massive show, not only in size but news as well!!

-DC and Marvel are dropping prices!

-Theres new Captain America on the way!

-Aquaman is the “leader” of the DCU!

-A Zombie infestation is coming to IDW and only The Ghostbusters… and Transformers… and GI Joe… and Captain Kirk… Can stop it!

But that’s not all! Spider-Man has a new massive, mega-star of a villain for his next movie! You know him! He’s that guy… that did that one thing… that time.

All this plus a Reverse Forecast, and of course The Rant Farm!!

This week on The Watchtower, we slow it down a bit and get a little sexy!

For example, is there a line when it comes to comics and sex? Is there a time when things can get too sexy? Or is that just at Donnie’s house?

Also, in movie news, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) is on board to direct the next Superman flick! Will his Super-Slo-Mo-Style make Superman Super again? Or will the new Mary Jane steal his thunder!

Plus those one-shots and tie ins. Some say that they’re just a slimy way to suck money out of completists. Others think that it’s a great way to get people exposed to new characters they normally wouldn’t read. I say: Can’t it be both?

All that plus, The Forecast, The Rant Farm, and oh, so much more!!

This week on The Watchtower, there’s a virtual pantload of stuff to get to!

The Big News this week: DC has a new boss, and the thing about this boss is he’s the former boss at Marvel, Bob Harras. He’s also the recipient of one of the most famous digs in comics. Will this bring fresh blood into the DCU? Or could we be on the verge of another Clone Saga?

Also, DC’s newest direct to DVD movie has dropped! Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is in stores now and we get a chance to talk to the film’s director, Lauren Montgomery!

We’re almost into October, which brings out all the scary things! Including… books? Yeah, that’s right, Books. And we shall explain why!

All that, plus Questy’s Rant Farm, The Forecast, and a special Future-Cast of Uncanny X-Force #1!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s moving day!

That’s right not only is Marvel cashing in some of it’s Disney Dollars and getting swanky new digs, but DC is headed bi-costal! What does this mean? Not good things if you work at Wildstorm…

Also, there’s a new Man Without Fear in town and it’s not Donnie! Can the Black Panther really live up to Daredevil’s legacy? And isn’t Hell’s Kitchen a little bit of a commute from Wakanda?

All this plus The Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm and we’re joined live in studio “for the full hour” by writer Jim Zubkavich, the man behind the sold-out Image series Skullkickers!

(“For the full hour” TM and C Larry King)

Check out this clip from the latest “Listen To Jimmy with Jimmy Palmiotti!”

The full show can be downloaded via iTunes, or through WhereMonstersDwell.ca

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This week on The Watchtower, it’s not just about comics!

That’s right, the newest and biggest installment of the most massive video game franchise in history has hit stores. Halo: Reach is up and running, and to find out what the deal is with this huge game, we go right to the source: Microsoft.

Then, the first [...]

This week on The Watchtower, we’re back and there’s a ton of stuff to get to!

DC is going to bring you two-times the fun this fall when Bruce Wayne returns to the cape and cowl he made famous. But what of Dick Grayson? No worries, they can BOTH be Batman! Wha…?

Daredevil is going down for [...]

This week on The Watchtower we have the ONE TRUE BATMAN!!

That’s right, not Kilmer, not Keaton, not the other guys… the one and only ADAM WEST joins us to talk Batman, Family Guy, and dating. Uh, what?

But that’s not all! Katherine Curtis is here for a preview of the first annual Questy Awards! This [...]

This week on The Watchtower, Donnie’s full of excitement!

Moss is full of tacos. That doesn’t have a whole lot to to with this episode though.

The man they call Questy has played all of Fall’s releases for the XBox!! Halo, Mortal Kombat, and one game that is so huge to comic fans, it needed it’s [...]

This week on The Watchtower some surprising (and not so surprising) returns.

First up Donnie’s back! But where’s our intrepid reporter been? Find out!

Also since Daredevil’s going bad, we think it’s time that a villain went good. But who’s the best Marvel Villain for the job? We speculate and pontificate!

Hal Jordan’s mentor may have been Sinestro, [...]

If you don’t like the sound of me talking, you’re in for a rough ride on this week’s edition of The Watchtower!

That’s right, my parter in crime, the man they call “Questy” is enjoying a much-deserved vacation, so I’m bringin’ it to you solo this week! But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a butt-load of [...]

San Diego Comicon has come and gone once again!

And like years past, there has been a bevy of news and information expunged into the internet from this once-small convention. Movies, TV, Video Games and even a few Comics were at the centre of this year’s Con, and we run down all the headlines you need [...]

This week on The Watchtower, there’s a whole bunch of stuff to get to!

In addition to the usual stuff like The Forecast and Questy’s Rant Farm, Holy Hell! Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern!! What’s good, what’s bad, and what’s just strange…

Also, unless you read comics under a rock, you know Scott Pilgrim Volume 6 has [...]

This week on The Watchtower there is so much to cram into one show, at the end you’re gonna need a nap!

I know I did.

Any way, first up, the lovely and talented Katherine Curtis is in the studio, and she’s bringing one hell of a surprise with her. Buckle up and get ready because [...]

This week on The Watchtower we break it down and put it back together!

The world has a new Spider-Man! And he’s… who? Andrew Garfield was introduced to the world as the newest Peter Parker. Will he live up to the responsibility? Or the Power? Or… the… I dunno, something else?

Up next, Makeovers!! Jeff “Clinton” Moss [...]

This week on The Watchtower, there’s much ado about nothing… and much ado about something! (What?)

We dig deep into the Marvel Vs DC Digital Compensation arguments. Healthy competition is one thing, but these guys are one step away from Yo Mama jokes!

Next up, our friends The Suicide Girls aren’t going to be at this year’s [...]

This week on The Watchtower we get down and dirty with the biggest issues (see what I did there?) facing comics today!!

First up, with the One Moment In Time story looming in the distance, we ask can retconning a retcon really work? And honestly, was Brand New Day that bad?

DC Comics has come under fire [...]

That’s right, she’s gorgeous, she’s sassy and she’s back! This week on The Watchtower, Katherine Curtis of Naked News (aka The Naked Nerd) joins us for the full program!

And what a program it is! First up, it’s E3 this week which means gaming, gaming, gaming! But is there something in there for the comic fans? [...]

Fresh as a daisy, and ready to go here comes the new episode of The Watchtower!

It’s not just the Emperor that gets some new clothes! Captain America, Thor and Scott Pilgrim all have some new gear! Who’s the freshest of the fresh? Find out!

Up next, Marvel experiments with same-day distribution of it’s print and digital [...]

This week on The Watchtower, Donnie’s back! And not a moment too soon, as we’ve got a whole bunch o’crap to jam into this week’s episode!

Movies movies movies! So much news this week, all coming out faster than we could keep up with! We’ve whittled it down to the big stuff though! Green Lantern, The [...]

This week on The Watchtower, Donnie is no longer with us.

No, he didn’t die or get “restructured,” he’s come down with a pretty nasty throat infection (No word on if Despotellis was involved).

So, I thought to myself “What would I want to hear on The Watchtower?” I can tell you this: It [...]

That’s right ladies and gents, this week on The Watchtower it’s the one thing you’ve always wanted from us:

PORN!

Yep, that’s right, we go deep in an exclusive one-on-one probing interview with Axel Braun, the man behind Vivid Entertainment’s Batman: A XXX Parody. As the hits on the Youtube explode, we penetrate the internet buzz and [...]

This week on The Watchtower, we tackle all the issues, and we start by donning our Eyepatches and Peg Legs to talk about Piracy!

The popular website for scanned comics HTMLcomics.com was shut down this week by a coalition of publishers, retailers, and creators. Is it OK to download comics? We’ve almost all contributed to piracy [...]

This week on The Watchtower we pry Donnie away from the Xbox long enough to talk about a few things.

First up, Free Comic Book Day has come and gone for another year. Did you have a good time? We certainly did, and we’ll tell you all about it! Plus, are the books worth it? [...]

This week on The Watchtower, there’s even more than usual to get to!

We’re on the cusp of Free Comic Book Day 2010, but what’s the big deal? Are there any books really work slogging to the store for? Or is this another case of “get what you pay for?” We break it all down.

On [...]

This week on The Watchtower, we try and wade through the slew of news that came out of last weekend’s C2E2 show in Chicago.

There’s a whole lot happening in the X-World, as 2 new series and a reboot were announced in Chicago. But who will the X-Folks be up against? Sinister? Apocalypse? Dracula?

Yeah, you [...]

This week on The Watchtower, there’s so much to get to only point-form questions can truly lay it all out:

-What’s a Hulked-Out-Hero?

-Who’s gonna direct The Avengers?

-Where are Disney and Marvel going next?

-Why does Witchblade stink?

-How come Green Lantern’s got no pants?

All that teasing, plus The Forecast, and the funniest Questy’s Rant Farm this year!

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That’s right friends and family, it’s the 150th episode of The Watchtower!

And what have we got planned for this extra-special anniversary episode? Absolutely nothing! Except, of course, the fun and frolic that you’ve come to know and love from The Watchtower!

First up, Blackest Night #8. Did it live up to the hype? Are we really [...]

This week, it’s a super-sized edition as we are joined by a Canadian superstar artist for a full hour!!

Cameron Stewart has worked with some of comics biggest writers such as Joss Whedon, Ed Brubaker, and frequent collaborator Grant Morrison. Having just finished up a 3-issue run on Batman & Robin, Stewart joins us to chat [...]

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This week on The Watchtower, we break the news and clean it up again in our Comic News Roundup!

Plus, a feature interview with Gareb Shamus, founder and CEO of Wizard Entertainment. Wizard’s first convention outside of the US is about to hit Toronto, and we’ve got all the info!

Also, Motion Comics are once again in [...]

The Watchtower’s back and at full power!

First up, there’s a whole lot of screen-related news out there this week, both Big and Small. There’s a new trailer for Iron Man 2, some details on Thor, Smallville gets another lease on life, and they want WHO to be Captain America? Find out!

Up next, Bruce Wayne is [...]

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This week on The Watchtower, you won’t hear a lot of something. Namely, Jeff.

That’s right, Jeff lost his voice so we called in a more than capable pinch hitter: Katherine Curtis of Naked News!

Donnie and The Naked Nerd go one-on-one and explore the Female comics market. Marvel is making a huge push towards this [...]

Last week, Donnie was a guest on Newstalk 1010’s The Ryan Doyle show to talk about the million dollar sale of Superman. Have a listen!

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This week on The Watchtower we handle a few different crisis’!

First off, the Financial Crisis of the Million-Dollar Superman comic! Could there be a hidden gem somewhere in your stack of Deathblow issues? We’ll find out if you can get rich collecting comics!

Then it’s a Managerial Crisis as DC restructures it’s management team! It’s totally [...]

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This week on The Watchtower, we’re totally on time with everything!!

Yeah, any way, We take on Marvel’s new Astonishing line, AKA the “Earth What?” line, as well as some of the creative teams behind it.

Speaking of creative teams, Green Lantern is about to go through a team change on all three of the Green [...]

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All right Watchtower Faithful, due to circumstances beyond our control, Episode 143 is going to be a bit late.

But fear not! In reparation, I present to you the full version of our talk with the one and only, Kevin Smith.

Needless to say, it’s an unedited, uncensored chat with a pop culture icon, so [...]

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This week on The Watchtower, it’s time to weigh in on the biggest thing in the world right now: The iPad.

What will it mean for comics? Is it a good investment? Or another nail in the print comic coffin?

Then, it’s all about The Avengers. There’s a new team in town come this may, [...]

I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails from people mentioning that our archives are kind of incomplete, and some of the early shows are unavailable. Well, mention no more! We happily present the first Watchtower Throwback!

Every Friday I’ll post two previously unavailable shows from the deepest, darkest recesses of the Watchtower Archives, and you [...]

This week on The Watchtower, there’s only one thing to talk about: Kevin Smith.

Sure, we get to the biggest books of last week and the ones you should be looking out for in the Forecast. But the big deal this week is our exclusive interview with writer/director Kevin Smith.

The mind behind films like Clerks [...]

There’s big doin’s a-happenin’ on The Watchtower this week!

First off, apparently Siege is the end of The Avengers!! What will this new “Heroic” age mean for Marvel? We have no idea, but some pretty good suggestions!

Blackest Night vs Siege. Both have promotions running, the most successful being DC’s Ring Promo of a few weeks back. Imagine my surprise when Marvel of all people tried to capitalize on it! The retailers perspective on a very divisive issue!

We’ve got comics based on video games and games based on comics. How about a comic based on a video game that’s based on a comic? Yeah, my eyes went crossed too. Oh, and it’s a weekly book. Good idea? Bad Idea? Or Trinity redux?

Even with ALL that, we still found time to talk about Spider-Man’s new director and get you all caught up on The Forecast. It’s The Watchtower; if it gets any bigger, we’re gonna need a second bedroom!

This week on The Watchtower, we could barely keep up with the comic news as it was breaking!

Huge movie news beyond the casting of the Green Lantern’s leading lady! Spider-Man 4 is done! Finito! Scrapped!! Raimi and Co are out, and some other dude is in. But will taking Peter Parker back to High School mean a better movie? We’ll find out!

After the Blackest Night comes… The Brightest Day!! DC announced another set of weekly comics, but can they avoid the travesty that was Trinity?

All this and of course, the Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm and oh, so much more!!

We’re back! It’s the first show of 2010 and it’s jam-packed with Watchtower goodness!!

2010 is going to be the “Year of Spider-Man” according to Marvel, who released a teaser image of the Ol’ Web-Head and his… wife? Zuh?

Also, Marvel announced this week a series of Deadpool variant covers, thus re-igniting the age-old debate. Variant Covers: collectable art or money-sucking hellholes that spell doom for the industry? I think you’ll be surprised by the results!

Since it’s the beginning of a new year, we take a look into some of the movies in production in 2010. Green Lantern, Captain America, and more are all starting production this year, and a familiar face is coming back to the X-Men fanchise!

All that plus, The Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm, and the newest release from Lady Gaga!

Wait, wha?

This week on The Watchtower, we gear up for the holidays!

It’s our annual Gift-Giving-Guide For Dorks as Donnie and I tell you what you can get the comic book fan, or hard to please person on your list! There are a lot of good suggestions, so have a pen and paper ready!

But wait! There’s huge actual comic book news as well! The trailer for Iron Man 2 is live, and it’s awesome! Also, someone’s making their return to the world of the living, and this time they don’t have the tag “Black Lantern” anywhere near them. But is it too soon?

Finally it’s the best of the best in The Forecast, and of course Questy’s Rant Farm, filling you to the brim with holiday cheer!!

This week on The Watchtower there is a LOT of stuff to get to!

DC shocked the industry this week by announcing their new Earth One line, due out in 2010. Featuring superstar creators, and all-new contemporary origins of classic characters Earth One seems to be the, er, Ulimate way to jump into these comics.

But that’s not all! Earth One stories will be presented in a brand new format!! Good? Bad? Find out!!

In other “New Series” news, yet another superstar team is undertaking a book with Marvel’s Icon imprint. Who is it? What’s it about? Will I ever get a fresh cup of coffee? The answer to all, is contained within (except the coffee, that came true).

There’s all that plus the new and improved Forecast, Questy’s Rant Farm, and oh, so much more!!

Here it is folks! The All-New Watchtower!!

We kick things off with a discussion about Blackest Night #5. Is it the best comic ever written, ever? EVER? Probably, and we’ll tell you why!

Next we move from the page to the screen where we have mucho movie news! Green Lantern, Avengers, Iron Man 2, Silver Surfer, were all talked about this week, as well as the upcoming Smallville TV movie”Absolute Justice.”

Then we hit up the all new, two-part Forecast! You asked for more reviews and previews, and now you’ve got’em!

Finally it’s the return of everyone’s favourite segment, Questy’s Rant Farm!!

This is it folks, welcome in to an all-new era of The Watchtower!!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s the end of things as you know them!

That’s right, this episode contains an announcement that is so huge, so shocking, so incredible, that nothing will ever be the same again.

But before all that there’s comics to get to.

We have a discussion about the newest Thor cast member, and the defense of Twilight by an unlikely source (OK, It’s Kevin Smith, we all googled it). It begs the question, why does Fandom have to be so segregated?

Next up: Cartoons! I love ‘em, you love ‘em, but in the end aren’t they just for kids? Maybe… we shall explore.

Finally of course, it’s the Forecast, with the best of last week and the heads up for this week!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s all the news and views that you will probably never, ever use!

We kick it off with a moment of silence as we mourn the passing of a major member of the Green Lantern Corps. Will his death be in vain? Will it ever live up to that other guy’s death? Find out!

Next up, we address some of the movie casting news to make the rounds. Thor has some buddies coming, but who are they? Also, Marvel has unveiled its newest superstar character. I’ll spoil it, it’s a monkey.

Finally it’s the Forecast, complete with a set-up for next week that will make you, well, want to tune in next week!

This week on The Watchtower it’s all about the big news, the hard hitting facts and excessively-researched journalism!

Wow, Wouldn’t it be weird if we were like that?

No, we do comics, and comics are what we’ve got for you!

Marvel’s Man-At-Arms Brian Michael Bendis let a whole lot of info slip in a recent Twitter-chat. Future projects, upcoming characters and stories, Bendis hit them all. But should he have? And what of these revelations? Worth getting excited about? Find out!

Next up, we head to the movies with big news about Kick-Ass, Ghost Rider, and some Spider-Man 4 casting rumors that have Donnie up in arms… for some reason…

And finally, we haul the Weather Submarine over Provincial borders for the newest installment of The Forecast!

And we’re back, faithful believers! Not even the Flu or a distance of 500+km can keep The Watchtower down!

This week, we talk about one of our favourite creators looking for a career change! But will it work out for him? And for us? What is his new secret project? Do we have the answers to these and other burning questions? Find out!

Also, Filip Sablik has posted a blog defending his company’s sexy stylings. Blatant TA? Or shrewd marketing? You be the judge!

And finally, with last week being such a HUGE week, we could only super-size The Forecast!

It’s the Watchtower, back, better, and more belligerent!!

Hello Watchtower Faithful!

Donnie was unfortunately stricken with the Flu this week (the regular kind, not the scary kind) so we were unable to record a new slice of Watchtower pie for you.

But, as the road to recovery continues, I wanted to give you a little something from the archives. Presented here are both parts of our interview with Bone creator Jeff Smith! I’m told that these were lost to the archive winds for a while, so I’m happy to bring them back.

I hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with an all-new show, and I’m sure some thoughts on Blackest Night #4, and Cap: Reborn #4!

-Moss

This week on the Watchtower, it’s all about even more Marvel event news!

First up is DOOM WAR. What else do we have to say? It’s a War, against Doom. This looks to be an incredible story, but is one of Marvel’s premiere bad guys up to the task? Find out!

Next, it’s Ultimates 4! Uh, I mean New Ultimates! Um, I mean Ultimate Ultimate… Avengers? Whatever it is, it’s Loeb, Cho, and the next stage in the Ultimate universe’s rebirth. Will this be where we get the answers we were looking for with Ultimatum? Probably not.

Finally, it’s a very, uh, unique forecast. Only on The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower, we turn down the lights, thrown on some Chicago and bring you the late-night edition of the show.

This week some light shed on the nest big Marvel Event. Seige will last 4 Bendis-scripted issues, but what will it mean for the Marvel U? The original Avengers back together for starters! Throw in the identity of Osborn’s secret Cabal member, and you’ve got one hell of an event! We break it down from inside to out!

Then in the Forecast, it’s a Girl Talk so bad that it belongs in jail. Which is exactly where the book starts. Tune in and find out what’s new with the Models Inc. and the rest of the books that were in stores last week!

This week on The Watchtower we get Astonishing!

Astonishing X-men, the once-jewel of the X-Empire is back this week, both as a book and a Motion Comic. What happened to this book? Will new art breathe life back into it? Find out!

Also, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies has been on the shelves for a while now, but is it work taking off the shelf and slipping in your DVD player? We have all the answers.

Plus of course, The Forecast featuring once again Girl Talk! It’s all hear on The Watchtower!

Have no fear, it’s here, it’s here! The new episode of The Watchtower!

The “Ultimate Cut” of Watchmen is due on store shelves this November. The multi-disc sets sound pretty great at first glance, but is this really the set Watchmen fans have been craving? Find out!

In last week’s Dark X-Men: The Confession one-shot, Cyclops and Emma Frost had a very frank and revealing conversation. Was it enough to hold our hosts interest though?

Finally, it’s the Forecast, complete with a special announcement that will change things forever!!

This week The Watchtower sees the return of the one and only Naked Nerd, Katherine Curtis of Naked News!

She joins us as we break down the brand new lineup of the Justice League. Mon-El? Donna Troy? Dr. Light II? Who are these people? We’ll let you know, and Donnie will let you know who should have been on the team.

Next up, thanks to Marvel’s December Solicitations, we’ve been given a glimpse into their next big storyline after Dark Reign. Will it be worth waiting for?

Finally it’s the Forecast, complete with comics, cookies, and all the cheap shots and belligerence you’ve come to know and love from The Watchtower!

It’s a big week on The Watchtower!

First off, we break the news (I swear, it looked stronger than that) of the next big DC storyline to be adapted into an animated feature! Plus our choices as to which big stories we’d like to see animated by DC, and by Marvel since they’ve got all that Disney cash lying around!

As if that wasn’t enough though, a very special guest drops by the studio. James Kyson Lee, aka Ando on the hit NBC show Heroes swings by to talk TV, sci-fi and translating lines to Japanese.

Finally, it’s the forecast featuring another fascinating episode of Girl Talk! Will Models Inc live up to the bar set by Marvel Divas? Probably, that bar was set pretty low… That and much more on The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower, we are joined by a video game guest so huge, even I know who he is.

No, it’s not Mario, or even Luigi. It’s Steve Downs, better known to the gamer world as Master Chief of the HALO franchise! Donnie geeks out harder than ever as we talk HALO, Sci-fi, and all things in between!

But of course that’s not all! What came out last week? What comes out this week? Only one place to find out, and that’s in The Forecast!

All that an a cool contest to boot! It’s The Watchtower, more fun than even The Covenant can stand!

Judging by the enormous amount of comments, there was one story in the comics world this week: The Disney buyout of Marvel.

We take a look at this story from several angles, retail, characters, stories, business, and cull all the opinion and speculations into one discussion. We like to have fun on The Watchtower, but this is probably the biggest story to hit comics in the history of the industry, and has the potential to change it forever. But in the end, is it a good thing? Find out!

But of course, that’s not all! It was Fan Expo this past weekend, and we had a blast! We touch on how great the show was, toss up some brand new Cheers Jeers, and get through all the important books you need to know about in The Forecast!

Sometimes a day job comes in handy.

Today, thanks to my day job, I got to speak with the one and only Billy Dee Williams, aka Lando Calrissian. It was a brief conversation about his upcoming appearance at Fan Expo, but as I’m always thinking of you guys, I grabbed some tape and have it for you here, exclusive to The Watchtower!

But that’s not all! Motion comics are all the rage, but are they worth it? And how much motion does a comic need before it stops being a comic? We analyze the issue from top to bottom!

Plus, a new feature: Cheers Jeers, The Forecast, and at Mini-Megacon, Billy Tan drops a Marvel-Bomb!

It’s an action-packed show this week, chock full of GI Joe action and Kung Fu Grip!

The new GI Joe movie has been in theaters for a few weeks now, which gives us just enough time to properly digest it. But will knowing truly be half the battle? Or does the flick fall short of even our lowered expectations?

Also, Marvel’s “new” Ultimate Universe debuted last week. Spider-Man and the Ultimates both have big shoes to fill. Get filled in and find out if this re-boot lives up to its predecessors!

Finally in the Forecast we bring you up to date on all the Blackest Night goings-on, as well as Episode II of Girl Talk!

Our apologies for the tardiness of this week’s episode, but to make up for it we’ve packed in as much as we possibly can!

Guess who’s back? Back again? Not Shady, but Todd Macfarlane. He’s teaming with Robert Kirkman on a new project that’s over two years in the making. Is it worth the wait? Find out!

Up next, there ain’t no party like a west coast party… unless you’re in the northeastern areas of the continent. Was Marvel’s impromptu 70th Anniversary Party a wild bash? Or weak sauce? Donnie grabs some Soda and Chips and aims to find out!

Then finally on the Forecast we look ahead too the new Ultimate Universe. Shiny!

This week on The Watchtower we take a look at what’s new(ish) in the news.

San Diego Comicon was a couple weeks ago and a few huge stores broke! We give you all the juicy details and reveal one huge story that no one else is talking about!

Then, it’s a great season for video games, and the best ones are always based on comics! Donnie runs down the ones to watch for and the ones to watch out for.

And finally, The Forecast. Ultimatum is at an end, and Magneto said they would pay a terrible price. but was it worth it? Find out!

This week on The Watchtower™, we are joined by two very special guests.

They are both hugely respected in their own rights in the comic field, and together they launched the Marvel “Noir-verse” via their hugely successful X Men Noir™.

They are absolutely a blast and two of my favourite people in comics today, Fred Van Lente™ and Dennis Calero™! The boys join us to talk about their newly announced sequel to X Men Noir, Mark of Cain™, and drop a some exclusive news about what’s up next for these two hilarious creators!

But that’s not all! We have of course The Forecast™, and a special look back at Donnie Does Trinity™!

Its all about returns this week on The Watchtower.

Donnie returns to the studio in spite of his vacation plans. Geoff Johns returns to The Flash, this time as producer and co-writer of a live action movie, and Blackest Night features the return of… well, almost everybody.

We also return to Marvel Divas. A heated discussion that features the return of The Naked Nerd, Katherine Curtis! Hear the female perspective in Marvels latest attempt to draw in the ladies (no pun intended).

And of course we return to last week, as well as look ahead to next week in The Forecast! The Watchtower: Fully returnable… but why would you want to?

This week, there’s two stories and one hero to talk about on The Watchtower.

It’s all about the Green Lantern, as we get you ready for this week’s Blackest Night #1! Who are the other Lantern Corps involved? What should you read leading into Blackest Night? And most importantly, what’s it all going to cost you? Listen and find out!

Plus, we finally have our big screen Hal Jordan! Ryan Reynolds has been cast as the Green Lantern, but what about some of the other GL players? Also, don’t forget about First Flight, the animated Green Lantern movie due out this summer!

All this plus The Forecast, and Donnie’s least favourite food! All crammed into 30 minutes of The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower, I seem like something of a grumpy-pants.

Maybe it’s because of last week’s Captain America: Reborn. Has the return of Steve Rogers signaled the return of my crankiness?

Or is it the price tag on the first “issue” of DC’s Wednesday Comics that’s got my panties in a twist? Could newsprint really be the culprit?

Nah, I bet it’s because in this week’s Forecast, we debut our brand new segment Girl Talk with Jeff Moss. Marvel Divas would make anyone cranky, trust me.

The answers to these questions and more, all wrapped in this week’s warm and reassuring episode of The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower, we tell you about almost every book under the sun.

We had to Super-Size The Forecast in order to fit in all the great books that are coming out this week, and the zillion Dark Reign titles that his stores last week. Which are good and which are bad? Find out!

But that’s not all of course, we also talk about real-life imagry in comics, and give a deep analysis of the biggest, and most polarizing, movie of the summer Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen.

Plus, if you like Donnie Does Trinity, you don’t want to miss this episode as we preview our next big segment!

It’s The Watchtower! Turning nothing into something since 2007!

This week on The Watchtower, we start off by talking about last week. Last week’s big story that is.

We finally get to throw our two cents in on Captain America #600. Was it worth the wait? Or in our case, the EXTRA wait? Find out!

Next up we are joined by the one and only Jeremy Bastian, the writer and artist behind the stellar indie comic Cursed Pirate Girl. This book is one of the coolest indie titles of the year, and something you do not want to miss!!

Finally it’s a literal downpour of Dark Reign in this week’s Forecast. Thirteen Dark Reign titles are on the shelves! Which ones are must-haves? Find out!!

This week on The Watchtower, we have the benefit of some adult supervision in the form of The Naked Nerd, Katherine Curtis. Katherine took the afternoon off from her Naked News gig to co-host with us, and declare Donnie her Arch Nemesis!

In amongst all that chaos though, we get down to it. The final word on our Superman vs Lightsaber debate goes to you, the listener. Then Donnie has a new reason to live, and it works on his Xbox 360!

Did you all enjoy your copies of Captain America #600 on Monday? We didn’t! Apparently outside of the US, there were some complications with Marvel’s big event. As you can imagine, we have a few things to say about that.

Finally it’s The Forecast in which all three of us hit you up with the best and worst of this week’s books! Oh yes, it’s magic. Pure magic!

This week on The Watchtower, the Number 1 issue is, well, the Number 1 issue of Batman Robin.

We give a full review of the newest chapter of Batman’s life. I had some pretty strong things to say about it last week, and Donnie is here to make sure I don’t forget ‘em.

Next up is what I am sure is the Number 1 question all fanboys lay awake at night asking themselves. No, it’s not “how do I build a life-like Megan Fox-bot?” It’s “Could a lightsaber cut Superman?” This is the debate that will put Ninja Turtles Vs Power Rangers to shame!

Finally, it’s the Forecast. Sadly, it is Forecast Number 1 without a Donnie Does Trinity, but don’t worry! We find more than enough ways to pass the time!

(Seriously though, if anyone knows how to buld a Fox-Bot, drop me a line…)

This week on The Watchtower, we experience the final, mind-blowing, emotional rollercoaster that is Donnie Does Trinity. These last 51 issues have been… well, something. Will 52 live up to the legacy? Find out!

Also, we’ve taken a lot of crap for people over the years, as being too pro-Marvel. Well, hang onto your hats as this week we dive into not one, but two issues dealing with the House of Ideas.

First off, Captain America #600 is in the queue, but at what cost to retailers and fans? Next, if you didn’t notice the price change on Marvel books over the last few months, you will come August when almost a dozen titles jump to $3.99 an issue. Shockingly, we have a few things to say about both these little events.

Plus, The Forecast and Batman Robin #1. Starring Dick and Damian? Wha?

This week’s episode of The Watchtower is all about friends.

Old friends, Donnie and myself, sit down with a new friend, Best-selling author of The Book of Lies, Brad Meltzer. Brad’s writing credits include Novels, TV Movie scripts and of course comics. His most noteable works feature DC’s bestest of friends, The Justice League of America.

We settle in with Brad to talk Superman and Jerry Seigel, Cain and Abel, JLA and JSA and of course, get some inside dope on the classic Meltzer-penned Identity Crisis.

Even with all that going on though, we still have time to get our Forecast on, and Donnie once more explores the Friendship of The Trinity in one of the final installments of Donnie Does Trinity.

Now doesn’t that sound friendly? Hugs all around!!

This week on The Watchtower, we’re gonna wreck some stuff (most of which was wrecked by other people first).

First off, remember last week when Donnie said “I hate Star Trek?” Well, someone went to the movies this weekend, and guess what he saw? We talk about the new Star Trek movie, and if you haven’t seen the movie yet, be aware. We hit up some of our favourite parts with our patented spin.

Next up, the Marvel and DC solicitations for August are out, and we will be knee-deep in Blackest Night and Black Lanterns! But who are they? We’ll run down who we know, and who we think we know. On the Marvel side, there will be some new Noir as well as a very special project from Burbaker and Epting!

Finally, we do that voodoo that we do so well, as we count ‘em down in the Forecast, and Donnie takes on Trinity #50!

This week on The Watchtower, completely through no fault of our own, things get a little blue.

It might have something to do with our special guest co-host, Katherine Curtis, who is best known as the Naked Nerd on the immensely popular Naked News. Katherine is an uber-comic fan, and we talk all things geek, as well as what it’s like interviewing those who may not be used to the naked female form.

Up next, we introduce you to the newest member of The Watchtower crew! Josh Long is a journalism student who did some great word for us at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Josh talked with many interesting creators and artists including Craig Yoe, author of Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster.

Finally, Katherine joins us for The Forecast and one of the final few episodes of Donnie Does Trinity!

Though persons younger than 14 years must be accompanied by an Adult (or at least someone pretending to be), this is an episode of The Watchtower not to be missed!

On This week’s Watchtower, we get the lowdown on a few issues:

1) X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Good? Bad? Ugly? Now that it’s legal to do so, we let you in on the real deal with the first blockbuster of the season.

2) Free Comic Book Day! Blackest Night! Avengers! But which one comes out on top? We’ll find out.

3) The Punisher has a new partner, but who is it? His name is…

4) Batgirl. Supergirl. Thorgirl. Know what they all have in common? They are female versions of male heroes. We take a look at some of the more… interesting, gender swaps in comics.

And finally, even though it’s his vacation, Donnie makes sure he Does Trinity during everyone’s favourite 9.5 minutes, The Forecast.

It’s The Watchtower! All-natural, and stain resistant!

When you hear about everything we have on The Watchtower this week, you’ll have to listen just to see how we jam it all in!

FORTY new books will be available for FREE on Free Comic Book Day this weekend. We let you know which ones to get up early for.

In today’s world of computer fonts and layouts, has the letterer become lost in the comic shuffle? We talk with noted letterer, cartoonist and writer Chris Eliopoulos about lettering, speech bubbles and his new Marvel book Lockjaw and The Pet Avengers.

Kick-Ass #6 came out last week, but was it worth the wait? Well… was it?

Also, we introduce you to the worlds first real-life superhero! Shadowhare may sound like something out of the comics, but this guy is the really, real deal!

But don’t worry! Even with all that we still manage to find time to do the Forecast and Donnie Does Trinity! Too good to be true? Have a listen and find out for yourself!

This week on The Watchtower we get picked up for solicitation!

Not that kind of solicitation, the July Marvel and DC solicitations! There’s big Blackest Night news, and some big stories coming out from Marvel as well. How do we feel about these future-books? Find out within!

Also, The Black Terror. The Green Lama. The Phantom Reporter. The Sheild. What do all these characters have in common? They’ve all been re-introduced into current continuity in the last couple years. I think it’s time for this trend to end. Donnie disagrees. Hilarity ensues.

Finally, the Forecast, Donnie Does Trinity, and all the belligerence and quasi-creepiness you know and love from The Watchtower!

This week’s episode of The Watchtower is something of a mosaic.There wasn’t a whole lot going on in the land of comics and comic-related stuff, so we dig deep and found some stories that you need to hear about but may have missed:

-HUGE Green Lantern casting rumors. A MAJOR star has expressed interest in playing Hal Jordon. Who? Tune in to find out!

-Marvel Divas? I thought Donnie was our only diva…

-CBS’s The Big Bang Theory lampoons Comic fans. Art imitating life? or irritating Jeff?

Also this week, the long-lost early works of a certain MAJOR comic artist have been found in a used book store. But when all is said an done, do we really want to see them?

All this, plus Donnie Does Trinity, The Forecast, and oh, so much more!!

This week in comics there was one story: The leaked version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

We take an indepth look at what a leaked copy of this movie means for Fox and the industry at large, as well as some of the ethical debates that the illegal downloading of the movie has begun. Joining us in studio is beloved film critic Richard Crouse, who knows the movie biz inside and out, and lets us in on the real deal.

To completely negate my frist sentence, there was another story in comics this week: Captain America teaser images in all of Marvel’s books. Does this mean a Return? A Reboot? A Reality check for an industry that refuses to believe that Steve Rogers Is Not Dead? We’ll find out…

All this, the Forecast, and of course Donnie Does Trinity.

But wait, there’s more!! We have another Least I Could Do Prize Pack to give away, and since we forgot to do it during the show, why not right now?

If you haven’t won anything from us in the last 60 days, be the first to e-mail me ( jeff@thewatchtowerpodcast.com ) with the names of three characters on the cover of the book featured in the April 9th Edition of Why Do I Own This?

You could win a copy of the Least I Could Do collection Jesus Made Me Do It, as well as a sweet Least I Could Do tote bag!

What other podcast gives you a chance to win, even when we forget to give you a chance to win? Only The Watchtower!!!

And the winner for longest title ever: Episode 101 of The Watchtower!

This week DC Comics Flash: Rebirth hits the shelves, but what exactly is the deal with the Flash? A lot of people have donned the red tights, some have lived, some have died, and some have had really cool hats. So in preparation for Rebirth, we bring you up to speed (see what I did there?) on all things Flash!

Also, what matter more? The Art or The Story? Can you enjoy a book that’s lacking in one, but outstanding in the other? These are the philosophical questions we pose on The Watchtower.

Finally, it took 43 issues, but I think that this week’s Donnie Does Trinity finally cracked us. PLUS, we have a LEAST I COULD DO Prize Pack to give away, so listen carefully and repeatedly!

Free Stuff? Deep Questions? Long Titles? What other podcast gives you all that?

No other podcast gives you anything even close to that. We are great. Tell your friends.

This is it friends and neighbours! The 100th Episode of The Watchtower!!!

What can we do to mark this momentous occasion? Well, we take a look back at a few of our favourite moments, we have a roiling debate suggested by a listener, and we finally reveal the origins of the man they call Questy!

As if that wasn’t enough, we also talk about some Radical movie news, a shakeup on the Daredevil crew, and it just wouldn’t be The Watchtower without a little Forecast and Donnie Does Trinity!

I know, it seems like a lot, but it’s the 100th Episode of The Watchtower! It has to be big!!

Thanks to everyone who’s listened, and here’s to the next 100!

You know how I know I’m Canadian? I was able to spell “Gretzky” on the first try. This, and other starling revelations are contained within this week’s episode of The Watchtower!

First up, you know how we were all excited about Battle For The Cowl? Well, the first issue is out, and there’s a lot to be said about it. Good? Bad? A healthy smattering of both?

Next, we continue with the “After Watchmen” theme and rhyme off a few of our favourite graphic novel reccomendations. If you are new(ish) to the world of Graphic Novels, this segment is a can’t miss! We’re also counting on you veterans of the comic world to let us know which books we left out!

Finally, it’s The Forecast and Donnie Does Trinity as we ramp up to the momentous Episode 100, and the reveal of the Origin of Questy!

This week on the Watchtower we’re joined by a very special guest.

He’s worked on Countdown, Leigion of Superheroes, and X-factor amongst others. These days he’s known as the man behind the art of X Men Noir, as well as the spectacular variant covers for the entire Marvel Noir line.

That’s right, he’s Dennis Calero, and he’s our guest for almost the entire show. This man is one funny guy, and this is definitely a can’t miss interivew!

I say “almost the whole show” because it wouldn’t be The Watchtower if we didn’t cram in a bit of Donnie Does Trinity and The Forecast!

In this Watchtower Extra, we are pleased to present our full, unedited conversation with noted film critic, Richard Crouse about the Watchmen movie. Have a listen before you hit the theatres this weekend!!

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This week on The Watchtower, there is pretty much only one thing to talk about: The release of the Watchmen movie.

To get the low-down skinny, we turn to one of the most respected movie reviewers inthe business (at lease until work gets out he does our show), the one and only Richard Crouse. Richard lets us in on all the Watch-details, both from the film geek’s perspective and the comic geek’s perspective.

In actual comic news, New Avengers #50 hit the stands last week, and there’s double the Green Lantern movie news! All this, plus Donnie Does Trinity and The Forecast!!

This week on The Watchtower… well, I’m not exactly sure.

See, this past week in the world of Comicdom has been somewhat quiet. So quiet in fact, that it was hard to find stuff to talk about. What does that mean for you, the good listener? It means that we touch on a variety of things in this uber-Seinfeldian episode.

Watchmen, Dark Avengers, a review of Push, and of course Broadway Musicals (just for you Sohmer) all make it into the discussion this week.

But never fear! Amongst the insipid chaos, all your favourites return: The Forecast! Donnie Does Trinity! And of course, more homo-erotic banter than you can shake a stick at!

Never have so few made so much out of so little, on The Watchtower!

This week on the Watchtower, we ruin everything.

But don’t worry, we had it ruined for us first! Marvel and DC have put out their solicitations for the month of may, and each company has a couple of very interesting books. Or at least they would be had they not spoiled the hell out of them!!!

Also, the first full scene from Watchmen has made it onto the net, and has been greeted by a chorus of groans. It’s 90 seconds. Deal with it.

And finally, Trinity tried to avoid him this week, but don’t worry! The Forecast has it’s required dose of Donnie Does Trinity!

This week on The Watchtower, it’s one story with many parts: The New York Comicon.

The Watchtower was there all weekend, and we have interviews with up and coming publisher Ernst Dabel of Dabel Brothers, as well as the stars of the convention, Oni Press and the release of Scott Pilgrim Book 5.

But that’s not all! We have artists, writers, inkers, friends of the progam new and old, all stopping by to tell us what’s up with them this convention season.

Still not enough? Well, no worries because Donnie Does Trinity is back, and an integral part of The Forecast!

It’s The Watchtower, better bring a blanket because you’re gonna need a nap after this episode!

While I am knee-deep in the New York Comicon, we thought it would be fun to offer up this special Watchtower Extra.

This is our full conversation with the lovely and talented Lights. She sings, she dances, and she reads her comics! Enjoy!

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The first thing that you’ll notice about this week’s Watchtower is that it’s 3 minutes and 33 seconds longer than usual. That’s because there was so much going on, we could not physically jam it all into our usual 30!

First off we are joined by the delightful singer/songwriter, Lights. Singer/Songwriter? What’s she doing here? Well, this gal knows her comics, and she’s also probably one of the nicest people we’ve ever talked to.

Next up, Push hits theaters this weekend, and to get the lowdown, we have director Paul McGuigan on the line, and we talk movies, Celtic FC, and what a Donnie-Jeff wedding might look like. Yeah, you’ll have to listen to figure that out.

Finally, (pun intended) as if all that wasn’t enough, we tackle last week’s biggest book: Final Crisis #7. Is Batman really dead? Does evil really win? Will anyone understand this terrible story? Find out, on The Watchtower!

This week on The Watchtower, we delve into all things dark.

First off, Dark Reign kicked off in a big way with Dark Avengers #1, and we were once again proven very stupid. We should have seen that coming!!! Seen what, you ask? Find out within!

In other dark news, some incredible spoilers regarding The Blackest Night have been revealed this week. Of course, we wouldn’t want to ruin things for you… Nah, we totally would. And do!

All this plus Final Crisis #7, The Dark Knight’s Oscar snub, The Forecast, Donnie Does Trinity… the list goes on!!

This week on The Watchtower, we’re getting pushed!

That’s right, the new movie Push (due out Feb 6th) has a prequel comic mini-series out from Wildstorm, and we have Adam Freeman, writer of said mini-series to tell us all about it. It’s a look behind the scenes at creating a world, within a world.

Also, did you know Batman “died” last week? Probably not because it was completely overshadowed by now-President Obama’s appearance in Amazing Spider-Man! We dish the ups and downs on Final Crisis and Obama-mania!

All this and Donnie gets real mad on The Watchtower!

It’s our 90th episode of The Watchtower!

And to celebrate, we’re doing absolutely NOTHING! Well, that’s not entirely true.

In this week’s episode, in addition to your favourites like The Forecast and Donnie Does Trinity, we also talk about Final Crisis #6, we talk Watchmen, and we talk about Donnie possibly offending one of Canada’s great comic exports. Possibly.

All this and so much more it tires me out just to write it, on The Watchtower!

It’s our first episode of 2009, and it’s great to back!!

This week, we take a peek under the cowl, er, cowls, in DC’s latest teaser image for The Battle For The Cowl. Who will end up with Batman’s mantle? I don’t know. Do you?

Next we introduce you to Marvel’s Secret Warriors, and the viral campaign that they have launched to promote the new series. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, this new chapter in Nick Fury’s history will be sure to be an important part of the Marvel U this coming year!

All that, and of course The Forecast and we get caught up on Donnie Does Trinity.

This week on The Watchtower, Santa makes a special stop on the Weather Submarine! There’s presents, merriment, laughter, and of course comics!

We take a look back at some of the best books and events of 2008, as well as what to look forward to in 2009.

And it wouldn’t be The Watchtower without The Forecast, Donnie Does Trinity, and a special musical gift to you all at the end of the show.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!!

What can I say about this week’s edition of The Watchtower?

The Dark Reign has fallen on the Marvel Universe as power shifts in the wake of Secret Invasion. Will it be a dynamic shift? Or a shift into third that causes you to stall out on a busy highway, careening dangerously close to a busload of tourists?

Next up, we indulge in our favourite new game, as we take a look at some of the best books to ever get the axe, and some that should be on the chopping block.

All this, plus a large-sized Donnie Does Trinity, brought to you from the Weather Submarine through the magic of digital audio!

This week on The Watchtower we talk all about (gasp!) comic books!

Marvel’s Secret Invasion rocked their universe, but will it’s follow-up, Dark Reign, be setting the same kind of records? To continue the darkness trend, X-Men Noir has sold out it’s first printing. Could this be the start of the Noir-verse?

Over on DC’s side, with Batman RIP firmly behind us, how does it all fit into Final Crisis? Grant Morrisson’s Last Rites hopes to explain all. Also, a new JLA? Or is Wizard Magazine just lying to us?

All this plus The Forecast, Donnie Does Trinity and the usual belligerence you’ve come to know and love from The Watchtower!

It’s Christmas time! And not just in Hollis, Queens!

Do you have someone on your Christmas list who is a huge comic fan? Are you a huge comic fan who is dreading the idea of another Christmas morning with only brand new socks to cheer about? Well as always, we solve all your problems on The Watchtower! We run down our list of great gifts for the comic-lover, as well as some great ideas that the comic-lover should be asking for.

Also, some little story called Batman RIP concluded this week with the (alleged) death of The Batman. Has Grant Morrison gone to far? Has Grant Morrison gone far enough? As you can imagine, we have some opinions in both camps.

All this, plus The Forecast, Donnie Does Trinity, and so much more, it can barely be contained by one internet!

Dan Goldman is a smart man.

Smart enough to condense an entire presidential election into a graphic novel, smart enough to be one of creative forces behind the webcomic and graphic novel Shooting War, and more than smart enough to be deserving of a special Watchtower Extra.

When we originally spoke with Dan, we had to edit down our conversation in order to fit it into the show. Well, now we proudly present our full, unedited interview with Dan Goldman, warts, swears, pickups and all.

It’s a really great chat, but be warned! There may be a word or two not suitable for the kiddies.

This week on The Watchtower we get dark, and no I don’t mean our rapier-like wit.

With the release of the final part of Grant Morrisson’s Batman RIP storyline, we feel the need to attempt to look into the future and speculate about what it might hold for the Dark Knight. Or will there even be one when Morrisson is done? And if there is, who will it be?

Also, as broken here on The Watchtower website last week, Marvel’s Dark Avengers have been teased! We take a look at just who’s on this team, and more importantly, why might they be on the team in the first place.

All this and the Forecast, Donnie Does Trinity and other fine examples of us talking!

This week on The Watchtower, we do our best to cram 78 minutes of programming into 30 minutes of airtime!

First, the February solicitations for both Marvel and DC have been released and there is some great stuff on tap, as well as some terrible, terrible stuff on tap. But which is which? Find out within!

Then, we speak with Dan Goldman, artist on Shooting War and the upcoming ‘08 graphic novels. Dan’s approach to politics and storytelling through comics is very unique, and our full conversation with him went over 35 minutes! Hear an edited version now, and be sure and check back later in the week for a full, un-edited version of our interview.

Finally, The Forecast and Donnie Does Trinity round out the show. It’s too jam-packed for words!

This week on The Watchtower things get dark and mysterious!

Not to fear though, we have Fred Van Lente, writer of the upcoming X Men Noir to shed some light on things! Fred tells us all about what’s in store for Marvel’s Merry Mutants in his upcoming series, as well as some tidbits on his Marvel Zombies and Marvel Adventures work.

(He also threatens to kill us, but I’ll leave that for you to discover.)

Also, plenty of Comic New-ggets (which is News + Nuggets) dropped this week, and from Beyonce to DC vs MK, we take them all on! Plus Donnie Does Trinity, The Forecast, and Donnie wears a beret!!

If you took all the news, rumors, and reviews that have come out of the comic book world in the last week, put them in a blender and hit “frappe,” you might get this week’s episode of The Watchtower.

-Who’d make the best Marvel U President?

-Major firings on the set of Heroes!

-Dave Gibbons in Toronto!

-Who is the Iron Patriot?

-The Forecast!

-Donnie Does Trinity!

All this, and more! What else can you ask for? It’s The Watchtower!

Oh, and be sure and let us know who you think The Iron Patriot is!

This week on The Watchtower, we have two huge books to tear to pieces!

Both Final Crisis and Secret Invasion gave us new installments, and we have more than a few thoughts on both.

A couple weeks ago, I hit up an event called 24 Hour Comics Day with our buddies Sohmer and Lar. Through the magic of digital audio tape, we cram in all 24 hours in a remarkable study of what happens to comic creators deprived of sleep.

Finally, we’d never let a week go by without The Forecast and a Green-Lantern-Robot-Packed edition of Donnie Does Trinity!!

This week on The Watchtower, we are invaded by female comic fans!

Our much-talked about Female Comic Fan Panel (or Fem-Com-Fan-Pan) discuss comics from the female point of view, talking about strong characters, stereotypes, and uncomfortable silences in comic book stores. The Panel is:

Jessica Fry of HardcoreNerdity.com

Stephanie LaLonde, Teacher and Professional Cosplayer

Liana K of Ed and Red’s Comic Strip

There’s some surprising revelations in our chat, and along with The Forecast, this is one episode no comic fan wants to miss!

It’s a day late, but never a dollar short as the newest episode of The Watchtower hits the streets!

Have you noticed how many real-life celebs are appearing in comics today? Donnie did, and shockingly, he doesn’t like it!

Plus we’ll have a chat with the man they call Sohmer about the upcoming 24 Hour Comic Day coming to a shop near you.

And you know it wouldn’t be The Watchtower without The Forecast, and the 19th installment of Donnie Does Trinity!

This week on The Watchtower it’s all about the movies!

We have a first hand account from the Toronto set of Kick-Ass, the adaptation of the Mark Millar/John Romita Jr. book, as well as tidbits on the sequel to The Dark Knight, the forthcoming Green Lantern movie, and the beginnings of a prequel to the epic 300.

But the fun doesn’t stop there! Director Zach Snyder and Artist Dave Gibbons have been showing 25 minutes of the upcoming Watchmen movie to press this week, and thanks to the magic of Internet Piracy we have some exclusive tape of one of their QA sessions!

All this and of course we jam a few cheeseburgers into the Weather Submarine and strike out on another edition of The Forecast.

This week on The Watchtower, we both do something we’re not used to: admit we’re wrong.

Ultimates 3 has been a much-favoured whipping boy of this program, but with the release of issue 5 this past week everything came together. The story became a much better one that we thought, but what does this mean for the fast-approaching Ultimatum? or Ultimate Origins? Find out, as we have all some of the answers theories!

That, and I had a chance to talk with best-selling author and Identity Crisis scribe Brad Meltzer. He has recently championed a bid to save the childhood home of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. He’ll fill us in on how it all came about.

And as if that wasn’t enough, we’ll of course have The Forecast, complete with another installment of Donnie Does Trinity. What else can you ask for? Pie maybe… but nothing else comes to mind!

It’s the Diamond Episode of The Watchtower!

Since it’s such a bling’ed out edition, we felt it necessary to find someone to join us who’s got his own abundant supply of The Freshness. He’s drawn Spider-Man for Marvel, Clerks for Kevin Smith, as well as his own Stupid Comics, Felt, and his newest joint: Kick Drum Comics.

He’s Jim Mahfood (AKA Food One) and he’s our guest on The Watchtower!

We talk comics, hip-hop, live art performance, and so much more on our way to everyone’s favourite ten minutes: The Forecast.

The Watchtower, bringing the Freshness to the guest list!

This is the Broken Sidewalk Edition of The Watchtower, in that all the stuff we lined up seemed to fall through the cracks at the last minute.

Never ones to be kept down though, we hit the net and came up with some suitable topics. We break down some upcoming Marvel and DC solicitations, and take on the question that is ripping up message boards everywhere: Could a black man (in this case Will Smith) play Captain America?

Plus, the Forecast keeps you abreast of the latest and greatest, as well as everyone’s favourite two minutes of the week, Donnie Does Trinity.

It’s The Watchtower, now with more sass than a 13 year old girl and an episode of House combined!

There’s a lot to get to in this week’s episode of The Watchtower.

First off, this is a pretty slow period in movieland, unless of course you deal in rumors! We have all the newest, uh, news, and even one tidbit that would make Eartha Kitt spin in her grave! Assuming of course she’s dead. If she isn’t, we apologize.

Also, Marvel this week announced a few details on the new Marvel Noir line, Dark Reign, and Ultimate Avengers. We have all the details, just a click away!

It’s the Watchtower where nobody turns into a robot. Yet.

This week on The Watchtower, we touch base with a man who’s becoming a good friend of the program, Terry Moore.

Terry joins us from Texas to talk about the first issue of his Runaways run, as well as answering that age-old question: If you were to die at the hands of a super-villian, who would it be?

We also take a look at what might happen if the DCU existed as a comic book in the Marvel Universe, and vice versa. Who would read what? My money’s on Batman being a huge Franklin Richards fan.

All this, and of course our weekly installment of Donnie Does Trinity in The Forecast. People turning into robots isn’t as big a deal as it once was apparently.

It’s the Watchtower, and don’t worry, it’s cool. We got this.

This week The Watchtower comes to you Live(ish) from the Toronto Convention Center, and Fan Expo!

We took a few moments and talked with some lovely Suicide Girls, Gaming Fans, and Friend of the program Richard Crouse, all from Table A49 in the Artist Alley.

Then, using our magical Slideways Technology, we whisked ourselves back to the comfort of The Weather Submarine to give you guys the lowdown on the good, the bad, and the ugly in this week’s Forecast!

Thank you so much to any and all of you who came by the table to talk comics with us! It’s incredible to know you guys are out there diggin’ what we’re puttin’ down. We’ll keep at it as long as you promise to spread the word, and we’ll see you at Fan Expo 2009!

... and we ain’t gonna take it anymore!!

On this week’s Watchtower, we ask some tough questions of our comics.

Ultimate Origins: What’s your deal?

Kick-Ass: Where ya been?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day was 7 months ago. When are ya gettin’ good?

All this, plus we give you the total Fan Expo rundown for The Watchtower and No Reason Comics. We’ll be there all weekend at table A49, rocking out Skrull shirts and copies of No Reason #0, so come on by and say hello! Plus some special events, the details of which are contained within!

It’s The Watchtower, we never rest so we must be wicked!

This week on The Watchtower, we kick things off with talk of this year’s Fan expo, as well as how dumb Iron Man is.

Also, this is probably the first time “initiative” and “The Watchtower” have been in the same sentence. We talk with Jim McLauchlin, President of The Hero Initiative, the only not-for-profit organization aimed at comic book writers, artists, and creators.

All this, plus thinly veiled references to Donnie’s dating life in The Forecast.

It’s The Watchtower, sealed, and in mint condition!

With the San Diego Comic Con firmly in our rear-view mirrors, the world of Comics has entered into a bit of a post-con lull. We here at The Watchtower however, are just ramping up!

This week we dig deep and come up with some movie news and rumors, as well as ask some hard questions about comic book Annuals. Are they a crucial part of telling a larger story? Or just another excuse for publishers to offer lackluster content and reprints? Be sure to weigh in with your view!

All this, and an extended version of The Forecast, during which you have the chance to win some of my stuff! Also, will the Cosmic Egg show up when Donnie Does Trinity? Only one way to find out, dear hearts!!

This week on The Watchtower we take a look at some of the bigger announcements made during last weeks San Diego International Comic Con. There were a lot of stories to come out of the con, and shockingly we haven an opinion on just about all of ‘em.

Then we attempt to up our cool factor by touching base with the good folks at New Era Caps. They have a great new line of exclusive comic book hats, and we were at the launch party for their Dark Knight line.

All this, and of course, The Forecast (featuring more news of The Cosmic Egg!). It’s The Watchtower, high in fiber, low in cholesterol!

This week is a very special edition of The Watchtower as we dig deep into one of our favourite “guilty pleasure” books of all time.

August 6th, 2008 sees the return of everyone’s favourite redhead as Marvel Comics launches the lastest volume of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. Wanting to know more, we decided to go straight to the source.

We are extremely fotunate to have Artist Craig Rousseau (Impulse, The Perhapnauts), and Writer Terry Moore (Strangers In Paradise, Echo) join us to let us in on their plans for MJ, Gewn, Peter and all the gang.

All that, and The Forecast! It’s The Watchtower, more catchy than a Katy Perry song!

Our good friends at Toronto @ Noon with Dave Trafford on Newstalk 1010 CFRB asked me to join them on the air today to review The Dark Knight. I thought it was a fun couple of minutes that you guys would enjoy hearing. Because, y’know, I haven’t talked about The Dark Knight enough in the past week.

What we really want to hear though is that YOU think! Now that The Dark Knight is out for everyone to see, we want to know what you think of the biggest comic book movie to hit the screen this year! Comment, E-Mail, Forums, however, just get in touch!

Yes, it’s a long title, but it applies for a couple of reasons.

First, because I saw The Dark Knight, and provide a full review right off the top. Also, becuase this episode contains one of my biggest technical screwups ever. You gotta hear it to believe it, and trust me: this is a collectors edition episode, because it will never happen again.

We have all that, as well as an Extra-Sized in depth interview with Shuster Award Winning JSA Penciller, Dale Eaglesham!

I tell ya, on The Watchtower, even when it’s the worst of times, it’s still the best of times!!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending an IMAX press screening of The Dark Knight. I don’t know if words can do justice to the Awesomeness of this movie, but I will do my best to get across every jaw-dropping, eye-bugging, mind-blowing aspect of the flick.

In other words, I liked it. A lot.

When Batman Begins came out, my review stated “This is everything a Batman movie should be.” With The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan has made me eat those words, and say “This is everything a Batman movie should be.”

The Dark Knight kicks into high gear right off the bat. I know we have all seen the “leaked” footage of the bank heist online, so there’s no real need to say spoiler warning when I tell you that it’s the opening of the flick. On the big screen, it looks even more stunning. The ride from there, just gets better.

All your favourite characters are back, Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon is spot-on again, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman provide their seasoned, veteran charm, and even Maggie Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Rachel Dawes (a throwaway character in Katie Holmes’ hands) is given great treatment, and more importantly, a great role in the story. She has an actual reason for being there this time, and it brings her character up to the level of the rest of the cast.

Heath Ledger’s twisted version of The Joker is every bit as incredible as the hype has made it out to be. If he did not receive a posthumous Oscar nomination for it, I would be shocked. The voice he puts on alone makes it worth my while, and he makes Jack Nicholson’s Joker look like Cesar Romero. To echo a statement, this is how The Joker should be. Twisted, devoid of all trace of sanity, and very, very scary.

Also worth mentioning is Aaron Eckhart’s transformation as Harvey Dent. A character previously given horrible treatment by Billy Dee Williams, and Tommy Lee Jones. The special effects here are definitely worth a shudder or two, because they are just plain creepy.

And what of Christian Bale’s second turn beneath the Cowl? Brilliant. He takes the dark, gritty Batman from Batman Begins to even deeper levels as he begins to question his quest, and his motives.

All that, and then we have the plot. Fans of Loeb & Sale’s work, will be pleased to see that the story continues to borrow from the comics, with nods to Frank Miller’s work, and other Batman comic scribes over the years as well. The story moves as quickly as a Batman fight scene, and the viewer is hooked all the way through. The Dark Knight clocks in at just over 2 and a Half hours, but it dose not feel like it, and there are more than enough “OH MAN!!!” moments to keep you wanting more after the credits start to roll.

I think that the ending of the movie is going to be somewhat controversial amongst the comic and movie faithful. It sets the stage to take Batman in a somewhat different direction that we are used to seeing him. For the record, I love it. It’s breaking fresh ground without straying to far from the source material. But we can talk about all that after the movie is released.

The Dark Knight is so great that even after saying all that, I’ve barely scratched the surface of it’s awesomeness. It is one of those rare sequels that not only lives up to it’s predecessor, but easily surpasses it. This is the movie of the summer, possibly the year.

Iron Who? The Incredible What? Wanted? What’s wanted? Tickets to see The Dark Knight? Yes, you’ll want some. Now.

Tie those ties, and polish up them cufflinks!

This week on The Watchtower, we attempt to bring some class into our affair by speaking with Andrew Bolton, Curator of Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy. An Exhibition currently showing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

We also take a look at the new class of creators on Astonishing X-Men, Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi. Do they manage to pick up where graduates Whedon and Cassaday left off?

All this, and much more as we Talk, Shout, and Forecast our way into your ears and hearts!

Here’s the thing: we all need to stop judging new movies on the trailers that come out. Remember seeing the trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie? It was rad. Then the movie blew because aliens were in it, uh spoiler alert. Do you remember seeing the trailer for Forgetting Sarah Marshall? It was the one of the best rom-coms ever (oh yeah I said rom-com.) So the trailer for Wanted comes out and we’re all like “oh my god what have they done to this comic?!” Newsflash: the movie is pretty awesome.

The actors all do pretty decent jobs in their roles. Morgan Freeman is the talking guy who everyone listens to, Angelina Jolie is hot-slash-dangerous with a great naked butt, and Common is there too. James McAvoy, who plays the lead of Wesley Gibson, does really well and there is something about him that makes you want Shia LeBeouf to show up just in time to get one of those neat-o Celtic looking bullets in his fragile little baby face.

Wanted has a great bleak middle class vs. mediocrity kind of Fight Club vibe that makes a lot of the gratuitous violence seem spot on. There are a couple lines here and there that are terrible and there are a couple scenes that scream “Doritooooooos! Do the Dew to the extreme!” a little too much but as far as action movies go, especially comic book action movies, Wanted is pretty well done.

The costumes are gone, but there is no way that the movie would work with them so fan boys that are going to complain about that are stupid and will likely forget about that after they remember that they finally got to see Lara Croft’s butt.

Wanted is not as good as Iron Man, better than The Incredible Hulk, probably Hancock too, but it’s a shame that after Hellboy II and Dark Knight come out you probably won’t remember it.

-Questy.

It’s The Canada Day Long Weekend here in the frozen north, and thus a holiday for all who call her home!

So we thought this would be an excellent time to toot our own horns, and revisit some of our favourite moments from the past 62 episodes. I know what you are thinking: isn’t the big clip show supposed to come at episode 100? Well, it’s just one of the many ways we cut against the grain!

We look back at licenced comics, the best DC and Marvel heroes of all time, defend ourselves from a sexist attack, and finally rock out some Spider-Man trivia!

Enjoy, and remember: the news and reviews will keep on coming here at The Watchtower, and next week we’ll be back with a brand new episode!

Unfortunately it’s with great sadness that I must inform everyone that Michael Turner tragically passed away last night, June 27th at approximately 10:42 pm in Santa Monica, Ca. Turner had been dealing with recent health complications arisen in the past few weeks. More details concerning Turner’s passing, and services, will be given shortly.

Anyone wishing to send their condolences to Michael Turner’s family is encouraged to send to:

Aspen MLT, Inc. C/O Michael Turner 5855 Green Valley Circle, Suite 111 Culver City, CA, 90230

As we piled into the theatre, it was painfully obvious that getting there an hour before show time was a very, very good idea. This particular theatre had been the site of an Iron Man screening that saw fistfights erupt when people where turned away. Things seemed to go smoother this time however, and we settled in for what promised to be a terrific smashfest.

First off, we were treated to two previews I had not seen before. The first was a trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army that looked absolutely fantastic. Next up, a new installment in The Mummy franchise, this time set in China. It looked OK, I was kind of stoked as a fan of The Mummy Movies, but overall, this one wasn’t as well received as Hellboy was.

One of the best things about seeing these advanced screenings is that we don’t have to sit through ten minutes of commercials, so up next we got right into the movie.

Two slight Spoilers: it was rumored that Captain America or Steve Rogers was going to be in this movie. Sadly, this doesn’t happen. However, the much-publicized Tony Stark cameo more than make sup for it. Also, you don’t have to stick around after the credits. Unless they do some re-editing in the general release, there isn’t an Easter egg scene like in Iron Man.

Now onto The Incredible Hulk. This movie was fantastic!! It has everything that you could ever want from a Hulk flick. It’s full of suspense and great dialouge, the characterization is spot-on, and there is more action than you can shake a gamma-irradiated stick at.

Breaking with convention, they chose jump right into the story as opposed to taking time to re-tell the origin story. This was a pretty good move, as it got the audience into the movie right off the bat. The movie the chugs ahead, smashing in all the right places, with never a dull moment. This led to my only real complaint with the flick. There were a couple of scenes that seemed a bit glossed over that were real pivotal points in the movie. But it wasn’t anything that left me wondering about a plot point or character, and is more just me being nit-picky.

The final fight scene is nothing short of, well, Incredible. What made it ever cooler for me was I was sitting in a theatre on the very corner that they filmed most of it! It’s an amazing slugfest that is intense, but in no way gratuitous. It’s exciting, and makes for an awesome climax to a great movie.

To sum up, The Incredible Hulk is to Ang Lee’s Hulk what Batman Begins is to Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin. It totally reinvigorates the franchise, and for those fans watching closely, a sequel is teased, so I am sure this is far from the last Hulk movie we’ll see. Marvel taking over the production duties on their movies was a big gamble but has paid off in spades two in a row.

This past weekend in Toronto, the ceremony for the 4th Annual Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards was held, and yours truly had a front row seat. In truth, it was a 3rd row seat, but you get the idea.

Named after Superman’s Canadian Co-Creator, The Shusters look to honour all that is good in Canadian Comic Books. Like the Eisner’s and the Harvey’s, winning a Shuster is a pretty big honour, and this year there were some familiar names on the ballot.

For example, friends of The Watchtower Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSousa, the creative team behind webcomics Least I Could Do and Looking For Group. They were nominated in the Outstanding Canadian Webcomics Creator/Creative Team category, along with VG Cat’s Scott Ramsoomair, and other webcomic creators Micheal Cho and Scott Hepburn, Karl Kerschl, Ramon Perez, Gisele Lagace, and Cameron Stewart.

Well, I am happy to report, the big winners were Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSousa! This is a well-deserved award for both, so we say Congratulations!

Other noteable Shusters went to:

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK WRITER Cecil Castellucci for The P.L.A.I.N. Janes (DC/Minx)

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK ARTIST Dale Eaglesham for Justice Society of America #2-4, 6-7, 9-11 (DC Comics)

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CARTOONIST (WRITER/ARTIST) Jeff Lemire for Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From The Farm, Essex County Vol. 2: Ghost Stories (Top Shelf)

OUTSTANDING COVER BY A CANADIAN COMIC BOOK ARTIST Steve Skroce for Doc Frankenstein #6 (Burleyman)

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK COLOURIST Dave McCaig for Nextwave, Agents of H.A.T.E. #12, New Avengers #27-35, Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America #1: Wolverine, Marvel Comics Presents #1-4, Wolverine #50, Avengers Classic #7 (Marvel Comics) DC Infinite Halloween Special #1 (DC Comics), The Other Side #4-5 (DC/Vertigo) Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jensen #1 (ONI Press)

OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK &/OR GRAPHIC NOVEL PUBLISHER Drawn & Quarterly

CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Stan Berneche John Byrne Pierre Fournier Edwin R. “Ted” McCall

FAVOURITE CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR – ENGLISH LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS Faith Erin Hicks – Zombies Calling

FAVOURITE CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR – FRENCH LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS Philippe Girard aka phlppgrrd – Danger Public

FAVOURITE INTERNATIONAL (NON-CANADIAN) COMIC BOOK CREATOR Ed Brubaker – Captain America, Criminal, Immortal Iron Fist, Uncanny X-Men

HARRY KREMER OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK RETAILER Big B Comics – Hamilton, Ontario

It was a great evening, and a lot of fun was had by all. This year’s Awards were designed by Tom Grummett who was also in attendance.