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So, how did it feel NOT to have a new ep of Heroes to watch last Monday (or in my case reading my blogstress-in-crime Carol Orsini's awesome recaps the day after)?

Should you be looking to immerse yourself in all Heroes-related things during the coming holiday season -- maybe hitting the DVR to review Volume 2 or catching up on the first collection of online Heroes stories recently published by DC Comics -- here's an unusual freebie worth considering, straight from the good folks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known to the world at large as MIT.

Last month, MIT's Communications Forum sponsored a two-hour seminar/ interview with Heroes executive producer Jesse Alexander (who worked once-upon on-a-time on popular TV serials Lost and Alias) and Mark Warshaw (formerly of Smallville) to discuss the multi-platform approach to marketing this groundbreaking series from online graphic novels, to podcasting to the free availability of previous eps, appropriately titled NBC's Heroes: From Appointment TV to Engagement TV?

There are two ways you can listen to this interesting and free two-hour podcast: Click on the link in the Audiocast section to listen at your computer or download the podcast from iTunes from the CMS Colloquia Podcast page.

Here's a bonus for those who use iTunes: Toward the bottom of the list, lectures 49 and 50 feature 2006 interviews with Scott McCloud (Understanding/Reinventing/Making Comics) and Frank Espinosa (Rocketo), comics luminaries whose work we admire.

Thousands of apologies if this space has become too Batman-centric lately for its own good, but I just couldn't resist sharing these news items involving Batmobiles, past and present. Goofball news first...

A number of car enthusiasts blogs jumped on a posting from Hemmings Auto Blogs about the shabby showing of a promotional Batmobile used to promote Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever that was recently up for auction in Florida. Although auctioneers pegged the pre-sale value of BF Batmobile at somewhere close at $800,000, all they could muster was a measley $297,000. True, the movie was a knife in the gut to most Batfans after Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns, but a Batmobile -- attached to a craptastic movie or not -- still is a Batmobile, right?

Not if buying one prevents its owner from driving it out on public... And, that's just one of seven rather restrictive conditions spelled out in the purchase agreement from DC Comics and Warner Bros. (Scroll down the page of cars recently up for auction from RM Auctions to #863 to read the entire list of restrictions.)

Now, for something completely better...

You'll have a smile on your face after watching this short video interview with car empresario George Barris, who built the classic 60s Batmobile along with a slew of cool rides for other gone-but-not-forgotten TV series, such as The Munsters, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Hornet. Ever wondered how the back end of the Batmobile rocketed through the streets of Gotham with its tail on fire? Watch the video to learn the answer...

Right in time for Thanksgiving, when we'll all be dealing with our own families, comes this week's 'Smallville,' where Clark and Kara/Supergirl are visited by Clark's biological mother, Lara (or at least her replicate from the crystal) and Kara's father, Zor-El (again, his replicate). Plus, all sorts of other family drama to make your own family seem super normal. Let's begin ...

Clark is missing his mother, when he hears her voice calling out for him to save her. It's coming from Kara's crystal that he had hidden in the barn. Cut to Clark's fortress where he's holding the crystal and father Jor-El tells him not to release his mother. Of course, Clark doesn't listen. Why would he? Has he ever listened before?

So out comes mother Lara and Clark is happy to finally meet her. Kara, too, is excited to see her aunt. But Lara tells them that if she's been freed, then Kara's father Zor-El can't be far behind. And, of course, she's right. Zor-El comes and plays the sensitive father role to get Kara to the fortress. Come to find out he's manipulating her to get what he wants. He should hang out with Lionel!

When I saw the Writers Guild of America strike coming and potentially affecting the very few TV shows I enjoy -- two of which happen to air on the very same night and time -- I was more concerned about the future exploits of the tube's own Captain America, Jack Bauer, fighting terrorists and corrupt politicians on 24 than the continuing saga of Heroes.

Why?

The one-day, 24-ep story arcs that drove 24 for five seasons to critical and ratings successes "blew up" not very long after the initial shock of a nuclear bomb exploding in southern California. As many fans howled over plot developments that seemingly went "nowhere" (I liked many of them them more than most of you), ratings took a dive and, no doubt, the success of the inaugural season of Heroes scheduled head-on against 24 on Monday nights contributed to some of that slide. Besides, how many times can Captain Jack overcome a rogues gallery of terrorists against "impossible odds" before viewers start wondering if there's more to the story than that?

Last week, EW.com reported the production will be suspended on 24 after ep 8, with the finished chapters embargoed until the strike ends and eps can be aired uninterrupted. We won't have this same problem with Heroes, however, according to a news story appearing on MTV. com. After the end of season 1, producers put out the word there would be two story arcs instead of one, with the current "Generations" story ending -- very conveniently -- after ep 11 airing on Dec. 3.

So, you may be getting a premium cable channel run of Heroes -- think Dexter or Curb Your Enthusiasm -- but it will have a definitive end. Not only is it good for fans, on the business end, NBC/Universal will have at least one TV-to-DVD collection moneymaker on their hands come summertime.

And, just in case you missed it -- as I nearly did -- have a look at the multiple Heroes covers gracing this past week's TV Guide, illustrated by Jim Lee, Phil Jimenez, Michael Turner, and (my fav of the bunch) Tim Sale.

If you like your TV scary and uncomfortable, you haven't had a whole lot to watch since Chris Carter's other and, in some ways, better horror series Millennium left the Fox airwaves more than eight years ago.

That is, until Showtime's strange and thrilling series, Dexter, featuring the continuing adventures of a blood splatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer, albeit with a twist. This cold and calculating anti-hero, brilliantly portrayed by Michael C. Hall, embraces a "moral code" that channels his murderous tendencies into ridding the world of criminals and killers who just manages to avoid the other side of the law.

An interesting subplot emerging halfway through season two are Dexter's growing fantasies after investigating a murder scene at a Miami comic book store. The victim: An cartoonist illustrating the further adventures of the anonymous caped crusader, The Dark Defender, giving rise to Dexter's growing persona as "a hero" whose gruesome, yet very tidy hobby, can be construed as being a force for good.

Find out just how far Dexter's delusional "rabbit hole" goes with these cool mini-eps featuring previous killings, now the justifiable "good works" of The Dark Defender.

Yes, Hall's Dexter would've been a worthy foe for Frank Black back in the day...

Lana haters probably weren't too thrilled with the concept of this week's episode and giving her so much face/screen time. Personally, I was kind of into it. Until recently, Lana was my favorite character. Now, I admit she's gotten mega-annoying, only to be outplaced by Lois. But I digress ...

We start this week with Lana and Clark on a date, riding horses happily together like in the good old days. Then a storm moves in and they attempt to peace out. Unfortunately, there's kryptonite nearby and Clark can't move. Lana picks it up to throw it far away when lightning strikes. We know what happens when you're holding the magic green rock, you're with Clark and lighting hits you ... instant super powers! When a windmill is about to fall onto of Clark, Lana moves in and pushes it up and out of the way. The look on her face when she realizes what just happened? Totally priceless.

Then the writers (good luck with the strike, guys) decide to get cheeky and Lana and Clark make sexy time (which, apparently they haven't done before. I could have sworn Clark gave in back in season 5 but clearly I'm wrong), causing mini-earthquakes all around Smallville. Chloe rushes over to the Kent farm to make sure Clark's OK and finds out the real cause of the shaking. The whole scene was summed up best by Chloe herself: "Awkward!" Good try, though ...

In a really lackluster new fall season (and one which thanks to the Writers Guild strike might be ending awfully soon), there's only one show that has absolutely stood out as a must-watch-tv for me, and that's Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies.

If you're unfamiliar with the plot, it's wonderfully odd; Ned the piemaker (Lee Pace), brings things back to life if he touches them once. If he touches the now living being (person, animal, or plant) a second time, it becomes dead again but this time for good. And if he lets something come back to life for more than 60 seconds, something nearby of comparable "value" will die instead. Now he works with private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) as they investigate strange deaths (by talking to the corpse for 60 seconds) in order to claim rewards. They're assisted by Chuck (Anna Friel), Ned's formerly deceased childhood sweetheart that he can no longer touch, even as waitress Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) is desperately in love with Ned and trying to figure out just what the deal is with Chuck.

This may sound much more confusing than it really is. But now there's another way to jump in. Namely, the online Pushing Daisies comic. (Originally given out as a freebie to people at Comic-Con International out in San Diego this year.)

Fuller is certainly no stranger to comics; last year he was a producer for Heroes (and his arrival and then departure during the first season coincides nicely with the best episodes of the show) and it has its own online comic strip to boot. His work on the lead story "Head" does a good job of introducing us to the show slowly, focusing entirely on Ned and Emerson as they question a person who died while on the run from Emerson. The story lets Fuller perhaps get away with something that might not be considered acceptable for television, but at the same time showcases the strange, quirky, anything-can-happen-here attitude. Zach Howard and Tom Fowler's art is cartoonish in nature, perhaps not the best match for the look-and-feel of Pushing Daisies itself (which is visually like a storybook come to life on your television screen) but it's good in its own right. "Head" ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully before too long we'll get the next installment.

Also included is "You've Been Outbid" which serves as a prequel to the pilot episode. Unlike "Head" it doesn't stand on its own, really, but it's a nice little easter egg for people who are already watching. That said, the story is gorgeously illustrated by Cameron Stewart and for that alone I am delighted; Stewart's art is always a pleasure, but here it has the added bonus of fitting the show perfectly. If down the line we get more Pushing Daisies stories, is it too much to ask for Stewart again?

While Heroes was an understandable choice for an online comic, I love the fact that Pushing Daisies is in on the act. Fuller or someone else at the show is clearly a fan, too; the official recaps of the show are in comic book format as well, although in this case they're touching up screen captures. So who knows, maybe we'll get another original comic before too long?

For that matter, what show will be next to get a comic book? Ugly Betty? Law & Order: Special Victims Unit? The Price is Right? (Ok, probably not the last one. But I can dream.) Bring on the television comics!

I just realized that if I put exclamation points after everything, my weekly New Releases column will have all of the excitement of a Jack Kirby comic! See what I mean! This is great!
Now...behold! What lurks beneath the opening paragraph?! A list peppered with pictures of unequaled proportions! It's.....THE LIST!!!

HEROES HC
A big hardcover collection of the online HEROES comic. The main reason to get this is that it's packed with Tim Sale art from the show. Also, when the writer's strike is still going on and there are no more new HEROES episodes, you can read it and pretend you're watching TV!


UNCANNY X-MEN #492
The second part of the giant mutant crossover, MESSIAH COMPLEX. Should I expect big things from an X-Book crossover? Nope! Do I still get my hopes up for some epic multi-book goodness? Of course! It doesn't hurt that this thing is written by the always awesome Ed Brubaker and drawn by the recently awesome-ified Billy Tan.








ROBIN #168
Guess what? Ra's al Ghul is back! Who saw that coming?! The guy with a pit made for resurrection makes a "surprise" comeback in the first part of a 7-issue crossover between the Bat-titles. I'd suggest reading last week's Batman first, though, as this issue makes absolutely no sense without it. Or maybe that's just because it's a Peter Milligan comic!




There's a ton of other great stuff coming out this week as well.
Y THE LAST MAN #59
The penultimate issue of one of the best series around.
BIG QUESTIONS #10
In this one, two groups of birds converge at the site of a downed airplane. Much trouble ensues.
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #2
A satisfying issue that begins the series' departure from the original.
HOWARD THE DUCK #2
Howard the Duck and M.O.D.O.K.!
HANNAH MONTANA CINEMANGA VOLS 3-4
This is just for Seacord. He doesn't have time to find things on the internet, what with being incarcerated all the time.

Don't take my word for it, though! Check out the complete list on the next page.

If you don't have enough Heroes in your life -- and judging by the HUGE response to the post-ep posts my blogtress-in-crime Carol Orsini has been writing, you don't -- you'll want to read this interesting interview with Adrian Pasdar, one of the flying Petrelli brothers, by USA Today entertainment reporter Will Keck, who doesn't ask dumb questions. After hitting the USA Today link, be sure to watch the three-minute CelebWatch vid at the top of the page, along with the humorous outtakes.

Once you're done with the USA Today stuff, check out the behind-the scenes hi-jinks with the Heroes cast -- 33 short videos and counting -- thanks to Pasdar's roving camera via his YouTube site, buckshotwon. Featured below is one of the longer vids, a painful reminder to Masi Oka how hard the life of an international TV star really is...

Now THIS is what I'm talking about. This week's episode ranked high on my "good 'Smallville' episode" meter and next week's looks even better!

The focus now was all on Super girl aka Kara. When we last saw her, she peaced out on Clark after he hesitated to trust her word over that of the Martian Manhunter. Cut to our opening scenes where we witness a memory sequence of Kara and her father Zor-el on Krypton during the war. He hands her a crystal and tells her to go to Earth and always protect it. She's understandably scared to leave him but he promises the crystal is her way back to him. This is all setting up for us to explain why her quest to find said missing crystal from her spaceship is soooo important.

As anything relating to extraterrestrial life might do, this is when 'Smallville' seems to be getting a little X-filesy. The government took Kara's spaceship and, therefore, has in possession the crystal that was inside. Kara finds this out and heads to D.C. to get it back. She finds her way to a bar where a government worker is having a few drinks and works her womanly charm to get the info she desires. "Life on other planets ... that's HOT," she purrs. Hey, can't blame the guy for giving in so easily to her demands ... who wouldn't?

Yep. You read that headline correctly. According to the E! Online column WATCH WITH KRISTIN there is a new Joss Whedon television series in the works over at Fox. It's called DOLLHOUSE and it stars former BUFFY star Eliza Dushku (Faith!) as a high-paid fantasy-fulfilling blank slate. If it sounds weird to you, it's mostly because it's definitely weird-like.

Here's what Whedon had to say:
"The idea is those with the money or connections can access this secret highly illegal facility where they can basically fulfill their greatest fantasies. Most people assume that means sex --and on an occasion it does, because that is a lot of people's fantasies-- but it's basically scenarios. They can basically reenact scenarios of romance, adventure or anything perfectly, because they become the person that you want them to be-they become that person."

So, it's basically a vehicle for Joss Whedon to tell whatever stories he wants and an excuse for Eliza Dushku to get sexy and probably kick some ass. Sounds great!

Fox has already greenlit seven episodes, but don't expect to see a release date until after all of this Writer's Guild strike stuff gets cleared up.

By the way, if you're a Whedon fan, don't forget to watch tonight's Whedon directed episode of THE OFFICE. If it's as good as last year's vampire episode, well, it'll be really good!

'The Line' opens with Peter and Caitlin discussing Ricky's death. Peter realizes that the girl who's looking for him and his destiny are tied in with Montreal, and resolves to go find Ricky's killer. Caitlin goes along with him vowing to 'Kill the Bitch.' Uh-oh, watch out Veronica Mars.

America's favorite cheerleader Claire tries out for cheerleading and to the extreme dismay of males everywhere, doesn't make the squad. This travesty is enacted because of the bitchy lead cheerleader who informs Claire that she is, in fact, not extraordinary. Whoever said cheerleaders were smart was completely on the money. Sigh.

Mohinder is studying Monica, and Bob enters with the demand to inject Monica with a mutated strand of the virus that kills the heroes. Mohinder is torn, since he has brought them Molly, he has to do what they ask of him or Bennet informs him that he'll jeopardize the project. That, my dear Mohinder, is why you don't sleep with the enemy. OR give them your children. It's novel, I know -- I'm just that smart.

Enter a brand new bunch... The grandmother and grandson, Koyla, leave for a party, while the white-haired man is accosted by Bennet and the Haitian. "Ivan my dear friend, we need to talk." The altercation leaves Ivan on the floor, and me completely flummoxed.

Claire is socially ostracized except for West. She complains to her lovey-poo, who manages to coax Claire into taking the head cheerleader down a notch. This should be interesting.

Maya and Sylar are talking about their powers. Maya can't understand how someone would want to be different, but Sylar charms her, reaching for a little extra something. Ow-ow! Alejandro does not trust Sylar's intentions, but Maya remains adamant that he was sent by god to help them and they must trust him.

Back to the Hiro, Ando and the deciphering of the scrolls. Still kind of tired of the Hiro plot. They are planning a war, and Hiro is concerned for the woman he loves, Yaeko. But with Kensei at her side, she has no fear.

Ivan and Bennet are having a friendly chat, of course -- Bennet threatening Ivan with a memory wipe and carrying it out... It's painfully obvious that Claire's dad is still an a-hole. Go Bennet. After a short commercial break, (thankful for a DVR) we return to Bennet and Ivan. The Haitian has completely wiped all of Ivan's memories of his wife. (Ouch.) Ivan threatens Bennet's family and just when the Haitian is meant to wipe all of Ivan's memories concerning Bennet and his family Ivan offers him a deal. Come back to the company and we'll protect you. Is Bennet is turning to the dark side? Could the painting be making sense?

Suresh is faced with the injection of Monica. In a surprisingly awesome and not wussy move, he can't do it. He effectively quits, smashes the virus, and leaves.

Sylar steers Maya and Alejandro to the border and they're not the only ones there. The border patrol surrounds them, and Sylar encourages Maya to use her power to get them out of that sticky situation. She does it. Sylar's got a girlfriend! Like, OMG, their babies are going to be SUPER adorable.

Claire scares the crap out of the lead cheerleader, by staging her own abduction by West. He swoops her in the air and drops her so she can feign death. West then comes after the HBIC. Nicely done, you two. Seriously.

Meanwhile the head cheerleader is telling the police what happened to Claire, with absolutely no evidence to back up her story. Claire comes out of the shadows and acts as if nothing has happened. She's so cute when she lies.

You know that saying "when the cat's away, the mouse will play"? My boss Carol (who so awesomely did the top 15 babes gallery) was in the middle of creating one of the hot guys of comics before she left on vacay to the islands. Being the amazing employee I am, I thought I'd help her out and finish up the project and post. What good is it doing sitting around and collecting dust, you know?

So I present to you the Top 15 Hottest Comic Book Hunks, as chosen by the office and ranked by me (hey, some of us are still in the office doing WORK, not lounging around in tropical places). You can also check out the full-sized version of each pic by clicking on each one ... and believe me you want to see these hotties up-close and personal. Then vote for your fave!

"In the comic book world when you're destined to save mankind, you're destined to be alone." -Lex

Hollywood comes to Smallville this week as the fictional comic book 'Warrior Angel' goes into film production. We;ve got guest star Christina Milian (you know her from big songs like 'Dip It Low' and 'AM to PM') as the film's lead actress Rachel Davenport and right away the starlet finds herself in trouble as, during a driving scene, the break wires have been cut and the car won't stop. Lucky for her, the movie is being shot on the Kent farm and Clark is there to save her. But who would wanna kill her? 'Tis the life of a superstar, where crazies are lurking everywhere (especially in this town). You thought Hollywood was crazy, darling, you CLEARLY have never been to Smallville.

(Carol is on vacation this week, but the show must go on, so please bear with me as I attempt to fill her sneakers for this week's episode.)

"When confronted by our worst nightmares, the choices are few...fight or flight. We hope to find the strength to stand against our fears, but sometimes, despite ourselves, we run. What if the nightmare gives chase? Where can we hide then?"

Such was the theme of chaper five, as stated in the traditional voiceover by Mohinder at the top of the episode, and we open on my-two-dads Mohinder and Matt agonizing over their comatose ward, Molly. Mohinder argues that Matt owes it to Molly to track down his father (a.k.a., the Nightmare Man from Molly's dreams) in Philadelphia since it was Matt's request that she use her power to locate him that put her in her current state. Matt promises the unconscious Molly that she's going to be OK, then promptly exits stage left on his mission.

Monica is interviewed by the police in the wake of the attempted robbery that she foiled in last week's episode, but lies and tells the investigating officer that she's unable to identify her attacker. This despite the fact that the officer comes right out and tells her that he needs "sombebody to step up and...be a hero." Monica, don't you know that's your job? Damn, girl, it's right there in the title of the show!

Peter makes with the lip-smacking action with Caitlin, his fine young Irish lass in County Cork, and she rebuts his contention that he "could get used to this" by explaining that he's got a past and owes it to himself to discover it. But first, he'll carry her off to the bedroom, and this is where we leave them, literally behind closed doors.

While still in Ireland, the much ballyhooed entrance of Kristen Bell takes place, as she interviews one of the Irish thieves at the shipyards where the now-empty shipping container which delivered Peter to the Emerald Isle resides. She explains she works for a company that is interested in finding Peter, as he is a dangerous man. We then see energy crackling from her fingertips as she lightly grazes the crate while walking away.