This just in: it seems someone at Warner Bros. has realized well done comic book movies can make money. Writer/director David Goyer, who penned the script for The Dark Knight, told Inland Empire Strikes Back Warner has placed all DC Comics movie projects on hold.

Goyer said the company is taking time to figure out a better plan for the development of these movies. They are, after all, cash cows with huge potential. The year 2008 will be remembered as a landmark year for comic book projects. Marvel Comics became the first comic company to have its own studio and came charging out of the gate with summer blockbuster Iron Man. A Samuel L. Jackson cameo at the end of that movie set up the storyline for an Avengers film. Marvel carried it on as Tony Stark showed up in The Incredible Hulk to talk about the team they’re getting together.

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Photo by Stephen Vaughan

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There are some crises even a superhero can’t get past and union strikes are high at the top of that list. At a presser promoting the upcoming Dark Knight movie you may have heard about, producer Charles Roven said Warner Bros. has not given up on The Flash.

But Roven admits the writers’ strike and the looming actors’ strike haven’t helped the process out. While The Flash can move at light speed, travel through time on a treadmill and perform other such feats, lengthy contract negotiation is not among his skills.

Until then, I guess we’ll have to be satisfied with Flash adventures in comic form. Or we could check out the cult classic TV show from the 1990’s.

Image by Paxton Holley licensed under Creative Commons.

According to numbers provided by Nielsen, Marvel Comics’ Iron Man has made $177 million in 10 days. It raked in $50 million this past weekend to remain atop the box office charts.

Warner Bros. Speed Racer, which at one time was thought a potential rival for Iron Man, stalled into second place with $20 million. Critics mostly panned this Wachowski Bros. adaptation of the popular anime. Its price tag is rumored to be well over $100 million with millions more spent on marketing. Warner can’t be happy with this abysmal opening, Racer just barely edging out romcom What Happens In Vegas. Warner execs are already confirming there’s not much chance they’ll recoup their money on this one.

Tony Stark will face some heavy hitters in the battle for his lofty perch the next two weeks. The Chronicles of Narnia:Prince Caspian opens May 16 while Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is coming May 22.

© 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Black History Month is a perfect time to remember the most legendary African-American superheroes and their creators. This list will stimulate debate and that’s part of its intent. You will not agree with all my picks, the order in which they fall, or some notable omissions. I will still do some workups on the numerous honorable mentions that didn’t quite make this list.

I looked at a number of things: the character’s origins, impact, whether this character carried a solo book, launched a movie or just had an important story to tell. This installment presents #10-6.

10. Steel: Combining the African-American folk tale of John Henry with the modern mythos of Superman, Louise Simonson and artist John Bogandove created Steel in 1993. Steel was one of the characters featured in the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline in which other heroes attempted to fill the shoes of the “dead” Superman.

Superman saved weapons engineer John Henry Irons, who fell from a skyscraper during a construction job. Irons asked Superman how to repay him, to which Supes replied Irons should “live a life worth saving.” After Superman’s death, Irons donned power armor of his own design to restore order. Some of his first battles were against people using weapons Irons made that fell into the wrong hands.

Steel appeared in a solo series from 1994-1998, first written by co-creator Simonson and later by Christopher Priest. In addition, Steel has appeared as a member of the Justice League in both comics and cartoons. His story came to the big screen in a lackluster film adaptation starring Shaquille O’Neal that left critics and fans cold. That criminally bad film doesn’t affect Steel’s standing here.

9. Green Lantern (John Stewart): Created by writer Denny O’ Neill and artist Neal Adams, Stewart is a trusted member of DC Comics’ intergalactic police force the Green Lantern Corps. Over the years Stewart evolved from a stereotypical “angry black man” into a complex character taking a leadership role in the Justice League and other organizations. Stewart even served as the first human member of the Guardians of the Universe, the organization that founded the GLC.

Beginning as a fill-in character for Lanterns like Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner, Stewart gained a large amount of exposure (and the ire of some fans) as the GL of choice in the Justice League Unlimited animated series. The show’s writers opted to use Stewart over Jordan to add diversity to a largely white JLA roster. He has since joined the comic incarnation of the league as well.

Stewart headlined his own short-lived DC series Green Lantern: Mosaic from 1992-93. Stewart was rumored to appear in a JLA film treatment in which the rapper/actor Common would play Green Lantern. Warner Bros has shelved that movie project. Read more