Fandom 5: The Week’s Top News for Film/TV Geeks

Want to make sure you haven’t missed the week’s biggest geek news? Look no further. Here are five of the week’s top stories in film and television:

1)    Gene Colan Passes Away

The great artist, who drew such books at Iron Man, Daredevil and Tomb of Dracula died Thursday at 84. He was known for his moody, shadowy work that ran against current of the clean-cut superhero linework in the 1960s Marvel Age. His output in recent years was actually a bit more than other artists of his era due to a revived interest in his unique style. He was even the subject of a recent exhibit of the Cartoon Art Museum.

STORY: ‘Green Lantern’: 5 Lessons for Hollywood

A Gene Colan Scholarship is being set up at the Joe Kubert Art School so in lieu of flowers and what not, you can contribute to the fund. Email Clifford Meth at cliffmeth@aol.com for details.

2)    Powers Powers Up

Powers, one of the great indie books of the last decade, is heading to the small-screen and this week saw the PX pilot cast its two stars: Jason Patric and Lucy Punch. Both are known for their film work (Patric¹s resume range from Lost Boys to The Losers while Punch is on the big screen with Bad Teacher right now) but will play detectives investigating crimes committed by superheroes and their ilk. I know it’s only a pilot but there¹s a lot of people who can¹t wait to see this.

STORY: FX Orders Superhero Detective Pilot ‘Powers’

3)    Death Visits the Marvel Universe

So Marvel killed off another major hero this week, this time it being Spider-Man. It¹s not the original Spider-Man, it’s the Peter Parker/Spider-Man of the company’s Ultimate Universe line of comics that got killed. And, with its reference to Uncle Ben, it was emotional and seemingly the real deal. (The death got tons of ink in places like USA Today and New York Post, too.)

With the death of Bucky Barnes earlier this month, both are examples of the right and wrong ways to kill off a character. But either way, the fact that so many deaths are happening is just another example of the desperation facing the comic book industry.

(And if in a few years from now the Parker that died turns out to be some kind of clone, people will be pissed.)

PHOTOS: ‘Green Lantern’ Premiere

4)    Green Lantern Still a Beacon of Talk

Green Lantern is still the talk of the town. From behind the HeroClix games in stores in the Valley to major comic websites to the agents and execs of studios, everyone has an opinion. Now there’s a movement rising to defend the movie as being “not as bad as you heard.” Still, the damage has been done at the domestic box office, with the movie expected to drop in the 70 percent range.

5)    Suck on This

Season 4 of HBO’s hit vampire show True Blood begins Sunday night. ‘Nuff said.