Eddie Murphy to be the next Riddler?!?

In what we can only assume/pray is a horrible prank, the Sun UK is "reporting" that Eddie Murphy is signed on to play the Riddler in the Nolan bro's followup to The Dark Knight (currently under the working title Gotham). Christian Bale and Michael Caine are still on board... and everybody's favorite franchise killer, Shia Labeouf is signed on as Robin. Rachel Weisz is said to be up for the role of Catwoman. Also Maggie Gyllenhaal is... wait, her character's dead?... man, that still blows my mind.

Ok. I wrote a few months ago that the Nolans have written themselves into a corner- The Dark Knight is a virtually impossible film to follow up. So it seems they're going the Spiderman III route? Sheesh. Stepping back a moment... Catwoman and the Riddler? I know I speak for others at GNerd when I say that we were hoping for some new villain blood... perhaps a Ventriloquist? Maybe a Mad Hatter? Hell, we'd even take a Clayface! Alas, we can only hope this is a scandalous rumor without an ounce of truth to it... It is the Sun after all. By the by, kudos to the Sun's graphics department... we couldn't have done a better/cheesier Eddie Riddler graphic ourselves!

While we're on the topic, what Batman rogues do you want to see in the next film?

Panel Discussion: Scans From Spider-Man Summer Special, Buffy Season Eight #17, Special Forces #3, and More

Worst Battle Cry - Teen Titans #61
Truly putting the "kid" in Kid Devil, looks like someone is still hanging on to their third grade zingers.

Inappropriate baby imagery, inappropriate places to have sex, and inappropriate uses of the English language, after the jump...

Supervillainscuties - King Size Spider-Man Summer Special

Chris Giarrusso's brain-hungry symbiote and Colleen Coover's squat little Modok make for some adorable little miscreants.But what's up with the Spectacular Spider-Chub?

How They Like It - Catwoman #81
Catwoman and Batman have sex while falling off a building.

Is She or Isn't She? - King Size Spider-Man Summer Special
Hmm, that would explain her obsession with Thor--the girliest hero in all of comics. I also submit into evidence the fact that this story was drawn by Colleen Coover, the writer/artist responsible for the lesbian porno comic Small Favors. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Class Act - Blue Beetle, Teen Titans #61
Blue Beetle is such an enjoyable character to read, you have to wonder why more teen super heroes aren't written beyond petulant, angsty stereotypes. Here he tries to make piece with Kid Devil after they find their tracking the same vllian...
And though this next panel may seem like a dick move out of context, I feel that this is a honest attempt to respectfully keep KD in the loop, and to downplay the awkwardness of the situation by injecting a little humor. Tactful texts are very important in this day and age...

Stay classy, Double B.

Spider-Man is Creepy - King Size Spider-Man Summer Special
Keeping an eye on the missus? Trying to stare down her blouse? Any way you cut it, this is a little weird.

Irony Alert - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight #17

Buffy has done more than her share of twisting the english language into a near unrecognizable web of adjective-nouns and superfluous suffixes, and only a thousand years in the future does Buff realize what her valley-speak hath wrought.

Woah, Overreact Much? - NYX: No Way Home #1
What? There's nothing I understand about this interaction. Her art? What the hell? Dumpster diving? And that face! She's really really pissed about this. I just don't get it.

Celebrity Casting Corner - Army @ Love: The Art of War #1
Paris Hilton makes an appearance here as Sylvia Stein, a hot actress who just happens to spend much of the issue as a giant ape that blesses a fanboy soldier with some rough monkey sex. Oh, that sounds like something you'd like to see?

Kyle Baker Goes Too Far - Special Forces #3

Going...
Goooiiiinnnggg...
Gone.

Writer's Worst Nightmare - Army @ Love: The Art of War #1
This issue opens up with writer Rick Veitch getting waterboarded for the suspicious web research he did when writing the first series. I'm sure this scenario has played itself out in the heads of anybody who has ever Googled something like "how to build a nuclear bomb" for the sake of some creative work. Or published the words on their public blog. Be right back, someone's at the door.

Screens From Lego Batman Are Gahdorable

AHR was never sold on the Lego Star Wars concept, but I always had a soft spot for them in spite of some fairly dull gameplay. The characters were just too cute to resist, with their little Lego language mumblings, limbs breaking off and being reattached... Anyway, other people seemed to like the style too so now we have Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Batman on the way. These are the first substantial screens from the LG B'man, and Lego Catwoman is so cute I want to own her and hang her from my ceiling by a string. Not around her neck. Hit the jump for her and more Lego Gotham City rogues. Via Kotaku.

Panel Discussion: Scans from Catwoman, Invincible, Countdown to Mystery, The Flash, and more!

Every week Geekanerd rips panels from their comics and puts them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Click the pics for high res goodness, and beware SPOILERS.

Product Placement Alert - Catwoman #76

This was actually a really fun comic, but these out-of-nowhere product shots kind of eeked me out. I suppose it could just be a creative choice that Catwoman loves her Chucks but...surely there are more appropriate shoes for the professional cat burgler. Whatever. Here are the shoes the second panel are based on:
Hit the jump for time travellers, zombie shoppers and crying children!

Achievement in Futurespeak - Invincible #46Time travellers with "superior future fighting skills" stealing the Declaration of Independence and escaping on a "time sled"? Count me in!

Never Forget - Countdown to Mystery #3Batman can't go a day without being reminded of his dead parents.

Best Splash Page - The Flash #234
This is just a great looking splash page. Artist Freddie Williams III gives us a big beautiful cityscape that really pops with oustanding colors by Tanya and Richard Horie. The Flash's speed-path kinda reminds me of those Family Circus cartoons with the dotted line.

Seasonal Reminder - Countdown to Mystery #3
This scene takes place in a man's subconscious, but it also serves as a timely reminder of the horrific spendor of Black Friday.

Best Dramatic Pathos - The Flash #234
Context: The Flash's kids arguing about their new powers, and the boy is more wary because he privately overheard that their unstable powers might one day kill them both. The combination of angles in the first two panels are really disorienting, considering the boy is hanging upside down and the girl is half inside a wall. This combined with excellent kid-dialouge makes for a very tense couple of panels, and sudden wide shot at the end effectively captures a particular sort of helplessness only felt by little kids in confusing situations. And where would superhero comics be without childhood angst?

Banana Radomizer Award for Achievement in WTF - The Search For Ray Palmer, Gotham By Gaslight
Besides the editorial mistake (after Kyle jokes about searching 131 worlds, Monitor Bob looks at Jason and says, "There are only fifty-two worlds, Jason, you know that."), there's this strange insistence by Jason Todd in the first panel that this Victorian Era World is somehow where he truly belongs. And he was saying that throughout the whole book. What is it exactly that attracts you to this world, Jason? Your love of social caste systems? A strong interest in antiques? Have you been steam-punk cosplayer all this time? Just find Ray Palmer already.