Two comic book rumours have been confirmed recently, and I find myself cautiously optimistic about both of them. Firstly, LAYER CAKE/STARDUST director Matthew Vaughn will be directing the second of Marvel's self-produced movies (after Favreau's IRON MAN). I'm happy with this, the first problem to be negotiated is to hire a real actor, someone who could go nose-to-nose with Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark in the to-follow THE AVENGERS movie and not look daft (as opposed to hiring a goonish wrestler just because he has the muscles and long blonde hair). If Vaughn and his producers think Viggo Mortenson and Sean Bean in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING rather than Dolph Lundgren in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE then they shouldn't go too wrong. Plus, Harry Knowles seems pretty happy with the script Vaughn will be working with, by Mark Protosevich.
Next up is the news that Paul Cornell has been given the job of taking over NEW EXCALIBUR from Chris Claremont. Fair enough. I've just read the trade of Cornell's WISDOM mini-series, and am content that he is the man to do something interesting at last with the British end of the Marvel universe. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that WISDOM is the best thing Marvel have set in the UK since the glory days of the classic Alan Moore/Jamie Delano/Alan Davis CAPTAIN BRITAINs. Marvel should, however, continue to keep it real, my homies, and announce a British artist on the title, too. Fo' shizzle.