the buzz log

Just when you thought it was all about Batman, Spider-Man comes swooping back into the Buzz. The web-slinger is slated to star in a new videogame, appear in a comic book with Stephen Colbert, and make his Broadway musical debut. Seriously.

First up, the videogame. Kotaku reports that "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" will feature Tricia Helfer as the voice of the smart and sensual Black Cat. For all you non-geeks, Helfer is best known as playing "Number Six," the sexiest robot this side of C-3PO, on "Battlestar Galactica." The game has yet to hit store shelves, but searches are already moving for "web of shadows reviews" and "spider-man web of shadows characters."

Less obvious than a videogame is a comic book team up with America's number one freedom fighter, Stephen Colbert. Still, that's exactly what will happen in Amazing Spider-Man #573. In the eight page tongue-in-cheek story, Colbert becomes disillusioned with New York politics, only to have his faith restored (unintentionally) by Spidey. For more on the unlikely pair, check out this blog from Newsarama.

Finally, showing that even sanity must step aside in the face of Spidey-mania, a Broadway musical based on the superhero will hit stages in 2009. According to multiple articles within the Buzz, including this one from io9, Jim Sturgess will star as the man in the red and blue leotard and Evan Rachel Wood will tackle the role of Mary Jane Watson. If this seems like a completely insane idea, remember that the theater has a long history of bizarre musicals based on movies. And some of them have even been huge successes. "Legally Blonde," anyone?

Filed under: Broadway, Spider-Man, Stephen Colbert, Comic Books

Here's something you might not have known. The Amazing Spider-Man (from the comics, not the movies) has been married for over 20 years to Mary Jane Watson. Or at least he was. Marvel Comics, Spidey's publisher, recently announced that the couple's marriage has been erased from existence via some creative story telling.

Of course, you don't just reverse over two decades of history without causing a bit of controversy. Marvel's decision to make Peter Parker a swinging bachelor sent shockwaves through Search. Angry and confused fans searched on "spiderman single again," "spider-man one more day" (the issue's title), and the writers behind the bombshell, Joe Quesada and J. Michael Straczynski.

So, why did Marvel erase 20 years of intricate plots and backstories? According to the company, Spidey's story had just gotten too confusing. They needed to start fresh in order to make the character appeal to newcomers. Here's hoping the long-time readers continue to find him appealing, too.

Filed under: Spider-Man, Comics

Our Buzz senses are tingling. The last time the web-slinger swung into town, the multiplex turnstile registered the highest U.S. admissions ever.

Spider-Man can't take solo credit, not with a marquee crowded with boy wizards, amnesic spies, and jedi knights. Box office receipts have taken three years to inch back to those 2002 levels. Now with the crime fighter back and leading the cinematic searches, this Buzz blockbuster season might burn out those turnstile gears. Puff up some popcorn, sit back, and munch through these 20 anticipated fair-weather offerings in Search.

1. "Spider-Man 3" (May 4)
2. "Transformers" (July 4)
3. "Shrek The Third" (May 18)
4. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (May 25)
5. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (July 13)
6. "The Bourne Ultimatum" (August 3)
7. "28 Weeks Later" (May 11)
8. "Rush Hour 3" (August 10)
9. "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (June 15)
10. "DOA: Dead or Alive" (June 22)
11. "Hairspray" (July 20)
12. "Nancy Drew" (June 15)
13. "The Simpsons Movie" (July 27)
14. "Evan Almighty" (June 22)
15. "Ocean's Thirteen" (June 8)
16. "Live Free or Die Hard" (June 27)
17. "Underdog" (August 3)
18. "Hostel: Part II" (June 8)
19. "Ratatouille" (June 29)
20. "Knocked Up" (June 1)

Filed under: Movies, Spider-Man