Remember the intensely ludicrous "Holy Terror, Batman!", a proposed 122-page graphic novel by Frank Miller pitting Batman against Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda? It is finally here, one way or the other.

Yes, before you can scream the battle cry ("I'm the goddamn Batman!", of course), Frank Miller, the writer that went from one of our favorite comic creators to an absolutely undependable creative force (based on what we had seen from both the screen adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit and the "goddamn" awful All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder), has moved the project from a world-famous licensed product to to an independently published item distributed by Diamond Books.

Set to be published on September 14th, 2011, by Legendary Comics, an offshoot of Legendary Pictures to coincide with the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Holy Terror will be featuring a new superhero called The Fixer as the protagonist that will be going against the Islamic extremists.

We still remembered how unabashed Miller was, back when the project were to featured DC Comics's Batman against the Muslim terrorists:

Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for ... It is, not to put too fine a point on it, a piece of propaganda.

In an interview with the L.A. Times Hero Complex Blog, Miller explained the rationale behind the new protagonist:

He's been trained as special ops and when his city is attacked all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place and all this training comes into play. He's been out there fighting crime without really having his heart in it – he does it to keep in shape," said Miller. "It began as my reaction to 9/11 and it was an extremely angry piece of work and as the years have passed by I've done movies and I've done other things and time has provided some good distance, so it becomes more of a cohesive story as it progresses. The Fixer has also become his own character in a way I've really enjoyed. No one will read this and think, 'Where's Batman?' ... My guy carries a couple of guns and is up against an existential threat. He's not just up against a goofy villain. Ignoring an enemy that's committed to our annihilation is kind of silly. It just seems that chasing the Riddler around seems silly compared to what's going on out there. I've taken Batman as far as he can go.

Okay, perhaps Miller has finally reached the stage where he is more comfortable with a trigger-happy hero instead of unfortunately conscience-obsessed Batman. So, no matter how you think of the project: An unsanctioned propaganda piece, an exercise in lucrative comic-producing, or an self-obsessed comic project, chances are, you will get to read this later this year.

Courtesy of Comic Book Resources, here's the synopsis:

LEGENDARY COMICS TO PUBLISH HOLY TERROR GRAPHIC NOVEL BY RENOWNED COMICS CREATOR FRANK MILLER

Comic Scheduled for September 14, 2011 Release

Burbank, CA – June 28, 2011 – Legendary Comics has partnered with Frank Miller, the iconic writer and artist of SIN CITY, 300 and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, to publish HOLY TERROR, a dark, uncompromising superhero tale for the modern era. The announcement was made today by Bob Schreck, Editor-in-Chief of Legendary Comics.

In HOLY TERROR, join The Fixer, a brand new, hard-edged hero as he battles terror. The graphic novel is a no-holds-barred action thriller told in Miller's trademark high-contrast, black-and-white visual style, which seizes the political zeitgeist by the throat and doesn't let go until the last page.

"It has been my extreme pleasure and honor to have worked so closely with Frank for over 20 years now," says Schreck. "HOLY TERROR finds Frank at the top of his game. A fast paced, biting commentary on our uncertain and volatile times, told with some of the most gut-wrenching, iconic images he's ever produced."

HOLY TERROR is a 120 page hardcover graphic novel with spot-color interiors presented in a 10 x 13 landscape format. Distributed by Diamond Books, HOLY TERROR retails for $29.99 and will be in stores on September 14.







Source: iO9

Forget the effeminate Lion-O in the new animated series set to premiere on Cartoon Network next month. This. Is. Lion-O.

We have earlier took a sneak peek at the upcoming reboot of the classic 80s animated series, ThunderCats. Set to premiere on Cartoon Network on July 29th, 2011, the new animated series will be produced by Warner Bros. Animation with animation provided by Japanese animation studio Studio 4°C. Which somehow explained the inevitable more effeminate look of Lion-O and crew, something that doesn't sit well with long-time fans of the classic series. Something that this particularly ferocious interpretation of Lion-O by artist Jordan Kotzebue effortlessly demonstrated.



Source: Jordan Kotzebue's Art Blog

The first trailer of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has arrived.

Into its fourth installment, are you of the opinion that like Tom Cruise, the Mission: Impossible film series is getting old? Based on what we saw from the freshly released first trailer of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the latest film seemed to be greatly rejuvenated from its past two predecessor, and has really gotten us excited. And I strongly believed we have director Brad Bird (well-known for his incredible work on Pixar's The Incredibles) to thank for that, as the film seemed to be moving towards a more team-based plot as opposed to the one-man army arcs that we have seen from the series. Apart from that, there's also the rumor that Cruise will be passing the torch to new joiner Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye for the upcoming Avengers). With great action sequences and choreography, as well as the signature daft characterization from director Brad Bird in his live-action directorial debut, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol looks to be a likely candidate to be the best in the series yet.

The film features Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames to reprise their respective roles, with Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, and Vladimir Mashkov coming on board to join the cast. J.J. Abrams, the director of Mission: Impossible III is on board as producer. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is currently scheduled to open on December 16th.

Hit the jump to check out the awesome trailer.



Here's the official synopsis of the film:

Director Brad Bird and Producer J.J. Abrams bring us the action packed, entertainment event of the holiday season with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL. This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization’s name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.

Here are some of the set images that have been released thus far.

What if the toys of Woody and Buzz Lightyear were created in today's grim-and-gritty McFarlane Toy style? Designer Luis Eduardo Vargas Montoya briliantly explored that possibility.

Inspired by Sean-Izaakse's "Real Life Toy Story", a reimagining of Pixar's beloved Toy Story characters, designer Luis Eduardo Vargas Montoya came out with these awesome action figures of Buzz and Woody.

Appropriately entitled "Toy Story Unleashed", hit the jump to check out these cool new designs.

What would Toy Story's leading plastic men look like if they were retooled for grittier, "realistic" action figures? Take a look at "Toy Story Unleashed" a darker new look at our favorite toys.

Inspired from the illustrations of "Real Life Toy Story" by Sean-Izaakse over at Deviant Art (at left), designer Luis Eduardo Vargas Montoya decided to draw up a slightly nastier version of our Toy Story heroes Buzz and Woody. And what he created was this...


And here's the original piece of illustration by Sean-Izaakse at deviantART.

Hell, even the cuddly Aliens we are so familiar are so goddamn creepy here.

Today, Michael Bay's final chapter in his Transformers film series hits theaters everywhere. The Daily Zombies take on one final preview on Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Much-touted to be the winner of the Summer box-office battle royale (a feat that is by no means mundane given the tremendous competition this Summer), Michael Bay's final chapter to the Transformer film series will be released today. To many people's anticipation, I must add. No matter what your opinions on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are and how film critics berated the first sequel with unrelenting insults, just look around at the people by your side. Yes, this is the film they have been waiting for. Not X-Men: First Class or Green Lantern.

Say what you want about Michael Bay's movies. There is one undeniable fact about the man and his films: He can indeed turned an obscene amount of money into something that have proven, at many times, capable of regaining the money back few times back. Offended by the excruciating level of exploitative factors like racism, mysogynism, and homophobia? Call them adrenaline-pumped porn or whatever you want, Bay is relentless in his pursuit to be the ultimate Summer blockbuster film-maker. And he will be the first to admit that this ain't no high art.

By that rhetoric, we might just find ourselves in the presence of Michael Bay's magnum opus. A film costing 195 millions in its loud special effects and pushing the boundaries of 3D, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will undoubtedly be among the top three film (if not the very first) with the most lucrative box-office sales by the end of the year.

And yes, we here at The Daily Zombies will also be there at the theaters to check out the much-talked-about 3D effects. Much like everybody else. Will the last film in the franchise that many are calling "metal-clashing porn" be the last straw for us ? We will see.

For those who have missed out on our earlier preview, here is the official synopsis of the film:

When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us. The movie stars Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, with John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.

Right after the jump would be the freshly released trailer that the marketing people are calling, "Final Trailer", followed by a collection of the trailers from the film.



And the adrenaline-pumping (but of course) Trailer 2


Super Bowl Trailer


First Trailer


And below are a collection of the posters released for the film.












And here are some high resolution set still from the film.