Daily Spider-Man! Doc Ock goes Thok Btok!

I don't know how, but Doc Ock is a PR genius.  Even citizens cowering from gunfire have time to spare a smile.

Raise your hand if you're looking forward to the anti-Bugle backlash this is all heading towards.  Between this and Iron Jonah, Jameson will be the subject of numerous scathing headlines (the only form of justice in the Daily Spiderverse).

It's my favorite plaid-wearing agent of THE PRESS!  You can read his armband from way over here!

Because of your super-manhole powers?  You're talking gibberish, Peter.

Risking lives for a few bucks.  THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.

Jeez, Pete.  Do I hear music swelling?  Is the Doc in slo-mo right now?

Otto sure looks indignant in that last panel.  I guess nobody really wants Peter Parker around, like anywhere ever.

Funny 'Friends' reunion on Jimmy Kimmel

Rock N Shock 2014

Would you look at this lineup! Brad Dourif! Jeffrey Combs! Tom Savini! Squeeeeeeee! Ignore Tara Reid. Rock n Shock

Jon Stewart's priceless response to Fox News on Ferguson

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

Mrs. Brady!

Listen to what Mrs. Brady says at the 15 second mark...

'Action Comics' No. 1, First Superman Appearance, Sells For $3.2 Million In eBay Auction

From huffingtonpost, The cover price says 10 cents, but "Action Comics" No. 1 -- the first comic book to feature Superman -- just sold for a whole lot more than than that.

In an eBay auction that ended Sunday evening, the 1938 comic fetched $3,207,852.

"The finest known copy of the most sought after comic book in the world," the eBay listing claimed. "A 1938 museum piece with PERFECT WHITE pristine pages.”

Potential buyers apparently agreed. Bidding for the comic started at 99 cents on Aug. 14, but immediately went up, up and away. Within two hours, the price tag hit $1.6 million, according to USA Today.

The comic book, being sold by Darren Adams of Pristine Comics in Washington, has been graded a 9.0 out of 10. Adams wrote in the listing that there's only one other 9.0 issue of "Action Comics" No. 1, and "this copy blows the other 9.0 out of the water."

That "other 9.0" sold for $2.16 million in 2011. Until Sunday, that was the highest price ever paid for a comic book, the Washington Post reported.

That issue had "cream to off-white" wages, Comic Book Resources noted. Adams' issue, on the other hand, has white pages.

"If anyone has ever been curious what an 'Action Comics' 1 looked like the day it came off of the newsstand 75 years ago, this is the answer," Adams wrote.

One percent of the proceeds will go to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. That adds up to $32,078.52 for the organization, which is dedicated to the care and research of spinal cord injuries such as the one suffered by the late "Superman" actor.

Catchy song with incredibly strange video...

Sigh, it's Monday

Box Office

From ew, Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy was the top-grossing film of the weekend, beating out a trio of new releases—and in the process, becoming the No. 3 movie of the year and the highest earner of the summer with nearly $252 million.

The Marvel Studios-produced film—starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista and Lee Pace—has now grossed $251.9 million since its stateside release four weeks ago, outpacing films likeTransformers: Age of Extinction ($251 million), Maleficent ($237 million), X-Men: Days of Future Past ($232 million total domestic gross), Godzilla ($201 million) and Neighbors ($150 million).

Guardians has earned nearly $500 million globally, and with upcoming releases in key territories including Japan and China, the film is poised to become Disney’s top film of the year.

“It opened within our sweet spot,” says Sony’s worldwide distribution president Rory Bruer. “It was done at a very modest budget. Our campaign was very grassroots and to open to $9 million and have the uptick that we had on Saturday night with an A- Cinema Score and very, very strong exits—people really like the film. I think it will be in theaters for many weeks to come. It’s going to have a very solid multiple.”

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The offbeat good-guy superhero flick outpaced YA adaptation If I Stay (Cinema Score: A-), which released to $16.5 million. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, the film came in just ahead of Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a comic book reboot which surprised industry analysts by being the top earner for two weekends in a row, largely by attracting kids and millennials hungry for nostalgia.

New release Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For (Cinema Score: B–)—distributed by The Weinstein Company—disappointed, dropping from sixth place on Friday to eighth place on Saturday with just $6.4 million. The weekend’s third new release, Sony TriStar’s feel-good sports film When The Game Stands Tall, rounded out the top five at $8.7 million just behind Fox’s laugh-out-loud comedy Let’s Be Cops, which drew $11 million.

Here are the top five films:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – $17.63 million ($251.88 million total domestic gross)

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $16.8 million ($145.61 million total domestic gross)

3. If I Stay – $16.36 million (new)

4. Let’s Be Cops – $11.0 million ($42.5 million total domestic gross)

5. When The Game Stands Tall– $9.0 million (new)

The Jurassic Park dude died

From slashfilm, Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning director and legendary actor, passed away Sunday at the age of 90. Though the younger generation knows him for best for role as John Hammond in Jurassic Park, Attenborough has been acting since the 1940s and directed several notable films, including A Chorus Line, Chaplin, Shadowlands, Cry Freedom and Gandhi. At the 1983 Academy Awards, Ghandi took home eight Oscars, including trophies for Best Picture and Best Director. Attenborough’s other prominent roles include parts in The Great Escape, Ten Little Indians and the role of Santa Claus in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street.

Daily Spider-Man! It's Ock-tivator week, my new favorite week ever! Read on!

"But I took this right after something interesting happened... you're right, that's pathetic."

Hahahahaha!  The Ock-tivator?  This tickles me to no end.  Peter was just handed a huge tactical advantage -- one of Spidey's arch enemies will now call him before he sets out on capers -- and somehow this registers as a loss.  Priceless.

Damn, Robbie is extremely pleased with himself over that "wanted posters" quip.  I bet he's imagining telling his wife about it tonight.

Extended inner monologue: "Shoot, if I use a common word associated with Spider-Man people will of course think I'm Spider-Man!  Gotta save this..."

"Better run!  Gotta catch a web downtown!"

"DAMN IT STUPID DAMN IT DAMN IT!"

Is this meant to be some betrayal of the heroic ideal?  Because to me it seems like the first good decision Peter's made yet.

Who is more foolish?  The fool or the fool who's needlessly running in place with his fat little legs ten feet off the ground?

"Yeah, so tired of living off of my successful wife!  The 85 bucks I make today will totally turn that around!"

Happy Birthday, JPX!

Bang some pots together!  Honk your horns!  Horrorthon founder and all-around decent fellow JPX is marking another year today!  I forgot to take a picture of him when I saw him a couple of weeks ago, so here's a terrifying painting of some Riverdale punks.  (It doesn't really matter, because despite being halfway to 90 years old JPX pretty much looks the same.  Jerk.)

Happy Birthday JPX!  Do fun things and buy fun things.  Take tomorrow off!

Daily Spider-Bomb! The week after that other week!

Don't fret, Spidey!  Everyone knows Spider-Sense doesn't work on "brick doors."

"But first, carry me back to my limo!  I like being carried now."

On just his third super-heroing foray, Doc Ock rakes in more cash than decades of accumulated Bugle photos.  Fortunately Peter is used to the mask concealing his tears.

There's been a rush of new characters these past few weeks, but neither Water Buffalo nor Percy McMoneypots can compare to my new favorite character PRESSton Flat-Top.  I like to imagine his coworkers told him he had to wear that checked jacket and armband back when he was an intern, and somehow the prank has lasted eighteen years.

I also like to imagine he blew a lucrative career in surveillance photos because he kept loudly summarizing events from his hiding place.  "Judge Murphy purchasing sex from some hookers!?!  His estranged wife is gonna love these pics!"

I totally believe him.  Especially if his plans revolve around double chins and nostrils.  Yeesh.

Soooo, you've got that camera that magically takes a bazillion pictures of Spider-Man all by itself and today you... what?  Forgot to take off the lenscap?

FOR FUCK'S SAKE PETER GET A REAL JOB.  AREN'T YOU A SCIENTIST OR SOMETHING?  

Sorry, got a little fed up there.  I was going to say that Peter's "good money" comment was one of the rare times he zings Jameson in an argument, and I think it's appropriate that immediately after he stands up to his crazy boss he gets shot down by the sane one.

Box Office

From ew, Holdover tent-poles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Guardians of the Galaxymaintained the top spots at the weekend box office, while the new openers trailed behind. But, while it was expected that Let’s Be Cops and The Giver would open in the teens, the biggest surprise of the weekend was The Expendables 3, a franchise pic which should have easily opened in the $20 to $25 million range, but instead floundered with an estimated $16.2 million.

TMNT‘s success last weekend was no fluke and the pizza-loving heroes took the No. 1 spot for the second weekend in a row with an estimated $28.4 million from 3,980 locations. That’s a 56.7 percent drop from its opening weekend. The movie also earned $25.6 million internationally, bringing its international total to $67.5 million. It still has yet to open in a handful of key territories including Korea (Aug. 28), Spain and the U.K. (Oct. 17), and Japan (Dec. 19).

Guardians of the Galaxy, meanwhile, rocketed past the $200 million mark and earned an estimated $24.7 million—a mere 41.3 percent drop from last weekend, which is similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘s third weekend fall.

Let’s Be Cops (Cinema Score: B) edged ahead of The Expendables 3 to take third place across the weekend with an estimated $17.7 million. The Fox comedy opened earlier in the week and now boasts a domestic total of $26.1 million, which is not bad for a movie that cost a reported $17 million to produce. Audiences were 56 percent male and 54 percent under the age of 25. Demographic breakdowns report that 17 percent of audiences were Hispanic, 20 percent were African-American, and 50 percent were Caucasian. The movie also exceeded expectations in the West and Midwest.

The Expendables 3 (Cinema Score: A-) opened in fourth place with $16.2 million from 3,221 locations. Audiences were mostly male (61 percent) and over the age of 25 (66 percent) for Lionsgate’s PG-13 rated action pic. It’s a franchise low, and possibly too-easy to ridicule thanks to a cast that’s bursting at the seams with aging action heroes, but Expendables 3 also buckled under the weight of a leak, which led to nearly 2.2 million downloads weeks before the movie had even hit theaters.

Rounding out the top five is The Weinstein Company’s The Giver (Cinema Score: B+) which earned $12.76 million from 3,003 locations. The $25 million adaptation of Lois Lowry’s beloved novel failed to gain much traction with critics, and the opening is a little lower than The Weinstein Company wanted (they were aiming for mid-teens). It will be interesting to see how it holds up across the next few weeks.

Here’s the top five:

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — $28.4 million ($117.64 million domestic total)
2. Guardians of the Galaxy — $24.7 million ($222.28 million domestic total)
3. Let’s Be Cops — $17.7 million ($26.1 million domestic total since Wednesday)
4. The Expendables 3 — $16.2 million (new)
5. The Giver — $12.76 million (new)

Star Wars VII villain revealed?

From indierevolver, it’s true that the main villain of Episode VII is a Sith Inquisitor. He’s tall and thin and terrifyingly creepy, with glowing red eyes to match his red lightsaber. He’s got some robotic upgrades, like Vader – but no mask. The cybernetic bits weave in and out of him. He’s got a human upper lip, a steel jaw… and the robotic hand that JJ Abrams posted an image of. As LR mentioned, we’ll see flashbacks in this movie which will show us Princess Leia as a young girl and Vader’s involvement with the Sith during his prime. This inquisitor has a fascination Vader through the movie’s timeline as well though – just look how he stares at Vader’s shattered helmet in this image:

'Babadook' trailer looks scary...

Behold the Star Wars VII Stormtrooper!

From indierevolver, The sequel Stormtrooper helmet feels like a natural continuation from the original, but there are distinct differences. The helmet is not symmetrical – there’s only one breather/vent on the bottom near the mouth, on his left side. The black “mouth” area under the white nose plate appears to be a cloth/mesh (which you can better see in the detail shot below). The eye lenses are still separate, but set into a black frame to connect them and give the illusion of one single piece.

A couple people have referred to this as a “Jungle Trooper,” but I have a few good reasons to believe that this is actually an update to the Empire Strikes Back’s Snowtrooper. This new helmet has a flared dome and a single thin horizontal eyepiece to it (as we first saw described at Making Star Wars) and appears to have a removable face mask.

As with the X-Wing that was highlighted in the Force for Change commercial, they’re borrowing heavily from the original trilogy production concepts of Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston with these designs.

They’ve slowly won me over more and more with each piece of information. Shooting on film instead of digital? I like it. Rumors that Drew Struzan is doing the poster? I’m listening. John Williams scoring? Keep going. Bringing back Han, Luke, Leia and Chewie? That has to make everyone as happy as it’s made me. After seeing these designs I am even more hopeful. It genuinely feels like Abrams is approaching Episode VII in way which respects both the fans and the original films themselves.

8 Bizarre Horrors Found in the Squarest Comic Book Ever

From Cracked.com, of course.  Click!

Daily Spider-Bomb! Okay, here's the situation: Octo went away on two week's vacation...

After having that old man's butt right next to his face for a whole week, I bet Ox is relieved.

I wanna try punching people in the face with metal and immediately apologizing, it looks fun!

And now this guy is being toted around by someone else!  Is he like a big rich baby or something?

Doc Ock can come up with alliterative put-downs on the spot.  That's why he's a genius.

Simmer down, you two.  The comics page isn't ready the for man-on-man-on-robot-tentacle action I see broadcast in those smiles.

The incompetence here is just cracking me up!  Spidey seems utterly baffled in panel 3 by a dead end alley that has two extremely visible means of exit; he redeems himself slightly in the next panel by at least trying a door (just the one?), but we know from experience he could easily rip it off its hinges.

And then panel 5!  His Spider-Sense (which apparently has some kind of tracking ability now) fails to warn him of his quarry mocking him just twenty feet behind, while his Ear-Sense fails to hear a big metal door being unlatched and opened.  D-minus!

Good Will Hunting bench scene

[JPX]  In 1997 I was walking through Boston Common on the nicest spring day I can ever recall , then and now.  There was some commotion near the pond and when I went over to get a closer look I noticed that a movie was being filmed.  As it turns out it was Good Will Hunting.  I watched them film this bench scene over and over again.  Finally someone yelled, "It's a wrap!"  Apparently this was the last scene filmed for the movie.  Ignoring signs to stay away I (obnoxiously) walked over to Robin Williams to shake his hand:

He was really gracious/kind.  You can see Matt Damon in the background (but who the hell heard of him in 1997?).

Robin Williams commits suicide

(CNN) -- Comedic actor Robin Williams died at his Northern California home Monday, law enforcement officials said. Williams was 63.

Coroner investigators suspect "the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia," according to a statement from the Marin County, California, Sheriff's office.

"Robin Williams passed away this morning," his media representative Mara Buxbaum told CNN.

"He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time."

Williams married graphic designer Susan Schneider in Napa Valley, California, ceremony in October 2011. Schneider sent a written statement to CNN through the representative.

"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken.

"On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."

Marin County deputies responded to an emergency call from Williams' home in unincorporated Tiburon, California, at 11:55 a.m., reporting "a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing," the release from the sheriff said.

Williams was pronounced dead at 12:02 p.m., it said.

Williams was last seen alive at his home, where he lives with his wife, at about 10 a.m., the sheriff's statement said.

"An investigation into the cause, manner and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Divisions of the Sheriff's Office," the sheriff's statement said.

"Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made."

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, the sheriff said.

Williams made at least two trips to rehab for drug treatment, including a visit this summer, and he underwent heart surgery in 2009.

Williams, born in Chicago on July 21, 1951, studied theater at Juilliard School before taking his stand up act to nightclubs. He was cast as Mork, an alien visitor to Earth, for a 1974 episode of television's "Happy Days."

The role led to the spin-off show "Mork & Mindy," which showcased Williams' usual comic improvisation talents.

He proved his dramatic acting skills in "Good Will Hunting," a 1997 film that earned him a best supporting actor Oscar.

Brady Bunch opening in slow motion is creepy

Kyle MacLachlan Scores Key "SHIELD" Role

"Twin Peaks" star Kyle MacLachlan has scored a key recurring role in the upcoming second season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." on ABC. MacLachlan will guest star in the second episode of the new season in a role known as 'The Doctor' at least initially.

POTENTIAL MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

However, TV Line says that not only is the role recurring, but he'll be playing the mysterious father of Skye (Chloe Bennet) whose hand was briefly seen during the season one finale.

The truth of Skye's parents is one of the mysteries left hanging from the first season that seems likely to get a more thorough exploration in the show's sophomore run.

Another actor joining the ranks is "NYPD Blue" star Henry Simmons who has signed on to appear as agent Alphonso 'Mac' Mackenzie, who is described as a mechanic in his early 30s.

The second season is expected to be "more grounded" than the first, with the main plot dealing with Coulson and his team trying to rebuild the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization.

'Frozen' Writer Adapting 'A Wrinkle in Time', The Book About That Time Wrinkle

From iwatchstuff, Disney is moving forward with their long-stalled adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, the 1962 young-adult novel that I definitely read in-full and did not just lie about reading to get the Pizza Hut Book It! reward for a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza. According to Variety, Frozenwriter/co-director Jennifer Lee has now stepped in to take over duties on the screenplay, which will, naturally, focus on the green face in the orb, the centaur with the wing arms, mountains, and, of course, that wrinkle. That wrinkle in time. It's said that Lee considers the book a childhood favorite--not just a gratis gateway to a thick, round slab of cheese and oil-soaked bread--and that her take "emphasizes a strong female-driven narrative." Because of course, yes, I had nearly forgotten that there is also the girl and/or woman character(s). There is not yet a director attached to the project. There is also no way to take back a deep-dish I ate 20 years ago, so I might as well just tell you right now, Pizza Hut, I didn't even crack the cover. The Westing Game either.

Box Office

From ew, Marvel’s got a new star (or five) in its roster: Guardians of the Galaxy launched to an estimated $94 million this weekend in 4,080 theaters, setting a new record for an August debut. (The previous winner was 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, with $69.3 million.) That’s the third biggest opening of 2014 so far, behind Transformers: Age of Extinction ($100 million) and Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($95 million). It’s also the seventh best opening in history for a non-sequel (or sixth if you count Marvel’s The Avengers as a mega-sequel), outpacing other superhero series debuts such as 2011’s Thor ($65.7 million) and 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger ($65.1 million). One more fun stat: Guardians is Marvel’s ninth (!) consecutive No. 1 movie, a streak that reaches back to Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012), which debuted at No. 3.

Guardians was a $170 million gamble for Marvel that featured unfamiliar characters and an untested lead actor, Parks and Rec favorite Chris Pratt, who stars with Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. But a marketing campaign that highlighted the movie’s outer-space action and sarcastic, Iron Man-esque tone (not to mention Pratt’s newly sculpted physique) drew early buzz, and the movie’s release brought a wave of critical praise: Guardians scored a great 92 percent from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- from EW‘s Chris Nashawaty, who called it “a giddily subversive space opera that runs on self-aware smart-assery.” With an A CinemaScore, the PG-13 adventure looks likely to perform well in the coming weeks—and Marvel recently announced that a sequel is already in the works. The movie also earned $66.4 million overseas, bringing its global gross to a stellar $160.4 million.

The weekend’s other new wide release, the James Brown biopic Get On Up, earned an estimated $14 million, coming in at third place. Directed by Tate Taylor (The Help) and starring Chadwick Boseman (42), the musical drama reportedly cost $30 million and received generally favorable reviews from critics, though EW’s Nashawaty noted that it plays too “safe” for a biopic about the Godfather of Soul. With an A CinemaScore, the movie could have legs. The film may also be opening too early to get the big-time awards attention that helped past music biopics like Ray, which opened to $20 million on its way to $75.3 million in 2004, or the genre’s all-time champ, 2005’s Walk the Line, which bowed to $22.3 million and ultimately grossed $119.5 million.

Get On Up didn’t have the box office moves to unseat Lucy in the No. 2 spot. The Luc Besson action pic, starring Scarlett Johansson as a super-intelligent avenger (not to be confused with the super-intelligent Avenger she plays in the Marvelverse), grossed $18.3 million this weekend, bringing its two-week domestic haul to $79.6 million — a hugely impressive performance for a first-time character without a book, comic, or TV series behind her.

In fourth place, Hercules bulked up another $10.7 million in its second weekend, contributing to a $52.4 million total for the Dwayne Johnson vehicle. And Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, now in its fourth weekend, earned an estimated $8.7 million, bringing its domestic cume to $189.3 million — the eighth best of 2014 so far.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – $94 million (new)
2. Lucy – $18.3 million ($79.6 million total)
3. Get On Up – $14 million (new)
4. Hercules — $10.7 million ($52.3 million total)
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes– $8.7 million Friday ($189.3 million total)