The Nick Fury comics by Jim Steranko are considered classics

By Lee Pfeiffer

MTV reports that there are serious discussions taking place about turning Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D into a new Marvel film franchise. The problem is that the films would be expensive and Fury doesn't have the name recognition of other Marvel heroes, though he has been portrayed as a supporting character by Samuel L. Jackson in the Iron Man films. Fury actually began as a popular Marvel WWII hero with the comic book Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos in a long-running series that began in 1962. In the mid-60s, Fury spun off into another comic during the James Bond rage. This found him working in the post-War years as a hi-tech secret agent for a government agency called S.H.I.E.L.D, which was an obvious nod to U.N.C.L.E. He still had his trademark eye patch and omnipresent cigar, however. The Nick Fury comics were initially drawn by Jack Kirby when they ran as installments in the Strange Tales comics. When he received his own comic, the early issues drawn by the moody but brilliant Jim Steranko were considered to be ground-breaking, but Steranko left Marvel after a short tenure and the Nick Fury comics lost much of their luster. For more on the development of Fury as a screen hero, click here

Regular readers know that we're big fans of director Joe Dante's site Trailers From Hell!, in which prominent film makers and scholars provide audio commentary on vintage movie trailers. Now Trailers From Hell! has released their first DVD of highlights from the site. Here is the official description:

Trailers--you know, those fast-paced 2-to-4 minute theatrical promo shorts that have preceded the Feature Attraction since the dawn of sound? An exciting montage of all The Best Parts of a movie the exhibitors want you to NEED to see! Full of swirling letters screaming hyperbolic promises of THRILLS! ACTION! MYSTERY! ROMANCE! Packing all the highlights of a whole picture into its own mini-movie in just a few minutes!

THE BEST FROM TRAILERS FROM HELL!, Volume 1 showcases the cream of the award-winning website series, concentrating on promos for horror, science fiction and fantasy films which viewers can watch both as originally intended or accompanied by pithy commentary by Trailers from Hell Gurus: Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Mick Garris (The Stand), Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead).

The trailers and commentaries are:

Joe Dante - The Tingler, Blood and Roses, Curse of Frankenstein, Earth vs. Flying Saucers

Mick Garris - Rabid, The Valley of Gwangi, Scream and Scream Again, Horrors of the Black Museum

John Landis - Curse of the Werewolf, Green Slime, Private Parts, Mighty Joe Young

Eli Roth - Squirm, The Birds, 3 on a Meathook, Forbidden Planet

Edgar Wright - Corruption, The Sentinel, Silent Running, Phantom of the Paradise

Included as an added bonus is the 1933 Majestic Pictures horror classic, The Vampire Bat, as well as two animated cartoon classics: Foster & Bailey's The Haunted Ship (1930) and Ub Iwerks' The Headless Horseman (1934).

Click here to order 

The rising influence of on-demand viewing of TV episodes on the Internet has led to speculation that traditional cable TV will go the way of 8 tracks and audio cassettes. Although 88% of poll respondents say they have no intention of dropping cable service, younger viewers are far more open to using the web to watch their favorite TV episodes. Many industry analysts think this will become the norm for the new generation who will balk at paying high prices for a wealth of cable TV stations delivered to their homes - many of which they will never watch. The practice of bundling networks into packages has long been the model for cable companies, but there are signs consumers are becoming increasingly irritated at having to purchase access to networks that don't interest them. Click here to watch a debate about the future of cable TV