Tom Baker dons his Doctor Who scarf once more

Many know him for his wild eyes and ample array of shining teeth, but Tom Baker is also known for his signature voice. After more than 25 years, the 75 year old actor will be returning to the role that made him a household name in a brand new audio adventure from BBC Audio.

Many fans may know that Big Finish has been producing Doctor Who audio adventures since 1999. With titles including Robin Hood, Highlander, Dark Shadows and Stargate, they have covered a lot of ground with fans of cult TV programs that are no longer on the air. Actors Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann have all recorded audio adventures in keeping with their respective eras on the program. In the case of McGann, this gave the actor an opportunity to flesh out his all-too-brief stint on screen with several new adventures.

While Tom’s new adventures will not be released by Big Finish, it will certainly build on the success of the BF audio releases and the popularity that those stories have earned.

The return of Tom Baker, arguably the most recognized and well-loved of Doctors will delight as many fans as it will bring in new ones.

For more information, pick up Doctor Who Magazine 141 and keep an eye out for announcements!

Robert E Howard’s Solomon Kane adapted for the big screen

Straight from the pen of Robert E Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian) comes Solomon Kane, an adventurer from a different era… the 16th Century.

Despite the setting, the film will be as much sword and supernatural content as Kane’s barbarian counterpart, Conan, pitting the puritan adventurer against zombies with only a flintlock and rapier in his defense.

Starring James Purefoy as the title character and Max von Sydow in a supporting role, the film is sure to appeal to fans of the comic book movie genre and horror/fantasy alike.

To those not already familiar with Solomon Kane, he is a cool yet grizzled hero with a bit of Batman and ‘The Man With No Name’ mixed together in his persona.

Check out this film for an idea (and sampler of Howard’s prose)

The film’s trailer premiered at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con and has already generated some love from Ain’t It Cool News reporter Harry Knowles.

Currently the movie is without an American distributer, so fans may have to wait for the DVD unless the SDCC09 viewing convinced any backers of the film’s potential.

For more on Solomon Kane, click here.

World War Hulks

Two years back, Greg Pak orchestrated World War Hulk and put the green Goliath back on the map of many a comic book fan. Since then the additions of Skaar, Son of Hulk and the Red Hulk have both brought new facets to the Hulkiverse.

At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the announcement was made that these characters and plot threads have been leading toward another big event. The arrival of a group referred to as ‘The Inteligencia’ will threaten the future of the entire Marvel Universe. The even is called World War Hulks.
“This is what’s been brewing for quite some time,” the writer relates. “The first stage was to spend 12 issues of both HULK and SKAAR getting our major players into the Marvel Universe. That culminated in INCREDIBLE HULK #600. In #600, Banner’s life-and the Hulk’s-changed forever. The Hulk books split in two, [with] INCREDIBLE HULK going off with the Incredible Greg Pak and Ariel Olivetti and HULK continuing with me and Ed McGuinness. In order to give Ed enough time to do the entire World War Hulks series on the HULK side of things, Ian Churchill steps in for five issues to tell the story of what happens to someone when they learn the Red Hulk’s most carefully guarded secrets. It involves Wolverine, X-Force, the Punisher, Deadpool, Elektra and a host of others. Again, all planned to be part of the bigger picture that leads us into World War Hulks.”

Looking back at the last year-and-a-half of Hulk stories, Loeb teases that much of what has come before will have an impact on World War Hulks.

“It all matters. Everything. If you’ve been reading HULK and SKAAR for the past year, you will see all the seeds we’ve planted. Now, Greg and I will be harvesting what hopefully be the biggest Hulk story ever told.”

Ever since Planet Hulk, this series has been a must-read for fans of the Hulk and those new to the series. With readers wondering where it has been leading, this event is going to have a lot banking on its success. With Marvel EIC Joe Quesada swearing off major company-wide crossover, this could very well be an event story on the same scale as ‘Sinestro Corps War’ or ‘Annihilation.’ But will it be as successful as either?

World War Hulks: Alpha hits the stands January 2010.