The more I see about The Riddick Chronicles the more excited I become. As I said in my last ZONE update, I was worried when the storyline first appeared. All of these different races, an intergalactic war, and Riddick becoming the "One" who can end it. It sounded too derivative... and too big.

Now that I've heard more about the storyline and have started to see production photos, I say, Bring it on!

Pitch Black is one of my favorite movies. Vin Diesel and writer/director David Twohy created Riddick, one of the coolest characters to hit the screen in years. I was hyped when I heard that there'd be at least one more movie with Diesel as Riddick written & directed by Twohy.

The trailer for The Chronicles of Riddick surprised me. I knew that Twohy and Diesel were going for something huge but I still was surpised at the scope of their plans. I'll admit I was a little worried, but more than willing to go along.

Now that advance reviews are coming in I really can't wait to see this film. I think that we're going to be in for the kind of surprises that Pitch Black gave us.

And that's a very good thing.

Yesterday I told you about Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Rizzo's Batman: Broken City graphic novel. Since many of you are Batman fans, I thought that you might be interested in two other graphic novels featuring Batman and with art by Neal Adams.

Neal Adams is the artist who redefined Batman from the kooky tv character to the realistic dark knight that could truly "strike fear into the hearts of evil doers."

There are currently two hardcovers [Batman Illustrated Volume 1 and Batman Illustrated Volume 2] featuring Neal's work and they are a bit pricey, however with the discount offered by Amazon, they're worth the price of admission.

Producers of Exorcist: The Beginning are going to release two completely different versions of the horror prequel on DVD! That's right, both the original version which was directed by Paul Shrader as well as the totally reshot version by Renny Harlin which will be released to theaters later this summer will be available when the dvd is released.

The production company didn't care at all for the footage turned in by original director Paul Schrader who had created "a creepy psychological thriller sans the gore." So Renny Harlin was brought in to reshoot the entire movie. Harlin recast roles and went to work. Harlin's version will hit big screens later this year.

The cool thing is that fans will get to see both versions once the dvd is released. And I'll be willing to bet that a good portion of fans will prefer the version that was never released to theaters!

Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Rizzo made their claim to fame [and rightly so] with the classic comic series 100 Bullets. If you ever wondered what they could do with an icon like Batman then wonder no more.

Azzarello and Rizzo's Batman Broken City is being collected as a 144 page hardcover and trade paperback. Want to know more? Ok, how's this sound...

"A woman's body is found in the Gotham Landfill, and as Batman delves into the case, he reflects on the dark city that he made his home. He knows - or thinks he knows - who the killer is, but when the truth is revealed, the Dark Knight might not even know who he is anymore."

If you're a fan of Azzarello, Rizzo, or Batman, then you ought to give this one a look!

From time to time, I've been lucky to have friends who have drawn me or placed my name in comic books that they're working on. Mike Zeck and John Beatty put me in Captain America and The Punisher. Jerry Ordway put me in Superman. Bob McLeod stuck me on a wanted poster. My latest appearance comes courtesy of Nick Northey and Jeff Austin in the current issue [124] of Femforce from AC Comics. I show up as war hero Detective Zablo.

Who knows where I may show up next... but odds are it'll be here in a ZONE update!

After nearly forty years, they're coming back for one more show!

That's right! Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Carl Reiner, stars of the original "Dick Van Dyke Show" have reunited for the show's "159th Episode," which will air May 11th on CBS. Series regulars Larry Mathews (Richie) and Ann Morgan Guilbert (Millie Helper) will also return. Sadly, Morey Amsterdam, who played Buddy, died in 1996.

Although the "Dick Van Dyke Show" remains a favorite, the last original episode appeared in 1966! That will all change when the new episode airs on May 11th. In the new episode, Rob, who's still married to Laura, gets a phone call from his old boss, Alan Brady who wants Rob and Sally to write his eulogy.

Ray Ramano (Everybody Loves Raymond) will host the episode which will feature clips from the original "Dick Van Dyke Show" episodes.

Who knows, maybe if this new episode is well received, they'll come back in another 40 years and do another!