Jeph Loeb Fired From Heroes

Jeph Loeb and Heroes co-writer Jesse Alexander have apparently been handed their pink slips on the set of Heroes. Here’s the story from Cynthia Littleton of Variety.

Big shakeup on the staff of NBC’s “Heroes” came down on Sunday with the axing of co-exec producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb.

Both scribe-producers had been with the show since its first season and were known to have led the day-to-day production operation under the direction of creator/exec producer Tim Kring.

“Heroes,” produced by Universal Media Studios, has struggled in the ratings its third season.

It’s understood that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of Peacock execs’ frustration with the creative direction of the show. The show is also said to have been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season that are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-seg pricetag.

Reps for NBC and UMS declined comment.

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POA Countdown: Top 10 Comic Book Heroes

Many of you longtime readers might realize that this is actually a reprint (I’m hilarious, I know.) of something similar we did a while back when we were still harbored on the Wordpress.com servers. Well, I figured it had been nearly seven months since the first countdown, now seemed more than fitting than ever that we revisit and revise the original list, with the Tournament of Champions officially ending this week, and maybe get an even more accurate version. Not to mention, we lost out graphics during the transfer which makes for one ugly looking countdown. Without further ado, I present to you the countdown of the Top 10 Comic Book Heroes…version 2.0! On a side note, as always, if you have an idea for an upcoming POA Countdown, send it our way!

#10 - The Hulk

Smashing stuff is pretty awesome and nobody seems to do that better than the World Breaker himself. The Planet Hulk and World War Hulk arcs really helped develop a new side to Hulk and really gave his character a lot more depth. While he may currently be locked away from the world, courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D., within the pages of Jeph Loeb’s disappointing Red Hulk comic, it’s only a matter of time before Big Green is back in the spotlight again.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Hulk manages to survive the attack of Black Bolt, one of the most powerful characters in comics, and manages to defeat him. (World War Hulk #1)

#9 - The Flash

Who doesn’t love a speedster? Having been a major player in the DCU not only as the Flash but also as Kid Flash, Wally West or any of the past Flash characters for that matter, have become legends within the DCU by being the fastest men alive. Wally’s recent return in the pages of Justice League of America brought new life to his character and even while some would argue that he’s been somewhat misused in the JLA comic, he’s still a very important part of not only the team but of the DCU as a whole.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Alongside the other Flash characters, Wally and company drag Superboy-Prime into the Speed Force. (Infinite Crisis #3)

#8 - Thor

Since the relaunch of Thor back in 2007, the team of J. Michael Straczynski and Oliver Coipel, along with the help of Marko Djurdevic for a couple issues, have really turned things around for the former Avenger. The son of Odin has been busy not only rebuilding himself but his home of Asgard as well as the many inhabitants of the once glorious city. His always troublesome brother Loki has also returned and Thor’s also been trying to bring back his father Odin back from the dead as well. As you can tell, The God of Thunder has a lot on his plate right now which, for us Thor fans, is definitely a good thing. The god of thunder is awesome. ‘Nuff said.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: After being confronted by Iron Man regarding the Superhero Registration act, Thor beats the holy hell out of him. A great moment for Stark-haters indeed. (Thor vol. 3 #3)

#7 - Captain America

I’m talking, of course, about the Steve Rogers Captain America that was gracing the covers of many Marvel titles until his unfortunate and unexpected death following Marvel’s Civil War crossover. While some people might think I’m just giving the guy some bonus points because he’s dead, I’m definitely not. In his prime, he was a fantastic character that seemed fairly simple at first glance but had more depth that most of the other heroes on Marvel’s roster. Weather it was battling Hitler in World War 2 or foiling the plans of the evil Red Skull, Captain America always knew how to get it done and, thanks to the work of writer Ed Brubaker, is more popular now than he ever was.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: The death of Captain America in issue #25 sent shockwaves throughout not only the comics book world but throughout other media outlets as well. (Captain America vol. 5 #25)

#6 - Iron Man

He’s rich, he’s smart and, deep inside him somewhere, he’s a hero. Despite Tony Stark’s horrible actions during Civil War, keeping him off this list would be a crime. Over the years, he’s battled and saved the world from countless villains both by himself and as a member of the Avengers. He’s fought and conquered his own personal demons with alcoholism and addiction which makes him a stronger person than he ever has been. Like I said, at his core, he’s a simple guy that’s just trying to do what’s right. All this, combined with his state-of-the-art Iron Man battle suit make him one of the greatest heroes on Marvel’s roster.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Stark injects himself with the Extremis Virus which causes him to bond with his armor and become a living machine capable of tapping into any system in the world. (Invincible Iron Man Vol. 4 #5)

#5 - Green Lantern

Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern is widely considered to be the best of the bunch. It really didn’t seem to matter weather it was as Green Lantern, The Spectre or a host of Parallax. Hal Jordan’s place had been established as a true fan favorite of the DCU. The guy made it into the final battle of our Tournament of Champions so there’s obviously something appealing about him. While he may not be the first one, he’s arguably the most well known character to ever use the Green Lantern name and easily the most popular.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Hal Jordan, who died in the closing issue of DC’s Final Night crossover, returns from the dead to reclaim his place in the DCU and try and make amends for his deeds as the evil Spectre. (Green Lantern: Rebirth #1)

#4 - Wolverine

Who doesn’t enjoy reading about a guy who just cuts everything. I first jumped onboard Wolverine’s solo comic while Jason Aaron and Ron Garney were working on it and it really helped me realize just how important of a character Wolverine really is in the Marvel U. I mean he’s already in every second book the company puts out so he must be pretty important. While he may also be a favorite of mine simply because he’s Canadian, Wolverine was always enjoyable as the man who really didn’t know his place in this world. His mysterious origin and knack for slicing people open makes him an interesting character. The claws probably help a little bit too.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: After years of mystery and lies, Logan finally realizes where he came from and his life before the weapon X program. (House of M #8)

#3 - Spider-Man

As one of the biggest characters in the Marvel Universe, it’s easy to see why Spider-Man would sit so high on our list of the top heroes. Not to mention, he’s my favorite. In addition to several highly successful comic book titles, the web head’s starred in three movies and several animated series. Spider-Man is arguably the most popular character on Marvel’s roster and quite possibly one of the most popular comic book hero of all time. He’s made a successful transition from a simple comic book superhero to an icon in pop culture. Did I mention that he’s my favorite?

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Peter and Mary Jane, to save the life of Aunt May, make a deal with Mephisto that nullifies not only their marriage but a number of Spider-stories from the past 20 years in the timeline of the comic. (Amazing Spider-Man #544)

#2 - Superman

Created in 1938, Superman stands as one of the first and oldest superheroes of our time and the blueprint for many heroes to follow in the years after his creation. Think what you want to about the character but Superman basically defined the modern day hero. He was the first of his kind and paved the way for practically every other superhero. While I may not be his biggest fan, I still appreciate what he’s done for comic book heroes and even comics in general. Which brings us to the top of the ladder…

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Superman, long thought by the public to be completely invulnerable, is killed by a creature named Doomsday that is dug up from deep inside the Earth. (Superman vol. 1 #75)

#1 - Batman

What would the world of comics be without the Dark Knight? Well, it’d probably be pretty boring since he’s arguably the greatest character in comics and the number one hero on our list. With one of the most impressive arsenals in all of comics as well as one of the most recognizable and entertaining rogue galleries in all of comics, it’s easy to see how important Batman is to comics and pop-culture. His dark and disturbing past combined with his knack at cracking cases and brining in the baddies makes him a must for any sort of list…except maybe a worst characters list.

Biggest “Oh My God” Moment: Batman’s entire world comes crashing down around him as he battles a new enemy named Hush that seems to know everything about him. (Batman #608-619)

We couldn’t do a list like this and not mention a couple of the heroes who came up a little bit short of the mark. Here’s a quick shout out to the notable mentions of our top 10 heroes list.

Daredevil
It’s hard to say why the Man Without fear didn’t make the cut. His comic is definitely an entertaining read and he’s certainly got the fan base to support a spot on the top 10 list. While it was a tough call between either Hulk or Daredevil, big green’s just had a lot more of an effect on the Marvel Universe as a whole lately. Nothing personal, Daredevil. I hope you understand.

The Fantastic 4
Sure they’re heroes but how the heck am I supposed to justify putting four people in one spot on this countdown? If you’re looking for some Fantastic 4, be sure to check out our listing of the Top 10 Supergroups. You’ll most certainly find Marvel’s first family somewhere in there.

Hawkeye
Having been one of the corner stones of the original Avengers and one hell of a shot with a bow, Hawkeye more than earns his place amongst the best of the best. His cocky attitude and simplistic character make him one of the best heroes of Marvel’s roster. His biggest flaw is that he has currently given up the Hawkeye mantle and taken on that of Ronin instead. Shame.

Green Arrow
Much like Daredevil, Green Arrow has tons of things going for him that could have easily gotten him onto this listing. However, taking a look at some of the competition, you can clearly see that Oliver Queen just doesn’t quite have what it takes to break into the top 10. In the meantime, he’ll have to take pride in an honorable mention.

So, that’s POA’s top 10 heroes! Hopefully you enjoyed our list and are itching to read our next one. Speaking of next ones, we need your suggestions for future lists! We also want to hear what you’ve got to say about this list! Think someone shouldn’t be on the list? Have someone better in mind? Let us know with a comment!

Discuss this in the Forums of Awesome!