I'm not sure if you folks have heard about this but Marvel.com has branched off a For Kids Only version of their site. It's not really anything great to speak of.. BUT they have contracted the CGI animation team from the Marvel Ultimate Alliance game to produce shorts just for that site. So you get a 3-part mini-movie every month featuring one particular character and a few guest stars...

January featured "The Adventures Of Iron Man" which guest starred Spider-Man and The Hulk... you can watch the trailers below.

Wanted is a 2008 film loosely based on the comic book miniseries Wanted by Mark Millar. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov and stars James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. The movie is in post-production, and has a target release date of June 27, 2008.

Press Release:

Dennis O’Neil, prize-winning comics writer and editor, will offer a 10 week course in writing comic books and graphic novels at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. The course will begin on February 13th and end on April 23rd. Classes start at 6:20 in the evening and end about two and a half hours later.

For more information, see the university’s home page.

For over 30 years, editor and writer Dennis O'Neil put the "dark" in the Dark Knight and was the guiding force behind the Batman mythos. He has been called a living legend, a master of the comics form, a visionary, the thinking man’s superhero writer, the dean of American comics writers, and--his favorite--an erudite hippie. He prefers to think of himself as, simply, "a working professional storyteller."

Dennis, a native St. Louisan and graduate of St. Louis University, began his writing career as a newspaper reporter in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, over forty years ago. Intrigued by the creative revival of comics in the mid-60s, he came to New York as Stan Lee's editorial assistant at Marvel Comics. Next, he did freelance writing at Charlton Comics under editor Dick Giordano. When Giordano moved to DC Comics in 1967, he brought Dennis with him. There, Dennis scripted such titles as Wonder Woman, The Justice League of America and, notably, 13 issues of Superman, a run some aficionados say is a high point in the character's long history. In 1968, following the cancellation of the Batman television show, editor Julius Schwartz asked Dennis to revamp DC's Dark Knight. Dennis and artist Neal Adams took the character back to his roots and, adding sophistication and their own unique vision, created the version of Batman which has been an inspiration for the Emmy-winning Fox cartoon series, the mega-budget Warners movies and, of course, the current comics. In 1970, Dennis again collaborated with Neal Adams and Julius Schwartz to produce the Green Lantern-Green Arrow series that first brought him into national prominence. This series earned praise, awards and media attention for its ground-breaking combination of flamboyant fantasy with genuine social concerns such as racism, drug addiction, environmental dangers and Native Americans' problems.

During his 30-year career, Dennis has written stories for almost all of DC and Marvel's major titles, including Spiderman, Hawkman, The Atom, Iron Man, Daredevil and The Question, a series that combined authentic martial arts action with thoughtful plots and is credited with being a forerunner of today's "mature reader" comics.

Dennis' comics work has been only a part of his career. He has edited Newsfront Magazine and has written short stories, articles and reviews for a wide variety of publications including Gentleman's Quarterly, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, New York, The Village Voice, Coronet, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Publishers Weekly. He has had five teleplays produced, adapted four Batman movies into comic book form and is the author of several novels and nonfiction books, including a guide to writing comic book scripts published by Watson-Guptil. One of his most significant achievements was converting 1,162 pages of comic book continuity into a hard cover novel which became a national best seller: KNIGHTFALL, published by Bantam Books. While he was writing the novel, he was also assisting with the adaptation of the Knightfall storyline for England's BBC radio. More recently, he adapated to novel form the movie Batman Begins, which was partially based on his comics work

An expert on comics, pop culture and folklore/mythology, Dennis is a popular guest at conventions and has been heard on literally hundreds of radio shows. He has appeared on dozens of television programs, including The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, NBC Nightly News, Fox News, Fox Morning Show, Real News for Kids, The Anti-Gravity Room, The History Channel's comics documentary, and the Disney Channel's Audubon Show. He has been interviewed internationally on the BBC, Australian, French, Mexican, Chilean and Canadian television.

Dennis has taught writing at the School of Visual Arts and New York University in Manhattan, and at Rockland Community College in Suffern, NY,, and has lectured at the Open Center in New York City. He has also lectured at numerous colleges and universities including New York University, Fairleigh-Dickenson, Penn State, Tufts, St. Louis University, Indiana State University, the State University of New York at Stonybrook, City University of New York, UCLA, Atlantic College, the Philadelphia College of Art, Webster University. MIT, The Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, and The Learning Annex.

For 15 years, until his retirement in February, 2001, Dennis was a group editor at DC where, in addition to editing the Batman titles, he wrote a monthly title he created, Azrael, helped make policy decisions and co-supervised a large editorial staff. He now serves DC as an editorial consultant.

Last year, some of Dennis’s work provided the basis for the movie Batman Begins, for which he wrote the novel version and consulted on the video game.
He is currently contributing a weekly column to an online magazine, ComicMix.

In April, 1999, two Californians, Bob Brodsky and Kevin Hanley, began publishing The O'Neil Observer, a quarterly magazine devoted to articles about Dennis and the craft of comics writing. In November of the same year, a midwesterner, Scott McCullar, created a website to augment the magazine.

Dennis currently lives in Nyack, New York, with his wife, Marifran.

Comics Buyers Guide Fan Awards:

Favorite Editor 2000, 1996, 1989, 1988, 1986
Tenth Favorite Writer of the Century
Fifth Favorite Editor of the Century.
No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" from Green Lantern #76 placed tenth as Favorite Story of the Century
>
Denny was the Favorite Pro Writer (a tie with Roy Thomas) in the First Goethe Awards presented by Newfangles (edited by Don and Maggie Thompson) back in 1971. Also, GL/GA won for Favorite Pro Comic Book and "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" took Favorite Comic-Book Story.

Haxtur Award for Best Short story, given by Spanish fans: 1995
Haxtur Lifetime Achievement Award: 1998
“Julie” lifetime achievement award from Atlanta Fantasy Con 2004
Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences Award for Best Writer: 1971, 1972.
Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences Award for Best Series: Green Lantern & Green Arrow, 1971, 1972.

Written by JEPH LOEB
Art & 50/50 Wraparound Covers by JOE MADUREIRA & CHRISTIAN LICHTNER
This is it, the ending you've been breathlessly waiting for! Who killed the Scarlet Witch -- and why? The answers will rock you as the Ultimate Universe is about to explode! Betrayals, secrets, and even another murder are all laid bare as superstars Jeph Loeb, Joe Madureira and Christian Lichtner conclude Volume 3! But the next big Ultimates story is just beginning, as right around the corner is...Ultimatum!
On sale in April • 32 PGS./Parental Advisory,FC, $2.99

When EA Chicago was closed last year, one of the issues unaddressed at the time was the fate of the studio's projects, a Marvel fighting game and a second fighter based on a new intellectual property. That mystery has been cleared up a little, as Electronic Arts and Marvel have terminated both the project and their licensing agreement, according to a GameTap report.

The deal between Marvel and EA dates back to 2004, when the companies announced a multiyear agreement for fighting games featuring famous Marvel characters alongside new EA-created heroes. The first offspring of the deal was Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, a poorly received effort that saw its price slashed by 40 percent less than two months after its release.

Another mystery in the wake of the EA Chicago closing--the future of the studio's general manager, Kudo Tsunoda--was recently solved when Microsoft confirmed the developer's hiring. Tsunoda will now work at Microsoft Game Studios under corporate vice president Shane Kim. However, a growing tide of unconfirmed reports has Microsoft's own Marvel project--an Xbox 360 and PC massively multiplayer online role-playing game--being put on indefinite hold.

This is a shame really. Why not give Capcom back the license? Then we might enjoy online multiplayer on Live or PSN or even... Marvel vs Capcom 3!! I think there's enough demand out there for it, and it would be a million seller very quickly in my opinion.

The Marvel vs Capcom series has lots of diehard fans out there, so why not? It was once thought that since Marvel increased the licensing fees due to the then recent success of its films, Capcom lost the license due to inability to pay the fees. Not true at all. MvC2 was already ported to the Dreamcast, PS2 & Xbox more than 2 years after the arcade version of MvC2, but they weren't selling enough units. By 2003, Capcom & Marvel's partnership ended.

While I was going through some emails, I came across an email about a site where you vote for superheroes & supervillains and based on the votes, reveals who would win in a fight. Check it out!

Thanks Steve!

SuperHero Fight

Hancock is an upcoming comedy superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron.

There are heroes, there are superheroes, and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility - everyone knows that - everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough - as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think - until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all.

Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet - and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he’s a lost cause.
Hancock is slated for release on July 2, 2008.

Sad news to report, as I was watching CNN earlier, reports that Heath Ledger, who will co-star as The Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on today. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. Early reports say sleeping pills were found near his body. You can read the whole press release here.

UPDATE FEB.01.08 - Michelle Williams breaks silence on Ledger's death

Written by Kurt Busiek
Art and variant cover by Renato Guedes & Wilson Magalhaés
Cover by Alex Ross
It's an oversized spectacular blowout action anniversary issue, as Kurt Busiek, gearing up for his insanely huge next project, brings his Superman run to a close! A three-way battle between Superman, Paragon and the forces of Daxam! The Earth-shattering threat of the all-new Galactic Golem! This one's got it all, including a painted cover by new series cover artist Alex Ross and a variant by Renato Guedes.
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 10 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Alex Ross), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Renato Guedes & Wilson Magalhaés). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale April 16 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US

World War II is over. The Cold War has begun. The Age of the Superhero is in decline. But where are the heroes of tomorrow? From the perspective of those brave individuals who made it happen: encounter Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, who survived the anti-hero sentiment of the Cold War, as well as eager newcomers like test pilot Hal Jordan and scientist Barry Allen, poised to become the next generation of crime fighters. All leading to the mounting threat of an alien presence on Earth, where dozens of characters from the '40s, '50s and '60s eras of DC Comics team up to defeat it.

Justice League: The New Frontier, rated PG-13 for violent content/images, is scheduled for release on February 26, 2008. The next release in the series will be Batman: Gotham Knight.

Welcome to the redesigned Comics Impulse! I'm still in the process of recovering posts that never published for some reason, but nearly everything else is functional. Please tell me what you think!

Marvel is pleased to announce that AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #546, beginning the landmark Brand New Day storyline, has sold out at Diamond (though copies may be available at the retail level). Written by the friendly neighborhood dream team of acclaimed writer Dan Slott (Avengers: The Initiative) and superstar penciller Steve McNiven (Civil War), and kicking off the thrice-monthly shipping of Amazing Spider-Man, this issues launches a bold new era for Peter Parker as he must confront the new criminal elements, new threats…and search for a new job!

To meet the overwhelming demand for this issue, Marvel is going back to press with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #546 Second Printing Variant, with a new cover featuring the spectacular interior art of Steve McNiven!

"As the controversial first issue of a new era for Spidey, Slott, McNiven and everyone else involved hit this one out of the park," said editor Steve Wacker. "Love it or hate it, everyone's takling about Spider-Man."

ComicBookResources.com's Augie De Blieck Jr gushed that Slott is, "the perfect writer for a Spider-Man book," a sentiment echoed by SilverBulletComicBooks.Com's Dave Wallace, declaring Brand New Day, "a reinvigoration of the Spider-Man mythos and a return to the classic roots of the character."

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on all issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, as the series continues to receive high profile coverage from Newsweek, Yahoo.Com, People Magazine, USA Today, The New York Daily News and more!

Now that AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ships thrice monthly, it's three times the amazing, three times the action and three times your favorite super hero!

Keep checking the new Spider-Office blog at http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Spider-Office for images and information you won't find anywhere else!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #546 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV078192)
Written by Dan Slott
Art & Cover by Steve McNiven
Rated A …$3.99
FOC—1/17/08, On-Sale—1/30/08

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #547 (OCT072078)
Written by Dan Slott
Art & Cover by Steve McNiven
Rated A …$2.99
On-Sale—1/16/08

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #548 (OCT072079)
Written by Dan Slott
Art & Cover by Steve McNiven
Rated A …$2.99
On-Sale—1/23/08

SPIDER-MAN: SWING SHIFT DIRECTOR'S CUT ONE-SHOT (OCT072080)
Written by DAN SLOTT
Pencils & Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Rated A …$3.99
On-Sale—1/30/08


To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Hello out there to the visitors of Comics Impulse... I'd like to take the time to apologize about the lack of updates for the past few months. I am working on some stuff right now that makes it hard to keep up with everything here, though soon I hope to add more features. More will be posted soon, but CI will be back very soon with new material.

I'll be adding some shots from the Syracuse Heroes Expo as well (turn out this year was great, lots of fans, tournaments and just an overall fun experience. I'd like to thank all the dealers who came, as well as the celebrity guests. We all hope you visit again soon! And again, thanks goes out to everyone who's stuck by me & Comics Universe/Impulse over the past 3 years!

Spider-Man & Mary Jane - no more?

The internet's been abuzz about this possibility since Civil War ended... but was it worth it? In "One More Day" it seems that Mephisto offered to restore May to perfect health - at the cost of Peter & MJ's marriage. He agrees to make the world "forget" that Peter is Spidey, and the couple spend one more day together, ultimately agreeing this was the best course and their love would reunited them someday. The next morning Peter wakes up to find he was never married to MJ, still lived with his aunt... seems the status quo now matches with that of the 70s/80s' Spidey, as his modern history is gone. You can check for the revised history after the break.

Joe Quasada has been pretty adamant about their marriage being nullified for a while now, based on the fact that Peter & MJ were married in the comics only to have it appear in continuity first before being published in the strip:

Sometime around 1986-87 the Spider-Man daily newspaper strip was losing some steam. Stan, who was writing the script was asked to do something to spike it and get people interested. Stan thought that the best thing to do was to marry Peter and MJ in the strip. He supposedly called Jim Shooter leaving Jim a message saying that Spidey was going to get married in the papers within the next few months. Shooter not wanting to see this happen in the strip before it happened in the comics tore up Heaven and Earth in order to get Peter and MJ together and married as soon as possible. Remember, at this point in time in Spidey continuity Peter and MJ weren't even dating, as a matter of fact she wasn't even living in New York. So, within a matter of issues, she was back in his life, engaged instantly, and married just as quickly.

Personally, I think it may be a good idea. I wasn't too happy when I heard his ID was publicly known anyway, and now the Clone Saga didn't happen? Even better! But does this mean Carnage doesn't exist, or that Eddie Brock is still Venom, now cancerless? Either way, we can get back to reading classic Spidey stories!

Batman becomes more of a detective in The Dark Knight, as he deals with the escalation of the situation from the end of Batman Begins as personified by the Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger. He also deals with the dilemma of his vigilante crusade, and his friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart.

An animated direct-to-DVD anthology titled Batman: Gotham Knight, which takes place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, will be in stores early July 2008. Batman: The Dark Knight will be released on July 18, 2008 in the U.S. and on July 25, 2008 in the U.K.

Press Release

Marvel is proud to announce that X-Factor #26, featuring Messiah CompleX Chapter 7, has sold out at Diamond (though copies may be available at the retail level). This marks the seventh straight sell-out for the comic book event of the season, which has shocked readers with the appearance of a new mutant, the return of Cable and the formation of an all-new, all-different

To meet the overwhelming demand for this issue, Marvel is going back to press with X-Factor #26 Second Printing Variant, featuring the interior art of fan-favorite Scot Eaton on a new cover!

“I am so proud that Messiah CompleX is doing so well,” said editor Nick Lowe. “The writers and artists have put in so much work to knock your socks off and it seems to be working (though I hope your feet don’t get cold). Trust me when I say, the best is yet to come!”

David Gabriel, Marvel’s Senior Vice-President of Sales and Circulation added, “Sales on New X-Men and X-Factor have more than doubled since this started. With new titles launching out of this event such as X-Force, Cable, X-Men: Legacy and Young X-Men, as well as saying good bye to some old favorites, we'll have an entirely new invigorated X line up for 2008! "

Hailed as am “undeniable success so far” by IGN.Com, and with buzz continuing to grow, Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on X-Factor #26 Second Printing Variant and all chapters of Messiah CompleX. The X-Men have never faced a war like this before and when it’s done, not everyone may survive the x-perience!

Don’t miss a single issue of Messiah CompleX!

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 1 of 13
X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX ONE-SHOT NEW PRINTING (SEP078124)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by MARC SILVESTRI
Wraparound Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
Rated T+ …$3.99
On-Sale—11/28/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 2 of 13
UNCANNY X-MEN #492 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (SEP078145)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by BILLY TAN
Cover by BILLY TAN
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—11/15/07, On-Sale—12/05/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 3 of 13
X-FACTOR #25 (SEP072234)
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by SCOT EATON
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
Rated T+ …$2.99
On-Sale—NOW!

MESSIAH COMLPEX – PART 4 of 13
NEW X-MEN #44 (SEP072236)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Penciled by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by J.SCOTT CAMPBELL
Rated T+ …$2.99
On-Sale—11/21/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 5 of 13
X-MEN #205 (SEP072238)
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by CHRIS BACHALO
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by J.SCOTT CAMPBELL
Rated A …$2.99
On-Sale—11/28/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 6 of 13
UNCANNY X-MEN #493 (OCT072133)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by BILLY TAN
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—11/15/07, On-Sale—12/05/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 7 of 13
X-FACTOR #26 (OCT072135)
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by SCOT EATON
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—11/20/07, On-Sale—12/12/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 8 of 13
NEW X-MEN #45 (OCT072137)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Penciled by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—11/29/07, On-Sale—12/19/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 9 of 13
X-MEN #206 (OCT072139)
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by CHRIS BACHALO
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
Rated A …$2.99
FOC—12/06/07, On-Sale—12/27/07

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 10 of 13
UNCANNY X-MEN #494 (NOV072179)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by BILLY TAN
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
Rated T+ …$2.99
On-Sale—01/04/08

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 11 of 13
X-FACTOR #27 (NOV072181)
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by SCOT EATON
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—12/13/07, On-Sale—01/09/08

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 12 of 13
NEW X-MEN #46 (NOV072183)
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Penciled by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by MARC SILVESTRI
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—12/20/07, On-Sale—01/16/08

MESSIAH COMPLEX – PART 13 of 13
X-MEN #207 (NOV072185)
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by CHRIS BACHALO
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Rated A …$2.99
FOC—01/03/07, On-Sale—01/23/08

X-MEN MESSIAH COMPLEX POSTER (AUG072315)
24x36 Color Poster…$6.99
On-Sale—NOW!

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: X-MEN – MESSIAH COMPLEX (OCT072141)
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—12/06/07, On-Sale—12/27/07

X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX - MUTANT FILES (OCT072142)
Written by ERIC J. MOREELS, CHAD ANDERSON, STUART VANDAL, DAVID WILTFONG, SEAN MCQUAID, CHRIS BIGGS, MICHAEL HOSKIN, MIKE FICHERA, RONALD BYRD & MADISON CARTER
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—12/06/07, On-Sale—12/27/07

ComingSoon.net has learned that "Smallville" star Kristin Kreuk will play Chun-Li in Hyde Park Entertainment's Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li! Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak from a Justin Marks script, the action pic starts filming in Thailand in March, 2008. 20th Century Fox will distribute the live-action feature based on Capcom's video game. The movie is focused on female fighter Chun-Li and her journey for justice.

Get your first look at the all new Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, premiering on Kids WB! February 2nd, 2008.

After nearly 10 years since they last hit the arcades, Capcom says its time for a new Street Fighter (and not SF2THD, which should be hitting the PSN & Xbox Live later this year)! Street Fighter IV is currently in development, and may even reach arcades by late 2008/early 2009. The first two Street Fighter III games were ported to the Sega Dreamcast as a compilation titled Double Impact. Ports of 3rd Strike were released for the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

The CW announced late Tuesday it will shut down the nearly 13-year-old Kids' WB! franchise at the end of this season and turn Saturday mornings over to 4Kids Entertainment, which has handled Fox's Saturday morning kids block for the past six years.

Under the five-year pact, 4Kids will program five hours of children's programming between 7 a.m. and noon on Saturdays on the CW starting September 2008. 4Kids will handle all national commercial advertising, and will share in ad revenue with the CW. The CW's share will be applied against a guarantee 4Kids will pay the net.

Kids' WB! repped the last inhouse Saturday morning network block to air original kids' fare. Once a staple of the broadcast nets alongside daytime and latenight, the webs mostly eliminated the timeslot by the turn of the decade. ABC now runs repeats from the Disney Channel, while NBC, CBS and Fox have already farmed out the timeslot to outside licensees.