Rowling just killed that Potter encyclopedia we were waiting for

By Matthew Jackson, Source: Blastr.com

Even before the Harry Potter novels were finished, J. K. Rowling was teasing us with the idea of an encyclopedia detailing all the magical ins and outs of the Wizarding World. She always said the book would take a while, but now it seems she could be abandoning the idea entirely. Why?

Last we heard about the encyclopedia, it was one of those things Rowling would get done somewhere down the road, with all the proceeds going to charity. But a new update to the FAQ section on Rowling’s official site seems to put those plans in serious jeopardy.

Rumor of the day: The Rock’s big-screen superhero role revealed

By Trent Moore, Source: Blastr.com

Rumors have been swirling ever since Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson dropped a hint via Twitter that he could take up the mantle of a DC comics character sometime soon. Now we may know who it is.

According to Bleeding Cool, a tipster overheard the Rock at a party bragging about his new role as the DC antihero Lobo, an interstellar gun-for-hire that had a very popular run in the 1990s.

It follows up on the Rock’s recent Twitter post to a fan, where he responded “Funny U say that” when someone asked if he might ever play a DC hero.

Waid Writes the (Other) Avengers in “Steed & Mrs. Peel”

By Josh Bell, Source: CBR.com

The Avengers are about to collide with a different kind of Hellfire Club in a new ongoing series from BOOM! Studios. “Steed & Mrs. Peel,” featuring the characters from the influential 1960s British spy series “The Avengers,” launches in August, following up on BOOM!’s recent reprint of the 1990 Grant Morrison/Ian Gibson “Steed & Mrs. Peel” miniseries. Mark Waid is writing the zero issue that opens the new series, and co-writing from then on with Caleb Monroe (“The Remnant,” “Hunter’s Fortune”), with art by Steve Bryant (“Athena Voltaire”).

“James Bond by way of Dr. Who” is Waid’s shorthand for the enduring appeal of “The Avengers.” Featuring dashing secret agents John Steed and Emma Peel taking on criminals, conspiracies and supernatural phenomena, the writer gave CBR News a description of the classic television series he plans to translate for a modern comics audience. “Steed and Peel tend to investigate cases with an odd angle to them,” Waid said. “Houses built as giant killing machines, towns abandoned by their citizens, killers with methods that are pure science-fiction.”

7 years after his death, Star Trek’s Scotty is heading into space

By Trent Moore, Source: Bleastr.com

James Doohan, best known as Scotty from Star Trek: The Original Series, spent much of his career playing a spacefaring hero. But today he will finally make it into orbit—albeit seven years after his death.

Doohan’s cremated ashes, along with those of about 300 other space enthusiasts, will be included on a private spacecraft heading to the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies’ Falcon 9 rocket is set to deliver equipment to the ISS, but it also has another purpose.