Comics, Sports, Auctions & More

• Yesterday I told you that "The Shield" was being developed as a comic by IDW Publishing. Today I can show you the first piece of preliminary art used to advertise the new comic series as well as a bit more information. With the right team, this comic could really rock!
• Steve Niles [Guns, Drugs and Monsters] is teaming with Rob Zombie to write a new comic called The Nail. It's the story of satanic bikers and all the mischief that they can get into on any given day. The story is scheduled to begin in early 2004. I like Niles' work so I'm going to keep up with this.
• Orson Welles' Oscar from "Citizen Kane," regarded by many as the best movie ever made, is expected to fetch between $300,000 and $400,000 now that it is up for auction! You just know that Big Beatty would love this since he's a big Welles fan. [Maybe he'll sneak in a bid... then we could call him "Bid Beatty."]
• EAGLE, Colo. (Reuters) - Basketball star Kobe Bryant was charged today with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel employee. In a statement, Bryant said, "I am innocent of the charges filed today. I did not assault the woman who is accusing me. I made the mistake of adultery. I have to answer to my wife and my God for my actions that night and I pray that both will forgive me." Kobe had one of the best reputations in the league... I guess he should ask for forgiveness from the young lady as well. However this turns out it is sad for all involved.
• If you don't want to bid against Big Beatty for Orson Welles' Oscar, you may want to try bidding on some personal items which belonged to JKF!
• BERLIN (Reuters) - A German court fined a man 1,350 euros ($1,500) for attempted blackmail after he gave himself away by giving the intended victim his bank account details for the cash transfer. Another criminal mastermind who slipped up!
• LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Outraged by a Las Vegas company that claims to offer men a chance to stalk and shoot naked women in the Nevada desert with paintball guns, women's groups and government agencies were scrambling to find a way to shut down such "Bambi" hunts. Now what will Big Beatty do to pass the weekends?
• Okay, so you don't want to bid on Orson Welles' Oscar, and you don't want to take a shot at JFK's stuff... how about plunking down on a 40-year-old, handmade prototype for the G.I. Joe action doll that's set for auction, with a record minimum bid of $600,000? I'd take a shot at it but if I won you'd have to call me G.I. Owe!
• MELBOURNE, Australia - In a rushed grab-and-run robbery, two men with a sawed-off shotgun stole two bags of garbage from a gasoline station attendant. Police say they have no idea why the men grabbed the trash, but assumed they thought the bags contained money. One can never understand the mind of a criminal genus.
• PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Jurors who were mooned by a defendant needed only 30 minutes Thursday to find the man guilty of armed burglary and aggravated battery. Cornell Jackson, 29, punctuated his insanity defense by loudly hooting "cuckoo-cuckoo" and then dropping his pants to moon the jury on Wednesday. How do you "hoot" "cuckoo-cuckoo"?