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There are a lot of different ways to conduct a religious sermon. Sometimes a preacher can even make it fun, exciting, and easy to relate to, but few people would expect a Catholic priest to be one of them. Which is why a lot of people have homed in on Father Alvarez in Mexico, who uses the icons of Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man in his weekly mass for children.

It seems like one of the legal battles that has gone on for decades over the rights to Superman has finally ended. With a unanimous decision, an appeals panel has decided that the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel have to follow the terms of a 2001 letter and give up their 50% share of Superman in exchange for an undisclosed offer by Warner Bros. Considering how long the families of Siegel and co-creator Joe Shuster have been battling Warner Bros over Superman, it'll be hard to believe this is really the end. No one stays dead in comics, not even legal battles.

The last time anybody got truly excited for a film featuring DC Comics' omnipotent powerhouse being released was back in 1979 for Superman: The Movie. Otherwise, the red "S" has since become synonymous with the image of a dead Comet the Super-Horse being beaten to a pulp by Warner Brothers film executives. This disdain for all things Superman extended somewhat to even the release of the first teaser trailer for director Zack Snyder's re-imagining of the hero, since it didn't give us much to work with. If the latest trailer for Man of Steel is anything to go by, it looks like our popcorn buckets might remain in our laps and not be hurled at the screen this coming summer.

Everybody loves Neil DeGrasse Tyson. So it's no surprise that when DC Comics decided that Superman would try to find Krypton in the night sky in an upcoming issue of ACTION COMICS, they thought Mr. Tyson should be the person to help the Man of Steel. (In such a vulnerable moment, it's important to have support from a friend, right?) What DC wasn't banking on, I'd wager, was how involved Mr. Tyson would become once he agreed to let them use his likeness: Tyson worked with the writers to find a real star that could serve as a plausible location for Krypton's sun based on the relatively fuzzy criteria about the planet's location.

It's just about over, folks. You're one day away from not having to see another political ad for nearly 24 months. Now that you've made your voice heard -- you did vote, didn't you? -- for the candidates of your choice, take a moment to sit back and reminisce about some of the Presidents that the world of geekdom has given us. After all, participating in a democracy is tiring work, and you've earned a break today of all days. If you're not done telling people how you think things should be done, though, by all means, let us know what Commanders-in-Chief you think should or shouldn't be on this list, either in the comments or on our Facebook page. It may not be your civic duty or anything, but we always want to hear what you think.

Good news and bad news, everyone. The bad news? Marvel and DC are continuing their frankly troubling and stupid streak of revealing what's happening in next week's comics before those books actually hit the stands. The good news? The latest spoiler is for something you couldn't give a damn about with a gun to your head anyway. So, everyone ready? Clark Kent is quitting his job as a reporter for the Daily Planet, because he has too much journalistic integrity to work there any more. However, everybody has to make a living, even superheroes, and so, Superman will be running his own blog.

DC Comics, and by extension Warner Bros. Entertainment, cut a deal in 1992 that basically meant they assumed 50% ownership of everything Superman in perpetuity. This has since been hotly contested by Joe Shuster's heirs, even though it was his sister and heir Jean Peavy that made the agreement in the first place. After a lengthy legal battle, the court has now ruled that the 1992 agreement stands, and Warner Bros. totally owns 50% of Superman.

A new series of super hero-themed LEGO sets based on recent and upcoming comic book films may have just confirmed, if not revealed, key plot points from Marvel's next movie, Iron Man 3, and Zach Snyder's upcoming take on Superman, Man of Steel. A list of upcoming LEGO sets, on track to come out in 2013, feature Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Superman. Though some of the sets clearly have no relationship their film counterparts, (there's a Batman-themed set called "Aquaman on Ice.") the Iron Man and Superman-themed sets match up with rumored details about Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel. For the record, the rest of this post may contain relatively detailed spoilers about Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel. Proceed at your own risk.

For years, they've been dancing around it. Hiding their feelings. Calling it impractical. In 2012, Superman and Wonder Woman have stopped pretending, and are now the most super superhero couple in the DC universe. Starting in next week's issue of Justice League, Superman and Wonder Woman will hook up and start dating.

Apparently, with this week's release of Action Comics #900, "a blockbuster issue filled to the brim with guest talent from all corners of the world of Superman adaptations," Superman will renounce his U.S. citizenship.

In the issue, Superman gets in some hot water with the president’s National Security Advisor for showing up in Tehran in support of Iranian protesters. Just showing up, non-violently. Since Superman is an American hero, Iran’s Government construes his actions as being with the tacit permission of the US Government. This desire to remain autonomous from whatever administration exists in Washington is what motivates the Man of Steel’s decision (panels above). Controversial comics stuff, treating superheroes like they exist in greater world full of regular human beings and their governments! … if you’re Superman in 2011 and not, to pick one example, The Authority in 1999.

Our sister site The Mary Sue has a nice analysis. (via The Mary Sue. pic via Comics Alliance)

As you may have noticed, I am a Batman fan. But here's a dirty little secret: I also. Love. Watching Superman. Punch giant robots. This video may engender the same love in you. (Rob Pratt's Superman Classic is heavily influenced by the Fleischer Superman cartoons, and even uses music from the same, I think to great effect.) (via Comics Alliance.)

Straight from Deadline itself: Henry Cavill, veteran of The Count of Monte Cristo, Showtime's The Tudors, and Stardust has been tapped to play Superman in Zack Snyder's new reboot. Says Deadline:

Warner Bros clearly has chosen a more macho leading man for Superman than the previous Brandon Routh.  Cavill also has a past with Superman. Before Bryan Singer came on to direct Superman Returns and cast Brandon Routh, Cavill had been one of the frontrunner choices for directers Brett Ratner and McG when they were going to helm the picture. That Superman was younger, and this time, the intention was to cast an actor near 30. Cavill will be 28 this year, so things worked out just right for him.

A little while ago, FarmVille was offering these costumes to its players, named, respectively SuperFarmvilleMan and SuperFarmvilleWoman. And now... it's not.  Not only are they not available to purchase, they have been removed from the accounts of those who bought them in return for refunds.  And we know how Zynga feels about refunds. The most likely reason for the yank?  Well... just look at them.

You may be seeing a lot of press about a new version of Superman these days, from a graphic novel called Superman: Earth One that comes out today. People have been throwing around adjectives with no regard for the safety of those around them, words like "cinematic," or "staggering," or "hipster." You may be wondering how this new version of the Man of Steel will affect you and your loved ones. Is he really a hipster? Does he still stand for Truth, Justice, and the American Way? Is he going to lobotomize me with his laser eyesohgod. Allow us to explain.

Target's name is something of a self-fulfilling prophecy these days. Just to make sure that everyone has beef with them, the retailer has levied a snide, mocking blow at, of all people, moms who take the time to make charming homemade costumes for their kids instead of buying a cheap licensed knock off at some big box store.