Posts Tagged ‘Superman’

With only a few weeks left until what I have grown to affectionately dub the “NEWNIVERSE“, we ought to savor this continuity (two of them if you count Flashpoint) while it lasts. I’ve Personally thought some of the final issues to be somewhat anticlimactic; kind of like it’s just another day in an ending universe tied up with a little ambiguous bow. One great Flashpoint title that left me with that taste in my mouth was BATMAN:KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE. ((Sort-of spoiler alert)) The whole concept was brilliant, as was Thomas’s revelation to the Joker at the end (and the Clown Princess of Crimes reaction to this fact), but her last words (or lack there of) at the finale made me cringe. Forget the bold idea that deep down sweet, loving, selfless, philanthropic Martha Wayne could have that mad evil lurking inside of her, just waiting to come out (I suppose it could mean that in the right circumstance any one of us could be pushed towards Joker-dom), I just wanted more to my final page than the dying utterance of “…Ba…” as a description of Gotham in all it’s complexity and darkness. Come on. Especially with the awesome finale location…errr…sassafrassin’. That gripe aside, the Batman mini-series has been one of my favorite in the FP line; very inventive. Well, let us now move onward to this weeks books. I put the titles I will be picking up in bold.

ACTION COMICS #904
BATMAN INCORPORATED #8
BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY #5 (OF 5)
BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM #5 (OF 5)
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #5
BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD
BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH #3 (OF 3)
CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #63
DC COMICS PRESENTS: JLA: HEAVEN’S LADDER
DC RETROACTIVE: GREEN LANTERN – THE ’90S
DC RETROACTIVE: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – THE ’90S
DC RETROACTIVE: SUPERMAN – THE ’90S
DC UNIVERSE: LEGACIES
DOOM PATROL: FIRE AWAY
DRIVER: CROSSING THE LINE
FLASHPOINT: HAL JORDAN #3 (OF 3)
FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST #3 (OF 3)
FLASHPOINT: LOIS LANE AND THE RESISTANCE #3 (OF 3)
FLASHPOINT: PROJECT SUPERMAN #3 (OF 3)
GEARS OF WAR #19
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #26
GREEN ARROW #15
GREEN LANTERN MOVIE PREQUEL: SINESTRO
GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #13
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #54
THE NEW TEEN TITANS OMNIBUS VOL. 1
THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS VOL. 1: STARRING SHADE THE CHANGING MAN
SUPERGIRL: BIZARROGIRL
SUPERMAN BEYOND #0
TEAM-UPS OF THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
TEEN TITANS #100
WONDER WOMAN #614
WORLD OF WARCRAFT BOOK 4
XOMBI #6
YOUNG JUSTICE #7

To find out more on these books go to http://dccomics.com/dcu/comics/

–ExSleepyInk

Superman is one of the most popular superheroes ever. With comic books becoming a more prominent in the movie industry fans are crazed to see what Zack Snyder will do with Superman. The last Superman film, Superman Returns was “ok”. Not really something that was well received. To me it was no more than a rehash of the original Superman film with a son thrown in to piss everyone off.

Comic book films have been coming out nearly every year since then. And a constant flow of reboots have been unleashed. Christopher Nolan’s Batman films being the most successful. I’m not even going to mention Marvel movies in this article. That is something all together different. DC Comics seems to be struggling with bringing their heroes to the big screen. Many of us were anticipating Green Lantern to be one of the greats of comic book film. It was an Epic Fail. Plain and simple. With over 200 million dollars you would believe Warner Brother had a good start to bringing a new hero to film. Geoff Johns has created a world like no other within the Green Lantern universe. I thought he was some sort of executive at DC Entertainment. Obviously no one wants to listen to him. Guess they learned their lesson. The hard way. Both Green Lantern cartoon movies were way better than the live action film. DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers are going to have a hard time getting people to believe in the Man of Steel. But I have faith that it will be as big if not bigger than the Dark Knight series. This is why…….

First The Director:

Zack Snyder is very different from the many directors of our time. He is the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas of our time. He pushes film and storytelling to the next level. He’s not afraid to take the chances needed to bring film to a higher platform. Snyder is the visionary. The artist. The film maker that comics have been waiting for. His track record speaks for itself.

300: A graphic novel turned film. Frank Millar’s re-imagining of the battle of 300 was one of the most fantastic films that year. nothing had ever been done like it. Zack Snyder showed great story telling skill. His ability to adapt a comic. And you have to admit everything from the actors to the action and music were superb.

The Watchmen: Another graphic novel that was just astounding. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons gave use a story of real life super heroes in a very real setting. Deeper than nearly any comic book. Watchman is one of those books that a fan would say can never be brought correctly to film. Well here we have the impossible brought to us. Snyder gave us one of the most controversial and talked about comic films EVER. Telling a story that was long and complex that was also visually stimulating.

Legend of the Guardians: I could never imagine a child’s book about owls being quite so entertaining. This CGI film was one of the best movies I saw last year. Owl’s have never been cooler. have you ever heard grown men shouting and cheering on a film meant for children. An epic hero film with only animals. Again Snyder shows range, depth and the ability to tell a compelling story.

Sucker Punch: His most crazy and misunderstood film yet. A work of art. Yet art is always up to the viewers interpretation. Sucker Punch was a an amalgam of abstract story telling and a tribute to some of his favorites genres. Zack Snyder is trying to teach the public something. I guess for the general movie goer it sucks that you don’t see it that way. But again we as Americans need to pay attention to the things we watch and to try to see a deeper meaning in movies, books ect. We go to the movies to be entertained. Film just as books, comics and video games are forms of Escapism. So many movie goers have lost their imagination. We no longer have the ability to let go. Suspension of Disbelief  is gone. The Wachowski Brothers told us to “free our minds” when The Matrix was released in 2000. The people didn’t understand that. Now Snyder is saying, “Escape”. Entertainment is an escape. Have fun with your movie or whatever it is your using to entertain yourselves. It’s fake and it’s supposed to be fun. Immerse yourself.

Zack Snyder has what it takes to make Superman the icon that Christopher Nolan has made Batman. The skill to tell an intriguing story. The love of action and great cinematography. He knows who to use special effects to the fullest ability. He has enough guts to push the envelope without letting the fans push him around. And he’s not ashamed to do a direct panel by panel shot from comic to film. And he makes it work perfectly.

But He’ll need as much of these as he can fit into the film.

Superman’s Powers:

Super Speed: Faster than a speeding bullet. Well that was in the old days. Superman’s speed is a bit slower than the Flash. That being said, he can run and fly at superhuman speeds. Breaking all types of sound barriers he should be able to move at considerable speeds while utilizing his other powers. (Catching and blocking bullets ect. Flying top speed using heat vision) Things like that.

Flying: You would think was one of the more simpler powers. But it is one of the things that makes Superman so special. Flying to him is what walking is ti everyone else. You should see him floating just because. The air is his. Show him venture out into space. Real space. Let him and Zod fight on Saturn or another planet. Show him fly into the sun. Now that has never been done.

Super Strength: The strongest superhero ever!?!?!? no one knows the upper limits of his strength. Let Superman embrace his power. Lifting cars is nothing to him. Let him lift a a hundred cars linked by a chain. Punch Zod through a a few mountains. Toss boulders. The punches between Zod and Clark should shatter windows and destroy buildings. Superman can rip open steel doors like tearing paper. Make him SUPER.

Heat,  X-Ray and Telescopic Vision: His heat vision isn’t some microwave in his eyes. it shouldn’t be meant to just melt things. Heat vision is a laser beam. use it to punch through metal earth and enemies. His x-ray vision can be used while saving people and flying around. looking through everything. diagnosing injuries. Finding structural instabilities. And of course his telescopic vision will be used to see “everything”.

Super Senses: Although it is rarely spoken or even shown Superman is Super all around. His hearing is outrageous. He can differentiate between all sounds even peoples heart beats. He can sense all types of electromagnetic wave lengths. And his power comes from the Sun. Superman is a a living solar battery. It should be shown how his cells absorb the solar radiation. All in all we should witness him using all his abilities together. Speed. Heat Vision. Cold Breath. Strength. Flight. Everything. The Powers by themselves are cool. But used in some kind of combination would make it spectacular.

Where does Lex Luthor fit into the Man of Steel?!?!? If at all. Truthfully we need Lex in some way shape or form. Will there be any talk or glimpse of other villains??  We want Brainiac!!!! Does Superman have his Fortress of Solitude? And what of the Kryptonian origin. The Man of Steel should be every bit Clark Kent, Kal-El and Superman. The people are looking for a Superman that smashes. The battle between Zod and him should be on pare with the Neo/Smith battle. Or the final battle between Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Powers getting thrown around everywhere. And lots of collateral damage. Also there should be some sort of cohesive universe to this world. Extra supporting characters that lend to the story. And give the movie depth. Let’s not forget about Kryptonite. Epic story telling. good pacing. And a nice score will round out this film that Snyder is putting together. With the cast he has assembled The Man of Steel shaping up to be a fine film.

So many things are out there about Superman. But everything just can’t be put into one film. I think Zack Snyder has a handle on it. Until the trailer, I guess we can look at these pics and hope for the best.

Brainiac

Lex Luthor

Superman Power Fight Videos:

Recently, that is yesterday DC comics announced that 52 titles will start over from #1. This starts ion August 31. The first title to begin this massive restart will be Justice League with the creative team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee.

It seems that the two DC powerhouses are going to show the comic industry how to do it right. Both Johns and Lee hold executive positions at DC Entertainment. Now they will continue the jobs that made them so famous. Personally this title will be something big. Apparently the Flashpoint titles and storyline will pave the way for this ultimate end of the entire Crisis storyline that started in the 80′s. Maybe. But if you ever thought about reading comics or have fallen off, (like myself). This August is REALLY the best time to get into DC Comics. And you could always pick up the trade paperback of Flashpoint later. Here is an excerpt from various spots that were able to speak with the big wigs at DC.

Also if look closely at this JLA picture by Jim Lee, you will see that everyone with a collar has the “V” neck. Ryan Reynolds also has the same collar in the up coming Green Lantern film. Any connection!?!?!? Who knows!?!?!

DCU Source Blog: Press Release (via Screenrant)

“On Wednesday, August 31st, DC Comics will launch a historic renumbering of the entire DC Universe line of comic books with 52 first issues, including the release of Justice League by New York Times bestselling writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee. The publication of Justice League issue 1 will launch day-and-date digital publishing for all these ongoing titles, making DC Comics the first of the two major American publishers to release all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print.

“DC Comics will only publish two comic books on August 31st: the final issue of this summer’s comic book mini-series Flashpoint and the first issue of Justice League by Johns and Lee, two of the most distinguished and popular contemporary comic book creators, who will be collaborating for the first time. Together they will offer a contemporary take on the origin of the comic book industry’s premier superhero team.”

DCE Senior Vice President of Sales Bob Wayne: (via Screenrant)

“[T]he new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age. All stories will be grounded in each character’s legend – but will relate to real world situations, interactions, tragedy and triumph.

“We think our current fans will be excited by this evolution, and that it will make jumping into the story extremely accessible to first-time readers – giving them a chance to discover DC’s characters and stories.

“We have taken great care in maintaining continuity where most important, but fans will see a new approach to our storytelling.

“Some of the characters will have new origins, while others will undergo minor changes. Our characters are always being updated; however, this is the first time all of our characters will be presented in a new way all at once.

“Dan DiDio, Bob Harras and Eddie Berganza have been working diligently to pull together some of the best creative teams in the industry. Over 50 new costumes will debut in September, many updated and designed by artist Jim Lee, ensuring that the updated images appeal to the current generation of readers.”

Hey, Folks!  One of the reasons I’ve been so behind on the Wednesday comic list and reviews is because I’ve been waiting for a month for a comic shipment that got lost in the mail.  The Florida USPS is clueless about it and take no resposibility.  Sadly I put tracking on it (which ended in the Opa Locka processing plant not too far north from me) and neglected to get insurance.   Furthermore, and more distressing, that particular place deals with all the priority mail and is known for being the blackhole for parcels.  Woe is me.  I really hope I receive my last two weeks worth of books soon so I can get some words up for you.  This is the drawback (horrors really) of living nowhere near a comic shop.  Well, at any rate…here are today’s books and my picks!

DC

• THE ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #7
• BATGIRL #21
• BATMAN & ROBIN: BATMAN MUST DIE DELUXE EDITION
• BATMAN INCORPORATED #6
• BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY #1 (OF 5)
• BATMAN: THE STREETS OF GOTHAM – HUSH MONEY
• BIRDS OF PREY #12
• BIRDS OF PREY VOL. 1: ENDRUN
• CINDERELLA: FABLES ARE FOREVER #4 (OF 6)
• DC COMICS PRESENTS: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES – LEGION OF THE DAMNED
• DC COMICS PRESENTS: THE FLASH
• DEADMAN VOL. 1
• DOC SAVAGE #14
• THE FLASH #12
• FLASHPOINT #1
• INFAMOUS #5 (OF 6)
• JEW GANGSTER
• NORTHLANDERS #40
• R.E.B.E.L.S. #28
• RED ROBIN #23
• STARCRAFT
• SUPERBOY: THE BOY OF STEEL
• SUPERMAN #711
• TITANS #35
• THE UNWRITTEN #25
• YOSSEL

Vertigo

• CINDERELLA: FABLES ARE FOREVER #4 (OF 6)
• NORTHLANDERS #40
• THE UNWRITTEN #25

I’m going to be picking up (getting mailed to me, rather…hopefully) Batgirl #21, Batman Incorporated #6, Batman: Arkham City #1, Birds Of Prey #12, The Flash #12, Flashpoint # 1, Red Robin # 23,  and Superman # 711.

And (on the Dark Horse tip) for you people who have been desperately missing Roger in the Mignolaverse…Look…No…Further!

Hellboy: Being Human (one-shot)

Well, kiddies, enjoy your reads and come back to visit me next week!

—ExSleepyInk

P.S.  I am a DC

Warner Brothers announced that Michael Shannon ( Boardwalk Empire) will play the role of Zod in the upcoming Superman film. The Film is only called plainly “The Man Of Steel”. This movie will be directed by Zack Snyder. I believe they are looking for a December 2012 release.

NOW, KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s a big Bat-week!  As you all know, Bruce has returned from the timestream and defeated death (and the Omega sanction).  Now he is back in Gotham with big plans.  He’s already made an announcement that might change the game in the superhero community in a big way: Batman Incorporated.  I have my qualms with the implications that his very public decision will have on his friends, and the battle plan.  For instance, in the last issue of Red Robin, Tim broke Lynx out of police custody uncertain whether she is indeed an undercover Hong Kong police officer, or just a ruthless gang leader.  At the end, it was implied he was using something other than his head–you pick the organ.  Then, after he let’s her go, Bruce appears out of the shadows and makes an allusion to his recurring Catwoman situation/relationship over the years.  Ok…wouldn’t Bruce be concerned about his partner, or any member of his team for that matter, being seen doing something so blatantly illegal when he just made it known that he funds these people?  Can we say accessory?  Nope; instead he makes light of the situation.  I’ll admit, I’m not so sure I’m thrilled with the direction it’s headed.  I will miss the loner; the dark era of Batman.  But, if the last generation lived through the transition from the silver to the modern age, at least we can say we lived, collected, and read through the new age (the post-modern age?).  It will be nice to see Batman getting the power he deserves though, and Bruce being in the hot spotlight will add tension and offer new conflicts ripe for story possibilities.  As always time will tell.  We will just have to hold onto the pages white-knuckled.  Happy reading!  Remember to apologize to your starving wallet.  Let me know what you’re reading.

Vertigo

WildStorm

Make sure you pick up this Hellboy issue!  It’s gonna be awesome!

Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil (one-shot) (Mike Mignola cover)

–ExSleepyInk (Yeah, it doesn’t thrill me either that there are so many Bat-books out now.  I mean, I love him, but when’s it gonna stop? Absence makes the heart grow fonder…it also makes me not have to take on an extra day at work just to follow my favorite character!)

Vulture got a chance to sit down with Armie Hammer (The Social Network, Gossip Girl) and talk about a few things.  Of course, the topic of his work on the fabled George Miller (Mad Max) Justice League film arose.  Revealed was not only his disappointment of never getting to follow through with playing the Caped Crusader, but also details of production and some of the reasons the big budget movie never came to be.  You can read that segment of the interview below.

Of course, you had a little bit of superhero experience already with George Miller’s Justice League, where you were cast as Batman. I know the movie was scuttled just before it was supposed to start shooting, but I also read that you never got a picture of yourself in the costume? Can’t you just send George Miller an e-mail asking for that, Armie?
Oh, dude, I would do anything for that! I would paint that on my living room wall. I would tattoo that on my back. No, like when we were down there on the soundstages, they would take our cell phones from us if they had cameras on them. This was so top secret and so locked down, it was like walking into the Pentagon.

There have been a lot of Batman costumes, from the outlandish Joel Schumacher costumes to the more grounded battle armor of Christopher Nolan’s films. What kind of take did George Miller have in mind?
It was very, very character-specific. It did have a semblance of a battle-armor feel, but at the same time, because it was so character-specific, it was all made out of the finest materials. Because Batman has such incredible resources, his utility belt was made from the finest Italian leather and highly polished, and the things that would come out of his forearm, they were titanium but wrapped in very fine leather. I mean, it was all really well-done, very utilitarian. This was before Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight had come out, and this was going to be the first movie where Batman would be able to turn his head [in the cowl]. We had the first bat-suit that let the head turn, it just never got the chance to make it onto the screen.

I’m still surprised that it didn’t happen. I know there were budget issues and the WGA strike sapped the movie’s momentum, but Miller had it so planned out that it’s hard to believe he simply walked away from it. And now he seems to be running into problems with his Mad Max reboot.
I know, the poor guy. He’s such a genius, too! It’s a shame. The thing with Justice League is that he created an entire universe, and everything was done. They had pre-vizzed a lot of the special-effects sequences, and we saw some of the fight sequences without even having filmed them yet. There was a giant room that he had turned into the storyboard room — this huge conference room that had floor-to-ceiling storyboards on the walls — and you’d start at one point and just walk around the entire room and by the time you were done, it was frame-for-frame the entire movie. We saw it on paper and we were going to bring it to life, we just never got the chance.

So now what happens to that stuff? It just gets locked in a box and put in the Warner Bros. basement, Raiders of the Lost Ark–style?
Yeah, I guess so. One of the most crippling things that happened to us financially was that the Australian government denied us a 40 percent tax rebate that we were supposed to get. We had a crew entirely comprised of Australians, the director was Australian, most of the producers were down there in Australia … it was Australian through and through, but they felt we hadn’t hired enough Australian actors. And of the main cast, three or four of them were Australian and there’s only, like, seven [main characters], so I don’t know how many they wanted. But they denied us that 40 percent tax credit and with a budget that size, 40 percent is something you just can’t leave on the table.

Did you learn anything from the prep for that movie that you were able to use later? I mean, you were even shadowing Australian detectives for the role, right?
No, not Australian detectives, Australian special forces!

Oh, wow.
Yeah, so it was even more bad-ass. [Laughs.] I was learning insertion techniques, gun handling … all the stuff that Batman has to know because he doesn’t have superpowers. He’s human, so he has to be the consummate fighter but he also has to have a detective’s mind, so we would spend a lot of time cultivating that. You’d be handling situations and finding people’s weaknesses and exploiting them. It was very Machiavellian, in a way.

(They also briefly touched base on his being at the top of a lot of people’s Superman reboot wishlist)

You’ve made a lot of people’s Superman fantasy-casting lists. Did you have your people put in a call to Zack Snyder, who’s directing the reboot?
[Laughs.] You know what’s funny? I did talk to my people recently about that for the first time, and I think they’re going a little older with Superman. I hear they’re going 35, 40.

Really? Wow, Jon Hamm will be excited.
Yeah, I don’t know what that might mean.

(Let me know what you guys think about all this)—ExSleepyInk

After a long, exciting, and exhausting weekend, it is an equally big week at the comic shop.  The main draw? Bruce is on his way home! Changes will continue to happen in Batman’s world.  Yes, it is a bit much to pay for all of these titles in order to stay in the loop, but at least they have announced that a price cut is coming.  It’s only fair, with all these big events and whatnot.  Kind of like a stimulus for hardcore comic fans.  Cheers!

Vertigo

WildStorm

…And as for Dark Horse Comics…

B.P.R.D.: Hell of Earth—New World #3

Today Deadline has confirmed that the sensational director Zack Snyder WILL direct the upcoming Warner Brothers Superman. Snyder originally said no. Deadline confirmed Snyder’s involvement, and got this statement from him.