Category Archives: DC
6 Things I Want From a Justice League Movie
There will be a live action Justice League movie in my lifetime – but I don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. The news last week that Hollywood scribe Will Beall had been hired to write a Justice League script means about as much to me as Will Beall being hired to write a new script for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. It means nothing! Scripts are being written in Hollywood all the time, especially for superhero movies. And they routinely go nowhere. So until Warner Bros. actually begins real, physical production on a Justice League movie, I’m not going to care about the insider gossip.
Though I am going to speculate about what I’d like to see in a live action Justice League movie!
They’ll be in their trailers
What characters should appear? Who should they fight? Should it try to tie in any of the previous Batman or Superman films? These are burning questions in a fertile geek mind like my own. Now, there’s no way in the flaming halls of Hell that I’d ever be hired to pen a Justice League script, but I’m still a pretty awesome and creative guy. Plus I saw The Avengers twice in theaters, so I think I know a little something about superhero team movies. And here are 6 things I would like to see in a live action Justice League movie!
New Green Lantern? New Origin for Tim Drake?
Hi-dee-ho there, comic book fans! Your favorite blogger here bringing you some fascinating news out of DC Comics. Who is the new Green Lantern? And is DC going to change the origin for Tim Drake, the third Robin? We’re going to find out the answer to both questions in September!
In September, the one-year anniversary of the New 52 reboot, DC will be publishing a #0 issue for each of their titles. These will be flashback and prequel issues, revealing a bit of the new backstory that came with the reboot. This is a fantastic idea, because DC have told us very little about large swaths of the back story. You can check out the full solicitations here, if you’re so inclined.
But of the solicitations, two really stuck out to me: Green Lantern #0 and Teen Titans #0.
First, in the Green Lantern issue, we’re finally going to be introduced to the new human Green Lantern who made his first appearance in DC’s Free Comic Book Day issue. Only in that issue, he seemed to be an antagonist against the Justice League. Yeahbuwha?
I’m excited to see a new Green Lantern. I’ve never particularly cared for any of the four previous human Green Lanterns, and so new blood is just what that franchise needs. The ring can go to anyone, after all. And we haven’t had a new Green Lantern since the early 90s. This guy is apparently Arabic, based on the tattoo on his arm, so that’s cool. Diversity is always a good thing. But I am a little worried about that antagonist thing. Hopefully it’ll get sorted out.
My guess is that this guy, whose name we don’t yet know, will be getting Hal Jordan’s old ring. Prior to the reboot, Hal was kicked out of the Green Lantern Corps and stripped of his ring. Meanwhile, Sinestro had been inducted back into the Corps for reasons that remain mysterious. Since the reboot started, Sinestro has used his Power Ring to give Hal temporary Green Lantern powers so that they can go on adventures together. So that still leaves open the fate of Hal’s ring – which I think this new guy is going to get!
Meanwhile, we have Teen Titan #0.
The solicitation says that we’re going to take a look at how Tim Drake became Robin.
“Focusing on the origin of Tim Drake; how a would be Olympic star and computer genius went on to become Batman’s third Robin.”
So yeah, would-be Olympic star? Computer genius? Neither one was ever part of Tim’s original origin. Granted he’s always been good with computers, but he was never a computer genius. And also, Olympic athlete and computer genius? Do those even go together?
Tim’s original origin had him as a youthful detective who correctly deduced the identities of Batman and Robin using only his smarts and some good detective work. Then after Jason Todd dies, Tim notices that Batman has become a lot more reckless without a Robin. Tim tries to convince Dick Grayson to return as Robin, but Dick won’t go for it. Then when Batman is really in danger, Tim decides that he must do something brave and impulsive, and so he goes to aid him wearing the Robin costume. It’s only later that Bruce finally comes around and accepts Tim as a new Robin.
When it comes to the New 52 timeline, DC really shot themselves in the foot by declaring that superheroes have only really been around for about 5 years…yet they kept all four Robins. So Batman had four different Robins over a 5 year span? How does that even work? Especially considering that Damian Wayne, the current Robin, is 10 years old. That would mean Bruce Wayne has been Batman for at leas t10 years to have met Ras al Ghul and Talia…I dunno, it’s all very confusing.
But making Tim a would-be Olympic athlete would cut down on the time needed to train him to be Robin, making him easier to squeeze into that 5 year span. But does this also mean they’re going to change everything else out about his origin?
I sure hope not. The idea that Tim decided on his own that Batman needs a Robin is key to the character, and to the mantle of Robin. I plan to write a lot more on this someday, but it never works out whenever Batman choose who will be his next Robin. The new kid has to come to him naturally through the story. So I really hope DC doesn’t drastically alter Tim Drake’s origin.
Not that there’s anything I can do about it if they do…
New DC Comics Fail to Excite Me
Come on, DC! You should be trying harder to get me to buy your comics! Is it really so hard to tailor your line to fit the desires of this one blogger in Upstate New York? I shouldn’t think so!
Anyway, enough silliness. DC Comics announced today four new comic book series to join their New 52 lineup. And I simply don’t care about any of them, sorry. Not gonna buy them. Not gonna be surprised when they get cancelled.
Talon
1. Talon by writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, with artist Guillem March.
“Meet Calvin Rose, the only Talon to ever escape the grasp of the Court of Owls. This former assassin of the Court is trying to live a normal life … but that’s impossible when he’s being hunted by his former masters!”
I’m pretty sure that Night of the Owls has been a big success across the Batman line, in no small part to the genius writing of Scott Snyder. Plus the Talons have a cool look. So it’s no surprise that DC would want to get something more out of that story. If I were going to buy any of these new comics, it would be this one. While the Talons have been dangerous foes so far, they are utterly lacking when it comes to personality. They all may have unique histories, but they all end up as just soulless assassins. Except for this guy, apparently. It’s also pretty cool that DC is trying to push a brand new superhero. Hopefully he’ll catch on.
Sword of Sorcery
2. Sword of Sorcery by writer Christy Marx, with artist Aaron Lopresti.
“Featuring the return of Amethyst, Amy Winston leads a strange life on the road with her mother and resents it. She’s about to learn it’s all been necessary when she discovers she’s the lost princess of Gemworld—and she’s being hunted by her murderous aunt. With a back-up story written by Tony Bedard with art by Jesus Saiz, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the monstrous warrior Beowulf is charged with finding and defeating the evil Grendel.”
What the blooming hell? Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld? Can people even pronounce that word properly? A little Wikipedia search revealed that this is based on an old series from back in the 1980s, which makes sense since she looks like Jem. But still, what an odd choice. I guess DC really wanted a sword & sorcery comic, and decided to kill two birds with one stone by going with a strong female protagonist. And it looks like a female writer too, so awesome with that. Maybe this one is worth a buy as well, if only to support the womenfolk. Still…odd choice.
Phantom Stranger
3. The Phantom Stranger by writer Dan DiDio, with artist Brent Anderson.
“Spinning out of his recent appearances in JUSTICE LEAGUE and DC’s Free Comic Book Day story, learn more about the true origin of The Phantom Stranger and his connection to the mysterious Pandora.”
For those of you who didn’t pick up DC”s Free Comic Book Day comic, we learned that the Phantom Stranger is actual Judas from the New Testament, the guy who betrayed Jesus for 40 pieces of silver. He’s been turned into the Phantom Stranger by the mystical powers that be as punishment. And Pandora is the little Pandora from the Greek myth of ‘Pandora’s Box’, blamed for opening the forbidden box and unleashing all the evils in the world. She too is being punished by those mystical powers that be. But I don’t care. I’ve never had any interest in the Phantom Stranger and I definitely don’t know. And I really, really don’t care about delving into the mysteries of the New 52 universe. No thank you.
Team 7
4. Team Seven by writer Justin Jordan, with artist Jesus Merino.
“Set in the early days of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, threads of the entire DC Universe collide. As Superman emerges, so does the world’s counter measures against him and his kind. Team 7 is comprised of Dinah Lance, Amanda Waller, Steve Trevor, John Lynch, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash and Slade Wilson — and their story will change everything you know about DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.”
I guess this is based on an old Wildstorm concept, rejiggered so as to include popular DC characters like Amanda Waller and Slade Wilson. Not to mention Dinah Lance, Black Canary, and Steve Trevor, who is serving as a liaison to the Justice League now. So the idea of putting all of them together onto some kind of anti-superhero team sounds intriguing, the fact that it’s set in the early days of the New 52 is a bad idea. The timeline of the New 52 is screwed up enough as it is, we don’t need a book mucking around with it even more. And it’s not like any of those characters are a big deal in the New 52. I know Deathstroke has his own comic, and Waller has shown up a few times, but was anybody really clamoring for their secret backstory? DC seems to think we all want to know the secret bits and pieces of how their new timeline works, whereas we’re all still waiting to find out the bigger picture!
Which I guess DC is also doing. In September, for the one year anniversary of the New 52, all the comics will tell a prequel story. How did our heroes get to where they are in the New 52? That kind of thing, with all of the issues numbered ‘zero’. Those could be fun to read.
Anyway, four new books. Some look potentially interesting, maybe. But mostly they look dull and boring. What do you guys think?
Also because DC is sticking to the number 52, that means four titles will be cancelled. We already know that Justice League International is getting the ax, but they haven’t revealed what else. It sounds kind of silly to be cancelling all these books so frequently, considering they already did this once back in the spring.
But then Jim Lee gave a quote to Newsarama about why they’re doing it, and now it makes sense to me.
We’re looking at the New 52 sort of from a TV model, in that every season, or every wave, we’ll be putting out new books that interject fresh material and new creative teams into the DCU.
So yeah, bringing in new blood more often instead of letting bad, poor-selling comics rot on the shelves. Makes sense to me!
6 Popular Superheroes That Do Nothing For Me
If I ever become a professional comic book writer, my dream project would be Robin, the Boy Wonder. Not Batman, not Teen Titans, but simply Robin. I am probably the biggest Robin fan you’re ever likely to meet, which might seem weird to some, considering Robin is one of the most maligned and disliked comic book characters of all time! But that’s simply the way I role. When it comes to comic book characters, I tend to like the more obscure, secondary characters. You can even check out my list of my 6 favorite comic book characters and see what I mean.
Though I actively hate dogs in stupid clothes
But I got to thinking and realized that there aren’t many comic book characters that I actively hate. Not even Damian Wayne. However, there are a lot of comic book characters, especially some classic, all-time greats, who I simply don’t care about. Weird, right? I love obscure, secondary characters, but don’t care for hugely popular iconic characters. I can’t tell if that makes me more or less of a total geek. But I look at some of these amazing characters and the most I can muster is a shrug and a “meh”. No thanks, not for me. Here are 6 popular comic book characters that I just don’t care about, one way or another.
Review: Teen Titans #9 and The Culling
For anybody who eagerly reads my Teen Titans reviews, I’m apologize that this is so late. I have been dreading The Culling storyline, which is a crossover with two comics that I don’t read: Superboy and Legion Lost. I’ve been dreading The Culling because, quite honestly, Teen Titans has been a bad comic book, especially in the build up to this crossover. And I simply don’t want to have to buy Superboy or Legion Lost. Plus the rest of the Internet has been pretty negative about The Culling. So I just kept putting off actually reading the damn thing.
Teen Titans #9
Now that I’ve read it, I’m somewhat relieved to say that The Culling wasn’t so bad. Writer Scott Lobdell has finally answered pretty much all of my questions about N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and has actually provided a reasonable explanation for everything that’s happened so far.
Unfortunately, one has to sacrifice character development, personality and more than a few brain cells to enjoy this action-oriented story.
Teen Titans #9 rating: 4/5: Good. The Culling rating: 3/5: Alright.
What can I say? While I was reading The Culling (at least the parts I bought) I was enjoying myself. The comic is almost entirely climax, with the Teen Titans finally facing off against everything N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has to offer. The big threat that has been building since Teen Titans #1 – and spent most of that time in the frustrating shadows – finally comes to a head in a big way. And the Teen Titans band together, kick some ass and save the day, while facing some bittersweet truths in the process. If I was more invested in these characters or these villains, this would definitely be a satisfying conclusion to the entire Teen Titans opening story arc.
But once you get past the action, there’s nothing left. The characters all blend together, with few, if any, unique personalities. There is no character growth or any real emotional bonding between any of them, which has been a problem with Teen Titans since the start. Despite knowing N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s master plan, they still remain a largely stupid opponent, with far too much reach and power to fit comfortably into the DC Universe.
Though I will say that the art remains pretty good. More after the jump.
Henchman-4-Hire 