Category Archives: Robin
I’m Taking the New Robin Rumors With a Massive Pile of Salt
Buzz around the Internet is that actress Jena Malone is going to play Robin in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, most likely the Carrie Kelley version from The Dark Knight Returns. Batman v. Superman is already taking a lot of inspiration from that seminal work – including an older Batman and the Bat-armor – but will they go all the way and cast a female Robin?
I hope so…but I don’t believe it, at least not yet.
But I want to believe!
I would love for this to be the case. I have zero problem with a female Robin, and I would give almost anything to have Robin play a solid, entertaining role in Batman v. Superman. Heck, I was even willing to let Justin Bieber play the character if it meant Robin could be in the movie. I also don’t have a problem with the Carrie Kelley version of Robin making the movie. I may not want Carrie to become Robin in the comics, but in this movieverse? Bring it on!
I just don’t believe these rumors.
The story comes from Variety magazine by way of WILX10 in Michigan, so that alone should worry you. Apparently the movie is filming some scenes at a college in Michigan, and the local TV station went and interviewed some of the students filling in as extras. One of those extras dropped the hint that he overheard someone talking about a female Robin.
And that’s it. That’s the scoop.
But is it enough?
Intrepid reporters then linked this tidbit with the fact that Jena Malone has been spotted on set, and that she recently dyed her hair red. But again, this is all anyone has. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Malone has some role in the film, but they can’t say if she’s Robin. She could very well be Barbara Gordon, another redhead from the Bat-verse. Or she could be Jill the Girl at Bruce Wayne’s Favorite Coffee Shop!
Listen, I work in local news. I’m a newspaper reporter, and I know my fair share of local TV reporters. I know how they operate, I know what they consider to be stories; I know how this works. And there is no way I would give 100% credibility to some local TV station out of Michigan. If my local news stations reported something like this, I wouldn’t believe it.
Remember when the rumor was that Adam Driver would play Nightwing in Batman v. Superman? That was an entire year ago, and we still don’t have any confirmation whatsoever that Nightwing or Dick Grayson will appear in the film at all.
Casting rumors, especially on superhero flicks, are part and parcel of the whole process. And as much as I would love for Robin to appear in the film, especially Jena Malone as Robin, I just don’t believe these rumors.
Not yet, at least. Get me some official confirmation and I will be through the roof!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 10/18/14
Nothing like a dentist appointment to derail your comics reading plans! I had to get a filling on Thursday, and while I’m a grown up and can handle that sort of thing like a champ, it still cut into all the comic book reading and reviewing I wanted to do this week. I still think I’ve got a pretty solid stack of books!
I’ve decided to subject myself to Axis week in and week out. I don’t know why I keep going back to these Big Event comics. They’re never any good anymore. I reviewed the first issue for Word of the Nerd last week (the link is below), and I think I’ll keep it to the bench-sized column from now on. Beyond that, we actually have some good comics this week! My favorite, Ms. Marvel, delivers a fun new chapter. And Cyclops gets some strong moments in both Uncanny X-Men and Axis.
But Comic Book of the Week has to go to Batman and Robin #35, because there is very little in the world of comics that gets me more excited than Robin(s) being awesome!
You said it, Titus!
This week at Word of the Nerd, I reviewed the final chapter of Death of Wolverine. It was disappointing, to say the least. Also? He died in probably the creepiest way possible.
Comic Reviews: Axis #2, Batman Eternal #28, Batman and Robin #35, Ms. Marvel #9, Uncanny X-Men #27.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 9/27/14
I don’t know what to tell you, henchies, but this week was kind of a busy one for yours truly. Couple that with a rather low key week of releases and I’ve only got four reviews for you! I know! I feel like I let you all down. But man, there were just some boring comics put out this week. I just couldn’t bring myself to read the latest issue of All-New Ghost Rider.
But we’ve got new issues of Batman Eternal, Cyclops, Storm and the excellent New Avengers, which easily wins Comic Book of the Week. If you’re a fan of Doctor Doom, you should be reading New Avengers. I’m giddy with excitement over that guy.
Though while we’re here, I was hoping I could ask you readers for some feedback on my Hench-Sized Reviews. I’m always looking for ways to improve this feature, but I’m not sure what you guys and gals like or dislike. Personally, I’ve started to feel like I put these reviews together on an assembly line. It’s efficient, but is it worth reading?
What do you folks think? Do you like that I include a synopsis? Would you like more review? I know I don’t talk about art much, but I could. Are these things even constructed very well? Are they getting too long?
Any feedback would be much appreciated, even if you only stumbled upon this page, or you don’t comment very much. I can only get better if you fine readers let me know how, so please, jump down to the comments and let me hear it!
Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #25, Cyclops #5, New Avengers #23, and Storm #3.
Robin Watch: Robin of the Future!
Late last year, there was a bit of a kerfuffle on the Internet about the possibility of a black Robin, based on preview art drawn by Sean Murphy for Batman #27. I didn’t write about it at the time because the drawing was a single image for an ‘imaginary future’, and didn’t hold any importance to canon.
Or so I thought at the time! Looks like I’m eating crow now!
Check out Robin from the Futures End issue of Batman and Robin, which came out this week.
He’s definitely got the ‘Robin is a badass’ part down
Set five years in the future, the issue is about Batman battling Heretic to see if he is indeed a clone of Damian Wayne. Batman has Alfred send the new Robin out on various crime-fighting errands to keep him from interfering (and possibly dying at Heretic’s hands), but Alfred eventually disobeys orders and sends Robin to rescue Batman when the Dark Knight gets his butt whooped. It’s a pretty cool Robin story.
But is it just pretend?
Even though these Futures End comics are also just ‘imaginary futures’, there’s still the possibility that a kernel of truth exists in what we’re reading. The writer of the issue, Ray Fawkes, gave an interview to Newsarama where they asked him if this new Robin is part of the current Batman plans, considering Fawkes is also part of the creative team on Batman Eternal.
His answer?
Obviously he can’t go into more detail than that, but clearly this future Robin might be more of a reality than any of us yet realize.
Fists of sidekick justice!
The Robin in question is Duke Thomas, the kid that helped Batman during the Zero Year. Remember him? Duke made a very brief appearance, having sheltered Batman while he recovered from his injuries. Then he spent the rest of his time trying to come up with a riddle to defeat the Riddler.
I do not, sorry. My crossword skills have never been strong
It was such a small role, and I was actually a little surprised that nothing more was done with the kid. He gives Batman a hand, wishes him good luck, and then we don’t see him again for the rest of Zero Year.
Perhaps because that appearance was only supposed to introduce him. His story wasn’t going to be told in Zero Year, because Duke Thomas’ story will be told elsewhere.
Duke was about 10 or so in Zero Year, wouldn’t you say? And Zero Year took place 5-6 years prior to present-day Batman comics, which would make Duke a teenager today, the perfect age to become Robin. Except in Futures End, set 5 years into the future, Duke says he only became Robin “two years ago”, which wouldn’t link up to Bruce picking Duke in the present day. Not that that timeframe matters all that much.
I don’t know if any of this is true, or if any of it will go anywhere. But clearly there’s a new, awesome candidate for the new Robin in 2015!
If it’s not clear yet, I would love a Duke Thomas Robin!
Though I’m not a big fan of the Iron Robin armor, personally.
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A Teen Titans TV Show? That Would Never Work!
As a personal rule, I don’t believe 95% of all rumored live action superhero shows or movies. I do not think Guillermo del Toro’s Justice League Dark movie is ever going to happen. Let alone Lobo or the Metal Men. But I would have said the same thing back when the Rock was first rumored to be playing Black Adam several years ago – and now that’s a guarantee.
This fall, we’re going to get TV shows for Batman, Flash and Constantine. The Green Arrow show is probably my favorite drama on TV right now. We’re living in a world that Young Sean never thought possible.
Which brings us to today’s new rumor of a live action Teen Titans show, starring Dick Grayson as Nightwing. Apparnetly TNT is nearing a pilot consideration.
Crossover potential?
I don’t know how I feel about this possibility.
On the one hand, I don’t believe it. I believe that TNT would love to have a show as successful as Arrow, and jumping on the DC superhero bandwagon is an easy way to do just that these days. I don’t doubt that someone at TNT would love to make this show.
I just…heck, I would love to make this show. I need to stop being a cynic. If this show became a reality, I would watch the Hell out of a live action Teen Titans show. I love Arrow, I put up with the whole season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I’m definitely going to watch Constantine, Gotham and The Flash, even though I hated the pilot for that last one (more on that in the future).
I love both Teen Titans cartoons. I mostly loved Young Justice, especially the first season. And I love the idea of a Dick Grayson TV show so much that I’ve been sitting on my own series pitch that I was going to make someday to the King of Hollywood.
I should tell you henchies about that pitch one of these days…
Something like this
There is so much drama, especially teen drama, that could be wrung out of a Teen Titans TV show. Comedy too. How many teen angst shows feature a romance between a hunky circus acrobat orphan and his fiery, orange-skinned alien power princess girlfriend?
Don’t think they’d take it that far? All of the new DC superhero shows are comics accurate, even The Flash! I would imagine this new Titans would be just as comics accurate.
There are probably a lot of people in the world who are getting sick of all the superhero movies and TV shows. I am not one of them. I may not have much faith in them getting made, but that could just be Young Sean talking. He lived in a very different world from our own.
He wouldn’t understand.
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What do you henchies think of a Teen Titans live action show? Or a Nightwing series? What about that Supergirl TV show rumor that’s floating around? Sound off in the comments!
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