6 Gritty Reboots I Want to See

I’m a big fan of gritty reboots, and apparently so is Hollywood. They’re all the rage these days. And they’re the best way to keep a big time franchise alive. Want to find a way to make a whole new Spider-Man trilogy only a few years after the first one? Gritty reboot! Want to make Daniel Craig’s James Bond more appealing to modern movie audiences? Gritty reboot! Want to turn the silly, cartoony, 1980s Transformers into a modern, billion-dollar blockbuster franchise? Gritty reboot!

Gritty reboots are a Hollywood cure-all, and I think they can make for some really good stories.

Old Man Flanagan bought a lot of rubber zombie masks

The key to making a gritty reboot is to add realism to an otherwise preposterous story. Often these movies are more grim than their previous counterparts, but I don’t think ‘grim’ is a necessity. It’s all about realism. It’s the difference between the Avengers and the Ultimates. Between the campy, colorful madness of Batman and Robin and the dark, urban realism of Batman Begins.

This year, gritty reboots of Godzilla and the Ninja Turtles will be hitting the big screen. But there are still some properties out there that I think are ripe for a big, gritty, realistic return!

Join me after the jump for six franchises that could use a little more grit!

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Batman: Arkham Origins DLC Out Today!

It doesn’t feature Robin – as far as I know – but Mr. Freeze is a good consolation prize, right? Plus, Batman gets a beefy new super suit!

That’s a pretty awesome trailer. I haven’t played Batman: Arkham Origins since it came out, but I definitely enjoyed it, so maybe I’ll plot down the $10 and get this DLC. I’ve been looking for some new games recently.

Looking Good, Spider-Man!

Compliments of Halloweencostumes.com! Whoever’s running that costume store website has some great marketing ideas!


SpideyCostume 01 SpideyCostume 02

 

 

Double Dose of Batman Fun!

Who loves themselves some Batman? Apparently the world of animation does, because here we’ve got two – count’em, two! – separate Batman animated spectaculars! And seeing as how it’s the Monday after Easter, the second most Batman of all the major holidays, I figure now is as good a time as any to share.

First up is a short cartoon starring Batman Beyond, produced by Darwyn Cooke, one of the true greats.

It’s a neat little cartoon. Though I never knew Cooke was such a big Batman Beyond fan. As we learned a few weeks ago, I am not.

Though while we’re on the topic, isn’t it way past time for Batman Beyond to get a Robin Beyond? Just sayin’…

The second Batman offering today is the trailer for the next animated feature: Batman: Assault on Arkham! It’s set in the Arkham Asylum video game universe, which is pretty cool. And it stars the Suicide Squad alongside Batman, which is equally cool.

Trailer looks neat! Though I would like to point out that there’s no sign yet of a Robin cameo…

Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 4/19/14

This week was another wallet-busting week of comics. I may have to hold back on my caviar sandwiches if I hope to afford all of them! Fortunately, that means there were a lot of good comics in my pile this week, and I love me some good comics.

Plus, there were a whole bunch of DC titles that I read this week! We’ve got reviews for Batman, Wonder Woman and Batwoman, as if they all combined somehow. There’s also the latest issues of Batman Eternal and Harley Quinn, as well as the first issue of the new Sinestro solo series! Now there is a character I’m excited about!

On the Marvel side of things, the final issue of Superior Spider-Man hit the stands and it is…a nice conclusion. It’s not as amazing as I was hoping it would be. Instead, it seems more like Dan Slott and Marvel are in a rush to get to the new status quo of the new Amazing Spider-Man. Can’t say I blame them. We’ve also got new issues of Uncanny X-Men and the utterly fantastic Ms. Marvel, which wins Comic Book of the Week for sheer greatness and adorability.

She also uses ‘Embiggen’, making her the coolest teenager ever

I wonder what a younger, superhero-loving Sean would think about the fact that one of my favorite comics right now is about the awkward youth of a teenage girl. Of course, Young Sean was a big fan of The Secret World of Alex Mack, so there is a precedence.

Comic Reviews: Batman #30, Batman Eternal #2, Batwoman #30, Harley Quinn #5, Ms. Marvel #3, Sinestro #1, Superior Spider-Man #31, Uncanny X-Men #20 and Wonder Woman #30.

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