Comics in Crisis

Trailer Thursday: Batman - Death Wish

2012-01-26T05:23:00.000-06:00

Cool looking fan film:

Trailer Thursday: World's Finest

2012-01-19T03:56:00.000-06:00

If only this could have been made it would have been awesome beyond belief...

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:56:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all our readers from Brian and Khris! Hope you got all the cool comic goodies you put on your wish list!

Trailer Thursday: The Dark Knight Rises

2011-12-22T09:26:00.002-06:00

While work and other commitments have kept from from posting the last few weeks, I couldn't let this one slip by without notice. Looks like it's going to be pretty good, though I hate to see Nolan leaving the franchise.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T11:14:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been away for a while, but I wanted to stop by and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. And as always, here is our tradition visit from Captain Thanksgiving!

Trailer Thursday: The Dark Knight 60's Style

2011-11-10T03:44:00.000-06:00

I love the old series. I love the new movies. Here we have the best of both worlds.

Heroes Who Died Stupid Deaths

2011-11-07T02:43:00.001-06:00

While there are several hero deaths that serve a purpose, some are just plain dumb and have no reason other than a lazy writer looking for a gimmick or a reboot. Here are some that I never liked:

The White Tiger

The original White Tiger was the first major Puerto Rican of the 70's. He was a kung-fu fightin' machine with perhaps one of the simplest costumes of all time.

He made his first appearance in "Deadly Hands of Kung Fu" magazine, but it was the Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man comic series that introduced him to me. I instantly loved this guy and picked up every issue of PPTSM that had him in it. Eventually Marvel flopped out on him and had him give up the amulets that gave him the power. He drifted off into the sunset in the early 80's and such was life.

Until Marvel wanted a reboot. Rather than bring this character back and send him center stage (imagine how relevant he would be now and how cool it would have been to see him take on the Black Panther!), they opted to kill him off by being shot after being framed for murder. So this awesome hero's legacy is destroyed in his final minutes...go Marvel.

Hawkeye

Yes, I know his death was indeed awesome and he went out with a "Yippi Ki Ya" moment most heroes would love to have...until you realize that his death was literally a five-issue gimmick with no lasting effect. He literally was dead less than 12 issues of comic continuity, making his return in the "House of M" story that immediately followed.

He died during the Avengers Disassembled storyline fighting the Kree and a hundred other baddies outside what was left of the Avenger's Mansion. A stray shot sets off one of his explosive arrows and rather than take the quiver off and throw it away he chooses to explode in a Kree mothership. Indeed a boss death and worth noting.

But it's the after-effect that I hated. I liked the character and hated to see him die. His death was really a good storytelling blow to the Avengers and Marvel Universe...but we never had time to let it register before he was back. They wasted a perfectly good death scene for this gimmick.

Ant Man (Scott Lang)

While Hank Pym was indeed the original Ant Man, the one I actually grew up reading more about was Scott Lang. He took the reins in 1979 with Marvel Premiere 47 and stayed Ant Man possibly longer than Hank Pym himself.

This was (and is) who I consider Ant Man when I look at the Bronze Age of comics. He took the character in a very cool direction, and helped out in several different titles, even becoming a member of the Fantastic Four while Reed Richards was believed dead.

Unfortunately he didn't last forever in the role. In the same storyline that killed Hawkeye we saw Scott Lang die when Jack of Hearts came back from the dead and blew him up. No purpose or reason for anything...just stupid shock value at the start of this "ground-breaking" event.

Scary Heroes

2011-10-31T03:18:00.002-05:00

Hey, it's time to get some free candy today from the neighbors! But before you do, let's remember some of the scarier "heroes" who tried to save the day from time to time even though they didn't look like Captain America.

Swamp Thing

I never really understood the appeal of this guy, but I used to watch him on Nicolodean's late 70's/early 80's comic book show where they read comic books with sound effects. Definitely low-key for a kid's show, but I loved it (I still hear the theme song of "Flight of the Valkyries" every time I go through the back issues of an old comic store).

From what I understand the comic took a freaky turn after he became a part of the Vertigo line. He's recently returned to the DC universe as the "big reveal" of the Brightest Day storyline.

The Spectre

Ok, so he's not that terrifying to look at, but you'd better believe that when he showed up to hurt you, it was not going to end well.

Jim Aparo took this otherwordly character and made him one serious avatar of justice, having him deal with criminals by cutting them in half with giant scissors, turning them into a wooden statue before cutting it to pieces with a buzzsaw, and having their flesh melt off. Yep, he was someone even Batman thought was too tough on bad guys.

Aparo's entire run can be found in a trade paperback collection that you really want to read. Even though the Spectre today has been turned into a caricature of himself, the Aparo version will make you respect him again.

Deadman

Again, not scary to look at, but how tough must it be to be a superhero no one else can ever see or talk to?

He can possess anyone and has often gotten involved in many JLA adventures and teamed with Batman quite often in the original Brave and the Bold series of team-ups. The thing that really makes him fresh and tragic is the fact that he was the bearer of the White Lantern ring for a while, got to come back to life and be normal again, and then died saving Dove only to become Deadman again rather than have peace in the afterlife. I have to give DC credit on this one: they really did it right for this character in recent books.

Neal Adams' work on this character is unparalleled. While there have been a number of folks who've drawn him, I think Adams still stands as the best.

The Phantom Stranger

While Deadman was the hero no one could see or hear, the Phantom Stranger is the hero no one understands. DC has never (to my knowledge) given this hero a true origin--and I'm absolutely fine with that! Wolverine shall forever stand as a lesson for those who wish to take the mystery man and give him a backstory thinking it will make him interesting. Wrong move, Marvel!

What powers does the Phantom Stranger have? Mysterious magic stuff. Nothing definite, but he can pretty much defend himself against most magic attacks. He appears when needed and disappears immediately afterward. He's never been a regular member of any team, and has pretty much kept the same costume since his first appearance. Like the character, the look is timeless and always a fun read.

Werewolf By Night

Jack Russell (yep, just like the terrier) became Marvel's Werewolf by Night every time the full moon came out (which in the Marvel Universe was whenever he needed to become the monster rather than once a month). And he somehow always wore green pants. I guess he got his clothes from the same color-changing tailor the Hulk got his always-purple pants from.

I don't know how Marvel managed to keep this character going through his own series for so long, but they did. The gimmick seems simple enough--man becomes wolf, doesn't want to be wolf, tries to find cure while not hurting those he loves, etc--yet he found his way working through a number of Marvel titles, helping Spider-Man and even fighting Dracula himself. The title even introduced the world to Moon Knight, who was originally a werewolf-fighting hero.

Ghost Rider

I couldn't finish the list without including this guy, the original Spirit of Vengeance. He suffered a rather less-than-stellar movie adaptation (and a sequel that will at last give every comic fan something they've always wanted to see: Ghost Rider using the bathroom), but the title started out interesting enough.

Ghost Rider was a member of the Champions for the entirety of their existence, and he was a part of the new Fantastic Four along with Wolverine, Hulk, and Spider-Man for a very short bit.

It was very fortunate Johnny Blaze became Ghost Rider. Think of how much less you would respect the hero if his secret identity was Cecil Feather.

The Legion of Monsters

I'm just throwing this in to grab a few remaining ones I missed. Morbius, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night (as opposed to Werewolf By Day, which isn't nearly as scary) and Ghost Rider teamed up to fight the baddies for an issue of Marvel Premiere.

Give Marvel credit on this one, it was a fun little group. I'm just glad they didn't throw Howard the Duck in there with them.

Now go grab some free candy!

Reasons the 90's Almost Killed Comics (Part 2)

2011-10-24T04:18:00.045-05:00

Last week we looked at the first of my list of why the 90's are the "Dark Ages" of comics. Here we go with some more:

1. Feral Wolverine

I have to admit that stealing the adamantium from Wolverine by having Magneto rip it from his bones was a pretty cool idea. I give them points for being daring as far as that goes. And letting him have bone claws was pretty cool as well because that meant his claws were actually a part of his mutant abilities and it was a shocker to see them pop out.

And then Marvel got greedy.

For some strange reason the Marvel writers decided to take things to the extreme by having him slowly turn into an animal. The decision to make him an actual wolverine that had mutated apparently raised its ugly head again and they brought him down. He eventually went to wearing a bandana and even a ninja mask before it was all said and done.

2. Jackets and Pouches Everywhere

I can appreciate how comics try to stay relevant to the times with some changes. In the 90's, things went crazy. The X-Men were the epitome of crazy as far as costumes went.

I don't know if Xavier kept it freezing in the mansion or of they were just cold-natured, but for some reason jackets were in style. Gambit wore his well and it was cool. Everyone else just ripped him off.

Dazzler (a hero who shouldn't be in any comic) wore a jacket. Rogue wore a jacket. Jubilee wore a coat. Cyclops had more pouches than Batman's utility belt. But let's not leave out the Avengers, who loved their jackets too.

Black Knight wore one over his armor. Sersi wore one (sleeves pushed up, of course) over her costume. Crystal, the Wasp, Wonder Man, Firestar, Jusice and even Black Widow sported jackets during the 90's. I don't know why it became the norm for Marvel heroes, but they definitely weren't afraid to put them out there.

Eventually jackets phased out for a while and spandex made a return, but the damage had been done. At least Spider-Man never wore a jacket...unless you count the Scarlet Spider's hoodie.

And don't get me started on DC's Vibe. That costume just has no explanation.

3. Bloodwynd

The 90's gave us a number of weird heroes, but we can't skip Bloodwynd. I'm the first to admit I wasn't a huge Justice League fan, but when I saw him show up in their confrontation with Doomsday (just before he killed Superman) my first thought was "When did Spawn join the JLA?" This character was an unabashed ripoff of Spawn and I have no idea how they avoided a massive lawsuit.

Just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. I don't know that he's made any major impressions in the DC universe in over a decade. As a matter of fact, I doubt he made it through the recent reboot alive.

I have no idea if you should blame the writers for not knowing what to do with the guy, or the character itself, but Bloodwynd was a ripoff that stumbled out of the gate. But hey, at least he wasn't wearing a jacket.

4. Destroying Major Heroes...Then Bringing Them Back

The purpose of a reboot is to give us something new. Maybe sales are flagging on a title and they need to give the old horse a shot in the arm. Maybe new writers come in with new ideas. Or maybe a hero has just outlived their usefulness. For whatever reason, reboots are a hit-and-miss affair.

The 90's were brutal to the major heroes. Last week I talked about how Marvel tried to replace Spider-Man, but DC went ape-crazy in the 90's with wiping out their crew...though most of those deaths were short-lived.

So what did they do in the 90's? Well, they killed Superman (for a few issues). They broke Batman's back and replaced him with Azrael, who eventually went crazy and had to be put down by a healed-up Bruce Wayne. They turned Green Lantern into a crazed homicidal maniac who killed Sinestro with his bare hands...along with several members of the Green Lantern Corps. Then eventually he became Parallax, died saving the universe, became the Spectre, and then came back as Green Lantern again.

Many publishers would stop there, but they didn't. They had Aquaman lose his hand to piranhas and decide getting a harpoon/hook thing in there was a bright idea. They also gave him a new long hair and beard look that was supposed to make him "edgy". He stayed like this for a while, then they gave him a magic "water hand".

They killed Green Arrow with a bomb, until Parallax brought him back just before he died himself. They killed Hawkman and brought him back again thanks to his reincarnation powers. They didn't kill Martian Manhunter, who didn't deserve the pass but they made up for it big time by killing him off in the mid-2000's.

And hey, Marvel had their fun too. Besides replacing (and then bringing back) Spider-Man, they went brutal on their guys. Wolverine lost his adamantium through having it ripped from his very pores. The Fantastic Four and the Avengers were thrown to a new universe for a 12 issue "Reborn" reboot. They destroyed the Avengers again and gave us such classic "extreme" teams as "Force Works" (remember them?). Then Marvel had an "extreme fest" by giving us so many X-Men titles to follow that it was impossible to understand where any hero was supposed to be at any time. X-Treme, X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, X-Man, and so many other titles brought to you by the letter "X".

The thing that annoyed me about it in the 90's was how short-lived it all was for the most part. In some cases it lasted for a couple of years, while in others the changes were mere months before you could see things reverting back (Superman was foreshadowed as back in the game almost immediately). On the other hand, it was a good thing those changes were short. Most of them were horrible choices.

Trailer Thursday: Batman and Space Ghost

2011-10-20T15:38:00.001-05:00

Not a trailer, but because your Thursday needed more awesome...

I'm gonna miss this show when it goes off the air.

NYCC Gives Us Possibilities...

2011-10-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

This image recently came from the NYCC. While it could be for anything from a comic book line to a new cartoon series, I'm hoping for new toys. As I've said in a previous post, the Micronauts are a personal favorite of mine. If they're coming back and it's handled right, sign me up!

Reasons the 90's Almost Killed Comics

2011-10-17T04:08:00.021-05:00

While the 70's and 80's may have really helped comics, it was the 90's that almost killed them. Many people call the 90's the "Dark Ages" of comics, and it's easy to see why. Here are a few reasons:

1. Heroes Reborn

While DC got all the press for their recent reboot, Marvel tried it in the 90's with horrible results. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four were sent to another dimension, and we were treated to 12 issues of "meh" at best storytelling.

Marvel farmed out the work on their major titles to Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld and others at Image Comics. It was a "daring" move that they hoped would generate sales. Instead, the 12 issues we have of this storyline through various titles were met with confusion and ridicule in many instances. I mean, when Captain America is stacked more than Power Girl, you should see problems coming.

While they did manage to bring the team back to the "real world" later, they can never fail to admit the idea stunk. The concept might have been good, but their execution left a lot to be desired. You can get the trade paperback editions of their storylines now if you need a good laugh.

2. The X-Men Get a New Title...and a Million Copies of It

Any avid fan of The Uncanny X-Men from the 80's still had some hope as the 90's rolled in. Jim Lee was the top artist out there, and when we were told he'd be taking over a new X-Men title we were thrilled. You were hard-pressed to find a comic book fan who wasn't scrambling to find that coveted first issue of X-Men when it came out, certain we were holding a million-dollar collectible in our hands! What we didn't know was that Marvel was anticipating a sell-out, so they were feverishly printing and reprinting copies of this book.

At first we were proud and excited to say we owned that first issue that was sure to go up in value. Then we noticed comic shops and bookstores were still selling it. Then they couldn't give copies away. Now what could have stood as a landmark collector's item is notorious for being one of the least valuable back issues of the X-Men franchise.

3. Weird Cover Stuff

The 90's were a decade of dazzle for comic book covers. Never mind paper covers...no, the publishers decided what we needed were gimmicks!

We had foil-embossed covers! We had hologram covers! We had more variant covers than you could shake a stick at! We had lenticular covers! We had polybags with and without collectibles!

Some comics came bagged with trading cards! Some covers actually glowed in the dark! A few were die-cut to get them that extra edge! We had gatefold covers that spread out for miles (it seemed)!

Of course, many of the more spectacular cover enhancements meant that the comic itself would cost a little extra that month to cover it. At the time, it may have seemed like a spectacularly cool gimmick to begin with, but soon everybody was on the bandwagon and some months it was hard to find a comic that wasn't decked out in some gaudy cry for attention.

Now this is considered a joke of the comic book industry. Whoever was selling holograms to the comic companies in the 90's retired a very rich man.

I have to admit I was right there grabbing holographic copies of Spider-Man comics thinking I was having something special to give to my sons one day. Now they are stuffed in a box somewhere in the attic collecting dust with my copy of X-Men #1. Still, if you were willing to destroy the comic itself to get the hologram off you had a cool collectible sticker.

4. The Clone Saga

Oh baby, if you want to look at a low point in the 90's, look no further than this "turning point" in the life of Peter Parker. This confusing mess of storytelling reigned supreme as the worst Spider-Man storyline of all time until "One More Day" came out ten years later.

What's so sad is that the original story this is based on from the 70's was actually a pretty good story. The Jackal (Professor Warren) created a clone of Gwen Stacy and later Spider-Man himself. Spidey had to fight the clone and disposed of his body later. The story left just a little ambiguity as to whether our Spidey was the real thing or the clone.

Well, the Marvel writers in the 90's decided to turn things on their ear and say that our Spidey was actually the clone, and the real Peter Parker had been living another life since that incident. Even another clone named Kaine was eventually brought into the story and we were given quite the ride for a while. Peter Parker left with a pregnant Mary Jane to live a hero-less life while Ben Reilly stepped in with a new suit and took over as Spider-Man.

Looking back on this, it's easy to see where this could have indeed been a killer project for Marvel. It really did give them a chance to partially reboot Spider-Man while keeping the long-time fans happy by not erasing years of comic reading. Instead, the concept became so convoluted that even the writers themselves were unsure as to where it was going and who particular heroes and villains were. Aunt May was killed off (something I say should have been left alone) but she was subsequently brought back by saying it wasn't really her that died. Gwen Stacy's clone ran away and we never ever saw her again in any storyline. So many possibilities that were tossed aside.

Because of sales, the storyline continued on for far longer than it ever should have. If three clones were selling, why not add hundreds more and create "Maximum Clonage"? Let's bring back dead guys like Kaine and drag this sucker on for another year! Eventually Peter and Ben had to team up to find out who really was the clone, and we ended up with a reveal that Ben was the clone and Peter was real...or was he?

The only really cool thing to come out of the 90's Clone Saga was Ben Reilly's Spider-Man costume. I'm sorry, but whoever designed that one really nailed it as an incredible update to the suit while still paying homage to the original. I wish they'd still left that one around. It did come out in an action figure though, so it's better than nothing.

As I mentioned before, this was the potential for a reboot that could have worked, but they didn't have this mapped out well enough before they started and it soon became a write-as-we-go-along scenario that was doomed. Marvel had no lower Spider-Man point until they came out with "One More Day".

Two years ago they put out a miniseries by some of the original writers who were allowed to redo the saga in six issues with no interference from higher-ups like last time. In those six issues, they managed to put together a good story that would have made the saga (if they'd been allowed to do it right) one of the highlights of the 90's. Though the story feels rushed in some parts (there are several weeks that pass between most issues so the story can progress in a logical sense) it's still a lot better than the original.

New Toys from the NYCC

2011-10-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

Wish I could be at the New York Comic Con (maybe next year), but here's a look at some of the awesome toys coming up. I know not everyone is a toy collector, but this grabbed me. Watch the 1:15 mark when you'll see the Mad Magazine display behind them. You can just see the Sergio Aragones Black and White Batman statue, along with a few other goodies.

Trailer Thursday: The Avengers

2011-10-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

I know you've probably already seen this, but it's a ton of awesome. Wish there had been more of the Hulk, but I'm sure they're saving that for later.

Moments That Made the Bronze (and Modern) Age: The Dark Knight Returns

2011-10-10T05:48:00.001-05:00

This one was from the 80's, I know, but I consider this a game-changer for the character. Growing up the 70's to Neal Adams' Batman interpretation that later gave way to the awesome Jim Aparo, I knew Batman was cool and tough. I missed the campy 50's and 60's "fat" version of the character, so I'd always seen him that way. But sales on the title were at a lull and he needed a boost.

And along came Frank Miller.

"The Dark Knight Returns" couldn't be considered a reboot. It's supposed to take place in the future, and to my knowledge it's never been branded an "Elseworlds" title, but at the same time the ramifications were felt back into the "real" version of the character as Alan Moore stepped in with "The Killing Joke" and soon the comic book had a gritty hero again.

What makes The Dark Knight Returns stand out to me is the hopeless view given of Gotham City without its hero. We see this place where anarchy pretty much rules and the police can do little to stop it. Then, over the course of several pages, an aging Bruce Wayne decides to suit up again and stop the madness. He has a monster Batmobile that was a nice precursor to the Tumbler we see now in the movies. In one particularly awesome scene, we see Batman pulling along the mutant leader, goading him into escaping Gotham jail only to find himself in a fight with Batman himself. That's the cool stuff.

I also like how we find Superman aging as well, and not quite the same in his views on everything while still holding on to enough Clark Kent to give us someone to cheer for. And then the Joker was crazier than we'd ever seen him before. I think this story was instrumental in helping everyone perceive him as a true threat to Batman rather than the caricature he'd become over time.

SPOILER ALERT FROM THIS POINT FORWARD:

Of course, the to-the-death fights in here are what made the story stand out to me. First of all, there is the Joker. How many times have we read: "No more! Tonight this ends!" in Batman comics (even today) and known ahead of time he was just going to put Joker away and let him escape again? But this time...this time was different.

Even though Batman technically didn't kill the Joker (the madman broke his own neck to frame him), it was still nice to see a little closure on this never-ending conflict.

And then we had the throwdown with Superman himself. This fight actually changed the way people saw Batman and Superman after this, with Jim Lee letting him beat Superman down in Hush and everyone else practically making him invincible since then.

And of course, the ending is killer. While the story itself is good, it wouldn't be anywhere near that great if it didn't end well. Fortunately, it does.

Unfortunately, when Miller went back to this universe several years later, he gave the world a horrible sequel that could be consider the "Batman and Robin" movie of the comic book world. It successfully killed the universe for all of us.

The coolest part of this is the fact that the upcoming Batman:Arkham City game will have the option for you to play as TDKR version of Batman, gritty looking and all! It's one of the key reasons I'm buying the game.

While not the best Batman story ever necessarily, it's definitely in the top 5 for me.

Next week, we start a new series of posts called "What I Hate About the 90's". Feel free to chime in about your own hated moments of the "Dark Ages" of comics.

Batman Family Feud

2011-10-06T06:41:00.000-05:00

Just saw this the other night and loved it. I'm a fan of Mad magazine, and so far the cartoon has been a hit-and-miss thing with some funny stuff and some stupid stuff (like the magazine, I guess). This was good...

Moments That Made the Bronze Age: Wolverine Begins

2011-10-03T04:41:00.000-05:00

When we talk about shining moments of the Bronze Age of the 70's, there is one hero that we have to mention: Wolverine. His first sighting was an almost-unnoticed-at-the-time appearance in Hulk #181, a battle in which he fought the Wendigo and the Hulk, and lost when the Hulk sucker punched him.

He disappeared for a while until he was picked up in Giant-Sized X-Men #1. Ironically enough, the hero wasn't supposed to be a mutant, and his claws were actually just supposed to be attached to the gloves. That meant technically anyone could have become Wolverine later on. The guys are Marvel decided he'd make a good fit, turned him into a mutant, and threw him into the team.

Wolverine was a hit with the rest of the group, but unfortunately Thunderbird and he were both deemed too close to the same character and one had to go. Instead of just retiring the guy, they decided to kill Thunderbird in a toss-up decision that turned out to be the best one they could have made. Imagine how differently the next few years would have turned out if Wolverine had been the one they chose to kill off!

When John Byrne picked up the X-Men, he immediately focused on Wolverine as his favorite because they were both Canadian (true story) and he wanted a cool Canadian superhero. With Byrne's artwork, Wolverine became a superstar and helped propel the X-Men to one of the most popular comic titles of the 80's.

I can still vividly remember the first time I read X-Men #132 and saw that final panel where a soaked and beaten Wolverine finished the issue off with "Now it's my turn!" I couldn't wait for the next month!

When X-Men #133 came out, it did not disappoint. Wolverine was finally given the spotlight with his first solo cover! Inside he was basically the last free X-Man (the rest were captives of the Hellfire Club) and he tore through the faceless bad guys with some amazing action! There was no graphic scene of blood or guts like there would be today, but the story itself was so incredibly effective in every way. After the Dark Phoenix Saga ended, Wolverine got a new costume of brown and orange, and slowly the book focused more on him with the appearance of Alpha Flight, and even the return of the Wendigo.

If you missed out on this golden age of the X-Men, I highly encourage you to grab a copy of the "Essential X-Men" from that time. Even in black and white, Byrne's artwork and Chris Claremont's stories show you why everyone flocked to the title.

Today Wolverine is in just about every Marvel comic you pick up, either as a guest star, team member, or focal point, but back in the 70's and 80's all we had were these once-a-month appearances (imagine that: just one X-Men title a month!) to feed our Wolverine frenzy.

Then in 1982, Frank Miller gave us what we were hoping for: Wolverine's own title. Granted, it was just a four-issue miniseries, but it was wonderful. Having grown used to seeing Wolverine's sleek look from John Byrne's pencils, it took a bit to adjust to Miller's gritty style and his odd way of drawing Wolverine's claws like they were coming out of his fingers rather than the back of his hand. Still, it was Wolverine and he was solo, so I was a happy camper.

Eventually Wolverine moved to a regular solo title with Madripoor as the setting, and the rest is history. Unfortunately, the Marvel execs soon realized that every comic with Wolverine as a guest star sold a bunch, so they started dropping him into every comic out there. His first showdown with Captain America was cool...his "battle" with Power Pack was not. It was a hit-and-miss affair that eventually diluted the character to the point where it was actually more fun trying to find a title that went six months without an appearance by him.

Today he's in Wolverine, X-Force, X-Men, and a few other titles on a regular basis. They've stripped him of his adamantium claws, given them back, killed him off, brought him back, gave him a son and a female clone daughter, and the list goes on and on. But for me, I'll always remember him as the cool yellow-and-blue guy in the X-Men who really gave us something to look forward to each month. I guess in hindsight giving him his own title was the beginning of the end. Maybe he was just one of those awesome secondary characters who was best in smaller doses.

Trailer Thursday: Batman Versus...

2011-09-29T03:55:00.000-05:00

Gotta love this one. Not really a trailer, but so funny I couldn't pass it up.

Moments That Made the Bronze (and Modern) Age: Crisis On Infinite Earths

2011-09-26T03:24:00.019-05:00

In the mid-80's, DC took a bold step and admitted it had a problem. They just had too many different Earths floating around out there! Initially it was used to explain how the Justice Society of the 40's could exist and still work with the JLA 20 years later, which was a good idea. Unfortunately, they soon started creating new worlds whenever they needed a convenient excuse, giving us Earth 3 with the Crime Syndicate, Earth X with the Freedom Fighters, and many more.

The time came for a clean-up, and DC gave it to the world in a big way. Creating a 12-issue maxi-series, giving it to one of their best artists ever (George Perez), and deciding it was time to kill some major heroes, DC boldly stepped forward and blew my mind with every issue. But the one that truly blew me away had to be the death of my favorite hero at the time: The Flash.

Now I've mentioned Barry Allen's death before in other posts, but that pivotal moment in the series changed the landscape of the comic book world for me. This was years before the Internet, so finding exact issues where other heroes had died wasn't something I'd been able to do with regularity. Yes, I knew the Batman of Earth 2 had died somehow, and I'd seen the JLA issue where Mr. Terrific died, but most hero deaths were stuff that happened in books I would never get to read. The Flash's death, however, I held in my trembling little hands and couldn't believe as I sat in the floor of the drug store in front of the magazine rack.

The Flash's death was preceded by Supergirl's in the previous issue, but I'd never been a big fan of her's so it didn't bother me nearly as much. I kept waiting for the next issue to come out and say that Barry was alive somehow, but it never happened. Wally West stepped in and became the first major sidekick to take on the role of his mentor.

Marvel didn't sit on the sidelines though, as they unleashed Secret Wars and tried to make some changes. They gave us the symbiote Spider-Man suit, and...and...um...well, the suit was cool. They just weren't able to pull off the universe-altering effect DC did with this series.

Another favorite of mine who died was the original Dove, Don Hall (his death is pictured in our blog's title image). Again, I'd hoped for a return, but it never happened. Even up to this day, Don has never come back, even though Supergirl, Barry Allen, and even the Crime Syndicate has found their way back to the land of the living. Oh well, if I ever get the chance to write for DC...

The thing that makes this series stand out is that the changes here were long-lasting--for comic books anyway. Wally West stayed the Flash for the next 20 years as Barry Allen stayed dead. We had just one Earth to deal with, but all the heroes were on it.

Then someone got the stupid idea to try and write a sequel to this hit and we ended up with the "Phantom Menace" of the comic book world: Infinite Crisis. That series decided the hero of the last maxi-series should actually become the villain of the new one. Fortunately for them, Grant Morrison took everyone on such a mind trip in the follow-up Final Crisis, that he was able to make IC look almost readable.

All cruel words aside, Crisis on Infinite Earths was, to me, a pinnacle for the 80's. I still hold it as a standard I judge other miniseries by and think DC really knocked it out of the park with this one. I consider the Absolute Edition of this story a must-have simply because seeing George's artwork in the larger-than-life format is a real treat.

I have just a couple more stories to mention over the next two weeks, and then I want to dive into the black hole decade of the comic book world as we discuss what went horribly, horribly wrong in the 90's. But first, next week: A guest shot in another comic had this hero defeated in his first fight, but his next appearance in the comic world helped create one of the most popular titles of all time...

Moments That Made the Bronze (and Modern) Age: The Death of Elektra

2011-09-19T03:08:00.002-05:00

There are so many moments to look at in comic history that grabs me, but this particular comic death didn't affect me so much as a kid when I first read it, but the comics that followed actually got me hooked on Daredevil for a short period of time.

I grabbed this one off a spinner rack in a strip mall in Birmingham while my mom was shopping (yeah, I read a lot while mom shopped), read the entire issue, but for some odd reason didn't buy it. I loved the story, but neglected to spend my precious allowance on this issue. Given the current value of it now, it was a big mistake on my part.

What made this issue so interesting to me? It as that amazing showdown between Elektra, a character Marvel had introduced just a few short issues before with the sole intention of killing her off as a major pivot point in the DD series, and Bullseye, a villain who could turn anything he got his hands on into a weapon.

Frank Miller and Klaus Janson were magic in this time of the series. Their gritty art styles worked perfectly for this down-and-dirty fight to the death between two warriors.

The biggest kick-in-the-face moment of the fight for me? That had to be Bullseye using Elektra's own sai to kill her with.

You might not realize how important that scene was until you consider the catastrophic failure that was Ben Affleck's Daredevil movie. The only potentially saving grace of that film was how it tried to give us this one Elektra storyline including that final death scene using actual dialogue from the comic, and it managed to stay fairly close to those few pages. Say what you will about that movie, they did get that one scene right.

Of course, Daredevil got his revenge later in the story. If this story had been published today it would have taken him the better part of six issues to find Bullseye, confront him, and deal out his brand of justice. In the 80's though, we were blessed with a complete story in that one double-sized issue.

Daredevil, usually a straight-arrow in the Marvel universe, beat Bullseye down and eventually let him drop to a bone-crunching finale. It looked like this cool villain was done for, but we know of course that he came back and became a regular in comic titles everywhere.

But reading that comic at the time, I was stunned by how Daredevil just let him drop. Actually, I was stunned by how graphic Elektra's death was drawn. Seeing it today in light of the gore-filled comics you find everywhere it looks tame, but back then it was a powerful moment simply because you didn't see that sort of stuff unless it was one of Marvel's magazine titles.

As I mentioned, this storyline led to DD becoming involved with ninjas galore and a guy named Stick, and even to eventually bringing Elektra back to life. That was good stuff and I followed this comic for a while after this issue. When Miller left, I did too. It was hard to imagine this gritty character being drawn by anyone else for me.

That Marvel moment grabbed me and didn't let go. I just regret not purchasing that issue when I had the chance. Even though I didn't buy it, I consider it a pivotal issue in Marvel history.

Trailer Thursday: Luke Cage

2011-09-15T06:42:00.002-05:00

Now here's a Marvel movie you probably won't see made any time soon, but you have to admit the guy does a good job of bringing out the essence of the character. Just kidding! Just for fun...enjoy...

Moments That Made the Bronze (and Modern) Age: The New Teen Titans Begin

2011-09-12T03:36:00.003-05:00

In the 70's and 80's, there were a few comics that I consistently picked up as much as my allowance would allow. Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, Uncanny X-Men, and then another title came along that pulled me to the DC side of things: The New Teen Titans.

In the 70's I had read a few issues of the Teen Titans, mostly when I saw Hawk and Dove in there. When DC decided it was time to recreate the team, they supplemented a few other comics with a special preview of the New Teen Titans comic.

There were those I recognized instantly (Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl) along with new faces that I didn't (Changeling, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven). But this series had so much going for it that it couldn't lose in my eyes.

First, the artwork. George Perez knocked it out of the ballpark with every issue he drew. The addition of Changeling's new name and costume (formerly Beast Boy) really caught me. I had never seen him before in his Doom Patrol days, but his ability to turn into animals intrigued me. I have never been a big fan of Cyborg, but this is where he got his start.

This series also launched a few other famous DC characters' careers. Deathstroke the Terminator was introduced in the second issue and quickly became a staple in the DC universe. Looking at how he's crossed over into so many titles (and now thanks to the reboot even has one of his own) it's hard to imagine his humble roots as a new villain from Teen Titans.

Another favorite DC character of mine was the Vigilante, introduced in the second Teen Titans Annual. He was DC's answer to the Punisher (who was Marvel's answer to the old Executioner novels) and had some pretty cool weapons going for him, including gold nunchaku and various guns. He got a series of his own that lasted for 50 issues or so before DC had him commit suicide to deal with all he'd done as Vigilante. That decision sucked, by the way.

Eventually, Robin even underwent quite the life-change by becoming Nightwing. And hey, who could ever forget "The Judas Contract", a storyline in which one of the team--Terra--actually betrayed them to Deathstroke and was eventually killed by the end of it all. That particular story was so powerful that twenty years later Geo-Force (Terra's brother) faced off against Deathstroke and tried to kill him for turning Terra and having a hand in her death. That, my friends, is a grudge!

There are so many other moments in the series that deserve noting, but taking it all back to the beginning I have to say picking up that sampler and eventually the first issue made me a happy camper in the 80's.

Moments That Made the Bronze Age: Days of Future Past

2011-09-05T03:49:00.000-05:00

In many of these Bronze Age moments, the story is so powerful that I vividly remember where I was when I read it for the first time as a kid. In the case of this week's post, I was actually in a grocery store called Food World, patiently waiting for my mom to get her groceries while I poured over the spinner rack (remember those?).

The two-issue storyline "Days of Future Past" blew me away as a kid. I realize now that this story probably seems very anti-climatic because of how many times it's been referenced and revisited in various comic book stories. Looking at it for the first time with fresh eyes, however, it's a fairly impressive story for its day.

Basically, we get a glimpse of the future, as in 2013. Mutants and heroes are hated, hunted, and killed. A small band of heroes, including Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Rachel Summers (our first introduction to her), Kitty Pryde, and Franklin Richards, try to stop this horrible future by sending Kitty's consciousness into her past self on Halloween 1980 to stop the assassination of Senator Kelly. His death paves the way for this horrible, mutant-hating world.

We get an introduction to the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (much later Freedom Force) led by Mystique. An epic battle ensues with the X-Men in our present, while in the future the X-Men remaining are killed one by one by Sentinels.

What made this story so special? I guess the thing that got me in the first issue was the dreary future that I was seeing portrayed. My heroes, the X-Men, were not heroes anymore. They were hated by the world. One image in that comic shows a line of headstones with various hero names on it. It was sobering stuff.

I could barely wait for the next month, and I was planted in my same spot reading the follow-up issue, which boldly proclaimed "This issue: Everybody Dies!". And there, on the cover, Wolverine is toasted by a Sentinel!

Again, I can appreciate how reading this today seems boring because, let's be honest, Wolverine has been toasted now probably a dozen times over the years. It seems like everyone who wants to kill him off in some variant or future-based storyline goes for the faithful "burn him alive" routine. However, this was the first time for me.

One by one, my beloved X-Men are killed off in the pages of this comic, even as their present selves fight to stop Kelly's assassination from taking place so the world will not turn out so badly.

In this end, this DOFP world was revisited a number of times in many different ways. The Fantastic Four were a major part in "Days of Future Present", where Franklin Richards came back from that timeline (before he was killed) and tried to recreate things. The four-part storyline was far inferior to the original though.

This storyline was even touched on briefly in the X-Men animated cartoon series of the 1990's, though their truncated version was different in many ways. That just shows how powerfully this particular two-issue venture resonates with the comic world.

Trailer Thursday: Jonny Quest

2011-09-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

While this isn't technically going to be made...ever--but I still remember seeing this cartoon in reruns when I was a kid in the 70's. Plus the fact that this guy has some incredible talent in creating this stop-motion stuff.

Jonny Quest Opening Titles from Roger D. Evans on Vimeo.

Moments That Made the Bronze Age: The Death of Gwen Stacy

2011-08-29T03:09:00.001-05:00

People sometimes wonder why I'm so big on the Bronze Age of comics and not so happy about the way things are going today (thus my blog title). I thought I'd highlight a few Bronze Age moments over the weeks to come that show why those comics rocked.

When I was a kid, my first comic book and favorite hero was Spider-Man. I truly cared about the character, thinking Peter Parker was actually just as much a star of the book as Spider-Man himself. I actually started reading the comic a couple of years after the death of Peter's girlfriend, but thanks to Marvel's reprint Spidey title at the time, Marvel Tales Presents Spider-Man, I was able to read it for the first time.

This was the storyline that, for a while anyway, shaped Spider-Man's world. The woman he loved most in the world, and potentially the one he would have married if the storyline had been allowed to progress, was suddenly killed. And this was a serious death in the comic books, not an imaginary story or hoax that would later by wiped away as so many other comic book deaths had been.

Several things make this a pivotal moment in comics to me. First, well, she died. It was the woman he loved, killed by his arch-enemy...but not necessarily killed by his arch-enemy. Oh, Green Goblin had a part in it by knocking her off the bridge, but when you look at that fateful panel as Spidey is shooting his web to catch her you see that tiny "snap" just at her neck, indicating that Gwen was alive when she fell, and that Spider-Man himself had killed her while trying to save her. In other words, Spider-Man failed in the biggest way possible.

Yes, some might say that was a cold-hearted way to do it, but I think it was some powerful writing for the time. Her father had died saving a small child a few months prior and she blamed Spider-Man for that death, never knowing that it was Peter behind the mask. And now, just as Peter is reeling from his death, he loses his love.

Her death elevated her to the status of the perfect woman for Peter. And it shocked comic fans everywhere. The storyline finished up with the death of Green Goblin by being impaled with his glider (a fate that was used in the first Spider-Man film), and he stayed dead for years afterward.

After that, Harry Osborn, Norman's son and Peter's best friend, picked up the mask of Green Goblin and came after Spider-Man for what he did (again, a storyline borrowed for a Spider-Man film...the bad one). This even eventually led to the death of Harry Osborn many years later because he'd been poisoned by the formula used to make him the Green Goblin.

So in this one huge story arch that stretched for years, Peter Parker lost his girlfriend, his arch enemy, and his best friend...and began a relationship with Mary Jane Watson that led to one of the greatest comic book marriages ever. That truly was "amazing". It shaped Spider-Man's legacy for comic fans everywhere.

Then a man named Quesada stepped in and destroyed all of that for us.

In "Sins Past" he revealed Gwen Stacy--Peter's perfect girl--had actually had Norman Osborn's (the Green Goblin) kids. And those kids grew super-fast and tried to kill Spider-Man later. He brought Norman Osborn back, and then he wiped everything out for the previous 20 years and started all over again. Harry Osborn was back now, but Gwen was still dead. Mary Jane was not and never had been Peter Parker's wife (hey, if Quesada ain't gettin' any then neither is Spider-Man, right?). Quesada's fanboy dreams for the character were complete.

So there you have it, a moment I consider above-the-standard for the Bronze Age of comics (it may have actually snuck into the Silver Age, but again I read it as a reprint in Marvel Tales so it was Bronze to me). It was one storyline that truly did change a hero's life ~~forever~~ until Quesada stepped in.

As we start looking into these strong moments in Silver and Bronze Age comic book history, which ones do you think deserve mention? Which comic book moments stuck with you long after you read them?

Trailer Thursday: Ghost Rider 2

2011-08-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

With all the big hero films for this year done and over, it's time to start focusing on the ones coming out next year, I guess. Here's the first for the year, due out in February, which basically means the studio has so little confidence in it that they're hoping stacking it against Valentine's Day romantic comedies will give it a shot to make some money. Anyway...

Cool Costumes Continued

2011-08-22T01:27:00.000-05:00

Here are some more costumes that stand out from the crowd:

Captain Universe

Though many people have held this power and costume, the basic suit remains the same for everyone. It comes to a person (or even to an animal once) whenever that being is in need of help. After the adventure is complete, the power usually leaves.

For a brief period, the Uni-power bonded with various superheroes like Daredevil and even the Silver Surfer trying to find out what was wrong with it. At that time it took on a more blended look of itself and that particular hero's costume.

The idea of the power and suit being transferred to people in need and then leaving afterward is a nice nod to heroes like Hawk & Dove, while the suit itself is a cool basic blend of white and a universe design.

Punisher 2099

Oh man, I loved this book back in the day. The re-imagining of the Punisher character is hard to imagine, but somehow they stayed true to the character while still giving us something new.

The costume gives a nod to the original Punisher suit. The skull is sill there along with newer concepts like shoulder pads and gauntlets. Unfortunately the character was killed as the 2099 line was ending.

This is one of those titles I'm hoping they'll put out in TPB form someday. Spider-Man 2099 and X-Men 2099 both have a collection, so I don't know why he can't pull one as well.

Red Hood

The first Jason Todd look for Red Hood is a winner. Completely functional in every way and about as sparse as you can make it design-wise, this really is an outfit you'd think a street warrior would grab as he prepared to take down Gotham's biggest crime bosses.

And just think, the helmet keeps him safe from a head shot if any bad guy should get lucky.

Unfortunately Grant Morrison threw him into some sort of crazy costume that looks just plain stupid. Red Hood will return to his original look in the new DC reboot, which may just be the only good thing to come out of that crazy reboot stuff.

The Eradicator

A tough-looking version of Superman's own costume, the Eradicator made his "cool costume appearance" during the Death/Return of Superman storyline time. As for his actions: think of a cross between Superman and the Punisher.

I am the first to say the sunglasses weren't necessarily the best choice of a mask. At the time, however, they did a good job of giving him a reason to wear them (his eyes were sensitive to the light) and it did add to the possibility that maybe he was really Superman in there somewhere.

I think the black-and-blue color theme worked pretty well here and for the subsequent costumes. Unfortunately he died at the hands of Doomslayer in a recent Action Comics storyline.

Jack of Hearts

A truly crazy-looking guy, Jack of Hearts has a costume that fits his persona. Keep in mind though that the suit was needed to keep his crazy nuclear body from blowing up and killing everyone around him. That being said, it's a good thing it looked like something out of a set of playing cards when he needed it.

This one has to be considered the most flamboyant costume on this list and Jack is dead now anyway (twice...the second time killing Scott Lang/Ant Man in the process), but he still deserves a spot in here.

Last Chance to Subscribe

2011-08-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

I'm putting this out here in an effort to get more folks involved in the DCU subscription Mattycollector.com is trying to run. If they don't reach the minimum number of subscriptions by Monday, the deal is off and the DC figures we get from this point forward will consist mostly of Batman and Superman variations. I personally think it's a rip off that Mattycollector is making us hit this minimum number or it's a no-go, while their new Voltron subscription was approved from the beginning with no minimum number. I think they pretty much are just wanting a way to back out without making themselves look like the bad guys.

That being said, if you collect any figures at all, please consider clicking the link below for more info about this one-time-only deal MC is offering.

Plastic Man Cartoon

2011-08-18T04:35:00.000-05:00

Really funny! I remember the old Plastic Man series from the 1980's, and I think this version of the character is closer to what the comics had in mind. This was a pilot for a Cartoon Network series, but it never got picked up. Instead we saw him appear in Brave and the Bold for a few episodes.

Heroes Who Need To Lose Their Powers

2011-08-15T02:36:00.008-05:00

Some heroes lose their powers (temporarily) and manage to move on, while others seem never to be touched. Here are a few heroes I believe could truly make some great stories as they dealt with their sudden loss of power. All those comic book companies who love crossovers, you could title this one "Powerless"!

Aquaman

There are those who would probably argue he's pretty much useless as-is, but think about this one. What if this man who had traversed two-thirds of the world that's underwater suddenly found himself stuck on the other third? What incredible underwater beauty and mystery has he seen, and now would never find again?

For this "fish out of water" story (sorry, couldn't resist), he would become this adventurer similar to Indiana Jones, trying to explore this world he had always shunned while always looking for a way to return to the oceans he loves.

Let him lose his power by magical means or something. I think there's a wealth of possibilities here for the character.

Luke Cage

After decades of being the toughest of the tough, what would happen if he suddenly found himself normal again? It's easy to be courageous when you know your skin is impervious to bullets and death rays. Now imagine how hard it would be for him to suddenly realize he has limitations and can no longer "tough" his way out of everything?

I can see this easily being a powerful storyline if done right. In the beginning he might feel useless or even a little scared because he feels useless as a normal guy. Then he eventually starts to realize true courage isn't in being able to stand up to a dozen blazing bullets without harm, but it's being able to stand up to the man behind the gun and saying you will not cower even if he could kill you.

How could he lose his powers? The treatment that gave him his iron hard skin begins to wear off. Imagine that first panel when he is shot and suddenly realizes he has a bullet wound. Very powerful!

Martian Manhunter

Turning him powerless would have to involve either making him human or forcing him to stay alien without any abilities.

I've honestly never understood DC's love for this character, but they continue to make him a linchpin of the DC universe. With the guy constantly having to come to terms with who he is and wants to be, let's take away his powers. He can be the "thinker" of the JLA (even though I know he's not involved with them after the DC reboot).

Robbed of his mental abilities and super strength, would he feel valuable to a team anymore? It would give the character the chance to move beyond his past and concentrate on his future. Let him find a place among his team mates as a leader. And hey, it's not like the character isn't kind of limited enough as is. Fire as a weakness? Bummer.

Deadpool

The thing that makes Deadpool such a funny comic is the fact that he's completely reckless in everything he does because he knows he'll heal up no matter what happens. Get shot in the head? It's cool. Lose an arm? Be patient and it'll be back. But what would he be like if he suddenly knew he wouldn't heal back from a wound?

I think he'd be pretty much a coward for a while. A funny coward, but a coward nonetheless. Then his need for mayhem and money would overwhelm his cowardice and he'd be forced to go on a mission of some sort.

At that point he couldn't be crazy reckless anymore. He'd be skittish and have to be forced into a confrontation. When the bullets started flying or the ninjas started coming, he'd have to change tactics to win. It would allow us to explore a new side to the character while still giving him room to make wisecracks and be his hilarious self.

Backyard Battle

2011-08-11T05:34:00.000-05:00

What does this have to do with comic books? Nothing. However, if you're a fan of fun and you're willing to admit it, this is probably how you visualized it when you played with toys back in the day.

Comics I Missed Until They Were Cancelled: Planetary

2011-08-08T03:02:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I don't get around to reading every comic book out there. There are a number of them that I never catch until I pick up a used trade paperback somewhere, only to find that I've missed something pretty good that's not around anymore.

Such is the case with Planetary. A couple of weeks ago I read the first issue and was suddenly hooked on the series. What is it? It's sort of a tale of three heroes who live in an amalgam world of all our comic books but with a slightly evil twist to them.

For instance, the villains of the story are a thinly-masked version of the Fantastic Four. Imagine a world where the FF were actually villains out to destroy humanity and rule the multiverse. Imagine a world where the FF killed Superman as a baby, Green Lantern just when he was starting out, and Wonder Woman right after she arrived on our shores. Pretty cool, eh?

Guess who?

Along the way of this trip, we visit a monster island off Japan where a familiar giant green lizard has died. We run into a Doc Savage type who saved the world from an evil JLA, find out where Thor's hammer actually goes when it's a stick, face off against the team of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, meet Tarzan, and even visit Galactus' ship where its master has laid dead for centuries. What would happen if General Ross had been able to grab the Hulk and really put him away, allowing him to slowly starve to death? All of these things are not explicitly mentioned, but slight variations are put on each. Just enough that they couldn't be sued, but it's impossible not to understand what you're reading. Long before anything is mentioned, you know what's going on.

To me, that's what made this comic so amazing. It was a chance to see a familiar world of DC and Marvel with the twist that the heroes could die, make mistakes, really fail, and then have to live with the consequences of it. They were fallible, and Planetary was there to clean up the mess they'd left. Never every issue was a home run, but most were well worth the reading.

And along the way, there is the mystery of Elijah Snow (the main character) and what his background holds. As it comes to light, it adds another dimension to what you've been reading.

No spoilers here. I want you to enjoy every issue if you decide to read it. This title lasted only 27 issues, with 3 specials along the way. Though it wasn't supposed to take place in any known comic universe, they met up with Batman, the JLA and the Authority through various circumstances and twists.

"Doc Savage" and "The Shadow" take on the "JLA"

In the end, this series really blew me away. I'd heard of it over the years, but never picked up any issues. Now I've finished it as a set and have to say I loved it and I'll miss it. Still, I'm glad it went out when it did rather than continue on well after the main story had died and it was scrounging around for anything to keep it running. I hope Irredeemable does the same soon.

Because of the incredibly sporadic publishing schedule (the comic went two years between issues at one point), I probably wouldn't have stuck with it if I'd tried a monthly run. Now, as a whole, the book is a guilty pleasure of mine. This is the rare occasion when picking up a book after cancellation was the best idea.

If you're looking for something slightly different from the normal comics out there, Planetary definitely fits the bill.

Superman Revealed!

2011-08-05T08:42:00.002-05:00

So we now have a look at the new Superman from Zack Snyder's reboot:

Check it out! With this one picture we've seen this guy in costume more than we saw Tom Welling in one through 10 seasons of Smallville! Yeah, I went there.

Even though this film is two years away (Summer 2013), I'd say we're off to a good start with this look. No, it's not the Christopher Reeve suit--it leans more toward the "Superman Returns" look, actually--but at least it's not some absolutely crazy variant like the first X-Men film.

Snyder did a killer job with Watchmen and kept it close to the original concept in many ways. I'm confident he'll give us something good here as well. The thing he's got going for him is the fact that the comic book hasn't blown people away in a while (we'll see how it goes after the reboot, but "Grounded"? Not that great), so this may be the thing to jump start interest in the character again.

The Rocketeer

2011-08-04T05:32:00.000-05:00

A favorite guilty pleasure of mine is the Disney film, "The Rocketeer". My sons grew up watching it and it's a lot of fun. This animated short pays tribute to that film and does it justice. I'd love to see an entire film like this since we'll never see a sequel any other way.

The Rocketeer 20th anniversary from John Banana on Vimeo.

New Ultimate Spider-Man? Spidey says it best...

2011-08-02T17:36:00.000-05:00

Yep, all of us are owed an apology, Spidey!

The new Ultimate Spider-Man was unveiled today by Marvel, as he is revealed in Fallout #4 (hey, a Marvel Crossover event...that's got to be good, right?). Big surprise to everyone:

Wow, I never saw that coming. Unless you count the dozens of times it's already been done with other heroes.

I think the two pictures Marvel put on their websites are the most perfect choices they could have ever come up with purely for the captions of what they're saying.

I'm going to go way out on a limb here and say the new guy probably lives with his grandmother in a bad neighborhood and constantly gets harassed by drug dealers and bullies on the way to school while he takes his younger sister there. I have not read the comic, but given Marvel's past history and treatment of minority characters, that's pretty much how Marvel perceives their world. No teenager in the Marvel universe gets to come from a stable two-parent home. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Reboots are awesome, aren't they? I don't think Marvel could create an original minority character if their lives depended on it. The last one they created was Luke Cage back in the 70's. Since then, it's pretty much been sloppy seconds all around as they find costumes and powers from other established heroes. Need to boost sales? Don't bring in a new, exciting character! No...reboot! Iron Man, Nighthawk, Captain Marvel (later Photon), Giant Man, Ultimate Nick Fury...reboots all around. Originality is neither needed nor rewarded.

For heaven's sakes, Marvel, get some new original writers in there! You desperately need fresh blood in your talent pool!

At these comic book conventions you attend, talk to the readers and let them present ideas! I swear we can create new heroes who deserve a shot and could succeed rather than just starting every brainstorming session with: "Now imagine this: we reboot..."

Remember the originals that rocked: Black Panther, White Tiger, Luke Cage, The Prowler, Storm, Sunfire, and Shang Chi to name a few! These were characters that mattered and made us want to read their stories. Today, we get recycled garbage that excites the folks at Marvel, but never picks up enough readers to keep going past a dozen or so issues.

What do you think? What's the last truly original idea Marvel had for a storyline?

Has Marvel Killed the Crossover?

2011-08-01T03:28:00.000-05:00

Years ago when a comic book company wanted to create a big event, they had something called a "crossover". Perhaps the JLA would meet the JSA, or the Avengers would fight the Defenders. Whatever it was, it was a big deal because these folks rarely met each other in their comics.

Enter the 80's, when DC decided to do the mother of all crossovers: "Crisis on Infinite Earths". It gave them a chance to reboot many titles, as well as clean up the mess they had made with all their extraneous Earths out there (Earth 1, Earth 2, Earth 3, Earth X, etc). Again, this was big stuff because it was a crossover that was--up to that point--never before seen. Heroes from every imagineable timeline and team were brought together--and killed! Seriously, that one crossover event was responsible for the death of The Flash, Supergirl, and the original Dove (only one of which is still dead).

Marvel brought us Contest of Champions, Secret Wars, Atlantis Attacks, and Acts of Vengeance, while DC came back with Zero Hour (another reboot), Bloodlines, and Invasion among other things, most of which were less-than-stellar events. Then stuff seemed to die down a bit. There were still events, but they weren't as big.

Around the mid-2000's, someone in Marvel got the idea of trying it again but going big. The result was Civil War and it was probably Marvel's strongest attempt to date. Man, it was a great storyline! We saw heroes become villains and the entire Marvel Universe was shook by big moments like the return of the Punisher, the death of Giant Man, and the public unmasking of Spider-Man.

There are many who will say this particular crossover was stupid or the storyline was convoluted, but I enjoyed reading it. I thought Marvel had hit it just about perfectly, though I was never that thrilled with the ending. I thought Cap should have beat Iron Man down and walked away the winner.

Anyway, after the success of Civil War, Marvel somehow fell into this ugly trend. It was as if they lost all confidence in the solo appeal of their titles and decided instead to flow from one crossover event to another. After Civil War we fell almost immediately into Secret Invasion. Unfortunately, Secret Invasion crossed over into the Avengers titles for no reason, filling all of the issues during that period with filler stories that never progressed the main storyline. And the main title seemed to falter in the middle before ending big with the death of the Wasp and the rise of Norman Osborn. And hey, let's not forget World War Hulk that appeared soon after!

Secret Invasion gave way to Dark Reign, another lackluster attempt that briefly gave us titles like Dark Avengers. Dark Reign led to Siege, which gave Marvel an excuse to finally kill off The Sentry for no particular reason other than the fact that they were completely clueless as to the potential of the character.

The heroes barely had time to recover from Siege before they were suddenly thrown into this latest event, Fear Itself. Have I forgotten any? Probably. I didn't even mention Annihilation, The Thanos Imperative, or War of Kings, all of which happen to the "galaxy" heroes.

My point: does anyone even bother to read the Marvel crossovers anymore? Honestly, when was the last time Marvel ever ran two consecutive months without some form of crossover event?

It seems hard to imagine a time when you wouldn't like a thick juicy steak...unless that's all you had for every single meal. After a few weeks, you might even consider a bowl of oatmeal a welcome change for dinner. Marvel has fed us a constant diet of crossovers now, and with Fear Itself just starting to wind down Marvel is already hard at work on the next "big event".

So here's my question to you: do crossovers mean anything to you any more? Do you get excited seeing what Marvel has planned next, or have they gone to the well once too often and need to give it all a rest for a couple of years before trying again and making us believe it really is "something big"?

Trailer Thursday: Lost...explained?

2011-07-28T03:36:00.000-05:00

This may not qualify as comic book material necessarily, but this video from the SDCC was too good to pass up. Hate the ending of the series? So do these guys...

Captain America: History of the Shield

2011-07-27T05:12:00.003-05:00

Found this and wanted to share it. Pretty comprehensive history of Captain America.

The Superhero Movies of 2011 - Winners and Losers

2011-07-25T02:23:00.000-05:00

Well, the summer movie craze is now officially over, and with no other major superhero releases coming this year let's look back on what we had in 2011 for comic fans.

The Green Hornet

While more of a radio star than a comic book hero, comic fans everywhere went to see this one. Seth Rogan decided to turn his Green Hornet into a profanity-spewing, hard-partying slacker who survives only because Kato is such an awesome sidekic--um, partner.

The movie had some great moments, no doubt. Kato's fight scenes were amazing with him beating up the bad guys in slow motion. The car was cool. The story was okay. Britt Reid in this one was a very poor reflection of the character from the old comic books, radio shows, or even the TV show from the 60's. And the villain? A guy with such a poor self-image as to try to become his own "super villain" character...while he's supposed to be some super mob boss. If you were willing to forgive the shortcomings it was a cute movie that fit well into the January "death zone" for movies.

I doubt we ever see a sequel to this one though.

Thor

This movie was impressive! I went to this one excited to see a superhero film, but with not very high expectations simply because I've never been a Thor fan. I knew him from the Avengers and I occasionally picked up an issue or two if the guest star was interesting enough. I've honestly never understood the draw of the character.

But the movie blew me away. The storyline was interesting enough, and it managed to bring in enough iconic Thor moments (flying with the hammer swinging around him, throwing the hammer and having it come back) to really keep me watching.

Natalie Portman didn't really fit, but I'm looking forward to seeing Loki in the upcoming Avengers film! I actually felt sorry for him because I didn't know his origin until I saw it in the movie (as I said, never a big fan). Anthony Hopkins was a very convincing Odin, that's for sure. I'm really looking forward to seeing the character again next summer.

X-Men: First Class

This was a pretty interesting movie. It was a reboot that was attempting to be faithful to the original trilogy, which seems like a paradox. Still, you have to give them credit for trying.

The inclusion of Havok was a nice touch, even though it went against the comics of him being in the team before Cyclops. Still, given how they wrote the original trilogy it would have been impossible to have the comic book fabulous five there since all had been seen in the films in different ways already.

Instead, we have a movie that actually makes me feel sorry for Magneto. Though the first scene was almost exactly like the first X-Men film, they expanded upon it and gave us a satisfactory ending with Magneto's slow-motion revenge on his former Nazi captor. Even though January Jones brought the film to a standstill with that thing she does and tries to pass off as acting, there were too many incredible wow moments to let that kill the film. The greatest was the Wolverine cameo.

My biggest complaint about this film would have to be the fact that there was no after-credits scene! It has become a Marvel movie tradition in recent years to give us that reason to stick around and see what twist they might throw in for a future movie. How hard would it have been to give us another 90 seconds of some deleted scene?

Green Lantern

A financial disappointment, this film underwhelmed me as well in a lot of areas. The special effects were amazing, and when Hal Jordan finally started using the ring for constructs there in that last battle with Parallax I was cheering him on. Of course, that final scene of Sinestro putting on the yellow ring was a powerful way to end it all too.

Where this film faltered for me was Ryan Reynolds. I love the guy and love his movies, but I get the feeling he was just cast in this role for his name recognition...not because he was perfect for it.

Wally West? Yes sir, I can see that. Hal Jordan? Not so much. His Hal was really a whiner, and the whole "heroic" silent type doesn't work for him. As Deadpool, I think he'll have tons of success. And while I know there's a sequel in the works for Green Lantern, I can't help hoping we see a better-cast backup GL like Guy Gardner or Kyle Rayner in the next film.

Captain America

I couldn't believe it when they cast Chris Evans in the role of Cap. To me, he was a horrible choice. Then I saw the movie and was pleasantly surprised!

To me, this was the perfect movie to cap off the Summer with. It was the strongest Marvel film of this year's bunch. It managed to stay true to the origin of the hero for the most part, and even paved the way for a fairly interesting sequel with Winter Soldier showing up in the future (don't tell me that sniper shot scene with Bucky didn't make you instantly think of Winter Soldier). Likewise, the appearance of Nick Fury at the end was good to set up the Avengers film.

The after-credits sequence in this one was a disappointment though. The trailer for the Avengers film? That was what we got? We'll see that in a few months on television! That was just a cheap filler, but at least it was something.

Mattycollector Offers Subscriptions!

2011-07-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

If you're a toy collector like me, you need to know that Mattycollector.com is allowing their annual subscriptions this weekend. If you don't grab them this weekend, you're out for another year.

One big bit of news: this year they are offering a DC subscription! The figures aren't announced yet, but they'll be subscription-only exclusives never found in stores! Much like the Masters of the Universe subscriptions, these figures promise to be quite popular, as long as they reach the subscription goal they must have to actually form the club.

So if you're interested in some cool exclusive toys, get in while you can!

Trailer Thursday: The Amazing Spider-Man

2011-07-21T01:54:00.000-05:00

Don't know what to think, but I love the POV shots they give at the end as if you were really web-slinging.

Heroes and Comics I Miss: Part 2

2011-07-18T04:35:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I gave you a few little comics that made my childhood in the 80's a lot of fun. This week I wanted to give you a few more titles that brought a smile to my face and were scooped up as soon as I saw them. These will never see an "Essential" collection, but should.

Shogun Warriors

Probably the biggest toy ever to have a comic book based on it, these guys were 3 feet tall and were an absolute treasure during my childhood. Their fists would fly off, they had little spaceships in their helmets, and were on roller skates! Well, rollers anyway.

The comic book was a lot of fun as well. It only lasted 20 issues, but it was a blast and saw guest appearances by the Fantastic Four. These guys even faced Godzilla at one point in his own comic!

Basically, it was pretty much like any Japanese manga you'd see today except this was Marvel comics drawn by Herb Trimpe so it was Americanized like crazy. These were giant robots controlled by normal guys and they would fight giant monsters, meteors, and even each other if something happened.

What makes this comic stand out above others like it is the fact that it was pretty much the first of its kind for me. Up until that point giant robots had been used by villains to attack folks like Superman and such. Here were some cool robots based on even cooler toys that were run by good guys with no super powers other than the ability to drive a giant robot!

While the toy line had several to choose from, the comic concentrated mostly on three or four. My personal favorite was Raydeen, both as a toy and as the comic. Unfortunately, this was part of a licensing deal (which Marvel really ran with in the early 80's) and therefore these guys are off the table permanently. Marvel can't touch them and the toy line is pretty much dead, though Mazinga (or Mazinger, in the Japanese version) still shows up from time to time in toy stores as a smaller version.

Crazy Magazine

Is it fair to heap a magazine into a comic book list? Yes, if we're talking about Crazy magazine. This was Marvel's answer to Mad Magazine, and as such it had some of the greatest guest shots imaginable. Marvel's earlier foray into funny books was Not Brand Ecch!, and they even packaged a reprint of that first issue in one of the Crazy issues, retitling it Crazy as well.

So what made it so good? This was a parody book that was for comic geeks as well. At one point they introduced "Teen Hulk", a character who changed when he was afraid. Nothing ever went right for him though, and he definitely wasn't like the real Hulk because he was funny. A character named "Obnoxio the Clown" was introduced later in the run, and he actually made it into the real Marvel universe to fight the X-Men! Marvel artists like John Byrne drew entire funny comic stories in it! Sometimes they would even take a Marvel story from the past and reprint it with new dialogue to make it funny. This was stuff that catered to comic fans!

Popular TV shows and movies were made fun of all the time, but these were jokes I actually got as a child. Mad sometimes got a little too deep with some of their parodies for me (or too wordy), but Crazy always kept it pure and simple.

This little book ran from 1973 to 1983, and I still vividly remember when I received notice in the mail that the title was being canceled. It was not a fun moment in my childhood.

Of course, popular culture today could not support a book like this anymore (seen Mad lately? Sheesh!). It would inevitably get too political or dirty and would therefore lose the charm this book had.

Still, this was a window into the 70's and early 80's that was consistently funny. I miss it and still try to add back issues to my collection whenever I can find one in really good condition.

Team America

Another one of those "toys tie-in" comic books, Team America was about three bikers (later five) who basically rode around in cool red-white-and-blue-themed costumes and fought criminals between stunt shows.

Along the way, they were assisted--many times without their knowledge--by the mysterious "Marauder", a black-clad biker who never spoke but could ride his crazy chopper like no one else. Due to the success of Snake Eyes in G.I. Joe, there can be little doubt who this character was designed after.

This group managed to get into the real Marvel Universe, just like the Micronauts and ROM had before it. Iron Man made an appearance, and what biker comic book could go without an appearance by Ghost Rider, fighting Marauder of course.

Who was Marauder? Well, that was the mystery. This guy showed the talents of all five members of the team, constantly giving you the impression it could be any of them. They did a great job of keeping him "off screen" when the heroes were around, and only letting him show up when no one was around so you never knew.

This series only lasted 12 short issues, with the identity of Marauder finally being explained to be a woman who was channeling the collective psychic influence of the team, thus allowing her to appear to have the abilities of all of them. It was a rip-off ending for me, but they made it all better as the final panels of the series unfolded. The team was flying away (all of them, including the woman) to go their separate ways, and then we saw this:

I was better after that. Marauder wasn't just a woman in padding! Maybe there was hope for a sequel! While the team appeared a few times in other books, they basically disappeared toward the end of the 80's and have never been seen since.

The guys were eventually exposed as mutants (hey, it was the 80's and all the cool kids were mutants) in a few other comic appearances (in New Mutants, Captain America, and the Thing) but that was never explored much because they disappeared soon after. The Ideal Toy license eventually expired so Marvel won't be reprinting this title anytime soon, just like the others on this list. Still, it was a fun read while it lasted.

I loved the toys this comic was based on. I had the Marauder toy, and managed to pick up Honcho (the guy in white) and R.U. Reddy (the guy in red) figures at garage sales. While the comic was action-packed, the figures were basically built to stay on their respective bikes and that was all. The legs were bent and wouldn't move, and the arms could only go up or down with no bend at elbows or wrists. Still, I was a happy child with the stunt bike going all over the driveway and ramps I made.

To me, Marauder was one very cool hero. He was the strong silent type, and I hate that he never managed to team up with Snake Eyes for at least one issue. Not a lot of conversation going on, but the narration would be crazy. The figures were two different sizes so playing with the 4 inch poseable Snake Eyes and the 10 inch "can't move much o'nothing" Marauder wasn't much of an option. Those adventures will forever remain a mystery.

What about you? Do you have any favorite canceled comics you miss?

Trailer Thursday: Batman - Year One

2011-07-14T01:33:00.000-05:00

Now this looks like some good stuff. I loved the original story, and it was so powerful several instances of the dialogue and scenes from Batman Begins and the Dark Knight were lifted straight from it.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

The Fate of Fathers

2011-07-11T02:20:00.000-05:00

For Father's Day this year, my sons both made me cards. Khristian, a comic book fan who knew what his dad liked, drew me a card that said "Spending Father's Day with my dad..." and on the inside was a crying Batman that said, "Something I can do that even Batman can't!" It made me smile and gave both of us a fun afternoon of figuring out what other heroes had a similar problem.

Did you ever stop to realize how many superheroes are fatherless? It seems like a requirement before you put on the spandex!

Here's what we're talking about:

Peter Parker

Though the fate of his real father is kind of convoluted (spies? Maybe, maybe not), let's look at the man who raised him: Uncle Ben. Here was this kindly old man who gave us the single most famous line of advice in comic book history ("With great power..."), and how does he end up getting repaid? Shot dead by a burglar in the first issue! Of course, that's a better fate than being run down by a car like a stray dog as he was in "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark". Still, that single act changed the carefree direction Peter had taken with his powers and turned him into a superhero.

Tim Drake/Robin 2

This Robin (later Red Robin) actually started out with a fairly decent father relationship. His dad tried, if nothing else, to keep an eye on his son. Even when he eventually found out his little boy was fighting crime with Batman, he kept it cool even though he made it known often that he didn't like it.

Though the relationship had some very rough spots, it ended in a horribly painful way with Tim screaming into the phone for his dad while Jack faced a very out-of-shape Captain Boomerang in Identity Crisis. In the end, the kid became an orphan with his dad dying in his arms. Captain Boomerang came back in Brightest Day, Tim's father did not.

Batman

Can there be any doubt that his father's death was pivotal in this character's development? His all-consuming battle with criminals everywhere began with Crime Alley and hasn't stopped since.

In later years a miniseries called "The Untold Legend of the Batman" would show how Bruce's father was actually the first one to put on a Batman-type costume at a costume party just before they died, which Bruce would later say gave him the subconscious push for his own costume design.

In a very cool twist, the Flashpoint Batman series allowed Thomas Wayne to survive the mugging encounter, with young Bruce dying. In essence it gave us a new angle on the old Batman myth. Apparently, that moment in Crime Alley was destined to create a hero.

Superman

This guy wins the big prize because he lost not just one dad, but two! And not only that, but Pa Kent has died more times than Aunt May so Supes just keeps getting gut punched reboot after reboot!

Originally sent to Earth from Krypton by his biological father, Jor-El, Superman only later learned how his father had sacrificed his own life to save his son. Fortunately, the Kents found young Kal-El and he was assured a happy life forever.

Nope. Pa Kent has died in the comics, cartoons, Smallville and even the movies. No matter how many times he comes back, it seems the writers are determined this man must stay dead for Clark to carry on as a superhero.

Dick Grayson/Robin 1

A circus acrobat...what could be safer? Well, if the mob moves in on your circus, accidents can happen.

Dick and his parents made up the Flying Graysons, a trapeze act that was the hit of the circus. Unfortunately, one night the wires broke and Dick joined the ranks of superhero orphans. Robin was brought into the Batman comics because they were trying to reach a wider audience, and it actually worked. Soon every major hero seemed to take on a child sidekick (Captain America had Bucky, Captain Marvel had Captain Marvel Jr., Sandman had Sandy, etc).

Daredevil

Jack Murdock was a fighter who ended up on the wrong side of some gangsters by not throwing a fight. As a result, they killed him all kinds of dead while his blind son could do nothing to help him. Later on, Matt Murdock would put on the red spandex (or red leather if you saw the movie) and fight crime to avenge his dad's wrongful death.

While by no means a saint, Matt's father showed true character in his death, which is sort of an underlying theme throughout most of the fathers' deaths on here. There was some sort of selfless act that caused it.

Green Lantern

Hal Jordan's dad was a test pilot for Ferris. That meant he got to fly a lot of unstable planes because he was the best pilot there was. See the possibility of problems here?

His dad was a test pilot. Hal himself would grow up to be a test pilot...for the same company. Sounds a little crazy, I know, but it led to him being considered fearless enough for a green power ring when the time came for a new Green Lantern.

The death of Hal's father left a gaping hole in his life, and it motivated him to do some crazy stuff before he got the ring. Even after the ring, though, his father's legacy continued to push him to be a better man. Though we barely even saw the man, his "blaze of glory" moment reverberated through the DC universe for decades.

Trailer Thursday: Deadpool Vs. Green Lantern

2011-07-07T01:31:00.000-05:00

Not really a movie trailer, but I loved it and thought it summed everything up rather nicely:

Patriotic Heroes!

2011-07-04T01:44:00.001-05:00

In honor of July 4th, I wanted to give a quick glance at some of the more patriotic heroes in the mix. Before you get outside to shoot fireworks, or barbecue, or just have a Twilight Zone marathon, check these guys out:

The Spirit of 76

This character has one of the strangest backstories out there. He was an independent comic back in the 40's but Marvel brought him to their regular lineup in Invaders #14 as part of the Crusaders.

What made his past so strange was What If? #4, "What If The Invaders Had Stayed Together After WW2?" In it, he takes on the role of Captain America after Cap disappears (or as we know it, was frozen). During a mission against a robot called Adam II, he is crushed and killed. He is later replaced by the Patriot as the new Cap.

What made this unique is that this is the only "What If?" story to ever be eventually brought into the regular Marvel universe and considered canon. The recent miniseries Captain Ameria: Patriot retold this story and gave us an idea of what happened in the years after Spirit's death.

The Patriot

Since we've mentioned him in the last paragraph, let's bring him into center stage. Jeff Mace was a hero who eventually found his way into the All-Winners Squad, and later leader of the Liberty Legion.

Unlike Captain America (whom he eventually replaced), Jeff had no real super powers to speak of. He was not a super-soldier, just a regular guy who wanted to fight for his country during WW2.

The recent miniseries Captain America: Patriot gave us the close-out of his career as Captain America. He passed away of cancer in Captain America #285.

Super Patriot

This character's trip from anti-hero to hero to crazy man to anti-hero is a strange one indeed. Initially just a slightly more gung-ho version of Captain America, John Walker showed up just when Marvel was ready to take the shield away from Steve Rogers and give sales a boost (how lucky for him, eh?).

He went from the Super Patriot to Captain America for a while, before snapping because his parents were killed before his eyes. The government stepped in quietly and had Steve Rogers take the mantle again after a major fight. The Super Patriot then became today's U.S. Agent. Recently the events of Siege ended his career as a superhero when his left arm and leg were cut off by Scourge.

The Shield

This character was originally an Archie comics character like Black Hood. He was eventually part of a group called the Mighty Crusaders, and has recently enjoyed a revived career thanks to DC Comics. They brought out all of the old AC heroes and have given many of them a second chance at greatness.

He actually pre-dates Captain America, though recent comics involving the character have actually been his son rather than the original. Super strong skin makes him a human shield, thus the name I suppose.

If nothing else, you have to love the guy's costume. I would have to say it's the most patriotic of the lot, better even than Captain America himself.

Captain America

It wouldn't be a patriotic list if I didn't mention him. The original shield-slinger is still the best. Even though Steve Rogers has been replaced more times than I care to figure out, he always seems to find his way back in the red, white, and blue suit to save his country.

To show you how big of a cultural icon he is, when Marvel killed him off it got major news coverage. Stephen Colbert even stepped in on his show with a shield (and it still shows up in the background from time to time) to say he was taking the mantle. Of course, Steve's back (though not yet in the suit full time).

With the movie just around the corner, interest in the character should pick up again. He has a long and rich history that makes Steve Rogers the most interesting of the men to wear the mantle.

Now get out there and enjoy your day off! Happy Fourth of July everybody!

Our First Round Winner!

2011-07-01T05:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we hit our 30 "likes" in the Facebook Fan drawing we're running in celebration of our 3rd birthday. I grabbed the names, pulled out my family from the list, and randomized the rest.

Congratulations to Chris Vu, who won the first round of free comics, along with a special "early bird" prize for being one of the first 30 entrants.

Don't forget this contest runs all month long in July. Every 30 "likes" adds another box of comics to the mix, so tell all you comic-fan friends to join us and you've got another chance to win!

Trailer Thursday: Captain America's latest

2011-06-30T06:13:00.002-05:00

Here is the latest clip from Captain America. This is definitely the best we've seen of it so far. Looks like they're pulling out the stops for this one and I hope it does great. Superhero films this summer have performed a little poorly compared to years past, so let's get out and support this one.

Save The Retro Action Heroes!

2011-06-29T06:26:00.000-05:00

Just found out Mattel is killing off the Retro Action Superheroes lineup due to poor sales. How any company can complain about poor sales when you can never find the product is beyond me. Someone is putting together a petition you can sign to try and salvage the line or at least make it available on MattyCollector.com as a subscription service like they do for Masters of the Universe toys. I'd gladly sign up for that subscription myself.

Mattycollector.com is a weird place anyway though. They complain about how no one buys their stuff enough to keep a line going, but almost every single DC product they put up sells out within minutes of release! You can never find a single DCU product on their website (everything says "Sold Out" except the newest Stewart Green Lantern Retro). If everything you make sells out, how can you complain that you have no sales? It's crazy! They even had a special DCU sale this past Monday morning to help clear up inventory, and those sold out within minutes! Again, if you're selling out then you're either not making enough or what you're making is selling better than you expected!

They even released a special 4 part Green Lantern series set to coincide with the movie. Sinestro and Guy Gardner sold out within hours of their release. John Stewart's GL hasn't fared as well and is still available, with Kyle Rayner's GL due to come out in a few days to complete the set.

At $20 a pop, these Retro figures were incredibly expensive for what they were. The figures seldom stood on their own due to flimsy construction on the legs--but I still bought all of them and would gladly buy the next sets coming out just due to the nostalgia factor. The problem was you could never find them in stores!

Anyway, please take a moment to sign the petition to keep this line alive, even if only from the website or--preferably--through a subscription-based service that promises everyone who wants one can get one. It's kept the MOTU line going for years now, so there's no reason it wouldn't work for us. Even if you don't collect the line, please sign it for a fellow collector...please!

It's Our Birthday and You Could Get the Gifts!

2011-06-27T04:15:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, this little blog just turned 3 years old! Now, I'd love to pass out cake and ice cream for everyone, but we've decided to do something special for one lucky reader instead.

Random pic from the web--but the right size box

I'm an avid comic book collector and unfortunately I have a tendency to buy too many books sometimes. I've been selling a lot of stuff on Amazon.com lately, but I have a box of comics sitting here that needs a good home. So that's what we're giving you the chance to win: absolutely free, a box full of Marvel and DC comics!

How do you enter? That's simple:

1. Go to our Facebook page

2. Click "Like".

3. Wait and see if you've won!

Around July 31, 2011 we'll put our list of followers into a randomizer program, hit enter, and take the first name that pops up!

Tell a friend though, and here's why: If we reach 30 followers, I'll throw another box of comics into the mix so that gives you 2 chances to win!

Now to the FAQs:

1. What comics are in the box?   Different ones, but all Marvel and DC. I will do my best to have absolutely no repeats in any of them. Most are from the past 3 years. You might even find a complete run of an "event" like Blackest Night or Siege!

2. Can I request a particular title? Afraid not. I'm packing that box full of goodies though, so you should find something you like.

3. How many comics will I win?   As many as I can safely pack into the USPS $10 shipping box. I estimate around 20 or so, but it could be many more.

4. What does it cost to enter? Nothing. There's no cost to you at all. I just want to get more readers heading our way and Facebook seems like a great way to start.

5. How many chances do I get to win?   One per "like", but for every 30 "like"s we get I'll throw out another box of comics. If we get 60 likes, there will be 3 boxes of comics given out which means you now have 3 chances of winning!

6. Are they bagged and boarded? Nope, but they're free!

7. Why would you do this? I just wanted a chance to give something back to the folks who take the time to read this blog. It's a contest all month long, so get on in there! I'm giving away an early-bird prize when the "likes" reach a certain number, so enter quickly and you might win another great comic-book-related gift while you wait!

It's our birthday, but thank you for reading our blog! Jump on in here and get a chance at some free comics!

Happy Birthday To Us!

2011-06-26T01:28:00.007-05:00

Today our blog officially turns 3 years old! I never would have imagined when I started out ranting about comics that I'd find enough stuff to keep it going for 3 years. I guess comic books just keep on giving me material to work with, eh?

Anyway, grab a Twinkie and some milk and celebrate with us!

And come back tomorrow morning for a very special announcement on the big celebration and giveaway we're having to honor our 3rd birthday!

Trailer Thursday: The Green Lantern Animated Series

2011-06-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

Not sure about this one. It really looks amateurish compared to even Batman: Brave and the Bold, but at least it's something besides Young Justice.

Superman and Lois No More!

2011-06-22T15:29:00.000-05:00

In an interview, DC EIC Dan Didio announced that the longtime marriage between Superman and Lois Lane will be experiencing a sort of wipeout with the new reboot. A company's flagship character has his two-decade marriage wiped clean by a reboot...does that sound familiar?

It's a Super One More Day!

To be fair, Didio keeps coy about the whole thing, but when he mentions how proud he is to have Grant Morrison on the character it pretty much shows the trouble we're in with the character.

Don't believe me? Then check out the cover for Action Comics #1, with Morrison at the helm with his new vision for the hero:

Blue jeans and a cape? I'm from Alabama and see this often at Wal-Mart, but I never expected anyone to purchase an actual comic book with this as the true costume scheme!

DC is doing this, according to the interview, because comic shops are being filled with "older generations of reader" who grew up with the stories, while this new approach should bring in the younger new readers who go the movies and want to learn more about the heroes without the back-stories. Whatever.

I just think this whole Superman/Lois breakup is a dumb idea. Whether it's by choice or they get Darkseid to wipe out their history with omega beams to Ma Kent won't die, it stinks. Comic writers seem to think that any comic book with a married couple is death on a cracker. Never mind showing how tough a relationship might be when one of the pair is out fighting super-villains all the time, let's just break them up and start all over.

Well, at least we still have Reed and Sue Richards as a married couple making it work...for now.

Heroes I Miss: Part 1

2011-06-20T02:35:00.010-05:00

Here's where I wax nostalgic. There are certain comic book series and heroes that I loved reading when I was a kid but you never see anymore. Some are gone for licensing reasons, while others just didn't sell well enough to warrant another series attempt. But these are the comics I scoop up happily when I see them in the back issue bin at the comic shop.

ROM

Ok, this one was created simply to get the toy of the same name some business, but who would have ever guessed the comic book would be so popular! This guy teamed up with everybody! During the 75 issue run of the series, we saw guests like the X-Men (pretty much a staple guest star to every comic of the 80's), Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, the Avengers, Alpha Flight, and even the Master of Kung Fu! Not bad for a cheap toy that couldn't bend its arms!

I owned the toy and thought it was cool for the time (it's pathetically laughable in today's age of action figures). The eyes lit up and the rocket pack made noise. As long as I had batteries, I was happy. Still, it was the comic book that made the guy memorable to me.

Over the years, ROM ended up becoming a great comic. He fought the Dire Wraiths, hunting them down and blasting folks away (the DWs could disguise themselves as normal human beings and only ROM could detect them using one of his cool tools). Naturally this didn't sit well with most heroes, though eventually they found out the truth when the DWs became more obvious in their invasion attempts.

An entire storyline was developed that allowed ROM to have a true origin. He was a normal man who became a Space Knight to save his beloved planet Galador. He began chasing the DWs across the galaxy and ended up on Earth trying to wipe them out completely. He was never a regular part of any super-team, but he interacted with a ton of major and minor heroes and villains along the way. He even fought Galactus at one point!

When the time came to end the series, fans were treated to a rarity among comics: a satisfying ending. Marvel didn't own the license to the toy so the hero was perishable at best. They finally allowed ROM to return to being a human back at his planet with his loving wife at his side. Happily ever after? Nope.

The recent miniseries Annihilators allowed us to see what happened over time to everyone but ROM (they couldn't even mention his name because of the licensing issues, just alluded to his death sometime in the past). The Dire Wraiths infiltrated Galador again, and ROM was dead. No chance now of ever seeing him back in his armor again.

The Micronauts

Yes, I know many of these guys have come back in different titles, but the original team was one of my favorite must-read comics of the time. I had the figures (most of them anyway...I was never able to buy an Acroyear figure and actually still want one today) and the adventures these guys faced were above the standard Marvel fare at the time. They gave each member of the team a true backstory and the chance to examine it in detail.

The series ran for 59 issues, ending a few years after the toys themselves were no longer available. That attests to the popularity of the title at the time. They introduced another Marvel regular in issue #8: Captain Universe. The team even made it from the Microverse to our universe to face the Fantastic Four, SHIELD, and even had a helping hand from Ant-Man. The tiny heroes always managed to create this larger-than-life world of adventure and fun for this little (at the time) reader.

Unfortunately Marvel only owned the rights to certain aspects of the title, so Commander Rann (not Space Glider), Marionette, and Bug are the only members of the team we'll ever see again in comics (and do see on a fairly regular basis lately). Acroyear, Biotron, and Microtron, along with Time Traveler, Force Commander, and Baron Karza are gone from us forever.

JJ Abrams was rumored to be helming a Micronauts movie back in 2009, but that has apparently fallen through. And Marvel's recent reintroduction of Rann and Marionette in the Enigma Force miniseries wasn't the update we'd hoped for either. Rann and Mari had marriage problems and were at odds with each other after a messy breakup. Here's hoping they find a happy future someday.

Dial H for Hero

During the 80's there was a very simple storyline of two teenagers, Chris King and Vicky Grant, who became "The heroes created by you!" Every month I grabbed the latest issue of this short-lived series that eventually found its way into the last few pages of Superboy comics as a backup story. These were heroes that were created by kids just like me!

The premise was that you could send in your drawing and brief description of the hero and hope it ended up being printed. While I had a ton of cool hero ideas in my head at the time, I was a horrible artist and could never get anything on paper like I saw it in my head. As a result, the world is forever robbed of DreamStalker in comic form somewhere.

The "Dial H for Hero" concept actually came out two decades earlier when a kid named Robby Reed found the dial and became 3 heroes throughout the course of each issue of House of Mystery from issues 156-173. This collection was actually brought out in a "Showcase Presents" collection last year. But it's the 80's version of the title I miss.

Where else could you hope to actually see your own hero or villain in print? And for a group of amateurs, people came out with some pretty cool creations. My personal favorite villain was called Wildebeest, sort of a Kraven/Deathstroke combo that was very effective.

The only downside was Carmine Infantino's artwork. I know there are people who put him as one of the greatest comic artists of all time, but I have never understood that. Put his work next to Neal Adams or Jim Aparo from the same time period and there is absolutely no comparison.

Unfortunately, we were robbed of a happy ending to this little tale. By the time the series moved to Superboy, the heroes were created mostly by some comic writer rather than a kid. Finally, Robby Reed showed up and the kids both were supposed to be big heroes forever. Years later we found out in a Teen Titans storyline that Chris was a hero but Vicky had become evil due to some cult. In the end, both characters basically disappeared, while Robby Reed continues to show up from time to time.

In today's litigious society a series like that could never fly. If one of the heroes became popular, their creator would get greedy and want to sue for more money. It would be more trouble than it was worth. Still, it was unique for the time it came out and was the dream of many budding comic book writer-wannabes to see something like that in print.

And on my own personal happy ending, thanks to the very fun MMORPG City of Heroes, I've been able to create my own heroes decades later just like I saw them in my head (I'm still a horrible artist though). DreamStalker lives!

The Thrill is Gone, Baby

2011-06-18T04:33:00.001-05:00

Usually, the highlight of my month is when I sit down on the couch with the latest issue of Previews and slowly go through each page to plan my upcoming months. I read over the synopsis of most interesting-looking comics and decide which is worth buying and which is worth just passing over until the trade paperback comes out and I can get the whole story cheaper. It's usually a ritual for me that I love.

This month was different.

As I sat down this week to put together my comic book order, I realized I was looking at the last DC issues before the reboot comes out. There were several variations on the theme of "...will never be the same after this issue! Things change forever!" but then I realized that nothing happening in these few preceding months' issues will really matter. If I skip the next two months it's all fine because nothing happening will actually have a lasting impact on the title thanks to the reboot. It was such a sad experience for me to realize I could literally stop reading DC comics for a couple of months and not miss a thing.

I can appreciate the need for a jumping-on point for new readers, but an entire line's reboot at once is disheartening. Marvel lost me by taking 20 years of Spider-Man's history and throwing it out the window without so much as a nod to the fans. That was just one title. A whole lineup? Ouch!

Marvel's not doing much better for me. I really try to get into some of their titles, but there's nothing really that grabs me as "must read" anymore. I've tried to get excited about "Fear Itself" but it's just another stupid crossover event for Marvel and to me it's too soon after the last one with the Chaos King stuff.

In the end, my order had exactly 3 comic titles on it...and none of them DC.

What about you? Are you skipping out on the next few months to save money for the reboot titles?

Today is the Day!

2011-06-17T01:15:00.001-05:00

Well, it's time for yet another Summer superhero movie, and this is technically the next-to-last one for this summer (Captain America being the last). I know Khristian has been anxiously awaiting Green Lantern and I'm hoping it'll live up to the hype. DC desperately needs another successful film franchise. Marvel can't keep them coming out forever.

The only sad part of watching this will be thinking about how DC will be rebooting all of it anyway in a couple of months so none of it will matter anyhow. The next Green Lantern movie might just look completely different.

But forget all that! Comic book fans unite, grab some popcorn, and then get back here and let me know what you thought about the movie!

Stupid Identities: Patch Logan

2011-06-13T04:00:00.005-05:00

While there are some pretty cool secret identities floating around, there are times when comic book writers seem to stretch the boundaries of believability a bit. Case in point: Wolverine's stint as "Patch" in the beginnings of his first ongoing series.

During John Byrne's turn on the X-Men, he gave a lot of love to Wolverine (they were both Canadian) and soon created a breakout star. Any comic with him on the cover sold quickly, and then the time came to give Wolverine his own miniseries and eventually his own ongoing series.

Then the series came out and strange things began to happen. First, we lost the familiar costumed look everyone expected from the feral mutant tough guy. Instead of the mask and brown-and-tan or even yellow-and-blue spandex look, we were treated to a black number that made it appear Wolverine was doing some ballet work on the side. This was done because at the time the X-Men were presumed dead and this was a way to keep himself in action without giving away the fact that he was, in fact, Wolverine.

The claws were absolutely no indication of that whatsoever.

"Ignore the claws. I'm a normal guy."

Then we got a look at Wolverine's new secret identity: Patch. Looking at the character, it was fairly easy to see what Marvel was shooting for. Raiders of the Lost Ark was a pretty popular film and anyone looking like Indiana Jones was sure to be a hit. Take Marvel's most popular mutant and tie him in with one of the most popular action hero movie characters of the time and throw in a little Bogart from Casablanca...what could go wrong?

Wolverine was dropped into Madripoor, a locale created for the miniseries and the rest is history. Who would recognize this man now because he had such a convincing disguise?

But look at this and think about it. Who has perhaps the most immediately recognizable hairstyle in the comic book world? Do you see many other characters with this weird "hair everywhere" look (except maybe Beast)? Now throw in his liberal use of adamantium claws from time to time and you get this incredibly obvious "secret" identity.

Please keep in mind he was in Madripoor fighting guerillas and even the Silver Samurai, using nothing more than a fishnet for a mask and still no one figured out who he was.

The black costume died a quiet death eventually and Wolverine was back in his normal costume again, but the Patch identity has come back many times over the years to be used whenever a comic book writer saw fit.

Perhaps the most surprising thing is that this costume actually got a figure recently. It's in a two-pack set with Silver Samurai and reprints the second issue of the Wolverine comic book series. If you're a completist, you can add this to your collection of the 400 other previously-offered Wolverine figures.

Make fun of Clark Kent's glasses all you want, but at least he changed his hair style a little when he put them on. Imagine how ticked he'd be to find out all he needed to do was just throw on an eyepatch and the world would be none the wiser.

More DC reboot news...good or bad, you decide.

2011-06-10T13:48:00.000-05:00

You may wonder why I've flooded the posts this week with all the DC news. Well, this blog is all about the mistakes and successes of the comic industry, and there can be no doubt DC is lining itself up for the biggest of one or the other. No cow is sacred, and everything that's been working for them up to this point is shot.

Today we learned that Secret Six will be ending with issue #36. While never my favorite book, they have had some amazing storylines over the years and I've really loved seeing Catman and Deadshot interact. They have this begrudging friendship and respect that you never see in any other book--mainly because while they're friends you can easily see they'd turn and kill each other in a heartbeat if the situation called for it.

Now the closest we'll get is a new title called Suicide Squad. The series has been in DC's roster twice before with different lineups, and now we see a new face leading the team in a new costume.

Say what you will about reboots, DC has definitely gone for it this time with a newly revamped Harley Quinn. The jester suit and hammer that we've come to love since her introduction almost two decades ago in the Batman:The Animated Series cartoons are gone, replaced by this dominatrix-with-a-knife look.

That doesn't bother me nearly as much as the new look for Deadshot. I've always said he had one of the best costumes out there, and now it appears DC is giving him some sort of cyborg kind of look. I'll reserve judgment until the first issue is out, but I'm not impressed with what I've seen so far.

In happier news, Grifter is getting a solo book. DC has moved the Wildstorm universe to their regular continuity and while Martian Manhunter is joining Stormwatch, Grifter is moving to his own series.

The premise is that he's killing creatures only he can see, leading everyone else to believe he's crazy. If this sounds a lot like the storyline from the old Marvel comic series ROM, that's because it is. I'm sure the creatures won't turn out to be Dire Wraiths, but the similarities are undeniable.

Again, I'm giving this book a shot simply because I like the character from years ago. As long as they don't try to turn him into a Deadpool clone they might have a winner with this one.

With all these new titles coming out, DC is definitely setting the internet on fire this week. They are setting the bar tremendously high, and here's hoping they can live up to the hype.

Trailer Thursday: Green Lantern clip

2011-06-09T10:35:00.002-05:00

Watch this fight, see the ring contructs in action, and tell me you aren't psyched to see this film next week:

DC...Now you're starting to worry me.

2011-06-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

With the announcement of 52 new series coming out starting in August, you know DC is going to have to throw a LOT of characters out there for a series shot. The vast majority of them will crash and burn within an issue or two, but some might make it. Unfortunately, after the initial coolness factor has worn off we're starting to see some DC comics that look like gigantic steps back for the company.

Case in point: The Teen Titans

Don't get me wrong, I stopped reading this title years ago. I've picked up an issue or two when it looked good, but for the most part I've never seen anything in this one worth reading on a regular basis. Now they've rebooted the team, and it doesn't look promising.

Tim Drake is still Red Robin...but not the RR we've ever seen before. Now he appears as if he's truly trying to be a red robin or something. He could call himself ChickenMan right now and make more sense.

And what in the world is going on with the other guys on the team? Superboy has a tattoo? Wonder Girl looks like she stepped out of a Tron movie. And what about our two other mysterious figures lurking on the page? Perhaps Vixen and Starfire?

Again, I'm not a regular reader of this book so I have no vested interest in the team per se, I just hate to see DC going off on some crazy tangents with core characters. One thing that kept me in their camp after Marvel went crazy with the Spider-Man reboot is the fact that they've stayed true to their characters over the years. Now it would appear they're going to go for a company-wide "Brand New Day", and that doesn't fill me with confidence.

On the plus side, Hawk and Dove are getting a series shot. I was hoping to see Don Hall back in the role of Dove, but I guess that's part of a reboot we won't see.

I'm also not a fan of Hawk's costume color change to black instead of white. I appreciate the desire to show them as opposite sides of the spectrum in actions, but did we have to make it so obvious? Hawk's costume was always one of the coolest ones out there!

I'll definitely be giving this series a shot for the first few issues at least because I like the characters and loved what they did during Brightest Day (let's hope Boston Brand makes an appearance in here soon). I just think it's going to be a long shot for this book to last any length of time. DC is flooding the market with new books and fans will be forced to just buy into titles they are seriously interested in instead of trying new ones simply because of the sheer number of possibilities out there. Spacing them out over a period of five months or so would have been a much better gauge of how good a book was doing. Most of these guys will just be cannon fodder in this war.

Oh, and by the way, 52 new series out there and we never got a chance to submit any scripts? I think DC should seriously consider opening their doors to new talent out there. I appreciate giving established guys a series, but when you're rebooting your entire lineup anyway, why not see who else is out there to shake things up a bit? Just sayin...

New Batman Storylines in the DC Reboot

2011-06-07T01:36:00.005-05:00

According to an article on IGN, DC is planning on bringing to a close all those Batmen running around out there, making Bruce Wayne the one and only Batman again. This pretty much kicks their newer Batman Inc. series in the butt and says "Thanks for nothing".

Along with such stunners as the return of Barbara Gordon to the role of Batgirl (that should get some folks upset or happy) and the ultimate fate of Dick Grayson now that he's no longer needed as Batman, this return for Bruce Wayne to the mantle of Batman in all of the revolving titles is sure to cause some controversy.

I've actually enjoyed being able to read both Bruce and Dick's adventures, as both were decidedly different Batmen while staying true to the central idea of the character. It was cool to see Dick move from Robin, to Nightwing, and eventually taking the place of his mentor. I actually see this one move as a massive step backward for DC, but only time will tell I guess.

What do you think? Four different monthly issues of Bruce Wayne Batman now...will you jump on as they're hoping?

As a side note, I know I'll definitely be picking up Batman #1 and Detective Comics #1 just to be able to say I have those first issues. They may suck, but at least I'll have them.

As for "news that makes me happy", it's the return of Jason Todd to the regular Red Hood look. True, I'd have preferred him as Red Robin, but at least he's gotten rid of the stupid red fishbowl he's been sporting in the "Batman and Robin" series. He'll be getting his own ongoing series called "Red Hood and the Outlaws". It's another series I'll be jumping on.

And hey, seeing Dick Grayson as Nightwing again will be good. I was worried they'd do something stupid and kill him off, but this is good news. Still, I'll miss him as Batman.

Dream Casting the Alpha Flight Movie

2011-06-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

Alpha Flight was the creation of John Byrne during his X-Men years. Wolverine got a lot of love during those years because Byrne was Canadian just like the character. He even took it step further though and created an entire superhero team for the country to work with.

Now they have a new miniseries coming out in hopes to revive the team's popularity back to what it was in the 80's.

While there is absolutely zero possibility we will ever see an Alpha Flight movie, I thought it might be cool to think about who would be best for the parts if it ever came to be. I think this film would be huge in Canada!

Guardian - Christian Kane

Kane does an awesome job on Leverage playing this tough guy ready to beat the tar out of anyone at any time. Give him a haircut, and I think we'd be looking at a halfway decent James Hudson. He's a little young to fit the part, but he seems tough enough to put on the suit when duty calls.

When you take a comedic actor like Ryan Reynolds and turn him into a very-convincing Green Lantern, there's no reason not to give other actors the chance to stretch a bit as well. Kane might just surprise a lot of folks out there with his acting range.

Shaman - Vik Sahay

An actual Canadian for the team, Vik might surprise you.

Vik's role on Chuck doesn't give him much room for serious moments, but you can see sometimes where he might be able to pull off that "man of mystery" thing. True, he's a little young for the role from the way the comics portray him (I think he's supposed to be in his 40's in the comics), but it's a small difference we can work around.

It works.

Puck - Peter Dinklage

Dinklage is an incredible actor. He plays a wide range of characters, but always brings this cool factor to each one. It's almost as if you should feel privileged to watch him act! I'm not saying he's conceited or anything, I'm just saying he's always this simmering tough guy just waiting for the chance to attack (hey, remember his fight scene in Elf?).

Puck would be the character to allow that. Remember, according to the mythos he is actually harboring a magical creature inside that fights to get out (and consequently forces him to his small stature). That means the character would fight but would also have to show obvious pain and toughness. I believe Peter could do the job.

Northstar - Ian Somerhalder

This character is supposed to be a conceited, arrogant guy. He's a world-class athlete (Olympic skier) who is a superhero only to protect his schizophrenic sister, Aurora. That means we need someone who will be the unhappy hero constantly looking for a reason to snap off on everybody. Oh, and they need to be able to have a French accent. Easy enough, right?

Well, I don't know about the French accent, but Ian did a great job of portraying the overprotective brother on Lost, so I say give him a try. He's got the same thin build you'd expect from a mutant speedster, and he can be pretty intense in his acting from time to time. It might be necessary to drop the accent to keep the role.

Aurora - Kristin Kreuk

For Northstar's sister, you'd need someone who at least looks related to the guy. Kristin's turn as Lana Lang on Smallville went on for too many seasons. There's no way to deny the fact that she was basically killing time on the show her last three seasons there, but she has this otherworldly look about her that could allow for interesting stuff.

Aurora is supposed to have a split personality (at least in the beginning of the comic series), so she needs to be able to go from shy to fireball in a moment. Kristin did some decent fight scenes in Smallville and her mega-successful Street Fighter film (cue sarcasm music here), so I think she could bring the fire to the role as needed. Plus, any chance to make us forget Street Fighter could only work in her favor.

Sasquatch - The Big Show

Let's just admit it: CGI characters are a little over-rated. While I appreciate the need for it from time to time, I really like it when actors are allowed to actually act in a part. With the character of Sasquatch we have the rare opportunity to have a person in costume who actually wouldn't need any CGI work involved if we used The Big Show.

At 7 feet tall, he's already got the height covered. His voice is deep enough to make it happen. Need a roar during a battle scene? He's got that covered as well. Add to it the fact that he's actually a pretty good actor (have you seen Knucklehead?) and I think you have a no-brainer for the part. The only problem would be making sure he didn't look like Chewbacca.

Who would play Walter Langowski when he wasn't being all furry? How about Mark Pellegrino? He has the studious look and makes you believe he could be a scientist with a fun personality in there somewhere.

Heather Hudson - Amanda Righetti

Amanda has the fire in her acting on The Mentalist that makes you believe at some point she could throw on the spandex and go into battle. Plus, she has the "smart girl" vibe going on that makes you believe she could be a scientist on her own.

While I wouldn't envision the movie to portray Guardian's death scene from issue #12, you could still work in a reason for her to put on her version of the Guardian costume. I don't think it would work for the first film though. Perhaps in the sequel (as if).

Snowbird - Yvonne Strahovski

This ageless spirit seems a good fit for our Chuck super-spy. Snowbird transforms from time to time into other animals and birds, while always fighting to keep her human side dominant. Though she keeps a relationship with a regular guy, she doesn't quite understand how to keep it working because she wasn't raised as a normal person. I think Yvonne's done an admirable job of portraying that type of character for the last four seasons of her show.

This one would be heavy on CGI for obvious reasons, but I think Yvonne would be able to play the "not of this world" part needed to make this a credible character.

Marina - Summer Glau

Marina is supposed to be a character who doesn't quite fit in and who eventually explodes into a fit of violent rage and almost disembowels Puck when her wild nature comes out. Summer has pretty much made her career out of playing those roles. In Firefly she was a crazy girl who eventually turns out to be a super-assassin when needed. In the Sarah Connor Chronicles she's the newest terminator robot. It's hard not to see the obvious possibilities here.

The only hitch is the ending. In Marvel continuity, Marina was eventually killed by Prince Namor in a mercy killing because she'd lost her mind. I honestly don't believe there's any way Namor could kill Summer. I believe we'd end up with a much different finale here.

DC Reboots Everything in August!

2011-06-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, that's slightly an overstatement, since 1/3 of their titles won't be touched, but according to a recent interview in USA Today we'll be seeing a LOT of issues after Flashpoint ends that will start with #1. From what has been said, we'll actually see 52 new titles coming out, including reboots of Justice League (with younger versions of the heroes) and even Superman.

Let's be honest, Superman has nowhere to go but up from the past year or so. But look at something else: 52 new titles? Seriously? I want you to take a second and give me 52 DC heroes out there strong enough to hold their own title. Ready...go!

Yeah, I thought so. What we're seeing is a bunch of single starter issues and I suspect we'll be down to about 10 titles or so within a few months.

At the same time, DC is pushing more emphasis toward their digital comics and shoving people that direction. Do you read digital comics? I might look at an issue or two here and there--and it's definitely a cool way to have a ton of comics in a little bitty device or archive important issues--but to me they will never take the place of real paper comic books. I guess I'm an outgoing breed of customer while they focus more on the younger crowd.

Speaking of younger crowds, most of the new titles will be rebooted with younger versions of the heroes, including the new Justice League title headed by the dream team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. We'll get the standard heroes of Batman, Superman, etc, along with some lesser heroes. Cyborg is supposed to play a big role in the team, but I have no idea why. I've never enjoyed the character or seen a reason he's vital to any team. Guess that's why I don't work for DC though, eh?

So what do you think? Brave move on the part of DC, or a desperate act that will end in disaster?

Heroic Hangouts!

2011-05-30T02:20:00.000-05:00

Every hero needs a place to call "home"...even though it's not. Let's just say it's a really cool clubhouse and go from there. These bases would really make fun places to live!

The Fortress of Solitude

The commute for this one would be killer if you didn't have super-speed or flight on your side, but you have it admit it would be a pretty nice place to hang out. Now I'm not talking about the "ice castles" version you see in the movies and on Smallville...I'm talking about the one in the comic books.

This thing had gigantic statues, a bottled city called Kandor, a full-sized cruise ship (just for decoration!), a private alien zoo, and so much more. Not to mention the fact that it virtually guaranteed no solicitors at your doorstep. They wouldn't even be able to find the place or lift the gigantic arrow key!

Of course, between all the world-saving and the Daily Planet day job, I don't see how Superman spent any time in the thing.

The Baxter Building

Home to the Fantastic Four since the beginning and almost constantly since, the Baxter Building is the antithesis of the Batcave: It's located right in the heart of the busiest city in the U.S. so everyone knows where it is! Add to that the fact that no one in the team has a secret identity and you get the feeling it was begging for visitors.

Filled to the brim with scientific do-dads and even the entrance to the Negative Zone, the Baxter Building packs a lot of function into a small amount of space.

It took several years and multiple battles before Reed Richards finally bought the place. Before that happened, it couldn't have been fun working in that building.

"What's that sound? Oh great, Doctor Doom's attacking the top floor again. Now I'll have to take the stairs to go home! 35 flights of stairs! I'm getting another job!"

The JLA Satellite

A base in outer space is another way to keep the unwanted visitors off your doorstep. Unfortunately, there are those of us who have crippling fears of heights which would immediately strike this off the list of potential heroic hangouts.

This is definitely the most unsafe of the bases in this list, as any puncture to the hull would result in immediate and terrifying death for those who weren't built for outer space.

This base got a really bad rap during Identity Crisis, when Sue Dibny was assaulted by Doctor Light in it. To me that was something that could have been skipped over altogether.

The JLA no longer have this place, choosing instead to work out of the Hall of Justice. Those of us who grew up in the Bronze Age of comics still think of this place as the JLA's true home. Even the moon base they had for a while didn't seem as cool as your own satellite in space.

The Avengers Mansion

This one is cool because...well, it's a mansion. It's located in Manhattan (where all the cool heroes hang out) and has been the sight of several titanic battles over the years. Tony Stark originally paid for and built the thing for the Avengers back before they knew he was Iron Man and it's served them well over the years.

The mansion has been the site of several heart-wrenching battles. The "Avengers Disassembled" storyline saw the death of Ant-Man and Hawkeye there before it was destroyed. The Masters of Evil also came in the ripped the place to shreds at one point, almost killing Jarvis in the process.

The Avengers moved to their own floating island/building for a while. Big surprise here, but it was eventually sunk during an attack in the "Acts of Vengeance" storyline. Recently it was rebuilt by Stark and given to Luke Cage as a base for the "New Avengers" after the events of Civil War.

The Batcave

Hands down the coolest place to live on Earth, the Batcave won our reader's poll of best overall base and it's easy to see why. Besides being hidden in a cave (and what guy doesn't think that's cool?) it's filled with the latest gadgets and goodies...along with an awesome car, boat, and plane at your disposal at any moment!

Don't feel like being in the dark? Well, you get the best of both worlds here by just walking upstairs to stately Wayne Manor! Now it's nothing but fireplaces and flat-screen televisions in every room, along with your own butler! No more cleaning up after yourself!

Actually though, there's a possibility Batman could have been a bit of a hoarder with all that junk he kept in there (a giant penny and a mechanical dinosaur? Seriously?). Also, what's the point of having such a boss base and never letting anyone else see it? I'd have friends over all the time, which is probably why I'm not the Batman (or am I?).

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters video game is out soon!

2011-05-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, but there is a Green Lantern video game coming out just in time for the new movie. Video games have been tied in to movies for years as a way to boost sales for both, but sometimes they aren't the best match.

This year we've seen a Thor game that's actually pretty fun because you get to start out as the real thing rather than slowly build up a power set that takes forever to create. Now it would appear the Green Lantern game will be following that model.

Just looking at the various screenshots available out there from the PR firm doing a real bang-up job of getting the word out to everyone, I think this game is going to be amazing. The movie already has my vote for best trailer of the summer.

Now it would seem the game will allow you to actually create things to fight with, just like you would if you had a ring for real (admit it, you'd make some fun stuff like a giant glove or something). Whatever you build, you can fight with.

I am by no means a hard-core gamer and finish very few of them, but this looks like one I might be tempted to stick with for a while. It comes out right before the movie on June 7th, so make plans to get out there and scream the oath in your own living room for the fun of it!

Captain...?

2011-05-23T01:29:00.116-05:00

I have no idea what makes the rank of "Captain" so important, but it seems like everyone wants to be one. Just take a look at all these:

Captain America

This is probably one of the first you think of when you hear someone mention a hero named "Captain...?" The shield-slinger has been around for decades, and is just now apparently getting a fairly decent movie treatment.

For a while, he was Steve Rogers, then Bucky Barnes took over, then Steve came back and Bucky went to jail. Technically this leaves us with no clear Captain America as the movie is coming out, but I'm sure that will all be fixed up quickly.

Any way you look at it, the guy is popular with more statues and figures out there than any other hero on this list.

Captain Marvel (Marvel version)

This is one of the few "Captains" who actually has a military rank for his name. Granted, it's in the Kree army, but it counts. Mar-vell died in the very first Marvel graphic novel ever created called (surprise) "The Death of Captain Marvel".

The story did so well it paved the way for many more graphic novels over time. Unfortunately now every TPB is branded a graphic novel which cheapens the title. Read the original story in light of the comic books coming out at the time and you'll see why it was such an amazing story.

Captain Marvel (DC version)

This poor hero had a hard time of it for a while. When he first came out, DC included him in their rash of legal challenges against any and every hero who even remotely resembled Superman. Even though he was a popular hero with a lot of differences from the man of steel, DC won and the character spent years in comic book limbo. Ironically enough, DC bought the character and later brought him to his own series of stories that proved very popular.

He has fought Superman a lot over the years, though their titanic battle in Kingdom Come remains my favorite. In that one he truly cut loose against Superman and took him down, answering once and for all who would really win if the gloves were off.

Captain Carrot

One of those "funny animal" heroes, Captain Carrot really is a pretty cool dude. I remember reading that first issue as a kid and being hooked from that point forward. Spending years in limbo, they were brought back two years ago in a mini-series that ended up making them real animals in our world. They did get to come back in Final Crisis, but nothing has happened with him since.

To me, I think a Captain Carrot action figure would be a huge hit. The costume was cool and I'd love to see it in 3D as a figure, though I doubt he'll ever get one. Then again, if Animal Man can get a figure, surely some custom figure guy will try his hand at Captain Carrot and put him on Ebay!

Hey, tomorrow's my birthday, so if you're good at that thing and feel generous, it would be one of the coolest geek birthday presents I've gotten in a long time!

Captain Britain

There are rumors he'll be a cameo in the upcoming Captain America movie. If he is, I highly doubt he'll show up in his awesome 70's outfit with the medallion and staff. Oh there are plenty of haters on the internet who hate that thing, but it beats out his later spandex outfit to me.

This character started out as Marvel's answer to Captain America for England, but he eventually made his way over the pond to team up with Spider-Man against Arcade in Murderworld. Years later he proved popular enough to lead a team called Excalibur (Marvel's attempt at a British version of the X-Men with a few mutants thrown in for the mix).

Captain Comet

Known as "The Man From the Day After Tomorrow", Captain Comet showed up for several issues as the lead hero during the run of "Society of Super Villains". After that he was pretty much banished to guest-star-only status for over a decade.

Even though he's been in several books since then, he has yet to really make a long-lasting impression on many readers. Most of the titles he appears in tend to be canceled shortly after he joins the roster. It makes no sense to me though, because I think the guy is pretty fun to read about. Great costume too!

Captain Universe

I still remember Micronauts #8 where we first saw this hero. Though the idea of a person becoming a hero to help in a situation and then losing that power isn't new (remember "Dial H for Hero"?) the way the character moved into his own series later on was a nice touch. Each issue would see a different person get the power and use it their own way. Sometimes they helped people, and once a cat burglar got it and tried to use it for his own selfish gains (it didn't end well for him).

The Uni-Power has even taken over a number of superheroes. Spider-Man was the first, then later the Silver Surfer, the Hulk, Sue Storm, and Daredevil all got their chance at unlimited power.

Captain Atom

Another hero who got his "Captain" title from military rank, Captain Atom was originally a Charleton character that was bought by DC. One of only three that really made an impact in the DC universe (the other two are the Blue Beetle and the Question), Captain Atom is the only one of the three still the original character from Charleton.

The good Captain even made his way into a nice Justice League Unlimited story arch on television, working for the government to stop the Question and Huntress. He's recently rejoined Justice League International members Booster Gold, Fire, and Ice in Justice League: Generation Lost.

So Many Masks

2011-05-16T02:17:00.003-05:00

Several weeks ago we had a poll asking which type of mask you'd wear if you were a hero. You never really realize how many there are out there until you break them down...which we'll do right now.

Domino Mask

Worn by: Nightwing, Green Lantern, Robin, etc.

Probably the most famous type of mask, it also covers just about the least of the face. I still have a hard time believing this would fool anyone, but it apparently has for years.

The mask begs the question "What in the world is keeping it on your face?" First of all it has to be something that will stay on in the middle of a fight no matter how sweaty you get. But then it has to be removable without ripping the skin around your eyes off.

Yes, I know Green Lantern's mask is created by his ring and is therefore part of the costume, but Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood, and many others have had this little thing stuck to their faces for years without a problem or reasonable explanation.

Cowl

Worn by: Batman, Nighthawk, Red Robin, etc

The most popular choice in our poll, the cowl serves this purpose of keeping the hair covered at least. Now it's not necessarily as easy to figure out who you are under the mask as the domino mask would be.

Add to that a certain streamlined effect and you have a pretty cool look. The fact that it's attached to the flowing cape doesn't hurt either. All in all it can be a fairly intimidating appearance when it's done right.

There's a reason Batman's iconic look has stayed with pop culture for decades. It's an old faithful design that just works.

Full Face Mask

Worn by: Spider-Man, Union Jack, Deathstroke, etc

For a real mystery man look, it's hard to go wrong with this type of mask. Covered completely, heroes sporting this look have that mystery surrounding them that leads a lot of people to wonder what person is really under all that.

Truthfully though, it's hard to imagine Spider-Man without his full mask. And Deadpool just doesn't seem as funny any other way. Union Jack was able to use the look to his advantage to fool Baron Blood into thinking he was an old man when in actually he was young Joey Chapman.

There are a lot of advantages to going this route...though the cost of material goes up a little. That, and it's hard to figure out how you can breathe that well in a tough fight with cloth on your face.

Goggles

Worn by: Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Plastic Man, Vigilante, etc.

Now this one is hard to pull off right. The first time I read a Plastic Man comic in the 70's I couldn't figure out what was going on with his eyes. Which way was he supposed to be looking? Eventually I figured it all out and the craze seemed to catch on.

Now heroes like Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle have added to the mix of using a functional mask. I mean, when it's raining outside which hero can still see in a torrential downpour? Try that Spider-Man!

Seriously though, I think this could be considered cheating just a little.

Sunglasses

Worn by: Nomad, Hitman, Blade, etc.

If you're not up for goggles, there's always a cheaper way out through sunglasses. While I consider Jack Munroe's Nomad to be one of the best heroes out there and best costume for a casual hero type, I've never been one to follow how he kept the sunglasses on. Also, how are they handy in a fight indoors?

It's really hard to see a hero pull this off and not look like someone off "Jersey Shore", but it's been done. Oddly enough, this is the one look that looks best in the movie versions of the characters. It's hard to pull off a mask on a real person, but sunglasses always look tough.

I almost threw Cyclops in with this group, but I'm not really sure it would be fair. I think he'd fall more under a mixture of the goggles and sunglasses crowd.

No Mask

Worn by: Superman, The Sentry, Punisher, etc.

Of course, there are those who skip masks altogether and just say "Here I am. Look at me!" It's usually done by someone with nothing to hide because their identity is public (like the Punisher) or they look differently when in their secret identity (like DC's Captain Marvel or The Sentry). And yes, Superman hides behind glasses (even dumber than a domino mask) and still folks can't figure out who he is.

Whatever the reason, this is the easy way out. Fight as hard as you want to and never worry about someone seeing your face because your mask got shredded. I can't say I'm a fan of this though. For me, I think it's always cooler to see a hero in some form of mask. The only exception I'll give is the Punisher. I think he'd look a little weird wearing one for some reason.

Helmet

Worn by: Ant-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Fate, Forbush Man, etc.

For real protection, it's hard to go wrong with a good old-fashioned piece of metal on your head! Whether you're using it to control an entire suit of armor like Iron Man or just to hide your identity like Red Hood, you can't say anything about the functionality of one. However, hiding the costume takes a lot of creative thinking when you can't just cram it all under your tuxedo and walk in.

I've always thought artists probably love drawing helmeted characters more than anything else. No worries about emotion on the face or anything...just a blank slate.

The only character easier to draw would have to be the Question.

Hood

Worn by: Green Arrow, The Spectre, Moon Knight, etc

While hiding identity, I have to say this one would be hard to justify as safe. Think about it: your peripheral vision is absolutely shot. True, you're ready for a rainstorm, but if someone comes at you quietly from the side you are dead.

Also, how do you keep this on your head while you're running after (or away from) a bad guy? When I have my hood on and I go running to my car in the rain, it always flies back and lets me get soaked.

Functionally, I have to say this one is at the bottom of the barrel. Yes, the "mysterious stranger" look works when stepping out of the shadows...but it's not the best choice in a fight.

Over-the-Head Mask

Worn by: Captain America, Hawk and Dove, the Atom, etc.

I'm not sure of the official name for this look, so let's just say it's a cowl without the cape kind of thing. It's been popular for years with everyone from the Flash to Vindicator wearing one.

The thing that makes this one slightly less believable is the way the heroes usually have it during "casual times". Most of the time their whole head is through the mouth part with the mask laying behind their head until the pull it up over their head and on. That sucker would be so stretched out it would blow off in a light wind.

There is a variation of this mask where the hair is seen. Marvel's version of Captain Marvel and the original Captain Britain look are two heroes who go that way with it. Again, I'm not sure what it's officially called though. You know what I mean, right?

Weird Everything-But-The-Face Mask

Worn by: Puck, Justice, The Angel, Gambit, etc.

Ok, I had no idea what you actually called this one, but I've seen it from time to time. I guess this would be considered a "face frame" more than a mask.

I suppose this one would be more for those heroes who want to wear a mask, while still wanting people to know what they looked like underneath. This might even fit into the "no mask" category.

Maybe you're proud of your hair, or maybe you just like the way you look in the mirror, either way, if this is your choice it's not very functional for anything other than keeping your ears warm in the wind.

There are a lot of characters that fit into combinations of categories that I didn't cover. For example, Magneto would fit into the helmet/face-frame mixture. Doctor Doom would fit into the helmet/hood group. Deadshot would be an entirely new combination, with full-face mask/eyescope group. The combinations are endless.

As you can tell, it would be impossible to categorize them all. Hopefully I've covered the most often used ones though.

Smallville's Series Finale - The CW's Finger to the Fans

2011-05-13T21:27:00.001-05:00

I just finished watching the Smallville series finale. If you haven't seen it and don't want spoilers, stop reading right now.

For the rest of you...

Ten years. We watched this show for 10 years for one reason: to see the suit. How many times did it suffer horrible words flung at it from critics everywhere, while we fans fought and defended it because we hoped for a happy ending? Through every stupid Lana episode, we held on even though she would never die. With every moronic "I didn't ask for this destiny!" speech we heard from Clark, we kept on tuning in. Even when Lex himself left, we still stuck around through horrible storylines and cheap villains just because we wanted to see the suit.


Yep, I got a million bucks for those ten minutes.

And here we ended up, 10 years later, and we only wanted two things: Michael Rosenbaum to return to the role he made his own: Lex Luthor (check, we got that one), and we wanted to see Welling in the suit. After teasing for weeks on end about it, showing clips of it and even an outline of the cape for a few promos, the night came to deliver.

What did we get? A half dozen long-range shots of a tiny figure in the suit that actually looked less convincing than 98% of the Photoshop fan pictures I've seen on the internet! And when it finally swung around to give us a glimpse, it cuts to a comic book? Are you kidding me??? Do they honestly think we don't know what Superman looks like in the comic books???

Suck it, viewers! You'll never see this! Hahahaa!

Rosenbaum did great, and the "memory loss powder" was a very nice touch that allowed the mythos to step in there for no memory of Smallville. But 10 minutes? And all we got was a speech to Clark and a speech to Tess (right before he killed her...nice touch and points for you there, writers). They should have skipped the whole Darkseid angle and just given us two hours of Clark versus Lex.

Or--and I know this is a crazy thought but hear me out here--they could have given us Welling in the suit! One shot! Just one! If that's all we were worth to you producers and writers, you should have given us one lousy shot.

Now we get to add Smallville's finale to the list of great series bombouts like Battlestar Galactica and Lost.

Hey guys, please let me know when you're starting another series so I can be sure to save my time and money.

Yeah, how you like me now, eh?

On the other hand, I'm sure Brandon Routh is sleeping happily tonight knowing that someone did manage to put together a Superman piece of junk worse that Superman Returns. For that, I'm sure he thanks the writers and producers profusely.

Smallville's season finale...if this is what WB can do with heroes, it's time to stop reading comic books.

The only way they will ever redeem this mess is if they let Welling come into the JLA movie as Superman. Chances of that happening are just slightly less than Spider-Man 3 winning an award as the best comic book film ever made.

Am I wrong? Did you like it? Did you feel those CGI pinpoint versions of Welling in costume were enough? Let your voice be heard in the comments!

Batman's Greatest Hits

2011-05-09T02:00:00.173-05:00

Batman is one of my favorite heroes and I got to thinking about some of the better things about the character. He's really had a lot of great moments and highlights, so I thought I'd cover a few of them.

Granted, this is purely subjective and you'll probably disagree on more than one of these, but these are what I consider top times for the Caped Crusader.

Video Game Moment: Arkham Asylum's opening scene

After years of struggling to get a good video game, Arkham Asylum came along and completely changed the playing field for Batman video games. If you haven't played this game, stop now and do what you must to get your hands on a copy. Clear your calendar, grab some Mountain Dews, lock yourself in your house and start playing. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill showed up to the do the voices of Batman and Joker, but this isn't the cartoon series.

The best moment for me comes in the opening cut scene from the game. As Batman is escorting the captive Joker to his (temporary) confinement in Arkham, they get into an elevator. On the way down, the lights go out and Joker starts laughing. At this point, you figure he's about to escape and the game will begin.

You will be wrong.

Instead, the lights kick back on and we find Batman standing there holding the Joker by the throat, patiently waiting for power to be restored while insuring the villain doesn't get away. It's the first few seconds of this clip:

The game itself is a lot of fun. You really get to be Batman, trying to scare your foes just as much as drop down and beat them up. But to me, that opening scene sets the mood for how this Batman really is.

Statue: Batman Museum Statue

I have over two dozen Batman statues (and an incredibly understanding wife), but the pride of my collection remains my birthday present from last year. It is the museum quality Batman statue.

This monster statue stands over a foot and a half tall, and has real material for the costume. The cape itself is a leathery material that has wires in it to allow you some posing with it. The statue is incredibly detailed and expensive, but worth the money if you're really into collecting.

While the Batman Black and White statue collection has some amazing contributions to the character, I have to say this statue remains my top choice.

Cartoon Scene Moment: Bruce Wayne's Miyagi Moment

While there are hundreds of various Batman animated cartoons out there, I have to say one of my personal favorite moments comes in the pilot episode of Batman Beyond. The cartoon is supposed to take place in the future after Bruce has retired from being the hero because he almost dies during his last mission.

After years of seclusion, we get a scene right out of the first Karate Kid movie. The teen hero is cornered by baddies who have chased him, and now he stands to be beaten down. Instead, an old man intervenes.

Out of the shadows, Bruce comes up with his cane and beats down the gang, showing age means nothing to Batman. Death wanted him years ago but has been too afraid to show up.

Couldn't find a clip I could embed, but here's the link if you want to see it. It starts at 1:20 of the clip:
Bruce Wayne Can Still Fight

Comic Book: The Dark Knight Returns

I will be the first to admit this graphic novel has been thrown into the spotlight a million times, but there's a reason for that. The storyline still grabs me every time I read it.

For many, this is considered the graphic novel that changed the face of the hero for them. That was the case for me. Years of growing up seeing him on Super Friends and in various comic books had given me an image of Batman as a casual hero. The Dark Knight Returns changed it all by showing a hero who would beat the living daylights out of bad guys and hurt them just because.

Giving us the final fight with the Joker, a new Robin, and the explanation for him wearing a bright yellow symbol on his chest (SPOILER: it's bulletproof), the comic book just kept getting better with each issue. The climactic fight scene between Batman and Superman just added to the cool factor because of how it ended.

To see the legacy of this comic, just watch the cartoon series from a few years ago. We were given a glimpse into this Dark Knight world. It didn't follow the comic book, but it did obviously pay homage to what Miller had done.

Miller's attempted follow-up years later confirmed a lot of suspicions that TDKR was just a lucky fluke for the writer, but the original remains a must-read storyline for any Batman fan.

Action Figure: DC Direct Modern Batman

I have a lot of Batman statues, but my figure collection is much worse. I have over 125 different loose Batman figures on display in my house (again, my wife is the most understanding woman on the planet and indulges my quirky habit). After a LOT of personal debate on the issue, I've decided my personal favorite is the DC Direct Modern Batman 13 inch figure.

There have been 4 different 13 inch Batman variations (Classic, Modern, Dark Knight movie, and Alex Ross Justice) and I have them all, but this modern version seems to fit the character. Alex Ross' Justice figure really does look like he came out of a Ross illustration, but his face looks a little too strange to be considered the absolute look of the Batman.

This figure comes with a stand and interchangeable hands that let you put the Batarang in there and pose him as your heart desires. If I had to choose a figure that would show someone who Batman was, this would be the one I went with.

Movie: The Dark Knight

So many Batman movies to choose from, but this one just remains Batman's greatest. The scene where he escapes from the tower using the balloon and the airplane? Tell me you weren't just amazed when you saw that for the first time? And hey, I'd bet money you walked out talking about the Joker's "magic trick".

Christopher Nolan created this beautifully perfect film that gave us a great clash between Batman and Joker. Unfortunately, even though the Joker lived through this film, we'll never see Heath Ledger get his rematch.

Was the movie perfect? No way. The absence of Katie Holmes really took away from the character's final fate in my eyes. I just couldn't get it through my head that Maggie was playing the same character because they look absolutely nothing alike. And Christian Bale's Batman voice? Cookie Monster all the way. But at least this Two-Face looked scary and acted more in line with the comic book, rather than Tommy Lee Jones' attempt to "out-Carrey" Jim Carrey's Riddler.

I'm still waiting to see what Nolan does with the last film, but I remain optimistic.

Cartoon Series: Batman The Animated Series

When I first saw the concept drawings for this series in the early 90's, I thought it was going to be stupid. He didn't look like a real person, but a caricature instead. I still tuned in though, and soon my Saturday evenings were spent watching the episode I'd taped on the VCR that morning.

Bruce Timm brought us a version of Batman that had elements of the light-hearted fare we'd grown used to from the 70's, but kept this grim edge from the comic books that made it appealing to adult viewers like myself.

Though the series began to wear out a little in later years when Robin joined the show, those first seasons kept me very happy. Even now the theme music from this show remains a favorite in comic book shops everywhere.

Comic Book Artist: Neal Adams

Oh, this will start a fight I'm sure and I've already covered this in the past. Jim Aparo did amazing things with him. Alex Ross made him look real and gave his costume wrinkles. Jim Lee made him gritty, while Frank Miller made him tough. Ethan Van Sciver gave him menace. All of these guys were amazing and had their moments, but I have to give the biggest moment to Neal Adams.

Oh, I know he gave a possibly-fatal blow to his Bat-cred with the Batman: Odyssey maxi-series that was recently killed by DC Comics, but during the 70's and 80's this man did some awesome work. I was just a child during his Batman time and had no idea who was drawing the book...I just knew the pictures were incredible.

I was able to attend the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con (thanks, Khristian!), and meeting Neal Adams there was one of the high points of that trip. I'm sure he didn't necessarily feel the same way, but I got so many books signed by him that I don't care.

Neal illustrated a lot of heroes over the years (his Deadman is usually the one you'll see on tee shirts even today). It would be hard to pigeon-hole him into one character, I know, and yet it's hard to think of Batman without seeing him drawn by Neal in my mind's eye.

If you're interested, Jim Aparo would be my second choice of top Bat-artist. He very narrowly lost to Neal.

Now fire away! What would you consider better moments than these I mentioned?

NEW GREEN LANTERN TRAILER!

2011-05-05T02:00:00.001-05:00

Well welcome to another edition of Trailer Thursday! This week we have a new Green Lantern trailer that gives us not only our first full look at Kilawog with Michael Clark Duncan 's booming voice attached but also a glance at the Guardians. If you look closely you can see the Sinestro Corps. Lantern in there too! This is a trailer well worth watching twice!

The Many Costumes of Spider-Man

2011-05-02T02:21:00.111-05:00

The first comic book I ever owned and followed every month was Spider-Man. Starting with "Essential Amazing Spider-Man Volume 5" I have been reliving those great childhood moments all over again. While I miss the color, I can't complain about the price Marvel is charging for these multi-issue trips down memory lane.

Looking back on the wall-crawler's long and sometimes-tumultuous career, he's had a lot of costumes! Some were good moves, while others might have stumbled a bit.

Here are some of the more memorable ones:

The Original

This blue and red beauty is the one that started it all and still remains pretty much the same today. There is something iconic in the suit, and while I find it impossible to believe a high school kid could have possibly sewn something so intricate, I gladly suspend my disbelief to enjoy this costume.

The movie version kept surprisingly close to this and I appreciated that. While the X-Men ran around in black leather, Spidey got to stay in costume (and made them oodles of money for doing so).

Say what you will about the stories he's been involved in over the years, this suit is the best.

The Black Suit

I still vividly remember the day I picked up this issue from the comic book shop and sat in stunned silence. They had taken my favorite hero of all time and robbed him of not just his costume, but even the basic colors I had grown to love!

Of course, this suit had a TON of cool new abilities and opened the door for some pretty nice things. Eventually this suit would even turn out to be a bad guy itself and lead to some amazing drama before becoming Venom. Even today this suit is still a recurring part of Spidey's storylines. The "Back in Black" story arc was a great return to form for the character with the dark costume reflecting the darker change Peter himself was going through with Aunt May's injury.

The Captain Universe Suit

I love the Captain Universe costume by itself, so seeing Spidey wear it for a while was a treat. At first he just discovered an incredible boost in his powers with no explanation, but later on it was discovered that he had been given the Captain Universe power to defend Earth against an upcoming threat (hint: purple world eater).

On a side note, I would love to see Captain Universe show up again as a regular character in a comic book. For a while he was part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the suit and power have been AWOL lately.

The Iron Spidey

I can't throw this in as one of my favorites, but I have to give it a place here.

During the Civil War storyline Spidey's suit went through quite the upgrade by Tony Stark. The addition of actual spider legs was just the beginning of the weirdness. The subtle changes to the costumes colors to more closely resemble Iron Man didn't help things much.

I know there are very vocal folks on the internet who think this costume is a classic that deserves a comeback, but I can't say I'm one of them.

The Future Foundation Suit

With the death of Johnny Storm, the remaining members of the Fantastic Four decided to ditch the blue and white look for something a little more modern. Spider-Man--perhaps the most standard and recognizable hero in the Marvel Universe--steps in to take Johnny's place on this new team and they give him a new costume (so they can look like a team).

If there was ever anyone who needed to develop a backbone and say no when folks keep tossing him a new suit, it's Peter Parker. Unfortunately we're treated to this little black and white number. It does have a color-changing ability that is convenient, so now they can play with the design from time to time until they find something that works.

The New Armor Suit

Ignoring the one-shot armor suit that showed up in Web of Spider-Man #100, the newest costume change for Spider-Man involves a bulletproof suit that begs the question: "50 years in comics and it took you this long to think 'bulletproof'?"

Unlike the cumbersome earlier version, this armor seems to let him keep the agility he's known for while still being able to take a bigger hit than the old days. It seems like a cross between the old black costume, the Iron Spidey suit, and Ronin.

Will it last more than a dozen issues? Only time will tell. It will be interesting to see how they sell putting him back in threads after this though.

Honorable Mentions:

The Scarlet Spider

I'm going to look at the two suits Ben Reilly wore next. While I know he wasn't technically Peter Parker, he did run as Spider-Man for a bit and this Scarlet Spider costume deserves mention.

This suit remained faithful to the original concept of Spidey's costume while tweaking things a little. Of course, the blue vest is a dead giveaway that this was a creation of the 90's. Then again, during this same time X-Force was running around with vests and every new hero seemed to be considering it so we'll forgive the fault.

Ben didn't stay in this costume forever. When it was discovered (for a while anyway) that Ben was the original while Peter was the clone, he moved into a costume better suited to the role.

Ben Reilly Spider-Man

This one was a return to form. The writers had created this Clone Sage mess that left the comic book world scratching its head. In putting Ben forward as the new "real" Spider-Man they wanted to give him a look all his own while still giving a nod to the original.

Hey, at least this suit kept to the red and blue color scheme. I can't complain about this one. I thought the half-boots were a pretty cool idea, though the web shooters reminded me a bit of the old 70's TV series version of the suit.

There's even an action figure of this one out there if you're a fan.

Spider-Man 2099

Hands down my favorite Spider-Man costume, this one ends our list with a bang.

When Marvel introduced their 2099 line in the 90's, the only two titles I followed were this one and Punisher 2099. This character's origin was original enough to make him different, but similar enough to make him familiar. After the 2099's entire lineup cancellation, he dropped off the radar for years.

Spidey 2099 was last seen as a member of the Exiles (during the heyday of the title). He now resides in some alternate universe with his own Mary Jane living happily ever after. A younger version showed up in the TimeStorm 2099 miniseries, but I'm not sure it's in the same continuity

Trailer Thursday!

2011-04-28T02:00:00.003-05:00

So once again we find ourselves at another trailer Thursday. This week we're featuring another fan made trailer. This one a Batman 3 trailer that, frankly, looks freaking awesome! For your viewing enjoyment we present "The Batman Complex".

What If He Wasn't The Batman?

2011-04-25T02:33:00.003-05:00

Ever wonder what would have happened if Bruce Wayne had been interrupted in his thought processes by something besides a bat? What kind of hero would he have turned out to be?

In 1974, we were treated to a two-page answer with some pretty cool results. Unfortunately, the color isn't the best in some of these alternates, but see what you think. Click on the picture to see the full size page.

So looking at this we see a few interesting options. The Scorpion is, of course, a Spider-Man villain. The Stingray became a Marvel hero in the 70's. The Owl was cool because Batman's evil counterpart from Earth 3 was Owlman. The last two...well, I guess you can say Iron Man was the last one. Shooting Star might have been original enough.

Of that group, I'd have to give The Owl the biggest chance of being a star. What do you think?

Stupid Names

2011-04-18T02:05:00.028-05:00

Some heroes have cool names that roll of the tongue. Others (especially the villains) seem to end up with something that could never really be taken seriously. Here are a few examples:

Crazy Quilt

His weapon was colors. He fought Robin, the boy wonder (back when he was literally a boy wonder) and lost. This is Robin...solo...no Batman or anything...and lost.

The guy's outfit made his masculinity look questionable to say the least. His choice of a villain name sealed the deal. Seriously, even Rainbow Raider laughs at this guy. Naming yourself after a deranged blanket really isn't the best way to forever emblazon your name into the annals of criminal masterminds forever. Instead, it's a way to become the punchline for a lot of jokes in comic book blogs in the future.

Blue Jay

A long-forgotten DC hero who was essentially a Hank Pym knockoff, Blue Jay wins the award for the second least-scary bird-hero-name ever (Robin, is of course, the winner).

Every bird out there seems to have a hero or villain named after it (Hawkman, Red Raven, Robin, Falcon...shoot, even Hummingbird is out there), so in order to avoid confusion I guess he went with the only choice no one else wanted.

So let's stack all this up: he's a hero who is about six inches tall with blue wings and he calls himself Blue Jay. Yeah, I can see where this might cause problems gaining respect among his peers.

Elongated Man

I'm not making this up: I was 18 before I finally figured out how to pronounce his name.

Oh, we had Plastic Man and Mister Fantastic, but who in the world thought up the name "Elongated Man". It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, you know. Now consider that a lot of the comic book readers in the Silver Age when he came out were actually kids, and you can see where this might have been a weird choice.

Was he just trying to impress everyone with his vocabulary? Was Rubber Band Man already taken? How about Stretchy Guy or something? Tell the truth: have you ever used the word "elongated" in any conversation ever? I didn't think so.

The Spook

Another Batman villain, this one just showed up for a few issues in 1973 before being taken down for good. He was originally played up as a ghost character (thus his name), but Batman's detective skills brought him down and proved he was nothing more than a talented escape artist.

Talented in escape maybe, but choosing a name? Not so much. It brings more of an image of Casper the Friendly Ghost than some criminal terror to be afraid of. The only thing you can give him is that he was able to, for one issue, outsmart the Batman by stealing the Batmobile.

Mister Who

Before he became a Doctor, he was...no, just kidding. This obscure villain "terrorized" Doctor Fate for a while during the Silver Age.

A brilliant scientist, he created a formula that changed his appearance, made him grow as he needed to, and even let him blend into the background colors of a room. Doctor Fate was able to beat him, as you can imagine.

But the name? Seriously, that's the best you could come up with? I can just hear an Abbott and Costello routine playing through that.

"What's the guy's name? Mister something."
"Who."
"The guy Doctor Fate's fighting."
"Who."
"The guy who grows big and stuff."
"Who."
"The guy in with the beard! Mister what?"
"Who."
"Oh never mind. Let's watch that British Sci-Fi show you like. The one with the Doctor guy. What was his name again?"

And on it goes...

Trailer Thursday: Hawkeye in Thor

2011-04-14T02:59:00.000-05:00

You'll have to watch carefully, but at the 24 second mark we see a guy holding a compound bow as lightning flashes. That's either Hawkeye, Green Arrow, or Robin Hood. I'm going to put my money on the former, and I'm hoping that's not all we see of him in this film (though I've read that really is the extent of his cameo in "Thor" before taking a bigger role in "Avengers").

We Made It To The Top Ten!

2011-04-13T13:16:00.000-05:00

Besides being a comic fan, I'm also a computer geek and as such follow a lot of blogs besides comic book related ones. Today I was hitting the MakeUseOf blog and found that they had posted "10 Comic Blogs That Every Comic Book Fan Should Read." Some of my favorites were there (if you don't read "Comics Alliance" or "Chris's Invincible Super Blog" you miss some great stuff), but then on down the list I got a very pleasant surprise!

That logo looks familiar...

We made it in there!

It's a HUGE honor to be in a list with CBR, Comixology and others like it. Thanks to Saikat Basu for not only reading this blog but taking the time to tell others about it!

6 Annoying Things About Comics

2011-04-11T02:27:00.026-05:00

It's been a very long time since I've looked at something like this, so I thought I'd continue on with more.

Even though comic books are complete fantasy, they do follow a certain set of rules of their own. Even heroes who can fly have laws of gravity and physics around them that the comic writers adhere to. However, have you ever read a comic story and thought, "Even in a world where men can run faster than light and can fly, that doesn't make sense!"? Here are a few of the things that always confused me:

1. How can you be the worlds fastest man and yet carry on a conversation with others while fighting?

Imagine standing still and having someone rip past you in an F-15 jet telling you about their day. Number one, how much of that would you actually hear? Number two, what kind of witty response could you come up with?


You can say all that in a second?

The correct answer is: nothing (unless you're an auctioneer).

And yet, the comic writers continued to let Flash and his villain of the month talk it out while trying to fight it all out. And we're not talking about a quick sentence here or there...we're talking entire conversations with enough time for response on the part of the normal-speed villain. And yet the guys could never hit the Flash with any ray or weapon?

2. Why didn't Superman just throw Doomsday into outer space?

Works every time.

Superman's battle with Doomsday was supposed to be the stuff of legend. Here was the monster who would finally kill the Man of Steel. But through the whole thing I kept thinking: Just throw him into outer space! I mean, once you've decided to kill or be killed for that big ending, just skip the "be killed" part and toss him. Let some other planet with stronger heroes finish him off, or let him just wander on Jupiter and die of boredom.

Come to think of it, why didn't Superman just do that for most of his too-close-for-comfort fights? Giant robots he would get beat down with a million times before hitting would have been a simple matter of flying behind them, grabbing them, and going straight up until you see stars around you before letting go. End of fight.

3. Why set up an elaborate trap to kill the hero, then leave without watching it work?

If you spent weeks putting together some cool death trap, then you finally got that hero you've always wanted to kill into it, wouldn't you want to see if it worked? I mean, how do you test something like that other than finding the dumbest henchman in your posse and saying "Hey, stand right here for a second."

Yet time and again Batman would be put into one trap after another and then the villain would leave to spend his stolen money or whatever and the Caped Crusader would escape. With all the bad guys trapped together in Arkham, you'd think they'd talk to each other and say, "You know, I left when he was in my trap and now I'm here too...heyyyyyyy, wait a minute...I think I've got an idea...what if we stayed in the room until he was dead?"

And all those elaborate traps costing thousands of dollars when a simple bullet would have ended things quickly and cheaply? Hey, if your villains are named Penguin, Joker, and Clayface they can't be too smart, right?

And speaking of Batman gripes...

4. How can you wear a mask under a mask and yet no can see the pointy ears?

Batman had this annoying little habit during the 70's and 80's of wearing his mask under the mask of whatever thug he was pretending to be. Seems a little redundant to me, but whatever.

It's the ears, Batman. I promise.

Sure enough, when the jig was up he was ready to rip off the fake mask and reveal his regular pointy-eared one underneath...yet no one in the group was smart enough to say, "You know, it looks like something is living under Ted's face right now. I don't think that's really his skin. Hey...he's wearing a mask!"

I guess their inattention to detail is what made it so easy to beat them time and again, eh?

5. No one notices the goatee...really?

No resemblance

Put on a pair of sunglasses, walk up to your best friend, and say "hey". Chances are exceptionally good they'll start talking to you and even call you by name. Why? Because a little something hiding just your eyes can't stop someone from recognizing you. Except in comic books, where a little piece of cloth can confuse even your closest allies.

Suspending that disbelief I can do, but when Oliver Queen wears a forked yellow goatee (and he's the only guy in any of the comics who does...even looking at background characters in crowd scenes) and Green Arrow wears a forked yellow goatee, how can no one do the math? Seriously, why bother with the mask? But then again, we have that little inattention to detail that allowed so many heroes to maintain a secret identity through the Bronze Age of comics.

"Here comes trouble! Clark, look...Clark? Where'd he go? Hey, look, it's Superman!" And it's never obvious to anyone. That's why comics were so much fun back then.

6. How can you change into an elaborate costume that quickly?

Tux to this in 5 seconds flat

With the exception of the Flash and Superman (and maybe Hawk and Dove), a costume change should take a few minutes. Consider how quickly you change from work clothes to your "hanging out" clothes. It takes time, right? So how is it that heroes can see a villain attack in panel 1, then jump on them in panel 3 in full regalia and ready to go. Even allowing for that old "I'm wearing my costume underneath this tuxedo" rule that every hero seemed to follow, it still takes a minute.

Does he have tearaway clothing on at all times?

Doesn't even break stride

Forget superheroing, going from tux to costume in 5 seconds should qualify you to be a headliner in Vegas!

And how do you stuff a cape under a shirt and not have someone thinking you've got some kind of deformity going on back there?

What about you? What comic book trends annoy you when you read them?

Trailer Thursday: The reason you will be busy on June 17th

2011-04-07T02:48:00.002-05:00

Here is the latest Green Lantern trailer, and here is the reason why I will not be in the office on June 17th:

Seriously, this looks better than the Thor and Captain America trailer combined. DC looks like they're hitting a home run with this one and may have a "safety net" movie series in case Nolan doesn't come back to Batman.

Smallville's Best Guest Heroes

2011-04-04T02:31:00.001-05:00

With Smallville ending in just a few short weeks, I wanted to give them props for what they've done right over the years. I'm really going to miss the show--especially since there is no contender on the horizon to take its place. DC had a platform to give the fans a chance to see live-action versions of their favorite obscure heroes and you never knew who was coming up. No other live-action superhero series in history has run this long or given us this many heroic guests. While some of them were fairly unimpressive, I have to give them credit for the ones they really did right:

Impulse

They couldn't touch the Flash character because of the legal wrangling about a potential movie, but they really handled it well by giving us Bart Allen instead. The two episodes that have seen him in real action have been good ones.

The thing that sold the role to me was the fact that they made him much faster than Clark. That was a touch I enjoyed seeing. I was afraid they'd make it some close race so their main hero would still seem unbeatable. Instead, they gave us a guy who was better at running than anyone else...just as it should be.

Zatanna

Zatanna is one of the characters that was closest to their actual comic counterpart than any other. The costume was absolutely dead-on. Her powers were just as you imagined they would be. And the actress they chose for the role couldn't have been improved upon. Serinda Swan looked like the model they based the comic character on.

I've never been a big fan of the character in the comics (and that stupid elf costume she had in the 70's was pathetic), but after the events of Identity Crisis and her role in mind-wiping Batman I had to give her some credit. Smallville handled her with a healthy respect that kept her from becoming as cardboard a role as the Wonder Twins in a later episode.

Hawkman

All right, so he wasn't bare-chested and beefed-up like the comic book version, but you have to give Smallville credit for what they gave us. He had wings, and the helmet was dead-on. He had that brooding quality we were expecting, and those conflicted moments with Green Arrow were a nice touch.

Yes, he's dead now in the series (as of this writing), but he always comes back in the comics.

Doctor Fate

We only got him for that one double-length episode, but give the writers credit where it's due: they nailed the character. Ok, the crazy secret identity was dumb. Still, when he was a hero, he was absolutely dead-on.

I still have no idea how the actor saw out of that helmet with the lights in his eyes. My biggest complaint is the fact that they only kept him around for a single adventure. It would have been nice to have seen a bigger JSA reunion later on. I know they couldn't touch Green Lantern or the Flash because of movie possibilities, but Wildcat, the Spectre, and even Doctor Midnite or Hourman could have filled the void to complete the team roster.

Aquaman

Another character from the comics that I wasn't a big fan of, Aquaman turned out pretty cool in his guest shots.

This was another character that the writers were willing to concede was faster than Clark at something. He could outswim the guy with no effort. Again, this made sense and it was good to see the writers give him this edge.

His first episode was so great, but his guest shot in the Justice League episode the following season let him stand out. He's appeared since then a few times. Unfortunately, the Aquaman character himself is pretty useless without water around, so he's been relegated to brooding shots in the background.

Green Arrow

Love him or hate him, you have to admit it's pretty nice to see the Emerald Archer in action. Letting him use a compound bow and even Kryptonite arrows (in the ninth season) showed a lot of detail to attention.

While I feel the yellow goatee is essential to the character in the comics, I don't think Justin Hartley would look right with it.

I don't know if you've seen Hartley's portrayal of Aquaman for the failed series "Mercy Reef", but I thought he did a great job with it and I would have enjoyed seeing the series take off...especially in Smallville's upcoming absence.

The Legion of Superheroes

We couldn't get the whole roster, so they gave us the three top stars in the team. Cosmic Boy was played out nicely, as well as Saturn Girl. I wasn't as impressed with the Lightning Lad character. I guess it was hard to visualize him married to Saturn Girl as they later became in the comics.

Cosmic Boy made a return visit later on to give Clark a Legion ring he could use to send Doomsday to the future so the Legion could kill him. Lois inadvertently used it instead.

Honorable Mention: Booster Gold

As of this writing, they haven't even cast the part yet, but I had to put him in the list simply because he's one of my favorite heroes and the chance to see him in action before the series closes down shop was a nice treat from Geoff Johns.

I sincerely doubt we'll see the blue-and-gold spandex (or the goggles). I'm sure we'll get something similar though. I'm interested to see if Johns plays off the Legion angle and brings them in to catch him since he's apparently considered a thief in the future for stealing the Legion flight ring and the technology.

UPDATE: In the weeks since I wrote this post (I try to stay about 2 months ahead when possible) they've given us an image of Booster Gold. He really remains pretty faithful to the character. I can't wait to see the episode and see what they do with him. Here he is:

So that's my list of top guests in the series. I know I missed some folks, but I wasn't too impressed with the Star-Spangled Kid, the Wonder Twins, or Cyborg. Like I said before, I'm going to miss this show. It may have gone down hill after Michael Rosenbaum left the show, yet it was the only outlet we had for DC superheroes in the looooong years between films.

More Cool Costumes!

2011-03-28T03:59:00.002-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've looked at cool costumes, so I thought I would shoot out a few more that I think deserve mentioning...

Changeling

Gar Logan started out as Beast Boy with the Doom Patrol, but it would be his time with the New Teen Titans in the 80's that would forever cement his place in my list of cool costumes. The guy has green skin and can turn into any animal (again, green) but his costume is this cool red-and-white number that gives you no indication whatsoever as to his name or power set. Instead, it's just this neat design that was a vast improvement over his old purple Doom Patrol uniform.

Unfortunately, Gar's back to being Beast Boy and the purple outfit is a regular occurrence. Still, this suit wins for the time it was around, which remains the high-point of the Teen Titans comic run thanks to George Perez.

Captain Comet

Another red-and-white color schemed hero, Captain Comet was a truly cool guy in the 70's to me. He was in the Secret Society of Super-Villains comic book (a title I recently scored a full run of at last year's Wizard World Atlanta for $20) but I remember being introduced to him in his first DC Comics Presents adventure with Superman. I didn't pick up SSOSV until later.

After SSOSV died in the DC Implosion of the late 70's, he pretty much dropped off the radar. He shows up here and there from time to time, most recently in a new incarnation and costume. The new costume pays homage to the old, but I'm still a fan of that 70's look. It's kind of simple, but the blue bands and white highlights are set up perfectly to compliment the color scheme. I have a character in the City of Heroes MMORPG that was modeled after this look.

Blue Shield

This is a pretty understated costume with the blue and white scheme, but it works. This obscure hero hasn't made a lot of appearances in the comics, but he has held the position of security director of Project Pegasus for a while...which isn't too shabby.

His power actually involves a small force field around his body rather than an actual shield. I guess I can see where he was going with the name though.

You'll never see him on a t-shirt or in his own title, but he was good enough to make this list.

Ronin

I was always a fan of this character's costume. Clint Barton definitely wins as the coolest guy to wear it (yet) and it made sense for him to get to stretch his abilities beyond the bow and into other weapons while he was getting his head on straight after House of M.

Looking sort of like a ninja Snake Eyes (and yes, I know Snake Eyes was a ninja), the costume allowed for swords, nunchaku, throwing stars, and a host of other fun goodies to be pulled out at any moment.

Clint is back to being Hawkeye and Echo (the original) isn't up to wearing it again anytime soon, but hopefully someone else will grab the suit soon and Ronin will be around again!

Goliath

Say what you will about Hank Pym's constant costumed identity changes, the man can design a really cool costume. Ant-Man has made one of my lists before, and this short-lived blue-and-yellow Goliath suit joins him.

While choosing the name "Goliath" as a superhero name didn't make a lot of sense (hint: Goliath was a bad guy), the costume was a good choice. The antennae from the old Giant Man/Ant Man costume didn't really work.

I'm not sure the goggles were the best idea though. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold would disagree with me, I'm sure.

Manhunter

Paul Kirk was the original Manhunter, and though there have been two since him I still give him the best costume. I know a lot of people were put off by his somewhat garish appearance--especially for an assassin--but I think it works in print. In real life, the flowing sleeves and freaky boots probably wouldn't be the best choices during combat.

I have been reading a lot of Silver and Bronze Age comics again lately (as you'll notice in some of my upcoming posts) and was introduced to this character through his backup stories in Detectice Comics that eventually led up to his teaming with Batman in issue 443 and dying in that mission. It was an incredible storyline that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I've always thought the costume was cool. I bought the statue and the DC Universe figure of this character long before I actually read the stories.