Friday, July 31, 2009

Top Actors To Star In A Superhero Flick

Another installmet of my top ten lists. This one list my favorite actors and actresses that starred in superhero films. Making this list up was actually kind of tough! I have a lot of favorite actors in this film genre. But I'm conflicted because there were some superhero films that I hated, yet some select actors in those films made my list! I guess that goes to show that a good actor can be great despite how bad the film is. Well, anyway, here's the list....


10. Michelle Pfeiffer/Catwoman
As bad as Batman Returns was, Michelle Pfeiffer was great! Those piercing, cat-like eyes of hers were perfect for the role. The costume was odd to me, but she definitely pulled the part off better than anyone else ever could!















9. Robert Downey Jr./Iron man
The film wasn’t all that great; But Robert Downey Jr. played an excellent Iron Man. His macho, playboy, better-then-you attitude was perfectly done and incredibly funny. If it wasn’t for Robert Downey Jr. and his great one liner deliveries is what made the film decent to watch.













8. Bruce Willis/Hartigan
He played this role just like he would have any other character he has ever done, but it worked very well for this film. Willis has the perfect voice for a film noir detective story.










7. Christian Bale/Batman
The best Batman ever! Christian Bale brought a new and improved version of the Caped Crusader. But of course, anyone is better than the hellish days of Michael Keaton and George Clooney!












6. Chris Evans/Jonny Storm
Chris Evans was fantastic as the Human Torch. The films were not that great, in fact they were downright bad, but still fun to watch. And Evans brings the humor that the Human Torch needs to the big screen like no other.










5. Thomas Jane/The Punisher
If there was ever an actor Taylor made for a role, it would be Tom Jane as the Punisher. No one will ever be able to match the perfection that Jane brought to the Punisher. Having never read the comic, I can’t speak for how true to the comic it is, but based purely on Tom Jane’s acting, absolute perfection!
4. Hugh Jackman/Wolverine
Speaking of tailor made actors; Jackman brings the same level of acting quality to Wolverine that Jane brings to the Punisher. It was as if God put Jackman on this Earth specifically to play the role of Wolverine.










3. Heath Ledger/ The Joker
Out of the blue, Heath Ledger is picked to play Comics most ruthless villain, The Joker. I don’t think anyone expected Ledger to do as well of a job as the Clown Prince of crime as he did. Ledger took the comic book films by storm and no one will ever be able to match Ledger as The Joker, and no one ever should.

2. Hugo Weaving/V
Hidden behind the mask of Guy Fox, Hugo Weaving uses his incredible voice talents to audibly create the most poetic superhero ever. I can only imagine how difficult it had to have been to move and interact with his fellow cast members while wearing a mask with eye holes the size pinky finger nail. V is probably the most difficult character to play, and Weaving made it look easy.












And the Top Actor in a Superhero Film is....
1. Jackie Earle Haley/Rorshach
Comics’ most interesting comic book character ever had to be played by an actor who could portray the twisted, conservative nature that Rorschach has. Earle Haley was a perfect pick for Rorschach more than Anthony Hopkins was for Hannibal Lector. I only wish Rorschach could have had more screen time, but that of course might have ruined the film altogether.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Jonny Depp as Barnabus Collins?


Jonny Depp And Tim Burton Vamp It Up In Dark Shadows!

by Matt McDaniel   
July 29, 2009

Three of the most talked-about things at Comic-Con last week were vampires ("New Moon" and "True Blood"), another movie pairing director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp ("Alice in Wonderland"), and updates of cult '60s TV shows ("Doctor Who" and "The Prisoner"). So how excited fans would get if all of those elements could be combined into one movie?

Apparently, we'll find out when Burton and Depp team up for the big-screen adaptation of "Dark Shadows," the Gothic soap opera about vampires, ghosts, and monsters that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. Burton confirmed this last Thursday when he presented footage from "Alice in Wonderland" to a capacity crowd at Comic-Con's cavernous Hall H. He said "Dark Shadows" would be his next project, "if I ever finish this one here."

Before Lestat, Angel, and Edward Cullen, there was Barnabas Collins, a 175-year-old vampire who stalked the town of Collinsport, Maine pining for his lost love. Originally, the character of Barnabas, played by Jonathan Frid, was only intended for a 13-week story arc on "Dark Shadows," but he caused such a sensation with viewers he became the lead character for the next four years. The show spawned two movies in the early '70s, a revived series in 1991, and a pilot that was not picked up for series in 2004.

Depp would play Barnabas, a role he told Collider.com has been "a lifelong dream for me." Depp has said he loved the show as a child: "I was obsessed with Barnabas Collins. I have photographs of me holding Barnabas Collins posters when I was five or six." Depp has been pursuing the movie adaptation for years, buying the remake rights through his production company, Infinitum-Nihil.

Burton has also spoken about his fascination with the original show. He told the Los Angeles Times, "It had the weirdest vibe to it. I'm sort of intrigued about that vibe." He also spoke about the recent influx of vampire movies: "It's like any great fable or fairytale, it's got a power to it... There's something symbolic about it that touches people in different ways."

While both Depp and Burton seem excited to start work on what will be their eighth collaboration, production might have to wait until after Depp finishes work on the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. Disney's Head of Production Oren Aviv said in an interview with ComingSoon.net that filming will start in April or May of next year, with a release planned for 2011. Aviv says the intention for the next movie is to "scale it down, because we can't get bigger... I want to kind of reboot the whole thing and bring it down to its core, its essence, just characters."

So it may be a while before Depp bares his fangs as a vampire. If "Dark Shadows" also hits theaters in 2011, it could be up against the final "Twilight" film, "Breaking Dawn." But if it's delayed another year, audiences might be over their bloodsucker addiction. Still, it seems that if anyone can create a dark, atmospheric, and entrancing vampire tale, it would be Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. To preview the fantastic sights of their version of "Alice in Wonderland" coming next March, watch the teaser trailer below.

Comic Book Review: Supergirl #43

Plot: Kara is now living on New Krypton. Her mother, Alura, constantly sends her on errands that seem pointless and/or a punishment for not catching her fathers killer. In addition to Kara being conflicted with her mothers actions, almost every night Kara is haunted by her mothers tears in the middle of the night.

Kara , while being pushed by Alura and others to choose a guild, is determined to discover the reason behind her mothers strange and seemingly icey tone towards her. The result is a discovery that will bring new light to Kara's relationship with her mother, and the decisions she makes in the future.
My Thoughts: This issue was phenominal! Kara Zor-El has been aching for some character development for a few months now. In this issue we are given a mystery, angst, new realizations and a great commentary on the portrayal and meaning of family love.

These past few months, Alura has been very icey and cold towards everyone around her, (Which is understandable since her husband was murdered) especially towards Kara. But it was nice to see that Alura hadn't lost touch with her humanity. By keeping her distant, Alura was showing her love for her daughter in the best way she could. Kara needed to go out and discover the sub-cultures within her community in order to make an intellegent decision about who to join.

And Kara, realizing that she had absolutely no idea who her mother was, decided to join her mothers guild to be closer to her and learn more about who her mother is. And as a member of the science guild, Kara will now venture on a new journey of discovery where every decision she makes will effect the future of those around her.

This story was all about Kara coming to New realizations about herself and her mother. I always enjoy when writers take a break from all the chaos in the DC Universe to take time and create a simple story which cause the characters to come to new realizations about themselves and their lives ahead of them. In addition, I, as a reader, was able to come to a new realization about Alura, that there is more to her than this stern, hard headed leader of a community. It was an exceptionally refreshing read that beats that pants off of anything else that has come out this month thus far.

5 out of 5 stars

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Best of Both Worlds

Yeah, seeing as how I am a barbershop harmony nut case, and a comic book nerd, this video was a match made in heaven for me. Please enjoy.....


Comic Book Review: Green Lantern #44

Plot: The mystery behind the missing body of Bruce Wayne continues. Meanwhile, Black Lantern Martian Manhunter rises and confronts The Flash and Green Lantern Hal Jordan with the purpose of ending their lives. Back near Oa, Scar reveals the reasons for attacking his fellow guardians, while Green Lantern John Stewart continues to face his past which comes back and haunt him.

My Thoughts: The story within this issue is kind of weak, mostly because we learn very little about what is going on. The bulk of the issue deals with Hal Jordan and the Flash duking it out with Martian Manhunter. This could have been Geoff Johns’ attempt at showing how very underused the Manhunter was in the DC universe. My favorite line was made by Manhunter while lifting a building,

“I’m as powerful as Superman. Why does everyone forget that?”

I also felt as if the story ended too quickly. (That will happen when you have more art than dialog.) In which case, I ended this issue feeling rather empty, as if it was too awkward of an ending and needed more. The story itself is written well, it just felt like it was more of a brawl rather than a story.

The art, of course, is phenomenal! Doug Mahnke draws Zombie Martian Manhunter as twisted and evil looking better than I ever could have imagined. His attention to detail is outstanding and could rival my favorite comic artist, Ed Benes.

Overall, this is not my favorite issue. It will probably being at the bottom of the pack for my top comics for the month of July. It’s still worth reading, but you shouldn’t expect to be dazzled or amazed as far as the story is concerned, nor is it vital to help understand the story of Blackest Night. The art is what makes this month’s issue so good.

3 out of 5 stars

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Robinson Anounces New JLA Line Up

According to Newsarama.com, the new Justice League line up will be coming our way in the next few months....

News coming straight from the DC panel: we have James Robinson’s Justice League team that will star in his upcoming run on the series. “The team will have Mon-El (assuming a “super”-mantle), Dick Grayson Batman, Donna Troy and Hal Jordan The other characters are a mystery”, says Robinson. “Though one of the ‘mystery’ members is Congorilla.” Presumably, another is Dr. (Kimiyo) Light, given that Robinson also said that “You’re going to see the female Dr. Light face off against Black Lantern, bad Dr. Light.”
Interesting concept, I must say. Especially since Robinson also said he has plans for old school League “mascot”, Snapper Carr. That has me at all levels of excitement.
My Thoughts: I stand by my beliefs that Green lantern should NOT be in the Justice League. The Green Lantern Corps is there job. Putting a GL into the league just causes more stress and conflicting storylines.
I'm not sure what I think of Mon-El. He hasn't really impressed me thus far, but he's really only begun. Perhaps there is potential.
I think Dick Grayson Batman will actually work within the league. Grayson is a much better team player and isn't someone to go behind his teammates backs.
Donna Troy I never really saw the fasination in. I see her filling in as the "Wonder Woman" figure, but she's a little strange for me. We'll have to see.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Comic Book Review: Powergirl #3


Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Sarah Conner

Plot: Powergirl escapes the clutches of the evil Ultra-humanite and brings him down, leaving him scared and burned. However the trouble doesn’t stop there. The island of Manhattan is still lingering over the waters along with the people on it and Powergirl must do all she can to save them. With the help of Terra, Powergirl is able to save them and the island with very little damage at all. The issue ends with a strange and mysterious space ship flying towards Earth with these alien females who have evil intentions in mind for the planet.

My Thoughts: The first story arc ends for the Powergirl title. Powergirl now has an arch enemy and an incredible rescue that she can put on her superhero resume. I have no complaints with this issue and would rank it as one of the top five comics that have come out this month. This issue brings a lot of silver age material to the comic while maintaining the current comic storytelling feel.

The humor in this issue is incredibly subtle yet hilarious. I think the funniest set of comments are made while Powergirl is walking down the halls of the prison, where the prisoners yell things out like,

“Cupcakes!”
“I Wanna put you in the fridge!”
“Conjugal anyone?”
And my personal favorite, “I love that they never wear pants!”

Amanda Conner does a bang up job once again with the art. I have always enjoyed how Conner’s art is very mature and stylistic, while still bringing a great “cartoony” like sense to the panels of each page.



This third issue was nothing but a great, over the top, fun issue. Let’s face it, a giant albino gorilla, an army of robot military men, and the entire Island of Manhattan hanging from metal cables is a bit over the top. How is that not a fun-filled thrill ride? In addition, Powergirl is also finally able to have her moment and prove she is one of DC’s top and most powerful superheroes that has been greatly underused.



5 out of 5 stars

Friday, July 24, 2009

Blackest Night Covers

Here are the covers for issues #2, 3 and 4 for Blackest Night. All I can say is....This is going to be amazing!








































Thursday, July 23, 2009

New Google Logo, DC Superheroes!



I found this logo on google.com and I immidiately went beserk! The art was done by Jim Lee and is a way to help promote comic-con 2009 in San Diego.
Batman creates capes the letter "G"
Wonder Woman stands atop the invisible letter "O"
Robin crouches in the loop of the letter "G"
Green Lantern forms the greenj "L"
and Plastic Man stretches out the letters "O" and "E"
So cool! Comics are taking over the world!

Geoff Johns Interview about Blackest Night


Geoff Johns: Inside Blackest Night


The Green Lantern mastermind discusses the origins and components of the biggest storyline he's ever written.

July 17, 2009 - IGN's in-depth coverage of Blackest Night continues. Yesterday we brought you our Black Lantern discussion with writer Geoff Johns. Today we take a closer look at some of the elements of the first issue and the event itself.

But that's not all. Today we're bringing you a look at Green Lantern #44, which features Barry Allen and Hal Jordan confronting a Black Lantern Martian Manhunter. We're also revealing the Blackest Night titles for October, which include the final issues of the Superman, Batman and Titans mini-series.

Think we're done there? Hardly. Though our Comic-Con International coverage from San Diego next week will take up much of our attention, we'll be scheming more and more exclusives focusing on this epic event. Stay tuned.
IGN Comics: You first mentioned Blackest Night around two years ago when we were first discussing The Sinestro Corps War. Can you talk about the genesis of the Blackest Night concept?

Johns: It started back in Rebirth with Parallax, which was kind of the key to it all. When I was writing in my notebooks for Green Lantern, I always just assumed the yellow impurity was yellow because it's the color of fear, though that was never stated. The core element of Green Lantern was the idea of overcoming fear. That's what it's all about, and I think it's a great theme for a book. And once I touched upon the idea that the impurity was alive, and that it was actually sentient fear, Parallax became a metaphor for a lot, including the fears Hal Jordan has faced, only in physical form. Once I had that lined up – I think I mentioned the emotional spectrum as early as issue #3 – once I started going through the idea that there is an emotional spectrum out there and green is will power -- i.e. courage, or the will to survive -- everything else kind of fell into place.

Throughout Blackest Night, I wanted to lead to a confrontation between all these different emotions, and it became clear that the antithesis of that was the color black. And then I started thinking about what a Black Ring could be, and I don't know the moment I was working on what Blackest Night would be – I know I was at my desk – the dead just popped into my mind. And that was it. It's light vs. death. But if you go back and read Green Lantern, you can see that all the bits and pieces were there. A lot of what the color Corps developed into was done in Green Lantern #25 when Ethan Van Sciver drew that spread and we introduced the concept then and there on the page.

IGN Comics: I've always assumed that when a writer arrives on a great idea like that, they want to get to it right away. Was it difficult at all for you to take the time and patience to build this story up and weave all these threads into the series over the past couple years?

Johns: Not really. I think the color corps are fascinating, and I could probably spend even more time exploring them. Once the idea started to formulate and I built to the Star Sapphires and started playing around with the violet, I got to the idea of the other lanterns. Then I got to the Sinestro Corps, and at the end of the Sinestro Corps I knew I wanted to just lay everything out within the story and say, "you know what – this is where I'm going. Here are the other corps, and here's what they are. It's Rage, Avarice, Fear, Compassion, etc." And then once people kind of digested that, we got to the climax of the book, and I wanted to throw one more thing in there by way of the Black Lantern, and the idea that the Black Rings will make the dead rise. I wanted to throw everything out there and at the same tell people, "This is where I'm going with Green Lantern, so stick around."

IGN Comics: Contrary to the way death works and has really always worked in comics, fans like to cling onto that mantra of "dead is dead" – that is, they like to believe that when a character dies, he or she is going to stay dead, so that their sacrifice or the impact of their death will still mean something. Blackest Night seems to be taking that notion head on – that nothing is sacred, and every character is going to come back from the dead in order to show you the emotional responses they elicit. Was there any fear going into this series that one or more character might be too sacred to dig up?

Johns: Death in superhero comics is cyclical in its nature, and that's for a lot of reasons, whether they are story reasons, copyright reasons, or fan reasons. But death doesn't exist the same way it does in our world, and thank god for that. I wish death existed in our world as it does in comics. I spoke with Grant about this in detail. Death has a different meaning in superhero comics, and it has a different power. That's part of what I wanted to explore – why death is the way it is in the DC Universe. Or why it has been.

IGN Comics: That idea seems to pop up in Green Lantern #43, when Black Hand and the Black Ring take special interest in the characters that have cheated death over the years. Without getting into spoilers, obviously, can you talk a little about how that idea will play into Blackest Night?

Johns: I'll say that death has been cheated in the DCU in the past, and it won't be cheated this time.

IGN Comics: But you're very much exploring exactly what a comic book death means?

Johns: Yes.

IGN Comics: Recently in much of your work, including Blackest Night #1 and Rebirth, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen's friendship has played a central role. Why is Hal and Barry's friendship important to Blackest Night?

Johns: Because, for me, Hal and Barry have the most experience with death and resurrection, and they come at it from very different angles. I think Blackest Night #0 summed it up pretty well when it said Hal died a sinner and Barry died a saint. Those two characters are very different, and I just love their interaction in Blackest Night #1 when Hal shows Barry all the people that have died. Their interaction through Blackest Night, first of all it's very fun to write, but also they both represent opposites. Hal's an extrovert and Barry's an introvert, they have very different lifestyles and make very different choices. They also anchor the DC Universe in ways that Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman don't. Hal and Barry's experiences make them central figures to this story.

IGN Comics: This will be the second major DCU event you're masterminding. Were there any specific lessons learned from Infinite Crisis that you're bringing to Blackest Night?

Johns: I just have a lot more control over this one. That's the biggest difference. It's also a different kind of story. It's more character driven than it is plot driven. There are a lot of plot elements to it, obviously, but it is a different kind of story.

IGN Comics: A fundamental difference between this and Infinite Crisis seems to be that where the latter was driven by an external force in the Crisis on Infinite Earths survivors, Blackest Night seems more internally driven by character and everything you set up over the past few years.

Johns: Again, the difference is that I've had this story in my head for a long, long time. I'm working with Eddie Berganza, Adam Schlagman, Peter Tomasi, and a small group of guys, but it's a much more contained story and event.

There are certain things in Infinite Crisis that really worked for me that I took away and things that I look at and say, "Maybe I can try this a little differently." But I like writing big stories. I really enjoy the challenge of it and the epic scope of it. Because you can't do this kind of story anywhere else. If I wanted to tell a cop story, I'd probably go write a television show. This type of story you can only do in comics. You can't tell it anyplace else. You can try.

IGN Comics: The War of Light is a huge part of Blackest Night, but it sounds like the specifics of the war will mostly play out in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps?

Johns: Yes. Like I've said before, my focus here is making sure that you can read Blackest Night on its own, but if you're reading Green Lantern, you need to read Blackest Night. If you're reading Green Lantern Corps, you need to read Blackest Night. I assume everyone reading Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps is already going to want to read Blackest Night. But I'm structuring it in a way and doing my best to make sure if you want to only read Blackest Night, you can. At the same time, I think all the books are terrific, and it adds up to a much bigger story.

But yes, the War of Light will be the main focus of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. As you've seen in the solicits, we'll see Sinestro vs. Star Sapphire, we see Mongol, Hal and Sinestro. Blackest Night is very Green Lantern/DCU centric. It's very much DC Universe. Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps are very much about the Green Lantern universe and the emotional spectrum universe, and Green Lantern Corps is centered on the Green Lantern Corps.

IGN Comics: To go back to my question about Infinite Crisis for a bit – each of these mega events seem like massive undertakings from a planning standpoint, and a ton of thought must go into breaking down the story over individual issues and the various series and miniseries taking part. I know you recently spent a lot of time in New York coordinating everything. Was it difficult to lay out the blueprint for how Blackest Night would play out across the line?

Johns: Not for me. It always takes a lot of discussion, but that's why I went to New York. I really love planning this kind of stuff out. It's really fun. So no. This is what I do. I like the epic scale. I like working on this giant canvas. On the other hand, I also like the small scale. Adventure Comics is a very, very different book than Blackest Night, but that's purposefully so. I like flexing different muscles, and that's a very different type of book. Same with Superman: Secret Origins. They're very different books, because I don't want to write the same tone over and over again.

Everyone wants to put people in a box and say, "This guy's a dark superhero writer, this guy's a funny writer, or this guy's this type of writer." No, writers are writers. Writers should be able to write every kind of tone and every kind of book. But in this case I love doing the big, epic, huge event. I like events. They're fun. They're supposed to be fun. Unless you don't have a fun gene. That's why I work on Robot Chicken and why I twitter about the most ridiculous things that happen to me on off-hours. From super-hero horror to teenage Americana on the files of Smallville.

IGN Comics: Obviously events are a staple in superhero comics, but as much as each new one takes a cue from the previous event, most seem to in some way break new ground from both a story and publishing standpoint. Did you look at any past events for inspiration on what to do or what not to do with Blackest Night?

Johns: Not really. Again I want to focus on specific characters instead of a million characters. There are very specific characters that get the spotlight.

IGN Comics: We went over some Black Lanterns earlier. Can you name any other characters that fans should look to play a huge role in this story?

Johns: They're all pretty much in issue #1, so you can pick and choose from everyone who shows up there.

IGN Comics: Finally, can you leave us with a tease for issue #2?

Johns: How about this cover?




Green Lantern #44 hits next week, July 22, 2009. Blackest Night #2 hits stores on August 12, 2009. Stay tuned to IGN for the latest exclusives, news and interviews on the entire event.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Top Ten Greatest WORST Superheros in History

So I was recently asked by a fellow comic book blogger to do a blog on who I think are the top ten greatest superheros of all time. We dialoged about this and had great discussions about who we think our picks would be for the top ten greatest. We compared our lists and decided that there wasn't a whole lot of difference. Superman was number one followed closely by Batman, Green Lantern fit in there along with Dare Devil and Captain America, etc etc etc.

Now I wont lie, doing a top ten list was a pleasing thought, but it has been done way to many times. However, the thought still intrigued me. I wasn't sure what to do until I saw an old episode of the Power Rangers on TV, and I HATE the Power Rangers! And then it dawned upon me, why not make a top ten list of the greatest worst Superheros of all time? So here you are....

The Top Ten Greatest WORST Superheros Of All Time

10. Captain Planet
Created by Ted Turner in 1990, Captain Planet was an environmentally minded god-like entity that was created when five kids from around the world, known as Planeteers, combine their five magical rings. Captain Planet fought villains like Sly Sludge and Duke Nukem and anybody Else that endangered the environment. his powers include super strength, super speed and stamina, flight, invulnerability, super breath, Super hearing, telepathy, psychokinesis, shape shifting, control of matter, he had it all! But throw a bit of garbage on this guy and you might as well call it quites! I think if Captain Planet was a "wor alone" superhero, he might have been cooler. But those meddling kids (scooby-Doo, where are you?) is what really killed it for me.

9. The Power Rangers
"Hey Mom, Batman the animated series is on, can I watch it?" "No Jimmy, your sister is watching Power Rangers."
Oh the days when my sister thought The Power Rangers were cool. And I might have liked them if it wasn't for the fact that it was designed for children! That stupid, big headed Zordon keeps lingering in my head. And why did every episode have to end in a Godzilla type battle. At least Batman didn't have to continually revamp itself to stay cool. Look at how many different short lived series Power Rangers had...
1) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Three seasons)
2) Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
3) Power Rangers: Zeo
4) Power Rangers: Turbo
5) Power Rangers in Space
6) Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy
7) Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue
8) Power Rangers: Time Force
9) Power Rangers: Wild Force
10) Power Rangers: Ninja Storm
11) Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
12) Power Rangers: S.P.D
13) Power Rangers: Mystic Force
14) Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive
15) Power Rangers: Jungle Fury
16) Power Rangers: RPM


8. The Ambiguously Gay Duo

The ever popular Saturday Night Live animated cartoon which poked fun at the older batman and Robin comics. Their intention was to satirize the suggestion that the dynamic duo was a homosexual crime fighting team. A typical episode usually consisted of a villain committing some dastardly deed, and the A.G.D. would do all they could to stop it, which usually included outrageous antics and innuendos, and behaving in ways perceived by other characters as profligately homosexual. Dialog would go like so...
Ace [patting Gary on the butt] : Good job, friend-of-friends!
Villains/Bystanders
[gasps, and ghastly stares]
Ace
: What's everybody looking at?
Villains/Bystanders
[in unison]: Nothing!




7. Banana Man

While living in Budapest, I remember watching on the British channel Sky One, a cartoon called Banana Man. Eric Wimp, an ordinary schoolboy, living at 29 Acacia Avenue, Nutty town eats a banana to transform into Banana man. His super powers include the ability to fly, superhuman strength, and seeming invulnerability. If Banana Man needs extra power, bananas can be eaten for strength boosts, provided by his faithful pet crow. I always enjoyed watching this cartoon short. From the looks of it, the creator stemmed Banana Man in the likeness of Superman, but also a hint of Captain Marvel in the sense that he is a boy who becomes an adult Superhero. (assuming you can call someone with the name Banana Man an adult) Video opener below...




6. Superted

Yes, Superted. I hardly remember anything about him. I just remember watching the show and loving it! I would actually grab my snuggles toy and act as if he were Superted and he would defeat the evil Barbie and Ken brigade. Superted's powers are activated by his "secret magic word", which (as the name suggests) remains a secret. Superted whispers it every time he or someone else is in peril and he transforms into a Superman-like red suit with rockets built in to the boots. The episodes take place all over the world (but quite often in Wales) and even in space (SuperTed is the owner of his own space station). He also has a tree house in an unspecified jungle. Superted also resembles Captain Marvel, even more so than Banana Man does, since his powers come from a magic word and from a magical being.




5. Bible Man

The intent is good, but ultimately this evangelical superhero fall flat on his face as being one of the worst. I really don't need to go on. Besides the fact that he wear hockey gear and a suit that has very little to do with biblical matters, he really is not a good superhero and should be thrown away with the rest of the garbage and allow history to forget that someone actually came up with this ridiculous idea!



4. The Legion of Super-Pets

The Legion of Super-Pets is a fictional team of super-powered pets in the Pre-Crisis DC Universe. Members included Krypto the Super-Dog and Streaky the Supercat. The team first appeared in Adventure Comics #293 (February 1962), though most of the members had appeared in earlier issues.
The alien creatures known as the Brain-Globes of Rambat decide that, in order to succeed in their plan to move Earth to their own solar system, they must defeat Superboy. When they are unable to gain control of Superboy, they summon Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the future and mentally command the trio to capture him.
After Superboy is defeated, the Brain-Globes of Rambat release their hold on the Legionnaires. When they notice that the Brain-Globes cannot control animals, the Legionnaires gather Krypto the Super-Dog (from Superboy's present), Streaky the Supercat and Beppo the Super-Monkey (from Superman's present), and Comet the Super-Horse (from a few weeks in Superman's future) to battle the aliens. The pets defeat the aliens and are named the Legion of Super-Pets, the animal branch of the super club. They are then returned to their proper time periods.

3. Dogwelder
Dogwelder was a character from Garth Ennis' "Hitman" series. Dogwelder was part of a superhero team known as Section Eight which was a band of these crazy guys that fought crime in rather inane ways. He's this madman in a silver welder's outfit that basically just goes around welding stray dogs to villains' faces. That's it. That's how he fought crime. Welding dogs to people. Mind you it would be a bitch of a thing to have happen to you. You try to rob a bank and you end up with a Lhasa Apso welded to your face, yapping for eternity. *shudder*













2. Arm Fall Off Boy

Oh those crazy Legion of Superheros and their crazy writers! They'll let heroes with some of the stupidest powers into the Legion, but they pass up a great character like Arm Fall Off Boy. Arm Fall Off Boy is an oddity all his own because although he only made one appearance in a comic book ever (Secret Origins #46 [1989]), his appearance was so memorable that he has a cult following to this day. Arm Fall Off Boy made an appearance at a Legion of Superheroes recruitment drive where he displayed his "astounding" power to Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy. His power? To detach his left arm from his body and use it as a club. Sadly, Arm Fall Off Boy was surprised when the Legion let him know that his talents weren't quite right for their organization. Arm Fall Off Boy sulked away into comic book oblivion, but was not forgotten. One only wonders how he felt when later on the Legion would accept Bouncing Boy and, well, Matter Eater Lad to their ranks.


And The Number One Worst Superhero In History Is......


1. Captain Caveman
Only Hannah-Barberra could come up with something this ridiculous. Let's start with a mock up of Charlie's Angels, take three bomb shells and turn it into a spin off called "The Teen Angels." Joe Ruby and Ken Spears were the creative team. however, Hannah-Barberra decided three hot chicks solving mysteries would not stimulate young boys fantasies. (are they kidding me???) So, what do they do? Yes that's right, they stick a stupid caveman in the mix with special powers, which include super-strength, a variety of useful objects hidden inside his fur, and a club that allows him to fly and from which pops out different tools he uses to fight crime. His trademark is his battle cry of "Captain CAAAAAAAVEMAAAAAAAAANNNN!!!!" Captain Caveman's voice was provided by Mel Blanc.

Hannah-Barberra was known for this. Look back at most of the typical mystery and superhero cartoons and you'll find most of the male characters were dumb and very trashy looking, where as ALL the females were slender, beautiful, and curvy. This is an unintentional commentary that if you are ugly, homely, or weird looking...you'll get the girl!

Captain caveman is without a doubt one of the funniest superheros ever concocted. But props go to the man of a million voices, Mel Blanc. Without that man, I don't think Captain Caveman would have been as successful.



Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Plot Synopsis: The night is dark and cloudy. Streams of black smoke, invisible to the muggle eye, rip through the sky attacking innocent bystanders by way of decimating a bridge. These cloudy streams continue through the city eventually bursting through the wall which leads to the world of magic. After breaking into the magic shop, the streams reveal their true form, the Death Eaters.

Meanwhile, while Harry is preparing for the first day of school, Dumbledore recruits Harry for a visit with an old professor, Horace Slughorn. Dumbledore wishes to use Harry to reveal the mystery behind one of Slughorn's altered memories which could reveal the secrets of Lord Voldemort.

Scene Change to the house of Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's mother. We find Bellatrix Lestrange, Sevarus Snape and Narcissa making a deal. Bellatrix overseas the magical ritual of the "unbreakable vow," where Snape promises Narcissa to protect Draco while the task that was assigned to Draco by Voldemort is carried out. In addition Snape also promises, while still locked with Narcissa in the "vow," to carry out Draco's mission should the boy's attempt fail.

School is now in session and Hogwarts is under tight security to protect from any Death Eaters entering the school grounds. Harry, who is forced by Professor McGonagall to fill their free period with the potions class, picks up his copy of the potions text book which was apparently owned by someone who called himself "The Half-Blood Prince," which contains hand written annotations made by the "Prince" as well.

Later, Dumbledore and Harry learn the mystery of Slughorn's dream. Voldemort used a curse on himself called "the Horcrux" where he was able to split his soul in seven different ways, manifesting themselves in different objects. (Recall, if you will, to the second film and the diary of Tom Riddle) This begins the quest for the Horcrux.

Draco Malfoy is successful in magically allowing the Death Eaters entrance into Hogwarts where they run rampant in their cloudy form, destroying everything contained within the school. Along with discovering the identity of the "Half Blood Prince," we are left with the unexpected death of a most beloved character by another much unexpected (but not surprising) player in the story. The film ends with Harry, Hermione, and Ron alone in the bell tower, wondering what the days ahead will bring.

My Thoughts: This film is conflicting. I left the theatre in a state of puzzlement. I felt as if the film was fantastic and superb, like it went above and beyond my expectations. Yet, I felt like crap! And this film is supposed to do just that, make you feel like CRAP!

This film is one big "suck fest!" (pardon the unintelligent phrase) Nothing good happens, homes are destroyed, families are torn apart, friendship's are on the balance, and everyone seems to die or on the verge of death. In addition, the characters in the story seem conflicted with what's right and what's wrong. Draco Malfoy seems evil and ready to do harm to any who comes between him and his task, yet at the same time is unsure of himself and if he is doing the right thing. Harry also seems to loose himself throughout the film especially when he attacks Draco, almost killing him.

I remember asking myself "Is there a high point to this story?" about midway through. Then I realize there wasn't once the film ended. This Harry Potter film installment is proof that J.K. Rowling did not intend this for the average, everyday, young adult. Not having read the books myself, I can already tell that even the most mature of adults could have a difficult time reading "The Half Blood Prince." No one is happy by the end. I'm surprised Harry didn't just jump of the bell tower and commit suicide.

The acting was phenomenal. Tom Felton has boosted his career to an exceptional high with his portrayal of Draco Malfoy, and Alan Rickman once again shows he is one of the best male actors currently in film. But of course we can't forget about the great Maggie Smith and her role as Minerva McGonagall, who continually portrays her experience and excellence as an actress. And one can only hope that Emma Watson decides to finish off her role as Hermione Granger for the last two films.

After having some time to think about it, I truly did enjoy this film. It was the purpose of J.K. Rowling to make everyone feel terrible and frustrated at the ending. And based on that alone, I can appreciate the film for what it is. However, I don't believe this film can stand alone. It needs the other films or it wouldn't have done well at all.

I think people will be entertained and enjoy the experience, but you should not expect to feel happy about the ending, nor should you expect to feel good in general. This story is designed to make sure you feel like crap! But I would still give this film high markings for its story telling abilities and film making quality.

5 out of 5 stars.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Comic Book Review - Blackest Night #1

Geoff Johns, Writer
Ivan Reis, Art

Plot:
The dead will rise. Led by Black Hand and Scar, The Black Lantern corps finally rises from the grave to feed! Such popular heroes have risen like Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Elongated Man, etc etc. The Flash and Green Lantern Hal Jordan are faced with Martian Manhunter and a barrage of Black Lanterns, While Hawkman and Hawkgirl face Elongated Man and his wife Sue Dibny. While all of this is going on, Black Hand mysteriously carries around with him the skull of the recently deceased Batman and Scar attacks his fellow guardians, killing one of them.

And like all great stories, we are left with the ultimate cliffhanger, the deaths of two very notable DC heroes by a surprising attacker. You won't see it coming!

My Thoughts: This issue is truly a work of art and a great start to this eight issue mini series. There is a lot of mystery and gripping storyline finally coming to life which caused me to read it three times, back to back! (belly to belly!!) The two biggest questions that linger in my mind deal with the purpose of the Black Lantern Corps, and the importance of Bruce Wayne's Skull.

Members of the Black Lantern Corps resemble the likeness of mindless zombies who wish to feed off the flesh of the living. However, these risen dead heroes possess some intelligence. They can make full sentences and remember who they are and seem to retain their memories from when they were alive. They have decaying skin attached to their bodies and look very gross, and still want to feed on the flesh of the living. However, there is a different purpose behind these zombie lanterns. This purpose is somewhat revealed when the risen Martian Manhunter flies down next to Green Lantern Hal Jordan and The Flash, whom both have cheated death, and says to them "you shouldn't be back. You should be dead." This is interesting since both The Flash and Hal Jordan have died, and by supernatural means come back from the dead. in the same tone, Elongated Man and his wife, Sue Dibny, go after Hawkman and Hawkgirl, who also cheated death, with the purpose of rectifying that situation.

It seems to me that one of the purposes of the Black Lantern Corps is to seek out those who cheated death and kill them. I know there's more to the story, seeing as how this is the first issue and we've only just begun, but from what I can tell thus far, this is going to be a huge focus in the story. And if it is so, then there are A LOT of heroes who have cheated death that could be getting a visit from some Black Lanterns.

The second question in my mind deals with Bruce Wayne's Skull. Black Hand has it with him in every frame that he appears in in this issue. And for the life of me I can't figure out why Bruce Wayne's skull is so important! Even at the beginning of the issue, While Black Hand licks the skull, says "The dead shall rise, and you are connected to them all." Some how, Bruce Wayne plays a significant role in this story. How? That I don't know.

The art is spot on. It's so disturbing, gross and detailed. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

The only gripe I have with this issue is that it's not very "new reader" friendly. You really do have to know your DC history for readers to become invested in it. I actually had no idea who Digger Harkness was until this story came out, and I had to Wikipedia.com his name to get some back story on him. But other than that, I have no complaints. Blackest Night will get your blood pumping and heart racing.

5 out of 5 stars.

If you are interested, here is the checklist for the Blackest Night series below. I wouldn't worry to much about getting all of it to follow the story. Just worry about getting the main Green lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles, and the Blackest Night Title, which I have put in bold face. All the rest are just selling schemes in my opinion.

July 2009
  • Green Lantern # 43 (prologue)
  • Blackest Night # 1
  • Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps # 1
  • Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps # 2
  • Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps # 3
  • Green Lantern # 44
August 2009
  • Blackest Night # 2
  • Green Lantern # 45
  • Green Lantern Corps # 39
  • Blackest Night: Batman # 1 (of 3)
  • Blackest Night: Superman # 1 (of 3)
  • Blackest Night: Titans # 1 (of 3)
September 2009
  • Blackest Night # 3
  • Green Lantern # 46
  • Green Lantern Corps # 40
  • Blackest Night: Batman # 2 (of 3)
  • Blackest Night: Superman # 2 (of 3)
  • Blackest Night: Titans # 2 (of 3)
October 2009
  • Green Lantern # 47
  • Blackest Night # 4
  • Green Lantern Corps # 41
  • Blackest Night: Batman # 3 (of 3)
  • Blackest Night: Superman # 3 (of 3)
  • Blackest Night: Titans # 3 (of 3)

Friday, July 17, 2009

Comic Book Review: Batman # 688

Plot: Dick Grayson continues his role as Batman, fighting crime and stopping evil in its tracks. He leaves the crime scenes with a package of gift wrapped criminals awaiting the Gotham City law enforcement, and is making sure his presence known. Criminals are becoming weak in the knees since they were sure the Dark Knight was gone for good. This of course leaves the Penguin and Two-Face in a frustrating spot.

Many things seem to be in motion with this single issue. The Penguin, who takes all of his anger out on his henchmen, deals with the fact that Batman is getting in his way of taking over the city and becoming Gotham's ultimate crime lord. Two-Face, on the other hand, takes note of the recently returned Batman's fighting style and notices some differences and wonders if this is the Batman he has known for so many years.

Meanwhile Commissioner Gordon, shining the Bat signal for all Gotham to see, seems to be preparing Sergeant Pike for taking over his job as Police Commissioner and working with The Batman. It also seems that the Commissioner wonders if this is the Batman he has been working with since for as long as he can remember. Doubt sets in.

We are left as Two-Face starts revealing a plan of action to take down Batman, and his rival, The Penguin.

My Thoughts: The book opens up with a phantom attacker literally beating Batman into submission. This mysterious attacker is not revealed in this issue at all, I'm assuming we wont know who it is until the next issue...And I like that! Mystery's can be so refreshing and wonderful stories, especially when the mystery involves a character we all known and love. This issue has a lot of potential with this single, solitary aspect. However, the book as a whole was less than pleasing.

Everything surrounding the characters is quite dull and boring. After the first 4 pages, I began to fall asleep. I had to go back a few times and reread pages I had already gone over. You know how that is, you are reading something and your mind wanders, which forces you to go back and read the page(s) you already read. The plot is potentially great, however I don't think Winick is doing the characters justice and not serving the plot very well.

The art is so-so. I would say the best part of Bagley and Hunter's art is the cover. After that, it really doesn't entice me that much. Which is strange because Bagley typically gets my artistic juices flowing.

This book is not up to par with the Batman and Robin title right now. But who knows, maybe we are suppose to feel a little "iffy" about it since Dick Grayson is still feeling a little "iffy" about himself as Batman. Lets hope issue # 689 brings us something better in this story arc.

I give this issue 2.5 stars of of 5 stars

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Ryan Reynolds Is Green Lantern!!!

Variety.com article

Ryan Reynolds has landed the coveted role of “Green Lantern,” getting the starring role in Warner Bros.' live-action film based on the DC Comics hero.

Martin Campbell will direct. The studio is still working on the picture’s budget, but production is expected to begin in January.

The news caps off a memorable summer for Reynolds, who played Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” a performance that prompted Fox to begin development on a spinoff film. Reynolds followed that by starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy “The Proposal,” which crossed the $100 million mark this week.

Warners and Campbell chose Reynolds, who vied for the superhero role along with “The Hangover” star Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto. The momentum built for Reynolds in the last week, as he was the only actor whose option was extended.

Greg Berlanti wrote the script with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green. Donald DeLine will produce with Berlanti. Reynolds’ reps at UTA are working out his deal.

The actor will next star in “Buried,” a dark indie drama that will begin filming shortly in Barcelona with Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes. Reynolds will play a civilian contractor who is kidnapped in Iraq and awakes in a coffin, struggling against time to coordinate a rescue even though he doesn’t know where he’s buried in the desert.

My thoughts: FANTASTIC PICK!!! Ryan Reynolds is absolutely perfect for this role. It never dawned upon me that Reynolds could be the successor of Abin Sur, but now that he is cast as Hal Jordan, I couldn't agree more!

Reynolds, who is best known for his wise-cracking, silly roles, has never truly impressed me as an actor. As stated above, Reynolds played Deadpool in the recent Wolverine film. When I first saw him appear in the movie, I was very worried. How can an actor, (I thought to myself) whose resume consists of more funny and ridiculous roles, play a character that holds so much weight in the DC universe, especially now with Blackest Night going on. However, seeing Reynolds in the Wolverine film did make me look at his acting in a different light.

He still carried himself in the same way, very cocky and so sure of himself. But there was a level of maturity in his acting, something I don't think audiences have seen before. Now granted, marvel is getting a lot of flack for their portrayal of Deadpool and how "inaccurate" it was in comparison to the comics, but Reynolds performance in and of itself was definitely different and much more mature than anything he has ever done before.

I have exceptional high hopes for Reynolds as Hal Jordan. This is his chance to shine in a role that goes beyond what he has done before. We can only hope that Warner doesn't try to mess with the costume....oh what disasters I can foresee!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Comic Book Review - Superman: World Of New Krypton #5

Story: Superman is on trial for directly disobeying an order given to him by General Zod. Superman, on trial for treason, does not deny the charges and stays true to his own personal convictions, claiming that the order given to him by Zod was an immoral action. Superman is sentenced to death.

Having control of the military and the prisons, Zod sets Superman up with an escape attempt, testing Superman's honor and allegiance to New Krypton and its laws. Superman stays in his cell and is ready to die for the charges held against him. Zod is satisfied with this new level of commitment shown by Superman and releases the "last son" of Krypton.

We end with the ultimate cliff hanger at a celebration of the birth of New Krypton, where Zod is shot by an unknown Kryptonian.

My Thoughts: There is definitely a lot of mystery behind this issue. Although Zod seems to have had a change of heart, I still feel he is up to something.

I am truly enjoying this shout out to the old Superman films. The court room scenes are reminiscent of Superman II when Zod and his two henchmen were banished to the Phantom Zone. The blue and black lighting make the entire scene feel dark and dreary, which is the way it should be.

I do find it odd that, within this Superman story arc, is another Superman story arc. Next month brings us the arc titled "Codename Patriot." I thought Superman: World of New Krypton was it's own story arc. Apparently we will have a few arc's contained within this one.

I know WHAT Superman is doing on New Krypton, I'm just not so sure what's being accomplished. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying this mini series thus far, But I feel like time is being wasted. Hopefully issue #6 will bring some things to light.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The Trial For Superman Is Over

Back in March of 2008, the siblings of Superman creator Jerry Siegel launched a law suit against DC comics for improper exploitation of famed DC Icon Superman. Below is the article of the final verdict which can also be found at the Variety.com website. You can also click here, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA for the pdf court file on the Court Case.

If you read below, it shows that Warner Bros. and DC, by 2013 will no longer own Superman. The Siegel siblings will have full ownership along with the entire Shuster estate. How is this a win for DC? Please read below and comment your thoughts.


Warner Bros. Wins Superman Case!

Warner Bros. and DC Comics have won a favorable ruling in the suit filed by the heirs of "Superman" co-creator Jerome Siegel.

In a decision announced Wednesday, U.S. Judge District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson found that the license fees the studio paid to corporate sibling DC Comics didn't represent "sweetheart" deals as they weren't below fair market value. That means the heirs will be able seek profits only from DC Comics -- which earned $13.6 million from Warner Bros. for the 2006 release of "Superman Returns" -- rather than from Warner Bros. as well.

"DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment are very gratified by the court's thorough and well-reasoned decision in this matter," the companies said in a joint statement. "The decision validates what DC and Warner Bros. have maintained from the beginning, which is that when they do business with each other, they always strive for -- and achieve -- fair market value in their transactions. We are very pleased that the court found there was no merit to plaintiffs' position that the Superman deals were unfair to DC Comics and, by extension, the plaintiffs."

The judge also set a Dec. 1 trial date for determining the allocation of profits to the heirs, who won a ruling last year from Larson that awarded them half the copyright for the "Superman" material.

The heirs had accused Warners of making "sweetheart" deals with DC in 1999 for feature rights and in 2000 for TV rights for "Smallville." The feature rights included $1.5 million upfront, $18.5 million for option extensions over 31 years and 5% of first-dollar worldwide distributor gross or 7.5% of domestic gross -- whichever was larger -- while the TV rights included $45,000 per episode, 3% of first-dollar gross for the first $1.5 million and 5% thereafter.

Larson said in his 30-page ruling that there was "insufficient evidence that the 'Superman' film agreement between DC Comics and Warner Bros., whether judged by its direct economic terms or its indirect ones, was consummated at below its fair market value."

The judge, who conducted a 10-day bench trial, also noted that Warner Bros. chairman Alan Horn had testified that he hopes to make another "Superman" movie but added that the property wasn't under development at the studio, that no script had been written and that the earliest another "Superman" pic could be released would be in 2012.

In making his decision, Larson looked at other licensing deals for properties such as Iron Man, X-Men and Spider-Man. Attorney Marc Toberoff, who represents heirs Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson, told Daily Variety that the judge had erred in not considering comparable licensing deals for bestselling novels penned by Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton and popular musicals such as "My Fair Lady."

Toberoff, who has specialized in copyright claims, admitted that proving a sweetheart deal within a vertically integrated conglom was a challenge. "This was always going to be tough to prove," he added.

Toberoff also asserted in a written statement that the Siegel heirs and the heirs of co-creator Joe Shuster will own the entire Superman copyright in 2013.

"This trial was only an interim step in the multifaceted accounting case which remains, in that it only concerned the secondary issue of whether DC Comics, or DC Comics and Warner Bros., would have to account to the Siegels," he said. "To put this in further perspective, the entire accounting action pales in comparison to the fact that in 2013, the Siegels, along with the estate of Joe Shuster, will own the entire original copyright to Superman, and neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros. will be able to exploit any new Superman works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters."

Toberoff also asseted that Larson found that Warner Bros. should have paid three to four times the amount actually paid for the Superman film rights and that he had found it "inequitable" that DC transferred the Superman film rights to Warner Bros. without the standard term providing for reversion for lack of ongoing exploitation.

"The Court pointedly ruled that if Warner Bros. does not start production on another Superman film by 2011, the Siegels will be able to sue to recover their damages," Toberoff added. "The Siegels look forward to the remainder of the case, which will determine how much defendants owe them for their exploitations of Superman."