McDuffie fired from writing Justice League

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Writer Dwayne McDuffie revealed today on his message board that he’s been fired from Justice League of America, saying “it was my own doing.”

His dismissal came after “Lying in the Gutters” columnist Rich Johnston “ran a compilation of two years or so of my answers to fans’ questions on the DC Comics discussion boards,” McDuffie posted, referencing this May 4th column. “I’m told my removal had nothing to with either the quality of my work or the level of sales, rather with my revelation of behind-the-scenes creative discussions.”

If you look through the column, you’ll see several statements that show McDuffie’s frustrations with working on the title, from comments on how the Anansi storyline was “about my not having control of the stories in my book” to remarks about how DC’s big guns — from Superman and Batman to Green Arrow and Captain Marvel — weren’t available for his use.
“I’m doing ‘Cap’s Kooky Quartet’,” McDuffie wrote. “Of course, in this case Captain America isn’t available, either.”

McDuffie did share some “what might have been” thoughts on JLA:
I have to say I’m a bit disappointed, because next summer was planned to feature a JLA-driven crossover, where my book’s story line would have been the driving force. I’m distressed by where I left Black Canary, as my intention was to use the current subplot to strengthen her character and relationships with the new membership, and instead I’m leaving her at the bottom of a hole I’d intended to rebuild her from. I was also just about to get a regular artist for the first time since I’ve been on the book, which would have been nice. That said, I’m sure DC’s going to put together a creative team that will generate major excitement around JLA, which is as it should be.

He also said he has a pretty full plate, as he’s editing Cartoon Network’s Ben 10: Alien Force and the upcoming Ben 10: Evolutions series. He’s also working on a new project called Milestone Forever for DC, just finished a video game script, and is writing a direct-to-DVD animated feature for Warner Animation.

As for Justice League, it looks like Issue 33, which came out today, is his last. Len Wein is writing the next few issues, and was doing so initially to give McDuffie a break while he worked on his various TV projects.

My Response:

I personally am quite happy that that Mcduffie is off JLA. he has absolutly destroyed The Justice League title. Ever since McDuffie came on bored, most of his stuff has been nothing but boring dialog and random incoherent jargon that seems to drag on and on. This last issue was without a doubt the worst of this JLA run. I can not recall ever being as bored with a comic as I was with JLA #33.

What I also find hilarious is on the cover you'll see Starbreaker and Dharma fighting on the cover, but we never actually see Starbreaker until the last few pages, plus, Starbreaker and Dharma don't have a fight at all in the book. plus, we see Superman on the cover as well, yet he doesn't appear on the pages of this issue once!

Ive never followed McDuffie well in the past, but based on the time he has spent on JLA these last few months, I probably will never go out of my way to read anything he does again. I know he was handed alot of crap from DC, but if a writer can't work with what he is given and make it work, than that writer should NOT be doing the project.

Best and Worst for May

Best Book Of The Month

Green Lantern #41

Geoff Johns continually makes his readers happy by writing top notch storylines, dialog and characters. This war of the emotional light spectrum has been incredible! With all of the new corps coming in, there's only one corps that is the most confusing and tiwsted, The Orange lantern corps. However, it isn't technically a corps since there is only one living member, Larfleeze. All the rest are dead and the souls are contained within Larfleezes ring.

I wont give away the story, it's so good you'll have to read it yourself. But what we learn of the deal made between the Guardians and Larfleeze is quite interesting, especially when we learn what was in the box carried by Larfleeze. And of course, we also have the trauma of Hal Jordan being stuck with two lantern rings, one green and one blue. Larfleeze, since the orange light represents avarice, or greed, desires Jordan's blue rings so much that he's willing to do whatever it takes to have it. And boy how he does it is a doozy!

I wont say much more, you just need to go read this issue and find out why this is the best book of the month!

Worst Book Of The Month

Justice League of America #33

Words escape me. I can't describe how bad this book is. Dwayne McDuffie has really torn up his writing career with this issue. Ever since McDuffie got on the Justice League title, it's gotten worse and worse as the months go by. I honestly thought a few months ago he could only go up from his choice a story writing, but no, this tops it all.

It's full of boring dialog page after page. McDuffie claims that his writing has not been that great because of the cards he was dealt. he was upset by not having Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman in the title and felt that he wasn't able to use the big guns, the hero's everyone knows and loves, to make the story great. Because of that, he feels that is why the stories in JLA have not been up to par.

My response, BS! If you are a good writer, you can make anything work. McDuffie has been put on the same level as Grant Morrison in my opinion...and that's definatly not a compliment!


And here is my ranking list from the best to the worst of the comics I read this month. Click on the issue title for more information on that specific title.

1. Green Lantern #41
Worth your money! Go buy it!













2. Wonder Woman #32
At first I wasn't real excited about this story arc. but Gail is doing a bang up job with it.











3. Power Girl #1
Jimmy Palmiotti is going to do wonderful work while he's on this title!












4. Superman: World of New Krypton #3
Im surprisingly impressed by how this mini series is going.












5. Justice Society of America #27
First issue with a new writer. And not a bad job! Im excited to see what else happens.












6. Green Lantern Corps #36
Peter Tomasi has been doing great work with GL Corps. I hope he sticks with it.












7. Supergirl #41
Nothing to exciting, but still very enjoyable!












8. Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3
It was good, but I knew what was coming at me before battle for the cowl even started. So no surprises with Dick becoming Batman.










9. Action Comics #877
Im still not sure what I think of Flamebird and Nightwing. I have a feeling this wont be as good as DC hopes it to be.











10. Superman #688
Mon-El just isn't getting me excited. I wish they would have just put a hold on the Superman title until World of New Krypton is done after 15 issues.











11. Justice League of America #33
Horrible!

Neil Gaiman and his "Batman Farewell"

Acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman is burying Batman, but not before he pens a final "love letter" to the Dark Knight.

Gaiman, picked by DC Comics to handle Batman’s final appearance in the publisher’s long-running monthly Detective Comics, almost didn’t take the gig. But his high regard for the 70-year-old superhero made this an opportunity he couldn’t skip.

"I found myself saying things like, ‘I don’t have time’ and ‘I have sworn to never write mainstream comics again,’" the 48-year-old literary titan told Wired.com by phone from his Addams Family-style residence in Minneapolis. "But I ended up saying, ‘Of course I’m there!"

The end result — a two-part series called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? — began with the February issue of Batman and wraps Wednesday with issue No. 853 of Detective Comics. The story line picks up where Grant Morrison’s execution of the Dark Knight in Batman R.I.P. left off.

Gaiman’s twin finales will be bound in hardcover and released this July. Taken together, they are surreal, hilarious and poignant riffs on Batman’s back story, told at light-speed by a master storyteller.

Gaiman’s extensive bibliography is filled with commercially successful comics, novels, prose, screenplays and more, and is decorated with Hugo, Nebula, Stoker and Newberry awards. As Hollywood mines comic books and fantasy favorites for the big screen, Gaiman’s imaginative works seem like a mother lode for cross-platform hits.

Earlier this year, director Henry Selick’s stunning animated adaptation of Gaiman’s 2002 novella Coraline debuted, grossing $80 million worldwide (and counting). Gaiman hopes to direct a film based on his comic book miniseries Death: The High Cost of Living, a spinoff of his groundbreaking comics series The Sandman.

Wired.com talked with Gaiman about "unfilmable" comics and their sometimes clumsy cinematic adaptations, as well as Coraline, continuity, Sturgeon’s Law, Iron Man and why writing the final issues of Batman and Detective Comics was like consummating a decades-long relationship.

Wired.com: So how did you become the executor of Batman’s estate, so to speak?

Neil Gaiman: The phone rang about a year ago, and it was Dan DiDio from DC Comics. He said, "Look we are going to do what we did to Superman 23 years ago, but with Batman. We are going to end his monthlies and then reboot and renumber them, so there isn’t going to be a Batman comic for a while. How would you like to write the last issue of Batman and Detective Comics in the same way that Alan [Moore] did with the Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"
It was one of those strange combinations. I though that if I didn’t do it, someone else would and [they would] mess it up. But also, I really love Batman. The platonic ideal of Batman, as well as the number of specific Batmans over the years. I thought it would be really interesting.

Wired.com: Did you know at the time that the title of the series would so literally resemble Moore’s Superman sendoff and the Silver Age retrospectives that inspired it?

Gaiman: Well, it definitely wasn’t going to be called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? at that point. That was what some people at DC Comics started out calling it, and eventually it stuck, but the title did take me slightly by surprise. But I also wrote two homages to Alan’s comic — one at the beginning and one at the end — but then cut one. I had a line on the first page where Batman asks if he is dreaming, and a voice says, "No it’s not a dream and it’s not an imaginary story."

Wired.com: Awesome. That references Alan’s legendary Superman triple entendre: "This is an imaginary story…. Aren’t they all?"

Gaiman: Right. So I cut it, because it was too obvious. Plus, that line is one of the five amazing moments in comics.

Wired.com: That famous preface messes with the idea of canon and continuity. Moore’s comic is arguably outside DC Comics continuity, and so arguably is yours. Same goes for a bunch of other awesome comics. Has continuity outlived its usefulness?

Gaiman: Continuity isn’t actually something that I ever worry about. You use it where you need to, and you don’t use it where you don’t need to. It’s a given that we exist in a world where we have to live in continuity every day; no one is immune to that, in life or romance novels. By the same token, it’s not something I find terribly important.
The joy of this Batman story is that there were 70 years of Batman and I wanted to try and talk about all of it. Alan’s last Superman story is every bit as readable as it was in 1985, and it doesn’t actually matter that nobody remembers the Luthor/Brainiac team any more, or even necessarily remembers the typical Superman trope of squeezing coal into diamonds. None of that matters, because it is a glorious story.

Wired.com: Batman’s total story is so immense that it seems impossible to make it realistically linear.

Gaiman: What I wanted to do was write the last Batman story. What should it be? And I wanted to play very, very fair with the reader. So what I was trying to say is that it honestly doesn’t matter if it is in or out of continuity. And it doesn’t matter whichever Batman you love, whether that is Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight, or the Batman TV show or even the various, glorious animated series. This is the last Batman story. He’s dead, and this is what’s happening. It’s been 70 years, and it’s been wonderful, but this is the last one.

Wired.com: It’s a fabulous closure, especially the part where he says goodbye to all the stuff in the Batcave. "Goodnight mechanical dinosaur." "Goodnight giant penny." Classic!

Gaiman: [Laughs] It’s all in there. There was definitely a wonderful joy of writing those last 10 pages of the second issue. While I was doing it, I was thinking that there are people out there who will think that I’ve gone mad.

Wired.com: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? reunited you with your Marvel 1602 collaborator, artist Andy Kubert.

Gaiman: I kept asking Andy to do things that are impossible, and because no one told him they were impossible, he did them. Normally someone asks him to draw three panels, but doesn’t ask him to draw those three panels in the style of Brian Bolland or Jerry Robinson. I loved the fact that I could ask Andy for Robin when he’s 17, off to college and still wearing the costume, the Speedo and everything, which looks kind of stupid. But I still want it to be moving. And he did it.

Wired.com: I loved what he did with the last panel, where the Bat-Signal turns into something I can only describe as the Star-Child from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Gaiman: Writing that part made me incredibly happy. In a lot of ways, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is a love letter, as was Alan’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? That was his love letter to Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger and Curt Swan and all of the guys who had worked on Superman. And it was a love letter to the Superman who lived in Alan’s heart, who wasn’t going to be around anymore. I wanted to write the same love letter to Batman.

Wired.com: Reading Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? one gets the idea that Batman has lived in your heart for a while.

Gaiman: When I was 5, I was in a car with my dad and he mentioned that there was this Batman TV show in America about a man who dressed up in a costume and fought crime. The only bat I ever knew was a cricket bat, so what I thought he looked like was rather odd, based on that. Months later, the series hit the U.K., and I remember watching and being affected by it. Really worrying, genuinely worrying, on a deep primal level, "Will he be OK?" That is the way it was with every deathtrap. If I missed the end of an episode, I’d get my friends to tell me he was OK.
Because of the Batman TV show, my dad picked up Smash! comics for me, which reprinted a Batman cartoon strip, which were much more about continuity than the television program. Those were my gateway drugs into Batman. Even when batman went twee in the ’60s, Neal Adams reinvented him as a long-eared, shadowy character. And when I was in my 20s, Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns came out and I found myself writing my first piece of academic criticism on it.
I wanted my comic to contain all of that, from the story to the art. I wanted it to have that love in there. I wanted to write the last Batman with honor and love.

Wired.com: So, did you pull it off?

Gaiman: Well, since you’ve seen the actual comic, you’re actually ahead of me. I’ve only seen the PDF! [Laughs] But to your question, people used talk to me about The Sandman back when I was writing it, and my answer was that I was too close to it to know what I was doing and feeling. Decades later, I could look back and go, "Whoa, we did it!"
I remember George Harrison complaining that he had no idea what The Beatles meant to the ’60s. So the truth is, I have no idea. I look at it and say, "Andy did me proud," but I do wonder if they’ll think I went mad at the end. Whether it works or not, I don’t know or care, but it makes me very happy. I know that if Batman ever reads it, he will know that he was my first love.

Wired.com: Right before you buried him?

Gaiman: [Laughs] Well, the great thing about Batman and Superman, in truth, is that they are literally transcendent. They are better than most of the stories they are in. That’s jut Sturgeon’s Law: "90 percent of everything is crap." Can you imagine how many thousands, or millions, of words have been written on Batman? Try to read them and you’re looking at 100,000 pages, perhaps a million, and you can assume that 90 percent of it is crap. Yet the 10 percent, and even better the 1 percent of that 10 perfect, is absolutely glorious. That pays for everything.

Wired.com: How about they ways they transcend their medium into film, for example? Sturgeon’s Law nails that one nicely.

Gaiman: Yeah, it’s something that is missed when they’re made into movies. Marvel Comics has been much more successful than DC Comics, although DC got it right with The Dark Knight. With movies, you want that transcendent 10 percent, that mythology. The Iron Man movie fascinated me. It took a character [at the top of Marvel Comics'] second division, and did him right, so right that everyone goes, "This is why we love Iron Man." The joy of The Dark Knight movie is, "This is what a Joker story should be like." No one wants to see the ultimate Two-Face movie.

Wired.com: We might if he’s sporting that killer Two-Face ride from Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? That thing ruled.

Gaiman: Two-Face’s car! We had too much fun with that. That’s that kind of stuff that we could have done forever. Twenty pages of bad guys riding in their cars. Iceman pulling up in an Icemobile. Same goes with the poor guy who had to watch after them, wondering whether he’s going to die with each new customer!

Wired.com: Speaking of comics-based movies, the unfilmable Watchmen has fallen. Is The Sandman next?

Gaiman: There is talk of an HBO Sandman, because no one quite knows what to do with it. But the truth is, if anybody is going to make a Sandman movie, it will probably be a kid in film school right now to whom The Sandman was the most important thing ever. It will take the amount of commitment, dedication and madness that Peter Jackson brought to Lord of the Rings to get it on the screen. Honestly, it could happen after I am dead.

Wired.com: How about Miller’s Dark Knight Returns? That one seems unfilmable for a variety of reasons, if only that no one seems quite ready to see an old Batman on screen.

Gaiman: That one is interesting. Once it was published, there was all this talk about whether Clint Eastwood could do it. If they actually made The Dark Knight Returns with Clint, I would have gritted my teeth and seen it. It probably would have been awesome.

Wired.com: What’s your take on the Watchmen film?

Gaiman: I waited on Watchmen because I was also waiting for someone whose opinion I trusted to tell me to go see it. And they didn’t. They told me that I’d love the opening sequence, or that even without the squid it worked, and onward. But after three or four of those, I just said, "Why?"
I was reading photostats of Watchmen that Alan would hand me months before they hit the stands, and I would puzzle over everything, putting it all together in my head. That’s a different thing than Dark Knight Returns, where the details of the story are more malleable and simple. Batman comes out of retirement. Cute Robin arrives on the scene. Joker kills himself. Is Batman dead or not? He’s not. There’s not much to unpack. If someone cast David Bowie, as he is now, as the Joker, I think The Dark Knight Returns is doable.

Wired.com: The Sandman is a daunting task, given its mammoth length.

Gaiman: And because it’s not film-shaped. I had a meeting two-and-a-half years ago at Warner’s with Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov about the status of The Sandman, because they really didn’t understand the thing and directors were asking if they could make it.
So I went out to Hollywood with beautiful artwork and toys and did a presentation, talked them through the storyline. We talked about what it was and who the characters were, and how you could do it in three, four or seven movies. I got to the end, very proud of myself for encapsulating 2,000 pages of comics into a giant visual pitch, and what I got was, "Jeff and I had lunch and were talking about the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises, and we agreed that each was successful because they had a clearly defined bad guy. Does The Sandman have a clearly defined bad guy?"
I said, "No it doesn’t," and they said, "Thanks for coming!" They know that even if it is one of the jewels in comics’ crown, it wasn’t designed to be a film.

Wired.com: Moore had the same problem with Watchmen.

Gaiman: I remember the first time I met Terry Gilliam in 1988 or 1989. We were talking about Watchmen and Gilliam said that the trouble with turning it into a movie is that once you condense it, you lose what made it Watchmen. It’s a superhero movie, not a commentary on superheroes. Once you finish compressing it, it’s not quite itself anymore.

Wired.com: It seemed to work well for the Coraline film, which was not only stunning but is now the second-highest-grossing stop-motion movie ever made.

Gaiman: We’re so proud of it. If it wasn’t for the Jonas Brothers spoiling our mojo, we might have been the highest-grossing stop-motion movie ever made. When their film came out, Coraline was pulled from some theaters to make space. Two weeks later, when the Jonas Brothers film made no money, we got put back into more of them. But I am so proud of what Henry [Selick] and everyone did; it also made me feel better about turning my comics into movies.
Alan and I have been friends forever, and we agree on film being bad for comics, with a difference. Alan’s theory is that films are intrinsically bad, and that it is better to keep his distance from them. Mine is that the only chance you have of getting a film made that you would like to see is by finding people that you like and trust, and making sure that the film stays theirs. That and working with them in every way you can to make it good. So that was my philosophy with Coraline.

Wired.com: Was it smooth sailing with Coraline?

Gaiman: There were some strange moments. I did something you’re never supposed to do: I gave a free option to Henry after his had run out. There were people from Disney sniffing around, but I went with Henry from the beginning because I wanted his movie. I wanted that film.

Buffy without Joss Whedon???

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With vampire boyfriends on everyone’s wish list, it’s not surprising that Hollywood looks to reviving one of its legendary slayers. Not that we would mind of course, as who doesn’t want Buffy to return and save us from the undead? The real question is: does anyone want Buffy without her creator, Joss Whedon?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there are plans to bring Buffy back to the big screen without Whedon’s participation. Instead, it will be a relaunch handled by the director of the 1992 film, Fran Rubel Kuzui, and her husband Kaz Kuzui, along with
Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment. It would have no connection to Whedon’s legendary television series, or to its comic book continuation, but would instead “reboot” the story from the very beginning in order to not upset the series’ die hard fans.

Is this what fans want? Ever since “Buffy” went off the air, they’ve been clamoring for a return of the Buffy they know; one who would bring Angel, Spike, Xander, Dawn and Willow along with her. The comic book series has pleased some fans, but the majority are hungry for a television or big screen movie that would continue from where “Buffy” and its spin-off “Angel” left off. While the producers told THR that it’s possible Whedon could become involved, the article also states that Kuzui and company seem determined to take Buffy “into a new place” by themselves. Will their approach bring in a new audience, or will they alienate fans and newcomers alike?

So yeah, Im not sure what to think of this. Even though Joss Whedon wrote the original Buffy movie back in 1992, I still trust Whedon more to do the film right. But getting the director of that 1992 film, Fran Rubel Kuzui, that just makes me a little worried about how the film will be done. But according to the article, it sounds like they want to do some type of a revamping of the most popular vampire slayer of all time. Dont get me wrong, I'm all about giving directors a chance to bring their own interpretation to a very established character, but I just don't know, this really does worry me! I hope I'm not the only one worried about this.

Terminator: Salvation

The question I ask myself is, "What made the first and second Terminator films so good?" I mean, there was a reason why those two films did so well right? And if it wasn't for that fundamental element that made it so good, the Terminator franchise would be a flop. I left the theatre after watching Terminator: Salvation asking that very question and pondered on it a few times throughout the rest of the evening.

This film as most of us know is all about the war between the machines and the humans and is also the start of everything we know about the first Terminator movie. John Conner is a profit-like character that leads everyone into the war against the machines. He also listens to recordings left by his mother, Sarah Conner, to help inform him about what he must do and the task he must perform...to find Kyle Reese and send him back in time to meet Sarah so John can be born to eventually lead the rebellion against the machines. (confusing huh? yeah, most movies that deal with time travel are.)

The film started off quite well, We go back into the past where a man by the name of Marcus Wright is sentenced to death for a crime we can only assume is murder. (briefly he states that he did something terrible to his family and feels he deserves death.) A women visits him in his cell and asks him to donate his body to a cause. There is a very awkward sentimental scene between the two, and Marcus accepts to sign to organ doner papers in exchange for a kiss from this woman. So we learn that this man is important!

We now see a desert like scene where a battle between a battalion of humans lead by John Conner are duking it out tooth and nail with some of Skynet's machines. This scene is to introduce John Conner into the story and show he and his army of men and women are very well into the war. once this battle is over, John Conner heads back to base, and Marcus Wright all of the sudden appears out of nowhere completely nude and is screaming in pain, We don't know why.

in a nut shell, Marcus Wright doesn't know he has been turned into an Infiltration model to help find certain individuals, John Conner and Kyle Reese. And like in Terminator 3, Marcus has to decide if he is man or machine. And of course, in following the typical Hollywood formula, Marcus chooses that he is a man deep down inside and goes against his programing, giving the resistance a very powerful ally.

And the movie ends on a high note, with Arnold (or a very nicely animated Arnold) making a cameo appearance and casing down John Conner in the machine building factory. The movie is over, I walk out with my crew and we all head home.

So I go back to that question, What made Terminator one and two so good? As interesting and creative as the story of the terminator, Skynet and the Conner family is, what made the first two films so great was the suspense! The Terminator was unstoppable. it didn't matter how many times you shot at it, burned it, melted it, crushed it, etc etc etc, it just kept on coming at you. And while you watch the mayhem, you wonder when it's going to stop! How much more can a machine take?? And just when everything seems done, like the terminator couldn't possibly take anymore damage, it comes right back at you, in full force. And you love every minute of the insanity!

Terminator: Salvation had numerous suspensful scenes in it, but they didn't work for me. A few scenes were very tense at times, but over all, it was very dull and dragged to many times to be exciting. I didn't feel like I was watching a Terminator film, which made me sad. not only that, I felt the drama within the story wasn't written well. Everything was long a drug out for my taste, mostly because everything that we see on screen we already knew. No new revelations about this storyline were given, There were no plot twists that put me on the edge of my seat, and no big surprises.

The only real redeeming aspect of the film, apart from the acting quality, was the ending, and I'm not attributing that to the fact that the terminator we all know and love made an appearance, even though I did like it! It was at this point where it finally felt like I was watching a Terminator film. This was the only moment in the movie I became tense and unknowingly clenching my fists in anticipation for what might happen next, if only the whole film could have been like this.

I would have to put this film only slightly above Terminator three and give it a 2.5 out of 5 star rating. Now maybe I would need to go see it again. It's possible that the expectations I had put on the film prior is what influenced my opinion of the movie as a whole. But I honestly was not impressed and actually disappointed.

Delay in new releases...

Since Memorial Day day was Monday, that means there will be a delay in new releases for this week. Which makes me sad. Youd think that a day wouldn't make much difference. oh well! I do what I can. But I can still gripe about it.

The Top Ten Greatest Comic Books Films According To Me!

So Wizard Magazine recently came out with a top 50 list of the 50 greatest comic book movies of all time. To find out what movie made this list, visit this site...

http://sfdforum.scotthough.com/thread-1429.html

I feel this list is pretty bad, not a well thought out list at all. So! I have taken it upon myself to create my Own list. I wont be making a top 50 list, that would WAY too much time. So Ive only created a top ten list. Granted, this list is based only on movies I have seen so if there is a film that you feel is not on here and should be, it's either because I have not seen it, or because you are wrong!

My Top Ten Best Comic Book Movies Ever Made...

10. The Punisher
Without a doubt Tom Jane IS the Punisher. Casting was spot on for this film. My only gripe is the plot was a bit predictable. I knew he would get his revenge and i knew how he was going to do it.

9. Sin City

As much as I dislike Frank Miller, this film is an absolute smash! All of the work it took make this film a success is indescribable. This is film noir at it's finest!

8. X-Men

Seeing as how this movie kind started the whole comic movie faze going on right now, I just can't see myself NOT putting it in the top ten list. However, it's a very intellegently and well done film. It will go down in history as one of the best.

7. Batman Begins

This film took people by surprise by how great it was. Every step in making this film was carefully done to ensure that this wasn't just any comic book movie. the realistic approach works quite well while still mantaining that comic feel.

6. Road to Perdition

The script for this film is phenominal. The film does drag a few times hoever, but other than that, there isn't much wrong with this film at all. Wonderfully done.

5. Persepolis

The story of a girl growing up in Nazi germany. A beutiful story and beutifully animated. A definate must see!

4. Hulk

I never get tired of seeing this movie. I love the appraoch that was taken in developing the character of bruce banner and the Hulk. Incredibly dark and twisted. The cinematography is without a doubt one of the more intellegent I have ever seen. Ang Lee went above and beyond in this film. The reviews given by many critics and fans of this film being terrible I really don't agree with. It had it's flaws yes, but it is such a creative film.

3. Watchmen

being my favorite story of all time, I was of course going into with a very analytical eye. Overall I thought this film was incredible. The only gripe I had was it pumped through the story at 100 miles per hour so the audience didn't have alot of time to breath. but the adaptation was spot on, casting was perfect. The changes made in the film were perfectly fine. The ending, even though it was disapointing because i wanted to see the giant squid, still made sense because what had to be left out of the story. One of my favorite movies!

2. V for vendetta

I don't believe I have ever in my life thought a film is better than the book. And even though I enjoyed the graphic novel more, there are certain things that happen in the film that I thought were better on screen than on paper. There were even some changes made in the film that I felt were an improvment on the story for the big screen. Casting of course was tremendous. I loved natalie Portmans take on making Eve much more head strong, rather than a dumb, weak girl.

1. The Dark Knight

My favorite movie! A masterpiece in film making! This film is not only good comic book movie, but it's a flat out gream film in general. The twists and turns the story takes is completely mind boggeling! Heath Ledgers performance was top notch and without a doubt the best performance of the year. The film was close to perfect. I was actually very surprised that the film wasn't nominated for an acedemy award for Best picture. Going along with batman Begins, TDK takes a realistic approach and it works incredibly well. this film is proof that the superhero genre can be taken seriously. It is going to take alot for another comic book movie to beat this masterpiece.

Now, as something fun, here is a list of my top five WORST comic book films ever made...

5. X-Men 3

This just wasn't done well. What they tried to do with the Phoenix story really didn't work at all. Im was very disapointed in this film, especially since the previous two were incredible.

4. Captain America

This film was trying desperatly hard to be a good film. but it ultimately flopped on it's face really hard.

3. The Phantom

For an action film, this was quite boring. Billy Zane did a fair job, but there was really nothing fun about the film. Plus the acting overall was quite terrible

2. Flash Gordon

yes, I put this film at number two because it truly is a bad film. however, that being said, i absolutly LOVE this movie. It's campy on purpose, which makes it one of my favorite BAD movies ever! Love it!!

1. Punisher: War Zone

not only is this movie the worst comic book movie I have ever seen, it's is without a doubt the worst movie in general I have ever seen. I'm not even sure how this film made it past paragraph one! There was a point where I really wanted to stop the DVD, and go watch the home shopping network because that would be more entertaining than this film was.

Half Priced Books Memorial Day Sale.......

So half priced books on those special holidays will have 20% off everything sale. Which meant I was THERE!!!

My typical routine at half price books is to first go straight to the comic book and graphic novel section. Im always find really good comics that I want or am missing. I then go to the Sci/fi book section and look for books by my favorite authors, and then my last stop is the movies.

Well, here are a few items I found, some I bought....

Superman: The Man of Steel #77

this was after Superman had become a being of energy and was split into two entities. i did not get to read this huge story arc so it's nice to finally be able to start getting issues from this arc. I remember how displeased fans were about the change Superman was going through. Personally, I thought this was a dumb i dea but the story itself is fairly decent.

The Adventures of Superman #499

This was another story arc i didn't particularly follow due to being over seas in Budapest Hungary. Superman died, Like most superheros seemed to do. I remember when people became incresingly upset about Superman dying. There were bomb threats made to DC comics, death threats, tons of hate mail, etc etc etc!

Wonder Woman # 131

One of the many Wonder Woman issue I lost in moving to Des Moines Iowa. I have over 100 Wonder Woman comics that somehow magically disappeared in moving to Des Moines. I think i misplaced it because no one I know before I moved would have stolen any comics from me. but this is a fun issue, along side the Justice Society...AWESOME!!!

I also found a book by Neil Gaiman that I love, Neverwhere. Now I have only read the graphic novel, so I thought to myself "I wonder how different the book and the graphic novel are?" So I decided to pick it up. All of this for only $4.00!!! Life is good!

Now one thing I was exceptionally tempted to buy when i went over to the DVD section was all three seasons of the Wonder Woman with Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman! The show is terrible I know, but all three seasons together in a box set for only 20 bucks! That's just unbeatable!!! And Im a Wonder Woman fan so it was just so tempting. however, seeing as how I'll be moving to Colorado in about two months, I figured it wasn't that best investment to make at this point. There's always netflix, and my Amazon.com wishlist!!!! (present ideas everyone!!)

The Pineapple Express Movie Review

Movie Summary: Lazy court-process clerk and stoner Dale Denton has only one reason to visit his equally lazy dealer Saul Silver: to purchase weed, specifically, a rare new strain called Pineapple Express. But when Dale becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop and the city's most dangerous drug lord, he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Dale now has another reason to visit Saul: to find out if the weed is so rare that it can be traced back to him--and it is. As Dale and Saul run for their lives, they quickly discover that they're not suffering from weed-fueled paranoia: incredibly, the bad guys really are hot on their trail and trying to figure out the fastest way to kill them both. All aboard the Pineapple Express.

I absolutely love it when a film is both intelligent and stupid at the same time. Meaning, there is a lot of thought and intelligent reasoning for it's stupidity. This film was one hilariously stupid thing after the other! Halfway through the film, I told my wife "wow, I feel high just watching this!" I felt the film in it's entirety (is that a word) was so make the audience feel like they were doing drugs themselves.

The script obviously had a plot, and a logic to it, because with all of the stupid things that every character does, they beat the bad guys. But nothing that Dale and Saul did should have worked to stop the bad guys! There was no rhyme or reason for what they did, but it seemed to work! And it was absolutely hilarious because of it!

Now there is a mountain of swearing and profanities used, but who cares right? Especially when the swearing is used as a part of the humor. When you have a line like...
"I'm gonna kill the fuck out of you"
You can't help but die laughing at the sheer stupidity of that phrase!

There's honestly no good way of explaining how this film to you, it's something must experience for yourself. You will either hate it or love it, and it will all depend on your state of mind in that moment. Nothing can truly prepare you for the train ride of a film. If you have seen the movie Idiocracy, brace yourself for a similar movie watching experience.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Battle For the Cowl

The story begins months after Final Crisis with hundreds of criminals in Gotham attempting to rise due to the absence of Batman. Two-Face and the Penguin are leading a mob war while, unbeknownst to them, a third candidate arrives into the battle, Black Mask. After tricking Arkham Asylum's inmates into working for him, Black Mask begins his attacks on Two-Face and the Penguin, the strongest organized crime presences in Gotham.

An impostor has taken on the Batman Mantle and uses exceptionally lethal tactics to bring down the enemies of Gotham City. Tim Drake (most current Robin) goes out searching for this impostor disguised as the Actual Batman. Drake finds the Impostor, but is taken down and almost killed.

Nightwing (Dick Grayson and the original Robin) forms a team of allies to put a stop to the the one reeking havoc on Gotham city. However, Dicks main concern is finding this impostor who is giving batman a bad name. He has, through a series of events deduced who this impostor is posing as Batman...Jason Todd, who was Robin after Dick Grayson left Batman and fought crime on his own under the name Nightwing. Jason wants to bring order to Gotham, but feels that Grayson's way of fighting crime will not suffice.

Nightwing is constantly conflicted with what to do. Should he take up the mantle of Batman? Being pressured by all who are closet to him to do so, but being told by Bruce Wayne himself that he does not need to, Dick continually dialogs how he isn't sure if he should or shouldn't.

After finding Jason Todd, and a very brutally beaten alley Damien Wayne (Bruce Waynes son, Dick and Jason have it out. In this final battle, Dick pushes Jason off a cliff (unintentionally) and Jason is there hanging from the edge. Dick tries to bring him up, but Jason lets go of the cliff and falls into the river below. jason is most likely not dead but we are to presume that he is.

Dick decides that it is needed for Batman to rise again. So, along with Damien Wayne as the new Robin, Grayson put on the Cape and Cowl and officially has become the new Batman!



I wasn't particularly a fan of this 3 part series, however it was needed to help bring Dick Grayson in as Batman in a very dramatic way. It also allowed for future story lines to come out in the open. Since we know the Black Mask was killed by Catwoman, then who was this mysterious man posing as Black Mask? And how will Jason Todd return and to what intensity? I did enjoy the read, but I wished some type of a twist was made on Dick Grayson becoming Batman.

So now, the new series "Batman and Robin" will begin next month which will start with writer Grant Morrison. The current Batman title will still be running, but it's in addition to the new series.

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter

This film really did not meet my expectations. I rented through netflix thinking this short animated film would be very well done and innovative. I had heard some really good comments about TOTBF and was very interested in seeing what everyone liked about it.

Tales of the Black Freighter come from the pages of Watchmen. It is a pirate comic, about a man who is washed up on a desert Island after being attacked by pirates aboard the Black Freighter. All the men on his ship died and the bodies all washed up on land along with him. Convinced that the black Freighter was on it's way to his homeland to kill everyone he loves, he becomes determined to get off the island to warn his people. Discovering he has no means of sailing, he creates a raft built out of nothing but the bodies of his dead comrades. The bodies had become filled with gas so they became natural flotation devises. While at sea he meets many disasters and succumbs to drinking sea water and eating live seagulls in order to survive. While at sea, floating on a raft of corpses, he becomes slightly insane due to being alone and his obsession to getting home in time. The result of this most horrifying event is bloodshed and a twist that will cause you to be disgusted at the how disturbing and gross this story is. (but you'll have to watch it to fins out the ending.)

There really are some things that need to be left off screen and kept in the pages of books. I am really glad that the pirate comic part of Watchmen was left out of the film because I'm not sure hot well it translates to the big screen.

I absolutely love the pirate comic part of the Watchmen Graphic novel. It's exceptionally well written and one of Alan Moore's most poetic pieces of writing. After seeing TOTBF as an animated short film, I can understand Alan Moore's frustrations with making Watchmen into a movie. There are parts of it that are not meant to be WATCHED.

Even with the fact that this film is only a half and hour long, I would only recommend this to people who have an interest in seeing how the pirate comic plays out in animated form. And I would only recommend it to people who do not have weak constitutions. It is the bloodiest, grossest, and most disturbing animated short film I have ever seen. The animators do not hold back at making this film EXACTLY what Alan Moore intended it to be. You can tell this before popping the DVD in the player, seeing as how on the back of the DVD box you will find an "R" rating. It is a constant wave of bodies being ripped in half by sharks, heads being broken off due to decaying, blood splattering this way and that, eye balls being plucked out by seagulls, and blood being spilled due to insanity. And even though the script is without a doubt one of the more poetic I've read in the graphic novel genre, This is not a film for people who can't handle violence at it's worst.

Now if you are interested in seeing parts the film Watchmen that were cut out, there is a really interesting special feature...an interview with Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl. The graphic novels has many excerpts of Hollis Masons autobiography "Under the Hood" which is about his life as a super hero, why he did it, and what it was like for him. In this mock interview, they take what was in the autobiography and actually turn it into a live interview from a TV news show. It was quite interesting and neat to see how this was done. However, it was all cut out of the Watchmen film due to time constraints.

Animated Wonder Woman DVD

In a nutshell....A war is raging between the Amazons and the war god, Ares, and Zeus charges them to hold him prisoner as eternally young warriors on the hidden island of Themyscira. Centuries later, US Air Force pilot Steve Trevor is lured to crash land on the island and the distraction of that trespass allows Ares to escape. The Amazons decide to hold a contest to choose an amazonian chapion to travel to the world of man and become a protector there. Diana (or Wonder Woman), queen Hypoltyas daughter wish to compete for this chance, but her mother wouldn't allow it. In response, Princess Diana disguises herself as an amazonian sodier and wins the responsibility to both take Trevor home and recapture the fugitive god, and is given the honor of holding the title of Wonder Woman. Steve Trevor offers to help and together this disparate pair must not only overcome Ares' efforts to achieve a bloody revenge, but also reconcile their own conflicting world views in an adventure that would be the first for the greatest of the female superheroes.

In my opinion, this animated film released by Dc Warner Bros. is by far the best animated film to date. DC is definatly getting more and more violent with thier animated films as time goes on. The war at the beginning of the film is quite brutal, even for animation. There are also a few sexually related comments made concerning Wonder Womans breasts (of course). I can understand the PG-13 rating. now as adults, the violence is not mind blowing. Especially when the punches and kicks landed have an earth shattering echo throughout the valley's. (we are going for effect of course.) but the representation of violence to the degree it's held in Wonder Woman can is still worthy of the PG-13 rating.

The story adaption is ok, but not incredible. The story in an of itself is a fun and epicd origin story, but this particular adaptation of it I felt was a little below what it could have been. That's probably due to the fact that it's an animated film and meant to attracted to younger adults however. If they were to do the film in a very tragic and dark way...the way I prefer my super hero films...The younger generation might not be as eagar to watch it.

The animation in and of itself is really quite good. It's no pixar, but for a DVD release only film, it's quite detailed. There are times during the dialoge scenes where you'll feel liek your just watching a saturday morning cartoon, but the action sequences are very remarkable, which is what appealed to me the most about this film.

Now, as im sure all of your know, Wonder Woman is my girl...or woman I should say. What I like about her is the fact that she doesn't behaive like a teeanged girl. Supergirl, Vixen, Wondergirl, etc etc etc, they all act as if the world around them is collapsing and they have no idea how to handle it. Apart from Powergirl and Black Canary, Wonder Woman is the only superheroine that doesn't buckle under the pressure and behaives like your streotypical "weak" woman. However, in this animated film, Wonder Woman has a semblance of a little girl attitude. She never acts like she doesn't know what she's doing and has all the confidence in the world. But there are alot of times where she behaives like an annoying teenaged girl. However it was so bad that I couldn't enjoy the film.

Overall, the film was enjoyable and entertaining, especially for an animated film. A few gripes here and there but nothing major. I give it a strong 3.5 stars. Now, keep this in mind, if I were to watch this with my my non comic book friends, most of them would find it fun but not really that great of a film. But with my comic book friends, they would all most likely it find entertaining and one of the best animated super hero films to date. If you have netflix, go ahead and put it on your queue, or go rent it.

Here is the video trailor...

I'm a Marvel/Im a DC

These videos come from "itsjustsomerandomguy" youtube site. He uses superhero toys to make fun of the superhero movies that have come out. I can stop laughing at them. wow! hilarious. enjoy. Be sure to check out his MANY MANY other videos at His Youtube site

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic is a 2008 American animated short film series of motion comics for television based on the graphic novel Watchmen. The series is written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, creator and illustrator of the original graphic novel published by DC Comics. The series consists of twelve abridged 25-30 minute segments based on the chapters of the book. Both male and female characters are voiced by actor Tom Stechschulte and is directed by Jake Strider Hughes.

I first began watching this series as it was first being publicized on ITunes. I watched up until the 5th episode and discovered that the entire Motion comic would be released on DVD within a month of the of the series being completed. When I found that out, I decided to wait and just purchase the DVD.

It's quite interesting, it's takes each and every frame of the graphic novel, and through the vast usefulness of technology, and makes each character move around. The time and effort it took to create something like this was without a doubt nothing to be looked down upon. Every aspect detail of each frame was made to be animated. you can see Water droplets fall from the roof, eyeballs look around, steam coming from coffee pots, blood spilling and flowing on the sidewalk, etc etc. Not only that, but I believe music was composed specifically for this. It's definatly worthy of being dubbed one of the most innovative animated achievements in cartoon history.

That being said, I do have a few gripes. Having one person do all of the voices makes for a very interestingly awkward movie watching experience. Especially when it's a male doing the voices of all the females characters. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the actor doing all of these voices is bad by any means, in fact he's quite talented. But their have only been a handful of actors who have been able to do the voices of multiple characters and do it incredibly well, most notably Jim Carrey and Mel Blanc. (Looney Tunes.)

Another gripe of mine is it tends to drag. Each episode (chapter) has moments where the excitment is very lacking and dull. however, I think what the appeal to this series is the motion comic aspect, so I don't get terribly annoyed with the slow moving action going on.

The motion comic is a lot of fun and worth purchasing as well. Any Watchmen fan will enjoy this animated achievement. You can buy the complete DVD of all 12 episodes or you can go onto ITunes and purchase individual episodes. But if you are curious but don't want to purchase it before you see what it will be like, try watching the video on youtube, Click here --> Chapter 2 excerpt

I'm also quite excited to see the latest Watchmen DVD cartoon created by some of the best Japanese animators, Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter. Ill be getting it via Netflix here very soon! You'll definatly be hearing from me about this one

May Comic Releases for DC Comics

Here are the comics coming out this month...

May 6:
BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL – THE NETWORK
BATMAN: THE RESURRECTION OF RA'S AL GHUL
DEAD ROMEO #2 (OF 6)
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN! #1 (OF 6)
THE FLASH PRESENTS: MERCURY FALLING
THE FLASH: REBIRTH #2 (OF 5)
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
JONAH HEX #43
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: THE SECOND COMING
LOONEY TUNES #174
THE MIGHTY #4
POWER GIRL #1
SOLOMON GRUNDY #3 (OF 7)
STRANGE ADVENTURES #3 (OF 8)
SUPERGIRL: COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE EIGHTH GRADE #6
SUPERMAN: ESCAPE FROM BIZARRO WORLD
SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #3 (OF 12)
TRINITY #49
THE WARLORD #2

May 13:
ACTION COMICS #877
AZRAEL: DEATH'S DARK KNIGHT #3 (OF 3)
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #29
BATMAN: SCARECROW AND TWO-FACE YEAR ONE
BOOSTER GOLD #20
CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #37
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1 (OF 6)
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #36
THE HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE-NEW PRINTING
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: ENEMY MANIFEST
ORACLE: THE CURE #3 (OF 3)
R.E.B.E.L.S. #4
SECRET SIX #9
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: MARTIAN MANHUNTER VOL. 2
SUPER FRIENDS #15
SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON VOL. 1
TITANS #13
TRINITY #50

May 20:
BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #3 (OF 3)
BATMAN: MAD LOVE AND OTHER STORIES
BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM! #5
BOOSTER GOLD: 52 PICK-UP
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #23
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #1 (OF 6)
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #20
THE OUTSIDERS #18
RANN/THANAGAR HOLY WAR VOL. 1
SUPERGIRL #41
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #60
SUPERMAN: ENDING BATTLE TINY TITANS #16
TINY TITANS VOL. 2: ADVENTURES IN AWESOMENESS
TRINITY #51
VIGILANTE #6

May 27:
BATMAN IN BARCELONA: DRAGON'S KNIGHT
BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #5
DC COMICS CLASSICS LIBRARY: ROOTS OF THE SWAMP THING
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #1 (OF 6)
GOTHAM GAZETTE: BATMAN ALIVE
GREEN LANTERN #41
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #33
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #27
THE LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN #1 (OF 6)
ROBIN: THE TEEN WONDER
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPER FRIENDS VOL. 1
THE SPIRIT #28
STATIC SHOCK: REBIRTH OF THE COOL
SUPERMAN #688
TEEN TITANS #71
TRINITY #52
WONDER WOMAN #32
WONDER WOMAN: LOVE AND MURDER

My crush on Wonder Woman...REVEALED!

I remember sitting in my room reading the latest issue of the Justice league of America when I was but a wee little middle schooler. My mom yelled at me from down stairs, "Jimmy, are you enjoying your comic?" And to my dismay, I could not lie to her. "No I'm not, Wonder Woman isn't in this issue!"

yes, tis true, I have had this undeniable love for Wonder Woman since I can remember. She is without a doubt the female heroine that defines the comic book female. Strong, powerful, willful, and unrelenting. The respect she holds in the DC Universe has yet to be measured. I can't in anyway possibly express how awesome she is. As I look back on the girlfriends I have had in the past, I always compare them to Wonder Woman......and none of them even come close. Every time I got a new girlfriend, I always saw Wonder Woman, deep within the pages of my comics, giving me all sorts of looks that showed disapproval, jealousy, hatred, etc etc. Wonder Woman, or Diana, would always win the battle. She always won me....

However, I did meet one woman that won my heart, she is now my wife. I had to really fight my feelings deep in my gut. The question I constantly was asking myself was, "Should I stay true to comic book fantasy girl, or move on and be with Clarissa. Clarissa ultimately won out. The days leading up to Clarissa and my wedding was a brutal one. I was still torn between Clarissa and Wonder Woman, and it was a tough battle. And on the day of the wedding, I was reading issue number 5 of the current run. I looked down at the first page and I swear, I saw Wonder Woman crying. Tears ran down her face, and her arms were extended outward, hoping for that chance to embrace me in her arms. And in that moment, out from that pages of that issue, I swear I heard her say "Don't leave me Jimmy, I can't live without you."

It broke my heart to hear her, in these last moments before the wedding, make a plea for me not to abandon her. but I had made a commitment, I was not going to abandon Clarissa for an imaginary female. I said to her, "Diana, I have to leave you."
and she replied, "Will I ever see you again?"
I say, "of course, once a month."
She said, "Do you promise?".
and as she roped her lasso of truth around me, I reply, "Of course, nothing could break the bond that you and I have."
She said, "I will always cherish the times we have had together."

And I close the issue and tuck it away in it's appropriate bag and board and slip it into the comic box. I was proud of myself that day. And even though Wonder Woman and I don't really have they same connection we used to, even though we don't converse in the same manner, even though we do not take time and frolick (is that spelled right???) in the fields of dandelions and tulips, When I open the pages of Wonder Woman every once in a while I'll see her wink at me and smile, as if she were saying, "Hey, if it doesn't work out with you and your wife, I'm always here."

So There you have it, my secret love affair with the amazon princess and super heroine. It was a tough battle for me but I believe I made the right decision in who I married. I don't feel that anything could break the bond the Clarissa and I have, NOTHING!!

Wait a minute, oh no! Power Girl issue #1 is coming out this month! WHAT?!?! of dear! she a powerful, strong woman and almost compares to Wonder Woman! oh great Hera, give me strength............

Movie Review: Star Trek

I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a star trek film as much as I enjoyed this one. I have nearly nothing bad to say about it. For what it was and what it was trying to accomplish, it was near perfect.

The casting for the film was fantastic. Growing up with a mother who was a Trekkie, it was fun to see these young actors recreate these roles. Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, AKA "Bones" was spot on! But what I was happy about the most was how true the stayed to the characters. The actors of course have a job of making a role their own, But they also need to remember why audiences love these characters and maintain that. And they sure didn't disappoint.

And of course the same type of humor that was used in the series was continued in the film, while keeping the series undertones flowing throughout the film.

There were a few moments in the film I thought were either poorly timed or not planed well. Scotty seemed to have appeared out of no where, like the writers were trying to fit him in the script but couldn't figure out how. So they had him out in the middle of a frozen wasteland?

As much as I like Eric Bana as an Actor, I felt his character wasn't a great one...at least as far as evil people goes. His accent seemed to be a combination of a Texes Cowboy and and a American gang lord. But maybe that's what the director was going for!

Films and stories dealing with time travel have always confused the heck out of me. You first are dealing with the paradox of time, how can someone travel back in time and meet him or herself? It seem like it couldn't be physically possible. But that's the great thing about Sci-fi!

Now even though these three aspects of the film I wasn't particularly found of, it was still not enough to hinder my ability to enjoy the film. The script was well written, acting fantastic, special affects astounding, music wonderful, etc etc etc! I can say this with absolute certainty that anyone, sci/fi fan or not, can enjoy this film due to how entertaining it is. You'll find yourself laughing through 60 - 70% of it, and the rest you sit on the edge of your seats enjoying the thrill ride!

Go watch this film, it's worth your money!

5 out of 5 stars!

The Lantern Corps described.......

With the "Blackest Night" mini series having already started, alot of new lantern corps have been introduced into the DC Universe. When all of this started, I was afraid it was going to be too much like Power Rangers. Little did I realize that the color of lanterns is very little part of the story. The emotion and stories behind each light is where it's most important. and Geoff Johns does not dissapoint! below is a list descrbing what each corps is all about.

The ones readers are most familar with are the green lantern and yellow lantern (sinestro corps) Corps. All the others are most recent......


The Green Lantern Corps - Will power
This intergalactic police force is gifted with great willpower. The Green Lantern Corps patrols the reaches of space under the leadership of the Gaurdians of the Universe, a race of immortals. The Guardians created the Green Lantern Corps some three billion years ago and the force has survived multiple rebellions, murders, and collapses from within and outside. The Guardians administer the Corps from the planet Oa at the center of the universe. The Guardians divided the universe into 3600 “sectors” and choose two natives of each sector to serve as that sector's protectors. Thus the Corps holds 7,200 members, plus additional numbers serving in roles not linked to particular sectors (such as drill instructors and the honor guard). Each Green Lantern is given a power ring, a weapon and artifact granting the bearer incredible power limited only by their willpower. Their oath goes:
In brightest day,
in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power...Green Lantern's light!

Although the connection between the Guardian Oans and the origin of the Green Lantern symbol has yet to be clarified, it has been revealed that the lantern itself has its roots in the first life in the universe. Allegedly, the first life in the galaxy emerged on an unnamed foggy world, and when they developed a police force - the first in the universe - the constabulary carried a lantern lit with a green chemical flame, hence a corp of Green Lanterns. It is intimated that this idea was adopted and spread throughout the galaxy as a symbol for law and justice and its ability to pierce confusion and uncertainty, eventually resulting in the formation of the Green Lantern Corps, with requisite Power Rings and Lantern-shaped batteries along traditional lines. Initially consisting of only a few dozen agents at a time, the Corps radically increased its numbers approximately 1000 years ago. The Guardians sought to bring order to the planet known as Apokolips. Home to Darkseid, a galactic tyrant, Apokolips was and is a stronghold of evil. Green Lantern Raker Qarrigat sought to remove Darkseid from power, only to be humbled by Darkseid's might. Raker returned to Oa, where he convinced the Guardians that taking Apokolips would require an army. Authorized to start a massive recruitment, Raker and his fellow Lanterns inducted thousands of new members, bringing total membership up to 3600.

The corps has gone through many trials and tribulations. They were once completely obliterated due to Hal Jordan obsorbing so much power from the central power battery became Parralax. The Green lantern Corps has since then rebuilt itslef and has allowed Hal Jordan back into the corps despite misguided past as Parralax, however many members of the corps do not trust him.


The Yellow Lantern Corps/Sinestro Corps - fear
Lead by rougue Green Lantern, Sinestro, this lantern corps light hold the power of generating great fear. The Green Lantern corps power for a long time was unable to fight aginst anything that was the color of yellow. The GL Corps has over come this weakness, but for a long time, the Sinestro corps were a very dangerous threat to the Green Lantern Corps.

Sinestro was once dubbed the greatest Green Lantern. but as time went on, his lust for power became so great that he was kicked out of the GL Corps and discovered the yellow light which enstills great fear. Sinestro proudly took this and created his own version of the Corps. Dubbed the "Sinestro Corps", it recruits beings capable of generating great fear. Armed with yellow Power Rings and Lanterns manufactured on Qward, the Sinestro Corps recently staged an attack on Oa, killing dozens of GLC officers, kidnapping Kyle Rayner, and freeing Superboy-Prime, Parallax, and the Cyborg Superman from the Corps' supervision.

As the Sinestro Corps' campaign of terror spreads, the Guardians, in desperation, rewrite the first Law of Ten in the Book of Oa, enabling the remaining Lanterns to use lethal force.
They have a separate oath:
In blackest day,
in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light.
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like his power... Sinestro's might!


Blue Lantern Corps - Hope
Created by Ganthet and Sayd, their rings are powered by the blue light of hope. Saint Walker is the first Blue Lantern to appear. The second is an elephant like alien monk named Warth. According to Geoff Johns, there will be a Blue Lantern walrus named Baboo. Blue Lanterns appear capable of harnessing the hope of those around them to fuel their abilities, such as reviving a dying star and saving an entire planet by harnessing the hope of the individuals on the planet. Unlike the Green Lanterns, whose constructs are determined by the one creating them, the Blue Lantern constructs are based on the mind of one they are being used on. The Blue Central Power Battery is located on the planet Odym, which orbits what humans call the North Star. Saint Walker indicated that Ganthet and Sayd intend for Hal Jordan to leave the Green Lantern Corps and become the new leader of the Blue Lantern Corps. Walker is mistaken, as Ganthet intends Jordan to lead them as a Green Lantern and to be their power source.They have their own separate oath:
In fearful day,
in raging night,
With strong hearts full,
our souls ignite
When all seems lost in the War of Light
Look to the stars...For hope burns bright!

The Indigo Tribe/Indigo Lantern Corps - Compassion
The Indigo Tribe wield staffs powered by the indigo light of compassion. The wielders resemble shaman and tattoo their bodies with the symbol of their Corps. They didn't make their presence known but they appear to be neutral in the war helping injured on both sides. It remains to be seen if they'll have their own oath and where their Central Power Battery is located. They are currently being sought out by the Blue Lantern Corps. It has been revealed that the leader of the Indigo Tribe is a woman named Indigo. The corps will be fully introduced in the Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps mini-series. We have yet to learn the Oath of this corps.

Star Sappires/Violet Lantern Corps - Love
Created by the Zamarons and ruled by Queen Aga'po. Their rings are powered by the violet light of love. The Star Sapphire functions as their Central Power Battery located on the planet formerly known as Maltus. The first recruit was Miri Riam of the planet Lartnec, who had just lost her husband to an attack by Mongul. The second Star Sapphire to be recruited is the villain Fatality, who has plagued the Green Lantern Corps in the past. The Zamarons openly take members of other corps (although all female) and convert them mentally into Sapphires, even openly reavealing this to the Guardians of the Universe. In addition to their violet rings the Sapphires also still have their original crystal ,which they themselves cannot see but use to show others their true love.As they are on the direct opposite side of the spectrum as Red, it is likely violet rings have great influence over their wearer as well. They have their own separate oath:
For hearts long lost and full of fright
For those alone in blackest night
Accept our ring and join our fight
Love conquers all
With violet light!

Red Lantern Corps - Hate
Created by the remnants of the Empire of Tears, their power rings are fueled by the red light of rage/hate. Atrocitus is the first to become a red lantern and also was the one who forged the Red Central Power Battery which stands before a great lake of blood on the prison planet of Ysmault. A former "lost Lantern," Laira, is quickly recruited as well. Another recent member includes Dax-Ur, an alien cat who is the first to attack a member of another corps. Upon putting on a charged red ring, the wearer's heart is destroyed and ejected in vomit, as is the wearer's blood. The ring then pumps liquified rage into the body, which is also ejected through the mouth. Although the Red Lanterns have been seen creating energy constructs most of their energy blasts appear as flame which can burn in space. They have their own separate oath:
With blood and rage of crimson red,
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,
Together with our hellish hate,
We'll burn you all-
That is your fate!"

Orange Lantern Corps - Greed
Their rings are powered by the orange light of avarice (greed) which was being sought by the Controllers. Green Lantern #39 introduces the corps as well as the revelation that the Orange Central Power Battery is located on the planet Okaara in the Vegan star system. The Orange Lantern Corps are quite different from the other corps in that, Larfleeze (referred to as Agent Orange by the Orange Light) is the only physical Orange Lantern. New Orange Lanterns are recruited by being killed by Larfleeze, or by one of the other Orange Lanterns, and having their identity consumed and processed by the Orange Light and having your image projected by the Orange Light under the control of Larfleeze. While to this date it remains to be confirmed, it appears that their own oath is simply the word "Mine".

Black Lantern Corps - Death
Besides the seven colour corps mentioned above, there's also an eight colour corps that represents the black light of death. Almost nothing is known about these Black Lantern Corps, whose power rings reanimate the dead and draw power from a Central Power Battery built from the corpse of the Anti-Monitor and located on the Dead World of Ryut in space sector 666. The Black Lantern power rings bear the symbol of Black Hand. Since the Black rings symbolize a total absence of emotion and life their power source remains unknown. Black Hand is the first Black Lantern to appear and had already recruited the deceased Ronnie Raymond aka Firestorm. Also the Guardian of the Universe known as Scar has some connection with the Black Corps and that Connor Kent appears to be a candidate to become a Black Lantern. Others to be candidates to become a Black Lantern are the Earth 2 Superman, the Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. But truly, anyone who has died is a condidate for the Black Lantern corps. (wait, could that mean Thomas and Martha Wayne could rise?) They have their own separate oath:
The Blackest Night falls from the skies
The darkness grows as all light dies
We crave your hearts and your demise
By my black hand
The dead shall rise!

Rumors
There has been talk of a white Lantern corps and that Hal Jordan will be leader of that Corps. However, that has not been confirmed and is very unlikrly.