Tagged: Green Lantern

50 comics facts about the Class of 2013

  • News
  • September 2, 2009

Every year, Beloit College puts together a list of facts regarding the mindset of the class entering college this Fall—the Class of 2013. Their list, as always, is well worth a read, but this is ComicMix, and we’re here to talk about comics, by gum.

So as we get ready to send them off to college, we wondered: what constitutes the comics status quo for them? What’s normal to these kids born in 1991 (he asks, knowing that being born in 1986 puts him in largely the same boat)? So glad you asked.

  1. The guy who did the above strip had already ended his daily strip and retired by the time these freshmen started reading newspapers.
  2. There has never been a Miracleman (or Marvelman) comic published in their lifetime.
  3. They have no idea who Don Thompson or Carol Kalish were.
  4. Gambit has always been on the X-Men.
  5. Spider-Man was always married to Mary Jane… until One More Day.
  6. There wasn’t a DC multiverse until the end of Infinite Crisis.
  7. Wally West was always the Flash, and his first sidekick was Impulse.
  8. Adam West has never been Batman—he’s best known as the mayor on Family Guy.
  9. Wolverine never wore a brown costume, and has always had a solo book.
  10. Barbara Gordon has always been in a wheelchair.
  11. Sandman has always been that pale-skinned goth guy with the hair.
  12. Batman has had three Robins: Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne.
  13. Lex Luthor has always been a businessman.
  14. Image Comics has always existed.
  15. So has Wizard Magazine.
  16. New Mutants was a short-lived series from 2003-2004, until the recent relaunch.
  17. Hank McCoy’s always been blue and furry.
  18. Elektra has always been dead.
  19. Frank Miller is the guy who did Sin City, and he never worked with Klaus Janson.
  20. There’s never been a character named “Streaky the Supercat.”
  21. The only composite Batman-Superman was a giant robot.
  22. The original Dove has always been dead.
  23. Thanos has always been searching for the Infinity Gems, so he can impress Death.
  24. Death has always been a goth chick.
  25. Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes has always been War Machine.
  26. S.H.I.E.L.D. has always stood for Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate.
  27. Kyle Rayner has always been a Green Lantern.
  28. Starman has always worn goggles and a leather jacket.
  29. John Romita. Jr. has always been known as a regular penciller for Amazing Spider-Man. John Romita, Sr. never was.
  30. Ghost Rider was Danny Ketch.
  31. Jean-Luc Picard was the first captain of the Enterprise.
  32. Cerebus the Aardvark was always a classic.
  33. Grendel has always been a Dark Horse title, except for that DC crossover.
  34. Cassie Sandsmark was the first Wonder Girl.
  35. Roy Harper was only known as Arsenal up until the current volume of Justice League of America.
  36. There’s never been a First or Eclipse Comics. Comico only did some of those soft-core Elementals books.
  37. There were originally four Justice League titles on the stands.
  38. The original Teen Titans were comprised of a de-aged Atom (Ray Palmer), Risk, Argent, Captain Marvel, Jr., Omen, Prysm, Fringe, Arsenal, and Joto.
  39. Julia Carpenter was the original Spider-Woman.
  40. The two Avengers teams were the East Coast and West Coast branches. None of this New, Mighty, Dark, Pet, and Caramel Covered.
  41. There’s always been a comic called Love and Rockets.
  42. The superhero cartoons of choice were Darkwing Duck and Fox’s X-Men. For live action, it was all about the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
  43. Kraven the Hunter has always been dead.
  44. Northstar has always been out of the closet.
  45. Kevin Conroy has always been the animated voice of Batman.
  46. Jim Shooter was the guy behind Valiant, then Defiant, and then he wrote the Legion for a while. Wait, he was at Marvel, too?
  47. Phoenix is Rachel Summers, not Jean Grey.
  48. Karate Kid was Ralph Macchio, and Ralph Macchio was the guy editing X-Men.
  49. There have always been Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novels.
  50. Disney never had a major successful comic book franchise.

What’s yours?

(Alan Kistler and Glenn Hauman contributed to this list.)

Review: ‘Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1942’

From 1941 through 1942, Max and Dave Fleischer rewrote the rules for animation and people have been trying to match those results ever since.  When no one had previously tried adventure in animated form, the Fleischers took their lessons from [[[Popeye]]] and applied them to [[[Superman]]] with astounding results.

The seventeen shorts, released by Paramount Pictures, were the closet anyone would come to bringing Superman to a live action feature film until Richard Donner achieved that goal in 1977 (and people have been trying to match that goal ever since).

Warner Home Video has previously included the cartoons as part of their mammoth tin can set of Superman features but now there’s a two-disc set, Max Fleischer’s Superman: 1941-1942 , which was released this week. Technically, one wishes they cleaned the prints a bit better before transfer but these are better than most of the public domain dubs that have been circulating since the 1980s.

The fluid action and rousing Sammy Timberg music remain indelibly etched in my mind from first experiencing these in the 1970s.  The plots are very simple, given the standards of the day, so there’s a threat, Lois gets in trouble, and Clark becomes Superman to save the day. Repeat seventeen times.  Given their short running time, there was no attempt at anything more than the most surface of characterization and the comics offered little in the way of recurring villains at the time (yes, including Lex Luthor). What they could have borrowed from the radio series, along with voice actor Bud Collyer, was kryptonite but chose not to do so.

Interestingly, there’s a warning on the box reading that the DVD set “is intended for the Adult Collector and Is Not Suitable for Children”. Hogwash. This is over-reacting to the mindset that children are fragile and the sight of Superman battling a dinosaur or a gang of robots would ruin their psyche.  If anything, this is a perfect vehicle for introducing smart heroic adventures to children as they seek outlets for such fare.

The extras are culled from elsewhere but are worth watching if they’re new to you. First, there’s The Man, The Myth, Superman which does a nice job surveying heroes prior to the Man of Steel’s arrival in [[[Action Comics #1]]]. Second is First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series which clearly establishes how the brothers went from Koko the Clown to Superman and easily surpassed other animation studios. Trailers for other animated offerings and the [[[Green Lantern]]] featurette round out the set.

Bottom line: if you do not own these in any other manner, buy this set. If you already have all seventeen episodes, there’s little reason to buy them again.

Review: ‘Tales of the Black Freighter’

One of the key differences between watching [[[Watchmen]]] and reading the complete book is the rich variety of extras in print.  In addition to the story, there was the secondary story, [[[Tales of the Black Freighter]]], in addition to newspaper clippings and excerpts from Hollis Mason’s [[[Under the Hood]]]. Initially, these extras were never considered but were instead added after DC’s management wisely decided the maxiseries should appear without advertising. Freed, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons filled the pages with rich context, inviting readers further into their imagined universe and making for a more fulfilling reading experience.

Watching Tales of the Black Freighter, available to buy or download on Tuesday, you feel like you’re getting supplemental material divorced from the main story as opposed to being fully integrated with the Zack Snyder-directed feature film.  One supposes we must all wait for the director’s cut where at least the Pirate tale will be once more edited in with the main story.

The animated version of the pirate comic book looks nothing like Gibbons’ art (or for that matter, the one page Joe Orlando contributed) but more generic.  Having said that, it uses Gerard Butler’s narration to great effect along with a muted color palette.  The actual animation is fine as is the music but it’s the haunting story of one man’s survival from the wreck of the [[[Black Freighter]]] (a named plucked from Berthold Brecht) and how this experience has changed him. In many ways, it’s Moore’s contribution to an issue of House of Mystery, but it also shows the kind of escapist literature read by the denizens of a world where Dr. Manhattan exists.  The animation runs about 26 minutes and does a nice job overall. You hear Nina Simone’s version of “[[[Pirate Jenny]]]”, also on the soundtrack disc, over the final credits, further tying the pirate to Brecht.

Also on the disc is a mockumentary that delves into how prime time would have featured Under the Hood’s release in 1975 with a retrospective look fro 1985.  Many of the Minutemen appear on camera in one way or another, from faux newsreel footage to on camera interviews, and this fleshes out the Watchmen’s world quite well.  The interviews, the probing questions, and television advertising of the era (along with some for Veidt-produced products) make for a nifty 38 minutes.

Will your appreciation for Snyder’s film change by watching this? Probably not, but it does help immerse you further into this world and you can appreciate the effort, be entertained, and find more context for the world.

“Story within a Story” is a nice look at these supplemental features as former DC president Jenette Kahn, current DC President & Publisher Paul Levitz, Senior VP Richard Bruning, and initial [[[Watchmen]]] editor Len Wein all talk about the evolution of the backup material and how it became integral to the story. Some of the cast and crew also discuss the movie’s fidelity to the source material and how much fun it was to make.

The disc comes with trailers for the Watchmen, its video game, [[[Terminator: Salvation]]], and the [[[Green Lantern]]] featurette also found on the [[[Wonder Woman]]] disc.  You can either get this now or hope it is all included in some mega set down the road.

Review: ‘Wonder Woman’ DVD

wonder-woman-dvd1-9359032The DC Universe series of animated features got off to a rocky start with the [[[Superman vs. Doomsday]]] offering but has gotten steadily better.  [[[New Frontier]]] was pretty amazing and now they offer up [[[Wonder Woman]]], which may be the closest we get to a feature about the Amazon Princess for quite some time.

And I’m pretty okay with that, given how good this direct-to-DVD offering is.  It’s not perfect, but it’s entertaining and a great introduction to the character. If you’ve been following the interviews we’ve been posting here at ComicMix, you know that it comes from the usual suspects behind the animated DCU along with a very strong voice cast.

The movie posits that Wonder Woman exists in a world of her own and there are no references to the greater DCU, allowing you to dwell on the mythological background that spawned the character.  Created by William Moulton Marston, his grasp of the Greek mythology he predicated the character on was shaky at best and frankly, it wasn’t until the George Perez-driven version of 1987 before anyone explored the Greek gods and their role in the Amazons’ world.

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ComicMix Quick Picks – February 8, 2009

noelclarke-3506472The collection of non-NYCC posts that have come in over the last few days while we’ve been on the floor at Javits.

Anything else we missed? Consider this an open friend.

Amy Goldschlager is an editor for FindingDulcinea.com.

Review: ‘Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe’

Crossovers are nothing new to comics.  Who could forget when the [[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]] found their way into a [[[GrimJack]]] book, or when the Punisher visited the Archie Universe?  Well, apparently, they can cross into game universes too.  As if to answer the challenge put up by [[[Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter]]] over almost 11 years ago, Midway has released [[[Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]] for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  Building on the series’ newer 3D fighting mechanics, the new title boasts a refined move set, two separate storylines, three new kombat modes, and, of course, a new roster featuring DC’s mightiest heroes and villains.  So how does the game fare?  Read on…

So, how would the DC characters find themselves caught fighting the kombatants from Earthrealm?  Well, due to several well-timed attacks during battles, both [[[Superman]]] and the lightning God, Raiden, cause a tear in each universe that cause their worlds to collide (and their greatest foes, namely Darkseid and Shao Kahn, to conjoin).  These events are played out in both ends of the story mode, which you can play either from the DC perspective or the MK point of view.  In this mode, players don’t choose their characters. Rather, as the chapters in the story progress, the character they control is swapped out as the story focuses on each new fighter.  This allows the players to get a good handle on several different fighting styles, as well as the differing angles and roles each character has in the story.

Playing the story mode is where fans of DC will really get the most enjoyment out of this title. As focus shifts from hero to villain, other characters flesh out the story and interact with whomever you play as, either in battle or in aid.  And honestly, as hokey as the story sounds, the excellent cut scenes really make it work within the confines of what we know about these characters.  So how are characters like Liu Kang and Scorpion able to put the beat down on Superman and [[[Captain Marvel]]]?  Well, as the worlds collide, they take on each other’s properties.  Since the world of Mortal Kombat is a magic-based realm, and Superman is susceptible to magic…yeah, you can kick Kal-El’s ass.  This also makes our heroes a bit more aggressive…the rage builds within them and the urge to fight grows, making each character stronger and more brutal.  This “Rage” is built up over time in battle, and is unleashed as a yellow aura around the character that strengthens attacks and allows you power through your opponents’ hit,not allowing them to knock you back.

(more…)

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Alan Horn Briefly Updates DCU FIlms

  • News
  • December 18, 2008

alanhornarri-granitz-14912138-2-8527804Collider managed to briefly speak with Warner Bros. President Alan Horn, who provided a little update eon their DC Universe properties.

First up is the notion that Green Lantern will be the next hero to strut his stuff before the camera.  With a screenplay completed and location scouting occurring in Australia, the film appears to be in active pre-production. Horn said, “Also on the board. On the runway. Hasn’t taken off yet, but we’re close.”

Horn indicated he thought Superman would go into production before another Christopher Nolan Batman. “Probably in the next couple of years,” he said. “We’re very anxious to bring Superman back also.”
 
 As for third installment of Batman, Horn said, “We’ve been talking to Chris Nolan and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story, but Chris did a great job and we’d love to have him come back and do another one.

“The story is everything and we are very respectful of Chris. We have a wonderful relationship with him and we are going to be respectful of his timing and we want to get it right. Also, I think the fans expect that – they want us to make a terrific movie – we have to give them another great movie.”

As for the stalled Justice League film, Horn merely said, “Not yet.”
 

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Geoff Johns Leaves ‘JSA’ After #26

  • News
  • December 10, 2008

jsa-791037-2-2093207Geoff Johns announced his departure from Justice Society of America, after issue #26, at his forum at Comic Bloc.

He wrote:

There will always be a Justice Society of America book in the DC Universe.

I take a lot of pride in that fact because it wasn’t always true.

It’s hard to say this but officially, I will be leaving the title after Justice Society of America #26, which is a single-issue story entitled “Black Adam Ruined my Birthday.” Following the Black Adam arc with Jerry and I, #26 will be my last issue, Dale [Eaglesham]’s last and our fantastic editor Michael Siglain’s last. I think we’re going out on one of my favorite stories to date and I’m glad we are all going out on this together.

I’ve been writing JSA nearly my entire career. The book has steadily gained new and old fans and, with the re-launch two years ago, fixed itself as one of the staples of the DC Universe. Since then we’ve remained one of the top monthly books at DC alongside Justice League of America and Batman. A book starring characters like Jay Garrick, Stargirl, Mr. Terrific and Citizen Steel. Heroes that, I think, most people had written off. But not all of them did.

We got Dr. Mid-Nite from the talented Matt Wagner. And the new Mr. Terrific first appeared in The Spectre under the pen of one of my favorite writers John Ostrander. I brought in Stargirl, who will always be a character I write in one form or another – no matter if I’m on JSA or not. And, above all, I think James Robinson’s run on Starman opened the door for the JSA on a different level.

How’d I get involved in this? Peter Tomasi and David Goyer.

I was asked by them to come on and co-write JSA back in 1999 right when I got into comics. James had left the book after issue #2. David wrote #3 himself and I came in and wrote #4 with him, but without a credit. I got a special thanks to, but that was enough for me. David then wrote #5 and I came on officially with #6, which featured Black Adam way back when. Over the next two years, I worked with David on the book steadily until he left with #25 and returned later through #51.

The JSA to me represents everything good about life, work and superheroes. In life, generations past, present and future all provide different viewpoints. There can be something magical when it’s past from grandfather to father to son or from mother to daughter or son to grandfather. There’s nothing more important than family – and family means a lot more than just blood relatives. That’s what my very first book, Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E., was about and that’s what JSA, and life, is about.

So why am I leaving?

I have more stories to tell, and the characters are endless, but that’s also true for the DC Universe. I’m ready to move on to some other challenges like returning to The Flash and Superman: Secret Origin. And I am also obsessed with making sure that Green Lantern, Blackest Night and everything around it is the absolute best it can possibly be. …and that’s only part of 2009. There are some new projects on the horizon.

I have to thank Dale Eaglesham, Fernando Parasin, Alex Ross, Steve Sadowski, Leonard Kirk, Don Kramer, Jerry Ordway, Michael Bair, Alex Sinclair, Jon Kalisz, Michael Siglain, Steve Wacker, Harvey Richards, Eddie Berganza, Adam Schlagman, Peter Tomasi, David Goyer, James Robinson, Carlos Pacheco and the creators that inspired me – Paul Levitz, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman.

And although he’s never read the book, Roy Thomas. He held the torch for a long time and did a wonderful job. I wish we could’ve done a project together.

I’m sure I’ll return to the Justice Society in some form or another some day, but for now I’m passing them off a new creative team – one who is already working on the book (job’s taken, sorry guys – and it’s someone who’s never worked with these characters before). I really look forward to reading it.

Thanks for all your support and I’ll see you all soon!

‘Wonder Woman’ to Screen at NYCC

  • News
  • December 10, 2008

trevor-tree-2-4499611Animator Bruce Timm has been named a Guest of Honor at the New York Comic-Con in February.

In making the announcement, the convention also said the latest animated feature, Wonder Woman, will be premiered at the con. at 8:30 p.m. on February 6 in the IGN Theater. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Timm and members of the film’s cast and crew.

The DVD, OnDemand, Pay-Per-View, and download are all scheduled for a March 3 release.

Other DC properties with films in development include Batman, Superman, Justice League, Green Lantern and The Flash. The release did not name The Teen Titans project confirming the rumors that it is no longer an active feature.
 

‘Green Lantern’ Completes Third Draft Script

  • News
  • December 2, 2008

Yesterday, we speculated that Green Lantern was the DC hero next going before the cameras and MTV’s Splash Page then ran an interview with co-screenwriter Marc Guggenheim that confirms this projection.

“This morning, we sat down to talk Green Lantern,” Guggenheim told MTV, “and we ended up riffing for an hour and a half on another, much more obscure character. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it when inspiration strikes, you know? I’m sure the studio wouldn’t be happy about it, but we’re not going to blow the deadline. We’ll get it in.”

The screenplay was written by Guggenheim, Michael Green (Superman/Batman) and Greg Berlanti (Eli Stone) and after three drafts, they think it’s about ready for Berlanti to direct. Locations have been scouted and production designs have been crafted by Aaron Sims, who is also working on X-Men Origins: Magneto for director David S. Goyer.

“[The changes are] nothing that’s affecting the storyline, really,” he said. “It’s pretty well set. But sometimes we’ll move a scene to a different location for budget purposes, perhaps in an already established location instead of a new one. It’s a question of, which locations can we live without? It’s a constant process to streamline what you’re going through, even after the film is shot, when you’re cutting things in the edit. That’s what the rewrite process is like, how you sand down the roughness of the a movie to its smoothest.”

Guggenheim also noted that a cameo for reporter Clark Kent appears in the script leading to speculation if Warner would go with Tom Welling (Smallville) or Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) for the wink to the greater DC Universe.

“There were rumors that Tom Welling would have a cameo in Batman Begins as a young Clark Kent, to meet up with a young Bruce Wayne,” Guggenheim said. “But you have to be careful when you do things like that, because it sounds great in concept, but when you sit down to watch it, it poses the danger of pulling you out of the film.”

He refused to talk about the current rumor of Ryan Gosling being eyed to play test pilot Hal Jordan.

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