Tagged: review
THE SHADOW STRIKES THE SHADOW FAN PODCAST
The Shadow Fan podcast returns for his 17th episode! This time, New Pulp Author Barry Reese takes a look at The Shadow Strikes — the 1937 feature film, the Belmont novel of the same name and the 1989 DC Comics’ series! Which Shadow Strikes is the one that’s stood the test of time? Listen to find out! Also: Doc Savage’s crossover novel is announced, Chris Roberson’s interview on The Word Balloon is discussed and we look at three predecessors to The Shadow!
If you love pulp and/or The Shadow, then this podcast is for you!
Join the conversation about pulp’s greatest hero today at http://theshadowfan.libsyn.com/the-shadow-strikes
REVIEW: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2
The second part of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns demonstrates how the world has changed since the graphic novel source material was published in 1986. Frank Miller’s reinvention of Batman was also his personal reaction to the conservative, jingoistic United States of America of the decade. President Ronald Reagan was a folksy president, good with a quip, and saw the world in stark black and white terms, which was feeling wrong in the final years of the Cold War. Miller also questioned all authority figures from know-it-all doctors who loved to hear themselves on the growing number of vapid talk shows to the unformed law-enforcement representatives who fired first and then questioned orders. While some of this was evident in part one, which was released last fall, this installment, out on Tuesday, really shines a spotlight on the themes.
A visual tour-de-force, Miller’s four-part The Dark Knight took the storytelling techniques he developed for Daredevil and applied them to DC’s two biggest icons. Readers had seen nothing like it before and heralded the work an instant classic. Here we are, more than twenty years later being given a two-part adaptation of this story and suddenly it feels dated. Here’s no question screenwriter Bob Goodman and director Jay Oliva honored the source material and its satisfying as an adaptation.
But the notion that Superman, the ultimate authority figure, was blindly taking orders from the President, and allowed himself to take lives in an international conflict feels wrongheaded. That Batman and the other costumed heroes and villains would all willingly vanish into the shadows that spawned them feels wrong, as well. Much as it felt wrong for Batman to vanish for eight years in the Christopher Nolan films, it also now feels like Bruce Wayne would never stop fighting crime in his city.
But he’s back, pushing fifty, and feeling the effects of time on his bulky form. He’s dealing with a city that needs him but an administration that does not want him, especially as Commissioner James Gordon steps down, turning the police over to Ellen Yindel, who immediately wants Batman shot on sight. Where Oliva’s action sequences totally fail is that the criminals and police alike fire endless streams of bullets with little consideration of the collateral damage being inflict or civilian lives being endangered. Thousands of bullets are fired, but none strike Batman or Robin, which is stunning incompetence (and bad storytelling).
The conflict on the island of Corto Maltese is the backdrop as the Joker talks his idiot doctor into bringing him to a talk show to tell his side of the story. Michael Emerson’s clown prince of crime is cold and maniacal but depicted, he is a homicidal figure, nothing funny about his actions or methods at all. The character design may be Miller inspired but he’s too normal looking, just a muscular specimen in makeup which feels wrong. The criminal madman is free and after Batman after making a stop to humiliate a gone-to-pot Selina Kyle, now a Madame. The Joker and Batman face off one final time and this is when the Dark Knight finally gets hurt, in the Tunnel of Love of all places, a subtle nod to the homoerotic subtext Miller added to their relationship.
All the episodic explosive action leads up to the inevitable conflict between the symbol of conformity and the agent of justice. Their climactic battle is nicely handled as is the denouement, bringing the 76 minute story to a fine ending.
Peter Weller’s Batman is okay but nothing special while Mark Valley’s Superman works much better. Ariel Winter’s Robin doesn’t get nearly enough to say but plenty to do in the film. The rich voice cast blends well together, aided by a good score from Christopher Drake.
The combo pack contains the Blu-ray, DVD, and Ultraviolet versions of the film. Special features include a too-short 9:24 Superman vs. Batman: When Heroes Collide, as the usual suspects talk about why these two fight and who should win. The longer, 14:07, The Joker: Laughing in the Face of Death nicely uses archival material so his creator, Jerry Robinson gets his say. While it’s good to have Emerson’s take on the character, Mark Hamill’s absence is missed as are his current handlers such as writer Scott Snyder. Oliva takes us through numerous sequences in the 43 minute From Sketch to Screen and he gives kudos to those who took Miller’s work and brought it the screen. Oliva is well-spoken and some of the information provided is interesting to hear and see.
Three episodes from Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Brave & the Bold are included on the Blu-ray disc. On the other hand, the promised preview of Superman: Unbound is curiously absence from the disc. Instead, there is another digital excerpt from the graphic novel.
Marc Alan Fishman: Look! It’s a Bland… It’s a Plain… It’s Supermeh!
At the onset of the New52 there was a buzz and excitement over the flagship character of DC Entertainment. Known as (perhaps) the most recognizable comic book character of all time, Superman was all set to be relaunched for a new age… towing the company behind his Nehru collar and underpantsless new uniform. Well, here we are now 16 months after the super-retcon, and I ask you… are things as weâd all hoped?
In a word? No. In more than a word? Not a chance. In a timely metaphor? Not even by a Joe Flacco longshot. The Superman property is, just as it was prior to the New52: convoluted, marred by an already high barrier to entry, and choked on itâs own backwash of continuity errors and creator squabbles. The real question emerges: Why did it all go wrong?
Well, one finger of shame lay with a writer I admire quite a bit. Grant Morrison, for all his amazing contributions of the craft of comic bookery, just over-promised and under-delivered his new Big Blue Boy Scout. The pitch for Action Comics in the New52 was perhaps the boldest of its brethren to see the light of the comic rack. Ditching years of backstory to start us âfive years before the presentâ in a new origin for the character. One that would return him to the roots of his golden age; where he was a more human Superman… fallible, nuanced in his personal politics, and more âof the people.â And for what it was worth the book had a strong start that left unto itself, was quite enjoyable. And then Morrison got itchy.
Action Comics crammed updated concepts and plot threads with reckless abandon. By the time the first arc was over, eight months in, weâd be treated to literary cacophony. I quote myself from my review of Action Comics #8:
âIn eight issues we get a shiny new take on Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olson, Brainiac, Metallo, Steel, the Legion of Super Heroes, the Phantom Zone, the bottle city of Kandor, the history of Krypton, a horde of Kryptonian villains-to-be (that frankly I donât feel like scouring Wikipedia for names), and of course⦠Superman himself.â
Suffice to say, I could spend the remainder of this article going over my thoughts on the super Scottsman, but I digress. Morrison was but a single rusty cog in a faulty machine. That is to say he didnât really have much of a chance to succeed.
As we all know, comic books are first and foremost a business. And as such, a business exists to turn profit. That means that even though continuity would be better understood and appreciated if a single Superman saw the shelves every month… DC and the powers that be would never let such a large property draw on the fan base just once every thirty days. The last(ish) son of Krypton was also being seen in the pages of Superman, another monthly… run by the always-popular, always-festive George Pérez.
Superman was placed in the present of the DCnU, which of course led most readers tackling both books trying to connect the dots of Morrisonâs tee-shirt work-boot Supes versus Pérezâs Lee-designed line-riddled version. And where as Action dealt with legacy villains and plot threads… the modern take had new unmemorable villains, awkward call backs to Action comic plot threads, and more focus on âactionâ than its sister title. This led to an early exiting Pérez, citing editorial discrepancy and a lack of freedom on the book.
In less nice words? Morrison (whether he knew it or not) was driving the character, and Pérez wasnât along for the ride. Shortly thereafter, new teams were swapped in, and Superman got to fight run-off villains from Wildstorm. And even now Superman, Girl, and Boy are all sharing a (terrible) crossover book… whilst Action slowly ties up its loose ends for Morrisonâs announced departure. DC put its editorial eggs in Action Comics, and has let the âfamilyâ just mess up the living room while Daddy works downstairs.
This isnât how to keep a fan base. The whole notion of the New52 was to eliminate confusing backstory, and hook in new readers. It takes time to do this. And hurling two books in two timelines, with conflicting information, new and old villains, all while placing the same character in a team book that takes place at some point between the two main books…. does not make it easy for a new reader to come aboard. Hell, Iâm exhausted even typing that.
A short while back I lamented about my guarded optimism (or maybe it was pessimism) over the Man of Steel movie set to debut this year. Recently, super scribe Scott Snyder was announced to have a new ongoing at DC alongside the never-late-on-a-book-except-when-heâs-late-which-is-often-because-he-has-a-very-busy-schedule Jim Lee lending his artistic arm for however long it takes for him to be late again. And while Scott Snyder has done no wrong by me since Iâve picked up his previous titles (all being Bat books), Iâm nothing if not entirely skeptical. I gave Action a shot until issue nine, and then fell off. HâEl on Earth looked atrocious (and reports from my Unshaven Cohort Matt, who is reading it, confirms this fact). Does anyone else feel the winds of change gathering up under our feet? Could a decent turn at the box office and a shiny new book just make us forgive and forget 48+ books featuring a Superman marred by every convoluted problem he faced long before we knew what the New 52 was?
Iâm certain weâll forget. Superman Red and Blue anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? But forgiveness is another story. And empty promises have always been the kryptonite of the comic book reading public. Your move, DC.
SUNDAY: John Ostrander
IT’S LUCKY #14 FOR THE SHADOW FAN PODCAST!
The Shadow Fan podcast returns for a 14th episode! This time around, New Pulp Author Barry Reese announces some exciting news regarding a future show before diving into reviews of “The Bride of Death” (Radio Show, 3/6/38) and The Shadow Special # 1 from Dynamite. He also responds to some listener feedback!
If you love The Shadow, now’s the time to start downloading!
Join the conversation about pulp’s greatest hero today at http://theshadowfan.libsyn.com/the-bride-of-death.
NANCY HANSEN’S PROPHECY’S GAMBIT DEBUTS FROM HANSEN’S WAY AT PRO SE PRESS!
Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher of Genre Fiction and New Pulp, announces the release of the latest work from one of Pro Se’s most prolific and popular authors, the imagination behind the Pro Se Imprint, Hansen’s Way-Nancy A. Hansen!
From Fantasy Author Nancy A. Hansen’s very own imprint- Hansen’s Way- Comes PROPHECY’S GAMBIT, the follow up novel to Hansen’s stunning best selling novel debut FORTUNE’S PAWN!
Left to pick up the pieces of a life in upheaval after her harrowing adventures in FORTUNE’S PAWN, young Callie makes a disconcerting discovery: she is carrying the child of a clandestine and forbidden union. While the mundane existence of a barmaid in a frontier town holds its own challenges, the world around her is realigning in a most sinister and dangerous way. Calculating eyes, benevolent and malicious, are now turned in her direction; and Callie finds herself in the midst of ever-increasing intrigue to control her destiny. Will this headstrong and courageous young woman—who has within her the spark of life that could bring together a diverse legion of defenders—survive long enough to carry this pregnancy to term? Or will Callie forfeit her place in legend and history to protect the shameful secret of her unborn child’s heritage and unknowingly sacrifice everyone else’s hopes and dreams in the process? Find out in PROPHECY’S GAMBIT by Nancy Hansen-part of her Hansen’s Way imprint from Pro Se Productions! Featuring Cover Art by Terry Pavlet, Format and Design by Sean E. Ali, and Ebook Design and Format by Russ Anderson!
Available at Amazon in print- http://tinyurl.com/9w7upok Also available at at Pro Se’s Createspace store- http://tinyurl.com/arghf3r for $15.00! And for $2.99 on your Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/agol29y. The Ebook is also available at www.smashwords.com and for your Nook at http://www.barnesandnoble.com.
A writer of fantasy and adventure fiction for over 20 years, Nancy Hansen is the author of the novel FORTUNE’S PAWN, and anthologies TALES OF THE VAGABOND BARDS and THE HUNTRESS OF GREENWOOD— all available from Pro Se Press under her imprint Hansen’s Way. Her short stories have been featured in many issues of Pro Se Presents. She is also Assistant Editor and head cheerleader for the company. She has contributed stories to both Airship 27 and Mechanoid Press anthologies as well. Nancy currently resides in beautiful rural northeastern Connecticut with an eclectic cast of family members, and one very spoiled dog.
Pro Se Productions-www.prosepulp.com
For Review Copies and Interviews with the Author, please email proseproductions@earthlink.net
REVIEW: Dredd
Despite Karl Urban uttering, “I am the law” his overall demeanor was just one of the many disappointments in the new film take on the classic 2000 AD hero, Judge Dredd. Dredd is out on home video this week from Lionsgate and it is amazing how bored I was watching it. The majority of the 96 film takes place in the Peach Trees Block and is effectively Dredd playing John McLane, trying to survive a sealed off building under siege.
It’s hard to watch this without comparing it with the Sylvester Stallone misfire of the 1990s. While the story sucked and the star violated the character by taking his helmet off a lot, it looked like the weekly comic come to life. The high tech, futuristic clutter of Mega City One was expertly captured, reminding us of how much the visual of Blade Runner derived from the British comic which has been around since 1977. Also, the costuming was perfect. Here, everything is scaled down and the Judge’s uniform does not look anywhere near as imposing.
Urban, no stranger to the genre, gets credit for playing the character accurately, keeping the helmet on and the upper lip and jaw prominent. On the other hand, he is not physically imposing as Stallone was or as Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra envisioned him.
We open with a voiceover setting the stage telling rather than showing and this vision is less imposing than the one in the comics. Somehow, the corridor from Boston to Washington has become this singular city with these 200+ story blocks that have become isolated communities. In this one, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), a drug-dealer/gang leader has become the distributor for a new drug and a routine case pits Dredd and the rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) against an entire community out for blood.
This is more Anderson’s story than Dredd’s and we learn about her mutant ability is that of the most powerful psychic the Justice Department has ever seen. She is deemed ready for evaluation and goes out with Dredd and becomes embroiled in the case. Thirlby, a rising independent film star, is the best part of the film, but then again, she has the most to work with. Her interactions with the prisoner Kay (Wood Harris) give the film any sense of character.
Everyone else plays a type, from the stoic Dredd to the stereotypical Ma-Ma. Headey, a genre veteran, snarls nicely but has little else to do and seems not to care. Dredd is the most feared Judge of all but here, he lacks that reputation which diminishes the character.
The movie is a hard R with exceptionally graphic violence and gore courtesy of director Peter Travis. He’s done this sort of thing before and he handles it well, but doesn’t seem to know what else to do with the characters so has them run, hide, shoot, bleed, repeat.
The best of the extras is “Mega-City Masters: 35 Years of Judge Dredd” (14:27) where creators Ezquerra and John Wagner, accompanied by Brian Bolland, Mark Millar, Jock, Chris Ryall and others, discuss the uniqueness of the character and the opportunity the series has given the writers and artists for topical social and political satire. Everything that is just over the top enough to remain entertaining and amusing in the comics is absent from the film. Screenwriter Alex Garland is exceptionally talented but appears to have read a Wikipedia entry about the series before writing the script. This is perhaps the biggest disappointment of the film, which died at the box office, as much for inept marketing as a poor adaptation of the source material.
The other special features include “Day of Chaos: The Visual Effects of Dredd 3D” (15:21), although this is wasted on those of us who don’t care about 3-D; “Dredd” (1:53), “Dredd’s Gear” (2:31), “The 3rd Dimension” (2:00), about the film’s stereo, and “Welcome to Peach Trees” (2:33).There’s a little more Ma-Ma character substance in the motion comic prequel (2:57).
The combo set includes the 2-D, 3-Dand ultraviolet digital copy. This is the first combo set I have seen without a standard DVD version offered, a portent of the future.
Also included in this set is a digital copy of the film and an Ultraviolet stream or download.
