Disney Goes All Galactus On Marvel

That's right - for $4 billion dollars, Disney acquired Marvel Comics. Ate the entire Marvel World and is sitting pretty, just waiting for those movie bucks to start rolling in. The only real problem is that $4 billion capital outlay. Maybe Disney can get a bridge loan from Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne.

Some people have asked me what I thought of the deal, and I have to admit, I am somewhat indifferent. It's been a while since I have actively followed Marvel (or comics in general), so I don't have a real feel for this in the sense of the here and now.

Is it the worst thing that has happened to Marvel? Not likely. And I'll skip the silly, obvious jokes about Mickey Mouse teaming up with Wolverine. That's pretty sophomoric and trite, and, frankly, beneath me. Hahahahaha! Better to avoid it simply because that ground has already been covered. And besides, there's already been an Archie/Punisher comic book, so how bad could a Mickey/Logan team-up be?

Actually, this could be a good thing for Marvel. I think it's been a while since they were the company that was publishing the kind of comic books that got me interested and - more importantly kept me interested - in comic books in the first place. A lot of the characters that I grew up reading are so radically different now, it's like they are different characters.

The Hulk is red. Captain America is dead. Spider-Man is unmarried and single. Who are these guys???

For me, the trouble all started when Marvel forced Peter David off of the Hulk. It was a well-written, very enjoyable comic book - one of the few Marvel had at the time - and they forced Peter David off, to make room for a reimagining of the character by John Byrne. Which lasted all of 10 issues and had very little impact. The Paul Jenkins and Bruce Jones stuff that followed was moderately interesting. But then David was back for a few issues. What gives??? Forget that his run was long, never lacking for interesting ideas and never should have been halted...why did they feel it was the right thing to do to bring him back???

Then along came what I think was the the turning point for me and my love of comic books - Ultimate Spider-Man. At first, it seemed innocuous enough. It was a refreshed retelling of the Spider-Man legend with a new, contemporary take, complete with snappy dialogue and a revamped/bolder Peter Parker character. Kinda like what Man of Steel did except that it was written better.

So Brian Michael Bendis changed a few things, but essentially retooled a character's history that didn't need to be retooled. Among the changes was the removal of Gwen Stacy from the developmental years and the idea that Mary Jane Watson knew from an early point that Peter was Spider-Man.

The influence of the Ultimate series can be seen in the Spider-Man movies, as the canon created in Ultimate Spider-Man was the underlying schema used - as opposed to the original Stan Lee version which was the lifeblood of Marvel's flagship character for the 35-odd years prior to the movies coming out. Forget about all that crappy history - and the fact that Amazing Spider-Man was still ongoing and building on that history - we want the clearly superior (sarcasm heavily implied) Bendis version!

But I digress. I started out talking about Disney buying Marvel and have ended up covering old ground about some things I dislike about the current state of comics. Although perhaps this rant is somewhat pertinent here. I wonder if things would have been different if Disney had bought Marvel about 10 years ago instead?

Perhaps Disney would have recognized the value of that rich history that goes along with all of the great Marvel characters. They'd probably have steered away from such storylines as the Peter/Mary Jane marriage problems (which was painfully boring to have to read), which would have, in turn, steered us away from some of the half-baked plots that marked the post-renumbering Spider-Man issues.

Yeah, that's the ticket. At least, that's what I can tell myself. I can only hope that Disney's influence will help stabalize what was once a great world of characters. That the comics that will be produced now will maintain the connection to the past, rather than trampling on it and changing it at every turn. Perhaps this is closed-minded of me to prefer no changes, but I just want to enjoy - I mean really enjoy - reading comics again.

And it seems that the only way I'm going to be able to do this is to re-read older comic books.

And don't even get me started on my issues with DC Comics. That's fodder for another curmudgeonly post.

How I Learned To Love (Well, Appreciate) Thor

When I was younger, my buddy "Sluggo" and I would argue the most mindless, mundane minutae of comic book lore. We'd argue over who was the best comic book artist. Who was a better character. Which titles were good and which ones weren't. Whether or not some random plot point was totally stupid or only marginally so. I miss those stupid arguments sometimes...

Anyway, there were two arguments that never failed to spark up considerable dialogue. The first was which of us was the better artist, because - of course, in true fanboy fashion, both of us felt we should be comic book artists someday. There were many random "I can draw better than (insert name)!" This argument went on for a while until I decided that perhaps I'd rather be a writer. I still think I could have been a damn fine artist.

The second was "Which character is better?" And it frequently came down to Spider-Man (me) or Thor (Sluggo). Forget for a moment that Sluggo would pronounce O-din as Odd-in and refused to accept it when I would correct him. This argument was based purely on who was stronger. If it was based on which character had a better run of comics, Spidey wins hands down. It was pretty lean between the Stan Lee and Walt Simonson runs.

That's right - the Simonson issues. Other than the Lee issues - in my mind - the only significant run of Thor issues even worth looking at. After years of trying to convince me that Thor was great, Sluggo hits me with Thor 337. Look at the cover. It's ridiculous. Some weird lookin' dude in a Thor suit smashing the Thor logo. Big deal.

"It's great," Sluggo tells me. And he was right.

By the end of it, I wanted to see what happened next. Usually anytime someone tried to pick up Thor's hammer, they were unable to due to their unworthiness. Now here was Beta Ray Bill, not only picking up the hammer, but being summoned to Asgard by the All-Father (Oh-din) instead of Thor! What's a Don Blake to do?

And it got better from there. On to Beta Ray Bill getting his own hammer, fighting alongside Thor and just being a part of some really cool stories. Add in a french fry that 'kills' someone, a Casket of Ancient Winters (and a mortal who is entrusted with a centuries-old god legacy) and a Thor Frog, and - by Sigurd Jarlson's Beard, you've got something.

It was just the right mix of quality art, great storytelling, Norse mythology and just plain fun. A comic, that, just like Keith Giffen's Justice League, had a ball telling great stories without getting mired in the grim & gritty thing. Comics were meant to be escapist fun, and Simonson's Thor was just what the doctor ordered. The run even includes a hilarious Bob Layton fill-in issue that pits Thor against Hercules and is just as enjoyable as the Simonson issues.

In my opionion, it holds up very well when compared to today's comic books. Especially recent Thor comic books. And, while I haven't even flipped through a Thor comic in a few years...I doubt I'd like what I'd find.

So I thank Sluggo for introducing me to this great comic book run, and I thank Walt Simonson for creating it in the first place. If you haven't read this before (Thor 337-382), and you plan to do so - I envy you. You are in for a real treat.

Tales From The Basement: What Marvel Zombies Missed

I'm sure the phrase "Marvel Zombie" isn't going to make readers (if there are any) of this blog scratch their heads and wonder what the heck it is to what I a refer. In a nutshell, if you were reading Claremont/Byrne X-Men, Miller Daredevil, Stern/Romita Jr. Spider-Man or any of the other fine Marvel comics being produced in the early 80s, chances are you were a Marvel Zombie.

If you were also unaware that DC Comics, First Comics, Comico, Aardvark-Vanaheim and Eclipse Comics were producing comics at that time, chances are you were a Marvel Zombie. This post will concentrate on a few of my favorite titles from this time that were produced by DC.

All-Star Squadron

I think this debuted in 1981. What I remember most about All-SS (can't really abbreviate this one by it's first letters, now can I?) is that it featured, introduced and/or re-introduced a lot of cool characters that you didn't see all that often. Characters that have since become part of the DC canon. In my opinion, JSA writers/resurrectors James Robinson and Geoff Johns should have been thanking Roy Thomas in each and every issue of JSA.

You shouldn't be surprised to learn that Roy Thomas was the writer of this great series, and Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway were among it's artists. The stories were classics - set during World War II, every issue oozed with authenticity. If I hadn't known better, I'd have sworn these comics were written in the 1940s. The Joe Kubert covers probably helped to promote this perception.

Roy Thomas was no dummy - he used a tried-and-true comic book trick by having the book cross over with the Justice League of America title, thereby guaranteeing exposure to a much larger audience. The good news is that the story was so good, even if you were not reading All-SS prior to that crossover, chances are you were afterwards.

What was most interesting to me is that Plastic Man was a pivotal character in this series. He was a federal agent of sorts who was sorta responsible for forming the team. I have always been bored by Plastic Man. I don't think that the writers ever took him that seriously. And I keep hearing about how he is the most powerful character in the DC Universe, but I never see this. And I thought that Frank Miller (whose work I usually really like) made him look like a total doofus in the Dark Knight sequel.

Anyway, some of the cool characters we were treated to were Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, Firebrand, Steel, Robotman, Tarantula, the Alan Scott Green Lantern, the Spectre, Baron Blitzkreig, Per Degaton, the Ultra-Humanite, Cyclotron and Hawkman just to name a few.

The best part of this series is that it doesn't seem to have resonated with many people as it did with me. The stories are great and the art is great. If you are looking for a decent title to read that offers excellent team-oriented tales and a timeless storytelling style, go ahead and get some issues of All-SS. It compares very favorably to the Marvel output of it's time.

In fact, I liked this title so much, I forgot that I had already written about how good it was.

Batman & The Outsiders

Nowadays, most people probably think the Outsiders is an original concept. And it kind of is - but it's a derivative of the Batman & The Outsiders title that came about when Brave & Bold's 200th and final issue came out. Batman quit the Justice League and formed the Outsiders - a team of mostly all new characters that would be led by Batman.

As if this concept wasn't cool enough, it was written by longtime Batman Scribe Mike W. Barr (writer of the awesome Son of the Demon graphic novel) and drawn by long-longtime Batman artist Jim Aparo. From the getgo, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite all-time titles. Alan Davis became the artist in later issues.

The new characters were the sword-wielding Katana, the amnesiac Halo and the former prince Geo-Force. The established, but less used characters were Metamorpho and Black Lightning. The disparate characters were woven together expertly and Batman was convincing as the loner who suddenly wanted to lead a team.

Again, this title proved that good stories, good art and an understanding of your characters could work well to make a title that would hold up well more than 20 years later. Amazingly, these back issues also seem to have fallen through the cracks and can be had for a relatively small amount. But they're worth the effort.

Firestorm

This character, who was first featured in the Justice League of America and as a backup in Flash, had two attempts at a solo title. The first was in the late 70s and that only went 5 issues, a casualty of the "DC Implosion" which saw a good number of DC's titles killed in the late 70s.

The original 70s issues were written by the 3rd ever Spider-Man writer Gerry Conway and drawn by Al Milgrom. The second series, The Fury of Firestorm, was again written by Conway, but drawn by Pat Broderick.

It seemed to me that Conway was putting his take on Spider-Man, but calling it Firestorm. It read kinda like an updated version of the teen hero tales we were treated to when the original Amazing Spider-Man came out - interesting characters and pretty good adventures - and some cool villains to boot.

Ron Raymond went to school, dealt with a bully and graduated and went to college. The main differences were that Ron was popular, and the bully was the outcast, Ron was athletic (a basketball player) and he wasn't a top academic student. These are the sorts of changes that were implemented in John Byrne's Man of Steel miniseries and his subsequent Superman revamp, but I thought the concepts worked much better here.

A Few Words About the Mini-Series, Part 1

I had read somewhere (can't find it now, so perhaps I imagined this) that Watchmen was one of the first mini-series ever produced. This got me to hop up on my semantical, nit picky high horse.

First: It technically wasn't a mini-series. At 12 issues, it is a maxi-series.

Second: It wasn't one of the first, either. I believe that distinction belongs to Contest of Champions. And then, there were a few mini-series - Falcon, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Punisher, Magik, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Power Lords, Sword of the Atom, Elektra Assassin, Thriller and Dark Knight - just to name a few, that were out there before Watchmen.

In fact, I think that two other immensely popular 12-issue maxi-series may have preceded Watchmen. Namely, Crisis on Infinite Earths and Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars.

And even though I dispute the use of the term mini-series and the implied timeframe of Watchmen, it made me bristle even more every time that Watchmen was referred to as a graphic novel. It was not a graphic novel. It is, at most, a trade paperback. It can't be a graphic novel because it was published as 12 individial comic books.

I can't decide if the people who use the term 'graphic novel' use it (a) to make themselves seem knowledgeable on a topic that they may only have to write about once in a while - whenever a movie based on comic books comes out, or (b) to make themselves feel better about the fact that they read and enjoy comic books.

It's no secret what the perception is of folks who read comic books. There is no shortage of movies and TV shows that promote the timeless - and quite frankly, lazy, uninformed and unchanging - perception of comic book readers. Even mega sucessful movies like Dark Knight, Sin City and Spider-Man haven't changed this percetion.

But, please, do some research. Find out what a graphic novel is before you lump anything to do with comic books into the category. Just because it's a comic book, doesn't mean it's a graphic novel.

I can forgive the mini-series / maxi-series thing. After all, this is purely a semantical concern anyway, and only true fanboys (and I use this term with affection) would even bother to note the difference. Just as long as you know that Watchmen was not "one of the first" mini-series...that's good enough for me.
                                         

D3's Thoughts on Watchmen

Hrrm...

I am mixed on Watchmen the movie. It was good, and I wonder if I would have liked it if it wasn't based on the comic book. I don't think it would have been confusing, because I think Zach Snyder spent too much time filling in blanks. There wasn't much for the viewer to think about, because most things were explained in fairly short order. Too much exposition. And too much stop action - just let the thing roll....we're trained to watch fight scenes - just let 'em go.

Too much time spent on seemingly mundane details. Like how the blood got on the pin. We didn't need a stop action there. It would have been fine to show us that bit when Rorschach picked up the button on the street. Preferable, in fact, as I felt like he was hitting us in the face with it. He didn't need to stress that this was an interesting element. It was interesting, but not really THAT important.

There were a lot of good things about the movie, but there were also a lot of things I'd rather have seen done differently. I think that being so driven to follow the comic book became a detraction after a while. There wasn't much room left for originality. I also think that, while the Rorschach prison scenes were cool - they should have been cut...or cut down. And I thought it was a good contrast in the comic how Rorschach lied at first, and then was asked again later....and then told what was really going on.

Oh - and the scene where he killed the guy with the cleaver....way over the top. I thought all of the violent scenes were a bit much. Very little left to the imagination there. We could have filled in those blanks. And was it me, or were there many times with Dr. Manhattan when you couldn't get away from the fact that you were looking at a green screen?

I think it would have been better (or rather, I'd have preferred) to have had a scene where unknown persons (or even Ozymandius to... Bubastis , who knows?) were talking at the beginning of the movie about each of the characters. A kind of "In order to know how I saved the world, you must first understand how I developed the plan..." This would have saved us from the 'background' scenes of each character.

Speaking of Ozymandius, I thought he was painful. His speech patterns and pronounciations were maddening. I found it hard to believe that this guy had the plan to save the world.

I know there was a desire to give everybody what they wanted, but after about 2 hours, I was kinda like..."ok, let's wrap this up..." The fight scenes were well done, but too long. The one in the alley was overlong, but not as bad as the prison one.

Hmmm...still mixed. I guess I'm going to have to mull it over some more...I may update with more thoughts in the near future.

Sluggo's Watchmen Review

Well the most anticipated comic book movie of all time came out this weekend and I decided that I should post my opinion.

I’m really conflicted about it. To start with, it is a very good movie. They are faithful to all of the important aspects of the plot and the imagery is total spot on. From a Sluggo point of view, the fight scenes in this movie are the best comic fights ever filmed. There is nothing about the movie that a casual viewer (one who is predisposed to like comic movies) will find off-putting. The performances of the bulk of the cast were near perfect, especially in the case of Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. Those are two of the more nuanced characterizations in the comic, in my opinion, when compared with more one note characters like Rorschach or Dr. M. Their chemistry is like the comic book story come to life. I especially found Nite Owl's transformation from dud to stud, to be handled believably, and I liked him a lot more than I did when I read the issues originally.

But this is comic books, so there must be some fanboy nitpicking. There is one characterization where the director (or actor, thoughI think it was probably the director) totally missed the mark, so much so as to make it hard to watch the character on the screen at times. This is where I should say something about SPOILERS.


Ozymandias in the comic book is the shining star of the Watchmen world; a GOLDEN mishmash of Batman and Captain America. He is so universally loved that he has his own line of action figures, which the movie makes sure to point out. But in the end, the movie totally fails to make this a believable persona. To begin with the character is lit in shadows in almost every key sequence in the movie; he is dressed not in a golden costume but some kind of washed out tan. Part of his costume was pink in the comic for god's sake.

And I realize that most of the audience knows the outcome, but is that any reason to telegraph his role as the villian, in HIS FIRST APPEARANCE on screen. He is visited by Dan and delivers a despondent discussion of the problems with the world. And the delivery of the actor is borderline comatose. In the final sequence, he does kick some serious ass, but still seems like he is on qualudes as he is doing it. And I personally couldn't wait for his signature line about not being a 1940s supervillan, but when it came he totally whiffed.

Whew, glad I got all of that off my chest.

Doctor Manhattan is a little off as well, in my opinion, by being too human of all things. When I read the book, I always felt he was more remote than is represented here. It worked OK in the movie, just didn't match up to my impression.

It's a lot more gory than it needs to be, but I guess this is the director's hangup (see 300). Still the action is really incredible.

In the end, I came away thinking it was very good, but I can’t help but compare it to the feelings I had walking out of Iron Man. I personally feel that Iron Man is the best comic book movie to date and I remember walking out of the movie knowing that. Of course, the material of Watchmen itself doesn’t lend itself to that kind of jumping up and down cheering; it’s similar to walking out of the Dark Knight. I told a friend after I left DK that it was so much I needed time to think about it. I eventually decided that DK was a great movie, but I personally prefer Iron Man. I think I’ll ultimately come to appreciate Watchmen like DK, but I can’t say that walking out of it, I unequivocally loved it.

Sluggo

And My Problem With The Oscars Is....

Me. Or rather, the fact that I don't go to movies very much and so there is little going on at the Oscars to draw me in. So I don't watch. In fact, the only way I know what happened is to read about it or hear about it the next day.

In the past, I'd gotten a little upset about "slights" at the Oscars. I think of Annie Hall/Star Wars and Forest Gump/Shawshank Redemption/Pulp Fiction right off the bat. These are rare cases where I had actually seen all of the films involved.

Then in more recent years, it would be a good year if I'd seen two of the films up for best picture. Then I was down to one. And more often than not now, it's down to zero.

Which brings me to Dark Knight and Iron Man. Neither of which were nominated for any truly significant awards. Of course, Heath Ledger won best supporting actor, but I feel that this award was won more for Ledger's sake and the tragic situation of his dying, than his appearance in Dark Knight. Nay, I'd put forth that he won this award despite having been in Dark Knight.

I'd heard before I'd seen the film that Ledger was brilliant. And I agree. It was a masterful performance. And it's true that the film made tons of money worldwide. That doesn't necessarily translate to Oscar consideration.

If it did, Spider-Man would have won in 2002. And every Harry Potter film would also have won. I think that the Academy would rather not have the Oscars than turn their Dog Show over to these vile ruffian action/costumed adventurer films.

Expect the same thing to apply to Watchmen, no matter how good it is or how much money it makes. It will not be nominated for best film, best screenplay, best actor or any award worthy of note.

And that's fine. Comic books no longer need validation from outside sources. Just because Hollywood is making good movies out of comics, doesn't mean that comics are any more or less valid as an art form.

As a matter of fact, the overall horrendous and forgettable output of comic book films prior to Spider-Man tells me that Hollywood knew (or should have known) that they had some great potential material and a built-in audience. All they had to do was not screw it up.

They got it right with Superman, Superman II, The Rocketeer and The Crow. And I am sure there are few others I am forgetting, but for the most part...the years from 1978 to 2002 are pretty freakin' grim when it comes to comic book movies.

But that wasn't what they did. Comic books were for kids, so we're going to take the basic ideas and make movies that adults would want to see. This is the impression that I got, anyway. And the result was "movies that suck ass." And I am being kind.

Batman Returns was so bad, it tainted my opinion of Batman and made me ignore the next two Batman films. All through the 90s, anytime I heard a rumor that they were going to make a comic-book based movie, I hoped that it would never come to fruition. It almost seemed like they were only making (or trying to make) the movies to thumb their nose at comic books. They didn't take them seriously, so they could not have made good movies.

Now they can. There are fans making movies, and the studios are on board because of the money that flows in. People go to these movies and really enjoy them. They get big names for the comic book movies. And still, there is very little hint at the Oscars that they even exist.

And that's fine with me. If Star Wars and Shawshank didn't get an award, maybe it's proper that Spider-Man, Dark Knight and Iron Man didn't as well. I'll be happy as long as they make good movies.

I'd like for the films based on comics to be as memorable (or at least as respectful) as possible of the comics I have read and enjoyed. That's not asking for too much, is it?

"Essential" Comic Books

I am a big fan of the Essentials books that Marvel has been putting out. I mean, what's not to like? All the classic Marvel comics, in 25-or-so issue bunches, for less than $20. It's not even the cost that is the most appealing thing. It's having all of the issues, in order, with none missing...all in one place.

Marvel Masterworks were cool beyond compare - hardback, full color, nice paper. But the two main drawbacks, in my mind, were the cost ($39.99 and then $49.99) and the fact that they only contained 10 issues at a clip. It wasn't a deal-breaker by any stretch. I have owned more than my share. They looked good on the bookshelf. And despite the kinda-high price point, it is still cheaper than buying the original issues.

Of course, the things that I really liked about the Masterworks are drawbacks in the Essentials series. They're black-and-white, softcover and use normal, newsprint-y type paper. But these are drawbacks that I can easily accept. The material contained therein more than makes up for any issues I could possibly have.

And the best part, for me, about both Masterworks and Essentials is that I don't have to worry about getting tape caught on the brittle original issues. It's great to have the originals, but it got to a point where I obsessed over the condition so much, it wasn't enjoyable to read the comics anymore. I'd rather not be faced with the prospect of opening a bag and taking a piece of a cover off with an errant piece of tape.

DC has also released their old comics in the Showcase books (I think that's what they're called). but I am not as enamored of these books as I am of the Essentials books. This is really only due to the fact that I am not really a big fan of the overall DC comic book universe prior to the 70s.

My ideal would be to have DC reprint the late 60s/early 70s Batman and Detective comics, the Neal Adams Strange Adventures issues along with his Deadman issues and the Superman run by Martin Pasko that covered issues 300-330. There are other things I'd like to see DC reprint, but these would all be at the top of my list.

My only complaint with Marvel is that they are not making them fast enough. The latest Spider-Man volume that I know of, volume 8, only takes us up to issue 185. Where's volume 9? I want to see the issues up to 210....any beyond!

And if Marvel is interested, I'll tell them what comics they should reprint next. Anybody other than me want to see the 19 issues of Human Fly reprinted?

The Geek shall inherit the Earth

In the past few months, I can't help but look around and feel a tremendous sense of vindication. When certain people indoctrinated me into the world of comic books when I was in middle school, comic books and superheroes were largely deemed to be "kid's stuff" And anybody who read them was certainly categorized with a certain degree of "geek factor." I remember wondering how anyone who gave "The Dark Knight Returns" or "Watchmen" half of a chance, could not come away not thinking that they were cool as hell? I know that it was pretty tough to walk around school with a comic book in your bag and not be the butt of someone's joke.

I'd like to think that I was secure enough with myself that I didn't care, but who doesn't want to be popular in high school? I know I was part of a "comic book club" that met after school, but I also know I didn't advertise that fact to my friends who were jocks.

Of course, eventually you grow up, maybe go to college and realize that most people like something that is off the beaten path, and you learn not to care. Still, when I met my wife I can remember her trying to stifle a laugh when I told her I was a fan of comic books. My sad devotion to this ancient religion still annoys her as I argue with friends over some point of comic minutiae.

But the most amazing things has happened in the past few years.....the rest of the world finally caught up with us. It can be debated as to the reasons, whether it be computer sfx, the prevalence of comic readers in Hollywood, the influence of gaming, or some other factor, but comic books and superheroes are taking over the world. Spider-man, The Incredibles, X-Men, Iron Man, Dark Knight, Heroes, Lost (if you don't think this is a comic book, you haven't been paying attention), 300, and hundreds of others. In 2008, of the top five highest grossing films, 3 were comic book movies. And possibly most amazingly, Heath Ledger has been nominated for an Oscar for his role in Dark Knight. I know part of it comes from his untimely death, but still, 15 years ago, you could barely get a comic movie made; now they are worthy of Academy consideration.

Of course with this amount of content out there, there are going to be some missteps (Punisher War Zone?) but they have amazingly been pretty few and far between. And with every new movie or show that comes out, the geek in me wants to jump to my feet, raise my fist (thumb visible, of course) and shout "Vindication!"

And when I do, my wife inevitably shakes her head and laughs...

Dick Sprang Batarang Flies Again

Have you watched the new Batman cartoon, The Brave and the Bold ? It’s been pretty darn good so far. When I first saw the commercial on Cartoon Network the initial double shock of a) a new Batman show and b) its a simplistic-looking Dick Sprang version of Batman (!), subsided into tingly anticipation. By all appearances, this back to basics take on this evergreen character held the promise of feeling fresh even while being rooted in a classic Batman style and opening the door to the DC Universe at large.

After the dark, cinematic Batman the Animated Series from the ‘90’s and the more recent grim, anime-influenced The Batman (with that cool opening theme by U2’s The Edge) it was an unpredictable and gutsy move to introduce a simplistic and slightly goofy looking animated version of Batman. Right away, you sense this is a youngster friendly Batman. In this case, that’s not a bad thing at all and the risky gamble pays off in dividends of sheer fun.

In just a few seconds, anyone familiar with Dick Sprang’s classic square-jawed Batman will recognize the obvious influence his artwork has had on the look of this show. It all harkens back to a simpler, more light-hearted era for both Batman and comics in general. Surely that was intentional. Clearly the show’s art style aims to draw younger viewers but fret not old timers, you haven’t been forgotten. The simple formula still works: solid storytelling + lots of action = loads of fun.

As you might have guessed from its title, the show uses a team–up approach guest-starring a different hero fighting crime along-side Bats every week. Not only does that help keep the stories self-contained and free from continuing subplots it also opens a revolving door of animated versions of all sorts of characters from the DC universe. The show’s creators wasted no time in bringing out classic characters both old and new including Aquaman and the new Blue Beetle. It was a little jarring at first to see a 1950’s style Batman side by side with a 21st Century version of the Blue Beetle but then it just gelled and became really cool in spite of feeling somewhat anachronistic. Being just a kid, Blue Beetle idolizes Batman and defers to his experience though that doesn’t mean much once his eagerness to show off kicks in. Since the new Beetle is, in my opinion, one of the best comics currently on the market I was quite pleased to see him guest star in more than one episode already.

Other guest stars include ye old king of Atlantis, Aquaman, who in this version is not above recounting his regal exploits ad nauseum and placing himself at the center of the story. Yet he remains quite likable in spite of his conceit. Wildcat (from JSA) also makes an appearance in an episode which I found more interesting because of who the “villains” were: The Outsiders! Keeping old traditions alive, the Outsiders start out as adversaries but you know how those tales always end. However, there were only three of them: Katana (best of the three in my book), Black Lightning, and a teenaged version of Metamorpho. Utilizing only three of the characters kept it simple and focused on the action which has really been the main thrust of The Brave and the Bold.

With fast-paced, action filled stories Batman: The Brave and the Bold puts the emphasis on fun which is something that the recent The Batman, with its cool visuals and music, fell short on. This opens the door wide open to bring Batman to a newer and younger audience while keeping us old-timers happy with classic characters and that old team-up charm. Here’s hoping The Brave and the Bold sticks around long enough to showcase some classic Jack Kirby characters like the Demon, James Robinson’s version of Starman, Booster Gold, or even Vigilante.

Watchmen Suit Settled - About Freakin' Time!

After a few months of wrangling over the Watchmen movie, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox are finally finished fighting and are now ready to play nice, according to this Newsarama posting.

I love this wording: "Warner Bros acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography. Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith in defending against those claims. Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film’s March 6 release in theatres."

Well, the fans have acted in good faith in putting up with false starts and rumors about this film for 22 years. Although, considering how bad comic book films were before Spider-Man came out, maybe the insanely long wait works in our favor.

And I'm so glad that WB and Fox are fans just like us. I'm sure they've just been dying to see Ozymandius, Rorscach, Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan on the silver screen. They're probably so relieved to see this movie coming out that they'd say "forget the money - let's get this great story out there so everyone can enjoy it!"

Bwaa Haaa Haaa!

Add this immensely long wait to Alan Moore's complete opposition to the movie, and you've got quite a little story about a film that really looked like it would never be made.

What's most humorous to me is that Warner Bros has to shell out oodles of cash for the film rights to a property that was theirs to begin with.

The good news is that the stills and trailers are giving me a sense that the movie could actually be really good. It looks good, anyway. Considering all the buzz that's been building for the last year or so, it better be.

The Language Of Comics

Comics, like any medium, has a feel and/or a language that is unmistakably germane to that particular medium. With the number of writers increasing exponentially these days, it's less recognizable now.

But--certainly, if you've read enough comics, you can pick a few of these gems out. Here are a few of my faves, in no particular order.

In the old days of the 70s and 80s, you could pretty much have a quote read to you from an issue and determine who the writer of the book was without ever having actually read the book.

* This'll make my rep!

This classic was always one of my faves, based solely on it's overall stupidity. It was big in the 70s, especially in Daredevil and Batman. There was always some dumbass henchman who reasoned that killing Batman or Daredevil would cement his standing in the criminal community and vault him into that penthouse suite where he could finally be the one to call the shots.

* The Die Is Cast!

This truly is one of my favorites, and I don't mean this in a sarcastic way. It's such a great phrase and it perfectly captures the essence of what comics - mostly Marvel Comics - were like in the 60s. It's a classic, and it's a shame that phrases like this are not used nowadays.

* I'm The Best At What I Do, And What I Do Isn't Very Nice

I'll bet that just reading that phrase brought up a big belly laugh. And I'll further bet that many readers will know who the writer was, who the character was and maybe even have a clear recollection of what that first page that featured these words looked like. Of course, after this was repeated in each of the four issues and beyond, it got a bit tired.

* What The--

Ooops! Almost said it, didn't you? Somehow nobody ever finished that one. It's probably for the best. Gives us readers a chance to use our imaginations. It's also a phrase that doesn't work so well when actually spoken. It just sounds silly.

* Avengers Assemble!

This is also a classic staple phrase of 60s Marvel, and another pleasant reminder of how great comics used to be. Especially after the wretched "disassembled" storyline a couple of years ago, it is always great to be able to revisit a pre-Joe Quesada/Brian Michael Bendis Marvel Universe. Sometimes you don't need to destroy the foundation to fix up the house.

* The Storay At Hand

Just kidding. Wondering if you were paying attention anymore. Although, to those who know of it, this one is a freaking classic! Right up there with "Die Scum...."

How could I have forgotten these gems??

* Still Only 25¢ !

A classic to be sure - not only does it call attention to the inevitable price increase, but it reminds me of a time when nearly every comic on the spinner rack was a good one! For whatever reason, Marvel didn't decree 30¢, 40¢ or 50¢ to be worthy of this designation (interestingly, 35¢ also merited this treatment). Well, it's certainly better than "Still Only 299¢!"

* Not An Imaginary Story! Not a Hoax!

Then why publish it? Honestly, is there anything that screams "DC Comics" more than this? It's great. And the stories that unfolded were truly the stuff of legends...and explain a lot in terms of why Marvel was able to take over the comic book readership in the 60s. If not for Neal Adams, Dennis O'Neil and Frank Robbins, the 1960's would be a very barren landscape for DC. From a pure nostalgia and cool character introduction point of view, however, this was a very interesting time for DC.

* Because You Demanded It!

Who could resist this? Like "Not An Imaginary Story", this little gem quickly lost all meaning, as it became evident that, well, nobody demanded some of that stuff. And since the Marvel No-Prize comic book poked fun at this in such an amusing fashion, I'll stop here.

* 'Nuff Said!

Short and to the point. 'Nuff indeed...

I'm sure there are many others, but for some reason or another, I can't come up with them. Feel free to add your faves.

The Golden Globes and the Dark Knight

Wow - Heath Ledger won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his maniacally brilliant performance as the Joker in the summer smash Dark Knight.

Finally, it seems that the moviemakers are doing something right and the 'experts' are taking comic book movies seriously. Took long enough. Superman and Superman II were hits in 1978 and 1980. Batman was a hit in 1989. Spider-Man was a mega-hit. Two more Spidey movies, The X-Men Trilogy, Sin City, 300, Iron Man...all made oodles of money and received critical acclaim. But none of these were nominated for any of the more prestigious awards - Best Actor, Best Screenplay...Best Movie.

Heath Ledger was getting a lot of attention and praise even before his untimely death. After he died, the buzz was, amazingly, upped a notch. I am glad he won, and after finally having seen the movie just this past weekend, it doesn't seem to me as though it was given only because of the tragedy of his passing. He was excellent. The performance was as good as it was billed.

I think that as long they keep making movies like Dark Knight, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Superman and Sin City - the Globes and Oscars won't be able to ignore them anymore - this can only be a good thing.

It will make the folks who are charged with making movies work even harder to gain that attention. It will make them more focused on the comic fans who go to the movies in droves.

After all, who was responsible for Watchmen finally getting made? Not Hollywood. Not really. They had no idea there was even a real demand for these comic book movies. Even after Superman. And Batman. And The Crow. Men In Black. Not until Spider-Man reminded them.

They kinda knew after Tim Burton's Batman. But then Joel Schumacher and his Hollywood types were seduced by the Dark Side. They couldn't get past the campy 60s Batman. They reverted to disrespecting form and nearly killed what was a promising genre of movies.

Now they're back. And they're getting better.

But for every Dark Knight and Sin City, there's a Catwoman, Elektra, Daredevil and Punisher lying in wait. Just like with any genre of movies, there will be some underwhelming options.

Comics themselves are no different. There are good ones and bad ones, and sales usually balances the scales. Comic books are at their worst when they get cocky. Sales are good, buzz is good, so they create new titles and overload the market. Eventually, things settle down and the core titles become the standard again.

As long as the moviemakers keep trying - and remembering the core, comic book-based audience - we should really be seeing more good movies than bad ones.

I can't wait to see what comes next. Right now, the newest offering is Will Eisner's Spirit, directed by Frank Miller. After Sin City and 300, people seem to have taken notice.

And to my way of thinking, as long as the Globes and Oscars start to really take notice of the comic book/action movie, it's all good.