Coty Geek » DC comics

Action Comics Vol. 2 #1 Review!

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:05:40 +0000

I’ve been a Superman fan for literally as long as I can remember. When I was a little kid I always had a cape on and knew the John Williams Superman score by heart. I grew up as a Superman purist. So when I first heard about the DC New 52 line, I was skeptical. Starting over, practically from scratch with the Big Blue Boyscout was going to be a stretch for me. My mind was eased, however, when it was announced that Grant Morrison would be the writer on Action Comics. Grant Morrison is one of the best writers we have in comics today, and he understands Superman like no other writer I’ve ever seen. He wrote All Star Superman, which is in my opinion the best Superman story ever. So how does he revamp the Man of Steel? He doesn’t. And that’s why it works.

Action Comics opens with the Metropolis Police Department storming an upscale penthouse. They make it to a balcony where Superman, clothed in work boots, scuffed jeans, an “S” tee shirt and his iconic cape holding a wealthy construction mogul over his head. This is something we’ve never really seen before: Superman squaring off against the law. This sets the tone for the whole book. Superman has been at it for only six months. He can’t fly. He’s still bullet proof, but anything stronger can knock him down and make him bleed. And he doesn’t know anything about Krypton. He states his motivation quickly. He believes “the law works the same for rich and poor alike.” Superman is a social crusader here. His abilities are small scale to start with, so it only makes sense that the kind of villains he faces are small scale as well.

This book is not your father’s Superman, although it may somewhat be your grandfather’s Superman. Grant Morrison’s spun gold once again and shows that he may very well be the best Superman writer out there. While we’re not given a whole lot in the way of character driven dialogue for our first issue, this is a fantastic and bold set up. The relationships between Superman and his supporting cast is dealt with quickly and efficiently. Characters are introduced quickly so time is not wasted. It feels like the opening scene of an action movie, which is fitting considering that it’s Action Comics. The book is action packed throughout and does not disappoint in that regard. After the let down that the Grounded storyline delivered, it feels good to see Superman kicking butt and taking names again.

The artwork by Rags Moralis is wonderful. He gets just the right amount of grit and realism in the mix while still maintaining the wide-eyed wonder that we associate with Superman books. He renders Superman as a powerful figure without being overly muscular. Each character looks unique, which is a plus among today’s comic art field since a lot of comic artists these days do not seem to have learned how to make each character look like their own person.

Action Comics No. 1 is a great introduction to the world of the New 52. This is the comic that should’ve been used to start out the relaunch, since Justice League No. 1 really felt like a missed opportunity. This issue ends on a great cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more, but not in an unsatisfactory way. This is a must buy for Superman fans, DC fans, or comics fans in general.

Batman Beyond is Back!?!

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:20:10 +0000

Okay, when I was a kid I loved the show Batman Beyond. The show was awesome because it took a hokey idea (in this case, Batman in the future) and made it awesome. What made it cool was that there wasn’t a reliance on old school villains and allowed for the futuristic Batman Terry McGuinness to come into his own as a character. It also helps that the show had boss animation (including an awesome opening). The show led to the movie Return of the Joker which was one of the coolest animated films I had seen in a long time (if you gotta see it, see the director’s cut. Sooooo worth it kiddies.)

Well now DC is set to bring the character back for a new miniseries called, appropriately enough, Batman Beyond. The miniseries puts a darker edge on the concept of the series while keeping the spirit and ideas of the original in tact. The story really emphasizes the differences between Bruce Wayne and Terry, showing how they both own the Batman mantle in their own unique way. If you are a Batman Beyond fan like me (and there are many), definitely check it out.

Arkham Asylum Sequel Announced!

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:12:40 +0000

As you know, I gave a very positive review of the first game. Well, at the VGAs, fans of the game were given a special treat as Rocksteady, the developers of Arkham Asylum, announced a sequel and even gave up a teaser trailer! You can watch it right here!

I’m pretty dang sure that I’m not the only one who is excited about this new game, lol. I’ll be sure to post updates as they come in.

Who Should Direct Superman?

admin — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:27:55 +0000

Okay, so I’ve been posting a lot about how Superman is basically in development hell for the new movie. There have been a lot of different directors who have said they’d like to direct a new film. And so far the most vocal example of a director who could take it on is James McTeigue, who directed the upcoming movie Ninja Assassin for the Wachowski Brothers. Here is a list of three directors that I think would be best suited for it. Keep in mind this is in no particular order.

1. Steven Spielberg. Oddly enough, Spielberg was offered to direct the original Superman: The Movie with Christopher Reev in 1978, but he declined, feeling the project was too big for him at the time. Now that Steven has become one of the most celebrated directors of all time, I really think he could reinvent the Man of the Steel for the big screen. Spielberg’s flair for action and top notch storytelling makes him good for it.

2. Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy is one of my favorite film series. On top of that, he has directed films that are in the vein of the comic book style, which makes sense since he was a cartoonist prior to pursuing a career in filmmaking. The only problem that would arise from Rodriguez at the helm is that he is simply not a big budget director, which may cause him to butt heads with a studio. But if Rodriguez were to direct it, it’d definitely be a very fun film.

3. The Wachowski Brothers. This one probably seems a bit obvious. After all, with all of the flying Neo did in the Matrix trilogy, it’s kind of to be expected. But they have such a visual flair and a knack for good story telling. Their 2008 film Speed Racer was grossly underrated, but even there they show a potential for bring the big blue boyscout back in a big way.

If you want to pick up the entire original Superman film collection, you can do so here!

Superman – 4 Film Favorites

What’s going on with the new Superman movie?!?

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:17:12 +0000

Okay, so remember way back when I did that post about DC potentially losing the rights to Superman? But how if they had a new film rolling by 2011, everything would be A-Ok? Well guess what! According to new DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson, a new film for the man of steal is NOT being planned. On ANY level whatsoever. I’m sorry, but I’m fairly certain that if the flagship character of my company (granted, Supes shares that status with Batman) was in jeopardy of no longer being mine, I’d be doing something about it, right? But nope. So far absolutely nothing is going on. Apparently they’re in Green Lantern mode. It’s like the company is taking stupid pills. Look, the goal of the DC Entertainment creation was to spearhead their most popular, as well as their lesser known, properties into media outside of comics, and to not have a new Superman film be immediately in production, especially when a Judge sais the equivalent of “Make it or lose the big blue boyscout,” it makes me wonder if the company is in good hands with Nelson as the President.

And then there were rumors that comic writer Mark Millar had made a pitch to the suits at DC Entertainment. Not true. In a recent statement Millar said that he never does pitches, because it’s basically giving them free material, which is why he sticks to comics. He said the only person who has heard his proposal for a Superman movie is director Matthew Vaughn, whom he said is the only one he’d want to work with on a Superman movie. I say turn the production over almost entirely to the talented writers and artists in the comics division of DC Entertainment. This way you get a Superman story done the RIGHT way. Granted, they’re doing something similar with the Flash film in development, with comic writer Geoff Johns attached as the writer, but I think it’s time that that method is used for EVERY comic movie based on a major franchise. Look, preproduction can take anywhere from 6 months to a full year, and that’s if it’s a rushjob. Superman does NOT deserve a rush job, but at the same time, you’ve got probably a hundred talented writers who already have Superman scripts ready to at least be rewritten. Point is, Superman is the flagship character (once again, next to Batman), so treat him like it before you lose him.

Could this end the DC Universe!?!

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:32:04 +0000

Ok, the past week and a half had some very big announcements happened in the comic industry, with one of which being the biggest comic book related news in years as it has the potential to END the current DC Universe and any or all related media.

The first, and most important thing, is that the Siegel family has just won the rights to Superman’s origins. To those not plugged into the comic world, here’s what the hap is. In 1938, not long after Superman debuted, Jerry Siegel (the writer) and Joe Shuster (the artist) sold their joint creation Superman to National Allied Publications (later to be known as DC) for $100 apiece. They were given such a little amount for two reasons: 1. During the depression that was a nice chunkachange. 2. They were screwed over big time. The publisher told them that Superman’s success was only a fad and that they should cash in while the character was worth anything. Since then, the rights of the character has been disputed in court numerous times. Gradually the Siegel family has gained more and more control over the character, and winnning the origin of the character may as well be considered winning the character himself. For those who still aren’t quite clear on what I mean, this is it in a nutshell: DC comics cannot mention Superman’s origin in any form or fashion unless they pay a licensing to the family. Normally not a big deal, right? Well, a few weeks prior, a judge made the decision that DC/Warner Bros. had to begin production on a new Superman film by 2011, otherwise the family would lose money, and would be able to sue, where their lawyer vowed the family would gain full creative control of the character. Once again, DC could simply pay a licensing fee.

But in the back of my mind is a terrible thought. What if the family does gain the full rights to the character? What happens if they do that, and then decide they don’t want DC to publish the character any longer? Superman is the flagship character at DC. There isn’t a comic series they’ve published that he hasn’t starred in or guest starred in. Granted, if that were to happen, they could probably end their current universe and start one without Superman. But that would feel empty. Batman would then be their flagship character, but a DC universe without Superman isn’t a DC universe at all. Now like I said, they’ll probably just pay a licensing fee for the character, because Marvel couldn’t buy the character, because that would mean a major rewrite in their own universe. He doesn’t belong anywhere but DC. I can respect the family’s decision to try to gain all of the rights, because after all, Jerry and Joe got screwed something fierce. But it would ruin the character that I, and many many others well before my time, grew up with if they took the character elsewhere.