CBLDF Presents Liberty Annual 2011

Been feeling the itch to blog again.

I just got done reading this year's Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Presents Liberty Annual 2011. I always tried to make sure I was a member back when we ran Joy's Japanimation, because a lot of the cases where a retailer is being arrested for selling a comic book, it turns out to be a manga book. And these are always cases where the books are sold to adults. So being an anime and manga store, I always felt we were a prime target. I remember putting the CLBDF phone number in our rolodex-- I wrote on the bottom of the card, "Let's hope we never have to use it."

Since leaving the comic-selling industry, I've still made the occasional donation, usually at the urging of Peter David's blog. I bought More Fund Comics when it came out, but somehow never got around to Even More Fund Comics. It's still an important cause-- comic books are always a target because the public still views them as kids stuff, even though kids don't read comics anymore. (Seriously, according to a poll at Comic Book Resources, only 5.19% of comic book readers are under 17. The largest group was 30-40 year-olds. It's part of the reason that the comic book industry is shrinking-- there's been no new generation of readers since the 90's. But I digress.)

So I'll confess by saying I bought this comic because it has a new Grendel story in it by Matt Wagner. And yeah, it always feels good to know that I'm helping the CBLDF at the same time.

What I didn't expect was for it to possibly be one of the best anthologies I've ever read.

Seriously, there's not a bad story in the bunch. And while the main topic is of course about free speech, it covers such a range of related topics from Free Speech to Separation of Church and State to the "It Gets Better" campaign that it never gets dull. It actually felt downright inspirational.

For starters, I was pleasantly surprised to learn in Bob Shreck's introduction that he's bi too. Bob Shreck was art director for Comico, which means I always saw his name in the Robotech and Grendel comics back in the 80's, and from there he moved to Dark Horse (more Grendel for me) and Oni Comics (where I read various Kevin Smith comics). So his name is one that has always kept showing up in my comic reading history and that I've always associated with quality books. So as a bi guy, it makes me very happy that he's willing to casually out himself as part of this project. Hence the focus on the "It Gets Better" stories.

Extra points has to go to Carla Speed McNeil's piece "Dunce," which ties it all together very strongly, where she talks about the frustrations she's run into even trying to talk about her son who has Down's Syndrome, or Trisomy 21 as is apparently the new PC thing to call it. The problem is that terms used to describe people with learning problems immediately get turned into insults, so how can you talk about the problem when the words that weren't intended to be offensive now are? To me this is the comic that ties the entire book together, because it's shows how people being offended by words that have been twisted to bullying lead to both outside and self-censorship.

Another gem is J. Michael Straczynski & Kevin Sacco's "Separation of Church And State - The Best Friend the Church Ever Had!" where he explains that because the Founding Fathers specifically stated in the treaty of Tripoli that "the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion," it allowed for all denominations of Christianity to grow without the fears of conflict with each other such as the whole Catholic vs Protestant mess. We always hear about how Separation of Church and State has allowed all religions to practice here, but it never occurred to me that it also saved us from the infighting that Christianity has faced in the past in the UK. This piece should be required reading in schools.

I could go on and on, but really, you should just buy this comic and read it. Heck, I'd buy this as a monthly book. I'll certainly be buying every CBLDF Liberty Annual from now on, and that'll help give me that reminder to donate to the cause as well.

And incidentally, the CBLDF is currently handling a case where a guy entering Canada brought a hentai manga comic with him, and was arrested at customs and is now facing a prison term of up to one year. I can't imagine being jailed just because someone objected to what you were reading. The CBLDF is paying for his defense and they could use help. You can make a donation at cbldf.org. It doesn't matter how small, every bit helps.

Infestation #1 and Star Trek: Infestation #1

Spoiler Level: Medium

I've said a million times that I'm not into horror, but I couldn't let IDW's zombie crossover event Infestation go without commenting on it.

When IDW announced they were doing a crossover between Star Trek, GI Joe, Transformers and Ghostbusters, I was all for it.  Of course, I was hoping that it would be a story with all the characters interacting with each other, and not just be a crisis that affected each universe independently.

However, I really, really have to give IDW props for how they're playing it.  For starters, they're not pushing all of the books out in one month.  The first month we get Star Trek: Infestation and Transformers: Infestation; the next month we get GI Joe: Infestation and Ghostbusters: Infestation.  Each mini series is only two issues long, so they won't break your wallet.

And on top of that, they're going with a weekly format for publishing them all.  It started in the first week with Infestation #1, with the second week being the first Transformers issue, and the third week being the first Star Trek issue. This way, you can skip the parts you're not interested in, or follow the entire story as a weekly ongoing if you're so inclined.  I like weekly series, so this really appeals to me.

And by keeping each series in their separate universes, you can read as few or as many as you want.  I had originally planned to read only the Star Trek issues and the Infestation framing mini, but now I'm tempted to pick up the others.  And having read Star Trek: Infestation #1 I can honestly say I didn't need to read the main Infestation book.

But I'm glad I did.  I actually enjoyed it, because it does the same thing I like about Ghostbusters-- mixes supernatural and science.  The zombies are brought into the main universe using an interdimensional Stargate.  (They call it a portal, but that's because if they called it a Stargate, they'd have to pay MGM.  It's a Stargate though, right down to the seven chevrons.  It's in a gate room that looks exactly like Stargate Command, although it's not in the Cheyenne Mountains.  So since this series deals with alternate universes, let's just say this is this universe's version of the Stargate and leave it at that.)  The zombies are brought through from a parallel universe.  To stop them, the heroes (a group of Vampires) try activating a bunch of robots left at the base.  Only in this world, you can have magic-enhanced machinery, so the zombies can actually infect the robots.  Obviously they've got to get these zombies back through the Stargate, but when they do it winds up sending them to four different universes.  And thus our crossover is in full swing.

This clever set-up brings us to why you don't need to read Infestation #1-- because the zombies are just as new to each of the characters in the separate minis as they are to the reader.  Don't know who these zombies are, where they came from, or what their deal is?  That's okay, neither does Spock.  You can learn along with him.

Which leads me to Star Trek: Infestation #1. First off, look at that cover.  I always thought that old Gold Key logo was kind of creepy, and never before has it been used so perfectly!

The story takes place during the post-TMP era, which I personally love.  I know a lot of people hate that era and rag on the uniforms, but I love them.  When TMP came out I was 10 years old, and everything's always more exciting when you're that age.  I had been waiting for this movie for as long as I could remember, and I just ate it all up.  I loved the look of it, the new Enterprise, the new special effects, the new uniforms, all of it.  It just felt like Star Trek had been elevated to an all new level.  I was never fond of the militaristic uniforms of Wrath of Khan and beyond-- I always felt they would make nice dress uniforms, but were far too formal for duty uniforms.  Oh, I got used to them eventually, but I still think the TMP uniforms are better, and I welcome any opportunity to see them again.

Unfortunately the entire story is about a landing party, so everyone's in their landing party jackets, which aren't as cool.  Oh well.  The landing party consists of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and three security guards.  Who do you think's going to end up as zombie fodder here?

You have to admire zombies getting the Star Trek treatment-- Kirk figures out the zombies are the planet's colonists, and thus considers them innocents and is holding out for a way to cure them, so the landing party feels compelled to not use lethal force.  The zombie colonists don't have any such feelings towards the crew, of course.  Meanwhile, Spock's trying to figure out just what happened to everyone here.

It really works.  Star Trek runs into plagues all the time, and since zombies are always spread like a plague, it actually fits.

So I have to congratulate IDW for finding a way to do a major crossover that doesn't violate the natures of each of its properties, is still huge in scope, and yet still manages not to milk your wallet.  Good job, guys.  This is the way a crossover should be done.

Superman / Batman: Apocalypse

Spoiler Level: High

Another enjoyable offering from the DC Original Animated Movies.  Again, having not read Superman/Batman I wasn't familiar with the source material, but Rich says that from what he can remember,  it was a very loyal adaptation.

It also includes a nice touch with mentioning the impeachment of President Luthor, a direct reference to the previous Superman & Batman OVA, Public Enemies.  It doesn't feature in the plot at all, but it's a nice touch of continuity, letting us know the two stories are connected.

This is the story that re-introduced Kara Zor-El, the Silver Age Supergirl, back into the DC Universe.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of the reSilvering of the DCU; I rather liked that the modern Green Lantern was Kyle Rayner, the modern Supergirl was Matrix / Linda Danvers, and that Wally West had inherited the mantle of the Flash form the late Barry Allen.  Now Hal Jordan, Kara Zor-El and Barry Allen are all back, and the DCU doesn't feel like it's grown as much as it had 10 years ago.

But on the plus side, at least the stories are enjoyable, and that's what really counts.  Kara arrives on Earth and her powers come to her in a rush;  they feel like too much responsibility to her, and really all she'd rather do is lead a regular life.  (And Lois is conspicuously absent in the scenes where she learns to go shopping.)    But of  course, everyone else has other plans for her;  Wonder Woman feels Kara needs to master her powers in the safety of Paradise Island, and Darkseid would rather have her lead the Female Furies.  All of which gives Kara opportunities for some good teenage angst on how she wants to choose her own life.  Batman manages to hold his own against the big guns (literally) in Apokalips.  Oh, and Krypto has a cute scene too.

Pretty much my only complaint is with Darkseid's voice.  No offense to Andre Braugher, but his voice just isn't deep enough.  Darkseid looks like he's made of stone, and as such his voice should be more gravely.  It needs to rumble.  But as complaints go, that's not much of a complaint at all.

I have yet to see a DCU OVA I didn't like, and this one is no exception.  Really, how great is it that we live in an age where we're getting animated movies of acclaimed comic storylines? I'm certainly enjoying it.  Only two more to go!

Green Lantern Larfleeze Christmas Special

Spoiler Level: High

For quite a few years I was getting both the Marvel & DC Christmas specials.  And although on the whole I enjoy the DCU more than the Marvel Universe, Marvel's Christmas specials pretty much always beat DC's hands down.  DC's were usually just too damn dark for Christmas, and I often felt I couldn't even read them to my daughter.  So for the last couple years I've just been skipping them all together. 

(And I don't know if I can ever forgive DC for wimping out and changing the name of their 2006 special from "Infinite Christmas" to "Infinite Holiday."  Let me explain this to the editorial staff who makes these PC decisions:  Y'see guys, "Christmas" and "Crisis" sound similar, so that makes for a good joke!  "Holiday" and "Crisis" don't sound anything alike, so that doesn't make for a good joke! And I'm not one of those militant "war on Christmas" types.  I'm about as liberal as they come, and I always thought "Happy Holidays" just meant Christmas and New Year's.  And really, why the hell not include people who don't celebrate Christmas?  We got Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, New Year's, and my friend's mom's birthday.  I have absolutely NO beef with saying "Happy Holidays."  Except when you ruin your own joke just because you're scared of pissing someone off.  Go ahead, have stories about all the holidays, heck even call it the "Infinite Christmas Holiday Special," but don't sacrifice your own joke just for the sake of being PC.  But I digress.)

So being a Green Lantern fan I loved the idea of a Larfleeze Christmas Special.  Then I got it and saw the cover with Larfleeze shooting off his machine gun and thought "Oh dear, they're doing it again. Time for another no-fun holiday special."

Boy, was I wrong.

So get this:  Larfleeze sends the great and mighty guardian of Earth, Santa Claus, his 20-page Christmas list, builds a cottage so he'll have a chimney to come down and leaves out "the offering he damands" of milk and cookies.  (And not just any cookies; Larfleeze's Orange Lantern Cookies, complete with recipe!  My friend Steve at Joy's Japanimation often makes cookies for Free Comic Book Day and other big store events, and he's done cookies with the various Lantern Corps' symbols on them.  Now everyone will be asking poor Steve if he's using Larfleeze's recipe.  But I've digressed again.)  So Larfleeze decides to take it up with the big man himself and storms out to hunt down Santa Claus!  Which then leads into a hilarious game page where you're supposed to get Larfleeze through an Orange Lantern-shaped maze to help him find the North Pole.

This special has what all the other DCU Holiday Specials I had been reading lacked:  FUN.  Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun.  Larfleeze's refusal to believe there isn't a Santa Claus, the explanations he comes up with for why Santa hasn't come to him, Glomulus's hi-jinks in the background, the Art Baltazar & Franco short strip... and some good sentimentality about "the Christmas Spirit."  No, not Jesus Christ, we're not going to go that far, but the more secular Christmas Spirit of giving to those who need it.  And it doesn't feel forced or shoe-horned in, it feels like a natural part of the story and gives it a touching ending.

All in all, this is the best holiday special I've seen from DC since I was a little kid.

Superman: Doomsday

Spoiler Level: High

DC's first Original Video Animation (or in this case, Animated Original Movie) is arguably one of the most influential stories told about Superman: his battle with Doomsday, resulting in his death and rebirth.  It was certainly a big one for me; it was because of this storyline that I started reading Superman, and became a huge Superman fan, devotedly reading the four Superman comics (being published as a "Superman Weekly" format) for nearly a decade.

This film actually covers three comic arcs: The Death of Superman, Funeral for a Friend and Reign of the Supermen.  So it has a lot of material to cover in a mere 77 minutes.  You'd think that would make it rushed, but the story here is more of an retelling than a straight-out adaptation, and it works really well.

Let's start out with Doomsday:  now that Doomsday's origin has been told in the comics, his discovery and release on Earth can be tweaked to fit.  Originally Doomsday was just bound and buried in a vault on Earth, and broke out on his own.  The implication in later issues was that he was a Cadmus experiment that had gone horribly wrong that they tried to dispose of without anyone knowing.  But by the time the storylines had run their course that was way too mundane an origin, so when the official origin came out he was now a Kryptonian experiment that had been jettisoned into space, where he roamed the universe causing more and more destruction until he was finally trapped and buried on Earth.  So as a result, in this movie he's now stumbled upon in a buried spaceship with an alien warning.  So that's a bit of retconning that actually improves on the comics.

Clark's relationship with Lois is a totally new take:  in the original, Clark had already proposed to Lois, she had accepted, so he revealed he was Superman.  Here it's exactly the opposite: Superman and Lois are an item (and they shower in each others homes a lot), but he hasn't told her he's Clark yet.  Not that she hasn't pretty much figured it out on her own, and is in fact getting peeved with him for not opening up and telling her.  It's a dynamic that makes for an interesting story, but it kind of gives me the creeps.  Not Superman Returns creeps, but it still feels wrong:  it was always important to Clark that Lois love him for who he truly is, and this flies in the face of all that.  Yet it manages to combine the element of Lois learning the truth about him yet still have the emotional drama of the watching the man she loves battle to the death in front of her.

And what a battle it is.  Doomsday takes advantage of the PG-13 rating, mercilessly killing anyone in his path, often by doing terrible things to their heads.  There's just enough done off -camera or in shadow that when combined with a lack of blood keeps it horrifying without becoming gratuitous.  And then once Doomsday faces off against Superman, it just intensifies as neither one has to hold back-- something you rarely see with Superman.  Buildings are destroyed left and right, and while it's never come straight out and stated that there's still people in them, we see plenty of people in other buildings and no evacuations.  The final attack where Superman defeats Doomsday is actually more dramatic here than it felt in the comic.

This movie doesn't acknowledge the rest of the DCU, so the "Funeral for a Friend" arc focuses just on Lois, Jimmy and Martha Kent, and doesn't last very long.  We have a nice seen with Martha and Lois, and then pretty soon Superman's back-- but of course it's not really Clark, it's the beginning of the "Reign of the Supermen."  But four new Supermen would require a movie all on its own, so instead they ditch Steel and The Cyborg all together and combine Superboy and the The Eradicator into one character-- a clone created by Lex Luthor to be under his control, but who becomes a "dark Superman" imposing his own justice on the world.  So instead of Kal-El coming back in black-and-silver to fight The Cyborg, he comes back in black-and-silver to fight The Dark Clone Superman Who Acts Like the Eradicator.  It's a change that needs to be made for it to work in this format, and it does work.  (And they still gave him long hair.  That's another thing that kept me reading for years.)

One last thing:  maybe it's just because I've seen this one twice now, but the theme they've created her for Superman is pretty good too.  Not as good as the Green Lantern: First Flight theme, but still a worthy theme for Superman.  It's a shame it's not included on the "DC 75" CD.

So all in all this was a very good kick-off movie for the DCU OVAs (I realize I should be calling them OAMs, but I'm an anime fan from the 80's) and a good way to show Superman's most famous battle to people who have probably never read the comics.

Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #1

Spoiler Level: High, especially for the endings of both original 1980's Micronauts comic runs.

Finally!  Marvel's Micronauts are back, and not as guest stars, but in their OWN mighty Marvel magazine!

Well okay, the book is spinning out of "The Incredible Hulks" so they have to share the title, even though the Hulk isn't in it.  And okay, they're still not allowed to be called "The Micronauts," so now they're Enigma Force.  But that's okay.  It's still Commander Rann, Marionette and Bug.  And to be honest, I think Enigma Force is a better name than Microns, anyway.  Microns worked, but the Enigma Force itself was actually the driving power behind the Time Travelers, Captain Universe, and many other key elements of the original Micronauts comic, so having the team take that as their name feels very, very right.

Now, I was a huge fan of the original Micronauts, and I have to admit, I always get confused on how to take new attempts at the Microverse.  Most notably because of Micronauts: The New Voyages.

New Voyages was Marvel's relaunch of the Micronauts.  The constant warfare with Baron Karza has wiped out all life on Homeworld, so the Micronauts leave in the Endeavor II to explore the wonders of the Microverse.  They discover the Makers of the Microverse, and that the pain of the holocaust that Homeworld has endured has driven its Worldmind insane, and that pain is rippling out, destroying the Microverse itself.  To save the Microverse, each of the Micronauts sacrifice themselves via the Prometheus Pits, which breaks them down and redistributes them throughout the molecules of Homeworld, and starts life throughout the Microverse anew.

So.  As pleased as I am to see the gang back again, the question in the back of my mind whenever I read new stories with them is, "Is Marvel disregarding New Voyages, or does this story fit in somehow?"

Now, there's an easy explanation for this: Even though the implication from the end of New Voyages was that the Micronauts were creating new life and weren't rebooting the Microverse timeline, it could simply be that the new life patterned itself after its donors, and gave rise to a very similar Microverse, with a new Commander Arcturus Rann, Princess Mari, Bug, and even a new King of Spartak.  However this time the race from Spartak weren't called Acroyers, the despot who took over wasn't called Baron Karza, and Rann's robot wasn't Biotron.  This is perfect, because it allows Marvel to keep the basics of the Micronauts history, but alter any details the writers may want to for modern audiences.  Plus it gives Marvel the bonus out of being able to bring back everything original that Bill Mantlo created about the Microverse without using anything that falls under the Micronauts toy license.

(And as to the time differences-- the time needed for new life to grow, evolve, give rise to a new civilization, and then have Commander Rann embark on another 1000 year journey-- there's two very good explanations: (1) Time in the sub-atomic Microverse may travel at different speeds; and (2) This is the same Marvel Universe where Franklin Richards was a member of Power Pack, but he's still a little kid and all the rest of Power Pack are now adults.  It's comic book time.  Don't over think it.)

So now that I've reconciled it in my mind, what I want to know is... have the writers come to that conclusion?  Or are they just writing this as if New Voyages never happened and they can't mention Baron Karza by name?


To assist us in this, the new Enigma Force #1 has a nifty little "Legends of the Microverse" timeline in the back.  ...Which could be either a timeline of the "new" Microverse or just be writer Scott Reed ignoring New Voyages and not being able to mention Baron Karza by name.

(And to top it all off, the name of their Bio-Ship is the Endeavor III.  Which makes me very happy and makes me smile... and also leaves me wondering even more.  Maybe only the ending of New Voyages didn't happen?  Maybe they got better?)




So, as to the story of itself: is it worthy of the Micronauts?  Oh, yes.  This issue felt more like the Micronauts to me than the entire runs at Image and Devil's Due.  (Who had the opposite problem, in that they had the rights to the toys, but not the Microverse and original characters Bill Mantlo created for Marvel.)  Commander Rann has a goatee now and is harboring an angsty, dark secret about his 1000 year history.  Mari is more of a 21st Century angrier kick-butt female fighter than the original 1970's angry kick-butt female fighter.  Bug is a little more serious, but still the light-hearted one of the team.  (And he was a regular in Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy?  Did I know that and not buy it anyway, or did I just miss that completely?)  New team members include Carl the Death's Head Robot, who I love; he's got the ferocity and armored look of Acroyer and the banter of Microtron.  We have Jentorra, who is from the planet K'ai, a sub-atomic world that the Hulk spent a lot of time in (okay, there's a flashback featuring the Hulk for one panel).  And we have a nasty alien Psyklop.

There's space battles, lots of action, lots of humorous dialogue, and lots of rich characterization.  Rann and Mari were generally a couple, but they had their times when they weren't, and for a while Mari was even involved with Bug.  This book acknowledges all of that by having Rann & Mari being divorced and Bug flirting with Mari while Mari's getting jealous over Jentorra's interest in Rann.

Would I read this as an ongoing?  In a heartbeat.  Do I think it'll sell well enough that I'll get to?  No.  But at least, for three issues, the Micronauts are back in spotlight.

The Micronauts are dead-- Long Live Enigma Force!

DC Showcase: The Spectre

Spoiler Level: Medium

"DC Showcase: The Spectre" is the first in a series of animated shorts that are being included on the DCU Original Animated Movie DVDs.  The wonderful thing about this is that characters who probably wouldn't be able to sell their own DVD can now get the beautiful animated treatment that Batman and Superman have been getting, even if it is only for about 11 minutes.

First off, I have to say I'm impressed with how well this short was made.  It's given a scratchy film look and an awesome 70's pulp-noir inspired soundtrack.  The animation itself is very fluid and fantastic to watch.  And The Spectre himself is in true Wrath of God form.

Having said that, I'm reminded why I tend to only like The Spectre himself as part of the Justice Society and could never get into his solo comic, even when he was Hal Jordan.  The Spirit of Vengeance is just too damn dark for me.  Rich commented that this story was pretty much a horror story, and I've never been very big on horror.

But I can still appreciate it for what it was, and it makes me really look forward to the other DC Showcase shorts that are on the way.  This one is currently available on the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD, but will be gathered with "DC Showcase: Jonah Hex" and "DC Showcase: Green Arrow" in November along with a new 22 minute short, Superman / Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam on DVD in November.

Wonder Woman (2009)

Spoiler Level: Medium

WOW, was that violent.  Not necessarily gory, although there is some blood; and a lot of the more gruesome things are shown in shadow.  But this movie takes full advantage of its PG-13 rating.

This video is an origin story for Wonder Woman, setting her in modern times.  It uses the full Greek mythology, which I always thought worked best for Wonder Woman as it gives her more depth and a rich history to draw from.  The Amazons are fierce warriors... hence a lot of sword combat and the aforementioned violence.

And Nathon Fillion is absolutely fantastic as Steve Trevor.  Steve has a rough time, as the Amazons of Themyscira have been betrayed by Ares, the God of War, giving them a general resentment of men, but Fillion's trademark humor carries Steve through it quite nicely.

Sadly, I've heard that the sales of this DVD weren't as high as the previous Batman, Superman and Justice League OVAs, so there aren't any plans to do any more.  Which is a real shame.  Wonder Woman is the #3 character in the DCU, as iconic in US pop culture as Batman and Superman, and this video shows she can easily hold her own as the star.  I have no doubt that Warner Brothers will change their mind and make another one when the big-budget Hollywood movie comes out in 2013 (assuming that they're still making DCU OVAs at that point), but with a new DVD being released every four months, four years is way too long to give Wonder Woman a second shot.
 
And as to that big budget movie in 2013, well, I can only hope that Hollywood will do as good as a job as this movie did!

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Spoiler Level: High

Okay, first things first:  The DVD cover is the same as the graphic novel cover.  Major, major points for that.

Second things second:  I've never read the source material.  Superman/Batman (the comic book) came out at a time where Jeph Loeb was driving me crazy with how he was handling the Superman titles.  Yes, I was one of those few people who actually enjoyed the "Superman Weekly" format and the HUGE cast of Metropolis that grew out of it.  When Jeph Loeb and his crew came on board, their goal was to get back to the basic cast and split the four Superman books back into four separate comics.  All of which I wasn't thrilled about, but was handling okay.  But he was also very big on returning the characters back to the way they were in the Silver Age, and that led me to eventually drop all of my Superman comics.  So I never read Superman/Batman (or "S-Bat," as Rich and I always called it) when it debuted.

In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't, because it allowed me to go into this movie with a fresh attitude.  And it's really good.  Oh sure, the Giant SuperBat Robot made my jaw drop, and not in a good way.  But I can forgive that, because it tried to be an homage to the Super Robots of old, such as Mazinger Z, and because the rest of the story worked so well.  I always liked the concept of Lex Luthor being president, and the guest stars alone gave a lot of great moments; Power Girl having such a big role was great, seeing so many villains try to take the two down was fun, and best of all... a true Superman vs. Captain Marvel battle! 

Chalk up another win for the DCU Animated Original Movies!

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Spoiler Level: Medium

First off, let me apologize to my buddy (and fellow blogger over at greatplaidmusings) Rich.  See, Rich and I started watching the DCU OVAs last week, so it was kind of assumed we were going to wait for each other to watch them.  But I was hanging out with another friend of mine this weekend who was in a mood to watch some super hero cartoons, so we picked Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths via Netflix's instant viewing option.  But don't worry, Rich, I liked it a lot and will be happy to watch it again.

Crisis on Two Earths loosely follows the story from the graphic novel "JLA: Earth-2" by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.  A lot of the key elements are still there; the take on the Crime Syndicate definitely owes more to Grant Morrison than to the pre-crisis versions of the team.  The big difference is, to me, a big improvement:  The Crime Syndicate's Earth is not Earth-2 of the anti-matter universe, but simply one of infinite Earths.  Call me too old-school, but I can't get into "Earth-2" ever being anything other than the pre-Crisis home of the JSA.  (What Earth is this now in the 52 universes, anyway?)

The story itself is mostly a lot of smack-downs between the JLA and the Crime Syndicate, with some interesting views into their Earth in between.  It's actually nowhere near as dark as the original graphic novel, which is kind of amazing considering it's PG-13.  Unlike Justice League: The New Frontier, there's nowhere near as much strong language and very little blood.

Sadly, since we were watching it via Netflix I didn't get to see the Spectre short, so I still have something new to look forward to when I watch it again with Rich.  :)

Justice League: The New Frontier

Spoiler Level: Medium-Slightly Highish

I haven't read the comic that this video is based on; at the time it was published, I was already spending too much money on "Prestige Format" comics, and I couldn't see doing it for what seemed to me at the time to be just another JLA origin story.

But it turns out that story was really pretty good. I always enjoy Elseworlds stories, especially ones that tie in to real history like this one does. It sticks with the idea that McCarthy forced the Justice Society to resign in the 50's, but then continues to ask, what if the next generation of super heroes rose to fill that gap immediately, at a time when anti-communism was running rampant? Where the heroes weren't just universally accepted but were considered to all be vigilantes? Where those heroes now had a legitimate distrust of their own government after what just happened to the JSA?

I also loved the 1950's look of it all; Ferris Industries looks like the pop-art 50's vision of how the future was supposed to be. Superman still has his Golden-Age color scheme, and Batman starts out with his long-eared 1940's look.

The final lesson, that it shouldn't matter what views we have, we're all Americans and in this together, is a good one for this day and age.

This is the third DCU OVA I've watched (the other two being Superman: Doomsday and Green Lantern: First Flight, the latter of which I plan to review after I finish watching all the bonus features) and I've definitely noticed a trend. The violence is pumped up, which is of course why it has the PG-13 rating. However, I also have to wonder if it's not a bit forced, to bring home the point that "this is not Superfriends." Same thing with the dialogue; while it's nice that the story doesn't have to come up with substitutes for "ass" and "son of a bitch," it's not like the foul language is essential to the story. I'm kind of left with the attitude that a lot of the early imported anime of the 90's had, where the anime community was working too hard to emphasize that they weren't kiddie cartoons.

But overall I'd say the DCU OVAs I've seen have been 3 for 3, and I look forward to seeing more of them. It's great that we live in age where comic book animation can not only be a thriving industry, but that the material is treated with so much respect.

Green Lantern Movie Costume

Yeah, okay. That'll do.

My first reaction was, oooooooh!

My second reaction was, what's with all the white lines? I'm wondering if they'll pulse, to try and show how he's full of power. Kind of like how he's drawn with the GL symbol glowing off of his costume these days.

My third reaction was the symbol and the ring look good. I'm glad they're using the mask too, that's good. In this age where the actors are more important than the characters I never take that for granted. The mask actually reminds me of a smooth version of Kyle's, which will probably piss some people off but is fine by me.

The fourth thing I noticed was there doesn't seem to be any black in Hal's costume. It's looks all green. Well, all green and white, anyway. Wonder how that's going to go over with people who are new to Green Lantern? (No point in asking how it will go over with the fanboys; they'll bitch and whine and declare this as absolute proof that The Movie's Going To Suck, like they always do.) But to the average person who doesn't know GL, will the all-green outfit look cool to them? Or will they think he looks like a frozen stringbean, or an electrified Hulk?

The final reaction that went through my mind was, "Hey! Is that Ben Stiller playing Hal Jordan?" But I was being a smart-ass with myself, because I already knew it was Ryan Reynolds.

All in all, since there are many different Green Lantern costumes in the Corps, this is a perfectly acceptable one. Sure, I would have preferred it with the black trim, but this will do fine. I could easily see any member of the Green Lantern Corps wearing it, so why not Hal Jordan?

I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures of it to flesh out my opinion on it. How long til we get a trailer?!?

Brightest Day #2 & #3

Spoiler Level: Low

I really am interested in exploring the mystery behind why these characters have been resurrected, and I love the bits with the White Lantern ring and Deadman. But now that the series has settled down into its regular format, I realize that I've been tricked into reading an anthology book for characters who can't carry their own books.

Which isn't bad, per se. I'm enjoying all the stories. I simply realized that the real reason all these characters were resurrected was so that they could all be put in the same book with a Green Lantern wrapping on it, thus giving DC hope that Green Lantern readers like me and readers who are into the big events like Darkest Night will be sucked in. It worked for me; I'm certainly not a fan of a single character in this series, but I am enjoying it and intend to keep reading it. I like anthology books, and I like weekly comics, so this being a bi-weekly semi-anthology satisfies both those interests for me. I'll stick with it.

But I wonder how many other people will. These are characters who are usually lucky if they see issue 50. Rich says this is an ongoing book, so being bi-weekly they'll get in 26 issues a year, but if enough people end up going "Hey wait a minute, this isn't really a Green Lantern book or an Event, why am I reading this?" then they may find themselves without a book again by issue 50.

The other thing it has going for it is that Geoff Johns is both a good writer and a hot writer, so his name may be enough to keep it selling, and he may have bigger things planned that will keep people interested. And as long as the people who were buying Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Hawkman and Firestorm in their own books were different people, and they're all buying it now to follow their individual favorite, then it might add up to enough sales to keep it afloat.

But still, this was very sneaky of you, DC. ;)

Iron Man 2

Spoiler Level: High

Oh MAN, that was sweet. (But then again, when hasn't a comic book movie been sweet lately? Unlike the "fan" base, I enjoyed Wolverine, Spider-Man 3, X-Men: The Last Stand, Daredevil, both Hulk movies, and both Fantastic Four movies. I'll confess I did find parts of Superman Returns disturbing, but overall I really enjoyed it. I don't think I've been truly disappointed by a comic book movie since Batman and Robin. Of course I haven't seen Catwoman or Elektra yet, so those might live up to their bad reputations. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah, Iron Man 2.)

I'm an unapologetic mecha-head. And this movie's got awesome mecha all through it. In addition to Iron Man, War Machine (who is really fun to watch making stuff go BA-FOOM in action scenes) and Whiplash, we get four whole squads of combat drones. Repulsor blasts, rockets, missiles, cannons, and lots of other cool stuff that blows up. Now normally I don't care for movies that just go BOOM, but I'm discovering I like movies with things that go SWOOOOSH-BOOM.

But this movie's got much more than just BOOM. It's got great banter between Tony Stark and Pepper. It's got great banter between Tony Stark and freakin' Nick Fury as played by Samuel L. Jackson! It's got Tony Stark starting to become an alcoholic. It's got Black Widow. It's got Avengers references galore. It's got accurate patches for S.H.E.I.L.D.! It's got freakin' Mjolnir!!!!! It's got Iron Man and War Machine smackin' down with each other, not once but twice, and then teaming up to take out the bad guys back to back!! Whoops, sorry, I slid back into SWOOSH-BOOM territory.

But my point is, if you look back over that list I mention Tony Stark a lot, and that's because the characters in general and Robert Downey Jr.'s performance in particular are what really carry the movie. Actually, I'd have to say Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko all make this movie fun to watch. Rockwell's Hammer and Rourke's Vanko compliment each other perfectly, the former as the showboating Evil Businessman and the second as the Quiet Bad-ass.

And just for icing on the cake, I really love that Tony Stark's computer interface is the big holographic screens that go swooshy-swoosh all over the place as he moves his hands and arms around. That's just fun to watch. Makes you want to jump in and play with it.

So, Iron Man 2 has good acting, fun characters, great eye-candy effects, lots of comic book fan-wank, and lots of great SWOOSH-BOOM. The Era of Great Comic Book Movies continues!

Smallville - "Absolute Justice"

SPOILER LEVEL: High

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!

Best.
Smallville.
E-V-E-R.

Could I have possibly asked for anything more?!? (Well, yes, I could have asked for Green Lantern to actually show up in costume, but I'll consider that my own little fanboy nitpick being a GL fan.) But seriously, JSA history is all there. It amuses me that it has to be practically shifted to the 80's to work timewise, but it's there. And best of all, it's wide open for more in the future.

Plus, they ended up doing what the JSA is supposed to be: an inspiration to the next generation on how to become the heroes they should be.

And the looks!! Hawkman, Stargirl and Doctor Fate all look perfect, and this from the show that swears "No tights, no flights"!!! Doctor Fate is a character that they could have easily wimped out on and given their usual "modern, more realistic look" to by just using his amulet, but they went all the way-- the full length costume, the mask, the cape, the works! And all the promos didn't prepare me for Doctor Fate's eyes. Just awesome.

Michael Shanks pulled off Hawkman perfectly-- his lowering his voice made me completely separate him from Danielle Jackson, and he had Hawkman's current attitude down perfect. I mean come on, that smile he gave Icicle right before he brought his mace down on him? I honestly had no idea if he was going to take just the helmet of Icicle's head.

And as if this wasn't enough, we get the return of the Martian Manhunter, with a glimpse of his full-on costume as well, and Checkmate too.

It's moments like these that make watching this show SO worth it.

Galactica 1980 #2 - #4

SPOILER LEVEL: Medium - High

Remember when you were a kid and ABC ran commercials for the upcoming premiere of Galactica 1980? And it was full of shots of the Cylons blowing up the Hollywood sign and buildings? And how exciting it felt, that not only was Battlestar Galactica coming back, but promising such incredible big things for what Galactica finding Earth would mean?

And remember what a let-down it was to see the actual episode and realize that all that stuff with the Cylons was just a 60-second "simulation" created by Dr. Zee?

This comic series delivers on that promise. Big time. If you ever, ever, ever liked the original Battlestar Galactica, you owe it to yourself to read this mini-series.

I have a few fanboy quibbles with it-- mostly NuBSGisms creeping into it, such as Adama being referred to as "Bill" and the occasional "Gods Dammit, what the frak?!?" But everything else about it is so well done that I can forgive those.

The story has a very definite ending, one that's full of promise and potential for plenty more stories. And just when I thought it was over, the comic closes with "To Be Continued In Galactica 1981." I don't know if it's a joke or it's serious, but my gods, I hope it's true.

Galactica 1980 #1

First off, kudos to Dynamite Comics for having the cajones to actually risk putting out a Galactica 1980 comic.

Secondly... it's good. REAL good.

I bought it because I just had to see what they were going to do with it. Would it be farcical? Serious? The promotional blurb said only this:

One of the most controversial series in Sci Fi's history is back! Some fans love it, some fans hate it, but one thing's for certain, writer Marc Guggenheim is going to do Galactica 1980 the right way! Lives will be lost as the re-imagining of 1980 begins here and unlike anything you've seen before in a Galactica comic book! Featuring artist Cezar (Zorro) Razek along with a fully painted cover from Lucio Parillo.

(Now, I have a lot things I want to say about this blurb itself, but I'll save that later.)

The word "re-imagining" had me willing to try it and the "lives will be lost" had me thinking it was probably going to be much grittier. Marc Guggenheim also writes the post-alien-invasion comic Resurrection, which I enjoy, and it can be very dark at times. However Steve & Rich have told me that Guggenheim's great when he writes his own material, but lousy when he writes super heroes. So how would he handle this already established property?

"Well," I told Steve, "It's Galactica 1980. It would be pretty hard to make it worse."

I have to say, based on this first issue, he's handling it great. The cast is the same as the TV series-- there's no Starbuck, Apollo, or Tigh, Adama has his beard, Boomer is the new Colonel, and the main characters are Troy and Dillon. And yes, even Dr. Zee is here. There are plenty of scenes that run parallel the original first episode, but with much more depth to them. Guggenheim has taken this show from an ABC 7 PM Sunday night kids show to a serious, 10 PM adult drama.

I also found this comment by him at Total Sci-Fi Online while I was searching for the cover to post here:

"It's the finest example I can think of how wide the chasm can be between concept and execution," Guggenheim told Comic Book Resources.

"The concept is amazing. The Galactica discovers Earth! What's not cool about that? But the execution… There are a million stories to tell there and you decide to do the one about super-powered kids who play baseball? Wow."

I mean, really, can the Galactica 1980 TV show be summed up any better than that? Luckily, the story Guggenheim has picked for the comic has me itching to see what's going to happen next.

Now, on to those things I wanted to say about the promotional blurb...

One of the most controversial series in Sci Fi's history is back!
Just wondering about the capital letters here... the anal-retentive smart-ass in me wants to ask, do they mean the channel that's become SyFy? 'Cause they did run it too...

Some fans love it, some fans hate it, ...
REALLY? There's a fan out there who loves it?!? PLEASE point them out to me, and I mean this in 100% seriousness! See, I've always had this belief that everything, no matter how terrible the world at large may think it is, is someone's favorite. And I went searching for a fan who loves Galactica 1980 to prove my point.

I couldn't find one. Not one. The best I could find was people who said "Well yeah, it's a terrible show, but it's not the show's fault, it's because of this and that and the other thing that was going on that ruined it." They often point to the last episode ("The Return of Starbuck," universally hailed as the only good episode of Galactica 1980) as a sign that Glen Larson was trying to fix the show and get it back on track. But even they admit they don't like it.

So in all seriousness, if there is ANYONE out there who loves Galactica 1980, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT HERE SAYING SO!!! I still believe in my "everything is someone's favorite" theory and I want to prove it as true.

...but one thing's for certain, writer Marc Guggenheim is going to do Galactica 1980 the right way!
Sorry, but the expression "done the right way!" sends fear through me. I've seen too many "done the right way!" stories backfire. Every fan has their own idea of how a story should be done, so "the right way" is completely subjective.

Look at the Star Wars prequels. Does anyone honestly think George Lucas set out to do them "wrong"? Does anyone really believe that he sat up at night plotting to himself, "I could do this the right way, but I think I'll destroy some fanboys' childhoods instead!" No, of course not. He felt he was telling Darth Vader's backstory the right way. But lots of fans already had in their heads how it should have been, and when it didn't match up they got upset.

(And for the record, I like the prequels. And even if I hadn't, I always said it was impossible for them to "destroy my childhood" because I was no longer a child. Galactica 1980, I always countered, destroyed my childhood, because I really was a child at the time. See? It all comes full circle.)

However, having read the issue... I have to say that yes, for me this is definitely Galactica 1980 done right. I hope it holds up in later issues.

Farscape: D'Argo's Lament

BOOM! Studios continues their excellent Farscape comics with Farscape: D'Argo's Lament. Once again, it's based on a story by Farscape creator Rockne S. O'Bannon and scripted by the excellent Keith R. A. DeCandido, although this time it takes place during the show's third season.

It's a great a story. KRAD shows how well he can capture the tone of D'Argo and Jool, who aren't in the regular Farscape comic. D'Argo is one of the characters I'd miss when I'd go a while without watching the show... I'd just find myself thinking, "I wonder what D'Argo's been up to?" like he was a real person or something, and then I'd start watching episodes again. So it felt good to revisit D'Argo here.

It really feels like a lost episode, right down to the fact that you never see Crichton, Aeryn, or any of the other characters even when D'Argo and Jool are on Moya-- because, obviously they're busy filming the other comic at the same time. ;)

The artwork is by Tommy Patterson and Neil Edwards, and it's also excellent. There are two other Luxons in the story, and you never wonder who's who.

So I really feel bad that I'm going to have to stop reading the D'Argo comics.

BOOM's approach seems to be that there's always two Farscape comics being published a month, one of the further adventures of John Crichton, and one of flashback tales of D'Argo. I almost passed on D'Argo's Lament when it was solicited, because I'm trying very hard to keep my comic book budget down to $50 a month. But I decided to get it anyway because, (1) I figured what happens to D'Argo in the flashback comic might end up becoming important in the "main" comic, and (2) as I mentioned above, I always liked D'Argo.

But my comic book orders keep coming in a t $61.60, so something's gotta go. And unfortunately, this comic was so well written that I realized I didn't need to know what happened in it to enjoy the main comic. D'Argo's Lament references a TV episode that I couldn't remember, but it did such a good job of giving me the information I needed to know that it didn't matter. Since KRAD writes both comics, I trust that if the events of any of the D'Argo comics come into play in the regular comic, he'll give me the info I need to know. Which in a way, I feel is very unfair to KRAD-- he shouldn't be punished because he's a great writer.

But the bottom line is I just have to stick to my budget, so I have to get tough. I'm already not buying BOOM's second Muppets comic, Muppet Robin Hood (soon to be followed by Muppet Peter Pan) because I just can't afford both that and The Muppet Show Comic Book. Same thing with Dark Horse's Star Wars: Clone Wars comic. Other titles on the chopping block are the Doctor Who Ongoing comic (because the one-shots coming out at the same time keep sounding more interesting) and Star Trek: Alien Spotlight. And the shame of it is, they're all enjoyable comics, there's just too many comics of the same series each month. If the D'Argo comics and Muppet Robin Hood were the only Farscape and Muppet comics being published that month, I'd definitely be buying them; as it is, since I have multiple comics to choose from for each series, I'm going to have to start getting pickier.

I'm still going to read the next D'Argo series, D'Argo's Trial, because I was already ordering it before I read D'Argo's Lament, and Lament was so good there's no way I'm going to bail on it in the middle of a story. But sadly, after that, I'm just going to have to learn to let D'Argo go.

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds

Okay, now Rich, I know you haven't had a lot of time to read lately. And Jonathan, I know you read comics but I haven't seen you post a comics blog in a long time and I don't remember if you're reading this one.

So if you guys haven't finished this mini-series, just stop reading this post now. If you have...

Okay, let me see if I have this straight... the Legion I've been reading, the most recent one that started with Mark Waid and ended with Jim Shooter, is actually the Legion of Earth-Prime, right? Which is our Earth. So that's why they always had all the real comic books in the early issues.

The previous take on the Legion (post-Zero Hour?) turns out to be from Earth-247, which Superboy-Prime destroyed. (I'm also pretty hazy on the whole Earth-247 thing. When and where did that one come from?)

And the original (pre-Zero Hour?) Legion is in fact the true Legion of New Earth, and will be the Legion that's co-starring in Adventure Comics. (Which, incidentally, makes it seem that Geoff Johns is on a quest to totally restore the pre-Crisis DCU... bringing back Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, the original Legion...)

Have I got it right?

Fer's Summer Movie Wrap-Up, Part 1

You know, when I first started this post back on May 22, I thought that with the exception of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen I was done with my movie-watching for the summer. But I still haven't seen Up, which is bugging me more and more, and I really want to see Bruno, and I just discovered the incredible website world of District 9 at www.d-9.com. So that's at least four more movies that have become "must-see" movies for me this summer. So instead of being the complete wrap-up, this has become Part 1.

So without further ado, here's my reviews:

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS

Okay, technically this is a Spring movie, but I saw it the week before Wolverine, and I've been wanting to mention it, so it counts.

In short: I expected to enjoy this movie. I did not expect to LOVE this movie as much as I did! Sure, I could tell the characters were going to be funny, but I didn't expect to have so many cool monster battles that actually felt like they come out of a Japanese Godzilla movie! They even go so far as to make the giant bug guy a direct tribute to Mothra. Plus, this is the first movie I've seen using the new 3D technique, and I can't believe how good it is. (It made me want to go see Battle for Terra, but that barely played a week, and it was a very busy and trouble-filled week for me. Ah well.)


X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

Now, I will confess I have read very little X-Men since the 1980's, back when Wolverine still had no idea what his history was. Rich has kept me up to date with some of the details from the "Origins" comic, so I had a general idea.

And, knowing the general ideas, I was very satisfied. I have no problem with the adamantium bullet scrambling Wolverine's memories, although I will agree with Rich that it was a bit much for the General to assume that was what would happen. And I thought that Deadpool getting Cyclops power was a bit much. But other than that, it all worked great for me.

Speaking of Deadpool, his part in the beginning I absolutely LOVED. I can see why people like this character so much, and I'm glad there are plans to do more with him.

STAR TREK (2009)

Well now. I really wished I'd blogged about this at the time when it was all fresh in my mind. But the bottom line is: Damn near perfect.

I say "near" because when I first walked out of the theater, the way that the super nova was used really, really bugged me as poor science. Okay, either Romulus's sun itself went nova, in which case it would have destroyed Romulus right away and the Red Matter wouldn't have helped anyway, or a different star went nova, in which case it wouldn't reach Romulus and not been a threat. And a super nova will always reach a limit, so it can't be a "threat to the entire galaxy." That's Astronomy 101, and hearing such mangled astronomy come out of Leonard Nimoy's mouth is even more painful.

But the "Star Trek: Countdown" comic, which shows all of those events as they happened in the "prime" universe, explains this away with one simple line of dialogue: This is something new, a super nova that doesn't burn out or collapse back in itself, but actually grows stronger with everything it consumes. As such it could stretch to other stars, causing them to go nova as well, fueling itself even more. Now that is a threat to the entire galaxy. It fits, it makes sense. I realize this movie wanted to get away from the technobabble (and thankfully so), but it shouldn't be at the sacrifice of basic astronomy.

So, when I rewatched it the second and third time, I had the comic's apologist explanation in my head and I was very, very happy.

The whole alternate universe approach was the perfect way to handle this movie. It opens it up to being anything they want it to be, makes history start anew (well, except for "Star Trek: Enterprise," anyway) yet still preserves our original timeline. And it was a damn enjoyable story to boot. Zachary Quinto is probably the best non-Nimoy Spock I've ever seen, and Karl Urban was FANTASTIC-- he really made me feel like I was watching a young McCoy. The rest of the cast were fine, and I could accept them as new versions.

It's kind of funny, Rich and I kept telling ourselves this was "Ultimate Trek" so we wouldn't get hung-up on nitpicky continuity issues. Not only where we righter that we realized, it was practically "Crisis on Ultimate Trek!"


TERMINATOR SALVATION

Again, for the most part I found it very enjoyable. There were some stretches of disbelief (open heart surgery in the middle of the desert? Skynet can track the noise of a radio playing but can't tell when the resistance is bombing the hell out of their lawn?) but any inconsisitancies with other Terminator stories I could just shrug off to the timelines constantly shifting. But I've only seen each Terminator movie once (I may have seen T2 more than once, but I don't really remember). Just call me the Lowest Common Denominator on this one.