Movie Catching Up, Part Two

Welcome back to the return of regular blog posts! Hmmmm...well, that may be asking for a bit much, but at least I'm getting these movies out of the way. After this I have three more that I saw in theaters and two more via On Demand.

So Jason Bourne came out of hiding. Just skipping over whaterver happened in the Matt Damon-less C-less "Bourne Legacy," this sequel finds him in hiding but recovered from his amnesia. What brings him back this time? He's contacted by the former CIA operative (Julia Stiles) who helped him in the past and is now also on the run. Through computer hacking she's discovered files about how Bourne became part of the program that turned him into a killing machine -- and it involves his father. Soon they're both being hunted by CIA assassins. The action sequences are what you'd expect, but the film gets bogged down a bit by a subplot involving privacy rights and a secret deal in which the CIA is funding a social media venture to use it to spy on everyone. My grade: B.

Suicide Squad is one DC comic book that I've never been interested in, and in the wake of the film that hasn't changed. The premise: government operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assembles a team of imprisoned villains, either wiith special skills (Deadshot, Will Smith), metahuman powers (El Diablo, Jay Herndandez), or just plain psycho (Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie), who are coerced to participate The team's job is to do whatever it takes should someone like, say, Superman (currently still dead in the movies) decided to destroy the planet. Soon there is such a threat and the "team" is sent into action. But secrets and lies threaten everything.

Having Harley Quinn in the mix led to adding the Joker, and there are a couple of cameos by Ben Affleck's Batman. (Meaning all of this takes in the DC movieverse DC Extended Universe alongside Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, etc.) And Jared Leto's Joker is awful, annoying in every scene in which he appears. Oh, Heath Ledger, why did you have to die?

And too many of the Squad members leave no impression as characters. They're just along for the ride or to serve to move the plot a bit. Fortunately, Robbie's Harley Quinn is a live wire, and Amanda Waller proves to be a total badass -- a term that fits Viola Davis as well. And a scene inserted into the credits makes me glad she's part of the DC movieverse DC Extended Universe. My grade: C.

P.S. I suddenly want to go see it again.

Weeks In TV, BTW...

I've decided to stop those weekly summaries of my TV viewing. Besides the fact that it's not like there's a huge audience hanging on my every word, I can't figure out a way to make it consistent. Do I go into huge detail about characters and plots and such? If I did that I'd have to take notes while watching. Also, it would be a pretty brief post when shows are on breaks (as most of them are right now). And it seems like it got repetitive. How many times can I point out the same flaws about "Gotham" from week to week? Anyway, I'm thinking I'll just use Twitter when needed.

Just a couple observations on the shows based on comic books...

I'm really torn about whether to revisit "Gotham" when new episodes return in January. I want it to be successful, but consistent quality just isn't there. They're introducing more and more future Batman villains when they hardy can deal with those they've already established. The crime-of-the-week plots have been pretty dreadful, and so much of the acting ranges from over-the-top to zombie-like.

On the other hand, "Arrow," "The Flash" and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" are killing it right now. The two DC properties are intertwined (there will be more crossovers), yet distinct. "Arrow" has deviated a lot more from its comic book mythology, while "Flash" is more faithful in some ways. Both shows are introducing more characters (in a better fashion than "Gotham"), basically building up their own version of the DC Comics universe -- without, of course, DC's biggest stars. It would be great if they could work these shows into their movie universe, if Warner Bros. can really get that off the ground with "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." But they've already cast a new Flash for a movie sometime in the future, which is too bad.

Meanwhile, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has not only its own comic book derivations but an already-established movie universe, and Marvel is apparently using the show to not only tie into their movies, but introducing concepts in the TV show that will carry over to future films. It's a shame they can't get the rights to Spider-Man and the X-Men back, though.

Quick Review: Man Of Steel

This is a not-so-quick read, actually.

If you've read this blog in the past, back when I used to post a lot more (and yes, I'm going to keep making the point that my lack of posts has been an abysmal failure of mine), you know that I am wayyyyyy into Superman. The comic books, the animated films and series, the TV series and, of course, the movies. The comic books, lately, I've put aside. My disdain for the changes foisted upon Superman's character by DC Comics when they rebooted their entire universe caused me to pretty much stop buying the books. That's not to say I haven't bought any comic books; there are the Simpsons and Futurama titles, and other things I've dabbled in, including some other DC titles. (I'll have to summarize all of that somewhere. There's over a year's worth of purchases so I won't really summarize them as I used to.) But as for the main Super-titles, I haven't purchased them.

Still, I am all for Superman, when done right. So geeked was I for Man of Steel, the latest big-screen attempt to cash in on Kal-El's popularity, that I not only purchased a ticket in advance (which I never do), but I spent the extra cash for IMAX (well, the faux-IMAX that they have at the AMC at Franklin Mills Mall).

There's another reason I mention the whole DC Comics reboot. As with every iteration, the individual creators tend to make changes to suit their needs. (And at times those changes get into the comic books. The 1940s cartoons had Superman fly for the first time, instead of leaping from place to place; Kryptonite was introduced in the radio serials in 1943; the list goes on.)

Two More TV Shows

Following up on my previous two TV posts...

I've tried two more new series...well, one isn't entirely new...and added them to my DVR. (I almost always record every show, even when I'm home, so I can fast-forward through the commercials.)

The hype over "American Horror Story" got me curious, and with the strange way that it's now not actually one series but separate miniseries (for Emmy purposes or whatever), the new season tells a completely different tale (thus the title being "American Horror Story: Asylum."  As I didn't need to see the first edition to know what was going on, I decided to tune in. It's very weird, obviously. The first episode didn't truly scare me, and I sort of guessed what was going to happen to one character at the end. I wasn't overwhelmed. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep watching, but I'll give it at least one more week.

The other show, now two episodes in, is "Arrow." As I previously mentioned, it's a very different take on  DC Comics' Green Arrow. I'm not sure they ever plan to give him that name -- right now he isn't called anything. He's just an anonymous vigilante, and he isn't above killing people if necessary, so it's not anything like a superhero show. I wouldn't call it brilliantly acted, and some characters aren't very developed yet, but I'm surprisingly intrigued by the premise.

So my TV schedule currently looks like this: Sunday is "Simpsons" and "Family Guy," and now "Robot Chicken." Monday has "Bones," and my weekly dose of Logo: "Be Good Johnny Weir" just finished season two (I felt it was more self-indulgent and scripted, so I'm not sure I'll be around if there's a third season), and its slot will be filled this Monday by "RuPaul's All-Stars Drag Race." Besides "Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23," Tuesday now has new episodes of Cartoon Network's "The Looney Tunes Show." Wednesday is "Arrow" and "American Horror Story: Asylum." "The Big Bang Theory" and "Glee" are on Thursdays, and eventually "Community" and "Malibu Country" will arrive on Friday.

With these cable shows debuting, and more on the way at some point ("Mad Men," "Southland") I'm concerned that it's going to take up more of my time to stay caught up. Of course, I don't really have much of a life, so...

My Recent Comics 2-8-12

With my procrastinating and lack of rest time and such, I actually went to the store(s) on three different days for these. I can't remember exactly when, but I've had them a while. They've been sitting on a table waiting to get their day in the blog spotlight. So, for the sake of getting this out of the way once and for all, I'm only going to touch on a few of these.

Simpsons Comics 183, 184, 185
Simpsons Winter Wingding 6
Simpsons Super Spectacular 14 -- The story of the musical "Radioactive Man: Turn Up The Silence." Sound familiar?
Futurama Comics 58
Veronica 209 a.k.a Veronica Presents: Kevin Keller 3 (of 4) -- As with the first two issues, I actually found this at a bookstore -- Barnes and Noble, now that Borders is gone. I never picked up issue 4, however, which is too bad because it actually had a bit of a cliffhanger. Plus they actually mention Snooki and plug her book, "A Shore Thing." Wait -- did I just plug it too? And that Barnes and Noble is also where I bought...

My...Something...In Comics 9-28-11

I had three weird Wednesdays in a row in September. I made no trips to the comic book store, trips that used to be a given. DC may have abandoned me in favor of new, younger (they hope, desperately) readers with their DCnU business and the younger Superman wearing jeans, workboots and a baby blanket cape, but I'm still interested in the Bongo Comics books I normally get (Simpsons, Futurama) and any others that might attract me. I suppose it's possible that something DC puts out might be of interest, but right now I'm just not ready to go back to them.

Instead of making a trip each week, though, I may just go once a month and pick up whatever books I need to. That's what I did this past Wednesday, with the three Bongo books and two others I was interested in, that were either released during September or a bit earlier...

Sherlock Holmes Year One 6 (of 6): This book was marred by some sort of production error, it seems. The fourth and fifth pages have the exact same word balloons in the exact same position on both pages, with different art (so on page 4 words are being spoken by the wrong characters, or no one at all). It took me a while to figure out how to read this, and it seems there is missing dialogue that would clarify what's going on. (Good thing this was the final issue of the miniseries because it would otherwise discourage me from future purchases.) Once I got through that mixup, I found a satisfying explanation for the "Twelve Casears" murders orchestrated by Professor Moriarty.

Kevin Keller 2 (of 4): No, I won't be buying Archie Comics regularly to replace DC Comics. As with the first issue, the story revolves around a celebration (this time, Kevin's dad's birthday party) and Kevin telling Veronica stories about his life before moving to Riverdale, including how he handled some bullies at his last high school. I guess the final two issues will follow the same pattern. Once again, I found this in Barnes and Noble instead of a comic book store. And again, the cover has numbering in smaller print indicating that it's an issue of the Veronica series (plus I noticed the store receipt lists it as "Veronica 208," not "Kevin Keller 2"). It seems the publisher is trying to have its cake and eat it too. (Come to think of it, what does that saying even mean?)

My (Last*) Week In Comics 8-31-11

Well, today was the big day. The final issue of "Flashpoint," the end of the DC Comics Universe as we know it and the launch of the new DC Universe, or DCnU, to use the shorthand that someone came up with. (Was it DC themselves? Not sure.) The first of the 52 monthly titles, all starting with issue 1 -- even long-running Action Comics and Detective Comics -- was also released: Justice League #1. So let's get to what I bought today, and then we'll discuss this some more...

Flashpoint 5 (of 5): In this issue, the war between Wonder Woman's Amazons and Aquaman's Atlanteans has begun, and unless it's somehow stopped, will result in an earth-shattering cataclysm. The attempt by some of the heroes of this world, including the Flash and this alternate world's Batman, finally gathered in an attempt to stop it, isn't going so well. Then Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash, shows up to make things worse for Barry Allen by explaining exactly how the timeline was changed so drastically. The revelation is quite a twist. How things are resolved essentially boils down to one man's love for his mother, and another man's love for his son, and the sacrifices both must make in order to restore the correct timeline. The Amazon-Atlantis war itself is mostly an afterthought. Some characters from the various tie-in series show up dramatically for a couple of pages, but the whole thing is pretty much in the background of the Thawne/Flash/Batman drama. The final 9 pages feature a two-page sequence which bridges the old and new DCU, and hints at an upcoming threat, followed by Barry Allen waking up back at his police crime lab job. I guess it's kind of a spoiler but we all knew that when this was over Bruce Wayne would be Batman again, so it's no surprise when Flash rushes into the Batcave to find Bruce/Batman. There's a nice conversation and a touching moment.

My Week In Comics 8-24-11

The end is near...so, so near...more on that in my next comics post. For this one we have the finales of two "Flashpoint" tie-ins, the end of four regular series and two specials.

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance 3 (of 3)
Flashpoint: Project Superman 3 (of 3): I hazarded a guess that I had to read the Lois Lane book first, and I was right, because events in that book were followed up in the Project Superman book. After all, you can't keep Superman (even if his existence has been radically altered by the Flashpoint phenomenon) and Lois Lane (even if her existence, etc.) apart for long. The Project Superman series was well-done, though. Both of these lead to the conclusion of "Flashpoint" and the end of the old DC universe.

Action Comics 904: Like many of the other books, it ends with a heartwarming feel-good moment. In this case, it's Lois and Clark having dinner after Superman and the others end the threat of Doomslayer and the Doomsday clones. The curtain is drawn on the final act of their marriage, since the new DC has decreed that in the new universe they were never married. Sadly, this title will never get to the magic number of 1000 issues (unless, at some point in the future, DC decides to renumber their books again -- they did this recently with Wonder Woman, adding previous series together so they could give her series an issue number 600).

Teen Titans 100: Speaking of books hitting milestone numbers, here's one now. This is an example of my "completeness" issue. Since I bought the previous two issues for the storyline, I ended up buying the last one. Meh.

Gotham City Sirens 26:

My Week In Comics 8-17-11

So there are these books, then those I bought today, and the final issue of "Flashpoint" next week, and then...well, that's the question, isn't it? Will I keep buying any books at all? Right now, I don't know. I'm not buying into the new DC Universe. (If I get around to it I'll elaborate on that.) The question is, will I bother to go to the comic book stores at all, for the Simpsons/Futurama books or other things I take a chance on from time to time?

Superboy 11
Supergirl 67
Superman/Batman 87: All three of these are the last issues of these series. There isn't going to be a Superman/Batman book in the new DC, at least not at first. And the changes to the other books starting with their new #1 issues are not to my liking at all, so this is it. All storylines are wrapped up (except for a little loose end in "Superboy") in a satisfactory way. The Superboy and Supergirl books are two that I've really enjoyed; they've been more consistently good than most of the monthly series I've been buying, and they both end (as are many of the DC books) with sweet, heartwarming final pages. "Superman/Batman?" Not so consistent, and I dropped it until these last three issues. It ends with the two heroes on a rooftop, as they so often find themselves. Hard for these two to have a private chat on the street, don't you know. Superman's not entirely satisfied with the resolution of the case, and Batman advises him to let it go, making a neat comparison of the two and their styles: "Last night, while you were paining over this, there were nine murders in Gotham. Six of them remain unsolved. You're an architect, Clark. You're building a future. I'm a fireman. I put out fires as best I can, and then move on to the next one."

Simpsons Comics 181: Ned Flanders on a cruise ship for the religious, with cruise director Reverend Roy: "The eleventh commandment is fun, fun, fun! Pan-denominational, monogamous, non-alcoholic fun, that is!" And poor Rod and Tod are left behind with the Simpsons. "Left behind" -- get it? I'm so funny!

My Week In Comics 8-10-11

Winding down to the end of the old DC Universe. Just two weeks of issues left after this. But first, a non-DC book that actually was issued a week earlier. The store I had gone to then didn't have it, so I had to wait...

Moriarty 4: So the back of the book reveals that this isn't the end of a four-issue miniseries, but just the end of the storyline, with more adventures starring Professor Moriarty to come in the fall. And my one suspicion, that at the end of this tale Moriarty would have to confront the thought-to-be-dead Sherlock Holmes, sort of comes true. Yay me.

DC Retroactive: Superman - The '80s 1 (of 1): The reprinted story features Superman being confronted by a being called Destiny, who teaches him that just because he can help everyone, he shouldn't always do so. You know, one of those "mankind becomes stronger by fighting their own battles" blah blah blah stories. The new story brings this Destiny character back -- to try and make Superman choose between two future paths, neither of which are very palatable, with the tactic of showing Superman "future" events such as "Identity Crisis" and "Blackest Night" and, of course, his temporary death in battle against Doomsday. (Remember, this is set in the 1980s.) But if he really wanted to show a bleak future, Destiny could have shown Superman his mopey walk across the country.

Teen Titans 99: I wasn't so thrilled by the last issue, in which Superboy-Prime returned. I wasn't going to buy this, but I started looking through it in the store and sort of got suckered in. Dammit. I suppose I'll have to buy the last issue now.

My Week In Comics 8-3-11

As it is many times, it's an all-DC week. Although when September arrives and DC reboots, I really don't think I'm going to be on board. The advance publicity has revealed quite a bit, and I dislike almost every change in the series I buy regularly. Which also makes me wonder, if the only books I get regularly are the Simpsons/Futurama books, should I even bother? But that decision is for next month...

Flashpoint 4 (of 5): The story that's leading to all of those changes is nearing its end. War between the Amazons and the Atlanteans is erupting, and a desperate Flash finally convinces this world's Batman to join with other superpowered beings to try and stop it. Some of what happens is a result of what took place in some of the tie-in books. Without that background, a few characters' motivations here is fuzzy. I have to agree with some other commentary I've read, that the main Flashpoint series is being overshadowed by some of the companion books...

Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance 3 (of 3): ...and this was one of them. The amazing cliffhanger in the last issue -- (okay, SPOILER ALERT if you care about these things) where we learned that the murder of young Bruce Wayne in Crime Alley not only resulted in his father Thomas becoming Batman, but his mother Martha is the Joker -- is played out, with flashbacks interspersed revealing Martha's descent into madness.

Superboy 10: As with the other DC books I've been getting, here's the next-to-last issue. And to mark the occasion, Superboy himself appears on a grand total of two pages of the book. The last two. Good thing it's not the very last issue. (The rest of the book was flashbacks telling how the villain of the tale, Tannarak, has been around trying basically the same thing over and over since at least...drum roll...the year 45,025 B.C.)

Superman 714: This, on the other hand, is the end. The end of the series before the new one starts up, and the end of "Grounded," otherwise known as Superman's Walk Across America. Although, technically, did he complete his walk if, in order to rescue Lois from the woman who was holding her hostage in order to draw him out, he flew from Portland to Seattle? Not to mention his time walking from Vegas into and out of Los Angeles just disappearing -- seriously, it's like Hands Across America. There are gaps. Anyway, the finale wasn't all that bad, but it couldn't make up for so much bad that came before it.

My Week In Comics 7-27-11

I need to bear down and get these posts out, as my online time might be limited in the coming days. And this was a heavy week because of two "Flashpoint" tie-ins and a couple of other books not part of my regular deal.

Action Comics 903: As with just about every series, this is the next-to-last issue before the reboot. So it's the next-to-last part of the "Reign of the Doomsdays" storyline, which I've found to be badly written. Between this and the walk-across-America story in the other Superman book, even though I detest much of what I've heard about the reboot it's arriving just in time.

Flashpoint: Project Superman 2 (of 3): This book, on the other hand, really surprised me. I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Held in a secret facility under Metropolis, young Kal-El (Subject One) is being experimented on and, ironically, it's General Sam Lane who's treating him with compassion to try and guide him into becoming the hero that Subject Zero couldn't be. We also meet Lionel Luthor and his son Lex, who is viciously attacked (thanks to some manipulation by Subject Zero and a timely push by Lionel) by Subject Two -- the dog we know in the regular DC world as Krypto. And young Kal meets young Lois Lane for the first time.

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance 2 (of 3): Meanwhile, the all-grown-up Lois meets up with the Resistance in London, and they're after a prototype of an armored battlesuit that could help them fight against the occupying Amazons. But there's a traitor in their midst...

Gotham City Sirens 25: This time out the entire issue is focused on (and has narrative boxes from) Poison Ivy, as she escapes from Arkham with Harley Quinn, intent on killing Catwoman for her betrayal. I remember when this book was a lot more humorous. I liked it a lot more then.

Teen Titans 98: Somehow, and I suppose there's an explanation coming, Superboy-Prime (whose punches caused lots of changes in DC's continuity, but fortunately have nothing to do with the reboot in September) has returned and is out for vengeance (or something) against Superboy. The last page is amusing.

DC Retroactive: Superman - The '70s 1 (of 1): DC is doing a bunch of one-shot specials which pay homage to the 1970's, 1980's and 1990s. Each book will have a new story set in the specific decade, plus a reprint of a story from that era. In this case, the new story in part deals with a little drama between Lois Lane and Lana Lang over their love, Superman, which the old story tells how the Earth-Two Superman came to marry Lois Lane.

Futurama Comics 56: Fry blows up the Earth. Not really. It's a theme restaurant called Earthies. It leads to, among other things, Bender being chased down while on the Internet for illegal music downloads -- by the artists whose music he downloaded.

My Week In Comics 7-20-11

With time running out before the big September relaunch/reboot/whatever you want to call what DC Comics is doing, it almost seems like there should be a countdown clock. Since these posts are dated with the day the books were in stores, and the actual relaunch begins August 31st with the final issue of Flashpoint and the 1st issue of the new Justice League series the same day, we'll go with that. As of July 20th it's T-minus 42 days and counting...

Supergirl 66: Second of a three-parter. Of course, since it's the next-to-last issue before September. Supergirl is undercover as another college student goes missing, so she's mostly in civilian garb, secretly using her powers so as to not let the other students in on her identity. And it's not often you have both mechanical rats and a reference to "Bewitched" in the same story.

Superman/Batman 86: Same deal here, next-to-last issue, except this series isn't coming back in September, at least not right away. Clark Kent has a dilemma -- whether or not to finish the article on the Batman/Wayne corporation connection that got the Gotham reporter killed.  (Remember, this story is set in the early days, long before Batman, Incorporated.) Oh, and it turns out the Joker is involved.

Simpsons Comics 180: The Simpsons are going to Canada! Again! Permanently! Illegally! Along with the rest of Springfield! After Mr. Burns shuts down every business in town! Why do I keep talking like this!?!

My Week In Comics 7-6-11

Let's get right to this...

Flashpoint 3 (of 5): DC Comics continues to hype their coming final blow to their business reboot as well as selling "Flashpoint" and its tie-ins. One thing they're saying is that some of the changes occurring in September are being hinted at or previewed in "Flashpoint." A badly-hurt Barry Allen makes that point early on in the 3rd issue of the main series: "If we don't fix this soon...I won't even realize it's wrong." Yes, but we will. Anyway, Barry makes a speedy recovery and finally convinces Batman to help him get as much of the old gang -- the Justice League -- together again. So much has changed, but since Barry learns that a rocket ship crashed from outer space years ago, he knows that somewhere out there, there's a Superman. We knew that because of the "Project Superman" tie-in book that came out a week earlier. And since events in that book take place in flashbacks and the first issue ended with the arrival of the rocket from Krypton, this book lets us see what Superman is like now (and, gruesomely, the status of Krypto).

Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance 2 (of 3): Meanwhile, in the Batman tie-in, we learn that in the Flashpoint universe there is an Oracle in Gotham, but it's not Barbara Gordon. And in a stunning and tragic sequence, we learn the identity of this world's Joker. And that is one of the most surprising and entertaining reveals I've read in a book in a while.

Superboy 9: Again, not that it matters, since everything changes in a couple of months, Superboy faces off against the Hollow Men and learns that his ally is not who he appears to be. And we learn the true mission of the from-the-near-future Psionic Lad...I mean, Psion. He changed his name. But it doesn't matter since he probably won't exist in the new DC universe.

Moriarty 3 (of 4): The "to be concluded" note on the last page solves the mystery of how long this series will last. The mystery of exactly what the threat to London (and/or the world) entails is a bit clearer, I think. Took me two reads to come up with a guess. Moriarty also "catches up" with Inspector Lestrade, using him to deliver a message to Dr. Watson. With one issue left, it remains to be seen whether or not Moriarty's presumed-dead nemesis will make an appearance. My money's still on "yes."

My Week In Comics 6-29-11

I haven't posted anything in a few days. I find myself once again in a bit of a rut with this whole blogging thing -- but at least I'm not backed up with movies to write about. (What, you think I'm going to see that Transformers crap?) I do plan to post about how I spent the 4th of July. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you already have an idea. For now, though...

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance 1 (of 3)
Flashpoint: Project Superman 1 (of 3): The Lois Lane book was actually released a week earlier but I skipped it. After taking another glance at it I decided to try it. Since everything in this Flashpoint universe is changed, these two books aren't actually related. Lois is still a Daily Planet reporter, but to her disgust she's stuck covering Fashion Week in Paris instead of hard news (along with Jimmy Olsen). Then fate intervenes, in the form of Emperor Aquaman's flooding of western Europe as part of the Atlantean hostilities against Wonder Woman and the Amazons. Olsen is killed but Lois survives and is taken by the Amazons to New Themyscira (the former Great Britain), where she ends up (thanks to her possession of Jimmy's camera) joining the resistance movement. Meanwhile, the Project Superman book takes place in flashbacks, starting 30 years ago, when a U.S. soldier arrives at a secret underground facility in Metropolis (with a certain General Sam Lane in charge), having volunteered to undergo treatments that would give him superpowers. Ummmm...isn't this more of a Marvel thing? Anyway, the goal is to have a powerful hero who can also present himself as normal-looking to the world -- all the better for the good old USA. But things don't quite go as planned, and a few years later our super-soldier is kept locked up in the facility, until meteors crash into Metropolis, and on the last page we see that one of the meteors is actually...you guessed it...a rocket carrying a baby. Which brings up a question: how would the changes in Earth's timeline caused by the Reverse-Flash cause the ship from Krypton to crash-land in Metropolis instead of on the Kent farm in Smallville? This seems more like a random change done for plot purposes, unless the coming DC Universe reboot in September is even more drastic than I imagine.

Batman, Incorporated 7:  Meanwhile, in the unchanged (for now) DC universe, we have a story that doesn't have a lot of Batman. It centers around one of those he inspired, Man-of-Bats, who fights crime on his reservation along with his son, who's called Raven. But unlike Bruce Wayne, Man-of-Bats doesn't have unlimited resources, and the Leviathan criminal outfit is making things on the reservation much tougher.

My Week In Comics 6-22-11

It's been a bit hectic the last few days, with Sunday's softball and our sponsor being Bar of the Week (two wins and raised over $300 for the team -- woo-hoo!), and yesterday and much of today helping a friend pack up his things for a move (which I'll be helping him do tomorrow), not to mention accompanying him on his trip to the emergency room due to abdominal pains (spent like 9 hours there but he's feeling better) yesterday. I still want to write about the Phillies' current circumstances and the Flyers' dramatic moves last week (with one more big one to come?) -- but, to get something posted, I'm taking the easy way out with these...

Action Comics 902: As we continue with "Reign of the Doomsdays" (and some more clunky dialogue) there's a new player in the game, Doomslayer, who wants to destroy the original Doomsday and the Luthor-produced clones. To do so he's willing to wipe out everyone on Earth, or at least Metropolis -- which, of course, Superman and his allies want to prevent. Doomslayer seems to be a much more evolved version of the original Doomsday, or perhaps he is the original, evolved and returned from the future. That, of course, would mean he's going to kill himself, which would mean he wouldn't go from Doomsday to Doomslayer, but if he doesn't become Doomslayer because he killed himself, how does he come back to kill himself? Head...spinning... Oh, and a character died at the end of issue 901, but what does it matter since the great DC reboot is coming?

Superman 712: Here's the description of the issue from DC's website: "Meet Los Angeles's newest super hero in the latest chapter of 'Grounded': Sharif! But Sharif discovers that in today's current cultural climate, some people don't want his help – they just want him gone. Can Superman aid Sharif and quell a prejudiced public, or are there some problems too big even for the Man of Steel to solve?" Well, a funny thing happened on the way to Los Angeles. This story was replaced at the last minute. This means that Superman's walk across the country has been interrupted three times now for unrelated stories, and with only two chapters left now before the reboot, this walk is limping to an end. Something in the story of Sharif (could it be that he has powers but hey, he's a Muslim so people think he must be a terrorist?) was deemed too controversial, and so the story can never see the light of day.

Then again, the story that actually appeared in the issue was also missing in action. It was originally slated to appear a few years ago. For reasons that weren't made entirely clear at the time, it was similarly pulled on short notice. I guess it was an emergency and something had to come out on Wednesday, so here it is. "Lost Boy: A Tale of Krypto the Superdog" is set shortly after "Infinite Crisis," in which Superboy died (until "Final Crisis" brought Conner Kent back to the land of the living) and Superman went missing after losing his powers. It deals with Krypto's reaction to these events, so it's mostly wordless (except for some flashback scenes), but Krypto's expressions -- and one long, loud, glass-breaking super-howl -- effectively tell the tale. It would have been better had it arrived on schedule, but it was worth the wait.

My Week In Comics 6-15-11

I was considering not buying the two DC books I picked up, with the coming reboot and all, but ended up doing so anyway -- one out of some loyalty to the character, and one because I looked at it in the store and decided I might like it.

Supergirl 65: With the last story arc having been completed, this is the first of the final three issues before September's relaunching. The description of the new Supergirl leaves me cold. So I wasn't going to bother with this, but decided to anyway. This new tale sends Supergirl to college (incognito, of course), at the request of Lois Lane, to try and learn why some college students are going missing.

Superman/Batman 85: Hadn't bought this book in a few months, because I was tiring of the stories they were telling, especially since they mostly weren't connected to the current events involving either title character. This story (again a three-parter, and this is one book that is actually gone come September), is, like the others, a flashback tale of sorts. It's set in the early days of the continuity that's about to disappear, a time when Batman and Superman were still a little distrusting of each other. The body of a reporter from Gotham City is found in Metropolis and Batman is the prime suspect in the murder. Sent by the Daily Planet to look into it, Clark Kent finds some evidence that actually could prove it. I enjoyed this -- the characterization hits the right notes.

Simpsons Comics 179: I get a weekly email from one of the stores I frequent, listing the new books coming out on Wednesday. This was not on the list. The fact that it was in the store and I didn't know it...disturbs me. Anyway, in this issue Lenny is taken in by a Scientology-like organization. There's also an ad for Simpsons Super Spectacular #13. "On sale in May!" it says. It's a little late, apparently.

Quick Review: Green Lantern

I was worried about "Green Lantern," based on the DC Comics character. Face it, once you get past Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman you're dealing with DC's second string. And look at the trouble DC's parent company, Warner Bros., has had turning their properties into films. They had to go back to basics with the Batman films after what Joel Schumacher did to them (and struck gold, to be sure). Their first Superman franchise reboot took forever and was not as successful as they wanted, so now they're trying again with a different director, star, etc. And Wonder Woman's been stuck in movie and TV limbo. So a Green Lantern movie would have to be done right to cross over to the public at large. The box office may ultimately tell a different story, but for me, it wasn't a huge success.

Ryan Reynolds isn't terrible as Hal Jordan, the test pilot who is chosen to become the newest Green Lantern of Sector 2814 (that would be the one that includes Earth, of course) and receives the green ring that grants him superpowers. (And, as you can see, he's pretty, although he doesn't show much skin in this movie.) But the plot is splintered, veering between Hal's getting the ring and learning how to use it and meeting other members of the Green Lantern corps, and the threat of an entity known as Parallax (the essence of fear, which is represented by yellow, although the entity itself seems to be a smoke monster), and the relationship between Hal and Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), and then to Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), a scientist who gets a piece of Parallax inside him and mutates into a villain himself, although he doesn't do all that much, really -- the character and actor are both pretty much wasted here. And to explain the history and mythos of the Green Lanterns and the Guardians who created them, and how green is the color of willpower, able to confront fear, and so on, took a lot of narration. I didn't dislike this movie as much as others, but it's still a disappointment. My grade: C-plus.

My Week In Comics 6-8-11: A DC-less Preview

It was an interesting week in a couple of ways. First of all, I bought no DC comics. None of my regular books were out, and I wasn't interested in any of the "Flashpoint" tie-ins. Considering DC's pending reboot and my disdain for, and concern about, much of it, this could happen much more often come September. Perhaps even weekly. Since my last post, DC put out its word on the Superman books, and at least two of them -- the books starring Superboy and Supergirl -- are very likely off my purchase lists. I haven't decided on the Action Comics and Superman books yet. There's also been confirmation that the Lois Lane-Clark Kent wedding will no longer exist in the new order.

And there was this piece of information that is just going to lead to a lot of confusion some day, when future stories are being planned out. Many of the events that have happened in recent years are still going to be considered to have taken place, in the timeline that DC has built for itself:

DC confirmed that stories like Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Identity Crisis, Death in the Family, and Killing Joke are still part of the DCU history. In fact, editors said, some events in those stories are specifically referenced in September.

So they will have to explain how Barbara Gordon is no longer paralyzed, I suppose? The thing is, if the characters are supposed to be younger (after all, they want to try and get young people to buy into the new continuity), how can so many of these events have happened in such a brief period? Word is that while most books are set in what the story calls "contemporary times," two books -- "Justice League" and "Action Comics" -- are set at the "dawning of the age of superheroes," which, from one report, is only about five years earlier. And "Identity Crisis" was, in part, about superheroes' families being in danger after one wife is murdered (and their actions as a result). A major plot twist turns on a past event that some characters kept secret from others. If at least some of that history is gone, if some of those relationships (such as the Lois/Clark marriage) don't exist now, then how does the rest of the story make sense? I'm just not sold on any of this.

So on to the two books I did buy...

My Week In Comics 6-2-11 (With Bonus Rant)

Okay, let's get right to this so I can rant.

Flashpoint 2 (of 5);
Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance 1 (of 3): The newly altered universe Barry Allen finds himself in is very much different. Much of Europe is under water, flooded by Atlantis under its ruler, Aquaman. And England is now New Themyscira after being attacked by Wonder Woman and the Amazons. But probably the biggest reveal of the first issue of the main series is that instead of Bruce Wayne seeing his parents killed and eventually becoming Batman, it was Bruce and his mother who were killed and his father, Thomas Wayne, who becomes Batman -- but this Batman is not out for justice, but revenge. In Flashpoint #2, Barry Allen tries to persuade Batman to help him re-create the accident that gave Barry his super-speed, allowing the Flash to find a way to restore history and get the world back to where it was. The Batman tie-in miniseries focuses on the changes in Gotham City: Thomas Wayne is a casino magnate and has privatized the Gotham police force, but while many of the city's worst fiends are dead (thanks to Batman), the Joker is still around, and has kidnapped the twins of Judge Harvey Dent. Not that all of this will matter in a few months...

Superboy 8: The strange mysteries that have been building in Smallville since the start of this series -- the "broken silo," Psionic Lad, Lori Luthor -- are all coming to a head in part one of "Rise of the Hollow Men." Not that it will...

...okay, you get the idea. What I was hinting at in my last comic book post is the news that came out of DC Comics last week. Essentially, "Flashpoint" is serving as the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" of today: when it's over,