Superman/Batman Apocalypse

Picked up my copy of Superman/Batman Apocalypse over the weekend. I thought you might like to know about it.
First off, it is definitely worth owning. It is by all the familiar players in the DC Anmated Universe. It is based on a comic mini series, I believe.
Basically, it tells the story of when Supergirl (Kara Zor-el) fell to Earth. It's not really in the continuity with the Cartoon Series, Justice League Unlimited, which might be my only complaint witht the current crop of DC Animated Movies. I feel like they should all be part of one continuity (George Lucas has shown us that this can be done)
The animation is superb, which we have come to expect, and one thing I do like is they got Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly to voice Batman and Superman respectively, reprising their roles from the animated shows.
there is lots of great super action including a major throwdown in Smallville between Superman, Kara and Darkseid.
So, go rent the movie for sure, buying it would be better since it supports that they will make more of these.
I enjoyed it, but I love these movies so I am admittedly biased.

Smallville Season 9 finale

Just watched the Smallville Season 9 finale. Good stuff - Zod is gone. Clark got the uniform from his Mom. there was an awesome glimpse of the future (2013) with a typical Superman rescue of the daily planet building.
Here is my only gripe - we had a war with the Kandorians and the Justice League was mobilized, in the field, with Kryptonite weapons. I would have loved to see some clashes between Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, Impulse and some Krytponians. Could have been awesome. The fight scenes have really stepped it up this year and this feels like a missed opportunity.
Even still, I am pretty stoked about season 10.
Is it going to be Darkseid? Do we see him in the Uniform? Will he fly? Will we see more of the Justice League? Was that Granny Goodness in Tess's hospital room.
Here is what I want. I want a full scale invasion from Apokolips. I want the Justice League to all be scene like the cool episode from season...6? I think?
I want him to fly and I want him in the uniform. don't wait for the series finale to show him suited up.
Or, if you do wait, then turn around and launch a show called "Metropolis" and lets get Superman on primetime.

Superman/Batman Public Enemies

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is out on DVD as of yesterday. Getting good reviews! Buy it here on Amazon.

For anyone who doesn't know, this one is based on a graphic novel, but it continues some storylines from the animated show that (regretably) ended a few years back.

Lex Luthor is elected President and now has the Justice League at his disposal. Superman and Batman reject this notion and become outlaws. How cool is that?

Another huge bonus is that the voice actors are the ones from the shows. Kevin Conroy is back as Batman! Tim Daly as Superman! Perfect. These guys have come to define the characters for so many people.

As I have said before - Superhero fans out there - go buy or rent this DVD. We want to reward good superhero movies with our cash dollars! Why? Cuz we want more superhero movies to be made!

Captain America's Back!

I know many might expect GGE to be thrilled that Cap is back in action, but instead, his return is greeted with a resounded sense of...ho hum.
Why?
First, did anyone know he died?
Well, the comic book community knew. It made some headlines even. Of course, a few years back Superman died. Batman got his back broken. Heck, Spock died in Wrath of Khan and it was all very poignant. Heck, even Captain Picard was "recovered" from the Borg and it is now official canon that Commander Data, who died in Nemesis, has been uploaded into the body of his idiot-savant "brother" B-4. Of course of all of these, Data is the only one I "buy" very well. He is a robot. I have resurrected my own computer a few times.
The problem? They are all back! It is a falacy of modern sci-fi and fantasy storytelling. Heroes fall, but they come right back in a few episodes. It's a time warp or a clone or an evil twin or something.
It has become a pattern and one that is just...well...boring and predictable.
I can speak for all writers when I say that no one wants their storytelling to be mentioned in the same sentence with boring and predictable!
If characters are always inherently "safe" then where is the drama?

1. GGE promises that our characters are NEVER safe
2. We will not keep a character around to make a buck if the storyline demands their untimely demise
3. Once they are gone, they are gone. The barrior of death should be a bit nmore difficult to overcome than our colleagues in other studios have made it out to be.

Okay...enough griping. Cap is back! Big deal.

Merlin on NBC

Well, I have really just discovered this show "Merlin" on NBC. If you have not watched it, then you really should. Is it great Arthurian literature? No. In fact, some of the stuff is a bit switched around from the more "traditional" Arthur stories, but I am always up for a reinterpretation of classic characters. Remember when John Byrne "re-imagined" Superman in the mid 1980's? It turned out to be one of the most beloved Superman comic runs of all time.
So, don't let the re-imagining stop you from checking out Merlin. One thing I love is that unlike recent stories such as "King Arthur" and "The Last Legion" there is actual magic in this story. I am more forgiving of changes in the story than I am stories without magic. King Arthur stories, in my opinion, should have some scraps of magic around.
In any event, here is the REAL reason you should watch it. As a fellow fan of fantasy, science fiction, super heroes and all that jazz (if you weren't you would probably not still be reading) we should support shows that support our habit. We want more shows about Knights and Wizards and Dragons so we should w watch the ones that are out there. If their ratings are good, imitators will surely follow and sometimes imitation can be a wonderful thing!

Besides...next week, The Black Knight shows up! And he is Undead! (I'm geeking about it)

Wolverine and Expectations

I saw Wolverine this weekend (of course - I want to support my own industry) and I was very pleased. It caused me to reflect a bit on Stan Lee and the other creators of Marvel's heroes. Have there been new superheroes in the last few years? Sure. Can you name any? Maybe you can, if you are a geek like me, but for the most part it is the originals that people remember. Why is that? There were superheroes before the X-men. Lots of them. There were superheroes before Spiderman. Superman and Batman have been around a long time, but others have come and gone and nobody seems to have displaced these heroes.
Why? Two reasons. In Superman's case he was first. Nothing like him had really been seen before (except in the book Gladiator). Batman was also a first in that he was "dark". Dark for the time is not dark now, but when Batman came out he was dark.
We don't have the advantage of being first, but neither did Stan Lee. Stan Lee simply exceeded all expectations. He took a genre and made it new againby making superheroes as people like you and I, or at least people we would recognize. People expected "just another superhero comic book" and instead they got Peter Parker who kicks butt as Spidey (and is funny as hell) but as Peter Parker he has trouble with school, girls and holding down a job. You have the X-men who save the world once a month but also struggle with a type of racism against mutantkind. It was new and poignant and exceeded everyone's expectations.
So all you and I have to do to add to that pantheon? Take what is familiar and make it new again and not in a gimmicky way but in a sincere way that speaks to readers.
Sounds simple (it's not), it's achievable (but it takes work)...so let's get to work.