Early Preview of Justice League Infinite Chapter 3

Merry Christmas Eve Day, everybody! lol So, as an early Christmas present, here’s a sneak peek at chapter 3 of my current fanfic, Justice League Infinite, and once again, a look at the DCIU (yes, that’s what I’m calling it, lol) version of Poison Ivy.

Ivy leaned back against the pilot’s chair, looking out through the front window of the shuttle. It was her turn to keep watch for Starro, and while she didn’t know how to steer the ship, she at least understood the read-outs on the helm’s screens and controls. Still, it was getting more than a little boring just looking ahead for anything to appear out of nowhere, and while the ship was much faster than the average space shuttle, it was still going much too slow for, say, the stars to speed by.

“Should be any time now,” Pam heard Wonder Woman declare as she slipped into the seat next to her.

“Maybe he took a nap somewhere?” Ivy suggested, getting a shrug from the Amazon Queen. “…So, thoughts?”

“Just hoping we can put a stop to this without any bloodshed,” Diana replied.

Pamela sighed, the vines and leaves on her suit ruffling slightly. “I just hope we can stop this period and get home safely.”

“Feeling regret for coming?” Wonder Woman asked.

“Not regret per se, just concern for the people I’m leaving behind,” Pam admitted.

Diana gently put a hand to Ivy’s shoulder, smiling warmly. “…Garfield will be alright, Pamela. And you’ll see him again soon enough.”

Poison Ivy nodded, looking back out at the stars and deciding to change the subject. “…So, you and Mera, huh? What’s THAT like?”

The Queen of Themyscira shrugged. “It’s nice. She’s a good person, a wonderful friend, a kind ruler to her people-“

“And it must be great going to bed every night to someone you know legitimately cares for you and knows your personal needs,” Ivy suggested with a knowing smirk as she folded her arms behind her head, managing to get a rare blush from Wonder Woman. “You let me stay on Themyscira for a time, remember? I KNOW the customs of your people.”

Diana grinned, almost as if she’d been challenged. “Quite. Oh, and for the record, Artemis is still waiting for you to come calling.”

“HEY, that was a one time thing!” Ivy shot back, sitting up as her foliage turned a rusty red for a moment before turning green again. “We both agreed to those terms!”

“And you believed her?” Diana inquired. “Did you even KNOW the kind of person Artemis was? She’s a warrior whose mindset is always on winning and getting what she wants.”

“Yeah, well I-” Pamela started to retort before her eye caught the image of something closing in from a distance: A large, green, star-like object with a single red eye in the center. “Starro!”

“Everybody, ready up!” Wonder Woman yelled, the rest of the team entering the main cockpit as she did.

The group of seven heroes watched as they got closer to the creature. It was most certainly as big, if not bigger, than the shuttle, and its tentacles were long and thick looking, seemingly strong enough to crush the ship if it so wanted. And for some odd reason, as they drew closer to it, Diana felt a small chill run down her spine, as if there were some hidden power to Starro that only she could feel.

“We should be extremely careful when engaging,” Wonder Woman stated.

“Fate, better use that spell on yourself and the others,” Superman recommended, the golden-helmed sorcerer nodding in agreement.

“Hey, this is probably a bad time to bring this up, but even if we can breathe in space, it’s not like we can ALL fly,” Flash pointed out. “I need a ramp to get airborne for even a little while, and Ivy can’t fly period.”

“I’ve got that part covered,” Batman replied, reaching into his belt to produce what looked to be silver anklets of some sort. “Hook these on. It’ll magnetize you to the haul of the ship, and it shouldn’t even slow you down much.”

“Well, that should help,” Ivy admitted, strapping hers on while Doctor Fate erected shimmering golden energy fields around her, Flash’s, Diana’s, and his own body. “What about you, though?”

“Jet propulsion and magnetic boots are installed,” the Dark Knight explained as a steel mouthpiece shut over the lower half of his cowl. “Now let’s get to work.”

And before you ask, I of course mean Artemis the Amazon, not the Goddess…or Artemis from Young Justice…Man, that’s gotta confuse some people. lol Anyway, lemme know what you think so far, and be sure to check out Chapter 3 when posted. Ja né, and Merry Christmas!

My Own Answer To My DC Multiverse Questionnaire – The Heroes

So, as you saw in an earlier post of mine, a few days ago, I sent a number of people on Tumblr a sort of questionnaire, asking what they would do with their own world in the DC Multiverse. I guess with Multiversity being out (and being AWESOME, btw), with the possibility of the return or integration of the previous continuity on the horizon, and with other stories involving multiple universes being told in other books across DC and Marvel, it’s just really hitting me the mass potential that can exist in stories like these. But, just because I sent the questionnaire out in the first place does not mean that I am exempt from giving an answer myself. As I said before, I’ve done stories with my own take on the DCU, but that was more-so becoming my idealized versions of the characters. So, I guess this is how I would do my own world in the DC Universe, who would its heroes be, and who would its biggest villains be (besides alternate Earth villains or singular entity enemies like the Anti-Monitor or Darkseid). So, let’s start off with the Supers, shall we?

Superman and Supergirl

So, as you can see, I decided to go with some slightly unique Supers for mine. Basically, in this universe, Superman is actually John Henry Irons, though I suppose his Kryptonian name could be Val-Zod or Kalel. The reason I went with Irons, who we know as Steel in the main DCU, is because of all the individuals that tried to pick up the slack when Superman died fighting Doomsday (oh, I’m sorry, put into a ‘healing coma’…), Irons was the one who best represented who and what Superman was as a person. As for Supergirl, I’m thinking Cir-El, except instead of it being some massive and convoluted conspiracy by Brainiac, she’s just an ordinary human with Kryptonian DNA grafted onto her by Cadmus, and is taken on by John to learn to use her radical new powers safely and responsibly.

Batman and Robin

Batman in this universe is still Bruce Wayne, though I’m thinking he’d be changed a bit. For example, I think he’d use a bit more hi-tech body armour for his suit, something that protects him from Justice League level threats. Also, I’m thinking I MIGHT make him bisexual, since he’s the only DC hero I can think of that doesn’t get changes like that…and also, to stick it to that whole Seduction of the Innocent bullshit that happened back in the 40’s and 50’s. Also, I think I’d want Carrie Kelley as Robin, though her costume and gear would be more inspired by her Ame-Comi interpretation, and she would also likewise be the cousin of Barbara Gordon, and thus Jim Gordon‘s niece.

Wonder Woman and Mera

So, remember what theimancameron said about Diana and Mera being married and co-Queens of Themyscira and Atlantis? Well, here was my imagining: Orin and Hippolyta get tricked into a situation where they kill each other by Circe, and with Themyscira and Atlantis on the verge or war, Diana and Mera, not wanting anymore death, opt to get married, bridging the gap between the two lands and bringing their peoples together. Wonder Woman in this universe would have her standard abilities and equipment (the Lasso of Truth, super-strength, the bracers, though I think I’d want her to have a pegasus rather than have the ability to fly herself), but in addition to her compassion and knowledge of warfare, she would also be a master negotiator, opting to talk her way out of massive conflicts before they ever really occur, and is able to convince people not to resort to violence. As for Mera, her character would be pretty much the same (why mess with perfection, am I right?), as would her power-set, though she would mostly act as ruler of Themyscira and Atlantis in Diana’s absence, only joining her for missions of the utmost danger and mostly acting as a reserve for the Justice League.

Poison Ivy, Doctor Fate, Flash, and Green Lantern

As for the remainder of the Justice League, I’m thinking it would consist of Poison Ivy, Doctor Fate, a female Flash, and Green Lantern. Poison Ivy would more or less be like Greg Pak’s Storm (which, if you haven’t been reading, you NEED to), using her powers to help those in need and to hell with the consequences from whatever governments she interferes with in the process. Doctor Fate would probably be the New 52 version from Earth 2, Khalid Ben-Hassin, who is a man of Egyptian descent and finds the Helm of Nabu in a tomb. The female Flash would probably be inspired by Jesse Quick, in that she’s a very organized and goal-oriented heroine, with a bit of Kingdom Come’s version of Iris West as Kid Flash, in addition to actually taking over the role from her father, and perhaps a touch of Wally West, having initially served as Kid Flash and also being a bit jokey when the time calls for it. Finally, Green Lantern would be Simon Baz, who I really feel wasn’t given enough room to develop on his own, and could further explore his role as a hero in spite of being falsely accused of being a terrorist. As time went by, though, more heroes could be introduced, like Oracle, Cyborg, Vibe, Martian Manhunter, and maybe even the second generation Trinity of Power Girl, Huntress, and Fury.

So, that’s the heroes of my world, but what about the villains? Well, check back in soon to find out. Ja né!

Could 2014 Be The Flash’s Year? Wally West Returns At Last!

Sorry I haven’t been around as much, but I’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch, and I’m rethinking how I do things on the blog. Suffice to say, things have been kinda slow on here, and I’m sorry for that, but I’m gonna try to make up for it. I’ll give an update as to what I’ve been up to shortly, but I will say right now that most of it has been fanfiction and job hunting. lol

The Flash #30

Anyway, with that outta the way, let’s talk about the Fastest Man Alive: The Flash. A lot of people already know that Flash is gonna be in Justice League: War, and will also be getting his own tv show this year. Well, it was recently announced that Flash’s comic is also getting a whole new creative team, with co-writers Robert Venditti and Van Jensen, and Brett Booth as the artist, all starting with The Flash #30. And as if that ain’t big enough news, one week later, the team will be doing The Flash Annual #3, where they will FINALLY reintroduce Wally West.

Wally West as The Flash, as drawn by Brett Booth

Now, given how long I’ve bitched about Wally being gone, I’m of course ecstatic. At the same time, this also leaves with with some questions, specifically what role Wally will play. The moniker of Kid Flash is already taken by Bart Allen, and I somehow doubt that Dan Didio will allow there to be two Flashes again, which I will admit was kinda confusing. So, where does that leave Wally? Well, as I said, Bart is currently Kid Flash, meaning the role of Impulse is currently unclaimed. Other than that, I suppose it’s POSSIBLE, with the current storyline involving Bart Allen dealing with his past in the future (don’t ask) that Wally might replace him.

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen in Arrow

But, let’s not take away from Barry Allen’s success as a character that has led him to what could be a landmark year for the character. As I said, he will be appearing in Justice League: War, a loose adaptation of the first Justice League story of the New 52, as portrayed by Christopher Gorham, and he’ll also be starring in a spin-off show for Arrow, as portrayed by Grant Gustin. Between all of that and the new creative team on his comic, is it possible that 2014 could be The Flash’s year? I mean, we know Batman’s gonna have a hell of a year, what with it being his 75th Anniversary, but could Flash be looking to steal some of The Dark Knight’s thunder?

Leave your comments below on what you think of all of this, and hopefully, we won’t have to wait long for answers regarding Wally’s return and the extent of how big this year’ll be for the Scarlet Speedster. Ja né!

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Infinite DC – Who Is On The Justice League? (FEEDBACK REQUESTED)

So, as I’ve mentioned in the past, several of my Infinite DC fanfics are eventually leading up to a Justice League story, in particular the ending to Man of Tomorrow. Now, while the main plot of this story is pretty much decided in my head, one thing that keeps changing bit by bit is who I want on the Justice League. Five members I know for a fact will be on the team are Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, and Green Lantern. The sixth slot will go to either Martian Manhunter or Cyborg, the seventh slot is still completely up in the air, and now I’m beginning to wonder if I really wanna do the standard Magnificent Seven with the group, or include an eighth slot for whoever didn’t get the sixth.

As you can see, I’m in need of feedback. Before you give it, though, let’s talk about the seventh member. The criteria for the hero that fills seventh slot is as follows:

1. They have to be a woman. I don’t want Wonder Woman to be the ONLY superheroine on a team full of dudes.
2. She cannot be a member of the Birds of Prey: Dark. Ergo, she can’t be Black Canary, Huntress, Raven, or Batwoman. There will EVENTUALLY be mingling between the two teams, just not yet.
3. She cannot be part of the extended hero teams of the other members, so not Power Girl, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Jesse Quick, or Miss Martian.
4. She has to have some sort of power or ability that is unique to the team. So, no one who is just a strong woman who can fly.

Anyway, with that said, here are some of my most considered options for the seventh hero, as well as reasons why I might not choose each one. Keep in mind, I’m aware I could change the stuff that gives me pause to add them, but some of these things lend to possible stories I can tell later, so I don’t know that I’d want to change them.

Beatriz da Costa, AKA Fire

Fire was one of my first choices, in fact the one I’d initially decided on, for a number of reasons: Her ability to turn into and control fire, her characterization being in stark contrast to Wonder Woman’s, her Brazilian heritage giving further international flavour to the team, and the fact that, while she’s served with extended versions of the Justice League and the JLI, she’s never really been on THE team of 7 or so heroes. This would give her a unique presence to the team. Reasons why I wouldn’t want to add her is generally due to the fact that she’s known nowadays for being a tag team of sorts with Ice, so having one on the team without the other might feel odd, and her name is sadly HORRIBLY generic, not to mention can be confusing when there are other heroes with ‘Fire’ in their name, like Starfire or Firestorm.

Kendra Muñoz-Saunders, AKA Hawkgirl

Hawkgirl was again another obvious choice, given her repeated presence on the Justice League (in particular being part of the Big 7 in the DCAU League), and her incredible strength in both armed and unarmed combat. Like with many things in Infinite DC, I’d want to make her a mixture of the more commonly known Hawkgirl and the Hawkgirl from the New 52‘s Earth 2. She’d probably wear the Earth 2 costume, but rather than wield a Nth metal mace or her crossbow blaster, I’d giver her an Nth metal crossbow blaster that turns into a mace. Why? Because mêlée weapons that turn into guns are awesome. Reasons why I might not add her is just how typical it would be, and an admitted temptation to have her be on the Birds of Prey: Dark instead.

Tatsu Yamashiro, AKA Katana

Okay, I’m kinda breaking my own rules here, but I feel that Katana isn’t necessarily part of the Bat Family team, or is at least independent enough now that she could be a member. Heck, she IS a member of the Justice League of America in the comics these days, and she would bring international flavour to the team, along with that frigging badass sword. Reason why I would be hesitant to having her on the team is because she’s one of the DC characters who is probably a bit more prone to slashing people, which could conflict BAD with some of the others on the team.

Zatanna Zatara

Zatanna, because hey, the Justice League could use a little magic, right? Not to mention fishnet stockings. lol But yeah, Zatanna would be the magical expert of the team, wearing her usual stage-magician attire, and minus her relationship with assface, I-I mean Constantine. Reasons why I might be hesitant to let her into the Justice League are because, like Hawkgirl, I’m tempted to make her a member of the BoP (especially since she was a member of the Justice League Dark in the New 52, which is where Birds of Prey: Dark gets its name), and because having to write her spells backwards, while not the worst thing in the world, could be a bitch to spellcheck. XD

Mera

*GASP!* Mera and not Aquaman?! Can this be?! Well, I kind of have plans for Aquaman later on that require him to be off the team, but that doesn’t mean Mera absolutely cannot be on it. Her ability to control water, no matter where it is, would make her a major player in the Justice League, a team that I don’t think she’s ever formally joined, despite having worked with them several times. Oh, and to be clear, she would just be Mera. Not Aquawoman, not Water Woman, and the one I find most insulting, not Aquawife. Reasons why I might not include her is due to her trademark anger issues and shaky history with Wonder Woman.

So yeah, vote which of these women you’d like to see in my Justice League below. Or, if there’s one not listed who fits the criteria and who you’d like to suggest, feel free in the comments. Also, lemme know if you think Cyborg, Martian Manhunter, or BOTH should be members, and we’ll see what happens. Ja né!

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Taking Requests For DC Team-Up Fics + Last Chance To Vote on Fanfic Universe Name (FEEDBACK REQUESTED)

So, remember a while back when I talked about What I’d Do Instead of Superman/Wonder Woman? Y’know, the random crossover book? Well, having FINALLY written Will & Hope, I’ve decided that I’m going to start taking requests from people to do crossover team-up fics of various DC superheroes. Basically, you post a request on here or in the comments for my fanfics, listing 2-3 heroes and 2-3 of their villains, and provided I like the idea of the team-up and it works within the canon of my fics, I will give it an honest shot.

Just as examples, you could ask for something like Wonder Woman and Batman taking on Cheetah and Bane, Robin and Raven battling Harley Quinn and one of the Sons of Trigon, Superman and John Stewart fighting Atomic Skull and Atrocitus, whatever. You don’t HAVE to post a plot idea if you don’t want to, but I suppose it could help. One thing I do ask, or rather recommend if you want better odds of me agreeing to do it, is that you list characters that have appeared in my fics thus far, the heroes at least. I’ll probably post a list of characters that have appeared thus far in my Fanfiction.net profile, (which is J.A.Phillips, btw), but for now, here’s a list of heroes and villains that have appeared or been referenced to thus far, more or less in order of appearance.

Heroes: Batman (Bruce Wayne), Robin, Martian Manhunter, Batman (Thomas Wayne), Superman, Supergirl/Power Girl, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance), Raven, Huntress, Batwoman, Batgirl/Oracle, Green Arrow, Black Canary (Dinah Drake-Lance), The Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart), The Flash (Jay Garrick), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)

Villains: Tony Zucco, Copperhead (female version from Arkham Origins), Rupert Thorne, Lew Moxon, Carmine Falcone, Gillian Loeb, Victor Zsasz, Manchester Black, Lex Luthor, Plasmus, Atomic Skull, Magpie, Baud, Dyna-mind, Parasite, Solomon Grundy, Toyman, The Joker, Firebug, The Riddler, The Jokerz, John Corben/Metallo, Nasthalthia Luthor, Bizarro, Jared, Trigon, Omerta the Silencer, Aquarius, Bleez, Atrocitus, Sinestro, Weather Wizard, Volcana, Dex-Starr

All of that aside, I’ve decided that, starting with my upcoming Justice League fanfic, I will be listing all of my fanfiction under a name for my fan-made universe. So, with that said, this is the last opportunity to vote on the name: Either Earth 52, so named for being the reality that doesn’t exist in the comics, or Infinite DC, named after Ultimate Marvel and for being influenced by the events of an infinite number of other comics, TV shows, movies, and so on.

Anyway, if you have a request for a team-up, post it below, and I shall see what I can do for you in the future. Ja né!

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Will & Hope – An Upcoming One-Shot Fanfic (WORK IN PROGRESS)

So in addition to my current fanfic, Tales of the Caped Crusader, I’ve decided to do a one-shot called Will & Hope. As you’ve likely guessed, it’s about a Green Lantern and a Blue Lantern teaming up to take on a foe on Earth. It’ll probably be a little on the lengthy side for a one-shot, but that’s only because I’ll be putting so much into a single chapter. Also, while it will exist in the same continuity as Tales of the Caped Crusader, it doesn’t necessarily take place directly after. Anyway, here’s the cast I have planned for now, but remember this is a work-in-progress, and can change plenty by the time it’s ready to be typed up…

The Blue Lantern in this fic is actually Wally West, AKA The Flash. If you’ve read How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch, you should already know the story here. Basically, the Blue Lantern Corps don’t really exist yet, but Ganthet did create a few Blue Power Rings and sent them to various sectors to locate those with great hope in their hearts. Well, one came to Earth, but on its way to find someone with great hope, it was struck by lightning, which sent it crashing into Wally and the chemicals in his CSI lab. Thus, he’s granted his powers as The Flash, but he also gains several of the abilities of a Blue Lantern. Plus, his overall speed is determined by the amount of hope in his heart.

The Green Lantern is John Stewart. At this point, John is still relatively new to being a Green Lantern, having first been chosen as Hal Jordan‘s back-up. However, when a war against both the Sinestro Corps and the Red Lantern Corps calls the attention of nearly every Green Lantern, John is now the sole Green Lantern in Sector 2814. As such, he’s under a lot of pressure, and as a former US Marine, he’s used to working with a squad of professionals…Yeah, you can see where this is going. lol

Bleez would be the main antagonist. Her overall back-story would be mostly the same, except that she was only tortured and perhaps used for labour, not that she was raped. It’s my general opinion that rape in stories should be reserved for situations where NOTHING else fits into the story in place of it. In other words, there really was no need for her to be raped to justify her turn to murderous rage. Also, she would have two wings from the beginning, both bony, and her intelligence is intact from the start, as opposed to Atrocitus restoring it later on.

Anyway, that’s all I wanna tell for now. Lemme know what you think in the comment section below, and hopefully it won’t take me too long to get it out. Ja né!

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How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch? – The Justice League, The Teen Titans, And More

Here I am, once again, talking about How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. ‘Cuz hey, you never know. I might decide to do a fanfic about one or more of these characters, or be a creative consultant for a web series, something like that. No way to know what the future might hold, y’know? So for this time around, I thought I’d talk about what I’d do with some of the landmark teams of the DC Universe. The Justice League, the Teen Titans, and so on. So, let’s start with…

Justice League

For the main team, I’d wanna take it back to being the Justice League of America, or the JLA. Of course, they would refer to it as the Justice League for short on occasion, but it’d be the JLA. As for what I’d do with it for a story, probably go back to Starro the Conqueror, except that it would be about Starro invading and the Big 3, the Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman not being enough to stop the invasion, and thus some of the new heroes (in this continuity, that is) would come to their aid, like The Flash, Green Lantern, or Cyborg. I’d probably include others, like Aquaman, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, or Green Arrow, and have the book mostly focus on them stepping up to be on the same level as the Trinity while also fending off threats like The Legion of Doom, the Royal Flush Gang, the Black Lantern Corps, and Darkseid.

Teen Titans

Teen Titans would probably go back to its roots a little bit as a team of mostly teenage sidekicks who band together to form a superhero team that responds to calls from teens in need. Obviously, Robin would be a must, as would Donna Troy as Wonder Girl. As for the others, Bunker would be a nice choice for the international flavor, his optimism, and his position as an openly gay teenage superhero. I think I’d wanna change his costume from purple and red to purple and green, though. Just looks better in my head. Jesse Quick would be a neat option too, especially as someone brilliant enough to tap into the Speed Force on her own. Other choices would likely include Aqualad (either one, really), Danny Chase, Hotspot, Bumblebee, Beast Boy, Argent, Damage, Starfire, or Artemis. Also, to reference his time spent with the team in The New Teen Titans, Cyborg would be acting as a mentor to the team as they battle the likes of Doctor Light, The H.I.V.E., Deathstroke, Harvest (only done smarter than in The Culling), and the Brotherhood of Evil.

Justice League International

I’d probably go with the standard government-controlled Justice League here, but with some changes. Specifically, the JLA decides they don’t want the government to be afraid of them, so they elect one of their members to join. Of course, unlike the New 52 Justice League International, I think I’d want Wonder Woman on the team, representing Themyscira. Vixen would represent Africa, Congorilla would represent Scotland, Katana would represent Japan, Fire would represent Brazil, Ice would represent Norway, Booster Gold would represent Canada, Vibe would represent America, and Mera would represent Atlantis. They’d fight foes like the Injustice League (would have different members than The Legion of Doom).

Birds of Prey

With the Birds of Prey, I’d wanna combine them with the idea of the Justice League Dark. Basically, an all-female team that deals with supernatural threats. As such, members would be a combination of the two groups: Black Canary would be acting leader, Raven would join seeking to bring together a group to stop her father, Zatanna would become a member to try to track down her father, Batgirl and Spoiler would team up with them from time to time, and Pandora would join to try to find information leading back to her box…Not even close to what I mean, pervs. lol Their enemies would include Trigon’s Sons, Vandal Savage, and Morgaine le Fey.

Justice Society of America

Basically, the Justice Society of America, or JSA for short, would be the first superhero team, existing prior to Superman and the others. Their members act as inspirations for the current crop of heroes, and in some cases, direct predecessors. They would consist of characters from the original JSA, the All-Star Squadron, and some of the other Earth 2 characters to appear since. The original Flash, Jay Garrick, hence why Wally chooses that name for himself. The Atom, Al Pratt, would be the father of Damage, and would have his atomic punch, the ability to turn giant like Atom Smasher, and the ability to shrink like the modern Atoms like Ray Palmer. Liberty Belle, Libby Lawrence, would be Jesse Quick’s mother, and Jesse would get her increased strength and stamina through her mother’s genes. Batman, Thomas Wayne, would be Bruce Wayne’s father who was a member EXTREMELY briefly. Others could include Doctor Fate, Hippolyta, Zatara, Sandman, Hawkman, or Doctor Mid-Nite.

Anyway, that’s all for the superhero teams. Next up, the villains! Ja né!

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How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch? – Cyborg, Power Girl, Green Lantern, And More

Well, I’m back with more of How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. Basically, me talking about what I’d do for a fanfic, a novel, a tv/web series, or an alternate universe series of comics, should I ever be given the chance to do any of those things. I’ve already said what I’d do with the Big 3 of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman (and Robin), but what about some of the other fan favourites?

Cyborg

Okay, here’s where I’d probably be stepping on some toes and ticking people off, but since this is alternate reality, I think I’d wanna combine the characters of Victor Stone and Henry Irons as Cyborg, the Man of Steel. Basically, Victor Irons (or Henry Stone, whichever) would be the son of a scientist who works at S.T.A.R. Labs and is inspired by Superman to be a hero, but when he’s badly hurt by a foe using stolen tech of his father’s, his body is rebuilt into that of a Cyborg. He would have most of the gadgets and abilities you’d expect of both Cyborg and Steel, in particular the white noise cannon and the high-powered sledge-hammer. Costume would probably be something akin to a fusion of Cyborg’s Teen Titans appearance and Steel’s Justice League Unlimited appearance, and possibly operating like the Omegadrome, wherein he’d be able to appear human when he wanted.

Batgirl and Spoiler

For Batgirl, I’d go with Barbara, BUT I would also have Stephanie Brown be her partner as Spoiler, essentially the Robin to her Batman. Basically, they’d be operating as a team without the complete consent of Batman, trying to earn his respect while also refusing to let him tell them what they can and cannot do. For Babs, I’d go with something akin to her costume in The New Batman Adventures, while Steph would wear the usual Spoiler outfit, but with a black version of the Robin mask instead of the Spoiler costume’s head-covering mask.

The Flash

Sorry Barry fans, I gotta go with Wally West here, although I would wanna go with the Wally from the Justice League cartoon who, like Barry, worked with CSI. Also, because I REALLY liked this idea when they did it for Blackest Night, I’d have The Flash simultaneously be a Blue Lantern, and that the accident that gives him his powers would be the result of the Blue Lantern Ring seeking a suitable wielder when it collides with a lightning bolt and nails Wally and the chemicals. As such, his ability to tap into the Speed Force would be dependent on his hope, his suit would be generated from the ring and would look akin to Barry’s Blue Lantern Flash costume, and he would simultaneously be giving power boosts whenever he was accompanying this next individual…

Green Lantern

Now here’s what I can’t decide on: Which one? Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and even Simon Baz all work for what I have in mind: Namely, that the other members of the Green Lantern Corps are called away to fight an epic war, and thus one Green Lantern, who is the newest member to the Corps, has to stay behind as the sole guardian of Sector 2814. Of course, the other members would all appear from time to time, it would just focus primarily on that one individual fighting intergalactic threats to Earth…In fact, here: Which of the following Earth-born Green Lanterns is your favourite?

Oh, and the reason Jessica Cruz isn’t on there is because she hasn’t debuted as of this writing…Anyway, moving on…

Power Girl

For Power Girl, I’d probably take out the part where she’s from Earth 2. She’d just be Supergirl grown up and running her own business while also being Power Girl. As such, much like with Superman, I might wanna do stories for her both as being Power Girl AND Supergirl, or maybe doing the teenage copy thing with her too. Costume would be the one she recently got in Supergirl, since it’s both similar to the original while clearly being made of something sturdy enough to take a severe pounding. I’d also wanna alter her power-set a bit so that she’s physically faster and stronger than Superman, but her other abilities aren’t as potent. Basically, she’d be the hard-hitter for situations even Superman can’t handle, while she wouldn’t be as versatile.

Anyway, that’s it for now. Check in next time as I tell what I’d do with some of DC’s groups, including their flagship teams: The Justice League, and the Teen Titans. Ja né!

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Jyger’s Rant – What I Liked and Didn’t Like About Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (WARNING – SPOILERS)

So I just got finished watching Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, which is an animated movie based off the event comic Flashpoint. If you’ve never read the book or seen the movie, then I’m sorry, spoilers ahead. However,I’d wager to bet that everyone reading DC nowadays at least has heard of Flashpoint and knows that it’s the event that closed out the previous continuity in DC Comics, established with Crisis on Infinite Earths and shaping the modern DC universe, and began the DCnU, also known as The New 52 (even though it’s two years old and does not currently consist of 52 books like it originally had). Either way, here’s a brief summary of the events for those who don’t wanna read it, or who have and need a refresher on what happened. This is Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

The Flash (Barry Allen) is consumed with grief over the loss of his mother, so he decides to use his speed to travel back in time and save her. However, when he wakes up the next day, the world isn’t like he remembers. Kal-El was never found by the Kents, instead held in a government compound. Bruce Wayne was shot by Joe Chill and his father, Thomas Wayne, becomes a gun-totting Batman while his wife, Martha Wayne, goes insane and becomes The Joker. Aquaman has an affair with Wonder Woman, which Mera discovers, and is killed in self-defense when she attacks Diana, leading Themyscira and Atlantis to all-out war. And lastly, Cyborg is working for the government, trying to bring together a group of heroes (and a villain or two) to stop Diana and Arthur from causing World War III. There’s a ton of other characters involved, like Grifter, Hal Jordan, Lois Lane, Shazam, and Captain Atom, but it mostly centers around Flash, Batman, Cyborg, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Professor Zoom.

Anyway, to make a long story slightly shorter, Barry travels to Gotham City and meets Batman, telling him what happened. He finds Professor Zoom’s suit in his ring instead of his own, and Batman theorizes that Zoom planted it there to let him know he’s still around, leading Barry to believe Zoom is the cause of the change to history. However, after the final battle between Aquaman and Wonder Woman begins and the heroes try to stop the war, Zoom arrives to tell Barry that he didn’t do anything: Barry is the cause. When Barry broke through the time barrier to save his mother, he created a time boom (comparative to a sonic-boom created when someone breaks the sound barrier) that altered history. Batman kills Zoom, since he was siphoning off the Speed Force and keeping Flash from going through time again, so that Barry can go back and stop himself from altering history, thus averting the crisis that almost destroyed the world. However, while that succeeds, we see in the end that he and Batman’s costumes have changed, though neither notices the difference, as the universe has still been changed into that of the DCnU.

There’re a lot more details to go over, but because I’m honestly left liking a lot of moments in this movie and hating others, I’m gonna give my thoughts based on lists of what I liked and hated. Also, I don’t wanna compare this to the book, since the only part of Flashpoint I ever read was the ending, but there IS something that happens there that didn’t happen in the movie, so I’ll leave that for after my lists. So first, here’s what I liked about this movie.

1. Pretty much the entirety of the Flash Museum battle, in particular how Professor Zoom’s bombs are dealt with. The Justice League show up to help Barry with the situation, as Zoom has planted bombs on The Rogues, and we see them all using their unique powers, skills, and quick thinking to deal with each one: Aquaman has millions of microbes eat one bomb for dinner, Batman and GL disable one in space, Atom fries one in the atmosphere, Wonder Woman uses Captain Cold’s freeze gun on one, Flash uses his speed to gather a ball of wind to knock out one he can’t reach, and Superman…Well, Superman just clutches the last one in his hands and lets it blow up rather harmlessly. lol
2. Lois Lane is not shown to die…I KNOW, RIGHT?! I mean, we can infer that when Aquaman blows up Captain Atom to destroy the surface world that she would’ve died, but since we never see her die and Flash goes back in time before the blast is completed, we can’t really add her to the kill-count in this movie (which sadly, there IS a rather lengthy kill-count, but I’ll get to that later). In fact, not only does she not die, but she joins Grifter’s team and starts kicking all kinds of ass in the final battle.
3. I love just how many characters are involved in this. The Batsons, General Lane, Harley Quinn (now called YoYo for some odd reason), Flash’s Rogues Gallery, BOTH AQUALADS! I’m just a sucker for stories that involve LOTS of characters, because it makes me wanna brush up on what I know about them all.
4. This is a great movie for fans of Barry Allen. Actually, I would daresay it’s a good movie for people who don’t like him too, because we pretty much get the best of him in this movie. He goes through the process of recreating the accident that gave him powers, TWICE, even after the first time fails and leaves him covered in third degree burns. He rallies the heroes together to try and stop the war. He’s CONSTANTLY pushing the boundaries of what should be possible even for him, just to give this insane world a chance. And when he finally realizes exactly what’s happened, what he did to cause all this, he undoes it, because he knows what his mother would WANT him to do, and that the cost of letting himself do what he did was too high. No second guesses, no easy way out. Be a hero.
5. There’s just something about the ending where Barry gives the letter from his father to him that gets me emotional. It even lets me ignore the simple questions of how he should even be in possession of it if the timeline it comes from was erased.

…So that’s what I liked about the movie, but what did I hate about it?

1. As I mentioned before, the kill-count in this movie gets kinda crazy, and the violence gets pushed pretty high for a PG-13. Steve Trevor is hanged, Mera is beheaded, Cyborg is torn apart until his heart is exposed, Kal-El accidentally fries some soldiers when he gains his heat vision for the first time, Billy Batson (who I must remind is a kid when he’s not Shazam) is stabbed, and Professor Zoom has a hole shot through his head. Look, I’m generally the first to stick up for kids and what they can and can’t handle, but this woulda traumatized me as a child. And frankly, just the fact that we see these characters killing each other in such graphic detail when a lot of them are the otherwise good guys is so hard to watch sometimes.
2. Kind of a minor one, but Batman referring to Cyborg as a ‘boy-scout’ and Cyborg working for the government just makes me think of Frank Miller’s writing…in a bad way.
3. I’m not sure why this is called Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, when the members are only seen as being the Justice League in one scene. Other than that, it focuses primarily on The Flash and Batman (because he’s DC’s meal ticket, and as much as I love the crap outta Batman, it can get EXTREMELY annoying how much they push him, even in other people’s stories). Flash being the central protagonist is kind of the reason the comic was originally called Flashpoint.
4. Why is Wonder Woman a mass-murderer who assists Aquaman in cheating on his wife? Come to think of it, why is Aquaman an adulterer who then goes to war when his wife that he cheated on went to go kill Diana and was killed in self-defense? I get it, it’s a different version of the characters, but the changes in personalities and perspectives for the characters are usually explained, except for these two. The problem with that is that their conflict is the major conflict of the movie, since Flash has to stop their war from destroying the world.
5. Not that big a deal, but…WOW, Cyborg is tall in this! I know it shouldn’t bug me all that much, but in every scene that he’s in, I just can’t stop thinking “Holy shit, Cyborg’s tall!” He’s bigger than Superman, for crying out loud! And he’s got that big honking blaster on his right arm. Dude, I don’t think you need to compensate for anything! You’re freaking Cyborg! lol

…So now that we’ve gone over what I liked and hated, let’s talk about what big thing was missing from the movie: Pandora. Again, for those who don’t know, in the original comic, after stopping himself from changing history, Flash heads back to the present, but encounters Pandora. Pandora explains that the universe was split into three (DC, WildStorm, Vertigo) to weaken it for some coming threat, and that she’s using Flash’s travelling through time to recombine the universes, thus creating the realm we know as the DCnU. So, if she’s absent from this movie, what’s the implication? That Flash still managed to botch up history somehow? Now, it’s not as big a deal here as it was in the comics, since the movies jump around wherever they like and most exist in their own universes (although I’m pretty sure Justice League: War is a sequel of sorts to this), but it still makes me question it… … …Also, where the hell was Element Woman? o.O

Overall, what are my thoughts? Well, my biggest problem with the Flashpoint comic, at least what I read of it and about it, is that it seems relatively small when you consider it’s the last story of the former DCU. But again, that’s not a problem for the movie. Heck, I understand another movie they’re gonna do in the future is an adaptation of the story where Bruce meets Damian. The violence DOES bother me a lot, though, as do the Flashpoint-verse Wonder Woman and Aquaman. I DO see the heart of this story on its own, however: It’s about a man who fell to the temptation to do what he thought would be the right thing for someone he cared about, he made a terrible mistake, and when he realized it, he did what was necessary to set everything right, making the sacrifice needed to save the world. So, there IS a good story beyond all the blood and death…which, I think I may have heard was actually made worse for the movie, I’m not sure.

But anyway, those’re my thoughts on The Flashpoint Paradox. Have you got a different take on it? Comment below what you thought of the movie, the comic, the DCnU, whatever, and I will see you guys next time. Ja né!

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My 300th Blog Post! + Some of the Better Points of the New 52

Hey guys! Well, I thought I’d talk a little about IT’S MY 300th BLOG ENTRY!!!

Ahh, 300 entries in a little over 2 years on a blog that has brought new meaning to my life…

…Yeah, apparently that new meaning is to torture myself. But today, I feel like being a bit more positive minded, taking a far more optimistic stance on something I’ve ragged on a lot these days: The New 52. A lot of DC fans are STILL pissed off about the reboot that happened two years ago, myself included a lot of times. Decades of continuity gone in a flash(point), characters shoved aside, stories becoming unnecessarily darker in some cases, and almost everything to do with Wonder Woman. And with all of that going on, it’s hard to remember that a lot of good has come out of the New 52 as well, something that occurred to me on Twitter last night while talking to Spoony. So today, I’d like to talk about some of the finer points of the New 52, in no particular order or planned number.

#1 – The Reintroduction of Vibe

Let’s face it, sometimes a character gets introduced who kinda bombs with the audience. However, the New 52 has presented a unique situation where these characters get another shot with a whole new audience and have their personas freshened up a bit to work better, and in no other case is this truer than with Vibe. Let’s be honest, when we all found out that Vibe was on the JLA, we were in horror of what was to come. When we found out Vibe was getting his own series, we wanted to call Arkham Asylum and have Geoff Johns committed. But, looking at how Vibe has turned out, he’s actually one of the better characters in JLA, and while his solo series isn’t my particular cup of tea, I will say that the quality of the stories is still good. So yeah, I’m considering Vibe’s reintroduction a successful one.

#2 – The Court of Owls Storyarc

I kinda wanna put an asterisk over this one since I’m not sure that stuff like Court of Owls required the relaunch, or if Snyder had planned it all along regardless. Either way, though, this was easily the best frigging story of the early days of the New 52, and I still recommend it and Scott Snyder‘s Batman to anyone who wants a great story within the New 52. Likewise, all the really cool stuff that’s come as a result of this story, like James Tynion IV’s Talon, can be added to this list as well.

#3 – The Revamped Alan Scott and Jay Garrick

I know old school fans are gonna wanna kill me for saying this, but I gotta throw this out: I really like the revamped origins for Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, to the point where I actually prefer them to their Golden Age counterparts. Jay Garrick is FAR less selfish than he was originally, and I really like the method by which he becomes The Flash. Alan Scott can at times be kind of a jerk, but it’s usually done in ways that kinda make sense, and frankly, having him actually be on the train when it explodes and losing someone he loves in the process makes the situation far more personal for him, and you feel sadder for him too. James Robinson has been doing an excellent job writing these Golden Age heroes in a present day world, and while I won’t say it’s perfect (there have been small hiccups along the way), it’s still about as good as you can expect, and really, that’s all I can realistically ask for here.

Now, the last three on this list are kind of a trilogy, so I apologize if this gets repetitive really quickly. Basically, it’s three event comics that occurred that are no longer in canon with DC’s universe, and frankly, I’m kinda happy about that. If you need further examples of why, I have four words for you: Atop The Fourth Wall. They were all covered on that show, and better than I possibly could, and pretty much spell out every single reason why these event comics were TERRIBLE. With that said, let’s move on…

#4 – Countdown to Final Crisis NEVER HAPPENED

Yeah, sorry to disappoint, but no matter how bad the New 52 gets, at least we can say this with absolute certainty: COUNTDOWN NEVER HAPPENED. Y’know, that year-long event comic that only continuously sucked more and more the further it went along? Yeah, never happened. Seriously, you know an event comic is bad when the creators of it basically try to pretend that it never happened, and that was BEFORE they hit the universal reset button. And while we’re on the subject…

#5 – Identity Crisis NEVER HAPPENED

Yeah, I know, a lot of people really liked Identity Crisis, and admittedly there IS a good story in there…if you can dig past all the bullshit. I’m sorry, but frankly, I’m happy that in this new universe, Tim Drake‘s parents are alive, the Justice League never wiped Batman’s mind, and Doctor Light is NOT a psycho rapist! Although while we’re on the subject, I WILL say that this is a bizarre fucking universe in that Doctor Light is a good guy and a family man, and Superman is the man who apparently murdered him? By the way, I say apparently since it’s clear it wasn’t his fault, and I’m not 100% sold that Light’s really dead. But anyway, last on the list of event comics I’m glad never happened…

#6 – Cry For Justice NEVER HAPPENED

Okay, while I’m not exactly thrilled that Lian Harper doesn’t exist in this universe, I take comfort in knowing she can eventually be reborn within it and then NOT be horrifically murdered like she was in Cry For Justice! Also, to be perfectly fair, this book sucked plenty bad before and after the death scene, although it WAS the cherry on top. I would love to one day have a sit-down talk with James Robinson and just ask him what the thought process was with this book, especially since I feel like a lot of fans would just yell and scream at him for what happened. I mean, Robinson is NOT a bad writer, but this book was wretched, and I would just like to know what went wrong.

Anyway, that’s all from me. Leave your comments below, and hey, if there’s anything you really like about the reboot, lemme know. Ja né!

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