Who Should Be On The JLA Rebirth Team?

So, of the books that were revealed for Rebirth, one of them hasn’t had anything in the way of details revealed, and that’s JLA. I’m pretty sure it’s because they haven’t chosen a creative team yet, or it could be because of major game-changing events that’ll happen in the book that they don’t want put out there yet. Regardless of why, though, there’s no info, not even if it will continue to be a book about the primary seven members set in a non-specific point in time during their existence, or a brand new team altogether. If it’s the latter, though, I’m sure there are several at DC who are adding their two cents as to who could be on the team. With that said, because I am an opinionated blogger with a big mouth, here’s a list of heroes that I think would make for good members of the Justice League of America, should it prove to be a completely separate team. Please note that these suggestions are based around the individuals, not how they would operate as a team, and they don’t ALL have to be part of it (duh).

John Stewart, AKA Green Lantern

Honestly, though, any of the Earth-born Green Lanterns that don’t have their own books could work here. I just picked John because he’s my favourite. The thing is, though, that I could always justify his non-presence on a Justice League team nowadays because he was one of the main characters of the Green Lantern Corps books. However, now that book is being taken over by Hal Jordan, while Hal’s position on Earth is being given to Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. As such, it really doesn’t feel like there’s a heck of a lot for John to do, which is a real shame. So, I would personally advise putting him on the JLA, possibly even as the leader.

Ronnie Raymond, AKA Firestorm

Well, you’re not doing anything else with him once the Legends of Tomorrow book ends, so why not? Especially now that casual viewers of the Flash TV show have been exposed to the character. It’d be a nice way to get more people to read. That said, I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with Jason in the LoT book, but I hope he isn’t being tossed aside completely.

John Henry Irons, AKA Steel

I would imagine Steel will likely be part of Superman’s Super League, but no reason he can’t pull double duty, especially since that team isn’t getting its own book, at least not yet. Plus, since Superman is gonna be busy elsewhere, and Supergirl already has her own book, it’d be good to give the inheritor to the title of Man of Steel some more exposure by having him be the member of the Superman Family to represent them on this team.

Ted Kord, AKA Blue Beetle

Again, I suppose either Ted or Jaime could work in this situation. Really, the reason I went with Ted is because I figured, since we’re getting him back anyway, might as well make the most of him, right? Plus, since I think this team could stand to NOT have Batman on it, you need someone who is smart, adaptable, strategic, and tenacious, and Ted fills that role well while also being more light-hearted than the Dark Knight. That said, much as I like the two working together, might be a good idea to not pair him with Booster Gold and have him slacking off and making get-rich-quick plans.

Mera, AKA DO NOT CALL HER AQUAWOMAN, YOU MOTHER FUCKERS

Can someone please tell me why Mera is not an official member of the Justice League? How many times does she have to stand beside them and bail them out of trouble before she gets her own official membership? And that’s just in the New 52 alone. And to anyone who thinks her powers are lame, lemme spell this out for you: How much of the world is made up of water? Better yet, how much of the HUMAN BODY is made up of water? If you don’t know why that’s terrifying, watch the episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender that deals with Bloodbending. lol

Cisco Ramon, AKA Vibe

Like Ronnie, this would be a good character to add to the book for the sake of getting the attention of those who were introduced to him via the Flash show. And frankly, I don’t understand why this character was benched after Forever Evil. I really liked the New 52 interpretation of Vibe. I actually held it up as an example of the reboot changing a hero up and doing it right. Vibe went from arguably the worst member of the Justice League to someone I would honestly want on my team at all times.

J’onn J’onzz, AKA Martian Manhunter

Seriously, after this whole thing with Mars invading Earth is over and J’onn can be free of whatever nonsense was keeping him away from the other heroes of the DCU, he needs to rejoin the League. He needs to reconnect with his fellow heroes. I’m honestly a little worried about him from a psychological standpoint of being away from them for so long. Also, what is up with DC wanting to give people arm blades nowadays? It’s just so odd an aesthetic alteration to make for both J’onn and Wonder Woman.

Luke Fox, AKA Batwing

…Let’s be honest, there’ll be a Bat on this team. And do we REALLY want Batman on EVERY team? Meanwhile, we’ve got Luke Cage, who isn’t doing anything outside of being an ally/love interest of Batgirl’s, and I don’t even know that he’ll be keeping that position in Rebirth. So why not include him here? Plus, he was one of the best parts of the newest Batman animated movie, so it would make for a nice cross-promotional move to add him to the team. Lastly, though, if he gets on the team, we totally gotta see him working with Steel. Just sayin’. 😛

Anyway, those are a few suggestions DC could go with. Got any I didn’t mention? Leave them in the comments below, and we’ll see what happens with the book in the future. Ja né!

A Look At Superman From The Justice League Infinite Fanfic

So, as announced earlier this week, I’m doing a Justice League fanfic entitled ‘Justice League Infinite’. As such, I’m going through all seven members of this world’s League, what makes them different from their counterparts, etc. We’ve already looked at Batman, The Flash, and Poison Ivy, so let’s go ahead and take a look at this world’s version of arguably the greatest superhero of all time: The Man of Steel, Superman.

So yeah, you’ve probably noticed one or two things different about this Superman. He’s based off of and borrows elements from a few different characters in addition to the mainstream Superman. In this universe, he’s Calvin Henry Kent, born Cal-El on Krypton. His home world was destroyed due to damage done to the planet’s core by Brainiac, who had miscalculated when he tore the capital city of Kandor free (because in every other continuity, the people of Krypton come off as very stupid for not seeing the end coming). Calvin works for the Daily Planet, as the lead columnist for the company’s online blog, though he actually lives in Smallville with his adoptive parents, and his childhood sweetheart and colleague at the Daily Planet, Loana Lane (basically, an African-American hybrid of Lois Lane and Lana Lang), who learned of his secret growing up. As Superman, he’s looked up to and admired by the people of Metropolis, though his efforts are oftentimes marginalized and hampered by President Lex Luthor. Like Calvin Ellis of Earth 23, he fights for truth, justice, and equality, and while he isn’t strictly a pacifist like Val-Zod of Earth 2, he will try to avoid a direct, physical conflict whenever possible. And of course, as anyone who bears the name Superman should be, Cal is kind, noble, and courageous. He inspires others through his actions to be better than they are, and while he’s not immune to making mistakes, he will always strive to do what he believes is right.

Let’s talk for a second about the costume. It’s pretty much the costume Earth 2 Superman of The New 52 wore, only the House of El emblem more resembles the one on Calvin Ellis’ costume. The cape also has a yellow Superman logo on the back as well, and the blue of the costume has a bit of a silver tinge to it (in reference to Steel). And, as is traditional for Superman, it’s almost always worn under his usual clothes so that he can quick-change into the Man of Tomorrow whenever necessary.

Now for his powers, which is always an interesting topic when it comes to new takes on Superman. Cal possesses a pretty good portion of the typical Superman’s physical strength, durability, stamina, and speed, but he has yet to tap into the full extent of what he can do while powered by Earth’s sun. He also has his x-ray vision, but he hasn’t figured out heat vision yet, and while he has his super breath, he can’t use it to freeze whatever it touches at the moment. Otherwise, he is perfectly capable of flight, has his other super senses, can process information at speeds impossible for an ordinary human, has mastered voice mimicry and ventriloquism, can breathe in space, is highly adept at using pressure points in combat, and is currently studying two Kryptonian martial arts: Torquasm-Rao, which allows him to enter the real-life Theta state, and Torquasm-Vo, which grants him the ability to protect himself from illusions and mind control. His weaknesses include the well-known Kryptonite, which severely weakens his body and cancels out the solar energy stored in him, and most magic-based attacks and enchanted weapons. Otherwise, the only way to beat him is to outlast his supply of yellow sun energy, something that only the most powerful of opponents can do.

And that’s about it for Superman. Next time, we take a look at Diana of Themyscira, as well as a certain character related to her in the fanfic who, while not a member of the Justice League, will nonetheless make an appearance. Ja né!

Why All The Hate For Batfleck?

Okay, I know I’ve talked about this before, and I probably will do so again in the future, but something’s been bugging me a LOT about fan reactions to Superman vs Batman: Why are people so pissed off about Ben Affleck being cast in the role of Batman? What’s got people angry? Why would they have concerns over this?

Now, before anyone takes this to mean I’m a huge Ben Affleck fan, I’m REALLY not. I don’t really have any major problems with him, I’m just not much of a fan, either. He just doesn’t really register with me. I’m also not saying that he will not suck. I haven’t seen any footage of him as Batman, so it’s impossible to judge one way or the other. I’m just saying that I don’t really get what people are so angry or worried over with him being Batman. I mean, we’ve seen plenty of odd choices for Batman over the years. Some worked, some didn’t, but they all at least TRIED to give us something memorable. In fact, speaking of past Batmans, a lot of the complaints I’ve heard actually sound rather familiar, in that they sound a lot like the ones people had for Michael Keaton as Batman: They could see him in the role, they couldn’t see themselves taking him seriously as Batman, etc. Guys, that’s what made him the perfect Batman for that movie: YOU WOULDN’T SUSPECT HIM! You would never look at Michael Keaton and go “Yeah, that guy is TOTALLY Batman”. I mean, you would NOW, because he was in two Batman movies, both of which were great (the second one didn’t work as well with audiences, but I thought it was great), but regardless, not being able to finger out a guy like Michael Keaton as Batman? That was the whole point. He didn’t act out in public like someone trying to hide something or someone desperate for attention, he acted like a normal guy (albeit, a rich one) who was keeping all his pain, angst, and exhaustion inside. So I don’t think that’s credible enough reasoning against Affleck.

One theory I have is that people think it’ll suck by virtue of Affleck’s OTHER superhero role, Daredevil. Now, I haven’t actually seen the movie, but I have seen clips, and…yeah, it’s not that great. However, to be fair, the same people who made that movie then went on to do Elektra, which was even worse, so I’m gonna cut Affleck some slack and suggest that he didn’t have the best direction…Oh, and while I’m on the subject, there’s a video on YouTube that’s basically a Daredevil trailer done in the style of the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, definitely give THAT a look, just for fun. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNh-HVRr6g

Anyway, getting back on topic, and while I was talking about direction, that’s actually where MY concerns for Superman vs Batman comes into play. I’ve made it no secret that, while I liked Man of Steel, I had SERIOUS problems with it, namely the portrayal of Jonathan Kent (FU, Kevin Costner, even without those lines, you are still a dull and wooden performer if ever I saw one), and pretty much the final climax of the movie being a massive fight scene that destroys most of Metropolis and ends with Superman snapping Zod’s neck. Well, now the same guy, Zack Snyder, is doing THIS movie, AND he’s been asked to get creative input from Frank Miller, a man who never understood Superman even BEFORE he went bat shit insane! And apparently, this movie is going to take lots of cues from The Dark Knight Returns, which is a good book that made for a good movie, but is also infamous for its portrayal of Superman and the fight between him and Batman…Although, if we’re still trying to be fair here, it could’ve been worse. It could’ve been the sequel. But yeah, that’s MY concern for the movie…Well that, and rumours of Batman’s love interest being Supergirl. *shivers* But yeah, it’s got nothing to do with Affleck.

So those are my thoughts on Batfleck. Again, I’m not saying he won’t turn in a bad performance, it’s entirely possible that he’ll suck. I’m just saying that I can’t really say that he will suck before I see any actual footage of him as Batman. And until I see any footage, that opinion will not change. For now, let’s just hope this movie manages to be good, and possibly even makes up for the mistakes of the last one, because otherwise, I’m worried for the future of this film franchise. Ja né!

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• Ben Affleck Comments on Being Cast as Batman in ‘Batman vs. Superman’ [Video] (screenrant.com)
• Batfleck hate. (devanmartinez.wordpress.com)
• Do You Want to Be In the New Batman / Superman Movie? (entertainmentslapblog.wordpress.com)
• Hans Zimmer praises Ben Affleck as Batman but admits having a ‘problem’ deciding to score Man of Steel sequel (metro.co.uk)
• Ben Affleck on Batman criticism: ‘I’m tough’ (theguardian.com)
• Hans Zimmer Sees “So Many Good Reasons Not to Do” ‘Batman Vs Superman’ (slashfilm.com)
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt: I don’t think I’ll be in Superman vs Batman (metro.co.uk)
• Batman vs. Superman: Ben Affleck’s Batman Will Be ‘Tired, Weary & Seasoned’ (screenrant.com)
• Batman is ‘boring’ – according to Quentin Tarantino (metro.co.uk)
• Ben Affleck Laughs Off Batman Criticism (variety.com)

 

Tales of Dumbassery – Hey, Man of Steel! It’s Miller Time!

…Well, this isn’t gonna be pretty, folks. Because not only is this Tales of Dumbassery, but………It’s Miller Time.

PUT THE ALCOHOL DOWN, that’s not what I mean. For those that don’t know, Miller Time is a segment on Atop The Fourth Wall, wherein Linkara looks at the ever-increasing insanity of Frank Miller, who has pretty much become a hack in every single meaning of the word these days. So why am I talking about him today? Well, Superman fans should get ready for this story to break their hearts…

Snyder and Miller to Talk About “Man of Steel” Sequel

“When Zack Snyder announced at Comic-Con that Batman would be included in the sequel to ‘Man of Steel’, he had many Superman fans worried when he had actor Harry Lennix read a quote from Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns‘ graphic novel. While Snyder did say they weren’t adapting Miller’s story, the Independant received word that Zack Snyder is planning to meet up with Frank Miller to discuss the new movie.” And real quick, before anyone attempts to blame Snyder for this, because that was my own knee-jerk reaction, “A Superman Homepage source managed to speak to Zack Snyder yesterday, and put to him the concerns of some Superman fans, with Snyder remarking, ‘It’s too early for me to discuss the film. However, regardless of how I feel about Superman, ultimately I have to go along with the direction that Warner Bros. thinks is best’.”

…Yep. THIS is basically what you can expect, people. Batman vs Superman, for no real reason other than to get them into a fight.

…Y’know, I had so many high hopes for this franchise. Even after Man of Steel was being described as edgy, I kept hope that they knew what they were doing. We were gonna have a couple of awesome Superman movies, maybe one or two for heroes like Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman, and then a Justice League of America movie to tie it all together and get these heroes together in a story that would rival the success of The Avengers’ film. And heck, despite some flaws with Man of Steel, I can say that overall, I really enjoyed it…And now, THIS has happened.

Now, lemme clarify something right now: Way back before Frank Miller apparently got infected by a brain parasite that killed all good sense in his mind, he could tell an amazing Batman story. He did so with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and he did it again with Batman: Year One. But, even back then, and this is crucial people, while DKR gave massive new life to Batman, it did equal amounts of damage to Superman. And THIS is the guy you wanna get input from for the Man of Steel sequel?! REALLY?!

This is and has always been Superman in the eyes of Frank Miller: A strong-man puppet of the government.

Then again, maybe I’m the wrong person to judge this decision, since I don’t even get why this is a VS movie to begin with. Shouldn’t the next logical step have been a Man of Steel movie involving Lex Luthor or Brainiac or Metallo? Why involve Batman at all? Look, I get that he’s been DC’s meal ticket for a LONG time now, but the Man of Steel series was supposed to be about Superman. Do you really have that little faith in the world’s first superhero that you had to bring Batman into it? And heck, if they REALLY felt the need to involve Batman, as this was likely their knee-jerk reaction to mixed reviews of Man of Steel, why have them be adversaries? Why not do something like the Superman The Animated Series‘s three-parter, World’s Finest, where they would start off unsure of each other, but quickly wind up teaming up to battle a super-villain duo? And between the two of them, I think they could find two of their rogues to form a pretty lethal team that they’d NEED to take on together.

But you wanna know what I’ve always found funny about the fight between Superman and Batman in DKR? Even though it’s specifically set up in such a way that Batman can emerge victorious over Superman, it pretty much spells out why Superman would beat Batman at least 9 times out of 10. Think about it: Batman had a ton of prep time to Superman’s zero, Batman used gadgets and trickery while Superman just used pure power instead of playing it smart, Batman had back-up in the form of Carrie Kelley and Green Arrow, Superman only lost because he inhaled Kryptonite from one of Ollie’s arrows, and to be perfectly blunt, Clark didn’t even want the fight in the first place. That’s why I generally give it a pass when most won’t. The problem is that, again, Frank wrote that when he was still sane, rational, and had a basic understanding of how certain characters worked. He doesn’t even understand how Batman works now, what makes you think he can help at all with Superman?

…Btw, if they’re REALLY gonna do this, I DO kinda hope Carrie Kelley is in the movie. lol

Anyway, I think I’ve gone on about this enough. Leave your comments below, or vote as to whether you think getting Frank Miller’s input is a good call or not. Ja né!

Related articles

• EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: Zack Snyder’s Batman/Superman Movie (videogum.com)
• Zack Snyder Seeks Frank Miller for Advice on Superman-Batman Movie (aceshowbiz.com)
• Next Superman Movie Likely Called ‘Batman vs. Superman’ (slashfilm.com)
• Zack Snyder Will Direct Superman/Batman Movie Inspired by Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ (slashfilm.com)
• Zack Snyder Meeting With Frank Miller To Discuss BATMAN/SUPERMAN Movie (comicbookmovie.com)
• Superman & Batman: What To Expect (megamoviecritic.wordpress.com)
• SDCC 2013: A Batman/Superman Movie Is On The Way! Is It Based On ‘Dark Knight Returns’? (geek-news.mtv.com)
• Batman Graphic Novel Writer Grant Morrisons Talks Wonder Woman And ‘Superman: Man Of Steel’ (contactmusic.com)
• Comic-Con: Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder Officially Announce Superman/Batman WORLD’S FINEST Movie by Reading THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS Passage (collider.com)
• Superman v Batman set to film in Toronto for summer 2015 release (metro.co.uk)

My Thoughts on Superman Annual #2 Opening Page

So, I noticed there was some buzzing about on Twitter today regarding the preview pages for Superman Annual #2. So I checked up on it, and I found that the opening page of a book that I believe is meant to spotlight Lois Lane‘s 75 years in comic book history was THIS.

…Nope, I’m not gonna say anything. I’m not gonna rant, scream, or tell anybody off, because having checked Twitter, I think it’s safe to say that anything worth saying has been said already…But I AM gonna show this one picture, just because it’s both hilarious and fits this situation SO much.

Wow, I’m glad I saved that. I’ve gotten so much mileage out of that one screenshot…Now, I obviously expect this to end with some kinda twist where she turns out to be alive and was either having an out-of-body experience, or this is taking place in an alternate Earth, or something along those lines. Regardless, I would just like to remind that THIS is how this book opens: With Lois Lane sprawled out dead on the pavement in what people are already referring to as a torture porn pose. I don’t know if I actually see the torture porn aspect of it, mind you. I think they actually nailed that worse when Black Mask was torturing Stephanie Brown (seriously, you’d think they’d learn by now). It’s still horrible, though.

Superman + Lois Lane = The Original OTP

So, to every single Lois Lane fan in the world, I offer the following suggestion: Give yourself a HUGE hug, and DO NOT BUY Superman Annual #2. Ja né.

Related articles

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Two Blue Lanterns Vlog – Man of Steel Part 04 (FINALE)

We finish our look at Man of Steel on a hopeful note, and hopefully the two of us can do this again someday. ^_^

The illustration of the two of us is by the ever-awesome so-shipsahoy: http://so-shipsahoy.deviantart.com/art/Hope-Burns-Bright-335360638
And the piano rendition of the Man of Steel theme can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nOcPn_ThY

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Two Blue Lanterns Vlog – Man of Steel Part 03

Why is Perry White an action hero, why was John Corben nowhere in sight, and why do I look like a Simpson??? o.O

The illustration of the two of us is by the ever-awesome so-shipsahoy: http://so-shipsahoy.deviantart.com/art/Hope-Burns-Bright-335360638
And the piano rendition of the Man of Steel theme can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nOcPn_ThY

Two Blue Lanterns Vlog – Man of Steel Part 02

Worst. Pa Kent. EVER.

The illustration of the two of us is by the ever-awesome so-shipsahoy: http://so-shipsahoy.deviantart.com/art/Hope-Burns-Bright-335360638
And the piano rendition of the Man of Steel theme can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nOcPn_ThY

Related articles

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Two Blue Lanterns Vlog – Man of Steel Part 01

Just a little project me and my girlfriend decided to do. 🙂 Because my computer hates me, these will likely have to be posted once a day.

The illustration of the two of us is by the ever-awesome so-shipsahoy: http://so-shipsahoy.deviantart.com/art/Hope-Burns-Bright-335360638
And the piano rendition of the Man of Steel theme can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nOcPn_ThY

Two Blue Lanterns Vlog – Man of Steel Trailer

Just a little project me and my girlfriend decided to do. The actual vlog will be up (in pieces, mind you, due to YouTube size restraints), though due to my extremely crappy skills, you won’t be able to actually see her, only hear her voice.

The illustration of the two of us is by the ever-awesome so-shipsahoy: http://so-shipsahoy.deviantart.com/art/Hope-Burns-Bright-335360638
And the piano rendition of the Man of Steel theme can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nOcPn_ThY