Daniel Warren Johnson's New Comic, "Chainkata," Looks Exciting

I'm a fan of Daniel Warren Johnson's work. He's done a number of stellar comics at Image, did a superb mini about Beta Ray Bill at Marvel, killed it on, "Wonder Woman: Dead Earth," and his, "Absolute Batman," works have been stellar. This November, DWJ is launching a new series titled, "Chainkata," and it features a lady with a chainsaw sword. In space. I mean, yeah, sold! Others think it looks cool, too.

As a chunk of the announcement today from Image Comics reads, "In Chainkata, Luma is a chainsaw-wielding warrior queen, seeking out an unknown power in the vastness of space. All she wants is to find peace, but violence and terror follow her through every black hole. The story will blend the epic, high-stakes sci-fi of Beta Ray Bill and Space-Mullet and with the character-building depth of Extremity and Do A Powerbomb. It is the culmination, and maximization, of Johnson's craft and the perfect read for fans of action-packed comics with art that leaps from the page." This sounds like it was designed to be an absolute hoot, and I can't wait to learn more as Image rolls out the promo for it during CCI/SDCC later this month. DWJ is a superb artist, storyteller, and creator of cool comics, so this is bound to be pretty snazzy.

Trina Robbins Has Passed

Two obituaries in a day is a downer, I know, but this one is someone we remember a bit more fondly than my earlier post. But yes, Trina Robbins has passed at age 85. I found out late yesterday. The word, "Trailblazer," is sometimes overused, but in Forbes piece discussing her death, I agreed 100% with the phrase. She spent decades in comics doing everything from creating Vampirella's outfit to offering feminist takes on a variety of subjects during a time when comic-books were more of a, "Boy's Club." Underground classics like, "Wimmen’s Comix," come to mind whenever I think of Trina Robbins, and she was the first woman to ever draw Wonder Woman within her own comic series. The list of things Robbins accomplished would be an extensive list indeed. I was able to meet her, once. Back at a comic convention in 2015, I had the pleasure of speaking with Robbins and found her to be kind, approachable, and full of great stories. An amazing talent and voice for the art form of comics departed and she will be missed.

James Gunn and Peter Safran Announced Their Plans for DC's Film and Television/Streaming

James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired to basically scrap the majority of what the DC film and television division was doing and rebuild it from scratch. They are doing so, with only a few, "Elseworlds,"-style projects happening still and everything else to be a part of a new continuity that mostly ignores all the previous films and the ones still coming out soon and wrapping up what DC has done so far. A big announcement yesterday occurred laying it all out. Let's discuss it.  

Tentatively titled as, "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters," the upcoming slate of movies and shows will include a Superman flick, a horror-styled Swamp Thing, the Authority, a streaming show with Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Booster Gold show, Batman with his son Damian, Supergirl, Creature Commandos (an animated project) a Green Lantern series, and I think I'm named everything. A lot was announced. Oh, I forgot a Wonder Woman show about her home, Themyscira, because it was said to be like, "Game of Thrones." I've always had zero interest in GoT or stuff inspired by it--this could very well be good though, my eyes just glaze over when someone says anything is like GoT.

Gunn and Safran will keep some previous actors and their characters, but a ton of stuff is getting tossed aside, and some fans think it is for the best and others are screaming on Twitter about their precious, "Snyderverse," being decimated. I honestly was indifferent to much of what DC was putting out (besides Gunn's take on the, "Suicide Squad,"), finding all that stuff fine but not amazing. With this new material I am intrigued in a Swamp Thing flick that is scary and The Authority could be cool--plus Viola Davis is awesome so more Amanda Waller is snazzy. Otherwise, I'm not exactly pumped about what's coming, but do enjoy much of Gunn's work so I'd imagine the more he is involved in a project the more I'll want to check it out. A lot of this stuff is a ways off so as these projects actually come to fruition it'll be a lot more apparent if we're in a new golden age of great DC films and shows, or if Gunn's new start turns out to be a false start. I'm thinking/hoping it will all be cool tho. At least, as long as WB's management isn't going to meddle too much, lest something else get the, "Batgirl," treatment.

HBO MAX Will Just Be...MAX?

HBO MAX and Discovery+ will be merging into one service. Many names are possible but Warner Brothers Discovery is apparently going to possibly just use...MAX. That's it. I think Discovery MAX would be cool, but nobody asked me. Instead, we are simply getting MAX, and the focus is still to slash and burn a ton of content (seriously, a lot of stuff). At least we have James Gunn and Peter Safran to give us lots of stuff...oh and they canceled any plans for, "Wonder Woman 3." Well then, that's interesting. Clearly a lot is in motion lately.

They Announced a Lot of Interesting Video-Games at the 2021 Game Awards

The 2021 Game Awards were held yesterday. They honored a bunch of video-games and a slew of new ones were announced. This link discusses basically everything from the show, but I thought I'd mention what specifically caught my eye of things that were discussed.

Quantic Dream has made some notable games (I liked, "Heavy Rain," a lot) and is known for its founder/head, David Cage, having some PR fiascos and really going heavy on the melodrama in his titles. Quantic Dream will be making a Star Wars-themed game that will doubtlessly look pretty--whether it is good or awful will remain to be seen. It shall be named, "Star Wars: Eclipse."

I've always loved Sonic the Hedgehog video-games, from the classics to more modern, "Sonic Adventure," interpretations. Hearing there will be an open-world Sonic game titled, "Sonic Frontiers," where you can run around beautiful vistas makes me cautiously optimistic. If we could get something like, "Breath of the Wild," but with the speed of Sonic, well, I'd love that.

In news that really excites me, "Alan Wake 2," is coming and will be a bit less action-focused and more of a survival-horror game. I loved the first, "Alan Wake," and suppose the recent remastering was a clue of a future game, so all I can say to this is, "Yes, please!"

Lastly, the, "Suicide Squad," video-game is still coming and a, "Wonder Woman," video-game was announced. That could be pretty cool and I really hope we get to fly the invisible jet.

DC Announced Assorted Things at its Fandome Today

Even though in-person comic conventions are coming back it is still popular to do virtual ones (which I think is good as they help those who can't always afford or physically access in-person cons). DC held its latest Fandome today and a whole lot of interesting things were revealed to the in-person and digital crowd. 

In terms of movies and streaming, there was a new trailer for the oft-delayed but now arriving in March 2022, "The Batman," movie. A teaser was released for that standalone, "The Flash," flick which will feature Micheal Keaton's return as Batman. "Peacemaker," got a hilarious trailer for its HBO MAX show. Dwayne Johnson showed off, "Black Adam," footage. Season 3 of the, "Harley Quinn," cartoon is being made with the animators hard at work too.

With comics it was revealed Superman will now say how he stands for, "Truth, justice, and a better tomorrow," as opposed to that last one being, "The American way," so expect pointless controversy over that. More Milestone titles are coming, and a Wonder Woman event, "Trial of the Amazons," will be released too. More than those things were discussed, but that is what caught my eye.

"Wonder Woman: 1984," to Debut on HBO Max

After numerous delays, it seems Warner Brothers has decided, "No more!" and shall be releasing, "Wonder Woman: 1984," on HBO MAX this December 25th/Christmas. Gal Gadot shall be gracing our televisions before the year is done! There are some caveats with that, however. It'll only be streaming America (other countries have a theatrical release on December 16th) and only be on HBO MAX for a month, apparently. There have been constant rumors about big movies being released on streaming services to draw more subscribers and recoup some costs, but now it is actually happening with this, Pixar's flick, "Soul," and possibly in the near future the latest constantly-delayed James Bond movie (no word yet on Marvel's plans for, "Black Widow," but one wonders). 

The big question in all this is if these blockbusters coming to streaming services is merely a temporary side-effect of the pandemic or signifies a big change coming in the near future to how movies are released. Could we see more simultaneous streaming and theatrical debuts in the coming years, or much shorter runs in theaters before things start to stream? Many questions are being raised, but we can't really expect answers until COVID-19 is (I pray soon) eradicated. Whatever the case, tune in to the latest Wonder Woman flick this Christmas if you've got HBO MAX, or plan to get it soon!

"Wonder Woman: Dead Earth," Has Been a Stellar Read

Daniel Warren Johnson has been both writing and illustrating the comic, "Wonder Woman: Dead Earth," and it is a fantastic comic so far. Two issues have come out in the large-sized prestige-format we've seen for a number of Black Label DC titles (of which this is one). I don't mind the bigger book with 48 pages of great content however, as the large size is especially perfect for the art of Johnson. The plot is pretty interesting, with Diana waking-up in a post-apocalyptic World and trying to figure out what exactly went wrong in-between fighting irritated monsters or dangerous human survivors, but the art is what steals the show.

Daniel Warren Johnson is an illustrator few can compare to, and he makes the end of the World look damn good, even if it is a lot of burned-out buildings and ruined brown soil. I believe this series may just be three issues total that come out every couple of months. This is a shame as after the two issues that have come out so far I'd be more than willing to read Johnson writing the travels of Wonder Woman at the end of the World till the World actually does end. With that said, I recommend picking up the two issues that have been released so far of, "Wonder Woman: Dead Earth," or to be sure to get it once the whole story is collected if you choose to wait until then.
5 out of 5 stars.

Almost Mid-December 2019 News and Links

December is Flying By

Hey, wow, it is already almost the middle of December! That happened fast. I really should get working on my year-in-review posts I generally do between Christmas and the start of the new year, but how about instead I whittle away the time by sharing interesting bits of news and links? Yeah, procrastination never comes back to bit anyone on the bottom!

Some News For Ya

Starting with some news that upsets me but seemed to register very little with others, Redbox is shutting-down game rentals. Yes, go ahead and make some joke about how nobody uses Rebox anymore because I know individuals who do (meaning you can shut-up). I like renting games for consoles because I don't want to spend $60 on something I may hate, and with Redbox eliminating game rentals that will limit a lot of people's ability to rent a videogame. Thankfully here in the Midwest, you can actually buy or rent stuff from the awesome smaller-chain of stores known as V-Stock.

Vault puts out some interesting comics and their, "Pay what you want," promotion with a chunk of proceeds going to charity is a great way to sample some of the comics they publish.

Whenever someone claims to have found a space alien or Bigfoot it always turns out to be a ploy to get famous/make money. It would be hilarious if a real space alien just popped-up on a local news broadcast sometime and was like, "Hey, what's up, I'm from space. I don't want to conquer you or anything; I just wanted to try these, 'French fries,' I keep hearing about."

I fully agree with this article about how amazing Wesley Snipes was as Blade. I'm always telling people how the, "Blade," movies ("Trinity," aside) were the best Marvel-but-pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe flicks.

Speaking of vampire-related media, I enjoyed reading Christopher Priest's writer's commentary on his most recent issue (#5) of, "Vampirella."

This piece by Rich Juzwiak of Muse makes the interesting observation that sometimes we may declare a music artist is, "Cancelled," yet people just keep listening to them regardless.

The official trailer for, "Wonder Woman 1984," was released recently. It looks pretty entertaining and by being in the past it can side-step a whole lot of the issues regarding what exactly the DC movie continuity currently looks-like in terms of present-day movies while also being arguably the first direct sequel to a DC movie since Nolan's "Dark Knight," trilogy.

There is a new text-based game, "AI Dungeon 2," that has been getting a chunk of press for how it uses fancy computing to try and concoct a response to almost anything you can think of trying to do in a text-based browser. It became so popular so fast after its release it crashed, but there are plans to make it more readily available to more people trying to log-on if folk are willing to help fund its further development

Finally, an official Twitter account of the Trump campaign compared him to the genocidal madman Thanos from Marvel comics and movies. You know, the guy who wanted to destroy countless lives and was defeated due to his arrogance? You can't make this shit up and I'm just thankful that this impeachment process is moving along.

Gear-Up for the Holidays!

A whole bunch of Winter holidays are quickly approaching from Christmas to Hanukkah, Kwanza, and plenty more. Hopefully, you're adequately or at least minorly prepared for how busy things are going to be getting!

"Black Panther," Got Some Oscar Nominations!

For those following the news about the Oscars (no, not that hosting stuff), it was cool to see a super-hero movie getting respect outside of just the usual technical categories (which are important too, but often the dumping-ground for awards related to blockbuster-flicks). "Black Panther," became the first-ever super-hero movie to get a, "Best Picture," nomination, which was cool even if director Ryan Coogler was snubbed for, "Best Director." Also, Kendrick Lamar and SZA's song, "All of the Stars," from the soundtrack was nominated for best song, which is awesome although many people already think Lady Gaga's song, "Shallow," from, "A Star is Born," will be a shoo-in to win--I say time will tell.

"Black Panther," was a stellar movie, and while I don't know if it was in the fact the best movie of 2018 (there are far too many flicks I didn't see that also got a lot of buzz, so I'm wholly unqualified to judge), it is fantastic to witness it getting some recognition for The Academy Awards. After all, if we are being honest this show is a pretentious exercise in Hollywood patting itself on the back, so at least some movies people actually saw this year got some nominations (along with all the random films few people have heard about). Disney/Marvel must be quite pleased. Oh, and meanwhile DC's film division isn't sure what the Hell it wants to do with its oft-delayed and quite troubled Batman movie, to give you a comparison. At least they have big hits in the form of Wonder Woman and (of all things) Aquaman, right?

"Heroes in Crisis," #4 is Just Terrible

I've already expressed concern with the big DC-event comic, "Heroes in Crisis," in which I discussed how as of the second issue I felt the series was having a problem where,"...it doesn't know if it wants to be a comic that...[is a] thoughtful mini-event or if it wants to be a BIG event comic full of shocking deaths and mysteries." Well, the fourth issue officially was released today, but as it was shipped to stores a week or so earlier  (the holiday seasons makes things ship weird) lots of people were able to acquire copies and mull the book over. I accidentally got it early, having gotten my pull-list from a shop and finding it in there. I read it, and spent a good deal of time thinking it over, and I have to conclude after some days of processing the book, it is just terrible.

I don't know how or why this happened, that, "Heroes in Crisis," is so bad. I mean, the writer of the series is Tom King and he has created some stuff I've absolutely loved ("Omega Men," "The Vision," "Mister Miracle," and so forth) as well as things that are at least decent (his current run on, "Batman," for example). This comic is just aggressively bad that is is shocking. It is not lacking in artistic skill or writing talent, it is competently done, it just is a miserable piece of work. Artist Clay Mann is so poorly matched for certain scenes it is laughable (in a really depressing way). For example, early on in this issue Lois Lane tells Clark Kent/Superman how all his friends are having their sessions at the secret counseling center--Sanctuary--leaked to her in video-form. As they are having this serious conversation she is drawn like this:

I have zero problem with sexy comics, I have discussed how I enjoy some of them immensely. However, this is a big ol' serious moment discussing superheroes who have been getting counseling for PTSD is occurring with Lois Lane scantily-clad and posing all erotically. It is odd. The whole event has a weird tonal disconnect, and has from the start of the series, frankly. Is this a quiet meditation on the kind of psyches of people who fight crime and how emotionally draining that must be...or is it a murder-mystery comic full of action and titillation? It doesn't know, and in the process the whole book just becomes a slog.

Shortly after the Lois Lane bit we have a moment in the book that should be full of impact and thoughful. We witness Batgirl in one of the Sanctuary sessions pointing at where she was shot by the Joker in that famous story, "The Killing Joke," wherein she lost her ability to walk for a number of decades (in real-world years) before (somehow, I don't know the details) having that injury fixed. It is a quiet moment and very serious before on the next page some super-weird cheesecake art occurs with her and Harley Quinn fighting in a mirror-filled fun-house with some more sexy artwork that makes Batgirl appear to have--as my wife put it when I showed her the comic--"Rocket tits," as in they appear as if they are about to blast-off out of her outfit. Observe:

The fight with Batgirl and Harley where they eventually stop their fisticuffs ends in a hokey manner with her talking about how Batman views them both as, "Broken," and just comes off as the most utterly cheesy armchair psychology ever. It is as crass as it is tacky, and not even the most laughably dumb thing in the comic. No, that occurs with Booster Gold and his friend Ted Kord AKA the Blue Beetle.

Alright, so Booster Gold has been captured by Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman because they suspect he maybe murdered a bunch of people at Sanctuary on his first day, regardless of how little sense that makes considering Harley Quinn was there and clearly smashed him with a mallet whilst making her own escape from the place (my theory: neither is the killer, it is someone we haven't seen yet in the book or some other random hero we have seen but would, "Least suspect," for optimal shock value). Anyways, Booster is locked-up but his friend Ted Kord has come to break him out, because as they say, "Bros before Heroes." Seriously, here:

I mean, really? Are we going to do a dumb little joke that plays on, "Bros before hoes," and make it some kind of heart-touching and dramatic moment at the same time? What is this supposed to be tonally? A moment of levity in a book otherwise bathed in blood and melodrama (that still falters at trying to be serious due to Clay Mann's art)? I ask because it doesn't come-off a clever so much as another drab moment in a comic that as I've said, isn't just bad, but aggressively bad. If that is most hilariously idiotic moment though, it isn't the most insulting to readers. That occurs near the end.

On the last few pages Superman tells Batman and Wonder Woman how Lois was having super-hero identities leaked to her. The other two are understandably upset Superman kept this to himself for days, because how Lois has, "Sources," and he respects her as a journalist, which is all well and good but this is the identity of almost every big-name hero in the World being leaked to the media, and Superman basically shrugs it off because even if that seems wildly out-of-character that is what this moronic story demands. He tells Batman and Wonder Woman how she is going to run a story that doesn't reveal anyone's identity but reveals how Sanctuary exists--and so that no one tries to stop it the post went online, "35 seconds ago."

Yeah, Tom King is trying to be clever and have a little allusion to that masterpiece of a comic, "Watchmen," with its famous, "I did it 35 minutes ago." People will tell you how that was a stellar part of, "Watchmen," one that was shocking and full of gravitas...and here feels wholly unearned by the steaming pile of misery that is the fourth issue of, "Heroes in Crisis," daring to think it could measure up to that level of storytelling. I'd be surprised at the gall of King to do this, but after all the other parts of this comic I've talked about being awful it is par for the course with this book.

I already said I don't know how or why this happened, and it brings me no joy for, "Heroes in Crisis," to suck. There have been the slightest glimmers of what could be an interesting comic buried in here, and Clay Mann is a talented artist who turns in some good pages (that opening spread with the graffiti-covered Teen Titans collage is gorgeous), but because both creators are so skilled one can't even give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe, "They just didn't have the ability to pull this off." They have the skill-set, they just really went and done messed up, bad. That is probably the most tragic part of all when it comes to this series. I'm going to pick-up the future issues because I can't take my eyes off a train-wreck of this magnitude. I'm at the point now where all I can do is stand away from the tracks and see how grisly the path of destruction gets.
1 out of 5 stars.

"Aquaman," is a Potential Hit, Which is Both Cool and Shocking

Hey, everyone. Remember when for years upon years Aquaman was treated as a laughingstock? People would joke about their confusion regarding the reasons behind putting the dude who, "Talks to fish," on the Justice League? Everyone would guffaw at the idea of an Aquaman movie? Well, it is 2018 and now where the latest DC movies featuring Batman and/or Superman have stumbled, "Aquaman," is looking to be a big ol' hit. While it isn't officially out yet, there were special preview-screenings last Saturday for people who could buy tickets if they had Amazon Prime. That relatively smaller and niche group brought the movie an easy 2.9 million dollars. Oh, and, "Aquaman," is currently the only DC movie (in the shared universe, Christopher Nolan's movies don't count here) besides, "Wonder Woman," to get any love from the critics as well. It maybe isn't being called a masterpiece, but folk seem to find it to be good fun--a far cry from the dour antics of other Justice League members such as a neck-snapping Superman, criminal-murdering Batman, and so forth.

Back some years ago I never would've predicted that we would actually get an, "Aquaman," movie. I also would have been doubtful it could be good considering all the baggage attached to the character by popular culture. Through the right mixture of directors, screen-writers, and of course one of the hottest (and charismatic) men possible to play Aquaman--Jason Momoa--we've got a good movie. Not just a good movie in fact, but a good movie that could make serious bank where all the flicks featuring Batman, Superman, the Suicide Squad, and so forth have struggled. Once it has its official big release this Friday a clearer picture will be drawn of just how big of a success, "Aquman," may end up being, but if early indicators tell us anything, this should be a hum-dinger. What a time we live in.

I Had a Dream About a Comic I Wish Existed--"More Wednesday Comics."

Before I tell you about my dream, a history lesson. Some years ago DC had an amazing Summer event, one of my favorite events they ever did. For twelve weeks they released a big piece of newsprint that could be unfolded to reveal massive comics featuring an assortment of heroes. There were different tales all done by a cool team of writers and artists (and some writer-artists). Out-of-continuity yarns about Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Meatmorpho, Aquaman, Hawkman, and so forth were done by a who's-who of creators including such big names like Neil Gaimain, Kyle Baker, Amanda Conner, Walter Simonson, Joe Kubert, Dave Gibbons, and too many more to name, all who gave us lots of comic-book goodness. It was collected in a massive hardcover that matched the size of the newspaper when unfolded. I loved it, and DC hasn't done anything like it since 2009. Except in my dream.

Now then, a couple days ago I had a dream, you may know the kind. I refer to if you ever have a dream where you don't recall the majority of what occurred but a small detail stands-out in your mind? I had such a dream. I don't recall the general plot/focus, but at one point within this dream I'm in a Barnes and Noble and spot a massive hardcover collecting something called, "More Wednesday Comics." Within the dream I glanced at the front and back before my dream continued with whatever surreal story it was telling--I honestly can't recall the rest--I remember that book with a shocking clarity however. "More Wednesday Comics," on the back describes how it is the hardcover collecting the, "Sequel to the smash-hit series before it," with a focus on creators returning to characters they did beloved runs on for fresh takes along with new talent.

Interestingly enough, Quitely has drawn a version of The Question.
It was for the, "Pax Romana," one-shot as a part of, "The Multiversity."

The book discuses how it has stories such as a new strip on The Question written by Denny O'Neil (who did my favorite run on the character) with art by Frank Quietly. Also, none other than Alan Moore writing a horror-heavy story about Swamp Thing illustrated by Bernie Wrightson. Grant Morrison stops by to do a darker take on, "Superman," basically completely counter to, "All-Star Superman," with art by Eduardo Risso (who in real-life illustrated the Batman-story in the original, "Wednesday Comics," publication). Frank Miller writes and draws a story that involves weird time-travel resulting in his Batman from, "Year One," meeting-up with the one from, "Dark Knight Returns," and basically being disgusted and pledging he'll never end-up like his older-self, whilst the older-Batman mocks the younger one's naivete.  Jack Kirby and Tom King collaborating for a, "Fourth World," epic co-written together and illustrated by Kirby in the vein of the recent, "Mister Miracle," sounded cool, and for some reason Jim Balent writes and draws, "Wonder Woman," which within the dream confused me as he is of course known for his work on, "Catwoman," and never wrote or illustrated Wonder Woman as far as I know, but trying to make sense of a dream is a fool's errand. It was all very strange yet exciting.

A lot of these stories couldn't happen or won't happen (Alan Moore isn't exactly on speaking-terms with DC, Jack Kirby died before Tom King even started making comics, etc.) but within my dream this big hardcover book existed and was glorious. I told my wife how I had a dream about a comic that didn't exist and she asked if maybe it really did, at least in some form. She wondered if I didn't utterly imagine it, which I had to tell her I tragically did. This made me wonder what it would be like if something at least slightly like my dream could happen--I mean, if DC ever made a sequel to, "Wednesday Comics," I would for sure want to buy it as it came out and when it was collected. After all, even if my version I dreamed about is impossible to create (in this reality at least) I would enjoy any kind of, "More Wednesday Comics," DC could potentially give us. For now though, all I can do is literally dream.

Heroes Never Die...but Their Contract Can End AKA Shake-Up with DC Movies

I'm going to start this post with a digression--and yes, I know starting any article or story in that fashion is a great way to lose readers, but I'm feeling frisky today so let's do this. Anyways, in the video-game, "Overwatch," there is a healer character named, "Mercy." I haven't played the game in forever and understand they changed it, but she used to have an, "Ultimate," ability that would resurrect all recently-deceased teammates within a certain radius. This was an incredibly useful power to have and could turn the tide of a losing battle. Upon using this power, the character would automatically often exclaim, "Heroes never die!"

The statement, "Heroes never die," has a lot of truth to it. After all, so many of our comic-book superheroes have died but come back, or even if their books are cancelled they live-on forever in our memories. The problem with putting super-heroes to film however is that the human actors who can portray them are flesh-and-blood and things can go horribly wrong. Heroes never die, but their contract can end, in other words.

Cavill's been wearing a lip-warmer AKA moustache lately.

Now we are at the main point of my article, third paragraph in, and if you're still here with me I thank you. Anyways, Henry Cavill is (most likely) done being Superman in the DC-related movies and Ben Affleck seems to be 100% done as Batman if a variety of reports that emerged yesterday are to be believed. The Cavill news seems more confirmed and the Affleck news has less solid proof, but considering how much trouble has plagued that, "The Batman," movie Affleck was supposed to direct and star in, then just star in, and now is possibly not in at all...I expect an official press release from DC/Warner Brothers, "Wishing him well with other endeavors," pretty soon. Yeah, I'd bet good money, "Justice League," was the last we'll see of those two guys as these heroes.

Weird Instagram videos from Cavill aside that raise more questions than answers, this all seems pretty clear-cut. DC and Warner Brothers need to basically reset or ignore this, "DC Cinematic Universe," and focus on either starting-over a lot of it while keeping the few elements that work (hey there, "Wonder Woman,") or just drop this whole, "Universe," idea and make individual movies about the characters that maybe kinda-sorta relate to each other but could also just be their own thing. Right now the only cinematic universes with any success are Marvel's and weirdly enough anything loosely related to, "The Conjuring," which I didn't even realize had a so-called universe till someone told me that new movie about an evil nun related to the other flicks with ghosts and murderous dolls--go figure, I guess?

The upcoming movie with Wonder Woman is the only one that seems to be, "Sure thing," right now.

Warner Brothers and DC don't need to save this extended universe, as some offered opinions about doing (although the idea of a Michael B. Jordan-portrayed Superman does get me all tingly). They just need to focus on making movies people actually want to see and which aren't plagued by tonal issues, poorly-hidden infighting among the production staff, or otherwise dull. In other words, just hire Patty Jenkins after she finishes, "Wonder Woman 1984," to at least have a hand-in all of your DC films as a producer or line-vision-organizer if you insist on having a cinematic universe of some sort. Right now everything seems to be in shambles besides some positive buzz for the upcoming, "Aquaman," flick and how, "Shazam," looks to at least be good fun. Anything after those and the newest Wonder Woman-starring film however seems to be one big question mark like the kind The Riddler is so fond of--and if Affleck is truly done as Batman we won't be seeing him solve that anytime soon...God, that was a weak way to end this article, I'm sorry. I start with a digression and end with a cheesy allusion to the comics, I really am lucky to have any readers.

DC's Newly Announced, "Black Label," Line Sounds Like a Bland Concept With Potentially Stellar Comics

It had been rumored for a bit, but today DC officially announced their new, "Black Label line," of comics which will basically consist of R-rated and potentially out-of-continuity stories featuring popular characters. It is a little funny as back in the day DC's now-basically-dead Vertigo line was kind of an, "R-rated Elseworlds," and the current oft-delayed books in the, "Young Animal," line can be pretty mature what-with the swearing--and let's be honest, this line sounds like an excuse to let Batman say an unedited, "Fuck," and maybe show some illustrated breasts as DC already has shared extreme violence with us in the past via their non-mature readers comics (remember when it felt like every DC book had to feature someone getting an arm ripped-off? Wild times). This whole, "Black Label," honestly sounds like a somewhat dumb idea except for the fact that the announced books actually appear like they could be really, really good.

Putting aside how annoying, "Black Label," sounds as a line name (is DC trying to riff-on alcohol brands to seem extra grown-up?) the creative teams are mostly solid, with people like Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo working on Batman and Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo doing a book about the Dark Knight as well,  John Ridley's earlier-disclosed book about the, "Other history," of the DC Universe being a part of this, Kelly Sue Deconnick and Greg Rucka both writing a Wonder Woman title, and, um, Frank Miller giving us, "Superman: Year One," with John Romita Jr. That last one could be good or an abomination (hey, I said the teams were, "Mostly solid," not entirely).

If these titles had simply been announced as general comics that were possibly not a part of the, "Main," DC continuity I would have still been intrigued by many of them. This whole, "Black Label," however sounds like a bland concept--"Elseworlds with boobies and cursing!"--with some potentially stellar content from the creative teams. I'm for sure curious about almost all of the announced books and want to at least give them a shot regardless of if they are a part of this new Black Label, or whatever other line DC wants to throw-out a name for.

Whether the, "Black Label," as a concept is a hit or a miss is really only of concern for me if it possibly means we will get more cool-sounding books announced. If I have to put-up with DC using this dumb new name for a line of really cool comics I'll withstand the idiocy of how it'll sound when I go into the comic shop and ask for the latest, "Black Label," as if I'm ordering a drink. Now we just need to wait for the books to come-out and hopefully be great.

The Hot Comic Revue's Third Installment: Attack of the Threequel!

Third Time and Just as Charming

Here we are with the latest installment of The Hot Comic Revue. As always, thanks to my chums at Comics Heating Up who talk about what upcoming books look worthy of speculation and encouraged me to pursue writing about what's popular in regards to stuff that is already out.

A Book That Is Warming-Up

Gasolina #1
Any brand-new Image book isn't guaranteed to be a huge hit, but usually stands a decent chance. The first-printing of, "Gasolina," sold out both its covers from Diamond and the promotional ashcan that came out a bit before the first issue continues to briskly sell online. This book hasn't yet caught fire but it looks promising. Things From Another World, MyComicShop, and eBay all are good ways to get yourself a copy.

Two Red-Hot Titles

Spider-Gwen #24
Spider-Gwen already is a very popular-character who was created in 2014 and good ol' Venom continues to be a fan favorite after rocketing to popularity in the 1990's. So, when the news emerged this issue was arguably the first appearance of Gwen merging with a version of the Symbiote and thereby becoming, "Gwenom," the book started flying off the shelves. There actually is a variant cover featuring Gwen, "Venomized," and they both appear to be equally popular, with anyone who is selling both covers at once making a pretty penny. Right now eBay or MyComicShop are your best chance to snag a copy.

Sink #1
It pleases me to see that, "Sink," is a huge hit as I of course did an advance review where I described how I loved it and had the pleasure of interviewing the creators of the book, who are both stellar guys. A stellar comic that mixes horror and crime to great success, the first issue of, "Sink," has two covers that were printed in equal quantity and therefore are both desirable--with many people wanting at least once of each (there is less-common blank variant too that doesn't seem especially hotter)! eBay or MyComicShop both have copies for sale, with the comic going for quite a lot before settling into a popular-but-not-prohibitive $10-$15 for either cover.


Two Comics with Steamy Potential

Graveland #1
Scout Comics have released a number of books that have gone on to achieve great popularity and success. "Graveland," is one of their newest releases. It features Giants causing immense destruction and is a fun action-movie-styled read. Considering how many books from Scout have gone on to at least warm-up if not become blazing-hot it would be wise to maybe grab at least one copy of, "Graveland," if you can. It currently can be found on Ebay or at MyComicShop.

Wonder Woman Conan #1
Cross-over books between two properties and publishers (DC and Dark Horse) seem to usually get a bit warm or even really hot. Considering how popular Wonder Woman is right now thanks to the awesome movie and the fact that Conan the Barbarian tends to always have a solid fan-following, this book could appeal to a variety of people and has the possibility of getting steamy in the future. I'll be the first to admit this book may be more of a slow-burn however while we wait for the next, "Wonder Woman," flick or Conan to be adapted for the big-screen or television again (which it will be, because everything is getting rebooted and brought-back now). The first issue of, "Wonder Woman Conan," is purchasable at Things From Another World, MyComicShop, and of course eBay.

Film Friday: Wonder Woman

What's that? You would expect if I do a, "Film Friday" segment today, July 14th, 2017, that I would talk about the new, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," flick that came out last week as I'm already delayed with that now? Well, I haven't seen the new Spidey-movie yet but want to, and I did just recently have the opportunity to see, "Wonder Woman," so I thought I would write about it!

Basically, it is good to see that DC finally has a really good film in their Cinematic Universe because dear God did they need one after all these movies that weren't especially great, but were good enough. Also, now that, "Wonder Woman," has made so much money perhaps people will realize girls like super-hero movies too and men are more than willing to see a movie with an ass-kicking woman as the lead. Essentially, director Patty Jenkins just showed us that maybe DC should just put her in charge of their cinematic films because damn did she make a solid movie (and DC rushed to sign her for the sequel after realizing they hadn't already done so). Perhaps the success Jenkins has had with, "Wonder Woman," will show DC they should give their directors space and creative freedom, because Jenkins apparently had to argue for one of the best scenes in the movie--e.g. the bit in, "No Man's Land."

"Wonder Woman," is an expertly plotted and paced film, with it moving from a brief present-day prologue to showing us the origin of Diana in a manner that actually feels fresh after countless origin-stories in other hero-films. We witness her growing from a little girl to a young woman as she trains on her secluded island with the Amazons before World War I comes to their island. This results in Diana going with Steve Trevor (who crash-lands on the island and tells the Amazons of the war) to fight for freedom. It takes a little longer for things to get moving than I would have liked, but once Diana leaves home its great scene after great scene throughout the rest of the running-time. By now most people have seen the film so I won't bother re-hashing all the story-details for you, but I will say I loved the reveal of just who, "Ares," was after it at first seemed Diana's mission to kill the God of War (whom she was convinced had to be behind WWI) was a fruitless endeavor only to have some twists come at us fast and hard. Also, Chris Pine was fantastic as Steve Trevor and I would hope he can return in some manner for a sequel despite, you know, what happens to him at the end. I've said all this and I realize I haven't even discussed how fantastic Gal Gadot is as the titular, "Wonder Woman!"

Gal Gadot was arguably one of the best parts of the so-so, "Batman VS Superman," despite barely being in it and continues to shine in, "Wonder Woman." She plays Diana perfectly and turns a character that at times has struggled to be portrayed well in other forms of media into a fantastic heroine. I personally appreciated how Diana was presented as a perfectly capable and mature woman who just didn't understand certain social-norms, as sometimes adaptation of the story of Wonder Woman for some reason make her seem more like a confused woman-child as she acclimates to the world instead of a smart and skilled warrior who knows how to adapt.

Gal Gadot is stellar.

One thing that is notable about, "Wonder Woman," is something a friend pointed-out to me. Namely, we have had plenty of super-hero movies where male heroes are busting through walls or throwing tanks around, but we've never yet seen a female super-hero do so. Yes, we've had films with lady-heroes involved, but not in the manner of them doing everything guys can do, and sometimes doing it even better. It's good stuff.

"Wonder Woman," is a movie that was needed. DC needed it to show their Cinematic Universe wasn't doomed, Wonder Woman needed it to show she was a character deserving just as much admiration as Batman, Superman, etc. and we as a world needed it to show that films with female super-heroes will draw a crowd. Thanks to a solid cast, fantastic director, and a stellar plot (even if at first things drag a bit as I mentioned) and imagery this movie is wonderful, no pun intended.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Saint-Louis Comic-Con 2017 In Review--Items I Got

Items = Fun!
I met cool people at the show of course, but when we go to comic conventions don't just make precious memories, but it's also fun to get stuff too. With that in mind, I want to present the things I got at this year's Saint Louis Comic-Con!


Stuff I Got (in Alphabetical-ish Order)

Alien VS Predator Playset
I of course love many of the, "Alien," movies and adore a number of the, "Predator," flicks. While I may not be the biggest fan of the movies where characters from the franchises actually met, this playset a vendor had out caught my eye and after I found myself repeatedly walking past it and staring at the darn thing during the show I knew I just needed to buy it.

Avatar Press Trade Paperbacks
I'm a big fan of comics new and old from Avatar Press, so when I saw these two trade paperbacks on sale for just five dollars each I grabbed them. I already have a hardcover copy of, "Black Summer," but don't have it in paperback and this collection of some Alan Moore-works looked fun, so it was a good purchase.

Colored-in Wonder Woman Comic
I previously picked-up this black-and-white variant Wonder Woman comic which I got signed by its writer, Merdith Finch at another comic convention. I wasn't a huge fan of the story-arc this became but love the art by David Finch on the cover. Jeff Balke was kind enough to let me commission him to give it some color and really make it pop! It now looks even better displayed on my bookshelf thanks to the awesome color.

Doc Brown Funko Pop
As my wife and I were married on what is known as, "Back to the Future Day," we enjoy collecting various items related to the series. Therefore, when I was able to grab this Funko Pop of Doc Brown you know I jumped on the opportunity to have it!

Moon Knight Figurines
I got two awesome Moon-Knight minifigures, one in a snazzy case for display and another one by itself for enjoying with my Lego playsets!

Negan Minifigure
My Mother-in-Law is a huge fan of, "The Walking Dead," and her favorite actor by far is Jeffery Dean Morgan. Therefore, when he became Negan for the television show she was basically in heaven. I knew she would appreciate a cute little miniature version of someone who on the show is not at all sweet and adorable.

"Predator 2," Comic--With Dark Horse Trading Cards!
As discussed earlier in this post, I love the Predator movies. There have been a variety of Predator-related comics but this one looked cool as it was the first issue of the official comic-book adaptation of the 2nd movie. Also, the Dark Horse trading cards that were advertised as coming with it still were in the comic, which I took as a sign I ought to snatch it up.

"Tyrants," Comics
I mentioned meeting the guys from Hollow Harbor press in my post earlier today, and this was the comic-series they were at the con promoting. It is about a family dealing with power, magic, and sounded exciting. I look forward to reading and reviewing it!

Hooray for Things!
I tried to be responsible with my budget this year and only get stuff I really wanted--and not buy too many comics as I've been selling many of my books already, after all. I think I did a good job with that goal, as I didn't purchase too much, but what I did buy (or was given for the purposes of review) I am really pleased about.