DC Starting to Come Together on the TV Side

Next season will see two new DC shows on network television with the Arrow/Flash spinoff Legends of Tomorrow (yes, yes, terrible title) on CW and Supergirl on CBS all from the same production teams.  I find myself far more excited for the DC side of things on television than I do for the films that follow the terrible Man of Steel and will continue with the horribly dry and dreary looking Batman v Superman.

I have some problems with Arrow (which we'll get to in a moment), but let's start with the positive -

Let's start with Supergirl.

CBS gave an over six minute look at the upcoming show during upfronts, and I have to admit, it has me excited.



I have to say this appears to be the best live-action portrayal of a Super-family member we've had since Christopher Reeves.  It's only six minutes, but they seem to get who Kara is and who the El family is much better than Zach Snyder.  Count me in for this!

Being from the same producers, there are rumors that Supergirl could crossover with Arrow/Flash/Legends.  And while they are on different networks, CBS owns a stake in CW.  This, of course, means that Superman is a part of the Arrow/Flash universe!  And that's awesome.


You know who else is a part of that universe?


Green Lantern.  As in the Hal Jordan Green Lantern!  In the latest episode of The Flash, Barry used an abandoned Ferris Air for a covert operation.  Captain Cold questioned Barry, "I thought they closed this place down."

Barry answered, "They did.  One of their test pilots disappeared."

Those who know their Green Lantern lore know that the pilot that disappeared could be none other than Hal Jordan who found a dead Green Lantern and was given his ring, which took him deep into space to Oa where he would learn to wield the power of the Green Lantern Ring and master his will.

It was such a blatant reference, I would be shocked if Hal Jordan/Green Lantern doesn't make an appearance next season.

After all, in the comics, Hal is best friends with Oliver Queen and Barry Allen (otherwise known as Green Arrow and Flash).


Some people are also postulating that John Diggle on Arrow might become a Green Lantern as well (and honestly he would make a great one), and there are some striking similarities between Diggle and John Stewart (who is a Green Lantern in the comics).

That would be awesome, but I am skeptical of that theory.  Mainly because it would be too smart a move, and let's be honest here, Arrow doesn't seem to make too many of those.

Let's get to the negative part of this post, before we close it up with some positiveness.  Spoilers for this season of Arrow will follow.

Arrow has been awful this season.  Throughout the show's run, there have been some questionable writing decisions.  Laurel is one of the worst characters in television history, but the fact that she has never been consistent (or perhaps has been consistently inconsistent) seems to have moved to all of the other characters this season.

This season has typified one of the worst sins that storytellers can make: forsaking character in order to facilitate story.

Oliver and his friends constantly do things that make no sense for their character in order for the story to work.

The most recent example is of course Oliver not telling his friends anything about his plan to work with Ra's al Ghul in order to ultimately take him down.  (And the fact that Oliver kills him undoes all of the legitimate character work that they had done over the last three seasons teaching Oliver that killing is never the answer, unless, I guess, it is).  The least they could have done was have Oliver leave them out of the loop since they left Oliver out of the loop on the whole Roy Harper isn't really dead thing while they were planning on faking his death.  Of course, that made even less sense, since not knowing the plan made it almost impossible for Ollie not to go off and attempt a rescue himself, which would have ruined everything.  And it made zero sense that Oliver held off not trying to rescue Roy, except that of course the story needed him not to.

By not telling each other of their plans, however (Ollie not telling the team about his Ra's plan and Team Arrow not telling Ollie about the Roy Harper plan), the writers were able to keep the viewers in the dark.  Look! Drama!  Because they wanted to keep the viewers in the dark, it required the characters doing things that the characters as they have been set up over the last three years that they would never do.

Look, you can have characters act contrary to the way they normally would.  You just have to have a good reason for it, a good in story/character reason for it.  Your reason can't be "because the story requires them to act like this."

This season did a fantastic job of selling me on the fact that Felicity and Ray Palmer (who despite the fact that up to this point his ATOM suit is very much a cheap Iron Man rip-off, but that's for another post) have fantastic chemistry and work together as a couple.

Previously the show has done a great job of selling me on Felicity's crush on Oliver, but has never once made me think that Oliver feels anything whatsoever romantic towards Felicity.  But then, out of nowhere, this season, Oliver admits to feelings for Felicity.  I never once bought it, and it completely weakened the ending of the season.  Arrow didn't earn Oliver and Felicity together.  At all.  All it did was make me wonder how the hell Ray took it so in stride when Felicity left him for Oliver (who everyone happened to think very well might be evil at the time, I might add, making the whole thing make even less sense!).

I'm glad Ray is leaving for a new show next season.  He deserves better than the Arrow writers have given him thus far.

The plus side, of course, is that The Flash has been pretty terrific throughout its freshman season.  Even better than Arrow was when it started (and remember, Arrow finished second to Elementary its first year in the Josh's Choice For Best New Show of the Season Award).

And, perhaps there is some hope that some of the awful mistakes Arrow has made can be somewhat fixed by the events of The Flash's finale next Tuesday (May 19).

Barry has plans to go back in time to stop the murder of his mother.

This was the plot of Flashpoint in the comics which rebooted the DC universe.  While, I've no doubt that Barry will ultimately fix the timeline from the huge change preventing his mother's murder will probably cause, there will be a chance to keep a few things changed.

Namely, I suspect that Sara Lance (the Canary we deserved on Arrow instead of the terrible Laurel) will no longer be dead (since it was announced today that the character Caity Lotz who played Canary will be playing on Legends of Tommorow is in fact Sara Lance) and that Oliver Queen will be cleared to return to action as Green Arrow (and maybe taking the actual name instead of just The Arrow).

Until Next Time, perhaps it will retcon this entire season of Arrow and we can all pretend it never happened.

The New DCU: Sept. 28, 2011, A Simulblog

As always, this is a Simulblog being conducted by me, Fat Train, Justin of Cavemen Go, Chad of Political Jesus, and occasionally Arthur of Arthur the Lesser.

Justin's blog on week four can be found here...

Chad's blog on week four can be found here...

My post on Justice League #1 and the end of Flashpoint can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

My post on Week #1 of the new #1s can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

My post on Week #2 of the new #1s can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

My post on Week #3 of the new #1s can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

Since this is the final week of the Simulblog (and the fact that I've been sick has made it ridiculously late; after all, this week gives us our first #2s) I have decided to refrain from doing a book by book review and instead focusing on an overview of the entirety of the number ones.

WHAT I'VE LOVED

The surprise storytelling and fantastic art that were on display in Animal Man, a book I would have not been reading at all had I not agreed to take part in this Simulblog.  Having already read number 2 which was released today, I can tell you that the story continues to surprise and the art is even better in issue number 2.  This book is, for me, the clear winner of the reboot/relaunch.

The new take on Superman, returning him to the beginning of his character in the 30s and 40s in terms of story and power (although in a modern context) along with a concentrated effort to have him be the Superman of the people, a Social Justice Superman, that we are seeing in the Grant Morrison penned Action Comics.

The story developing in Batman and in Nightwing capturing two of my favorite Gothamites in a way that none of the other issues devoted to the Bat-family seem to have been able to.  Bruce/Batman is captured perfectly in the first issue, and the story is fantastic.

Speaking of the Bat-family, Batgirl was outstanding as well, and with Gail Simone writing probably will avoid some of the problems the relaunch has had (more on that later).

WHAT I'VE LIKED

The Green Lantern Books (not counting Red Lanterns) including Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and Green Lantern Guardians.  For the most part, nothing new is going on in Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps, if you were a fan before, chances are good you will still be a fan now.  Green Lantern Guardians is going to be something a little new, and the first issue was interesting, mysterious, and quite a bit of fun as well.  I have never been a huge Kyle Rayner fan, but this book seems to be off to a good start with the character.  It was true to Kyle, but I also enjoyed it a lot more than I have often enjoyed reading about Kyle in the past.

The connections that are building up around the characters, such as Supergirl's super hearing manifesting by hearing dialogue that was taking place in other books such as Aqua-Man.  In Detective Comics #2, a character references Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)'s company in a conversation with Bruce Wayne.  I like the idea of the universe being connected and this relaunch offers an opportunity to build that universe from the beginning and for the most part, DC seems to be doing that.

WHAT I HAVEN'T LIKED

The fact that many of these reboots/relaunches have either been very pedestrian (Green Arrow) bringing none of the real excitement that a number one should have has been disappointing, as has the fact that some of these supposed reboots/relaunches clearly required prior knowledge in order to get into the series, which seems to defeat the whole purpose of starting over at number one (Legion: Lost and Legion of Superheroes).

Another thing that has bothered me is the new time-line which doesn't seem to make sense, or at the very least is impossible to keep track of.  There is a mass break out of Arkham Asylum in both Batman and in The Dark Knight and it doesn't seem like there is too much time difference between any of the four Batman titles, which seems like a bit of a waste.  I enjoy that Action Comics and Superman take place a different times, allowing us to see Superman now, as well as where he came from and how he developed.  A book like I, Vampire, which came out in the last week of the new number 1s was very interesting, but with the epic events taking place in the issue make me think that those are events that would draw at least the attention of some, if not all, of the heroes, but it isn't something that appears to be on the radar of any of the superheroes or the various teams.  The Teen Titans first issue seems to make it appear as if the team is being formed for the first time (especially since Action Comics seems to say that Superman is the first super-powered being ever) yet in Red Hood, it appears that there is still a history of the Teen Titans and that Starfire was once a member of the Teen Titans.  Then, if Superman was the first super powered being, why is Hawkman trying to get rid of the Nth Metal that has made him Hawkman, as if he's been a Superhero for some time.  Obviously Action Comics takes place some 6 years ago, so there is time for these things to develop, but not much time, and it would be helpful if the timeline were a little more clear.

WHAT I'VE HATED

Quite simply, I've hated the objectification of women that seems so prevalent throughout many of these books and the fact that diversity is still not really been fully addressed.  After all, have you realized that everyone of the members of the Justice League have their own book except for Cyborg, the one non-white member of the team?  That's a little troubling, but the objectification of women has been far, far more embarrassing.

The primary example of this has quite clearly been the portrayal of Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

The idea of an expansive ideal of womanhood, something beyond the typical or patriarchy driven vision of what womanhood should look like or represent, can be vast and express itself in many different ways; however there is still some question of who gets to envision or portray those new and expansive ideals.  Written by a male, Kory, called Starfire, is portrayed throughout Red Hood and the Outlaws as an object.  Her costume, like many of the costumes of female characters in comic books, is very revealing, but the writer and artist (both men) put her into an even more revealing bikini, and have a teenage male snap a picture with his cell-phone as she comes out of the water.  He then puts that picture up on the internet for others to ogle.   

It is revealed early in the book that she is in a sexual relationship with Jason Todd, the Red Hood, and then she offers to have sex with Arsenal, Roy Harper.  When he protests that she is sexually involved with Jason, she tells him that sex is not for love, but for enjoyment.  This conversation is the only time we are given anything from her perspective.  The author maintains that she is a sexually liberated female, and any uproar over her sexual identity is misplaced, after all, people don’t fret as much about male characters who have multiple sex partners or a liberated view on sex and sexuality.


While that might be true, I don’t think that the uproar is due to the attitude that Starfire has towards sex.  The problem is the fact that throughout the book her character is the subject of objectification, and the desire to have meaningless sex with both of the main male characters in the book comes off across more as a teenage male fantasy of what a sexually liberated woman would be like as opposed to a fully developed female character who happens to have a more loose view of sex and sexuality.



Many of the women that work at DC have acknowledged that they were troubled by the portrayal before the release of the issue and asked the writer to tone it down or use the fact that the character used to be a sex slave on another planet to explain why she might be acting in this manner, but the writer refused, claiming that focusing on her past would only be treating her as a victim, seeming to ignore the fact that by portraying her solely as an object for male fantasies was victimizing the character as well.

This is only one of the most blatant examples.  DC likes to point at Batwoman and claim diversity because of the fact that she is a lesbian, but in the first issue, she spends most of it in some form of undress with another woman (not in a sexual way).  Again, it seems more of a teenage fantasy of what lesbians should do rather than really dealing with issues that a lesbian superhero might face.

Voodoo, released in week 4, is about a bi-sexual stripper who literally becomes a monster that kills as she gets naked, and then takes the form of the man she killed, seeming to make a statement that women are inconstant and monstrous, and have worth only due to their bodies.


It is not that a stripper/alien can't be a strong character, just that the way these characters are being written are as objects, not characters.


If it were just one or two books, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is in a multitude of them, and each week as well.


As for Week 4...


NO QUESTION KEEPERS


Flash


Aquaman


Green Lantern: New Guardians


DEFINITELY WORTH A LONGER LOOK


Superman


Savage Hawkman


Teen Titans


Justice League Dark


MIGHT KEEP READING THEM


The Dark Knight


I, Vampire


All Star Western


NOs


Blackhawks


Fury of Firestorm


Voodoo



Until Next Time, feel free to comment on any of these thoughts or bring up anything else the entirety of the new number ones might have brought to the forefront of your own consciousness.

The New DCU: Sept 14, 2011 A Simulblog

Week 2 of the new Number Ones...

While last week struck me as a great success, as none of the books that I read were out and out failures for me (and one that I didn't read last week but picked up this week on the recommendation of Justin Tiemeyer, more about him later, Swamp Thing, which by the way was actually really good).  While Hawk & Dove was clearly the worst of what I read last week, the mystery at least piked my interest enough for me to at least give it one more book.

I can't say the same this week.

As you probably recall, this is a Simulblog, which means that others are blogging about the same subject.

Justin Tiemeyer (see I told you there would be more on him) of Cavemen Go has his week 2 post here...

Optimistic Chad of Political Jesus has his week 2 post here...

And Arthur the Lesser joins in in some capacity with his post here...

For a look at the Simulblog up to this point you can check out

My thoughts on Justice League #1 and the beginning of the reboot here (with links to the other two simulblogs)

and

My thoughts on Week One of the new Number 1s here (also with links to the other two simulblogs)

Remember, there are some spoilers to follow...

For Week 2, I think I'll start with the books that I will leave behind without even making it to issue number 2...

RED LANTERNS #1

I love the Green Lanterns, and their interactions with the other lantern corps are always fun, but giving the Red Lanterns their own book and making Atrocitus the main character just doesn't work for me.

I'm not a big vengeance is the main motivator for the hero person anyway (I don't like Punisher either) so having me root actively for a protagonist (cause I can't quite bring myself to call the Red Lanterns heroes) who so viciously kills right off the bat in a book, even when the ones dying are also decidedly evil, just doesn't work for me at all.

The book tries to give us a reason to care about Atrocitus, as he has lost the motivation for his rage, but since he continues to kill anyway (and in fact decides to wipe out all "who deserve retribution," styling himself as "an instrument of vengeance) I'm not that drawn towards him at all.

As a villain, I can buy him.  There's nothing better than a villain who thinks he (or she) is working for the side of good, but an entire line devoted to him strikes me as overkill.  Give me his perspective when the Justice League or the Green Lanterns or some other heroes are trying to stop him.  I don't need an entire run from his perspective, especially if he (and his insane group of followers) isn't (aren't) considered the villain(s) at all.

BATWOMAN #1

What was a major problem in some of the books I read this week (which I think was also present but handled much better last week) was the attempt to reconcile the past that hasn't been jettisoned with the reboot with the fact that these are number 1s and people are supposedly supposed to be able to come into these books fresh.

Batwoman as a book fails miserably at this.

The junky way that exposition was handled turned me completely off what was otherwise an okay book.

And since the main character is both female (rare in comics) and lesbian (almost unheard of in comics) I really wanted to read this one.

As it is, there just wasn't enough to draw me in and let me look past the clumsy way they handled the obvious need to tie the past of this character into the fact that the rest of the universe is rebooting.

 LEGION LOST #1

I think there is something interesting hidden in this book.

However, the execution is, to put it bluntly, terrible.

Being a number one in a reboot is a difficult proposition as some of the issues released this week reveal.  You have to be true to the readers that are following from the past, you have to set up the changes from the previous universe, and you have to introduce the characters and stories for new readers.

Legion Lost fails miserably at this.

I have an idea about some of their powers and a little bit of an idea of what their mission is, but I feel like the only reason I was able to follow along at all was because of a slight knowledge of the Legion coming in.  Had that knowledge not been there to foreground the events in this book, it would have been an incomprehensible mess.

I feel pretty safe leaving this one on the "no" pile.

SUICIDE SQUAD #1

First off, really not sure what is up with this cover.  More than a little sensational, and not in a good way.  I'm no prude, it's just that no matter how insane Harley Quinn is, it seems like she could wear something a little more conductive to fighting, but I guess that's just me.

I like the character of Amanda Walling; I like the idea of her questionable ethics in a difficult world filled with meta-humans of great power, but I'd be completely fine with her showing up occasionally in other books and the same goes for the Suicide Squad.

Similar to my thoughts on Red Lanterns, a book turning those most easily understood as villains into heroes just isn't my favorite style.  Again, I think there is story potential here, but not enough of it is present for me to feel like I have to continue picking this book up.

RESURRECTION MAN #1


To tell you the truth, the story kind of grabbed me.  The ability of Mitch (aka Resurrection Man) kind of grabbed me (despite the opening being ripped from the Doctor Who television movie in 1996).  But the clear heaven and hell motif happening here (with very clear and annoying upstairs downstairs language) turned me off.

Had it been more obscure, or not as clear cut heaven up hell down theology, I probably could have overlooked it.

As it was this aspect overshadowed the things I did like about the book.

I'm moving on, but would understand if others decided to keep reading.

FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1

The writing (much like the other book handled by Jeff Lemire, Animal Man - the stand out book of the new 52 thus far) was great.  The art was pretty good.  The problem is, I just don't care about Frankenstein the character or S.H.A.D.E. the organization.

Unlike Animal Man, which drew me in to a character that I knew little about and was prepared to quickly move on from, nothing much happens to give you a reason to really connect to Frankenstein and his team.

Overall, it felt like a cheap Hellboy rip off, down to the amphibian member of the team.

I mean, I get it.  We're looking at the classic monsters (beyond the amphibian one).  Joining Frankenstein are a Wolfman, a Vampire, and a Mummy.  Yeah, very 1930's universal, but I need more than that to care about the story, and I just didn't get it.

BATMAN & ROBIN #1

I'm probably going to surprise some people with my inclusion of this book in the books I won't be spending anymore money on pile, but I really didn't like the way this book went.

Since most of the Batman reality isn't going away with the reboot, it appears that Damian's past as Robin to Dick Grayson's Batman during the Batman RIP storyline still took place.

And yet, apparently, Damian didn't learn a damn thing while serving as Robin to Grayson's Batman.

I was prepared for a Damian/Robin that had a screwed up past but generally wanted to impress his father. But his lying to Bruce about killing the criminals (granted, it was their own mistake of shooting a gun in the close quarters of a vehicle filled with unstable nuclear material that killed them) seemed to be going a bit too far.

The fact that as Robin he continually refused to listen to Batman's orders and the disregarding of Batman's orders led to the death of three men (and that Bruce didn't figure out that they died) means that Bruce's blind-spot when it comes to his son is a little larger than I am willing to buy.

Yeah, I get that Damian is supposed to get on your nerves, but I have to buy that he could do the annoying things he does without Batman completely shutting him down as Robin.  And I can't buy that right now, especially since it seems that he did have the previous training as Robin while under Dick Grayson's tutelage.  It sort of felt like a step backwards for the character of Damian for me, and I don't really want to go there, reboot or no.

Since there are four Batman books, I'm probably okay not reading the one with Damian in it.


Moving on to the books that I didn't love, but at least warrant a further look...

SUPERBOY #1

Another potential problem with the DC Reboot is that when going back to the number ones, the beginnings of the stories, we might end up rehashing some tired ground.

Maybe Superboy isn't well known enough for the origin to be unnecessary, but it still felt rehashed and unnecessary to me.

That being said, it was still a pretty good take on the old clone of Superman and a human story, and it had enough in it to interest me to the point where I will at least give it a little more time.

I did love the image of the other young heroes at the end of the issue...

That alone might be enough to get me to pick up issue #2.

DEMON KNIGHTS #1

Demon Knights looks like it will be a fun book.  The reason that it didn't wow me completely (as it might have other people) is that I felt that it was a little rushed.

This issue tried to introduce a lot of moving parts, and I think it was a little rushed and convoluted because of that.

I kind of wish that they had gone a similar route to Justice League #1 with this book.  Introduce and focus on just a couple of the key characters and slowly introduce the rest of the team in subsequent issues.

Despite that misgiving, I was somewhat interested with the story and intrigued with the characters and what will ultimately turn them into a team.

I will be giving this book another look.



And now... the winners of the week....

GREEN LANTERN #1

What's not to love?  Sinestro, with the past of the Sinestro Corp and the betrayal of the Green Lanterns fully intact, has been chosen to once again wear the ring.

A villain who has reasons for the evil he does, evil he considers to be for the greater good, Sinestro has always been one of my favorite villains.

Meanwhile, Hal Jordan, long one of my favorite heroes, has been kicked out of the corps, lost his job as a pilot, and in this issue pisses off the one person who trusts him and loses his apartment (and also, in an instant classic of a scene, interrupts the filming of a movie trying to still do good despite having no ring).

Things have certainly changed in the Green Lantern story, and it appears that if status quo is going to be reachieved, mortal enemies Hal Jordan and Sinestro might just have to work together.

Let me just say...

This I have got to see.

Unquestionably in the buy pile and would have been the best of the week bar none if not the surprise of...

MISTER TERRIFIC #1

 I didn't really know anything about Mister Terrific coming in, and since it didn't get covered in the first issue (although some of his past was revealed) I don't even know how he got his powers.

I look forward to finding out.  I also look forward to this villain who increases your IQ but also apparently turns you into an intolerant, murderous asshole.

I also loved the reference to Doctor Who (and the subtle ad for series 5, now on BluRay and DVD starring Matt Smith as the Doctor, reminding me to remind you that after every Doctor Who episode in series 6 you can check here for my thoughts on said episode).

The small hints in the backstory and the intriguing current day storyline combined to make this a good read that (like Animal Man and unlike Frankenstein) made me care about a character that I previously had little to no interest in (or in this case, knowledge of).

The writing was great, causing me to laugh out loud at quite a few lines.  The themes were also interesting, as Michael Holt (Mister Terrific) espouses in the book the fact that he doesn't believe in God due to the untimely death of his wife followed closely by an experience that gives him hope and belief in a better future.

I dug it and look forward to continuing the story.

Until Next Week, I'm glad that Week 2 wasn't completely disappointing, but it also wasn't as satisfying for me as Week 1 was, here's hoping for a fantastic Week 3.  See you then for more Simulblog action, Same Simulblog Time, Same Simulblog Channels (old school Batman tv reference brought to you by the poles that Batman and Robin used in Batman and Robin #1 to get to the Batcave).

The New DCU: Aug 31, 2011, A Simulblog

So DC went and rebooted their universe.  You've probably heard about it (been hearing about it) as it has been pretty widely discussed.

We here at Fat-Train, along with our friends Justin Tiemeyer of Cavemen Go and Optimistic Chad of Political Jesus, are going to walk you through the first month of the new DCU.  There will be spoilers, there will be snark, and there might even be a few surprises.

Justin's article can be read here

Chad's article can be read here


First off, let me briefly talk about Flashpoint, the series that set up the reboot.

When I first heard about the decision to erase decades of continuity and reboot the DC Universe, I, like I suspect many of you, was upset.

Then I began reading Flashpoint, and the story was fun and intriguing, and I found myself buying in almost despite myself.

After finishing Flashpoint, I was more at ease with the decision, especially upon learning that many of the intricate story-lines set up and played out over the last couple of years in Batman and the Green Lantern books would remain relevant in the new continuum.

However, the way that Flashpoint ended kind of (okay, okay, really) disappointed me.

For one thing, it felt extremely rushed.

And while I can appreciate that Flash's decision to save his mother could butterfly effect through those closest to him (namely the Justice League) and change things dramatically, I still don't buy that Aquaman and Wonder Woman would get so wrapped up in their own enmity that they would destroy the world in the process.  Oh, boo-hoo, the political marriage between Wonder Woman and Aqua-Man didn't work out and Wonder Woman killed Aqua-Man's wife in (she claims) self defense (although he doesn't buy it).  Still doesn't seem like enough to destroy the world they both have sacrificed so much to protect.

Still, Flashpoint (despite its weaknesses) made me somewhat warm to the idea of the reboot, and yesterday I read Justice League #1.

Overall, I'm intrigued and looking forward to the future of at least this book.

Set five years in the past, JL1 looks to set up the Justice League from the beginning.  In the first book we get a hint at a future threat that will likely end up requiring the team up (Darkseid), we got a new world order that could certainly provide some interesting stories (Superheroes are not yet thought of as heroes, but treated by the Air Force as a shoot first, ask questions later type threat), and we get to see the first interactions of three of the big names in DC, Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman (although to be fair, Supes's part in the process is brief).

We start with Batman in action, while also trying to avoid an angry Air Force, against some shape-shifting alien being.  The fact that an alien being is in Gotham brings in the guardian of this sector, Green Lantern (aka Hal Jordan).  Neither of them know too much about the other.

Green Lantern gets to show of some of his imagination and ability while Batman is the Batman, leading Hal to try and workout exactly what Batman's super powers are.

cracked me up

After destroying the alien threat they decide to go question the other alien they know about, that dangerous alien being in Metropolis.

Hal Jordan decides that as the alien expert on the planet he should deal with the alien super being alone, but Superman doesn't have too much trouble taking care of Jordan (who goes in a little too sure of himself and completely unaware of what he is about to be facing off against, I'll be interested to see how Chad feels about the amount of cockiness that Green Lantern is showing here early on).

That sets up our cliffhanger, and if you're rebooting, let's be honest, you have to get to this sooner rather than later...

Superman vs Batman.

Overall, it was a great start to introducing the team, and I certainly want to keep reading.

But I do have a few qualms.

The photo that leads off my blog entry is one of the most common photos I've seen regarding the new Justice League, and the lack of diversity it provides is a little disturbing.  When rebooting, take advantage of the opportunity to add some diversity to your heroes.

The full version of the cover is a little better, since it includes Cyborg (Victor Stone) in the lower right hand corner.

The variant cover, on the other hand,

is almost embarrassingly lacking in diversity.  And why does Wonder Woman have to look so seductive while all the men get to look all angry and brooding?

It is really disappointing.

While Batman Incorporated isn't going to be a book in the new 52, Batwing is.  Batwing is an African Batman for Africa.  Surely some will point to this when the diversity issue is raised.

That's all fine and good, but the continent of Africa is quite large, and the population is incredibly numerous.  Despite those facts, there is only one Batman for the entire continent of Africa while the city of Gotham has Batman, Batgirl, Robin, the Birds of Prey, and probably some help from Nightwing as well?  Seems some more diversity could really have occurred here.

And there has got to be some other non-white superheroes that can be in the original Justice League beyond just Cyborg.

I really feel an important opportunity was missed here.

As much as I abhor the Ultimate Universe in Marvel, I am pretty impressed that their new Spider-Man is half Mexican and half black.

I'm not saying DC should have replaced Super-Man with a black man, but they could have at least let him have a few multi-cultural teammates.

Ultimately, I'm in on the reboots, but I may swear off DC forever if they end up rebooting the reboot and go back to the status quo as if nothing ever happened.

If you're going to do something like this... STICK WITH IT.  Then I'll be more likely to stick by you.

Until Next Time, I look forward to seeing what you think, join Justin, Chad, and I for the discussion, and we'll do it again next week when more of the new 52 arrive in stores.

Best of My Buddies - Part One, Green Lantern Corp and Creative Cosplay

You may have noticed that I am not posting as much of late.

Part of that is because I am insanely busy...

And part of that is because I am a little lazy on top of the busy.

For instance, I meant in the last couple of weeks to post reviews on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (liked it) and Captain America: The First Avenger (absolutely loved it). 

However, neither of those posts or any of the other possible posts I was planning occurred.

Since I still want to maintain a presence on the World Wide Web (as it is sometimes called), I thought to myself, "Self... we need to come up with a way to post things that won't take us much time to put together, thereby posting something and maintaining a presence, yet not getting in the way of the business or laziness that otherwise occupy our time."  Seeing as I made a good point, I quickly agreed and tried to think of something to post.

Luckily, at around the same time, two of my friends (both in real life and online) both posted some interesting things that I feel are worth highlighting.

So, I present to you the newest feature on Fat Train, BEST OF MY BUDDIES

Good stuff from online postings of friends of mine that I will share also with you, my readers.

First, a tweet from my buddy Chad (@OptimisticChad on Twitter)

OptimisticChad Optimistic Chad

6 minutes of the new Green Lantern cartoon. Bliss. youtu.be/bCrIVjDh0Sg

 

 

I have to say, I'm pretty excited about the new series based on the Green Lantern Corps.  While overall reaction to the film from critics has seemed negative, I was actually very pleased with the film.  Perhaps because I'm a huge fan of the character (and the other Lanterns portrayed so well in the film).

These 6 plus minutes shown at Comic Con give a fair representation of what the series is going to be, and I, for one, can't wait.

The second thing I want to highlight is also from Comic Con, and it is a post (what appears to be the first in a series) on some of the costumes that stood out at this years Comic Con by my good friend Justin Tiemeyer of CavemenGo.

So go give that post a read, and remember that I'm still here, even if not as present as I was earlier this year.

Until Next Time, the return of series 6 (season 32) of Doctor Who is August 27, also known as one short month away, and I will (despite my business and laziness) continue to post my thoughts and reflections of those episodes shortly after they air!

In Brightest Day, my review of Green Lantern

First of all, Ryan Reynolds is Hal Jordan.  I really wanted his old "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place" co-star, Nathan Fillion (Captain Mal on Firefly, Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible, and Frank Castle, not a Captain, in Castle) to be Hal Jordan, but Ryan Reynolds encapsulated the character quite succinctly in my opinion.

The acting and characterization was one of the (many) strengths of this film.

The effects were more than adequate; sure, you could tell they were cg effects, but that's almost always the case, and they didn't get in the way at all, but did assist in the story.  As cg continues to improve, the Green Lantern franchise will no doubt benefit.

The action and story were stellar, and the movie overall is engaging and a hell of a lot of fun.

The only negative thing I have to say about the film is that it flies by far to fast.  Seriously, the story and action are heading at speeds unknown to all by Green Lanterns flying from far flung sectors back to Oa at the center of the universe.  I wish that the film had been longer and taken a little more time to breathe, but even that complaint really didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film at all.

In fact, and I recognize my incredible love of the characters of the Green Lantern Corp might have some play in this reaction, but it was instantly among my favorite comic book movies of all time, and is currently at the top of the list for 2011 films so far.

Sorry, Super 8, your run as top film of the year was pretty short.

If you have any love of the character, I can guarantee that you will love this movie.  If you don't know anything about the Green Lantern Corp or Hal Jordan, I still think you will be in for an enjoyable ride.

I honestly don't understand why the film is getting the negative reviews that it is getting, because other than the fact that it was over way too fast, I can't say a single negative thing about it.

Until Next Time, In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight.  Let those who worship evil's might beware my power, Green Lantern's light!

In Brightest Day...

As you no doubt know (or you would know if you happened to read my Summer Movie Preview, specifically part two on the films of June), I am very excited for the Green Lantern film, and have high hopes.

Those hopes are even higher after viewing the footage from Wondercon in San Fransisco last weekend.

Check this out, and any fears you might have had will probably be a little relieved.

This looks amazing.



Until Next Time, we are moving ever closer to the start of the summer movie schedule.  If you haven't already, check on my thoughts on the movies of May, June, July, and August.

Thoughts on the Summer Movie Schedule 2011 - Part Two

Continuing with the Summer Movie Preview after already looking at the releases of May, we move into June...

JUNE

3rd

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

The first two X-Men movies were very good, especially considering that we hadn't been introduced to the amazing Comic Book films that would follow in their wake (such as Iron Man and the Chris Nolan Batman films).  The last two X-Men movies (Last Stand and Origins:Wolverine) were among the worst movies of their respective years.  Bryan Singer (who directed the first two in the series) is back as producer, but my hopes aren't too high.  My love for the stories and characters will probably get me into the theater, but how many more times can I be burned by FOX in regards to the X-Men brand?

THE LAST MOUNTAIN

 A documentary that chronicles a fight that pits a mining corporation against a community.  It looks like an interesting tale about the need for a declining resource and a town that hopes to survive and find a different way.


10th

SUPER 8



J.J. Abrams, who brought us Alias, was instrumental in the formation of LOST, and sucessfully rebooted the original Star Trek brings us his loving homage to Steven Spielberg's alien movie.  Or, at least, that's how the trailer looks to me.  Either way, I am stoked for this film, ET for a new generation.

JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER


17th

GREEN LANTERN



Growing up, my favorite super heroes were Spider-Man and Superman.  When expanding my horizons past these two heroes in the 90s, I discovered Green Lantern, a fantastic super-hero/sci-fi story.  Recently when the Marvel storyline Civil War ended and everything went right back to the way it was before the story-line began, I got angry and put Marvel away for awhile.  At that same time, Geoff Johns was starting the most incredible storyline in the DC verse, and it centered on the Green Lantern Corps.  There is so much storytelling potential in these characters, and I really hope that this movie gets it right.

HOMEWORK

BUCK

MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS

Jim Carrey stars in Hollywood's 9,344,764,323rd movie about Penguins in the last five years.  (Numbers are most likely exact).  I can guarentee that I will not be seeing this.  Although, a fun fact I learned at the local Zoo, only 4 of the 17 types of Penguins actually live in cold climates.  Movies don't tell you things like that.  They make them seem as if Penguins only live in frigid conditions.  False, my friends.


24th

CARS 2

The trailer actually makes this film look beyond terrible, however it is PIXAR, so you know it will be at the worst enjoyable.  If PIXAR was going to make a sequel to something in its arsenal beyond Toy Story, why, oh why, did they not go with INCREDIBLES 2?  That's the sequel we all want to see, not Lightning McQueen and To Mater pretending to be (or mistaken for) spies in a car filled Europe.  Sigh, someday we will get an INCREDIBLES 2; someday.  I will, however, be seeing this in theater, if only for the Toy Story short that will run before the film.

BAD TEACHER



Sometimes you're just in the mood for a crude romantic comedy.  This looks like it might fit that bill.  And Jason Segal is always a comedic genius.

A BETTER LIFE

Until Next Time,  get your popcorn ready...