Some characters never even get a chance. Tomorrow Woman, Kole, and so many others have been bumped off before fans felt they really got the chance to love them or even know them. My most regretted loss was a fellow who went by the fairly obvious name of Power Boy. This guy was an obvious statement about the sexualization of women in comics and how silly they would be if the same visual aspects and clueless mentalities we’ve sometimes seen were applied to a male character (Eddie Berganza confirmed this in the “DC Nation” column). His story was brief, he was part of the “lost year” of the Teen Titans referenced in the weekly 52 series that filled in the gap. Not long after, he dated Supergirl for a minute. He was very controlling and almost physically violent. She beat his ass and sent him packing. Next, he attended a one-issue only meeting with Titans West, shagged Hawk (of …And Dove), then he wound up being disemboweled by the Sons of Trigon. Very short tenure in the Universe, for sure. I think he deserved not only better, but could’ve been SERIES worthy.
I know, a potential abuser of women doesn’t sound like much of a prospect for a character. That said, the boy was from APOKOLIPS. This, to me, is the ultimate example of damaged goods. I love metaphorical statements about humanity via super-heroes, and I would think of this as a prime example. Not excusing it, but examining it would be interesting. Also, why would someone with his past and habits come to Earth to be a super-hero? Great question, worthy of a great origin story. He was shown in a single frame only as being partnered with a girl named Little Barda. She never appeared outside that image, but I imagine her to be an acolyte of Mister Miracle’s formidable wife. She sounds potentially engaging as well. His obvious narcissism and hyper-sexual nature would be fun to see in action. It would give humor to an ongoing, as well as worthy exploration along with his bellicose tendencies. Further- why NOT a comic about a male sex object? It’s never been done in my memory. I’m not saying on every panel, and obviously there’s a cheese factor in the concept, but if it were done right it could be very entertaining. So, you have here a character people could want to slap, feel bad for, laugh at, and get some shock factor from. You also have a character rooted in an interesting corner of the DCU, with lots of room for incorporation. I’d LOVE to see him meet up with Power Girl and let the melee begin. I could see her reaction to him being priceless and fun. Imagine her reaction to his name, the cut-out on his chest mirroring hers, his flirtatious nature, his machismo, not to mention his implied pre-occupation with her via his name and appearance. His reaction to her hard-as-nails-no-nonsense persona could be entertaining as well. I see a wellspring of opportunity unexplored in such a character. Given the number of new characters seen post-reboot, I look to characters like this and wonder, why not them? So far, none of the post-Flashpoint new characters seem to be resonating too heavily with readers, none I’ve heard or read material from anyway. Who knows, maybe down the line he’ll make a comeback and wow the crowd. I, for one, would give him a healthy chance. Who can say no to that smile and that hairy ‘boob window’? Save Power Boy!
DON’T JUST SIT THERE LOOKING PRETTY- LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS/ARGUMENTS/PRAISES.
Real quick, yes this site is all about super-heroines. The pod was empty, so maybe Supergirl is flyin’ around somewheres and I am totally Lois Lane’s bitch. Done and done.
OK, so there’s this Superman movie called “Man of Steel” that maybe you’ve heard about or perhaps have seen. If not, stop here, unless you are an id-controlled-nerd- man-child like me who went ahead and read a spoiler-laden critical piece instead of waiting a whole damn 48 hours to see it myself. The review I read crucified it. It dissected it, and annihilated almost every frame. I was scared. Lucky for me, I’m all about critical dissection and objectivity. I don’t let my emotions get in my way or prejudge anything before I see something for myself. Also, I’m a very pragmatic centrist in political affairs. A lot of folks are attached to certain concepts and ideologies like tar babies. Not me, jack. What you should further know about me is that I’m as sentimental as a dishrag. Seriously. Send me a Christmas card and I will open it and smile on the way to the trash can it’s headed for (I hate clutter). I have folks in my life that I care about and am attached to, but to me every day is new. I enjoy our history together, but I’m a “here and now” type. Same with comics. I want to see something new and exciting when I open the cover. Now, I AM down with nostalgia all the way. I love cool antiques and such, and I love looking at old photos, not because I MISS the times therein, but because I like to see where things come from. I don’t like things that are new when they corrupt the root essence, though. I’ve written diatribes about modern interpretations of classic characters when I feel like this happens. It’s lazy, most of the time, to get rid of essentials that make these characters who they are. Anything can be updated with the silly fat of age trimmed away, and a LOT of it is silly. Like, say, wearing underwear with a belt outside your tights. That said, I have seen more vitriol, outrage, deep personal offense (it’s a damn movie, let’s not forget. Comics are “just lines on paper” some wise sage told me recently), and volleyed pro- and anti- columns over this flick than any I can remember. I even got caught up for a second myself, then realized that I was kinda being the person I hate to be and stepped away. That’s why I’m turning this in so late. VERY LITTLE anger here. Much elation, in fact. I love this movie and I’m going to tell you why. First, I think we need to chat about super-hero movies in general.
“Marvel’s got it down pat. They make awesome super-hero movies without ripping the characters apart.” OK, first, I don’t think MOS did that at all, but that’ll come later. Be patient. Marvel movies don’t have to do as much because their characters weren’t written for eight year olds in the ’40s. Marvel books were written for wider demographics in the ’60s, after a dismal and disillusioning period of a decade and some change. With them, no need to add depth and such, because it was already there. Drama with realized character studies starts 5 or so pages into the first Fantastic Four story, and goes thru every Marvel comic up to now, with varying degrees of success. Like I said, in the ’40s for eight year olds- and all their titles starring cops. People whom, for various reasons, put on fun-suits and go out to save the world and fight crime. Why? Because that’s the stuff of kids of a bygone era. It was totally soldier-boy scout, cowboy fare gone urbane. The fantastical meets the fantasy. Now, a lot of folks are bemoaning the ‘dark realistic’ nature of contemporary DC fare. No secret, I’m not a New 52 comics fan very much at all. It’s ugly, congested, too compacted and compartmentalized, and pretty damned mean-spirited. This is the classic comics company, and I think that’s a negative way to go about it. Again, they can keep the magic, and still update with creativity, and again, I blame the lack on laziness with a heavy dose of greed from folks who don’t like super-heroes. As for the movie DCU, I don’t find it dark. I find it new. And by new, I mean it’s like the real honest-to-Rao world. It is untapped, there is no history of anything out of the ordinary to the man on the street. Don’t like that? Likely, if you’re over 35, you asked for it, pal. Yes, I heard you in the comics shop pissing and moaning about how un-dark and un-real Batman (Burton) was, and how you would’ve made it better without going to film classes. Lets face it, a bad and unreal superhero flick is a total pants-ing to a comic fan, especially in the days before the adaptation onslaught. Many sought validation in those days via mainstream media. “See, I was right. You should’ve been reading comics ALL ALONG, just like me”, they’d tell their un-understanding peers, and they would no doubt see that this here dude was obviously right. Never gonna happen. Most people who like comic films don’t necessarily give a crap about going out and buying an Avengers comic or the like, and never will. I’ve met people who have never even dug a cartoon EVER who thought “The Dark Knight” was cool. The validation ethic has subsided over the years. We’ve got the internet and scores of mutual fans we can talk to, and comic-cons are chic, so stigma is virtually lifted. Still, we got what we clamored for. Now, there are a lot of peeps who want the opposite. They seem to want a comic movie that’s all about the lack of suspension of disbelief, and more comic-like. I got a movie for you. “Batman and Robin”. As comic as the day is long, and loathed by a lot of everybody. Wretched costumes and the world’s shittiest Batgirl aside, it’s a Batman comic. Watch it again and see. It’s the epic example of comic-book dialogue and action. Literal translation attempts just do not work, not at all. Comics are in their own space on the printed page and they have to have some major tweaking conceptually to make the transition work. The reverse example is the dreadful comics adaptation of a film, always as dull as dust. I think a balance COULD happen, but it would take a stellar effort, and a big risk for a studio. To my own conceit, I would love to see the movie in my head with a thousand inch-tall Kandorans whipping Brainiac and his space-monkey’s ass in sepia. However, life has taught me that it ain’t all about me, much to my loathing, and the wants/desires of myself and a few hundred others will not incite a bankrolling. That said, let’s us talk about Superman on film.
My heart was fluttering in that movie theater in 1978. From the first frame with Jor-El to Superman flying away at the end, I don’t think I breathed a lick. In 1981, even moreso. Superman 2 was beyond anything cool I’d seen by light years. I saw it three times that summer. The Phantom Zone villains, OMG. Lois finds out about Clark, Clark gives up his powers, I could go on and on. About 3 years ago, I got my mitts on the Donner Director’s Cut of ‘2’. I couldn’t wait to see the expanded and even radder concept. I thought I was going to gouge out my eyes before the damn thing was over. It was awful. God-awful. My nostalgia was satisfied in like, 15 minutes, and the rest was sick with silly, and not in a fun way. The acting was fairly abysmal and over the top. I’m cool with camp, but the majority was just self-serious missteps. The camp however is all on Luthor, who I want to be VERY serious. Wanna talk about ridiculous? De-powered Clark walking through the Arctic in a Members-Only windbreaker to the Fortress in about a day. Yes, that happened. AND, it’s not a happy movie. Yes, it’s great fun when Supes and the Kryptonian crime-posse fight in the sky- Look out for that manhole cover!! Laughs galore when Clark kills ALL THREE of them at the end. Yeah. Then, he kisses Lois and manages to extract one little detail and a weekend from her brain via inexplicable lobotomy techniques without leaving her a drooling idiot. Then he goes to a diner and fucks up a trucker who made him look like a bitch in front of his lady with no attempt to hide his Clark identity. There’s the movie you’re celebrating. That’s your masterpiece. Again, I’m not sentimental, and this film is pretty much crap. “Klute” was made in 1971 and still has not a second of silliness, so I don’t want to hear any hooey about how it was just the times. Looney Tunes were made for kids and adults separately, so you would grow to love them more with age in the freakin’ ’40s, so I’m not hearing it. I’m objective, remember, and I say Chris Reeve looked like Superman, so he was Superman, no more, no less. In terms of appearance and style, I would think the peanut gallery would be glad that the flick they are genuflect to was not treaded on by it’s descendant. That’s one thing I enjoyed about the look and feel of the newer piece, it was in no way a throwback. Now, let’s talk more about the movie at hand. I want to start with one of my favorite things about it: Jonathan Kent.
Jonathan Kent’s portrayal in the film by Kevin Coster (whom I could take or leave, but Diane Lane on the other hand…) has enraged more comic traditionalists than Joel Osment has the Baptists. He has been sited as teaching Clark to be a coward. The original Jon was just a tombstone matching his wife’s for years. Then he became an old man in his sick bed telling Clark to always help people. Along came the ‘tween years’ Superboy, and Jonathan and Martha (nee Mary) were part of the story, now. Jon and Martha love their Super-son and encourage him to be the Boy of Steel. Martha even sews him a costume out of indestructible other-worldly baby blankets (ever seen a baby blanket? They’re about the size of a linen napkin- he must’ve been swaddled in fifty of the yellow, blue, and red numbers, who the hell knows where the belt buckle came from). Then, they croak and young Kent heads to Metropolis. So, there’s this scene in the new movie that to my mind is one of the most important ones in the piece. Apparently, lots of people slugged down their jumbo cokes during the previews and had to empty their voids during it. After saving a bus-load of his fellow kids from a water-submerged school bus and risking having his true nature exposed, Papa Kent tells his adoptive young’n that although he’s glad the youths didn’t die, he is really not one bit ok with the risk of his ‘outing’. His reason is that the awareness of Clark’s nature might fuck up THE WORLD. Yes, he says that if Clark is found out to be an alien hiding amongst humans, it could undo Earth’s ethos completely; their belief systems, place in the universe, everything. A new level of fear, mistrust, and panic could likely happen. He’s got a good point there. Also, he was worried about his child’s safety. Remember, at this stage of the game the extent of the boy’s powers are not known. He voices his fear about his son being scrutinized, studied, dissected, and god knows what by the science community. It could be argued that he could slapped some bifocals on Clark and told him to go fight for the American way in a super-suit, but remember this is our world, not Earth DC. The concept of a super-hero does not exist here at all. Next, he couldn’t have known that a bus-load of Kryptonians were en route to Earth to find the star-orphan when he gave him this code. Clark doesn’t go into hiding because he has unfounded cowardice, he’s just scared he’ll be the ruin of us all. Also, the much-maligned tornado scene. By this point, Jon has instilled in him the heavy reason for keeping his secret. Clark knows he can’t save his beloved dad, and the horror is on his face. Jonathan dies feeling that he did the right thing. Pragmatically, I could argue that knowledge of the alien could galvanize the world with a common threat a’la Watchmen, but Jonathan Kent is a country dude, not Ozymandias or Alan Moore, and his son would still be in peril. What ends up happening is that CK has to come out. No choice. Earth is gone if he doesn’t, and obviously his intention all along has been his way of protecting it. Remember, when he puts on that suit, it doesn’t make him a super-hero. It makes him brave, and that’s the nature of bravery in the real world. Doing something you’re scared of and don’t want to do, when something sacred is at stake. For my money, movie JK is a much better father than comic guy. Comic Kent wants his son to be a super-scout with none of these realistic regards for safety. In HIS world, there are aliens and crazed scientists around every corner. In a real world scenario, he’d just be kind of a pompous ass who cared not one lick about repercussions, and maybe a tad self-serving so he could pat himself on the back. The translation from comic to film is glaringly apparent in this scenario, in that it just doesn’t work on Earth Prime. One more thing, some folks keep talking about everyone’s favorite corpse of a father figure, Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, and his world-famous ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ sermon. OK, he was talking to his intellectually empowered ‘son’. He was not in any way endorsing what Peter ends up doing. “Oh, so you’re thinking about going out in a spandex suit and endangering your life by getting in a fight with some metal tentacle having motherfucker and if you get outed, my wife is likely going to get killed? Scratch what I said. What I MEANT to say was ‘With great power comes great amounts of dough and women.’ You should start by becoming a pro-wrestler. I’ll be your manager”.
Second, lets go the birthplace of the flick and the hero, Krypton. It’s a sterile, fairly dark technocracy. It’s a very elaborate technological paean to the works of John Byrne’s 1986 Super-origin comic with the same name as the movie. Even the resident’s duds are from that classic mini-series. Emotionally void, driven by cruel, cold, loveless sciences, and educated to the point of sad ignorance describes the natives. Also of note, in terms of the visible aspect of Krypton tech-which BTW is awesomely gorgeous-is the big head-like tentacled ships, that I am fairly certain are a precursor to Brainiac. On the planet in regards to the unemotional leadership, Jor-El is the heartfelt, reasoning voice of dissent. Zod is also totally heart-felt, but sheerly radical. He and Jor-El love each other, it’s obvious, but their difference of ideology in terms of getting their job done severs them. I love this Zod. He’s not a villain to his heart at all. 1978 Zod was a thug with no reason, who was further en-assholed by the fact that he and his pals were sent by a judgmental Zor-El to a cosmic limbo to suffer for eternity. Why not just kill ’em?? Sounds kinda ‘death penalty’ to me. The new Zod is passionate and wants his planet to live, no more, no less. Kal-El is his last ray of hope. Nothing else matters, least of all this lil’ blue marble. At the end of the saga, Zod loses all hope of Krypton’s resurrection, and he is totally broken. He just wants to break everything. Especially if it’s in anyway dear to the man who ruined his desired destiny. In the horrific battle, a LOT of people obviously died. Buildings were leveled in Godzilla 2000-like proportions. For some odd reason, that’s become a sore spot with the detractors. Why? Was Clark supposed to be able to do more than he did, or stop fighting, or what? If he did, the whole world was doomed, it seemed. He was doing all he could to stave them off until they could be eliminated, and I didn’t get the feeling he was very happy about anything that was happening. Then, when it was over, he killed the shit out of Zod, and half the internet blew the hell up.
OK, Superman doesn’t kill-unless it’s Zod. This is the third time it’s happened, and that’s hardly a secret. LIke I said earlier, he throws Zod and his de-powered pals down a deep hole in ‘2’. What did people think that meant? That he was gonna throw them food and water down every day? They were likely dead on impact, if physics mean anything in the ’70s silly-verse. John Byrne, again an influence here, had Superman make the impossible choice during his run in the late ’80s. That instance was the whole pack once again, and in that scene they actually begged for their lives. The trio made it quite clear that no matter what he did, they would come back and kill everyone. Not a perfect story by any stretch, but it was done to show that if the fate of the world hung on something that required Kryptonian world-threat damage control, it was all on him to make the hardest choice. In the comics, it drove him over the edge and induced a split personality in Kal. SIlly, again, but in an ’80s comics kind of way, it made some points about the boundary that had never been explored. As for the movie scene that so many folks were crying ‘Superman never kills!” over. Well, yeah, the head-count is six at this point, AND- what else was he supposed to DO? Zod tells him outright that his reason for living ergo his soul is gone. All he will do is destroy everything in sight. Clark BEGS him to stop, passionately. He does not in any way want to kill Zod. He’s right where his dad was in doomed Krypton. He feels about Zod roughly the same way Papa El did. This is his brother in a way, and he doesn’t want to have to do this. The fatal second comes with Clark’s hands around Zod’s head with heat vision trailing towards a screaming mob of innocents and Kal making a last plea, where Zod makes it abundantly clear he is not going to stop. Then, he does it. Immediately, he falls back, and screams a horrid, soul-deep wail. To me, this is a crown jewel moment. First, Cavill CAN act. This scene is raw, powerful, and genuine. Second, if you’re going to make a movie about this character the progression is and should be alien first, superhero next. They don’t come out of boxes, and like I said earlier, the evolution of a hero is someone who does the right thing even if it hurts badly and overrides everything you’ve been taught. This scene to me was Kal jumping through that hoop. He comes out on the other side ready for the job with unimaginably tough decisions forging and informing the first superhero. Going back to the past representations, this Zod was, for me, such a great 3D version of the character. Not at all a superficial villain like the last movie portrayal. Very flesh and blood, and tragic in the end. Humanity abounds in this film. I’ve heard so much about the dark and faithless nature of the piece, and I’m still wondering who was awake when they saw this? Everyone was real and had pain, for sure. By the end of the film though, showing of heart was universal. We never got to see the world’s reaction to Superman, just the ground-level witnesses who are all on his side firmly by the end, most notably the military folk- and of course, Lois Lane.
The Lois love story was a huge crux in the first two summer blockbusters. I will say positively in regards to the earlier works, that angle was well done. They were very period-driven in regards to the statement of who she was in the context of what we saw as female empowerment at that time. Lois had a demeanor and competence level that was impressive for a woman in her situation as a pop-culture statement. She was above the damsel-in-distress shrew that the comic version was relegated to for a long time, and was still charming. A great combo of soft and rough was Margot Kidder. In the current canon, Lois is one of the best statements about powerful women you’re likely to see in this genre (right up there with Pepper Potts). She’s the most impressive Earther in the movie. She is honest, diligent, forthright, and has a steel-trap noggin. Ultimately, she does almost as much Earth-saving as CK does. Her approach to the mystery of Clark is driven by her desire to uncover truth, and when she finds it she is unrelenting. The fact that this Lois doesn’t need him to show up on the roof and tell her he means no harm and such to find him out and get his take is inspired. She’s not gaga for the man when they meet, she’s empathetic and sincere like a truth-living-and-seeking human rights champion reporter would be. That to me was crucial. Lois before always seemed to be picking out a china pattern two seconds into meeting him. Not this gal. She investigates him, analyzes him, and her fall to him is gradual and when the shit hits the fan and he is put in a godawful position and plugs through, her respect for him goes to something deeper. They go through hell together, and the intimacy is already there; she and she alone knows his heart and soul. When her death by fall is imminent, the look on the MOS’ face tells all. She’s the most important thing he’s got going and he cannot lose her, lest he be alone in the shadows forever. That’s the big and great thing about that kiss (actually both of them), Lois is the light, and he wants to stay. Kal is a gentle loving man who will do anything he can to do the right thing when it’s required of him; she doesn’t see an oddly-garbed flying alien fist-fighter, she sees a man from the ground up who needs love, and she wants to give it to him. This brings the film to it’s conclusion. We have no idea at the end if he’s got his costume hidden nearby. Likely not, given this is in the physical world. He’s Clark in glasses, coming into the world with the one and only human being he can trust. Now that the threat of Krypton 2 is gone, he’s ready to live in the world, wizened and in a deeply passionate love. I may not be sentimental, but yeah- I’m a sap, when it comes to well-done love statements about aliens and shit. About Amy Adams, quickly, I personally believed her. Done. Further, on Clark’s arrival at the end of the pic in the Planet office, we get the Byrne take once more. Not a goofy clod, but a normal, fairly attractive guy with no shadow of Lois’ galling stupidity from the past- staying perpetually Super-sexed-in-the-head, and there’s the guy standing next to her with some hair gel and specs. Ridiculous, and thankfully gone. Now, let’s talk about your personal lord and savior, Clark of Smallville.
So many criticisms I’ve read about this flick go to the glaring Jesus analogy, and I hate to tell you this kid, but the fix was in from the first panel. Kal-El, as a name, is a Hebrew term meaning “voice of God “, or something similar depending on the translator. This stems from the denomination of the creators. Sent by an astral father, raised by humans, grows up to save the world, totes obvious. In the 1970s, I remember being a nerd-let and hanging out at my nearby K-Mart, and the only thing that caught my eye in the paperback section was “The Gospel According to Superman”. It was written by a minister and it had a total Mary Magdeline-Lois, apostle-Jimmy, Luthor-devil sermon between it’s covers. This movie is not only not the architect of the concept, but it’s actually LESS of an analogy than the others. Think about it. The others are about the Strange Visitor on a mission to save the world and lead by example. Sound familiar?? The new is about a guy who hides in the cold so he doesn’t ruin everything. What actually happened is that a multi-media string of churches latched onto the film from the second of release and made it all about their interpretation of Christ. No more, no less. I’ve been to a multi-media church before and I will tell you now, they can make ANYTHING about the gospel. “When Harry Met Sally” was the sermon-focus on my visit, starring an unrepentant Jew, no less. The endorsement, of course, made for knee-jerky opposition. In our climate, anything pro- gets met with a vitriolic anti-, even if the former is unfounded. If Rush Limbaugh had said this movie was fun, it would’ve been labelled as gestapo-mindrot. I did see one Family Values crusader whining about the fetish gear aspect of the costume and it’s obvious homo element. Again, an anti-gay that seems to know as much about the cultural kink as I do. Both sides of the aisle tried to hop on a soapbox about it being either a heavy-handed sermon, or a testament to the obvious heroism of Governor Rick Perry. Sorry all, but it AIN’T THERE. Kal doesn’t come riding up on a burro saying “I am NOT the Prince of Peace (Jesus’ first words in the Bible- ‘the more you know’)”, and doesn’t bring any messages about repenting to his angry dad. Also, for you unknowing heathens, Satan does not show up with a horde of demons and tear up Bethlehem. This whole affair is nothing shy of partisan projection, a thing that is killing our society like cancer. Everyone has to pick a damn side even when the object of the debate just isn’t there. People undoubtedly went into the flick looking for an ideologically offensive/endorsing aspect, and as sited by my ‘modern’ church experience, you can do that with pretty much anything, if you set your mind to it.
Briefly, about the costume. I don’t really love or hate it. Objectively, the classic suit was too anachronistic, and needed something to happen. Retooling the look of a near century old heavily influential historical figure, you are in a hell of a bind. I don’t like who DC got to do it in the comics. A belted piece of armor is just asinine, and functionless. As for the film’s take, at least there’s no pointless belt, for one thing. Also, it fits as an alien element. Krypton is not a brightly colored Disneyland, it’s a dystopia. I understand the desire for happy threads, but when retooling the duds the bright colors are really hard to make visually appealing and not clownish. Decent results for a no-win situation.
There are some arguments and whines about the movie I won’t even indulge individually because the ideology behind them is flawed and ridiculous. In regards to power-sets, time of yellow sun exposure, blah blah blah. Here it is: if you get TOO concerned, nit-picky, and microscopic in your case, you might just end up admitting the silent truth we all know. Super powers are pretty much bullshit, if you wanna be all succinct. They are always unprovable by science, and it’s all about suspension of disbelief, ultimately. What the fuck is a red sun anyway? How can you go from atmosphere to atmosphere and survive? How can a pack of culturally long dead aliens speak good English? We swallow hogwash to accept a century old mythos. Period. Magic is more plausible than this. When you open that box, where do all these lazer shooting shape shifters and the like get their power sources? We have to swallow SOME lunacy, even in efforts to be real world. No movie will ever have time to explain the physics and such of every aspect. Just go with it, unless it’s glaring and overpowering to the story, like Buffy Summers getting impaled and then getting pissed off enough to jump up and kill vampires and drive off into the sunset. Whedon- WTF??????
Oddly, as I was into writing this comes the announcement of Ben Affleck’s Batman casting in the new flick. Without going into a sermon on the mount about it, the ire is omnipresent already and civil war is breaking out on the geekernet. No one’s gonna wait and see, they’re going to decide how it is right now. Dollars to do-nuts, if this turns out to be a groundbreaking film that gives these folks everything they ever wanted in a superhero movie, you’ll likely not hear about it. It’s again our culture and our adherence to immediate response, an issue I find very disturbing. Deep offense is as common as Big Macs nowadays. It’s Drama Queens vs. Drama Queens over everything. The immediate jerk of the patella is the mission that must be carried out until death, no matter what is seen on the actual field. This even goes into the Marvel v DC arena of film. It’s OK for both to be good. Appreciation does not mean defection. For me, without going too deep, I want the next movie to be good. Not saying it will be, but I want to see something cool and no matter what anyone else tells me, I will watch it and judge it, like most things I see, on it’s own merits. I’m not going to compare it to my inner five-year old’s security blanket, and I won’t be offended if elements are shifted to make the DC world habitable for all audiences. Once more- a movie based loosely on lines on paper. NO MORE, NO LESS. Save me a seat and a ticket!
YOU HAVE TO BE QUIET IN THE THEATRE, BUT NOT HERE. I LOVE COMMENTS/FEEDBACK/ARGUMENTS LIKE I DO RAISINETS. JUST KEEP IT ABOUT THE PIECE IF YOU WILL. THIS MOVIE SEEMS TO BRING OUT SOME UGLINESS FROM IT’S SUPPORTERS/HATERS, SO PLEASE, DON’T MAKE IT PERSONAL.
Some characters never even get a chance. Tomorrow Woman, Kole, and so many others have been bumped off before fans felt they really got the chance to love them or even know them. My most regretted loss was a fellow who went by the fairly obvious name of Power Boy. This guy was an obvious statement about the sexualization of women in comics and how silly they would be if the same visual aspects and clueless mentalities we’ve sometimes seen were applied to a male character (Eddie Berganza confirmed this in the “DC Nation” column). His story was brief, he was part of the “lost year” of the Teen Titans referenced in the weekly 52 series that filled in the gap. Not long after, he dated Supergirl for a minute. He was very controlling and almost physically violent. She beat his ass and sent him packing. Next, he attended a one-issue only meeting with Titans West, shagged Hawk (of …And Dove), then he wound up being disemboweled by the Sons of Trigon. Very short tenure in the Universe, for sure. I think he deserved not only better, but could’ve been SERIES worthy.
I know, a potential abuser of women doesn’t sound like much of a prospect for a character. That said, the boy was from APOKOLIPS. This, to me, is the ultimate example of damaged goods. I love metaphorical statements about humanity via super-heroes, and I would think of this as a prime example. Not excusing it, but examining it would be interesting. Also, why would someone with his past and habits come to Earth to be a super-hero? Great question, worthy of a great origin story. He was shown in a single frame only as being partnered with a girl named Little Barda. She never appeared outside that image, but I imagine her to be an acolyte of Mister Miracle’s formidable wife. She sounds potentially engaging as well. His obvious narcissism and hyper-sexual nature would be fun to see in action. It would give humor to an ongoing, as well as worthy exploration along with his bellicose tendencies. Further- why NOT a comic about a male sex object? It’s never been done in my memory. I’m not saying on every panel, and obviously there’s a cheese factor in the concept, but if it were done right it could be very entertaining. So, you have here a character people could want to slap, feel bad for, laugh at, and get some shock factor from. You also have a character rooted in an interesting corner of the DCU, with lots of room for incorporation. I’d LOVE to see him meet up with Power Girl and let the melee begin. I could see her reaction to him being priceless and fun. Imagine her reaction to his name, the cut-out on his chest mirroring hers, his flirtatious nature, his machismo, not to mention his implied pre-occupation with her via his name and appearance. His reaction to her hard-as-nails-no-nonsense persona could be entertaining as well. I see a wellspring of opportunity unexplored in such a character. Given the number of new characters seen post-reboot, I look to characters like this and wonder, why not them? So far, none of the post-Flashpoint new characters seem to be resonating too heavily with readers, none I’ve heard or read material from anyway. Who knows, maybe down the line he’ll make a comeback and wow the crowd. I, for one, would give him a healthy chance. Who can say no to that smile and that hairy ‘boob window’? Save Power Boy!
Saving Wonder Woman 