The List - 8/12/09

Well after a really slow week for comics last week, it looks like DC is trying to make up for it with one of the heaviest weeks I've seen in a while...

BATMAN #689 - "Long Shadows" continues! Batman forges ahead in his battle to retrieve the escapees from Arkham Asylum, while Two-Face begins a ground war of his own. Elsewhere, Penguin wants to become Gotham City's new king of crime, but to do so he has to make a deal with the devil. - As we're now knee deep into the Batman: Reborn event, I think it's safe to make assupmtions about the books now. Batman has been a decent read, nothing fantastic but not bad. Winnick is doing well keeping this a straight forward Batman story, much to the delight (or despair) of his detractors.

BLACKEST NIGHT #2 - The event of the summer continues! The dead rise across the DC Universe, bringing terror and darkness with them. What are the Black Lanterns? What do they want? Will Earth's greatest heroes survive long enough to find out – or will they join the Black Lantern Corps? - I'm really excited about this one, mostly because I don't know where it's heading next. Yeah, we're going to see more Black Lanterns of course, but it's now the overall story that I'm most looking forward to.

BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #1 - Deadman can't shut out the cries of the dead rising as he comes to the aid of the new Batman. It's just in time, too, as the duo face a circus of zombies including the Black Lantern Flying Graysons! - I've always liked Deadman as a character, and I think that this might be the perfect vehicle for him to step out in. Seeing how Deadman reacts to his corpse being raised is going to be interesting, as well as how Dick Grayson handles his first big event in the Cowl.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39 - Just when things couldn't look any darker after the death and chaos of the Sciencell riot, Blackest Night descends on Oa! The black rings tear into the planet and the Lantern Crypt causing all the dead Corps members to rise and wreak havoc as a new and deadlier battle threatens to engulf not only the Corps, but the Universe itself! - This is where it all starts for the GLC. Previews show that the issue opens with Lanterns; Guy, Kyle, Soranik and Iolande arriving on Oa right after the onslaught of black rings tear through the crypts. This one is right up there with Blackest Night #2 on top of the "must read" pile.

RED ROBIN #3 - "The Grail" part 3 of 4! "Batman Reborn" continues, but is Red Robin's quest to find Bruce Wayne at an end? Because in a German museum, answers await. But to get to those answers, Red Robin has to go through the Global Guardian known as the Wild Huntsman. Making matters worse, Red Robin's got an unwanted ally – Ra's al Ghul! Also, discover what happened in the days after BATTLE FOR THE COWL? - I've always been a huge Robin fan, and while I've enjoyed this series so far, it hasn't wowed me yet. The premise for it is strong, but I'm still waiting for that moment where it really hits. Hopefully it happens soon, I probably won't be dropping this anytime soon since Tim Drake remains one of my favorite characters in the DC Universe, but I would like for this book to cement why.

TITANS #16 - Why has Starfire been acting odd the past few issues? Turns out the warrior woman has major rage issues coming out of her recent breakup with Dick Grayson, the events of FINAL CRISIS and more. Her super-powerful emotions could very well rip the team apart! - ...speaking of dropping books, I don't think I can do Titans anymore. I was originally excited to see the old guard back together, but this book has just been treading water for a while. When I go through my Previews and order for this month I'm really going to be thinking about whether or not the next Titans issue makes the List.

FABLES #83 - Part 1 of "Witches"! The business office got lost somewhere when Fabletown collapsed into ruins. Now Bufkin, the meek and mild flying monkey, is trapped inside with the evil witch Baba Yaga – and she's in a really bad mood. How is poor little Bufkin going to survive her tantrum? At the same time, Frau Totenkinder and the witches upstate at the Farm prepare to deal with Mister Dark down in what's left of Fabletown. - Bufkin has always been a great background character, and it's good to see him getting some attention. The Witches of Fabletown have been an overarching precense throughout the books entire run, but now they are also stepping into the limelight. After the fun but ultimately unfulfilling Great Fables Crossover, it's good to see the main Fables book back on track.

FABLES Vol. 12: THE DARK AGES - The 12th volume in the best-selling, award-winning FABLES series collects the epic from issues #76-82 of the acclaimed monthly series. If you've ever craved a guided tour of Fabletown's secret Manhattan location, prepare to be thrilled. Pinocchio has a field day taking a certain VIP around the city. And exactly which Fabletown denizens are no longer active (dead, alive or otherwise) just might shock you into a comic book coma. Also in this volume, you'll find the 4-part story featuring Freddy and Mouse, two local rogues who just want to get along and perhaps turn a bit of profit in the post-war, topsy-turvy world. Meanwhile, in Fabletown, a new political group forms called the Society of Seconds, and what they want doesn't seem very reasonable at all. - Finally another Fables trade to throw onto the shelf. This arc is still pretty fresh in my head but I can't wait to go through it again.

The List - 6/17/09

After a stellar outing last week it seems like it's time to take a break, and while there's no lack of big titles hitting the stands this week, it's going to be pretty light on the wallet for me...

BATMAN: THE STREETS OF GOTHAM - An all-new Batman series by the DETECTIVE COMICS creative team of Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen! As a new Batman rises on the streets of Gotham City, the heroes, villains and citizens take notice. How will the police feel about this new Batman, and can he control the crime in Gotham the way the old Batman did? This new series also features a regular ongoing co-feature starring Manhunter written by Marc Andreyko and illustrated by Georges Jeanty (Buffy Season 8)! Kate Spencer lost a friend during the chaos of BATTLE FOR THE COWL, and now she wants payback. As usual, she'll use any means necessary to get it - The first of two Batman books helmed by All-Star Bat-writer Paul Dini launches this week, with two names closely associated with Batman on board (both Dini and Nguyen have headed up Batman books before) the real reason to pick this one up is that it's the second of DC's titles to offer the new back up feature stories (with the first being last weeks Booster Gold #21). It's an interesting experiment on DC's part to see if these titles can hold, or in some cases, gain readership with a price tag $1 higher than most of the lines books, but 10 extra pages of story.

THE OUTSIDERS #19 - "The Deep" part 5 of 6! With half of the Outsiders captured and the remaining members on the run, things have reached a boiling point for Alfred's new squad! And to make matters worse, Deathstroke the Terminator discovers he may have found a way to increase his amazing powers. Meanwhile, the search for the mysterious meteorite – and its strange connection to the Insiders - continues! - One has to wonder how long this title will stay relevant to the current Bat-mythos. This Alfred Pennyworth led team was handpicked by Batman and assembled after his passing to act in his stead. So now that there's a new face under the cowl how long could this new incarnation of the team be around? Hopefully for a while, as under writer Pete Tomasi, The Outsiders has been knocking it out of the park since the books original re-relaunch in 2003 under the pen of Judd Winnick.

The List - 6/10/09

Been a while since there's been any new article, let alone a new List, but here's hoping that things will be a little more frequent now.

Here's my picks from this week's new releases:

BATMAN #687 - In this special epilogue to BATTLE FOR THE COWL, new BATMAN writer Judd Winick rejoins the Bat Family! This 40-page issue explores the final moments of the Battle for the Cowl as the new Batman learns that winning the Cowl comes at a high price! Witness the new Batman taking to the streets of Gotham City for the first time! Putting a new man inside the Bat-suit was the easy part – now the fun begins! Guest-starring Superman and Wonder Woman, this issue is a must-read for any Batman fan. - This issue seems like it has a lot going for it, from Dick Grayson's first meeting with Wonder Woman and Superman wearing the Cowl, an additional 8 pages of story, an extra $1 on the price tag and the return of Judd Winnick as writer (which depending on your point of view that could be a good thing or a bad thing).

The Flash: Rebirth #3 - At last, the answer to the question that's plagued DC fans for decades: Who's faster, Superman or The Flash? Call your bookie and bet the farm, because you've never seen a run like this – and if speedsters keep dying at the pace they're going, you might never see another one again! - While it's been a decent story so far, I feel like a lot of the wind was taken out of this series' sails by having Barry Allen return in the pages of the love it or hate it Final Crisis event. While the mini has picked up the pace a bit (Flash puns are always the easiest to work in), it still lacks the punch that John's and Van Sciver's Green Lantern: Rebirth mini had a few years ago.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #37 - The penultimate "Emerald Eclipse" chapter is upon us as the breakout on Oa leads to vast devastation and death across the planet. As the War of Light rages, do Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, Kilowog and the rest of the Corps have the willpower to quell the riot and overcome the napalm-spewing Red Lanterns and the fear-spreading Sinestro Corps? - Both Green Lantern titles have become the books to watch going into this summer and GLC has been firing on all cylinders as it juggles multiple plotlines like the riots on Oa, the Natu/Sinestro relationahip, as well as the assault on Daxam, all the while the racing towards DC's Blackest Night mini-event.

RED ROBIN #1 - Writer Chris Yost (New X-Men, X-Force) and artist by Ramon Bachs (Civil War: Front Line) kick off a brand-new ongoing series right here with "The Grail" part 1 of 4! Following the aftermath of BATTLE FOR THE COWL, a new Batman watches over Gotham City. But not everyone is ready to give up on the old one. Someone believes that Bruce Wayne may still be alive…and that someone is Red Robin. But who is wearing the Red Robin costume, and why is he traveling the globe looking for a dead man? Whoever he is, he's not alone in his search! - From solicitaion info and his general lack of appearing in any of the other Bat-Family titles it's safe to assume that previous Robin, Tim Drake, will be assuming a new mantle with this title now that Damian Wayne has taken on the roll of Robin. Tim has always been a fantastic character and this new direction looks to be interesting while still keeping within the tone of the character. Meanwhile Yost has become one of the strongest and possibly most overlooked writers in Marvel's stable, so hopefully his work at DC will continue to be as strong.

TITANS #14 - Starting this issue, we begin one-shot "Day in the Life" stories. And this issue stars Cyborg! In the grueling aftermath of the "Deathtrap" arc, Vic Stone must face the very teammates he feels he let down big-time. How he deals with it will shock you! - Cyborg has always been one of those characters that never really did anything for me, and so far the TitansFreshman has been alright, so this one may surprise me.

title has been rather hit or miss (mind you it was a Judd Winnick launch). Hugh Sterbakov writes this one and his work with other young characters in Top Cow's

COVER GIRLS OF THE DC UNIVERSE: WONDER WOMAN - My big collectible for the month, this statue sees the launch of a new collectible series designed by cheesecake or "Good Girl" artist Adam Hughes. Love his style or not, you've got to admit, the guy knows what he's doing.

Comic Book Alphabet Of Awesomeness - B

Here in the second installment of the Comic Book Alphabet Of Awesomeness, we'll explore the second letter of the Alphabet - B.

Which will make this possibly the most badass of the letters, because B is for Batman.

I've been told many times that Batman is a crappy superhero, that he's only a rich guy who decided to fight crime.

Sure that may be true but let's think of other fictional rich people. What have they done that's so great?

What makes Bruce Wayne so great is that he's not just rich, but he's also batshit crazy. Here's a man who has dedicated his life to being a paranoid schizophrenic who beats up other crazy people.

Sure Batman's done a lot of good keeping the revolving door prison system of Gotham City busy, but as has Bruce Wayne he's done other wonderful things. Wayne has set up charities, built hospitals, libraries, parks and also adopted three children, to whom he's tried to give better lives than he had.

Jason Todd gets his skull bashed in by the Joker. With a crow bar.

It didn't always work.

Tim Drake's father is murdered by Captain Boomerang

Ever really.

Dick Grayson gets his

Ok, THAT one didn't happen. But that meme is hysterical.

But still, the fact remains that Batman has kids running around working for him, a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed in the DC Universe, where people belive that Batman run secret orphanages that he recruits Robin's from since they only have a shelf life of a couple months before they're killed in the line of duty.

Yes, people in Batman's own city think he's that crazy.

Now people may compare Batman to other heroes, and here's where the whole "he doesn't have super powers" argument comes in.

But you know what? He doesn't need them.

This is what Batman thinks of your superpowers

Yes. That is Superman getting KTFO by Batman.

Batman is indeed that sweet. While you were probably enjoying the Early Bird at Denny's right now, Batman is kicking a national icon's ass.

How did Batman get to be such a tough guy? It wasn't training with the top martial artists in the world, and honing his body and mind into being the perfect weapons. It was years of having to defend himself in the wake of crappy movies and tv shows.

Holy career paralysis Batman!

Yeah, when it comes to media adaptations Batman has had some winners, but he's also had some really, really terrible media. But how to really tell a measure of a character is the quality of thei fan videos.

And Batman arguably has the best.



Fact.

The Spirit - What Happened?

After it's Christmas day release, the film adaptation of The Spirit has gone on to earn $15 million at the box office. The film has also earned it's self a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

I think it's safe to say that The Spirit is indeed a flop of a film.

So what happened?

Will Eisner's The Spirit has risen to the forefront of the graphic medium over the past decades as an example of how comic books should be done.

Frank Miller's The Spirit has shown us exactly how comic adaptations shouldn't be.

Noticably the movie went from being Will Eisner's 'The Spirit' to From the creator of 300 and Sin City: Frank Miller

The main problem with the adaptation was that it really wasn't The Spirit. Miller has often noted Eisner as a big influence of his work but the two had very different views on how comics should work as a medium. A big part of what The Spirit was became lost when trying to shoehorn it into the "Millerverse". Meanwhile the Darwyn Cooke version of The Spirit comes off quite well on it's own while paying homage to the original.

The Spirit doesn't work in the same way as Sin City. The books are two different tones and trying to make the Spirit film work the same way as the Sin City films is absolutley ridiculous.

A big part of why the Sin City movie worked was that it looked just like the Sin City books, and the main reason of that was Robert Rodriguez bringing their creator onboard as a co-director. That move proved the Sin City film the truest comic adaptation ever. But having Miller as the sole director and in turn having him cop his own visual style, The Spirit seems to have been damned.

If only the movie industry had asked comic fans about this first, we could have saved their golden boy creator of blockbusters like 300, Sin City and Robocop.

See, we've already seen what Miller is capable of. Or as I guess I should say not capable of.

Frank Miller has created some of the most memorable works in comics, and this is going beyond his own work with 300 and Sin City.

Miller was responsible for giving Marvel's Daredevil title new life, with the introduction, death and eventual rebirth of Elektra.

His tale Batman: Year One went on to cement Batman's place as a character with real potential, a story which later went on to influence the film Batman Begins heavily. His other Batman work The Dark Knight Returns was lauded as one of the most inventive Batman stories ever, and alongside writer Alan Moore the two made comics matter in the 80's.

But then Miller started to slip. His next Batman related works, the DKR sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again and All-Star Batman and Robin both came off as too over the top and as if he was someone trying to write a Frank Miller story.

Yes. Frank Miller has gone batshit insane.

So here we stand now, The Spirit adaptation will fade overtime but what does this mean for Frank Miller? There were plans for a Sin City 2 put into motion right after the first film came out, what will this mean for that?

Will Frank ever work in this town again?

More Batman rumors

Seriously. The movie just came out on dvd.

It's going back into theatres in January.

Stop thinking about the next one already.

The new rumor is that Rachel Weisz is coming on board to play Catwoman. Yeah, that sounds good and all but this is following the rumor that Cher was going to play Catwoman, and before that one was the report that Phillip Seymore Hoffman was going to be playing the Penguin with Johnny Depp playing the Riddler.

Nevermind the fact that both writer David S. Goyer and co-writer/director Christopher Nolan have both come out saying they haven't gotten remotely close to starting work on a sequel yet. People have heard rumblings.

No they haven't, it's all speculation. And thats how it's going to be until the unnamed sequel (yes people are already saying who is going to be cast as a villain in an unwritten and unnamed sequel) is officially cast and announced. So in lieu of "casting" actors, who could possibly be the antagonist for the film?

Bane - The superstrong drug fueled behemoth has already appeared in the original Bat-franchise as more of a lackey than anything. Which unfortunately is the only way to have Bane appear unless doing a Knightfall type story where he can really be front and center. But the thing is what made Knightfall a successful comic event was the fact that it focused on Nightwing, Robin and Azrael as the new Batman, something that wouldn't work in the film.

Black Mask - The mob boss Roman Sionis could work as a lesser villain. He'd bridge the gap from the first films Falcone-type mobster to the dark "supervillain" turn Gotham takes as it's criminals need to adapt to Batman's presence.

Catwoman - Ahh, here we are. Could her third bigscreen appearance be the one? Nolan seems to be handling the franchise with the utmost respect, so why not give Catwoman another chance? This time without the scenery-chewing Michelle Pffeifer or franchise crashing Halle Berry. Well Nolan may shy away from it because possibly the Catwoman film is still a little to fresh in peoples minds.

That's not to say Catwoman may not be in the cards though. Consider: Rachel Dawes appears in Batman Begins as a love interest for Bruce Wayne. Then actress Katie Holmes drops out of the sequel in which she was supposed to reprise her role. Nolan recasts the role with Maggie Gyllenhaal filling it (there are way too many 'L's' in that last sentence).

No big deal right? Except for the fact that Rachel Dawes is the only character created for the movie, and the character of Rachel wasn't really necessary in the sequel. In the first film she did humanize Bruce Wayne/Batman, but in Dark Knight she was more the apex of the Bruce Wayne/Harvey Dent love triangle, a role that could have been filled by anybody really.

In the comics Bruce is known for his "girl of the week", proving Rachel almost unneccesary especially since now she's "dead". Tied in with the fact that the previous Catwomen "died" in their movies only to be reborn into the Catwoman role. So could Dawes have been bred for this purpose? It's possible.

Clayface - While the shapeshifting brown glob of a villain may not work so well in Nolan's "Real Universe" setting, the original of a normal actor turned serial killer would work. But again, he'd be a lesser villain, since honestly could a non-shapeshifting Clayface fill theatre seats?

Firefly - While the burning of Gotham would be good visually, it would harken back too much to Batman Begins with the Ra's Al Ghul plot. Firefly is definitely too far down the villains roster to prove too big of a threat to Batman, even if teamed up with Killer Moth. He might make for a good opener though, someone Batman beat's before things really go down.

The Joker - Sure they just made a flick starring him, I mean co-starring him, but there's a reason the Joker has been around just as long as the Batman. Goyer and Nolan could easily whip up another storyline featuring the perennial Bat-villain, but who would honestly sign on to play that role after Heath Ledger? Nevermind the fact that there are dozens of other Rogues in the pool to pick from.

Killer Croc - If they stay away from the mutation aspect and have Croc as a deformed strongman, maybe but again as with most Bat-villains he's just not a big enough threat to have on his own and fill 120 minutes of plot.

Killer Moth - The original could work as the anti-Batman who helped criminals escape, but on his own? Meh, again even with Firefly just no.

Mad Hatter - A fan favorite of sorts, but how do you work mind controlling hats into the plot without jumping the shark? I don't know if you can really.

Man-Bat - Could be awesome visually, but maybe too sci-fi and horror based for the "real world".

Mr. Freeze - Honestly? He would probably work. If Goyer and Nolan can work a hallucinogenic agent into the waterline with Batman Begins Scarecrow, could a freeze-ray be such a hard sell? Science can do a lot, including freeze things. People would buy into that since it's not to fantastical, mix in the fact that Freeze is something of a tragic character and there's the potential for real storytelling there.

The Penguin - A pretty decent chance here, but Nolan would have to steer clear of a Penguin similar to Batman Returns. Which without that you have well, a normal criminal who's more akin to a Dick Tracy villain.

Poison Ivy - Yeah she already appeared in a Batman film, but so did the Joker. I think the character has real depth that was barely touched with the film Batman and Robin. Given a science based origin that could be tied into Wayne Corp. and I think we have a pretty solid villain here.

Ra's Al Ghul - The eternal eco-terrorist was a surprise for the first film, but I can't see Nolan and crew going back to that well for a third installment. Especially since he "died" in the first film. Sure Ra's has died in the books, but always returns via the Lazarus Pits, which may come off as too hard to buy into with Nolan's groundlevel, more human approach for the movies.

The Riddler - I never cared for the Riddler too much, what good is a criminal who leaves clues? Kind of counter productive unless you're something of a masochist I guess. Jim Carrey gave us the Riddler in Batman Forever, but a toned down actual Riddler may be decent character.

The Scarecrow - Again, we just had him in Batman Begins and a cameo in The Dark Knight, I think it's safe to say that Dr. Crane has had his time in the spotlight.

Two-Face - Here we go. He was set up brilliantly in The Dark Knight, and we're told he "died", but honestly that fall? Probably not enough to kill someone. There could easily been a cover up to keep Dent's tragic fate a secret from a City that loved him. Should Dent turn up alive he'd have his reasons for hating Batman and Gotham for what happened to him. Two Face actually was able to steal the spotlight from the Joker with his appearance, think of what he could do with a whole film?

The Ventriloquist - A throwaway villain that people keep bringing back. He's basically a crazy man with a ventriloquist dummy, and the dummy just happens to be a mob boss. Sorry, he worked in Batman: The Animated Series but not in a movie.

So for one of the biggest rogues gallery's in comics there aren't a lot of characters strong enough to carry a villain role in a feature film who already haven't. I guess we'll have to see if and whenever Nolan and crew decide to have another go.