July 25th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 9:04 PM

Superman and Batman? Hey, isn't that a comic?

Superman 665

I believe I've briefly mentioned that I'm not huge Jimmy Olsen fan here. Well, leave it to Kurt Busiek to make Jimmy bearable. In an issue that, artistically both inside and out, evokes a Silver Age feel, we learn about the "origin" of Jimmy Olsen. The narration is Clark's, but there's no indication of when he's narrating from. It simply jumps in with Jimmy as a paper-boy (literally) on the street corner, hocking the Daily Planet.

Jimmy impresses his future Chief enough that Perry White sends Clark off to get some more info on the boy. Clark is slightly distracted by the high-tech weapons funneling into the city from an unknown source, but makes short work of the assignment with the help of one of his least flexed super-senses... smell. It's a credit to Busiek that none of this seems particularly corny. In fact, Clark using is superhuman olfactory senses to find the boy shows an intelligent character who knows how to use his powers judiciously.

Lesser authors probably would have gone with the ole "fly around with x-ray vision" trick.

Busiek is impressing me with his characterization of Clark. I personally find it spot-on. The development of Jimmy's past and how Clark reacts, in become his "pal" is handled well. This still doesn't make Jimmy my favorite Superman "family member", but I'm a little more understanding of the "pal" relationship.

Art here, by Rick Leonardi and Ande Parks, evokes a Silver Age feel, with broad lines and a little sacrifice of detail. Oddly the first page contains a strange error with the front page of the Planet bereft of what the reader assumes was to be a large photo. The self-referential 'meta' cover also evokes a Silver Age feel. Like Jimmy, the Silver Age has some things I don't really care for anymore, but Busiek wrote a throughly modern story in Silver Age dressing.

Batman 666

From the past to the future. Or "a" future, what with all our mulitverses going on.

Grant Morrison brings us a vision of the future, as the Batman battles to stop the Apocalypse. At least, he battles to stop someone who thinks he about to unleash the Apocalypse in Gotham. What's interesting about the story is that it's never directly revealed if this was the "really-and-for-sure" Apocalypse or if it was just the insane ramblings of yet another wacko with his own Batsuit.

In this future, Damien Wayne is Batman, trying to continue his father's legacy the only way he knows how. Morrison and Kubert (the other one, the one who can draw... slightly faster) get to update the suit, Alfred, and the city somewhat, but don't fall into the trap of just filling in updated versions of current Bat-baddies as the main villain's henchmen. They loose off a whole set of original wackos who look to be fresh out of Arkham, and not just "Joker 2.0".

Damien, as we learn in a quick flashback sequence at the start, was a trained assassin, and is a little harder on his foes that dad was. Commissioner Gordon, who is exactly who you think she is, doesn't much care for this version, even if his carrying on dad's work. Damien confronts his foe, the Armageddon-obsessed version of the Batman Morrison referenced only a couple issues ago, atop a soaring skyscraper. Damien isn't his daddy, and doesn't mind "cheating" to win, just as he doesn't mind spilling some blood in the pursuit of his goals.

For what is basically a one-shot issue, it was well done. The version of Damien Morrison presents is quite believable. He doesn't grow up to become the same Batman as his father. He skills and abilities are of a different sort, and so is his outlook. Andy Kubert's bloody portrayal of Damien's methods fits the book well. Though if you're prone to whine about the current "ultra-violent" state of DC comics, then this is just another log on the fire for you. I can stomach a little red ink here and there, so it doesn't bother me, and was definitely necessary to the character.

Morrison is now tapped to bring us the 3rd Act: Final Crisis. No doubt Batman will figure heavily in it, as will all of the "Trinity" and the expanded "big 5", at least according to the poster. I know Countdown is a little rocky, but honestly I'm already psyched for the next big event.

Yeah, I'm a sucker.

July 18th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:45 PM

All Flash 1

Mark Waid returns to a title that remains a claim to fame for him. He does so bringing along the recently returned Wally West to the red and yellow leotard. This special issue picks up where the last issue of the now defunct Flash: Fastest Man Alive title left off. Bart is dead, but there's no question who did it. Wally quite literally "catches up" with the prime mover in Bart's death, Inertia and has a little word with him.

As you now no doubt know from clicking that Wikipedia link, Inertia is a clone of Bart, which doesn't make it any easier for Wally to confront the boy, as Bart is obvious inside. It's not exactly a spoiler to say who wins. Interia hardly has a chance against the experienced speedster. Inertia's ultimate "fate" is left for the end of the book, which switches gears to get people a bit more acquainted with Wally. The book gives you as much of a primer as you might need to jump on board.

The art in the book is by a selection of top-notch talents. Though efforts were made to confine one artist to one section of the book, it does seem a little choppy in places, as we see some fairly desperate art styles. None of them "bad" per se, simply different enough from one another to make the transitions a bit more obvious than they would have been otherwise.

Waid's script is tight and focused. The individual primarily responsible for Bart's death is brought to justice, though the remainder of the Rouge's are still at large, and rather worried about their current notoriety. Wally's visit with Bart's grandmother (from the future) reveals some teases of his future, promising that is will be a fairly rich ride. Doubt they'll be killing him off any time soon, at least.

Justice League of America 11

Meltzer's last issue is pretty good, mostly because he's not weighed down with pacing issues. He's got a one issue story that's far less decompressed than previous efforts. Though the characters of our tale are quite compressed, indeed. Featuring only two members of his league, Red Arrow and Vixen, this is quite the claustrophobic character study.

Trapped beneath a partially collapsed Watergate Building, Red Arrow and Vixen are stuck, awaiting a rescue the Red Arrow considers unlikely to come. These are 2 members of the JLA who don't have the convenient ability to simply dig their out with brute force, after all. It's Red Arrow who takes the initiative and begins plotting escape. Vixen, perhaps more heavily wounded, is a bit less pro active. Red Arrow is faced with the task not only of devising an escape, but of keeping his trapped companion alive and willing to fight.

Its here we learn one secret Vixen has been keeping nearly throughout Meltzer's entire run, one that puts a bit of a hitch in Arrow's escape plans. The revelation isn't all that stunning, but it's well handled and make sense in terms of how it was presented both in this issue and in previous ones.

Art is handled by guest artist Gene Ha, who turns in an excellent performance, even considering that much of the book's panels are dominated by black. The rendering is artistic, in that the characters, as we 'see' them can't really see each other in the pitch darkness of the collapsed building. Ha provides a good impression of the claustrophobia by having virtually every panel framed in deep black, with only the characters and the meager space between them visible.

Dwayne McDuffie is taking over JLA. I'm defiantly primed for a new take on JLA. Meltzer's work wasn't the greatness I was hoping for, I have to admit. McDuffie's experience in other mediums, both with the animated JLA and other comic teams, makes him a good choice for the role. I'm excited to see what the future will hold here.

Birds of Prey 108

Just wanted to give a quick overview of Gail Simone's "swan song" on Birds of Prey. In an epilogue to the last arc, and perhaps to her run, we see Barbara Gordon prove her true strength over her physical handicap, her friends. Challenging Spy Smasher to a duel for control of the Birds, Barbara quickly reminds her old friend why she was Batgirl. The fight is nicely rendered by Nicola Scott, who is certainly getting a workout with Simone's last few issues.

Spy Smasher doesn't give up easily, even after Barbara manages to bruise her up fairly well. It's only when an old friend shows up with quite a few other friends that Katrina understands it's a fight she can't win. Nicola Scott gets a stab not only at Bird's members old and new, but also some of their friends, like the JSA. I won't spoil the spread completely, but it's impressive.

With Amazon's Attacking for another couple months at least, we're not going to be seeing Gail take over Wonder Woman immediately, but I certainly can't wait. Oh, and for those looking for a Tora fix, check out Checkmate 16, where the reunion we expected actually does take place.

July 11th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 12:16 AM

Hey, didn't I already write something last week? You know, it's funny, part of the reason I was put on "news alert" for that week was the half-hearted expectation that the Trek cast would be revealed. Didn't work out that way, apparently. Though additional irony points for a bit of casting news actually coming through...

Superman 664

Camelot has been falling, off-and-on, for a while now. It's strange, I remember seeing solicits months ago for the "shocking conclusion" of Camelot Falls. Now I see the same language in solicits for months from now. I'm honestly not sure if the problems with Action are somehow responsible for the sputtering pacing of this story. After all, bits that didn't appear to tie in have slowly been winding their way back. Like the Prankster issue. Not exactly sure why Busiek is attempting to revive the career of a Toyman also-ran, but at least he's contributing to the main arc.

Now that I've pointlessly complained about the story pacing, I'll say this was one of the best installments so far. Kicking off Camelot Falls with the "imaginary future" story was a little shaky. Especially as it casually tossed in a "death of Superman" angle so soon after a major crossover event just finished with the appropriate "happily-ever-afters."

That is the ultimate point of this arc, though. There just aren't any happily-ever-afters in the DCU. Something bigger is always on the horizon, and if you're guy prone to flying around in his underwear, you're going to be in the middle of it. Arion the Sorcerer considers that a problem, and is setting out to cause an unscheduled great disaster to let off a little of that pent-up pan-mulitversal steam which he believes threatens to just blow the whole thing all to heck.

Clark decides the decimation of the human race isn't on the agenda for today and sets about stopping him. Arion, being a magic user, isn't a pushover, and goes pretty quickly for the mental throat. That's really what makes this issue. Busiek deals with the whole "mind control" threat head on, with interesting consequences. Does Clark fight it off? Not really a spoiler to say he does. What happens after is where Busiek's script shines.

Camelot Falls is shaping to be a kind of meta-reflection on Superman and his place in the DCU. The central premise is the theory Clark's constant "day saving" is actually making things worse. We've seen him wonder if that's really the case, and decide he can't accept it. Now Clark is shown how the world is simply ready to flip him from the hero to villain column at a moment's notice. Busiek is doing good work, even if the story has been a bit decompressed over so many issues.

Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen

More non-DC. I know, fascinating.

I lost track of the release date for this, and when I realized it was "the day", I went to the shop praying they'd bothered to order some copies, much less have some left. I believe I walked out with the last one, so the day was saved, as they say. As I haven't done one of those "full disclosure" lines in a while, I'll toss in that I'm a rabid fan of the Colbert Report.

That being said, turning an original recurring joke of Stephen's unpublished manuscript (Stephen Colbert’s Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure) into an animated segment and now into something that actually is published wasn't really surprising. Granted, this is probably the first time in the history of comics that a title is a “spin-off” of a late night Comedy Central pundit parody show. To be honest, the animated Tek Jansen shorts on the show aren't one of my favorites, but they are ripe for comic fodder nonetheless.

I also give the show's writers all due credit for putting a parody reference to Shatner's “other” science fiction epic in the title.

The comic itself is one main story with a back up. For those wondering, the art does not follow the “anime” inspired take seen in the Report's animated segments. They let the artists do their own takes, which is fine with me and allows the material to breathe a little beyond its roots.

The first story, “Invasion of the Optiklons,” follows a fairly standard space epic parody beat. In fact, the portrayal of Tek Jansen in this story reminded me a bit of the Duck Dodgers character from the recent Duck Dodgers toon. (Which had a bit of DCU connection itself.) Tek is a self-possessed bumbler who always knows what's right, even when it is clearly not. It appears this will be the main story arc of the series 6 issue run, which is a little disappointing in its one-note presentation.

The backup story, the self-contained “Horn Like Me”, is more in line with the political parody roots of the Colbert Report from which the comic spawned, though in an agreeably subtle fashion. Here Tek is still the dashing, self-possessed space hero, but he does manage to complete his mission. All too well, as it turns out. His mission of planetary reconciliation turns into one of those “catastrophic successes” we've heard about.

In all, I'd give the debut a solid B. The material isn't as sharp as that of the Report. It's not written by the show's writers, so that's somewhat understandable. Some case of poor timing had the comic arrive on shelves on a week the Report was in reruns. No mention of it on Monday night's show, though I'm sure Stephen will mention it sooner or later.

July 5th Comic Round Up

posted by JediSheltie @ 11:48 PM

Get ready for your quarterly allowed dose of Johns and Donner in Action...

Action 581

Man, it's getting really hard to care. I want to, I really, really do, but no matter how great this story is in that fanciful “objective” sense, the endless delay and piecemeal presentation are just killing it. Now we have another piece of the puzzle, and a promise the final chapter will arrive in an Annual... when it's finished, basically. Great, apparently Adam Kubert is the George Broussard of comic art. (You're gonna have to earn that one, kids.)

Guess we'll review the plot, since age may have dulled your recollection. Zod has unleashed pretty much every Kryptonian criminal in the Phantom Zone on Earth, while dumping Clark inside said Zone to exact the kind of poetic revenge guys like Zod live for. This isn't a comic about the world's superhero community fighting against the whole lot of villains who are just as strong as Superman, though that would have made for a great comic.

This is about Clark and his time in the Phantom Zone, “3D” and all. Lacking any 3D glasses, I didn't really get the full benefit of these panels. Apparently this was one reason Kubert was taking so long, so I guess I should feel a bit cheated not have gotten the “full experience.” Since it seems official now that Clark was zipping around the future as Superboy with the Legion of Superheores, he meets Mon-El inside the zone, the lone “good guy” who had been sent there by young Clark Kent to save his life from lead poisoning.

Mon-El provides some exposition and helps in Clark's ultimate escape from the Zone. Perhaps his most interesting point was how exactly Zod and Ursa managed to do the dirty deed in the Zone, when they were supposed to be, you know, “phantoms.” For such a hyped event, Clark's entrapment in the Zone barely makes the entire issue, while the world outside burns in a few stray panels featuring Kara, and Hal Jordan up against some nameless villains.

We finish up with Superman going to the only person on the planet who considers himself prepared to repel an invasion from Krypton, and his new Superman Revenge squad. Johns sets up an interesting conclusion of Superman and a group of his most famous villains teaming up to save the world form the menace of a bunch of Kryptonian super-criminals. It's kind of epic scale story Johns is known for weaving, and it's too bad the pace was destroyed and the entire affair now seems rushed.

I suggest you not hold your breath waiting to find out how it ends.

Supergirl 19

Not sure if this review is a spoiler. Kind of like an anti-spoiler. Granted, our esteemed host, Tygrrius, would certainly argue that finding out someone doesn't die at the end is certainly a spoiler, I still disagree.

Well, in so far as pandering covers go, this is certainly an accomplishment. Honestly, I have to assume there was some kind of editorial modification to the content of this issue, since, despite what the cover would have you believe, there's no dieing here. Superman, Supergirl, everyone else lives happily ever after. I'm sure we all expected that, actually... but... there's not even any kind of cheating “dream sequence” death. There's not even some grand “metaphorical” death. There's no death at all.

In a story that provides the epilogue to Kelly's run on the comic, we see Kara faced with another dead character, whose identity I wont spoil, but whose presence is significant for the character. Might be the reason she appropriates a red head band shortly thereafter for most of the rest of the comic. Personally, I liked that touch. It's kind of amusing to think back to the fact a 80's fashion craze is forever immortalized in comics due to its appearance in the death of the original Kara Zor-El.

Kara spends the rest of the issue visiting her recent boyfriends / acquaintances / girlfriends /pissed-off Power Girls she's encountered since Kelly took over the comic. I'm sensing the audience was supped to see how Kara had grown over the intervening year. I see some of it, but ultimately I think the effort was a bit wasted. Kara has grown as teenage girl, but not so much as a superhero. Her rogues gallery is a lonely place, populated mostly by Power Boy, of whose existence we are briefly reminded.

Agreeably, Kara learns why cats are woefully inadequate pet substitutions for a loyal Shetland Sheepdog. Really, why does Streaky have to be a cat? Any one whose had an “energetic” sheltie would certainly agree such a name would fit perfectly.

Just as the cover starts us off with the wrong impression, the solicit at the back ends us oddly as well, claiming we're heading back to the “end of WWIII”. Since I was wondering if we were just getting a fresh retcon out of nowhere, I checked DCComics.com and discovered its really an Amazons Attack tie-in. I guess that's still kind of “World War-y.”

Tony Bedard takes the reigns next issue. I'm still banking on the new Titan's writer, McKeever, taking over sooner or later. I'll probably end up grabbing Titans regularly now that Kara will be a member of the team. I'm curious to see how McKeever handle's her as compared to Bedard. Renato Guedes takes over art as well on #20, and his work on Action 850 was spectacular, so I'm quite excited to his work on this book on a regular basis.

Superman: Rampage comic book

posted by Tygrrius @ 5:08 AM

Superman: Rampage comic book (DC, 2006 edition)
Superman (Vol. 2) #7 (1987)
Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition, bonus item
Writer/Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Karl Kesel
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Letterer: John Costanza
Cover Artist: Ed McGuinness (from Superman: Our Worlds At War Complete Edition)

When I first heard that a reprint of Superman #7 was to be a bonus item as part of Warner Home Video's Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition 14-DVD set, I had two questions.

1.) Did they mean Superman #7 from 1940 or Superman #7 from 1987?
2.) What's so special about Superman #7?

Since The Ultimate Collector's Edition encompasses Superman's entire history, I was hoping it would be the 1940 comic though I figured it would be the 1987 one.

And now, the answers to my questions have been revealed.

1.) 1987.
2.) Not much.

The original edition of Superman (Vol. 2) #7 had a street date of July 1987. This was also the month that the last Christopher Reeve Superman movie was released, so that's likely why this issue was selected. The Reeve movies were influenced by the Silver Age comics rather than the Modern/Steel Age ones, so there's really not a lot here to tie in with the movies.

Since 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was, unfortunately, a pretty bad movie, perhaps this is just DC's way of saying, "Look how much better we were doing it in the comics."

Oddly enough, for the first showing of Superman IV way back then, I was actually standing in line behind the owner of a local comic book store. He was trying to let everyone in line know that he was a Superman expert. He also kept slamming the Superman movies.

Being the snot-nosed 12-year-old I was at the time, I asked him why he didn't like the movies.

"Because the comic books are better," he told me.

This was my first exposure to the whole comic fans vs. movie fans rift. I only read a scattering of comics as a kid, but I was a huge fan of these movies.

"Then why are you in line?" was my response to this moron who proceeded to ignore me.

Needless to say, I didn't rush out to this guy's store to buy the latest issue. Ironically, if I had, it would likely have been this very comic. I guess he gets his revenge on me after all.

Only this issue of Superman isn't that engaging, either. And if DC's goal was to draw film fans in to their local comic book stores, this just wasn't the issue to choose.

A very 1987-looking Lois is investigating a new power source devised by Dr. Kitty Faulkner and Dr. Tom Moyers. Moyers doesn't think the power source is ready for public viewing, since it's not exactly stable. To demonstrate this, he purposely cuts off the regulators and nearly causes an explosion.

Best line of the book is uttered by an angry Lois at this point, "Generally speaking, I prefer my life-threatening situations to be of my own creation!" Shortly thereafter, there is a real malfunction and explosion.

Meanwhile, Clark is back at the Planet trying to track down information on his latest infatuation: Wonder Woman. Seems he wants a date but can't find her telephone number. His super-hearing picks up the explosion and he's off with a "Great Scott!"

JS is often irked by utterances of "Great Rao!" but even the original form gets old. Clark says "Great Scott!" no less than three times in this single issue. I think one is more than enough.

As Superman, Clark arrives on the scene to find a mutated monster woman. After trying to reason with her, he is forced to fight. He really goes ballistic once Moyers tells him it is Lois.

The wrap-up is very old-fashioned, with a Clark Kent wink-wink-nudge-nudge to the reader.

This comic is reprinted to the size of a DVD case, which actually makes for a pretty cool size. I'd like to see more reprints at this scale, but just choose some better comics next time.

Story/Writing: 5 (out of 10)
Art: 5
Cover Art: 3
Bonus (Various recent covers): 1
Overall Experience: 4

Transformers – Movie Review - Now With More Than One Word

posted by JediSheltie @ 6:11 PM

Looks like it's official, we can pretty much do anything in film now.

Still a little pricey, but unleashing 30 foot tall robots in all out war in the middle of a large metropolis is no sweat. Make no mistake, that's what this movie is ultimately about, 30 foot tall robots beating the crap out of each other in the most spectacular fashion possible with modern effects. I can also report the script wasn't that bad either, even though, ultimately, that was just icing on the cake.

The plot is rather simple, as you are more than right to expect for a film of this nature. The Autobots (the good robots) and the Decepticons (the bad robots) are out to find the “Allspark”, the Maguffin that will basically allow its owners to take over the world by turning all our technology into pissed off little robots. Unwittingly holding the keys to the Allspark's location is Sam, a fairly basic teen geek type ably played by Shia LaBeouf. Honestly, it was only a year or so ago I figured out that name didn't refer to one of the female characters in whatever film of his I was watching at the time. Seriously, I kept wondering where the hot French chick was.

There's a big cast of humans here, and a long running time keeps them out at front. As one of the “fans” of the original Series 1 toon the film attempts to target, I did find the screen-time devoted to flesh and blood actors to be somewhat excessive at times. Problem is, there aren't enough people like me to recoup the budgetary costs of an all-Optimus fest. So I understand why we're basically watching a movie the general public can relate to as they follow the characters and their interactions with the warring Transformer forces. I can't blame them for this creative choice, and the fact that most of the humans are entertaining enough kept it from being a totally annoying distraction.

The main drawback to everything the film attempts to accomplish by following the human leads is that we don't really get a chance to get to know most of the Autobots. Outside of Bumblebee, Sam's car and eventual bodyguard, and Prime, the rest of the Autobot cast isn't all that well fleshed out. There's an eventual Autobot casualty, but it's hard to really feel anything since the character didn't contribute much to the film.

The Decepticons fare even worse in this regard. Few outside Megatron have lines, and are left to inspire menace by their presence alone. Fortunately the effects make this pretty easy, actually. Apparently you need to have picked up the comic prequels to have gotten a great deal of the “subtext” of the Decepticon side. Starscream is still a schemer, but you hardly get that from just watching the film.

He still blows crap up real good, though.

Still, complaining about a lack of giant robot action in this film is a little disingenuous, because, really, this film has more giant robot action than any film in history, and it's bloody amazing giant robot action at that. The action sequences are roundly eye popping, visceral experiences that really get your thanatos on. This film is a pure popcorn action fest that ultimately befits the source material. It was an action cartoon, not Shakespeare, after all.

Look, Up In The Sky DVD

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:33 AM

Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition, Disc 12

Radio host Howard Stern proclaims himself the "King of All Media." But there is one man here on Earth who will never kneel before Stern.

The nearly 70-year-old media empire of Superman encompasses comic books, newspaper comic strips, a radio drama, novels, animated movie shorts, live-action serialized movies, low-budget movies, a children's TV series, TV commercials, a Broadway musical, various Saturday morning TV cartoons, a no-budget TV musical, big-budget movies, a romantic comedy TV series, a teen drama TV series, soundtracks, video games, DVDs, web sites, and enough merchandise to turn even George Lucas green with envy.

You will find nearly all of that and more in Look, Up In The Sky, the 2006 documentary from Kevin Burns and Bryan Singer. My fellow Star Wars fans out there will recognize Burns' trademark style from his excellent Empire Of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy documentary from 2004.

An argument could be made that Look, Up In The Sky is nothing more than a two-hour commercial for Warner Home Video's various Superman DVDs, not to mention Superman Returns--which was about to hit theaters just as this was originally released. While it certainly is a commercial for Superman products, it manages to be much more than that.

Look, Up In The Sky first premiered on the A&E cable network in June of last year. The DVD appeared just a week later. Though I watched the special back then, I did not purchase the stand-alone DVD since I figured it would be available with a Superman boxed set and that I would, for a change, avoid a double-dip. Fortunately, I was right.

Some of the standouts of the documentary, for me, were not exactly high points in Superman's legacy and, thus, are rarely seen. I had often heard of the 1975 It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman TV version of the Broadway musical and was always curious as to what it looked like.

After seeing footage in Look, Up In The Sky!, I am no longer curious. That thing looks like it was worse than the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978. It was kind of funny that Lesley Ann Warren, who played Lois in the TV musical, also tried out for the same part in the Salkind/Donner movie released just three years later.

One thing I had never heard of before this documentary, though, was the Adventures of Superpup TV pilot. As a dog lover, I could find the concept funny if properly executed. But to use the exact same sets, costume design, and everything else from the Adventures of Superman series right after George Reeves committed suicide (or, for you conspiracy-minded folks, allegedly committed suicide) was just in bad taste.

At least that is the impression this documentary and various online references give us. Something does not quite add up, though. The Superpup pilot was produced in 1958. Reeves died in 1959. I know there is a conspiracy theory in there somewhere. (It looks like people are wrongly lumping Superpup in with the failed Superboy pilot from 1961.)

While low-points like Superpup and It's Superman are covered, the documentary of course also covers the great stuff, too. The Christopher Reeve movies are well detailed. Interviews include Richard Donner, Ilya Salkind, and Margot Kidder.

Since I do not watch Smallville, it was even a treat for me to see Reeve's second-season appearance on that series. The documentary also covers his accident, subsequent battles, and death extremely well. It is a much more emotional experience than the tribute feature on the You Will Believe DVD.

I was expecting only a brief mention, but even Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman does not get short-changed in its coverage. Sure, this was probably only to tie in with the season 3 DVD release going out at that time but if Warner wanting to move product results in a better documentary for me to enjoy, then no complaints here.

Superman Returns gets a fair bit of coverage, most of which was a lot more exciting to see prior to the movie's release, of course. It is surreal to hear narrator Kevin Spacey refer to himself in the third person when speaking of his role of Lex Luthor. Why not have Singer or someone mention this in an interview segment rather than forcing this bit of awkward narration?

It was a treat to watch this again, over a year since seeing it on television. I have seen and read a lot of the Superman history in bits and pieces over the years, but it is nice to see everything laid out coherently and in such an entertaining fashion. Watching this documentary is one of those great experiences that remind me of why I am such a fan of Superman. Along with Requiem for Krypton: Making Superman Returns, this is the top documentary on the 14-disc Ultimate set.

When it comes to Superman product, Look, Up In The Sky is a well-rounded documentary. I have focused on TV and movies here, but it also covers the comics, radio program, and many other aspects of the legend.

For those who think the comics are the only true source for Superman mythology, the documentary reminds us that it was the radio program that introduced such important elements as Superman flying, the Daily Planet, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and even kryptonite. The point is that all of the various Superman versions influence one another. Still have doubts? Check out the current design of the Fortress of Solitude as seen in Action Comics recently, and then go back and watch Richard Donner's Superman.

I would still like to see a non-Warner, non-DC produced documentary to reveal more of the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster story, though. Despite the billions of dollars spawned by the Superman empire, his creators and their families reaped little of the benefits.

A minor quibble is that, at least in my set, this disc's label does not match the style of the other 13 discs. It appears to simply be the standard label from the stand-alone DVD release. I am not overly picky about this sort of thing, though, so I have not docked any points for it. Perhaps they have fixed this for the 2007 re-release of the set.

Bonus features are light. Some would say non-existent. There are front-loaded preview trailers for Firewall, Lady In The Water, and Poseidon.

The gem of the previews, and the only reason I am giving this disc any points for bonus features, is the "Superman Franchise" trailer. I had seen this online before, but it is nice to have a crisp version here. One of my favorite trailers of all time, it seamlessly brings together most of Superman's various incarnations and ends with the awe-inspiring Superman Returns teaser.

Though the DVD version is supposedly expanded over the TV version, nothing jumped out at me as being "new" and there were no other bonuses. Don't let that keep you away, though. This documentary is a must-see.

Documentary: 9 (out of 10)
Video Quality: 10
Audio Quality: 10
Bonus Features: 3
Overall Experience: 9

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Transformers - Immediate Post Viewing Review

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:02 PM

Wow...

June 27th Comic Roundup

posted by JediSheltie @ 11:15 AM

Well, 2 summer event comics in one week? And Amazons Attack is the “big event”? Don't really have to look much past the “Johns” on the cover of Sinestro Corps to figure out which one has more multiverse-shattering implications, and it doesn't disappoint.

Amazons Attack 3

In terms of event tie-ins, I give Marvel credit. They splash a weekly list of comics that tie-into an event in the back of the early issues. A “guide,” if you will. Granted, it puts them in the unenviable position of having to actually publish those comics when they say they are, and so I can understand why DC would be reluctant to follow suit. Marvel got burned on Civil War and I hear there was already tie in scheduling issues with World War Hulk.

Still, having Teen Titans, Amazons Attack, and Wonder Woman hit on the same week was kind of confusing. One or two were late, obviously, since the idea that something could be 'early' is so anathema to the rules of the universe that is approaches logical impossibility. Sure, Wonder Woman had the “next in” at the end that clued me to the fact that its continuation in Issue 4 of AA meant I should have read it after AA 3. Dropping in a little “continued from” note on the first page would have been appreciated, that's all.

Well, onto the actual comic... The plot thickens a bit here, if anyone was wondering if that would actually happen. The President of the United States puts in a strong supporting role in this issue, reminding us that there was a government in the city which the Amazons attacked. Those looking for you subtle political context will be glad to know that wasn't left out either, as the Pres decides to go all World War II on the dainty butts of any known “amazon sympathizers” by ordering them rounded up and put in concentration camps. You know, for their own good.

This leads to events detailed in the Teen Titans tie-in, where in Wonder Girl and Supergirl are suddenly a bit more sympathetic to the Amazon cause. That cause turns out to be the subjugation of the Untied States, as Hippolyta goes on national TV and informs everyone she expects our surrender shortly. It was kind of amusing to go see Live Free or Die Hard (good flick, btw, even at PG-13, which I feared would kill it) a few days later and have a weird since of deja vu.

Batman is the first to starting piecing together that the secondary Amazon attacks have been driven by technology a bit more advanced than glowing spears. This is the first such indication and we're not given much more, so it remains to be seen who the mystery benefactors are. Diana also intimates that, Circe, being a very powerful sorceress, may not have been so easily felled by one of those aforementioned glowing spears as Hippolyta would like to have believed.

Woods still turns in great art. I feel bad not mentioning it each time, but unless they suddenly swap the artistic talent in a later issue (which appears highly unlikely), I suppose I don't really need to lavish much more attention on it. The script is getting a bit more interesting, though at this point it's going really need to bring on the “mysterious benefactors” to make it worth 6 issues.

Sinestro Corps Special 1

The trials of one country on one planet now seem to pale in comparison to the upcoming universal smackdown that Geoff Johns is about to bring us. No one will ever accuse this man of thinking small, that's for sure. In a way, this kind of came out of nowhere, as it seemed, to me at least, most of the marketing efforts were focused on Amazons Attack. Yet in terms of pure gravitas, and pure heavy-weight villainy, Sinestro Corps could turn out to be the single biggest thing to happen to the new multiverse this year.

The prologue has been seeded throughout Johns recent Green Lantern run, and now we're off and running. The Justice League makes a cameo, ably handled by Johns who recently shared them in the Lightning Saga crossover, taking on the anti-Flash, Zoom, for information about Sinestro. Bruce informed them of his recent encounter with a Sinestro Crops ring and Sinestro is now number one on Hal's “persons of interest” list.

Elsewhere in the universe, Kyle helps a couple of Lanterns who encounter one such a ring and brings it back to Oa, where Guy Gardener, John Stewart, and Hal meet up with him to have a look at it. Yes, Johns isn't leaving anyone out. Like his work on Rebirth, he's weaving a story that involves all the Lanterns of Earth, a story that builds on that very work in Rebirth.

Granted, that means if you're one of those who's pissed off at the whole Parallax / yellow impurity angle Johns used to bring Hal back, then you should probably skip this whole thing. I suppose if you are one of those people, you really want the entire DCU reset to the Reign of the Supermen so Hal never went bad. Good luck with that.

The captive yellow ring escapes, sucks Kyle into the anti-matter universe, and then members of the Sinestro corps attack. Kyle gets a close up look at (and a single handed stand against) Sinestro's troops while Hal and company try to repel and attack whose primary purpose is... a jail break. Yeah, you know who. I won't spoil it, but it's not a surprise, really. The real surprise turned out to be that the newly escaped prisoner wasn't the biggest villain revealed to be arrayed against the Corps.

Going any deeper is spoiler territory, and this definitely isn't a comic you want spoiled. Suffice to say, turns out Sinestro answers to someone else... The last page reveal is a jaw dropper of epic proportions, that's for sure.

Loved Acuna's run on the main Lantern title, and it's now obvious why Ethan Van Sciver was locked away in a small room in an undisclosed location for months. His work on this title is amazing, and he's got so much to work with. Amazing detail on massive splash pages, one of which features a huge number of throughly dastardly Sinestro Corps members. Hopefully he'll be back on the main title to keep the story going, and I'm very much looking forward to it.