Dark Knight Review (No spoilers) Batman Box Office
The Dark Knight had the most buzz and hype of any 2008 movie due to the (maybe) suicide/drug overdose of Heath Ledger. This hype broke box office records: $314,000,000 + so far, and not since the 1989 version has Bat-Mania engulfed the world. To view the 1989 version now (Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson) after watching 2008 version would be laughable and silly.
So...Heath Ledger hype aside, was this movie awesome or what?
Yes, it was.
For decades DC Comics' most consistent and mature superhero comic book line has been Batman, Detective Comics, and the various other Batman related series. The Joker has been a major and complex player in Batman's life, and his portrayal in this movie was superb.
This Joker is no mere comedian...he's an anarchist, manic, psycho, serial killer, sadistic clown, yet for some reason, we sympathize with him!
And...without ruining too much, The Joker actually beats Batman in this movie...yes, folks, The Joker won. Whereas in other super-hero films, the villain is expected to "do the job" and take the fall, let's just say that doesn't happen in TDK.
In many ways, TDK breaks the super-hero movie genre- we have death...a lot of deaths. We have some hardcore violence. Things are dark. It's a crime drama with detective elements, in addition to the action. The full cast gets screen time- Ledger and Christian Bale don't carry the movie by themselves. Aaron Echart (District Attorney Harvey Dent) really added a lot to it. Michael Cain (Alfred the Butler), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), and Gary Oldman (James Gordon) were fantastic.
I hate to say it, but I really thought The Joker was right about so many things wrong with society. I felt guilty about looking up to such a perverted and twisted monster like him.
TDK had great emotional and intense scenes. I was at the edge of my seat. There were many twists and curves, and the plot was very deep, which assured multiple viewing by many fans. Since most reviews have been positive, and most of you have already seen it, I won't spend too much time on this as I usually do.
The Good: Acting, special effects, JoKeR, drama, subplots, HaRvEy DeNt, deep story
The Bad: The plot may be a bit too much for some. I found myself answering a couple of questions from my grandmother about it, and when I checked the message boards, I see that people had tons of questions, like: What was the deal with the fingerprint? Where did Joker get the giant pile of money? Who knew what about the plan? Why does Maroni tell Gordon where to find the Joker? What happened to the Hong Kong guy? What was up with the timer and the windshade? Who did Two-face kill? How and when did Joker kidnap Rachel? etc etc. My reaction: all the answers are there, you need to watch and listen.
The Ugly: Not for kids. If you're expecting Iron Man, move on. Senior citizens should pass on this, too.
Final Conclusion: As impossible as it seems, it lived up to its hype. Of course, I'm a comic book fan, and I'm sure many "civilians" may be a bit turned off at all the sick stuff that happens in the movie, but I loved it.
Christian Bale (Batman and Bruce Wayne) may be in trouble with the law.
"The Dark Knight" star was allegedly arrested in London for assault. His mother and sister pressed charges. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY and nothing has been confirmed. The source was the BRITISH MEDIA.
It's official, before it even opened, The Dark Knight defeated The Incredible Hulk. The sheer amount of buzz from the mainstream MEDIA and great reviews had assured victory a week before the movie was released. It's ironic because Batman defeated The Hulk in an old inter-company crossover issue. Batman threw gas pellets on the floor, and when the Hulk went to hold his breath Batman gave a judo kick to the stomach. so the Hulk was forced to breath in the sleeping gas.
Of course, thanks to Heath Ledger's death, the Joker is more popular than Batman right now. And everyone who reads comics knows that you can't really beat the Joker.
Ultimately, the new Hulk movie was disappointing to critics and box office alike.
DC Comics will throw its hat into the arena of online computer and video games with DC Universe Online, by Executive Creative Director Jim Lee. In this game, you create your own character (like WarCraft) and fight alongside all of the heroes and villains of the DCU.
It will be available for PC and PS3, and DC took the right step to get more fans. Online game subscriptions (MMORPG) is a goldmine for companies.
It's not ready for release yet, but will be soon.
Anyway, I'm happy for Jim Lee, and hope that this game makes everyone a lot of money.
Yahoo news, using some Hollywood quotes on "perception" and box office numbers, has written off a Hulk movie sequel.
Ultimately, the article says, when everything was said and done, the new Hulk movie will struggle to make as much national and worldwide profit as the Ang Lee version from 5 years ago.
I don't think this had anything to do with the quality of the movie. This had to do with Hulk being a "remake" (reboot) of a movie that for all practical terms "just came out". Fans dug Iron Man. Fans will dig Iron Man 2. Fans won't dig an Iron Man reboot in 5 years.
Although both directors have different styles and interpretations of the Marvel super-hero, the bottom line is that both versions were action orientated and starred the Savage Hulk (as opposed to the other Hulk incarnations, such as the "Mr. Fixit" grey Hulk or the "Dr. Banner" Hulk, which has Banner's mind controlling the Hulk's body).
One can assume that a 3rd Hulk movie would make less money.
It's seems that all the negative talk about the "disappointing" numbers from the MEDIA (the studio is OK with the numbers) have reduced the "franchise" to Marvel's B-List. With all the comic book movies out, not having a 3rd Hulk movie should be the least of anyone's concern.
Finally, the Hulk as a character just doesn't have the blockbuster appeal of Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Superman, or Iron Man because...well...he's portrayed as a savage misunderstood beast, like Godzilla or King Kong; he's not really a hero that kids look up to.
Check out the Hulk's various comic books for different takes. The savage version is towards the bottom of the list in terms of enjoyable and popular stories.
Angelina Jolie is the lead actress in Wanted, an R-Rated assassin thriller based on Mike Millar and J.G. Jones' independent comic book limited series, and raked in $51.1 million.
I guess the irony about the whole thing is:
Most people don't know Wanted is based on a COMIC BOOK.
Those that do know that it is an adaptation realize that Hollywood took many liberties with the source material.
I only hope that Millar and Jones made money by selling the rights to it. Somehow I doubt they made $1 million....
Well, after my disappointing Final Crisis #1 review, I got my hands on Final Crisis #2, written once again by icon Grant Morrison and drawn by the capable JG Jones. Going in reading this comic with ZERO expectations, I'd like to say I was pleasantly surprised, but once again I have to scratch my head how DC would allow the pacing and confusion of the Event of the Year to continue for 2 months now. YES, it was better...but not by much.
Yes, it was an easier read this time. since I know what's going on (thanks to all of the comments I received last month for readers explaining everything to me, panel by panel), but ultimately, Issue 2 is still a setup issue with questionable time devoted to obscure or new characters.
It seems like the real word is much more exciting than FINAL CRISIS.
Anyway, it wasn't THAT bad this time...things are a bit clearer, and it's clear that the heroes have NO chance of winning this fight (not joking). (Of course, I don't know for sure if these heroes are from the main DC Earth yet....)
Okay, on with the story:
The cover features The Flash. Last issue said that Barry Allen was returning. Kind of bait and switch. Barry returns on the LAST PAGE.
The first 10 pages...to tell you the truth, I had to look at the cover again to make sure I was reading DC's FINAL CRISIS...the first 10 pages featured previously unseen or VERY obscure (more likely) Japanese super-heroes. I guess DC never explored how different Japanese heroes would be in 2008. We see how the culture is 100% different than ours. Heck, this would make a great comic series by Morrison. The only problem is...WHAT THE HECK IS IT DOING HERE? The 10 pages led up to Mister Miracle (not Scott Free) in a human avatar's body recruit a Japanese hero. Again...this should have been one page at most.
Page 11 shows the fallen Monitor trying to live as a human in a fast food joint. He seems to have some memories of his previous life, and is drawing them.
The next two pages show hard nosed DanTurpin, the detective, beating the Mad Hatter to the brink of death to find out who is killing kids. The Hatter points him to Bludhaven.
We then have a one page funeral with the JLA for the Martian Manhunter. Superman with a great line: "And we pray for a resurrection."
The next two pages show the bad guys, and how Luthor doesn't want to follow Libra. Some villains want to follow Libra, since he put the Human Flame on the map by killing the Manhunter. Luthor wants Libra to hurt Superman for real proof.
The next 8 pages (the middle of the story) show the JLA and an Alpha Lantern investigating the death of Orion. The Alpha Lanterns are the Green Lanterns' superior officers and more rude, mean, and arrogant than the blue Guardians ever were.
Jon Stewart comes close to finding the bullet that killed Orion. The bullet is 50 years old! Another Lantern turns on Jon and tries to kill or blind him.
The Alpha Lanterns place Hal Jordan under arrest for Jon's attempted murder. (I think.)
I think that the Alpha Lantern female is possessed because she atacks Batman, and throws him in a boom tube for a plaything for Granny [Goodness].
The next three pages have Dan Turpin investigating in Bludhaven. Glorius Godfrey (in an Al Sharpton/Don King/Reverend Wright human avatar) treats Turpin like he's Darkseid's human avatar by showing him the tour of Granny's torture and slave chambers. By now, we all know that the New Gods have human avatars, but Turpin was not Darkseid's avatar last issue, so this was a little confusing. Batman is being tortured here.
The next two pages are at the Daily Planet, with the usual cast of Superman's supporting characters. Jimmy Olsen is Clayface in disguise and blows up the top floors. Lois Lane looks dead (like the scene from Jim Krueger and Alex Ross' JUSTICE series) and Clark Kent's clothes are torn off to reveal his Superman costume. This was a shock and the best scene of this comic.
The next two pages show Wally West and Jay Garrick investigating where Martian Manhunter was killed. They have come to the conclusion that the bullet traveled backwards through time (an awesome Morrison idea) to kill him. (This links the murders of Orion and Manhunter.)
The last page has Barry Allen and the Black Racer appearing and warning them to "RUN!"
The Good Things are picking up. I feel a lot more confident that issues 1 and 2 were setups, and issue 3 will be very dramatic and exciting. I feel the mystery and see some clues. The Daily Planet explosion was awesome, as was the fact that the HEROES HAVE NO CHANCE OF WINNING THIS TIME.
The Bad Too many pages on those Japanese heroes. I hate the Alpha Lanterns. I'm still confused...I thought I had a PhD in Comic Books, but a lot this is over my head, still. Compare this series to Marvel's SECRET INVASION, and SI is may more accessible to an average fan.
The Ugly FINAL CRISIS is self-contained and has nothing to do with COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS or THE DEATH OF THE NEW GODS. It looks like Morrison's private playground. In many ways, these first two issues were a waste of money, since it's all a setup.
FINAL CONCLUSION Better than Issue 1. I'm ready for some action now. I'm starting to feel excited. Morrision is like fine wine...you gotta let him sink in, and reread it a few times. I'm 100% sure by the next 2 issues, my reservations and complaints will be irrelevant. I just have to question how DC let these 1st two issues be so unusual. It's not like me to complain about pacing, mysteries, or Grant Morrison, but All-Star Superman and Morrison's JLA were perfect, and was hoping for that here. For DC's most-hyped series since INFINITE CRISIS, I was expecting..well, INFINITE CRISIS, which had super-action and continuity in every issue. Anyway, I feel better about FINAL CRISIS. Still not enough to lend my issues to my DailySkew partner Tony Vahl, though. YES, there WILL be a payoff in this series, and YES, it's great to not to know what is going to happen for once, but..............kinda hard to give thumbs up yet.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHA!!!! It's official! I'm going to win an OSCAR! And I'm dead! Or am I? hehehehehehe I WON! I did it...I beat SUPES. I melted the iron man... I gassed the green giant... I blew a red-headed child's head off... No one can stop me! Did The Joker kill Heath Ledger? Yes. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA But no oneeeee can kill me! Not old Bats...not Marvel...not DC..no one! I am an ICON. Super-Villain of the Year. I may have been carried off on a stretcher...but I am still alive! Like I told Alexander...NEVER underestimate me! You should have let me play. Should have let me had a world to mold in my own image. A HAPPY earth. Now you're dead. BAM! **** And now a SPOILER-FREE word from MIKE, who saw an-ahem- advanced screening of The Joker...I mean, Batman: The Dark Knight:
Heath Ledger gives the blockbuster performance of the year! The Joker will 100% absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and is the hands-down favorite to win it posthumously. The Joker has the perfect pitch, perfect tone, his Joker hits all the right notes. 'The Dark Knight' is THE best super-hero movie of all time (better than Iron Man, Superman, Nicholson's Batman, Spider-Man 2, and X-Men) and Joker Ledger is THE BEST villain in a super hero movie of all time. Really. Did the Joker kill Heath Ledger? YES, he did- and the proof is in the movie! So GO SEE IT, and look for the hints!
THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1, 1962, STAN LEE AND JACK KIRBY
Billed as a "fantasy comic", the story begins with the origin of the Hulk. Dr. Bruce Banner's genius created the untested Gamma Bomb for the U.S. military; however, Banner has been delaying the test explosion for weeks because he has been exercising caution, much to the frustration of General Thunderbolt Ross. His daughter, Betty Ross, defends Banner after Thunderbolt expresses his rage. Banner does not get angry. Igor, a scientist that apparently worked on some parts of the project, demands that Banner reveal all of its secrets, but Banner- still not expressing emotion- flatly states that he doesn't make mistakes, and that the formula is locked in his room in the base. Banner tells Igor that he detests men that speak with their fists after Igor grabbed him. As Banner is beginning to launch the countdown sequence, a teenager sneaks onto the test site on a bet from his friends. Bruce orders Igor to delay the launch while he personally removes the kid. Banner pushes the boy, Rick Jones, into a protective trench first. (I wondered why Banner didn't order the launch sequence to be stopped, instead of delayed.) Banner seems to know it's going to go off. Before he can make the jump into the trench, the bomb goes off miles away, and Banner's back gets irradiated with a full dose of gamma radiation, in one of the most famous origin scenes in comic book history. (It should be noted that the TV show and movies don't follow this origin.)
Banner's facial expression of shock and horror remains the same even after Rick Jones brings him to a hospital back at the base. Rick is very grateful to Doc. The military is keeping Banner and Jones locked in a room, under observation, although Banner shows depression and hypothesizes that they are waiting for him to die. The full moon can be seen outside the window, and a Geiger counter (a device used to detect radiation) goes off the scale. Banner transforms into a grey monster. His first words: “Get out of my way, insect!” as he knocks Rick Jones down with the back of his hand. The monster knocks the wall down like cardboard, and is hit by an incoming army jeep. The jeep crumbles, but the monster's shoulder hurts, as he limps away. Rick Jones tries to follow him. Soldiers are now mobilizing to hunt for it. One unnamed soldier describes it as a “hulk”.
The Hulk is moving back to Banner's cabin by instinct, and he tells himself that he must get the (gamma) formula at "home". The Hulk knows that it is the third cabin, which clearly shows that he retains some of Banner's memories. (In fact, one could argue that Banner is exerting control over the Hulk here to go back to his cabin for the gamma formula, after all why would the Hulk care?)
Hulk and Jones stumble upon Igor, who is tearing apart the cabin looking for the gamma formula. Igor shoots the Hulk, but he is bulletproof, destroys the gun, and calls Igor a “puny human”. Hulk tosses Igor around, but Rick Jones begs him not to kill him. Hulk accidentally sees a picture of Banner and says that the face is “weak, soft” and he “hates it”. When Rick tells Hulk that he is Banner, the Hulk says that he remembers that the gamma bomb transformed him into this when darkness fell. A split second later, he tosses Rick, and says he is glad it happened, and says, “I'd rather be me, than that puny weakling in the picture”. He says that he wants to rule the world, and hints that since Rick is the only person to know who he is, that he must die. Thankfully the sun rises, and the Hulk reverts back to Banner, who says he can now think again.
The MP enter the cabin looking for the Hulk and/or Igor, who is a spy. Betty sees Banner, and is happy and concerned. Banner's clothes are torn, and a MP sees that he has a shoulder wound. An MP takes the gamma formula for safe-keeping. Bruce bids Betty Ross farewell, and Rick Jones sees that they care for each other. Rick is kind of mocking them in his mind. After she leaves, Rick asks Bruce if he enjoyed the thrill of being the Hulk, but Banner is scared, and calls the Hulk a mockery of humanity, who is against reason.
Meanwhile, the imprisoned Igor sends a message through a device in his nail to behind the Iron Curtain, to the Gargoyle, his boss. The message is that the a creature of great power exists at this base. The Gargoyle- who is an ugly short communist with a large head and disfigured teeth- hops on a rocket to America to either kill it or imprison it, to show how powerful he is.
Back at the base, Banner is driving Rick out in the open since nightfall is close. Unfortunately, he transforms again, and the Hulk destroys the jeep, having no memory of the trip. Then he sees Betty's cabin, and wants to visit it. She sees him, and faints; the Hulk mocks her for being weak. The Gargoyle shoots a mind controlling gun at the Hulk and Jones, and they follow him away. General Ross sees his daughter awaken, and she tells him about the Hulk. Thunderbolt swears eternal revenge against the Hulk for scaring her, although she is sympathetic with him.
The Gargoyle takes Jones and Hulk back on a rocket to the Soviet Union, and on the flight the mind-control wears off...and the sun rises, so the Hulk transformed back to Banner. The Gargoyle recognizes Banner as a world famous scientist, and is shocked he is the Hulk. The Gargoyle begs him to reverse the radiation effects that caused him to be a hideous mutant (the Soviets created the Gargoyle with bomb tests). Banner agrees, although Rick doesn't want him to help a Red. The Gargoyle reverts back to a man thanks to Banner's genius, and cursed the Soviet Premier (Khrushchev). The man sends Bruce and Rick back home, and sacrifices himself by blowing up his own base as the Red Army moves in on him.
******
As the first appearance and origin of the Hulk, this is CANNON. Any other future retelling years later, or TV, cartoon, or movie adaptations use this story for inspiration, but this is the one, true origin of the Hulk. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby made the Hulk the opposite of Bruce Banner, and although the Hulk is clearly inspired by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Banner is more like a Los Alamos atomic scientist, not a mad scientists experimenting to make himself stronger. Lee and Kirby also used Frankenstein's monster and the Hebrew's golem as inspiration. Like Godzilla, the Hulk is a monster caused by an atomic age. He's no hero in this issue, in fact, he almost killed a few people, including Rick Jones. He is attracted to Betty Ross, similar to King Kong.
It's not clear how much memory the Hulk and Banner retain of each other's lives, and how much control is exerted. Nor is it clear if Banner IS the Hulk or not, or a separate being. It seems as if all of Banner's pent-up rage and anger comes out when he transforms into the Hulk at night. It is interesting that the Hulk hates Banner and much as Banner fears the Hulk.
Although the Hulk's vocabulary is less than Banner's, he can still speak, albeit in the 3rd person. In fact, he doesn't waste words- he speaks simply and with primal passion. By no means is he dumb, just confused.
Regarding his strength levels, the Hulk got hurt by that jeep, and Banner's shoulder sore. He also didn't get hurt by Igor's bullet, but the Gargoyle's bullet seemed to have pierced his skin. He broke walls, jeeps, and guns.
Actually, I'm not going to review it, you will. I linked this post in the Marvel Comic Book Message Boards so I expect a lot of comments.
I would just like to say that I really liked the acting, and all the easter eggs that Marvel put in the movie. The easter eggs referenced various aspects from different Hulk continuities- the 70's/80's TV show, the Bruce Jones Hulk comic book run, and the other Marvel movies.
As an owner of every HULK comic book every made, and watcher of every TV show episode, I can confidentially say that I'm a Hulk expert.
So...go ahead, chime in, give me your thoughts, and I may respond in the comments section.
Roger Ebert said this in his Incredible Hulk review:
"...the Hulk, who is one of the lesser creatures in the Marvel Comics stable."
That comment right there PROVES that the "best professional critic" doesn't know jack about comic books. I wonder how many other "facts" he has wrong in all of his other reviews?
There are many reasons why the Hulk is a well-known superhero:
The Hulk TV show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferigno is part of Americana. It's been in syndication for years, and is widely available on DVDs, Netflix, and Hulu.
The Hulk has been in cartoons on Saturday mornings.
He has been in comic books since 1962.
He is the strongest hero in the Marvel Universe.
He had a major hyped motion picture 5 years ago that generated a large amount of money.
He is one of the most recognizable comic book characters in the world.
The most famous wrestler of all time, Hulk Hogan, ripped off his name!
The Hulk is an A-List character in the Marvel Universe, although his marketing has taken a back seat to Spider-Man and the X-Men in the 1990's, Hulk, Avengers, and Fantastic Four are the foundation of the Marvel Universe.
When DC and Marvel crossed over decades ago and matches their A-list characters against each other, they had Superman vs Spider-Man and Batman vs THE HULK. You tell me who is a "lesser known creature".
Numerous video games.
A 1965 Esquire magazine poll amongst college students which "revealed that student radicals ranked Spider-Man and the Hulk alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite revolutionary icons."
This is Anthony Stark, better known as Iron Man, your Secretary of Defense, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and leader of the Avengers.
As you can see, my 50 State Initiative plan has been extremely effective: crime levels are at an all time low in United States history. Property damage, injuries, and deaths related to costumed hero and villain violence has decreased by 3000% since my Initiative began. The average citizen can walk the streets feeling safe and protected.
Rest assured, that your civil liberties are of high importance to me, but your security and safety is of the utmost importance.
I thank most of you for your continued support and cooperation.
However, there are still a small number of unregistered costumed vigilantes who believe that they are above the law. They would rather hide underground, plan terrorist attacks, and disobey direct orders from President McCain. These costumed criminals- Wolverine, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Luke Cage- and anyone who harbors or aids them in anyway, must be brought to justice.
At this time, I would like to remind any costumed crime fighter or super-powered individual will be granted limited amnesty by President McCain to register in accordance with the Super Human Registration Act which enforces the mandatory licensing of all active super-heroes as law enforcement officials, making them government employees subject to a degree of official oversight and control.
If you are unsure if you have super-human abilities, please contact S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately for testing.
Again, thanks to each and every one of you to making the 50 State Initiative a reality!
Sincerely, Anthony Stark United States Secretary of Defense Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Chairman of the Avengers C.E.O. of Stark Enterprises
I read FINAL CRISIS #1 today. This was the beginning of the much-hyped DC 7-issue limited series that was supposed to wrap up the Crisis that has been happening since 1985 (or since IDENTITY CRISIS, depending on who you listen too). The icon Grant Morrison got the assignment. Now, on with the DailySkew plot review- with full spoilers.
THE GOOD:
Artwork by JG Jones was great. Colors were great.
Grant Morrison had the main villain called Libra say "Twilight of the Gods", which was Alan Moore's pitch for Crisis II back in the 1980's.
The weather has gone nuts (red sky).
THE BAD:
As you know, I read COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS (all 50+ issues, including the tie-ins)...yet I have NO idea what is going on in this issue. I checked out the message boards...and no one else does either. Here goes:
THE PLOT:
It starts off like 2001: A Space Odyssey...we see flashbacks to the past (OR it could be one of the 52 DC Earths, where Anthro and/or Kamandi live). We see Metron give fire to the boy. It looks like he invented it for humanity.
A fat and bald detective named Turpin (whom I never saw before) is investigating the deaths of kids. [Yet ANOTHER "Who is killing the New Gods" plot.] He is led to the Dark Side Club [homage to Hellfire Club, with Darkseid], where Darkseid and his Evil New Gods have assumed human form and are living on (I guess) New Earth. The kids who are dying are actually the Good New Gods, like Orion. So it seems as if the New Gods (whom were mostly killed off in COUNTDOWN and DEATH OF THE NEW GODS) are living on earth in human form. I think.
The Guardians of the Universe acted like NYPD BLUE cops and assigned Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart to investigate these deaths. This was the first time I've ever read the Green Lanterns actually use police codes for crime scene investigations. That seemed extremely odd to me, not to mention confusing. I guess it was in homage to Alan Moore's TOP 10. For some reason Hal Jordan didn't seem too crushed that Orion died, either.
Next we have a bunch of C-List villains fighting the League of Titans (who?) and some are protesting for their civil rights. The police, heroes, and villains seemed way to self-effacing for my tastes...kind of kills the illusion. Dr. Light and Mirror Master team up and talked about Libra (who?), the main villain.
At the Legion of Doom, there is a meeting with some A, B, and C-list villains. Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage don't want to follow orders from Libra, who quite frankly looks like a JLI costumed villain. Libra promises them their hearts' desires (like the Beyonder did in Marvel's SECRET WARS in 1984). Libra grants some D-List villain named the Human Flame (I think) the wish to burn The Martian Manhunter (John Jones) alive. So he's dead now. [Yeah, RIGHT.]
Meanwhile, at The Hall of Justice, the JLA get together to talk about the New Gods. They're acting like all of this is new to them. Kinda strange since everyone was present when Darkseid fought Jimmy Olsen in COUNTDOWN. Which really made me think FINAL CRISIS #1 does not take place on New Earth.
The Monitors kick out a Monitor and strip away his immortality for allowing his earth to be destroyed (see COUNTDOWN).
The last page shows a guy waking up (probably this Monitor, who is now human) watching TV with the announcement that Martian Manhunter is dead, and Green Arrow vowed vengeance.
And that's it.
A message from the editorial staff revealed that EIGHT mini-series which will be released along with and following FINAL CRISIS, and that the normal super-hero titles would not have crossovers. So much for the mega-series of the summer........DC is cashing in again. I guess I'm not used for readers to shell out $4 dollars an issue to read 9 mini-series to get the whole story. Back in 1984, SECRET WARS was 12-issues, and there WERE no crossovers, one-shots, OR accompanying mini-series. In 1985 when DC released CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS it was 12-issues, too. There WERE technically crossovers, but they were 100% not necessary to read the main maxi-series.
Anyway, this comic was WAY over my head, and judging from the comic geeks online, it will take someone else to discpher this issue and figure it out.
I have faith in Morrison that the series will pay off, but I was utterly disappointed that DC would allow such a confusing and "arsty" comic to pass off for issue #1 (which needs to ATTRACT new readers.) I mean, seriously...I'm dumbfounded. It's like if I read issue 6 of Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory without reading anything else! Huh?? The reaction is the same all around the 'Net: "Did I miss an issue?" It looks like Marvel may beat DC this summer with their (generic yet mainstream) Secret Invasion storyline and various crossovers asking "Who's a Skrull?".
Final Conclusion: Issue 1 doesn't make sense, but Morrison always pays off. Seems like a setup to something huge. Disappointed in DC Comics for the number of limited series that will be launched along with it.
My first exposure to Marvel Comics Civil War mega event came via the message board forums on the Internet. I heard so many complaints about perhaps the most controversial storyline in comic book history.
Without spoiling too much (although it is 1-2 years old now), I'm going to tackle the criticisms.
1) The writers and editors did not follow continuity.
Although the actual Civil War mini-series spanned only 7 issues, if you included the various crossovers and one-shots, it really was an 80+ issue storyline. Try to put that in perspective: 80 issues would be over 6.5 years of comics back in the 1980's. So, yes, there were mistakes. And yes, the reading order is screwy. And yes, there were retcons. It should have been organized better, perhaps a number for each issue to tell us the reading order of each issue. I understand the Marvel Powers That Be did not want fans to be "forced" to buy 8o+ issues (although geeks would, of course), so maybe they didn't want to number the issues outside the core 7 issues. However, this lack of organization makes reading all the issues from all the various Marvel titles in order impossible. Some issues had contradictions. Some have spoilers. Some loose ends are never finished. Truthfully, I didn't notice them, since I've been out of the Marvel comic collecting scene for years. But these errors drove comic geeks CRAZY.
Conclusion: Yes, there were errors. Who cares? The story was good.
2) Iron Man, Captain America, and Mr. Fantastic were out of character.
First of all, Tony Stark has a history of being an arrogant jerk who believes that the ends justify the means. In Armor Wars back in the late 1980's, he took initiative, broke the law, and lied to the Avengers because he thought his morality was correct. In Operation: Galactic Storm, he voted to kill the Supreme Intelligence to prevent it to starting another war. He is a "by any means necessary" character, and has the financial resources, technology, and intelligence to do whatever he wants. The track record is there for him to become "holier-than-thou" and to impose his own morality and his will upon others. Did he cross the line in Civil War? Yes, he did. Did he act like a villain? Yes, he did. But it was for a "greater good". Love him or hate him (and I hated him in this series), Tony Stark was within character.
Some online naysayers believe that Captain America would support and uphold any government legislation, no matter how immoral, just because he is a soldier and already is a registered government super-hero. Wrong! Cap is an idealistic libertarian. He was never a government tool. He was fired by the government at least on two occasions in the 1980's (when he assumed the identity of Nomad and The Captain), and I believe he was a wanted fugitive during writer Mark Waid's run in modern times. Cap is old school, and can see fascism and a corrupt government a mile away. This has already been established. The Captain America portrayed in this series acted like the Earth-X version, but with more confidence and was more level-headed.
Mr. Fantastic- Reed Richards- the genius leader of the Fantastic Four is perhaps the most disappointing character in this Marvel event. Reed sided with Tony Stark and devised ways to take down heroes who refused to register with the current government administration. Reed created a cosmic Guantanamo Bay- a prison in the Negative Zone, from which there is no escape. Reed put unregistered heroes and villains in it, including Daredevil. Reed and Tony took it upon themselves- with the backing of S.H.I.E.L.D. to imprison these unregistered super-being indefinitely. Reed comes off as weak, focusing on numbers and probabilities, detached from reality, cold, and without compassion- or common sense. He rationalized all of his decisions, and when his wife Sue Richards threated divorce and used her invisible shield to damage the Baxter Building, Reed calculated the dollar amount in damage instead of calming her down and bringing her back. Anyone who has read Grant Morrison's take on Reed in the Fantastic Four 1 2 3 4 limited series a few years ago, knows that this is the TRUE Reed Richards.
Conclusion:We saw the worst of Iron Man and Mister Fantastic. It was a shame Captain America had to go underground, and had the U.S. and government against him, but everyone was within character. Did Iron Man go to far? Yeah..Marvel really pushed the envelope with him. The Internet fans were up in arms- even suggested that he was an impostor- but that's what the standard reaction to preemptive strikes and taking a moral initiative does to observers. If you remember, DC fans were up in arms when Batman had "secret files" on every super-hero, too.
3) Civil War was written by a bunch liberals, and is anti-Bush. Too much politics.
Both sides of this war: pro-registration (Iron Man) and anti-registration (Captain America) were represented well. Both sides explained their philosophy. Was this story an allegory about the Patriot Act? Oh, yeah. You darn straight it was. It was about civil liberties vs. your safety. FYI, George Bush was not mentioned by name, and neither were both major political parties.
The abuse of the Patriot Act, phone taps, and treating POWs as slaves ARE major issues in our life right now, and it is natural that comic books- and art medium- tackle these problems by showing both sides.
By the way, it's amazing how the writers: JMS, Bendis, and Millar were PRAISED for their previous small-time work, but the MINUTE they tackle mainstream super-heroes, the message boards turn on them.
Conclusion: The writers did a great job with allegory. It was 50/50. Bush and Republicans were never mentioned.
4) The Marvel super-heroes were deconstructed.
The message boards brought up some good points: wasn't vigilantism always legal in the Marvel Universe anyway, unless you were a mutant with the X-Men or Spider-Man, thanks to the Daily Bugle? How could the citizens just turn on heroes who saved their lives for years just because they wear a costume? Why did non-powered heroes have to register? If I wore a costume and saved a man crossing the street, would I have to register or else be hunted by Tony Stark's cape-killers? Conversely, could I wear a costume, call myself "Overmind", register, and get full government benefits, such as salary and insurance? It can never be the same now.
Again, great points, and that's why Marvel never did anything like this before- it really pushes the envelope and injects realism into a fantasy world. Civil War came dangerously close to deconsructing the basic elements of being a costumed hero in the Marvel Universe. But guess what? It made Marvel millions of dollars. Marvel has yearly events, sometimes two or three events a year. It gets harder and harder to come up with event stories that truly can change things. This story changed everything. Marvel should be applauded for pushing it to the edge. These are not your daddy's comics anymore. Heck, these same fanboys never had any problem with The Authority or Squadron Supreme or Kingdom Come or Watchmen or Days of Future Past, but the moment something like this happens in the real Marvel earth, the geeks go crazy. I do agree that there may be giant plot holes about registration and the definition of what it is to be a "costumed hero" in the Marvel Universe, and I could even agree that Civil War came too close to deconstructing the illusion, but the story was very entertaining. If this was 1982, it would have been revealed that Doctor Doom was the mastermind behind all of this, and Captain America and Iron Man would team up and stop him. But we live in a different era now. Hero vs. hero.
Conclusion:If you can accept that a teenager can get bitten by a radioactive spider and get super powers, you should accept that the government would force heroes to register with them to protect the citizens from accidents and property damage. It's 2008 now. The Silver Age has been dead for a long time. Back issues are still available, though, if you want to read comics from a simpler world circa 1961.
5) S.H.I.E.L.D. is too powerful. They can spy on anyone, don't have to answer to anyone, are not accountable, and it must cost trillions of dollars to support them.
Sure, I agree with that. But I don't know what to tell you. You seem to have no problems with men in tights flying, but you have a problem with a high-tech intelligence agency. Marvel earth is NOT our earth.
Conclusion: It's a comic book, folks. Just shrug it off. I think everyone just took Civil War a little too seriously.
Final Conclusion: Too expensive to buy all 80+ issues. See if you can borrow the good issues from a friend, or but the trade paperback containing the core issues. It's worth it for the controversy alone. Of course, it IS Captain America's final story. Was it the best story of all time? Nope, not even close. But it was MUCH better than the X-Men "events". Was Marvel cashing in, and taking advantage of the fanboys? Of course, it's a business.
Review: DC Comics' Countdown to Final Crisis Series
Well, I borrowed the 51-issues of Countdown to Final Crisis, #0, and the mini-series and one-shots that tied into Countdown.
At $3.00 + per issue, I would have never in my right mind bought them every week.
During this year, I tried to keep track of events via the DC Message boards (the posters love to rip DC there), Wikipedia, and the various comic book review sites. And although the sites were helpful, I must confess actually reading the comics was a great experience. It's similar to getting the results of a sporting event from a newspaper article versus actually watching the game or listening to it on the radio. The actual experience is much better than reading summaries or someone else's opinion.
With that out of the way, and without spoiling, here are my thoughts:
1) This was a DCU anthology for a year, with many plot-lines and characters. Because it was weekly, the writers and artists had to pace themselves. In fact, it read like a weekly episodic TV series. This means that for many issues, the characters were still searching for their goals, and plots were stretched. In other words, 51 issues was probably too much, and if you were shelling out $3.00 a comic, you had every right to be frustrated. I read all issues in one sitting, and didn't spend a dime, so I had no frustration. Is DC trying to cash in on CRISIS? Yup. And fanboys continue to contribute. It's a business, folks. A business I no longer give money to.
2) There was a WHOLE lot of hype going into this series with posters, advertisements, and teasers. Did this series live up to the hype? Not really, but significant events did occur. But I'm staying spoiler-free, however. Feel free to ask me questions in Comments, and I'll reveal all.
3) The writing and art was above average for the most part, although some weeks the art was not to modern "cool" standards. The coloring was fantastic.
4) The backup stories (a few pages at the end of each issue) didn't reveal anything we didn't already know. 100% filler, although I was curious to see DC's official origins for characters and the multiverse.
5) It seems like the current 52-earth multiverse is here to stay, although Monarch- the main villain in this story- destroyed or altered so many earths with impunity that one has the feeling DC doesn't really care about 51 earths; they just care about the main New Earth.
6) There were plenty of near-invincible villains: Monarch, Darkseid, Superman Prime (formerly Superboy Prime), OMAC, and rogue Monitors. Monarch and Prime were particular vicious to the heroes of DC's 52 earths. In fact, it was very sad. Remember folks, Superman Prime pulls no punches. So when he took down the JLA from another earth (they had no idea there is a multiverse or who he was) in a few panels, it was pretty ugly and sad. It's been a cliche for a long time that alternate earth heroes are the first to die (since the main earth heroes can't), but the way Prime dismantles heroes is graphic. Monarch was portrayed like Mark Waid's villain in Empire: unbeatable, all-knowing, and all-powerful. The heroes seemed like toy soldiers. Whereas the heroes in the original CRISIS were actually able to fight the Anti-Monitor, brute force went nothing here.
7) There were a few themes that Damian Hospital and Tony Vahl had already came up with their Dream Seeker Universe series and from comics that were already done. So there's nothing too original here. We have "Somebody is Killing New Gods" to "Who Monitors the Monitors" to "Incurable Virus Destroys the Earth" to "An Arena Where Different Versions of Heroes have to Fight Each Other to the Death" and other retreads. But although the plots weren't original, they were grand in scope.
8) Jimmy Olsen, Karate Kid, and The Pied Piper- three minor characters, really shine.
9) Jason Todd (Robin) was impressive, and looks ready to assume the caped cowl of Batman if something bad should happen to Bruce Wayne. Todd's experience with the Batman of an Earth where Bruce killed all super-villains to avenge that Jason's death was extraordinary.
9a) I hate Mary Marvel now.
10) In conclusion, if you can borrow it, borrow it. Don't waste money on the comics or the trade paperbacks. The series had great battles, and I HAD to continue reading (very addictive). I confess I wanted to see more of certain characters than others, however. Things started off fast (the first Issue was #51), and then went into a steady pace, with a few throway issues that rightfully upset paying customers from the DC message forums. Then the series started to get hot again when mysteries were revealed, Superman Prime started to visit other earths, and when Monarch launched his attack against the Monitors. FYI, Issue 2 is the real climax, while Issue 1 wraps up loose ends. Issue #0 is more of a preview of Final Crisis, which is due out this month.
Marvel Comics took the initiative over DC to offer free comics online last year. Although I am not a subscriber, I occasionally read their free samples at Marvel Digital Comics.
The comics are full color, and their software (which appears to be uncrackable using conventional methods) has a smart panel feature which enables you to read the comic clearly and logically on your screen. I have a great flat panel monitor at home, and I have to say the artwork looks fantastic blown up, panel by panel.
All of this was to stop piracy (many fans download PDFs of comics from BitTorrent or LimeWire, which is illegal), and to try and make some money (current subscription fees are $10 per month or $60 per year for unlimited access). Besides it's great marketing and publicity.
The free samples are nice, and more comics get added to the library every week.
If you keep reading the free samples, however, annoying pop ups will appear over the comic telling you to subscribe.
For a casual fan, I would recommend browsing the free sample library. The actually unlimited collection contains thousands of comics, from original 1960's vintage to the new stuff that the Internet and comic shops are buzzing about, like Illuminati and World War Hulk. In fact, many hot comics are in the free sample section.
I sure wish there was ONE list I can see on my screen, but most of the lists are thumbnails or only shows 24 comics on a screen, similar to Netflix, so you have to spend a lot of time browsing.
I would recommend this site to anyone into comics and anyone who is curious. For example, with the popularity of the Iron Man movie, perhaps you want to check out a new comic featuring a retelling of his origin.
Since Marvel has changed their business plan a few years ago (they make their money through movie-related merchandise, toys, animated cartoons direct to DVD) the actual selling of printed comics through subscriptions and comic shops simple isn't their core business anymore.
The Internet is LOADED with comic book fan sites, and Marvel Digital Comics Headquarters gets an awfully lot of hits.
PROS:
Great FREE quality comics
Hundreds of FREE COMICS (great selection)
Unlimited access gives you the ability to read THOUSANDS of comics online
Viewing software is generally smart when switching from panel to panel
CONS:
If I'm a paying subscriber, I would want full collection runs of series; there are too many gaps.
After your subcription runs out, you have nothing to show for it besides your memories (you can't download or print).
Internet only (and it's browser based).
Free samples have pop-ups to convince you to subscribe
Sometimes the smart viewer will cut-off speech bubbles, so you have to zoom out. The overall interface has seemed to improved from last year, though.
It takes a while to browse due to the inability to have the entire library listed on one page.
Autorenew your credit card: be careful.
You have to sign up with a verifiable e-mail to read the free comics
Like most fans, I want EVERY Marvel comic that ever existed up there
Ultimately, just check out the free samples and see if you want to donate $10 per month or $60 for a year. There is no bait-and-switch- everything you see on the site is yours to read.
To put prices in perspective, a comic costs around $3 to $5 dollars an issue now. Back issues? Unless you're at a comic book convention and get lucky, you're going to be paying a lot to read back issues.
I have to commend Marvel for going digital. The possibilities are endless. It's possible they will stop printing one day due to high costs, and sell monthly digital comics through some sort of subscription program, but that is not an official statement. Printed comic books still make money because collectors have jobs. Most collectors are 30+ now. The digital comics they currently provide are a great way to get new and younger fans.
I'm going to keep this nice and simple: I was in a very diverse movie theater- men and women of all ages, cultures, and intelligence, and everyone walked out of the theater happy, impressed, and excited.
As evidenced by the positive feedback of comic book geeks who originally saw the preview last year, Robert Downey, Jr. was PERFECT CASTING for the arrogant, cocky, party-guy, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, who reforms and becomes a super-hero.
The special effects was top notch, and looked like LucasArts' ILM A-Team did this.
But special effects can only go so far- the story, drama, and acting was just as good as the excellent special effects. The licensed songs and sound track paid off as well. Gwyneth Paltrow was a great female sidekick.
This is one of the best super-hero movies (I consider super-hero movies a separate genre from action movies or sci-fi, something other critics do not).
If you liked Spider-Man or Transformers, you will enjoy this movie.
If you didn't like Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, or Ghost Rider, you will be very pleased to see a mainstream blockbuster super-hero movie done correctly.
Unlike X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman, Iron Man is not an A-List superhero. In fact, many casual comic or action fans don't know a whole lot about him except that he has cool armor and is a good guy. So if the screenwriters took any liberties about his origin from the 1960's comic book, it was a NON-ISSUE for fans.
So how can a B-List Marvel superhero have a blockbuster movie?
1) Great cast 2) Great script 3) Superior marketing and hype 4) Great character- Tony Stark, who was invented in the 1960's is actually more relevant today. Tony connects with audiences because he is exactly what they wish to be (as we are introduced to him at the beginning): have billions, be a celebrity, answer to no one, be irresponsible, be cocky, and have any chick you want. After he gets captured by terrorists, the audience becomes sympathetic with him, and he never loses his edge. 5) For all audiences 6) Great graphics 7) Great trailer 8) Not a whole lot of competition at the box office 9) Modern feel to the movie, from Afghanistan to cutting edge technology 10) Like Batman (the most famous non-super powered crime fighter), Stark has no super-powers- just loads of money, intelligence, ingenuity, and determination, so audiences can pretend they are Tony. 11) Keeping to original source material (old Iron Man comics) was not an issue or concern, since let's face it, not a lot of people know or care about old Iron Man comics.
Using this list, compare Iron Man to Marvel movies that were disappointments.
For actual fans of comic books and Iron Man, this movie is a dream come true. Fans of Iron Man always like the engineering technology (like those who memorize starship Enterprise specs). Iron Man is a hero for millions of geeks worldwide.
If there are flaws (since this is the DailySkew, all flaws must be revealed) it's that the super-hero genre is NOT for anyone. Part of the super-hero genre is to have explosions, a betrayal, generic stereotypical disposable enemies, and Also, the techno-babble may make some people who were not exposed to Star Trek to feel dumb.
Otherwise, this a must-see movie for comic book fans. For non-fans, it still is the must-see action movie of the year, simply because Robert Downey, Jr. steals the show.
By the way, there is a great easter egg after the credits. Quite possibly the best easter egg of any movie.
Countdown to Final Crisis, Part 2: Post-Crisis DC Universe By Damian Hospital Previous articles here: Pre-Crisis Crisis
Although Marv Wolfman did an outstanding job writing the 1985 limited series, that wiped out the multiverse, and rebooted the new universe, the DC editors were unable to organize a company-wide reboot, and did not have the foresight to plan out the new universe.
So when the new universe was shown in CRISIS #11, it bore a slim resemblance to the earth revealed in John Byrne's 1986 MAN OF STEEL Superman reboot, Batman YEAR ONE, the Shazam family, or any other reboot that came later. (Hawkman's reboot came 4 years later! So which Hawkman has appeared on the New Earth until then?)
Although the New Earth was a combination of the last remaining 5, the heroes in #11 and #12 who were at the Dawn of Time in #10 remembered all of their histories even though a New Earth was created. This earth was recreated, and rebooted-but it wasn't a clean reboot. The Superman of New Earth was the Earth-1 Superman, yet when John Byrne rebooted the character, his entire origin was changed, including his superpowers and history. He was no longer the Earth-1 Superman.
The Earth depicted in issues #11 and #12 is called "Earth-Sigma" [even "Earth-Null"] by some comic book fans, since it is a transitional earth. The MAN OF STEEL remains the first appearance of DC's New Earth.
The company line was that Superman never had a career as Superboy, and never had a cousin- that he was the sole survivor of Krypton in this New Universe. Unfortunately, John Byrne himself wrote stories where the Legion of the Superheroes remembered both Superboy and had a statue of Supergirl.
Famous writer and comic book historian Roy Thomas was usually assigned to clean up time paradoxes, so he had a female robot erase some memories by tampering with the time-line. Per Degaton also erased characters. Eventually, all photos and records were erased as well, so there was no memory of an Earth-2 Superman, Robin, Huntress, Aquaman, etc.
Secret Origins and some issues of Who's Who had stories that acknowledged characters from Earth-2.
Perhaps the most glaring contradiction to the New DC Universe was that Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns clearly occurred on different earths than the mainstream DCU. So much for ONE earth.
However, after a year or so the DC editors and writers created a company policy that could be seen in practice throughout their books and letter pages:
1) The pre-Crisis universe and all of their stories NEVER existed. 2) Repeat: Earth-2 and The Original 1938 Superman NEVER EXISTED and it is forbidden to mention those stories. 3) John Byrne's 1986 Superman is the definite version, and Superman NEVER had any Golden or Silver Age adventures. He made his debut "now". 4) There is the universe with our earth (no number, no letter), and there are alternate dimensions or future time lines, like Dark Knight Returns, Legion of the Superheroes, and DC's 1993 Vertigo Mature Reader imprint. 5) For many years, Batman was not supposed to have been seen during the day, and is considered by many to be an urban legend, and he definitely didn't get along with Superman. 6) Although any mention of the Crisis that did occur was generally frowned upon, when it was mentioned, the Crisis was shown to affect one universe, not a multiverse. The word "Crisis" and anything that happened pre-1986 was taboo.
Although these were not official proclamations, this was the state of DC Comics from 1986 to about 1994 (with some exceptions* in relatively minor books). The reason- to make things less confusing for a child or average reader. DC hit a boom period in 1986, and after slowing down and losing relevance, hit another high cycle in 1993, when Superman fought Doomsday.
In fact, the focus on DC from 1986 to 1992 was establishing the "new" origins of old characters, and having team-ups for the "first time". Justice League International was JLA's reboot, featuring B and C...and D-list characters, and was a successful humor magazine.
DC's gimmick was new costumes and passing the mantle (Green Lantern, Flash, Robin, etc.) If I am painting a negative picture, I don't mean to, because thanks to the British invasion of writers in the late 1980's, DC was (generally) outputting a more mature, varied, and quality comic book than Marvel (which, in my opinion, was focused on the X-Men too much). Batman was more of a force, and creators flocked to write or draw him. There is no doubt that if the DCU was not rebooted, the quality of stories would still have an outdated Bronze Age feel to them, and DC probably would have sold out to Marvel. The Crisis has been justified over and over again from a commercial and creative perspective. The problem- which everyone involved admits to today- was that the reboots should have occurred at the same time, and Marv Wolfman should have been told how everything would be handled so there wouldn't be the Earth-Sigma problem in CRISIS #11 and #12. So..poor post-Crisis execution created more continuity errors. Finally, long time fans were a little put-off that everything they have ever read no longer exists.
Meanwhile, Marvel Comics was leading the market in sales during the period- without any Crisis of their own, although they did have the highly successful and critically acclaimed Infinity Gauntlet limited series, which featured Thanos having the power of God.
*Grant Morrison's Animal Man run (1988-1990) is actually a lost treasure that broke every rule in DC's company line. For all intents and purposes, this WAS Crisis 2 and Final Crisis. It SHOULD have been the last Crisis story. In it, everything is revealed- the existence of the multiverse was finally revealed in-story in a post Crisis comic, and it showed that the "erased" characters who were killed in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS lived in a place called Limbo, where these forgotten characters lives until the Creator brings them back with a new history. The Creator was revealed to be the comic book writer himself. Animal Man broke the Fourth Wall in comic books, thanks to Grant Morrison. Since Grant was an exceptional writer working on an obscure book, the editors let his story stand. But when Grant left the book, the next writer and editor undid everything by (pretty much) writing it off as a dream. My next installment will cover the DCU circa (1994-2004)- Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time, Kingdom Come, Elseworlds, The Kingdom, Hypertime, and more.
"Maybe he took the role too seriously, you know? Maybe he took the Joker thing to heart. Maybe he got into the role too much ... maybe the Joker in him had to KILL Heath Ledger. Just a thought."
What about when Heath said he was"stressed out a little too much" and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."
There is no denying that anyone who underestimates the Joker's legacy or character is bound to pay. Just ask Alexander Luthor at the end of INFINITE CRISIS:
Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in New York City. There were pills in his room, and he was naked. His friend said that he was depressed. Police say it was either an accidental overdose or suicide.
He finished filming his portrayal as the Joker in the Batman sequel. I just want to share with you how tasteless and absolutely pathetic some Batman message board fans can be:
"It's gonna be weird, you know, watching him. No matter what happens in the movie, even if the character survives, I know THE ACTOR'S not going to be in the next movie. That sucks."
"I mean, his greatest moment on the screen, and he's not even going to see it. I don't get it."
"It's gonna feel like a Wake, you know? After the funeral, the body's been viewed, now we're at the Wake, where we remember the guy at his best -- playing the Joker."
"I mean, none of us have seen the movie, but you could just TELL he was going to be greatest Joker ever!"
"Maybe he took the role too seriously, you know? Maybe he took the Joker thing to heart. Maybe he got into the role too much ... maybe the Joker in him had to KILL Heath Ledger. Just a thought."
In preparation for Final Crisis, and in the spirit of 2008, I've been reading previous CRISIS-related subject matter before going to sleep lately.
Some DC Silver Age observations:
1) The artwork was pretty much the same for years and years- simplistic with not much detail- very traditional. It's easy to see why Jack Kirby and Marvel was innovative in th
