Comics: DC Comics' The New 52: One Year Later

Perhaps the single biggest thing to happen to the world of comics since 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC Comics completely rebooted its entire line, nearly one year ago. August 31, 2011, saw the launch of Justice League #1 as the first of the line of 52 new titles. The New 52 not only restarted the shared DC Universe, updated the design and history of many beloved characters such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, absorbed the characters from the Wildstorm imprint into the main universe, but also changed the way comics are sold. Previously, comics were sold in print format on news stands and comic shops, then later in digital format for viewing on a computer, tablet or smartphone. DC Comics now publishes all titles for same-day release in both physical and digital formats. Not only that, but DC wanted the new numbering format to attract new readers, who may have been too timid to jump into a pre-existing title.

A Little History Lesson...

If you're not terribly familiar with the world of DC Comics (shame on you!), then here's a bit of history of the DC Universe leading up to the New 52. Even the uninitiated know that Superman first showed up in Action Comics #1 back in 1938 and Batman has been around since his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 nearly a year later. Many characters came and went over the years, and many more (52, actually) parallel universes (known as the Multiverse) had come about. So, in 1985, DC Comics ran a universe-wide crossover in the 12 issue maxi-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths, in order to realign and make sense of all the characters and bloated story lines. The status quo that emerged "Post-Crisis" remained mainly the same for many years until the Infinite Crisis (2005) event, followed a few years later to Final Crisis (2008) which saw the "death" of Batman, each sparking universe-wide changes. The following year, 2009, gave us the Blackest Night crossover which brought the character Green Lantern to the forefront of the universe, and also brought many previously "dead" characters back from the grave. Next up was the biweekly series Brightest Day which is another Lantern-centric universe-wide crossover following the newly resurrected characters; a great series, but sort of falls apart at the end. But if you're looking for a specific story line to lead you into the New 52, the you'd be looking for 2011's Flashpoint and War of the Green Lanterns, both of which have a direct impact to the newly rebooted universe. Ultimately, none of these are required reads to get yourself into the New 52, but as a comics fan, I would highly recommend any and all of these.

The Dawn of a New Age, Growing Pains

DC Comics hyped up the New 52 for months leading up to last August, and there was much debate as to whether or not which titles were actually going to be affected by this company-wide relaunch. Most specifically, there was much debate as to whether Action Comics and Detective Comics were going to be affected, both titles had retained their original numbering since the 1930s. It's been an industry wide feeling that you do not touch those titles. They're the ones that essentially started the comic book industry as we've known it for the last nearly 80 years. Well, even those were relaunched with a brand new #1 issue. And at first, there was some confusion in the overall shared universe: some titles picked up directly where they left off pre-relaunch (Green Lantern), others (Justice League, Superman, Flash) that take place much earlier, and others ignore much of the canon from the last 20 years.

Many critics complained about how some characters - more specifically female characters - were either dropped, downgraded or oversexualized. It took the editorial teams some time to realign the timeline to be more cohesive, and to reintroduce other characters that were overlooked with the first wave of titles.

One Year Later

It was always understood by the heads of DC that not every title was going to make it through the first year, so some titles were cancelled withing a few issues to make room for others. As it stands now, there have been two waves of new titles, with a third coming in September. Six have already been canceled, and four more will be dropped to make room for the new titles coming with wave three. The plan has always been to maintain a title count of 52.

Now, I can't personally comment on every title that's come and gone over the last year, as I never really planned to read them all. I didn't read every title prior to the reboot, and I probably won't be picking up all of the newest wave. Not every character or team clicks with me, as it won't for most. I also didn't buy every #1 issue from the initial launch. I'm sure most comic fans who remember the early '90s know that a #1 issue doesn't have the same value as it used to in days gone by.

But, from the titles that I have read, and continue to read, I've been pleased by the stories the relaunch provided. I also feel that the relaunch was widely unnecessary, but I come from the school of thought that I don't need an issue #1 to jump into an existing title. It's been said that every comic book is someone's first comic book. There have been some really great stories since the relaunch, but was it really needed? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

Entertainment: The Dark Knight Trilogy

NOTE: This review WILL contain spoilers. If you haven't seen any of these flicks, you should really climb out from that rock you live under and watch them. Now. If you've seen the first two, but haven't seen the third, stop reading this and head down to the theatre and treat yourself to something nice. Then come back and check this article out.

July 20th, 2012 saw the thrilling conclusion to the best comic book movie franchise ever. You may note that I didn't say "arguably the best", because there is no argument here. You might even go so far as to say that this may even be the best trilogy of any kind, but let's not forget the awesomeness that is LOTR.

What made this series so accessible to so many can be directly attributed to the fact that it's deeply rooted in reality, despite the fact that it's a superhero franchise. Director Christopher Nolan took the series as far away from the debacle that the previous Bat-franchise became that started strong with Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) and just fell to pieces with Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995) and the just horrible Batman and Robin (1997), the later of which can be summed up with the words, "Bat-nipples". I mean, is it any wonder that Batman creator Bob Kane died shortly after Batman and Robin? A little piece of all of us died with that steaming pile of suck.

Batman Begins (2005)


Back in 2003, after a series of unsuccessful attempts to bring Batman back to the big screen, Warner Bros. tapped director/writer Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer to begin work on rebooting and retooling the Bat-franchise. 


Drawing heavily from the comic stories of Batman: Year One, The Man Who Falls, and The Long Halloween, Begins tells the origin story of Batman in a way that went far deeper than previous incarnations had. Sure, there's the requisite scene when Bruce Wayne's parents are shot and murdered in Crime Alley (spoiler alert: his parents are dead), but we also see the long road and struggle Bruce faces before finally donning the cape and cowl. 


To further the "gritty realism", Batman Begins gives us a brand new, nipple-free Batsuit, which is designed with a more utility mindset than previous costumes, as well as a new Batmobile called the Tumbler, which is more tank than car. I will admit that when I first saw the Tumbler in early trailers for Begins, I was initially sceptical, but was immediately sold on it when I finally watched the flick in theatres. If you check out the special features of the DVD, the film makers take great pride in the real world tech involved in how this Batman fights crime, making absolutely everything about this series completely believable.


Batman Begins gives us a wonderful ensemble cast featuring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Laim Neeson as Henri Ducard/Ra's al Ghul, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes and the impeccable Michael Caine as Alfred.

ITHoG Rating: 4.5/5

The Dark Knight (2008)


In the second part in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets of Gotham City. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Many actors had expressed interest in playing the Joker, but it was Heath Ledger's chaotic interpretation of the character that Nolan took to - a role that was one of Ledger's last and one that won him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he had realized a way to make the character work that was consistent with the film's tone: he described his Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy." Throughout The Dark Knight, the Joker states his desire to upset social order through crime, and comes to define himself by his conflict with Batman.

The once shining "White Knight" of Gotham, DA Harvey Dent is horribly scarred in trap set by the Joker, becoming Two-Face, upping the ante for Batman as he battles to save the people of Gotham. TDK ends with Dent falling to his death, and Batman telling Gordon that he'd take the blame for Harvey's crimes and ultimate death, because Dent's image as the White Knight needed to remain untarnished to maintain all the work they did to clean up Gotham, leading to Gordon's closing lines as Batman disappears into the night: "He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight."

With the principal cast of Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine returning, alongside series newcomers Aaron Ekhardt as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes was likely unavailable/unwanted because Tom Cruise) and of course, Heath Ledger as the Joker, TDK became the highest grossing film for 2008, and twelfth highest of all time with a box office gross of over one billion in ticket sales.

ITHog Rating: 5/5

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)


Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has long since gone into hiding, and Bruce Wayne has retired to a life of reclusiveness, withdrawing from the public eye of Gotham. He's become haggard, and walks with a cane after years of punishment as Batman. Gotham City is in a state of peace, brought on by the Dent Act which allows police greater powers to clean up organized crime. At a ceremony celebrating Harvey Dent, Gordon is about to reveal the truth about Dent and Batman, but decides against doing so, believing that the people of Gotham aren't ready to hear the truth.

Rises introduces some new characters to the Nolanverse: Selina Kyle, a highly skilled cat burglar, and the relentlessly unstoppable Bane, whose intellect is as vast as his physical strength, setting forth a chain of events that brings Batman out of retirement. Also introduced is Maranda Tate, the potential love interest for Bruce, and John Blake, a straight laced cop who manages to figure out Batman's identity. After the arrival of Bane, both Gordon and Blake encourage Batman's return, but Alfred objects, feeling that Batman's time has long since passed and that Bruce will be risking his life in returning to the cape and cowl.

DKR ties more closely with Batman Begins, than it does with The Dark Knight, with many references to Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows. In fact, when Batman confronts Bane, Bane claims to be the new leader of the League of Shadows and that he will finish the work that Ra's started. In this confrontation, Bane overpowers Batman, breaks his back (was there really any doubt that he wouldn't?) and throws him into a prison known only as The Pit to suffer as he watches Gotham crumble to ashes. The inmates tell Bruce of the only person to have successfully escaped from The Pit: a child born into the prison who escaped out of sheer force of will. Bruce assumes this child is Bane.

Bane lures most of Gotham's police force underground and sets off explosions across the city, trapping the officers underground and turning Gotham City into an isolated city-state: any attempt to leave the city will result in the detonation of the Wayne Enterprises fusion core, which has been converted into a bomb. Bane publicly reveals the cover-up of Dent's death and releases the prisoners in Blackgate Prison. The rich and powerful are forcibly brought before a show trial presided over by Jonathan Crane. After an attempt by Special Forces soldiers to infiltrate the city fails, the government blockades Gotham and the city regresses into a state of lawlessness.

While chaos and terror run rampant over Gotham, Bruce recovers from his injuries and retrains himself to be Batman. He successfully escapes the prison and returns to Gotham, enlisting Kyle, Blake, Tate, Gordon and Lucius Fox to help liberate the city and stop the fusion bomb before it explodes. Batman subdues Bane, but Tate intervenes, revealing herself as Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. It was she who escaped the prison as a child, before returning with her father and the League of Shadows to rescue Bane, the one person who aided her in prison. She plans to complete her father's work by destroying Gotham and avenging his death at Wayne's hands.

The Dark Knight Rises draws the trilogy to a thrilling close, with a story that is masterfully told, drawing heavily from the comics story arcs of Knightfall and No Man's Land, and includes so many twists and turns that it will leave you reeling for many hours after. The first hour of the 2:45 run time feels very claustrophobic and suffocating, as Bruce struggles to become Batman once more, only to find himself crushed and broken. The tension rises as we're drawn to an exciting climax in a truer battle of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. It's hard to tell who is which as Bane and Batman fight to the last.

Once again, Bale, Oldman, Freeman and Caine round out the recurring cast, joined by Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Tom Hardy masterfully portraying Bane. In my opinion, DKR closes the Dark Knight Trilogy in the only logical way possible, and ties up any loose ends with a clever and exciting script. To compare it to TDK in terms of which is better is like comparing apples to orangutans. Both are awesome.


ITHoG Rating; 5/5

Comics: DC to Relaunch Their ENTIRE Line!

(JUSTICE LEAGUE #1;
Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams;
Colors by Alex Sinclair;
Copyright: DC Comics)

Coming to a Newstand/Smartphone near you, this September... DC Comics has announced plans to relaunch their ENTIRE line, spanning across the entire DC Universe, giving us 52 issue #1s and will feature "younger" and cosmetically redesigned versions of the heroes of the DC Universe.

Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Jim Lee, Justice League will be the first of the more than 50 titles to debut in September, each of which will go on sale with same day digital releases via DC's various mobile applications and Web store. The initiative is designed explicitly to make the DC Universe more palatable for new readers and, in the words of DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio, "today's audience."

Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are among the DC Comics characters who will be "injected with new life," according to Dan DiDio, who spoke with USA Today.

In September, more than 50 more first issues will debut, introducing readers to stories that are grounded in each character's specific legend but also reflect today's real-world themes and events. [Jim] Lee spearheaded the redesign of more than 50 costumes to make characters more identifiable and accessible to comic fans new and old.

"We looked at what was going on in the marketplace and felt we really want to inject new life in our characters and line," says Dan DiDio, who co-publishes DC with Lee. "This was a chance to start, not at the beginning, but at a point where our characters are younger and the stories are being told for today's audience."

DiDio's remarks would seem to indicate that existing DC readers are going to see major changes in the status quo and continuities of their favorite characters and titles. while not entirely throwing out the existing histories of these iconic characters.

There's no conceivable reason to mess with high-selling moneymakers like Batman Incorporated, Green Lantern, Batman: The Dark Knight and, well, other Batman titles, and to do so would be a huge mistake, especially since Grant Morrison's major Leviathan uber-arc is, alongside Geoff Johns's Green Lantern, the only major DC title with ongoing stories continuing past August. The Superman and Wonder Woman franchises, on the other hand, are in desperate need of a shake-up. J. Michael Straczynski absolutely murdered any narrative momentum those books may have had before.

Unfortunately, while DC is unquestionably making a bold risk, it could blow up in their face just as easily as it could drag comics publishing kicking, screaming and tantruming into the twenty-first century. DC isn't launching a manageable line of high-class titles that they can slowly expand; they are flooding the market with fifty-two new series. Fifty-two. I'm not sure there are fifty-two exemplary creative teams in all of comics. Inevitably, a large number of these books are going to be a complete bust, and the new casual digital fan they're courting with this initiative won't have any idea which those will be. This has the potential to cause a big problem in the comics world, akin the the crash in the early 90s, when similar relaunches occurred.

Make no mistake, this entire endeavor is focused on the digital market. DC isn't dumb. They know print is dying. They know they have no chance at beating Marvel in the print market, as years and years of examples have proven. Rejuvenating the characters (literally) and providing a fresh start all across the line isn't about a quick sales bump in the direct market. In fact, it isn't about the direct market at all. It's all so that people logging into comiXology can check out these digital DC comics they've heard about don't see an issue number in the 900s after Action Comics and throw up their hands. This being said, there has been no statement about whether Action Comics, or Detective Comics - two of the longest running titles in comics ever - will get a new set of issue numbers, or if they will remain untouched.

A thing of the past?

And what about those struggling retailers that, as Brian Michael Bendis so bluntly put it, are getting "fucked in the ass" by this decision? If your shop is a small-town glorified UPS depot that makes its living off of pull lists, you're probably not going to make it. If you've built a loyal clientele, are savvy enough to get to know your customers' tastes and hand-sell them titles, and maintain a consistent backlist of high-selling, high-quality trade paperbacks and hardcovers, then chances are you have nothing to worry about.

But what if it goes wrong? DC is burning a lot of bridges in the interest of building this new one, and if both the direct market and digital consumers don't come to this in sufficient enough droves, this is going to be an incredibly difficult, if not impossible, car to turn around. They're risking losing the support of both their existing retail partners and their hardcore fanbase in the interest of drawing an entirely new readership. While this is exactly the sort of drastic action digital comics proponents have been praying for for years, make no mistake, if this blows up, DC is completely screwed.

Entertainment: Wonder Woman Cancelled

Last year, it was reported that Warner Bros. Television had plans on developing a Wonder Woman TV series (to fill the void left by Smallville ending its 10 year run), teaming up with writer/producer David E. Kelly to pitch to major TV networks. Virtually all of the major networks turned down the series, but NBC, the final network to initially pass on the project, announced that they had ordered a pilot on January 21, 2011. The plot is described as "a reinvention of the iconic DC Comics title, in which Wonder Woman – aka Diana Prince – is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life."

On Februrary 16, 2011, it was announced that actress Adrienne Palicki (pictured right) was cast as the title character, with Elizabeth Hurley as a potentially recurring villain, Veronica Cole.

Despite fan disappointment over the modernization of the costume, all seemed to be ready to roll out for a Fall 2011 launch.

And then, the bottom fell out. NBC pulled the plug.

NBC chairman, Robert Greenblatt, explained why they dropped the ball on the series: "I hate to disappoint anybody. I know there are legions of fans of the original show. I don’t know if it’s cursed or what. I just have this one experience. They made a really fine pilot and Adrianne Palicki did a fantastic job. You look at what you have, what you need, and it just didn’t seem to fit in with what we were doing. We did what was best for the schedule. It does give one pause. You’re almost damned if you and damned if you don’t. It’s tricky."

He had more to say about the fanboy furor over the costume: "I was surprised there was such an uproar. But that didn’t have anything to do with whether the show got picked up. I love that it got so much attention. All that engagement from people whether it was positive or negative was good. And she did ultimately have these little hot pants…"

Hot pants or no, unless another network picks up the series, Wonder Woman will end up like the pilot for the ill-fated Aquaman series: on the cutting room floor.

Entertainment: Ryan Reynolds - King of the Comic Book Movie

It would very much appear that Ryan Reynolds is the unofficial king of the comic book movie genre. Not so much that he's starred in a super successful film franchise (although, we'll see what comes out of Green Lantern later this summer), but he is very much interspersed throughout the genre, appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine as Wade Wilson, which has led to a green light for a solo Deadpool flick, where Reynolds will reprise his role as Wilson/Deadpool, due out in 2014 - according to latest updates.

He's starring as Hal Jordan in this summer's Green Lantern, and has been in other super-hero related projects over the years, such as Paper Man (if you haven't seen it, DO IT!) and a voice actor for the short-lived, animated series, Zeroman, alongside the late, great Leslie Nielson.

All this aside, Reynolds is also starring in the upcoming R.I.P.D. (Rest In Police Department), based on Dark Horse Comics' limited run series by Peter Lenkov.that ran from October 1999 to January 2000. Ryan plays a deceased cop, killed in the line of duty, while still in the prime of his life. He is then recruited to join the Rest In Police Department, the ghost world police force. He signs up for 100 years duty in exchange for the chance to find his killer.


His co-star in this tale is non other than Jeff Bridges, who will play his ghost police partner, an old pro who's been on the beat since the 1800's.

Comics: Frank Millar's DKR Page Now the Most Valuable Piece of US Comic Art... EVER

$450,000 of Awesome

In the last year or so, we've seen some pretty hefty sums of money dropped on rare Golden Age comics like Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman, and Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman. Both sold for over a million dollars each. Impressive and record-breaking sums to be sure, but not that surprising for two of the most sought after comics in history.

Today, however, Heritage Auctions announced that it just sold original art from the third issue of Frank Miller's modern classic The Dark Knight Returns for $448,125. That's different from the other mega-purchases in two important ways: It was a single page of original art rather than a published comic, and rather than being published in the Golden Age era of the late 1930s, this was from a comic that came out in 1986. The nearly $450,000 sale is well above the $100,000 estimate that Heritage had initially projected, and makes the splash page "the single most valuable piece of American comic art to ever sell," according to the Heritage Auctions press release.

The image is the single most memorable image from the entire comic book series and the greatest image from the decade of the 1980s ever to come to market, as well as now standing as one of, if not the most desirable pieces of original comic art from any era to come to market. It is a perfect stand-alone image of Batman and Robin (Carrie Kelley, the first female, full-time Robin) soaring high above Gotham City, emblematic of the entire storyline.

"I've always loved that drawing," commented Miller, when asked before the auction what his thoughts on its imminent sale were. "Danced around my studio like a fool when I drew it. I hope it finds a good home."

The previous record price for a piece of original American comic book art was set last year when the cover of EC comics Weird Fantasy #29, by legendary artist Frank Frazetta, sold at Heritage via a private treaty sale for $380,000.

"Heritage auctioned Frank Miller's original art work for the cover of Daredevil #188 for $101,575 last year," said Ed Jaster, VP of Heritage Auctions. "So we knew there were serious buyer's out there, especially for Miller's top work. Now we know for sure what collectors are willing to pay. This piece is far away the current king. Nothing else has even come close."


Heritage Auctions Director of Operations Barry Sandoval told reporters from The Dallas Observer that the piece had belonged to an unnamed European collector who had originally purchased it not long after the release of the comic in 1986. No details were released about the lucky man or woman who owns it now, except that they have way more money than you.

Entertainment: Deadpool, Batman, Superman and Other Comic Movie News

It's no surprise that I'm a huge fan of comic-book flicks, so I was happy with the news on a few of the upcoming projects in the works.

20th Century Fox has tapped VFX expert, Tim Miller, to direct the upcoming X-Men Origins: Deadpool which will be his directorial debut. Fox has also closed a producing deal with Ryan Reynolds, who will reprise his role as the Merc with a Mouth from X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Josh Pence has been cast as a young Ra's Al Ghul for scenes rumored to take place 30 years prior to the present story line in Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are all returning to lead the cast, which also includes Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Alberto Falcone, and Marion Cotillard.

The story line has been kept locked up tight, but for those wanting to read between the lines, Pence's casting throws a few crumbs to follow. Ra's Al Ghul was played by Liam Neeson in 2005's Batman Begins, paving the way for a possible return of the supposedly dead character. Also, while the studio has never confirmed Cotillard's character, it has been rumored to be Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Batman's mentor-turned-enemy, and once love interest of Bruce Wayne in the comics.

Although it was previously rumored that Viggo Mortenson would play the role of General Zod in Superman: Man of Steel, that role has actually found its way into the hands of Michael Shannon, who received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for Revolutionary.


"Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role," Snyder said.

Zod, like Superman, is from Krypton, where he commanded its armed forces. The character appeared in both 1978’s Superman and its 1980 sequel Superman II, where he was played by actor Terence Stamp who is also the disembodied voice of Jor-El in Smallville, which ends it's 10-year run this spring.

And while Green Lantern hasn't even hit theatres yet,  the writing team is already at work on a sequel to the highly anticipated epic. Blake Lively, who plays Hal Jordan's love interest, Carol Ferris has this to say: "There are lots of winks toward the audience, you know, if people like this movie then we will do more and, you know, my character Carol Ferris turns into a villain that challenges and fights Hal Jordan... with some CRAZY costumes."

In a recent interview for Green Larntern, Ryan Reynolds raved that this wasn't an Earth-bound super hero flick. When asked on the Justice League movie answered: "That’s a whole other conversation. That’s a whole business model and nothing to do with me at all," he said. "No one has ever approached me about doing a 'Justice League' movie. We’ll see if they do it in the long run."

But it seems he may have been lying, as his publicist has released a new statement that says: "Justice League is a continuation of the Green Lantern franchise, but will not feature Green Lantern on the team until after Green Lantern's sequel."

This maybe a little premature having any talk of a Justice League movie, but DC does have to compete with Marvel's Avengers rumor mill. And after all, Marvel needs all that Avenger hype, because what in the hell was Marvel thinking of when they made Thor?!

Entertainment: In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

Okay, so many may already be aware that I am a HUGE comic book fan. No, not huge like the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons, but I never grew out of them as I became a *gasp* adult. One of my favourite characters, of course is Green Lantern. Granted, I wasn't too interested in the character (or characters, if you want to get technical about it) until around the time of the Final Crisis/Blackest Night series from DC Comics in 2008/2009. I quickly found myself drawn to Hal Jordan, the major GL in the DCU, and he became one of my all-time faves.

So, it stands to reason that I was excited to hear they were finally making a full-length feature staring Ryan Reynolds as Jordan, Blake Lively as love interest Carol Ferris, Mark Strong as Sinestro and Peter Saarsgard as Dr. Hector Hammond.

The first trailer for this flick first appeared in November, 2010, before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt 1 and quickly spread across the internet. Last week, Warner Bros. debuted nine minutes of footage from the upcoming film at WonderCon, in San Fransisco, CA. The footage wowed the audience, and withing a few days, a four minute cut of the WonderCon footage was released online, much to the excitement of many a fanboy (yours truly, included). And yes, Ryan Reynolds does recite the infamous Oath.

Here is the WonderCon clip, so sit back and enjoy!

Green Lantern opens in 3D everywhere on June 17, 2011, which happens to be my birthday. Thanks for the Birthday present, Warner Bros!

Entertainment: The Man Of Steel Flies Again!

So, we all know by now that Zack Snyder is taking the helm of Warner Bros. new Superman film (will likely be titled The Man Of Steel, but it's too early to have that nailed down). But Snyder will not be repeating Bryan Singer's mistakes on Superman Returns. Sure, Returns was a pretty decent flick, but it drew too much from the first batch of Richard Donner/Christopher Reeves movies, instead of looking to the future.

Don’t expect that approach from Zack Snyder, who on Wednesday shared his guiding principle: "Respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies." Scheduled to hit theaters December, 2012 (just in time for the end of the world!), Snyder's vision will star Henry Cavill of Tudors fame, with Viggo Mortenson rumoured to play General Zod, Diane Keaton and Kevin Costner to as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

"Literally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we’re making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there’s been no other Superman movies. If you look at  ‘Batman Begins,’ there’s that structure: there’s the canon that we know about and respect, but on other hand there’s this approach that pre-supposes that there haven’t been any other movies.  In every aspect of design and of story, the whole thing is very much from that perspective of ‘Respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies.’”

With Singer's movie still so fresh in our minds, and Donner's vision the cemented definition of Superman on film, Snyder has his work cut out for him.

"Superman is the one constant in the universe," Snyder said. "You know that if you do Superman right - or at least if you do him with respect - you know you end up with something great. … [but] in some ways [beyond] that is virgin territory. No one knows what that is. In some ways Superman is the most recognizable superhero on the planet but also the most unknown. Just what he can be? People have preconceived ideas about him but probably all of them are wrong.”