Friday, October 14, 2011

Batman and The Astonishing X-Men



I was a huge fan of the X-Men during the 80's - Chris Claremont really knew how to weave a superhero soap opera and the art by Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, Paul Smith and others was always a treat.  I do feel that the X-Men became a victim of their own popularity though, as more and more spinoff titles were added.  Eventually, there were so many characters, crossovers and and plot lines to keep track of that I finally gave up on following them altogether.  Every once in a while a new creative team I liked would come on board and I would check out one of the flagship titles again - but they were never able to capture the same magic.  That changed when Joss Whedon and John Cassiday gave us Astonishing X-Men.  With a streamlined cast and firm grip on the characters, it was the best X-Men title I had read in years.  I only wish they had stayed on the series longer.  Whedon's comic work here gives me confidence in the upcoming Avengers movie which he wrote and is directing.  The trailer released this week definitely has some Whedon-esque lines!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Batman and The Angel (Retro)





The Angel as originally conceived is a character that would never be created today.  Back when he was introduced, the power of flight and the visual of a man with wings was impressive enough to hook in readers - I know that I really liked him.  Somewhere along the line, it was felt that the character needed to get beefed up and given more of an edge.  When he was transformed into Archangel, he was turned blue, given metallic wings that could project blades, and saddled with a new grim and gritty attitude.  If this had just been for a story line that would have been fine, but he has never quite reverted back to his original status.  I think the changes made him seem more like a villain than a hero.    I haven't checked in on the X-books in a while so I am not sure what his status is now - I think he is still blue but are his wings metal or back to the classic feathered look?  I'm an old school guy so I almost always prefer the original design.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Batman and Thanos



There are a lot of universe-spanning villains in comics, but Thanos stands out because of his unique motivation.  Sure, he wants to destroy half of all sentient life, but it is for more than just the sake of domination... he wants to impress the woman whom he has a major crush on - namely, the living embodiment of death!  How do you reason with a guy who has that kind of sensibility?  I like how Thanos has gone from a Captain Marvel villain to a nemesis for the entire catalog of marvel characters.  I have read rumors that he will be making an appearance in next summer's Avengers film, and while I take those with a huge grain of salt, the idea does intrigue me - it would be interesting to see if he could be effectively translated into live action.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Batman and Super Grover



Out of all the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, Grover was far and away my favorite.  He was always funny and I used to love The Monster at the End of this Book.  The fact that Grover would often appear as Super Grover of course put him over the top for me.  When Kermit spun off into The Muppet Show, I think Grover could have easily gone along with him, he would have fit right in with that crowd.  I am glad to see The Muppets getting another shot at the big screen soon, the trailers for the upcoming film look like a lot of fun and it really feels as though the filmmakers are just as big Muppet fans as I am.  In this day of Pixar and CGI created children's characters, it's nice to see some old-school favorites getting some love.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Batman and Sunfire



I remember being interested by Sunfire when  I first saw him as a member of the all-new team in Giant-Size X-Men #1.  I had seen other fire controlling characters before but I liked his unique background and really dug his look based on Japanese dragon designs.  It was too bad that he departed so quickly, perhaps that was because he, like Wolverine, was somewhat of a loose cannon and the powers that be only wanted one bad boy on the team at a time.  I must not have been his only fan, though, because he still makes appearances in the various X-titles from time to time.  I've seen attempts as costume redesigns for him, but I am glad he usually reverts back to his original look - gotta love that mask!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Batman and Starfox



Starfox is a character that stands out amongst other outer space based heroes.  While most have noble or tragic motivations, Eros mainly seemed to get into adventures as part of a quest for excitement.  This lust for life is put into stark contrast when compared to his brother, the evil Thanos, who is obsessed with death.  That relationship gives some depth to Starfox, who one the surface may seem just to be a shallow skirt-chaser.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Batman and The Great Lakes Avengers



I thought that Squirrel Girl and the Great Lakes Avengers  were a good fit together.  I really enjoyed the various GLA mini-series and annuals written by Dan Slott.  They are a great take on the fun side of superheroics and something I would like to see more of in the Marvel Universe.  Hopefully they will resist the urge to make these characters more grounded and they will keep their humorous edge in future appearances.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Batman and Squirrel Girl



One of the things that has given me pause regarding the current DCU reboot is that so far, most of the fun characters are nowhere to be seen.  Metamorpho, the Metal Men, Elongated Man, The Shazam Family, Blue Devil and more seem to have been cast aside in favor of more grim and gritty titles.  I hope that changes soon as the diversity in character types makes for a more well rounded universe, in my opinion.  Marvel doesn't have as many fun characters, but I have to say I am charmed by Squirrel Girl.  Here's a character that is fun to read and really stands out among all of the more serious heroes as well as the other heroines parading around in glorified bathing suits.  I hope that Marvel find more outlets for Squirrel Girl, her adventures always bring a smile to my face.  Part 2 of this story is coming tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Batman and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends



Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was appointment television for me when I was growing up.  I was a fan of the solo Spider-Man cartoon and remember thinking it was awesome that the new show featured Iceman as well.  I probably would have preferred the Human Torch over Firestar but his rights were tied up at the time.  I loved the way the series did not shy away from guest stars and by the end of its run, a good portion of the Marvel Universe had made appearances.  That was a precursor to shows like Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold which have done a great job with universe-building.  Another thing I remember is that each episode had its own title card at the beginning, something that Batman: The Animated Series would also use to great effect.  It is beyond me why these Spidey series have not come to DVD/Blu-Ray yet... I know that I would snap up season sets in an instant if they were solicited!  I used to have some grainy VHS copies, but it would be nice to see some crisp versions of these episodes (especially my favorite "Seven Little Superheroes") after so many years.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Batman and Spider-Man 2099


I remember when Marvel introduced it's line of 2099 titles and checking them out.  Spider-Man 2099 was my favorite of the bunch (although I did like Doom 2099 as well) and indeed is the one character from that initiative that has seemed to have any staying power.  He seems to pop up in a Spider-man related title or even a video game every now and then.  I definitely dig his look and the fact that he was a new character and not just a descendant of Peter Parker.  Have Miguel O'Hara and Peter Parker ever shared an adventure together?  That's a tale I would like to read.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Batman and Spider-Man (Retro)



I am curious about the Amazing Spider-Man movie, as it will be interesting to see how a new cast and director will handle the character differently from the Raimi/Maguire films.  It is a puzzling decision though that they are going back all the way to the origin again, as that ground was covered pretty thoroughly in the first movie.  The costume I am mixed on - while I am not crazy about the added pinstripes and metallic slippers, I like the new eye shape (closer to John Romita Sr., my favorite Spidey artist) and the use of actual web shooters.  I'm also very happy about the use of The Lizard as the villain, as we were teased with that possibility throughout the original trilogy with Curt Connors making small appearances.  Unfortunately set reports I've read sound like the design will be more Hulk-like rather than the lithe, lab-coat wearing visage from the comics.  I've never seen anything with Andrew Garfield, so I can't judge him just yet.  Time will tell whether this revitalizes the Spider-Man film franchise, but right now I am in the cautiously optimistic camp.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Batman and Sin City



Now here's a crossover I would like to see.  It's interesting to watch how Frank Miller's artistic style has changed over the years, from his earliest run on Daredevil, to The Dark Knight Returns and then to Sin City.  He has evolved from a more standard comic artist to a highly stylized master of light and shadow.  You could definitely see Miller's influence in the cinematic Sin City, probably the most faithful comic book movie to date.  I love how they kept it black and white, with splashes of color for impact, just like the comics.  The make up job on Mickey Rourke was amazing, it looked like Marv stepped right off of the comic page.  I hear that the long awaited sequel is finally beginning to move.  I hope it comes together because I would love to see some more of Miller's Sin City stories adapted to the big screen.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Batman and She-Hulk



I mentioned in a recent post how I was not in favor of the over-proliferation of Hulk-like characters, as it diluted the concept.  She-Hulk, however I can give a pass to.  Turning strong and green due to Gamma radiation is where her similarities with he cousin end.  Jennifer Walters not only retains her intelligence upon Hulking out, she prefers life as a She-Hulk, which makes for a very different character from the tortured and cure seeking Bruce Banner.  I first really took notice of She Hulk as a team member of The Avengers and The Fantastic Four.  I enjoyed John Byrne's brief run on her second series that used the conceit that Jennifer Walters knew full well that she was a comic character, and was disappointed that that aspect of the character has bot stayed with her.  I also very much enjoyed the recent Dan Slott She-Hulk series, he was able to strike the nice mix of action and humor that suits her.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Batman and Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos (Retro)



It was cool to see the Howling Commandos in action in the recent Captain America film.  It would have been nice to get Nick Fury in there, but since the Marvel movie-verse is using the Samuel L. Jackson Ultimates version, that wouldn't have worked with their timeline.  As much as I liked their inclusion, I wish that Dum Dum Dugan and the rest of the Howling Commandos had at least been referred to by name.  Hopefully a sequel will have some WWII scenes and they can get a but more due next time around.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Batman and Scott Pilgrim



This one was a request from my niece, who is a big fan of the Scott Pilgrim comic series.  Bryan Lee O'Malley must have done something right, because those comics and TPB's seem to have tapped into a demographic that mainstream comics have been unable to get the attention of.  I had heard mixed reviews of the movie, and I had never read the series, so I watched it with an open mind.  While visually very interesting and inventive, I felt that most of the humor fell flat and I didn't find Scott or Ramona to be all that likable.  Fans of the comics will probably like it though, I know my niece has given it multiple viewings!  BTW, the Batman image here is by the talented Ralph Cosentino.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Batman and Scott McCloud



I think for anybody that has a passing interest in comics, the creative process, or even art in general, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is essential reading.  McCloud made the ingenious decision to explore the theory and workings of comics in actual comic book form.  Not only did that help clarify a lot of concepts, the very act of reading the book itself served to reinforce the ideas presented within.  I would also recommend his follow up, Reinventing Comics, which looked at where comics are now and where the form could go.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Batman and Rogue



Rogue is a great idea for a mutant.  Her ability to absorb other characters' powers means she can go up against all types of opponents and the range of action that can be depicted is limitless.  I think the permanent strength and flight that she acquired make her a bit too powerful though, and I feel she is more compelling with only the temporary absorption abilities.  I'd like to see a more faithful version of Rogue in a future X-Men film. While I enjoyed Anna Paquin's performance in the earlier  X-films, it never felt like the comic book version to me.   Her character was sort of a hybrid between Rogue and Kitty Pryde - not only did we lose a lot of interesting back story Rogue had in the comics, she also seemed redundant when the actual Kitty was introduced.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Batman and Rocket Raccoon



The main thing I remember about Rocket Racoon's earlier appearances was that his self-titled mini-series was one of my first exposures to the art of Mike Mignola.  I was surprised to see him show up again after many years as a part of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning's Annihilation saga, but glad because anthropomorphic characters are always fun in comics.  I have been enjoying his relationship with Groot (another character plucked from obscurity - A treelike creature from the earliest issues of Thor) in the back up feature of the Annihilators mini series and hope we can continue to follow his adventures.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Batman and Red Hulk



I've been on record as being against the dilution of characters by introducing too many offshoots.  Batman and The Hulk are two of the biggest offenders these days.  Batman is now incorporated and the Hulk now has Red Hulk, Skarr, She-Hulk. Savage She-Hulk, Red She-Hulk, Doc Samson, A-Bomb and more following in his wake.  It strikes me as a lack of inventiveness and risk taking by creators much in the same way that most big budget movies seem to be remakes, sequels or TV show adaptations.  That said, I have to admit I have enjoyed some of the stories that Red Hulk (or "Rulk") has appeared in and he admittedly has a very cool visual.  I enjoy the powerful art of Ed McGuiness as well, so I thought I would give this cover a shot.  So, OK - he's not such a bad character after all.  Still, I'd like to see some more entirely new comic concepts show up in the future.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Batman and Power Man



Luke Cage has come a long way since his first appearance in the 70's.  While I miss his yellow shirt and headband look, I am glad that at least his attitude has remained intact.  Cage was one of the first no-nonsense heroes that you could count on to tell it to you straight and you knew would never take any guff from anybody. Nowadays you'll see a lot of characters with the bad boy from the streets attitude, but when Power Man first hit the scene it was quite a new take on superheroes.  You had to admire a guy who would march into Latveria and say to Doctor Doom, "Where's my money, honey?!"  That takes nerve.

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