Batwing a Pleasant Surprise

Out of all the new titles that have debuted with DC Comics "New 52",  I must say the biggest surprise in terms of titles that I like, but didn't think I would like, has to be Batwing.

I wasn't too interested in Batman Incorporated when it debuted last year.  If anything I thought DC Comics was just giving Grant Morrison free reign to do whatever he liked with Batman knowing that a company wide reboot was right around the corner.

The first glimpse I got of Batwing was when the DC/New 52 reboot was announced.  My first impression?  That it was lame.  Coming from me that may seem out of the ordinary given the attention I give to minority superheroes.  This was the mantle of the bat extending to Africa.  A black Batman!  I should have been hyped.  But I wasn't.  I was not impressed with Batwing's suit and I thought this was just an effort by DC Comics to get a chunk of the Black Panther's fan base.

I'm happy to say I was wrong.  The book has a nice vibe.  Judd Winick is the writer, and he usually hits it out of the park more than he swings and misses.  I figured he'd strike out on three pitches with this one, but he didn't.  The art, which has been so so at best for a lot of the new 52 titles (minus anything done by Jim Lee) is probably my favorite part of the book, solid story aside.  Ben Oliver, the artist on the book, does great work.  I'm really glad that this title has fantastic art to go along with a decent story.  DC is trying to establish this character for the first time.  They've given him one of their best writers, he deserves a good artist too.  I hope this creative team gets to stay together at least the first 12 issues.

Batwing, which recently published its second issue, is in the process of helping establish his presence in Africa with occasional help from Batman.  He's a cop on a corrupt African police force.  And best of all...his name is David.

The book is a lot better than I thought it would be and much to my surprise, is my favorite of all the new 52 titles from DC.  Winick is developing a strong supporting cast, great villains and plenty of mystery.  I never thought I'd say this, but Batwing has the chance to be the top black superhero comic in the market.  Not that there's much competition, but that's not a designation I planned on throwing this titles way when I first got word of it.

So far Batwing has impressed me.  Here's hoping this title can keep up that pace.

Mr. Terrific isn't Terrible

So I'll be completely honest.  I had no intention of picking up a copy of Mr. Terrific when I found out he would be one of the 52 new titles in DC Comics complete reboot.  I've never particularly had an interest in him and also never been a big fan of his overall look (a painted on mask?).  Add that to the fact that I've also rarely ever read Justice Society of America and there wasn't really much reason for me to give this title a try.

However, there is a different feel in the air with both of the two major comic book companies (Marvel and DC) making a conscious effort to address a previous lack of diversity throughout the history of their universes.  Of course Marvel has Miles Morales, the new biracial (Black/Latino) Ultimate Spider-Man and DC Comics has Batwing (the Batman of Africa-which I enjoyed a lot and will be writing about soon) Static Shock (yes he's still around) and Mr. Terrific getting their own books.

I'm fantastic.  I mean terrific.

Efforts such as these deserve at least a consideration.  So at the last second, as I was picking up my stack of comics from Big Planet Comics in Georgetown, I decided to give Mr. T (I'm guessing that nickname probably won't work) a glance.  I've read it twice and while I wasn't blown away, I was entertained, or shall I say...amused.  

Mr. Terrific (aka Michael Holt) is the third smartest man in the world.  The identities of numbers one and two are a mystery (perhaps Lex Luthor is in the top two...if he's even in the new 52 universe).  He's a billionaire.  A former Olympic athlete, and a widow.  His allies include a cute assistant named Aleeka and a 16 year old genius named Jamaal.

The first issue deals with Mr. Terrific trying to solve a mystery involving something that's making people more intelligent and violent with no explanation.  He's also hosting a potential presidential candidate at an event while unaware of the tension between his aforementioned black assistant Aleeka and his current house guest Power Girl.  Yes that Power Girl.  The I have the largest breast in the comic book world Power Girl.

I spent the night at Mr. Terrific's house.  Just don't tell my parents.

We are supposed to believe that there is no relationship between Mr. Terrific and Power Girl despite the fact that she is staying at his place and walking around wearing only a t-shirt.  That's what Power Girl says anyway when she's getting the evil eye from Aleeka.  That's what has me interested in this book.  Not any potential mystery.  I mean if this guy is the third most intelligent man on the planet then clearly he's going to get down to the bottom of any mystery eventually.  It's the drama.  

Eric Wallace, the writer of Mr. Terrific goes there.  Which I was happy to see.  Many times the few black characters we see in comics seem to be immune or unaware of the world they live in.  Everything is always peachy keen.  Which is great for them, but not very realistic.  If Mr. Terrific is supposed to be one of the world's most eligible bachelors, super rich, super smart, a super hero, black and he's possibly getting it on with a "white girl" as Power Girl dubbed herself in issue one, surely there's going to be a woman of color in his life who will have something to say about it.  

I will say that Aleeka goes out of her way to say that she has no problem with the possibility of Mr. Terrific being with a white woman, but is instead concerned with having to compete with a superhero (Power Girl) who herself is also very wealthy.  So the whole black woman angry that the black man is possibly with a white woman is not at the center of this confrontation, but the fact that it was at least acknowledged and hinted at was entertaining for me (or maybe I was just having a flashback).

Oh no she didn't!

That's what I liked the most about the book.  The women in Mr. Terrific's life.  I'm interested to see where that goes and I'll stick around to see what happens.  I can't say the same for MTV Geek, who didn't have many nice things to say about the first issue.  Hey, you can't please everybody.  They bashed this issue for all the reason that I liked it.  Forgive me though, if I assume that there aren't to many "brothas" over at MTV Geek.

Regardless, a book I had absolutely no interest in is now on my pull list. 

Still Digging Spidey's Duds (the biracial one that is)

As I've already devoted a blog post to the subject, you're well aware that I love the new Ultimate Spider-Man's costume.  Having said that here's a look at the cover to issue number 2, which I must say, looks awesome.

Dominican girls.  Puerto Rican girls.  The possibilities are endless.

In case you're wondering when I'll have something to say about the first issue with Miles Morales, which debuted last week, I'm currently working on a write up for the Comic Riffs blog of The Washington Post.  As soon as it's publishsed, I'll provide a link to it.

Truth, Justice and No Trunks

One of my favorite websites Superhero Hype released some on set photos of Henry Cavil as Superman in the Man of Steel movie.  The up close shots confirm what has been suspected by this blog all along.  That Kal-El won't be wearing red trunks.

You can see the pics from SHH here.

The look confirms my suspicion that Warner Bros. and DC Comics (WB owns DC in case you didn't know) wanted to make sure that their newest Superman movie had a look similar to the new Superman duds being worn by the last son of Krypton in the pages of their comic books.

When I spoke with DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio in an interview for The Washington Post, we talked about this particular fashion change.  He told me that the original look for Supes, with the red trunks, was originally designed in the 30's and that considering them when designing a Superman suit for the 21st century, wasn't an option.

Jim Lee's New 52 version of Superman is the best by far.

I myself, think it's a good look.  Especially the comic book version, which seems to be more like Kryptonian battle armor.  From all the different pics I've seen, Jim Lee by far draws the best modern day Superman.

Interview with Dan DiDio of DC Comics

I had the chance to speak with DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio 24 hours before the debut of the New 52.  The interview ran in the Comic Riffs blog of The Washington Post.  If you'd like to check it out, click here.

I'm talking to David who?  Betancourt?  Is that French?  They read comics in France?

The New Spider-Man is WHAT?

You may recall a post I wrote back in July where I was singing the praises of the new Ultimate Spider-Man costume.  Despite the fact that I was very upset that Marvel decided to kill off the Ultimate Peter Parker (one of my all time favorite characters) I couldn't hold back my awe for the newly designed black and red duds of the new Spidey.

At the time Marvel had not yet announced who was behind the mask of this new web-head.  All I knew was that I'd probably check it out just because I thought the costume was so cool.

So imagine my shock when Marvel released the news that the kid behind the mask of the new Ultimate Spider-Man was named Miles Morales....and that he was half black half Latino (I've read online that supposedly the Latino side is Puerto Rican, which as you can imagine makes me THAT much happier, but that has yet to be confirmed).

Is that one of my cousins from Queens?

I'm not going to get too much into this for no other reason that when the news broke, a good friend at The Washington Post, fully aware of my biracial background, sent me a message and basically said I had to write about this topic for a number of reasons.  So I did write about it, pouring all my heart and soul into the story, which ran in The Post shortly after the news broke.

I can honestly say that my write up on Miles in The Post turned out to be my favorite thing I've ever written for them.  So if you really want to know what I think of the new Ultimate Spider-Man, click here.

Justice For All: Justice League # 1 Review

The New 52 is here!  DC Comics massive 52 title, company wide reboot has arrived.  And with it, the first issue of the brand new Justice League, which DC Comics is using to lay down the foundation for their new, younger, fresher, cooler costume having universe.

So what did I think of the first issue?  I'll say this.  I was surprised.  I liked it a lot.

So far the New 52 reboot is off to a good start

Not that I was expecting to not like it.  It's just that this reboot isn't for me.  I'm an established fan.  I've been reading comic books for over 20 years.  I'll always love the genre.  But DC Comics, and the rest of the comic book industry for that matter, aren't concerned with keeping me happy.  They're after new readers.  Teenagers and younger to be exact, who will hopefully pick up these new books, get hooked and be fans for life, just like I did 20 plus years ago.

One more thing about this new 52 reboot.  It's working.  Mainstream media has taken notice.  Sell outs are being reported across the country.  Second printings are being made.  Want to know the power of the new 52?  Look no further than yours truly.  I cancelled my subscription to Big Planet Comics in Georgetown (aka my favorite place on earth) over a year ago because it was just getting too expensive.  I subscribed to over 20 titles and with comics ranging in price from 2.99 to 3.99, I was spending a lot of cash.

I've been keeping up with the comic book world with online news and trade paperbacks.  It means I'm not reading stuff right when it happens, but it was much more practical to just buy comics in collected volumes.  For the last year that's how I've been reading.

Once the new 52 came though I knew I had to set up a list.  This was history.  A company wide reboot?  New number 1's?  I needed the hard copies, and to avoid missing a copy because of a sell out, making a new subscription list was the way to go.  Behold the new 52's power.

Ok.  Back to the book.  First and foremost you have to look at the team behind it.  Geoff Johns (DC Comics Chief Creative Officer) is writing and the legendary Jim Lee (DC Comics Co-Publisher) is pencilling.  Talk about coming out with all guns blazing.

Johns has established himself as one of the best writers in the business and has single handedly revitalized many of DC's titles (Flash and Green Lantern just to name a few).  Lee, what can you say other than he will go down as one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time.

All-Star collaborations don't always work, but this team up is a match made in heaven.

While I don't want to give away what happens in the first issue for those that haven't read it yet, you should know, that despite the cover, the entire JLA does not appear in this first issue.

We're taken to the past, five years ago to be exact and it's a world that is just getting introduced to super heroes.  And so far, the world isn't too impressed.  The League has yet to be formed and the members are meeting each other for the first time.  Issue number one deals with the first meeting between Batman and Green Lantern.  I thought this was a great choice to get this series started since Johns, while having written many titles, is probably best known for his work on Green Lantern, and Lee's artwork on the Batman storyline "Hush" is the stuff of legend.

We've got to stop meeting like this

Green Lantern has come to Gotham to investigate an alien presence that Batman was already in pursuit of.  What happens next is a lot of great interaction between two heroes that are getting to know each other for the first time who are not very impressed with one another.  Green Lantern can't believe that Batman is just a guy dressed up as a bat with no special powers, while Batman see's that a young Hal Jordan is just a little too sure of himself because of his power ring.

One day they'll look back on this and laugh

I won't reveal it, but there's one scene where Batman shows Green Lantern that having a power ring doesn't mean he's the smarter of the two.  This scene alone made the book a hit for me.

Overall, this book was everything it should have been.  While clearly written for new readers, old time fans will get enjoyment out of it as well.  It's definitely worth a read.

First Look at Henry Cavill as Superman

Even though the release date of Man of Steel, the Superman movie reboot has been pushed back to June 14, 2013 (UGH!) we were still able to get our first look at British actor Henry Cavill as Superman.  Here's the pic below.

Obviously, Cavill has been drinking his protein shakes

So what do you think?  Me?  I think it's awesome.  I will say I am somewhat sad for Brandon Routh.  He was a very decent Superman and an excellent Clark Kent, but the Superman curse got a hold of him quick didn't it?  He stars in an a well written and directed Superman Returns, but it doesn't make Batman cash (as in a cool billion like The Dark Knight did) and fanboys screamed there wasn't enough action.  Warner Bros. freaks out and bam.  New Superman.

Routh did a good job as Superman, but it's out with the old and in with the British

Back to Cavill.  If this is a sign of things to come from director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan (yes THAT Christopher Nolan) then I can't wait for more.  Cavill is very convincing as the Man of Steel.  For one he's hit the weights hard and bulked up considerably from his Tudors days.  Which is great.  Routh had the broad shoulders and height but he was far from muscle bound.  Cavill's Superman looks like he could spin the moon on his fingers.  Guess Amy Adams Lois Lane will be getting frequent tickets to the gun show.

The S is a little different, but not too different.  The cape looks fantastic.  One tiny change though.  Notice there are no red trunks?  Take a closer look.  This confirmed my suspicion that when DC Comics announced they were rebooting all 52 of their titles and released images of Superman's new look, that the look was based on how the costume would look in the upcoming movie.

Look Lois.  No trunks

The only glaring difference is Cavill's hair.  It's slicked back.  A style that's normally reserved for Clark Kent so that Superman can have his pretty boy spit curl dangling in the wind when he flies.  Not the case here.  I actually like that.  I always thought it would make more sense to give Superman the slicked back hair and Clark Kent a more normal look.  This is the same way Dean Cain would style his hair when he played Superman in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (one of my all-time favorite shows).

Hair not slicked back.  I'm still Clark

I couldn't possibly be Clark Kent.  Look at my hair

I can't wait to see more from the production of this movie.  We've got a long way to go until Man of Steel, but so far so good.

The Cats Meow

There was big news last week when Warner Bros. and The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan decided to unveil the first official image of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.  Here's the offiicial image below.

All black leather?  Possible domino mask underneath goggles?  What's the problem?

The collective whining of fanboys everywhere reached such a high pitch that many dogs started to suffer from bleeding ears.  People?  Did you really expect Chris Nolan to just give you everything?  This is a guy who is all about keeping as many surprises as possible in his movies (which is even harder to do in the internet age).  What were you expecting the second coming of Michelle Pfeiffer?  The biggest complaints were that there were no "cat ears" and that she didn't have a cowl.

It hasn't been ruled out that there isn't a cat ear cowl, but let's say for a moment that what we see above is it.  That this photo represents what the Catwoman costume will entail.  What exactly is the problem?  Hathaway is covered from neck to toe in skin tight black leather.  If you ask me, just looking at this pick alone, the costume is very similar to the most up to date look for Catwoman in the comic books.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at a few of these pics below from the recent Catwoman series.

As you can see from these pics the most recent version of Catwoman in the comic books has a costume that is.....ALL BLACK LEATHER FROM HEAD TO TOE!  So what's the problem?  It's pretty spot on if you ask me.  Hathaway's is even sporting a pair of shades/goggles just like Selina Kyle does in the comics.  Granted Hathaway's goggles seem to be a little more high tech then the comic book version. 

Sure Catwoman shows a little cleavage in the comics.  Ok a LOT more cleavage.  But Hathaway's costume does appear to have a zipper around the neck and I'm sure she'll be flashing Batman a peak at some point.  Besides, if seeing Hathaway's "co-stars" is all you're concerned with then go see her last movie Love and Other Drugs, which I'm sure she submitted to WB in her audition to show how a skin tight leather outfit would look on her since she was pretty much naked throughout the entire movie.

I'm not the least bit upset about how Hathaway looks in her first official Catwoman image.  Keep in mind the only reason they released this image is because they're filming in Pittsburgh and Nolan and WB knew that fans would be snapping pics and posting them on the net.  Better to get an official image out before that happens.

In regards to the cat ears/cowl debate, well, who knows honestly.  We won't have an official idea until they release more photos or the first images of the toy line for the movie.  I'm not crying spilled milk whether there is or isn't a cat cowl.  If you look closely enough at the official image, it's pretty obvious she's wearing a domino mask underneath the goggles, which I think is very cool.  Maybe they're going for more of a 60's Julie Newmar look.  I can see Hathaway maybe trying to emulate that style.

And as for internet rumors that Hathaway is obsessed with being the sexiest Catwoman ever?  Good luck with that Anne.  Say what you will about Halle Berry's Catwoman movie.  It was horrible.  Maybe one of the worst movies of the last 50 years, but I'm not too ashamed to admit that the Berry Catwoman movie was on HBO not too long ago and I could NOT keep my eyes away, whether she was in the costume or not.  Ok maybe I'm a little ashamed.  That is the power of being one of the sexiest woman ever to walk the face of the earth.

If you've really got your bat boxers in a bunch though, calm down.  In an interview after the photo was released, Hathaway said the pic is only about 10 percent of what her Cat-suit will ultimately be.  So pipe down with your whining.  Remember when the first image of Heath Ledger as the Joker came out and everyone complained?  And what happened?  Only quite possibly the greatest comic book movie villain performance of all time that won an academy award.

So get over it.  And remember.  In Nolan we trust.

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

I really enjoyed Captain America.  It was a lot of fun, and after a summer stuffed with comic book movies that ranged from the very decent (Thor) surprisingly cool (X-Men: First Class) and hugely disappointing (Green Lantern) I can think of no better way to end the summer superhero movie slug fest.

Chris Evans gave an impressive performance as CGI enhanced skinny Steve Rogers and super soldier Captain America.  Give Evans credit.  Here's a guy who's most notable role was playing a cocky womanizing pretty boy as the Human Tourch/Johnny Storm in the last two Fantastic Four movies, yet with the help of computer magic is completely believable as a 90 pound weakling who would give anything to serve his country during a war, but doesn't have the courage to ask a girl to dance.

Any doubts that Evans would be hindered by the fact that many would not be able to look past the fact that he was the Human Tourch and many would just see him as Johnny Storm in a Captain America suit can be thrown out.  Evans makes the role his own and is completely believable as the First Avenger.

The movie packs plenty of action with some intense scenes involving Cap and the Howling Commandos (who were fun to watch for what little time they were in the film).  Cap's shield itself could be considered a co-star as it had moments of it's own as it's thrown at bad guys and also used to pummel them, not just deflect bullets.

Tommy Lee Jones played a tough (and funny) Colonel Chester Phillips.  Tommy Lee is pretty much the same guy in every movie now (When he was Two-Face in Batman Forever, he was basically two versions of Tommy Lee Jones), but he's earned that right.

I must give Hayley Atwell props.  She's much hotter than I gave her credit for.  I hadn't really seen her in anything else and when I saw her in the Cap trailer I wasn't ranting and raving, but she turned in a well done performance as Peggy Carter (Cap's girlfriend) and had strong chemistry with Evans.  And as I mentioned, she's pretty hot.  Supposedly she beat out Keira Knightly and Alice Eve for the role.  A wonderful casting choice by director Joe Johnston.

Speaking of Johnston, he directed one of my favorite movies as a kid (The Rocketeer) which also happened to be a war time era movie.  What can I say, the guys good at taking you back in the day.  Captain America was like The Rocketeer enhanced with super soldier serum.

Why I am just now realizing this woman exists is beyond me.

My favorite aspect of the movie was the relationship between Captain America and his best friend James Buchanan Barnes (Bucky).  Their relationship is tweaked somewhat from the comic book, but it works in the movie.  I didn't realize it when I saw the trailer, but the soldier talking to skinny Steve Rogers at the beginning telling him that war is something serious, that's Bucky.  He's already enlisted and ready to go to war.  So imagine Bucky's surprise when his skinny best friend is now the US Army's most gifted fighting machine.

The costume designers did a good job with Bucky's uniform which obviously was influenced by his look in the comics.  The only thing missing is a domino mask, which I wish they would have added.

Sidekicks aren't something that are really around anymore.  They were a gimmick used back in the old days to lure kids to comics.  My favorite comic book character of all time (Robin The Boy Wonder) happens to be a sidekick, so I've always had a soft spot for them.  And I've always thought Bucky was cool.

The movie does well in establishing Cap and Bucky's initial friendship and eventual partnership.  This is something I wasn't expecting as Bucky's character is not one that they decided to promote, but I'm glad it made it in the film.

Bucky?  A sniper?  Hmmm.  Real fans know this could mean something.

Ovearall, a solid movie.  I actually wouldn't mind seeing it again, and so far only X-Men: First Class has made me feel that way.  I think this movie is actually a little better than First Class.  I give it eight power rings out of ten.  It's worth the money to see.

New Amazing Spider-Man Movie Pics

The latest issue of Entertainment has an up close look at The Amazing Spider-Man (the Spidey movie reboot).  The pics are pretty cool.  I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a big fan of the new Spidey costume, but it's growing on me slowly.  The first three Spider-Man movies were some of the few comic book movies to make the costume an almost exact replica from the comic books.  That doesn't happen much in comic book movies.  But there's nothing wrong with having a new look for the wall crawler.

I've got to admit, you can't tell much about a movie from photos, but I like the casting.  Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, Sally Field as Aunt May and of course Andrew Garfied and Emma Stone as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy.  The pics look good and Garfied and Stone are already giving off ten times more on screen chemistry than Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst did (could it be because they're better looking?)

Here are the pics.

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer Finally Rises

The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer finally debuted with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 (which was great by the way) and I am furious!  Did I not like the teaser?  No, it was fine.  Actually it was pretty revealing considering the last teaser was just Michael Caine (Alfred) talking over a bat logo and the first soundbite of Heath Ledger as the Joker.  What I'm furious about is that I went to see HP7.2 in Georgetown and The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer was not connected with the film.

Meanwhile, my sister Bianca contacts me from Arizona to tell me that she "didn't understand the Dark Knight Rises trailer" when she saw HP7.2 and as I sent out messages letting friends know that the trailer was online, they responded back saying they'd seen it when they saw Harry.  So what's up with my movie theatre in Georgetown apparently being the only place in America that didn't show TDKR trailer with Harry Potter?  I was quite peeved about this.

Well I finally saw it today and I must say, it's intense.  Half of it is just clips from Batman Begins with a voice over from Liam Neeson's Ra's Al Ghul, but what little is revealed is deep.  Take a look for yourself below.

Boy somebody sure jacked Commissioner Gordon up.  Is he sick or has he just been thrown all over the place by Bane.  And speaking of Bane, how about that clip at the very end of the teaser?  Bane walking up steps heading towards Batman, slowly, but confidently, while Batman is stepping back, gasping for air, with barely enough strength to keep his fists up in a defensive position (great acting by Bale there, but hey the guy did just win an Oscar).

The biggest tidbit to take away from the teaser is what Gordon says from his hospital bed to an unidentified visitor who has his hand placed on the bed.  Here's what was said.

Gordon:  We were in this together.  And then you were gone.  And now there's evil rising.  The Batman has to come back.

Voice:  What if he (Batman) doesn't exist anymore?

Gordon:  He must.  He must.

Talk about deep.  Now I've read tons of commentary on the trailer, a lot of it stuff linked from Batman on Film (one of my favorite sites as I have listed on the home page), and everyone says it's Gordon talking to Bruce Wayne because he's figured out that Bruce and Batman are the same person.  I've watched/listened to this trailer at least 30 times in the last couple of hours and I'm not so sure.  I think that's what Nolan wants us to think.  I think it's possible it could be Gordon talking to Joseph Gordon Levitt's character John Blake (who remember in TDKR will be a Gotham beat cop on special assignment from Jim Gordon).  Now there are some fans who say they know Gordon is talking to Bruce because of spoilers revealed online from people seeing a certain scene filmed that would lead to believe the Commish knows Bruce's secret.  But we'll see.  With Christopher Nolan, nothing is EVER as it seems.

The reason people think it's Bruce Wayne's voice is because he's whispering and not using the froggy Batman voice, but if you listen hard enough, it's possible it could be the voice of Gordon-Levitt.  Why do I think I can recognize Gordon-Levitt's voice?  Well I just bought 500 Days of Summer on Blu-Ray the other day and I'm telling you, it's possible it could be him.  Why did I buy 500 Days of Summer?  One, the scene with Minka Kelly at the end is well, she looks amazing, so much so you want to give Derek Jeter a flying high five if you ever see him.  Two, the scene were Gordon-Levitt's character finally get's laid by Summer, and he proceeds to walk out of the apartment feeling like the king of the world, is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.  Don't believe me?  Take a look, the part where he's checking his reflection and Han Solo is looking back at him is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.  And then the UCLA marching band comes in for good measure.   For the record I only break out in song on the street and sing to cartoon birds if it's an international woman involved.  Otherwise why bother?

In summary, the trailer revealed a lot and nothing at all.  And remember, nothing is every what you think it is in a Nolan film.  Now if you'll excuse me I need to see if my quarter is still spinning, otherwise that teaser trailer didn't really happen.

New Mission Impossible Trailer

The new Mission Impossible trailer is out and man is it cool.  When's the last time you said that about a Tom Cruise movie? (MI3 now that I think about it)  It makes perfect sense that if there's anything that can save the career of Cruise and get him back to the A-List, it's this franchise.

It's not an all Cruise show however as you would expect.  Tom Wilkinson and Jeremy Renner (whom you can see in the trailer) are also along for the impossible ride.

Pulling a card from the Mission Impossible 2 deck, Cruise recruits yet another bi-racial beauty in Paula Patton (Robin Thicke's wife) to be a part of his team.  Patton, like Thandie Newton in MI2, looks great and is all the reason I need to head out and see this film this December.  This is a huge role for her, not that she hasn't been in big movies before, but nothing like this one.

Proof positive of why we should all just get along.

Pretty mixed girls aside though, the film looks great.  I love the use of Eminem's "Won't Back Down" song featuring Pink, from his Recovery album.  The beat of the song goes along perfect with the action in the trailer until the transition into the forever cool Mission Impossible theme music.

This looks like a hit.  One Cruise needs desperately to make us forget about all the weird stuff.

New Spidey Costume

Nothing like a brand spanking new costume to help you get over the loss of one of your favorite comic book characters.  I don't like that Peter Parker is gone from the Ultimate Marvel universe, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the costume of the new Ultimate Spider-Man that will debut this September.

More than likely catching a glimpse of himself in the reflection of one of the buildings.

This thing is sweet!  All black with red webbing and white lenses on the mask.  Most costume changes end up being lame and spark a demand to go back to the original.  This costume is swinging for the future.  We still don't know who it is under the mask and we won't know until the series begins, but whoever it is, they're web slinging in style.

Ultimate Spider-Man #160: The Death of Spider-Man Review

I have so many mixed emotions about the death of Ultimate Spider-Man.  I picked up issue number 160 after I read that it was indeed true that Marvel was going to knock off their kid Spider-Man seemingly for good (although in comics you never know, but this has a feel of being permanent).  Truth be told, I'm very sad about this.

This one is personal for me.  Ultimate Spider-Man is the title that got me back into reading comics when I was in college.  I'd been at school over a year, when I walked to the local comic shop in Radford, Va. and asked the owner what was a good title for someone to read who was looking to get back into comics.  The owner, an older guy, pointed to an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, which at that point had reached it's second issue.  I asked the owner if he had the first issue.

"Nope," he said.  "Sold out quick."

I didn't understand the process of a Spider-Man comic selling out.  Especially a new series.  The continuity in Spider-Man was such a jumbled up mess that I'd given up on it back in high school.  But that was the point the owner of the shop was making to me.  This was a fresh start, a new universe within Marvel called the "Ultimate universe" which was giving Marvel a chance to give modern updates to their classic characters.  Case in point, in this "Ultimate universe" Peter Parker is a young high school kid.  I liked that and decided to give it a shot, especially when I saw that it was being drawn by Mark Bagley, my favorite Spider-Man artist.

I had no idea who Brian Michael Bendis was at the time, but little did I know that I was about to start reading a series written by someone who continues to be considered one of the best writers in the business.  Bendis' take on Spider-Man was new, refreshing and original with slight tributes to the many Spidey stories that had come before.

I would go on to read Ultimate Spider-Man for the next four years, never missing an issue.  I eventually stopped around the 50th issue, but even when I was no longer picking up the title every month, I'd still take peaks at what was going on if I saw an issue on the stands.  That was how much I cared for the character.

Bendis' take on Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man is one for the ages.  It may not be Marvel's real universe, but this version of Peter is one that would be required reading for anyone I was trying to introduce to Spider-Man.  And that's why it sucks so much that he's gone, but he does go out with a bang, and of course, saves lives in the process.

As for the comic itself, Peter takes a bullet to the body protecting Captain America (doesn't he have a shield for these types of situations?).  Wounded he must then take on a suped up Green Goblin (who in the Ultimate universe is a mutated monster, not a guy in a suit).  Normon Osborn, who has escaped maximum security and turned into the Goblin is determined to bring Peter to his end.  Peter, with a bullet in his side no less, makes sure that none of his loved ones are hurt as Osborn attacks.

Peter takes a truck (that Mary Jane had somehow driven into the Goblin) lifts it above his head and smashes it into the Goblin multiple times until he knocks him out.  But then the truck explodes, knocking him into the air.  He lands on the ground with not much life left.  In the most touching scene in the issue, Peter tells his Aunt May that while he was always haunted by the fact that he could never save his uncle Ben, he's happy that he was able to save her.  Those are his last words and he dies in Mary Jane's arms.

Deep.  Tragic.  Sad.  Well done by Bendis (who I am proud to say I interviewed about Ultimate Spider-Man during my time at The Washington Post) who himself admitted he got teary eyed writing this issue. Of course it is now known that there will be a new Ultimate Spider-Man beginning in September, but Marvel isn't revealing who's behind the mask.  Whoever it is, one things for certain.

They're no Peter Parker.

Will Green Lantern 2 get Green Lit?

While I've made it clear that I was somewhat disappointed with Green Lantern (six out of ten power rings rating) I also made it clear that I'd love for a sequel to be made.  Despite the weak script, Ryan Reynolds makes a great Green Lantern/Hal Jordon and Mark Strong IS Sinestro.  It's Sinestro's (warning spoiler) embracing of the yellow ring at the end of the movie that let's you know what direction Warner Bros. is planning on going with in the future with Green Lantern.  And that direction is Sinestro vs. the Green Lantern Corps.  And who doesn't want to see that?

Blake?  Blake?  Wake up!  We're filming!

Problem is, Green Lantern didn't open with the $60 million plus opening weekend that studio execs were planning for (instead opening to $52.7 million).  Add less than stellar reviews from critics and many were wondering if Warner Bros. was going to move forward with this franchise.

But then, The Hollywood Reporter came out with this story on June 26, saying that the big wigs at Warner Bros. were indeed going to move forward with a sequel.

So Green Lantern fans dodged a bullet right?  The movie was weak enough that making a sequel was in doubt, but they got the confirmation they wanted that the franchise would move forward.

The very next day however, The Hollywood Reporter ran this story, and all of a sudden there are once again doubts as to whether a sequel would see the light of day (granted it was an analysis).

So which one is it?

It's hard to tell.  I honestly don't understand why THR would run a story saying a sequel is a go if they were just going to write another story the next day saying a sequel could still be in doubt.  My gut says Warner Bros. has to take a chance and move ahead with Green Lantern 2.  The right pieces are there, especially Strong as Sinestro.  With this character Warner Bros./DC Entertainment have the chance to showcase their best on screen villain since Heath Ledger's Joker.  It would be a shame to let that go to waste.

Not only that, but with the Harry Potter franchise finally coming to an end on July 15, Warner Bros. needs a new franchise and they need Green Lantern to be successful so that DC Entertainment knows that they can go into their vault and make movies from characters not named Batman or Superman.

The bolder move would be to get rid of director Martin Campbell who was clearly in over his head with this comic book/sci-fi/CGI loaded universe.  Re-loading James Bond is one thing, and Campbell did that magnificently with Casino Royale, but this is a different game over here with GL.  Kenneth Branagh did a fairly good job with directing Thor and he's not coming back.  Campbell did not do a good job with Green Lantern and Warner Bros. should bring in someone else who will make a stronger, slightly even darker movie.

Sinestro vs. the GL Corps is something that every fanboy would love to see on the screen.  Here's hoping the sequel gets approved, but here's also hoping they do it right this time.

Thor 2 to Hit Theaters July 2013

According to The Hollywood Reporter Heat Vision blog (which is awesome in case you're not reading it), Thor 2 will arrive in theaters July 26, 2013.

Chris Hemsworth will of course be back as Thor.  One interesting tidbit is that director Kenneth Branagh will not return to direct, but will instead stay on as a producer.  Branagh had an option to return as director, but he and Marvel Studios decided on a mutual split.

You dare give me, Thor, a new director?

Branagh not being in the directors chair isn't nearly as dramatic if say, Christopher Nolan decided not to direct The Dark Knight Rises.  He did a good job of introducing Thor to the big screen, but if Marvel studios wants a slightly different approach, I'm not upset about that.

Thor was a great movie that I enjoyed back in May as it began the summer superhero season, but it wasn't so great that I think it's above a different set of eyes.  Now that the foundation has been laid out, perhaps a new view from the directors chair will make it even better.

Of course we'll next see Hemsworth in the summer of 2012 reprising his role as Thor in The Avengers.  And just in case you didn't know Tom Hiddleston, who played Loki in Thor, will reprise that role as the bad guy in The Avengers.

The Next Spidey Girl

Great write up in the latest issue of Vanity Fair (which yes I do read from time to time) on Emma Stone.  Who's Emma Stone you ask?  Only one of the top up and coming young actresses in Hollywood who just happens to be playing Gwen Stacy in next years Spidey reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.

In the article, Stone reveals one of the lowest moments in her life as the time she found out that she had lost out on the role of the cheerleader in Heroes to Hayden Panettiere.  I've got to be honest, I'm one of the biggest fanboys on earth, but I never got in to Heroes.  It never drew me in and when it got cancelled I wasn't surprised.

Needless to say, Stone came out the winner in this one.  She's got new movies on tap (by the way if you haven't seen her in Easy A, check it out, great performance) and by next summer once Andrew Garfield starts catching her in mid air in his Spidey suit, she'll be a household name.

When word got out that Stone was cast in The Amazing Spider-Man, everyone assumed she'd be playing Mary Jane Watson, for no other reason than she's a pretty red head.  But nope, a quick hair color change and bam, instant Gwen Stacy.  Why do they keep doing this with Spidey movies by the way?  Casting blondes to be Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and casting red heads for Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard, Stone).

Stone as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man

Looks like the sky is the limit for Stone.  I'm pretty sure she's gotten over the cheerleader thing by now.  Looking forward to her becoming a part of the next great Spider-Man movie (of which there hasn't been one since Spider-Man 2).

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Review

It was better than the last one.  And really, isn't that all we can ask for?

Although for the most part Transformers: Dark of the Moon follows the same robot wars template as the previous two installments, you're not left with the stench that was blatantly apparent after the the second (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen).

Yes a lot of the reviews weren't great, but Dark of the Moon is pulling in a massive amount of cash that proves that people don't care about reviews, they just wanted to see the Transformers again and they didn't want it to suck like the second one did.  The movie succeeds in that regard.

Optimus?  Is this going to suck?  No Sam.  Not like the last time.

If you're looking for depth or a deep emotional connect, you're seeing the wrong movie.  Transformers 3 is like the most beautiful girl you've ever seen in your life who brings absolutely nothing else to the table other than her beauty.  She can't hold a conversation.  She has no life goals.  Probably hasn't talked to her father in years, but who cares?  Why?  Because she's the most beautiful girl you've ever seen.  You're going to stick around and see what happens and not let a little thing called depth of character get in the way.  And you'll keep coming back, until she know longer wants you or Rosario Dawson calls.  Whichever happens first.  Long story short, the move looks great and is worth a viewing.

And speaking of beautiful girls, kudos to director Michael Bay for not making us give a crap that Megan Fox isn't in the movie.  Apparently she pissed off Bay and Steven Spielberg and was told to kick rocks.  Enter Rose Huntington Whitely, a Victoria Secret supermodel who I'm assuming Bay met when he directed a Victoria Secret commercial (Sidenote: Nice life huh?  Excuse me, I'm gonna take a break from blowing stuff up in my movies to go film a Vicky Secret commercial of girls running around in their underwear).

I was very skeptical of this move from the beginning.  Thinking that Victoria Secret models make good actresses is exactly why we have The Tyra Banks show.  While I'm on that subject, having one of the world's nicest set of natural breast and nice eyes doesn't mean you're the next Oprah, especially if every time you try to help someone, you end up talking about yourself.  Ok, back to the review.

I went into this movie thinking Huntington Whitely would be nothing more than eye candy, and even though she was, she came off as very likable and actually did a fairly decent job acting.  But make no mistake, she's the eye candy.  Her introduction scene will go down as one of my all-time favorite intros for a female lead in a movie.  Kudos to Bay for that camera work.

As for Huntington Whitely's boy toy Sam (Shia LeBeouf), well he's recovering just fine from a break up with Megan Fox's character (whatever her name was in the movie) and is now dating Huntington Whitely (whatever her name is in the movie).  He's saved the world twice and is hoping to find a job before his parents get into town (apparently they're still spending government hush money and traveling the world in a big bus).  I will say, the relationship between Sam and his parents has always provided the funniest moments for this franchise and this time is no different.  When Sam starts having girl trouble again his mother tells him he'd better get it together because he'd be a fool to think he'll be able to bag a hot girl for a third time in a row.  Funny stuff this scene, I won't ruin the rest.

The bots?  I can honestly say I enjoyed every second they were on screen.  Both Autobots and Decepticons.  Whether they were discussing tactics or blowing each other to pieces.  Prime and Bumblebee leading the way for the good guys and Megatron and Starscream at each others throats as always (I am glad they picked up this part of their relationship from the cartoon).  Shockwave came off as the closest thing to a robot on steroids and just the fact that Laserbeak was in the movie at all was a huge treat for all the Soundwave fans out there (yes he's back to, and boy does he do a good job of spying as always).

Overall?  I enjoyed it.  It wasn't perfect.  It won't leave you speechless.  But it's enjoyable.  And if a movie is going to be over two and a half hours long, it had better be that.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to saving for my Camaro.  I give it eight power rings out of ten.