Monthly Archives: June 2018

Why Superman Needs to be in Shazam

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By Drew Kiess

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Superman fans have been asking for five years now about when we can expect the next Superman movie (that is, if you don’t count Batman v Superman or Justice League as Superman movies) will hit the big screen. Personally, seeing as Superman is my favorite superhero (please, no questions at this time), I share the sentiment. I am absolutely of the opinion that the more Superman content in the world, the better.

Leading up to Justice League, there was a lot of chatter about how Warner Bros. was really excited for this retooled version of Superman, and how they were hoping it would be a launching pad for more stories with him. Unfortunately, the portrayal of the character was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the CGI used to remove Henry Cavill’s moustache. However, beneath all of that was a vision of Superman that I believe has a lot of potential moving forward, particularly seeing and hearing how much Cavill enjoyed it.

In the end, Justice League did not prove to be the right vehicle to showcase this new Superman. Criticism from Snyderites aside, there was just too much drama surrounding the film and not enough tickets purchased to accurately gauge the audience’s appreciation of any aspect of the movie. Which is a shame because I still happen to think the film is a blast, even with the rough edges.

If Superman is going to continue on for DC Films, a new vehicle is needed to bring him back into the good graces of general audiences. Rumors have been swirling for some time now that that vehicle will be next year’s Shazam!. This would be perfect.

If the reports are correct about Shazam! taking its cues from the Geoff Johns ”Justice League” stories, then this Billy Batson is going to need a mentor. In a world where Superman actually exists, how would Billy and his friends view him? Some may see him as a hero, others as just a big blue boy scout. It could be fun to see this played out and watch Billy learn to be a hero from someone like Superman.

From a logical point of view, adding Superman into Shazam! makes sense. For one, it adds a recognizable hero into a movie starring an untested one. Although Shazam is not exactly an unknown, he certainly has not been a heavy hitter in some time, and Superman could add a level of familiarity to the project. And as mentioned above, this would be a solid vehicle to portray Superman in a new light for the audience. He is no longer the new kid on the block like he was in Man of Steel, and he’s no longer facing personal doubt like he was in Batman v Superman.

It’s time to finally see Superman as the veteran superhero that the new heroes can look up to and too finally be the example that others are striving to be like. Billy Batson is the perfect opportunity to display that side of the character. Not doing this would be a widely huge missed opportunity.

It’s time to bring Superman into a role of mentorship. If not in Shazam!, then soon. If DC Films wants to make Superman viable again in their film universe, then it needs to strike now and not wait around. We already have the perfect actor. It’s time to give him the perfect Superman.

Shanlian On Batman: Episode 114

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Justin and Kyle fire up the microphones to talk about recent DC news including the merging between Time Warner and AT&T, the upcoming reveal of the Aquaman and Shazam trailer, as well as Geoff Johns working on Green Lantern! Finally the guys chat the news of Ben Affleck leaving the role of Batman, courtesy of the Forbes Article from Mark Hughes

The Reconstruction of the Superhero, part four: Doomsday Clock #5

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by Drew Kiess

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The following contains spoilers for Doomsday Clock #5

There Is No God

With every issue released of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Doomsday Clock, we find ourselves in a much darker world. Finding stories in our real world to be inspired by is becoming increasingly difficult, and we all seem to be living in a world without heroes.

I’m not even sure Alan Moore himself would have written a script this twisted.

“There Is No God” is the fifth chapter of the follow-up to Moore’s Watchmen. The Supermen Theory is becoming reality daily, and Lex Luthor’s would-be assassin Adrian Veidt is recovering from a fall in the hospital. Hawk and Dove have been arrested in St Petersburg for political rioting, and the world is falling apart.

What we have seen over the past several years is the decay of real-life heroes. In the age of the internet, it’s only a matter of time before every good guy has his dirty skeleton drug out of the closet and put on display. In many ways, this is what 1986 did to comic book superheroes.

While the intention of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns was never to turn the world of superheroes into the world of dark and brooding, it certainly had that effect on the industry. It’s well documented how serious superhero stories became in light of the success of those books.

Superheroes have always reflected the culture in some way, but originally, that reflection was always reversed—a mirror in which to see that we could do and be better.

Action Comics #1 is about a man standing up for the poor and the weak. It was written by two poor Jewish boys from Cleveland, Ohio. It reflected their world, but wasn’t about presenting the world as it was, but as they hoped it could be. A savior, finally come. An Übermensch come to set things right.

And for some time, we cheered with glee as the hero prevailed. Evil loses, good wins and everyone cheers. But at some point we came to believe that the hero had to be flawed, had to lose from time to time, and might even be part of the problem.

Superman Is The Only Thing You Can Believe In

Johnny Thunder in this series, at least for me, represents an era of comics-gone-by. Him and the Legion have always been something of a relic from the golden (and even somewhat silver) age of comic books. As we know, the Legion is gone and Thunder is aimless. This has been the most captivating element of this book so far, inasmuch as it’s the story with the least amount of revelations. What exactly is Johnny hoping to accomplish, and what in the world does the Lantern have to do with it?

Rorschach saves Thunder from being mugged. In this moment, a character with a legacy of death and cynicism saves a character from a simpler, more optimistic time. Maybe heroes do still exists.

Meanwhile, Superman himself makes his first appearance since the closing panel of the first chapter. While the story has yet to give him much to do, he overhears that is a metahuman that is responsible for Supermen Theory, adding to the mystery. Can we trust our heroes, especially the good ones?

Everything Evens Out

While this issue is light on narrative, its subtext is rich. The things we hope in determines our path in life. Are we resigned to the failures of our heroes? Must we fall prey to the negativity around us? If Superman over the years has taught us anything, it’s that hope in a better world than our own is never misplaced.

While the thesis is that there is no God, the trajectory is faith. This isn’t Moore’s world anymore. Superman isn’t Manhattan, and so there is hope to be had that good will, in fact, win. While this may not have been the most memorable or ground breaking issue, but it has given me much to think about over the last few weeks. The Reconstruction continues.

 

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” -Tolkien

Another Joker Movie On The Way?

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by Drew Kiess

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Can I rant for a minute? Because I feel like ranting. Every other blog writer for geek stuff gets to do it, so why not me?

 

Overall, it has been a bad year for fandom. Not just DC fandom, mind you– all of fandom. Star Wars fans turning on each other and bullying individuals involved in a movie they didn’t like, Marvel fans using success as a weapon instead of an invitation for improvement, and Snyder fans turning every possible scenario into an opportunity to harass and belittle individuals who were only doing their job. The rest of us are left in the cold trying to fend for ourselves.

 

The reality is that we have created this mess. Our feverish desire for more of our geek-flavored product has caused a cheapening of what we once held precious. This is why we get a Han Solo movie that no one asked for (regardless of whether you liked the film or not, can we at least admit it’s still a little bizarre?) and its why we have Warner Bros. now scrambling to find Jared Leto’s Joker something to do.

 

Suicide Squad 2 is in apparent limbo, and Matt Reeves doesn’t want anything to do with Joker, and with Margot Robbie now attached to the moving train that is Birds of Prey, there isn’t really an obvious landing place for the character that for some reason, Warner Bros. has deemed a priority. Thus, we get the announcement today that Jared Leto will be starring in his own film as the Joker.
We may not have asked for this, but we absolutely asked for this.

 

The only thing that is currently known about this film is that Leto will star and produce. No writer, no director, and no production date have been given. So, in essence, its a concept without any skeleton.

 

I have done my best to remain positive regarding DC Films. As a matter of fact, I have liked to even loved every single entry to this point (yes, I liked Suicide Squad, Leto included). But it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand behind a studio that doesn’t seem to understand why these characters matter in the first place. Joker exists to challenge Batman. Without that dynamic, it is difficult to comprehend what the draw will be. Add that to the fact that Leto’s Joker was not particularly well received. It makes me wonder who exactly this film will be aimed at.

 

Time will tell if this will even be made (I have my doubts), but it seems like this is what happens when we push these studios for content. Long gone are the days when we were happy we had just one great comic book franchise. Now we need ten, plus.

 

And all this… and still no Superman movie. Explain that.

 

 

Leto to Get Standalone Joker Film

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Jared Leto is set to star and Exec. Produce and upcoming “Joker” standalone film at Warner Bros.

Now that the “Birds of Prey” film is off the ground and in the earliest stages of pre-production, the studio has shifted focus on getting Leto on board to reprise his role as the clown prince of crime.

Variety’s Justin Kroll revealed that Leto and other characters from 2016’s “Suicide Squad” will begin to branch off into their own respective films. Margot Robbie is set to reprise her role as Harley Quinn in a future “Birds of Prey” film. Plot details for both upcoming films are unknown.

Warners still has plans on developing a “Joker” solo film with Todd Phillips in the director’s chair and Martin Scorsese producing. The plan going forward will still allow multiple actors portray the same character going forward in the DC Cinematic Universe.

 

 

 

 

Source Variety

https://bit.ly/2M48qUf