It always comes back to Batman with you, doesn’t it?

There’s a sequel in development for the highly successful ‘Batman Begins’ the film that made it okay for people to say they like Batman.

Writer/Director Chris Nolan and Christian Bale brought the ailing Batman franchise out of the maw of the Joel Shumacher monster that is Batman Forever and Batman and Robin (it amazes me hoe many people think there was just one film by him when there were two… they were THAT BAD), developing in one movie all of the key traits that make the Batman comic book work while not turning the property into something else, which Tim Burton had to do.

Not to beat Schumacher over the head with the failure of his films. It’s a very difficult property to work with. Transforming a comic book into a movie is a very self-conscious project. You’ve gotta be asking yourself every step of the way ‘Will the average joe like this? Will the kids like this? Will the Warner Brothers execs like this?… Should I make the nipples on his costume more pronounced?’

On second thought, they really sucked. Never think about those movies again.

The Dark Knight, as they’re calling it, follows directly after the first film which saw Batman develop into the crime fighter we know him to be, complete with Commissioner Gordon and the big old signal on top of Police Headquarters. It still stuns me that a movie that starts off so methodically and sensibly ends with one of the most absurd comic book set pieces as Gordon and Batman talking about the Joker. But by the time we get there, it’s perfectly acceptable.

Man… go watch that movie again and use that Batman Movie Box Set as a set of coasters.

The second film will spotlight the inevitable Joker stand-off with the bizarre casting of pretty boy Heath Ledger as the clown prince of crime. Images have surfaced on AICN.com of his supposed appearance in the film, but no one is sure yet if they are genuine.

I’ve heard lots of rumor that the Joker will be apprenticing to the Scarecrow in this film, but I don’t see Cillian Murphy cast on imdb, so that might just be rumor.

We will have Thank You For Smoking’ and ‘In The Company of Men’s Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, so they really are fleshing out the Batman universe with the expected characters.

Done correctly, this franchise could easily outshine the Spider-Man films. Not that it’s a contest, but Batman Begins was such a flawless movie that my buddy Tom and I, ordinarily very picky movie-goers, could come up with nothing when we tried to see any errors or mis-steps.

Hot Wheels have finally released the George Barris-designed Batmobile from the 1966 TV Show. For those not in the know, this is a pretty big deal. For some convoluted reason, the rights for the Batmobile belonged to Barris himself and not Warner Brothers or DC Comics, making any decision to produce the highly loved car into miniature nearly impossible.

In fact, the legal rights attached to the Batman TV Show are so tangled up that it may never see release on DVD! Yet we have Soap and Sledgehammer episodes just sitting on the shelves at Target stores all over the nation, just waiting to be purchased.

What a world.

The Hot Wheels was carefully constructed from exact measurement of the original Batmobile at Barris’ home. You can even watch a video of Barris talking to the Hot Wheels marketing team here.

Many different sized versions are available from your standard 1:64th scale miniature car (acceptable for putting in your pocket while no one knows it’s there), to 1/18th scale (for your den) or even 1/43rd scale (probably okay to put on your desk at work if you work in that kinda place). They’ve even made a keychain Batmobile that no one would even think of questioning so there are all kinds of ways to carry Batman with you as a grown man and still feel comfortable.

Aw, Hell, just go the whole hog!

Kids Just Don’t Deserve Cartoons!… or Toys!

Now and again, while mentally building a list if toy lines and cartoon DVDs I’ve yet to buy, I wonder to myself “What are the kids into these days?”

Not that I really care, because I have this list I have to work on.

No doubt about it, toy manufacturers know exactly who their market is, grown men who long for the simplicity and wonder of their childhood days. Hey, don’t judge, it’s better than a crack habit (though more expensive).

I spotted a GI Joe action figure yesterday. In celebration of the toy’s 25th Anniversary, it was designed to look exactly like an old 80′s model, complete with the flat card back, limited articulation and huge joint hinges.

I gotta admit, I was tempted.

But where would I find the time or space for yet another toy line? Already I’ve plunged into the mini-mates I’ve previously mentioned and the DC Direct Justice line, based on the Jim Krueger/Alex Ross series, is slow moving but so vast that I’m not sure where it is leading me.

I’m just happy I’m disappointed with the new Marvel Legends figures by Hasbro. THAT is a relief.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars (it’s gone by quickly, huh)?

Never in my life have I seen such a focused commercial effort. The new line of toys consist of previously released designs mixed in with new ones, but they each have a coin, and the Darth Vader figure has a coin ALBUM that holds all the coins. Dear God, they’ve got my number.

One particular sub-line in the Star Wars toys is the ‘Ralph McQuarrie Concept Signature’ line. These figures follow the initial designs laid out by McQuarrie that differ greatly to the finished products we saw on screen. So far I’ve heard of the Storm Trooper, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, and two convention exclusives: Luke Skywalker and an R2-D2/C-3PO set. They all look fantastic… and come with coins that you slot into that coin album.

It’s a line of toys designed like a weapon targeted to hit those with obsessive disorders.

Of course, no matter how well designed the toys are, they’ll never touch the joy I had as a kid when I wandered through the aisles of a local department store (image from Plaid Stallions).

In cartoons, I have to say that if you enjoy super hero stuff like the Justice League and Batman, you should be watching The Batman and Legion of Super Heroes. They’re on far too early in the morning, so set your TiVO or VCR or whatever you use.

The Batman has met with a lot of friction due to the spectacular reputation of the previous award-winning Bruce Timm/Paul Dini Animated Series show. Fair dues, Batman the Animated Series is a benchmark in animation that will never be surpassed. Yet if you let that stand in your way, you’ll be missing out.

Not the moody and atmospheric program that the Animated Series was, The Batman is full of action, imaginative fight scenes and original designs on characters that have been in dire need of a face-lift.

The show has been on for over 3 years now and in that time they’ve introduced Robin and Batgirl as side-kicks. They’re lots of fun and actually have their share of comic banter. Currently the show is in the middle of a 2 part story introducing the ‘Martian Manhunter‘ seen in Justice League. Again, they’ve given the character a new approach and he’s actually closer to the comic book rendition, if that kinda thing matters to you.

Legion of Super Heroes is a cartoon that I’m stunned has taken so long to hit the airwaves. One of the most successful comic titles in its time (Introduced as a back-up story, the Legion eventually pushed Superboy out of his own title and is known as the first comic series to build it’s own fan club!) , the cartoon features an almost endless array of colorful super-powered teenagers. The title sequence zips by them so quickly, yet they are very iconic in appearance. Each character has an ‘Archie‘-style archetype and simple super power. Think Pokemon, only tasteful.

The voice acting is superb and the writing very intelligent yet fun and light. They even put in a reference to the seminal UK Sci-Fi series Quatermass in one episode!

Of course, no kids are watching either of these things… they prefer Monster Allergy or whatever… Man. Remember when we had REAL cartoons?

I bet you can’t name them!

(Note: please feel free to leave comments. You don’t even need to be a member! Thanks)

Built to fail

(Or: Who knew that the comics Stan Lee’s wife dared him to create would be so successful that they’d be made into major motion pictures?)

At a time when Atlas Comics (which later became the Marvel Comics Group) was facing bankruptcy, Stan Lee‘s wife urged him to just do what he always wanted to do. If he was going to fail anyway, what was the risk?

THE FANTASTIC FOUR and the SILVER SURFER

The first idea that Stan Lee tried out was the family comic, the Fantastic Four. Looking at the first issue, it’s very similar in tone to the monster and sci-fi comics that he had produced with Steve Ditko, Dick Ayers and Jack Kirby. The main characters didn’t even have any colorful costumes in their first adventure. The story was apparently mapped out in a cafe between Stan and Jack and Kirby was so excited that he left the meeting only to draw out the entire first issue on his own. The ‘Marvel Style,’ a method where a pitch is drawn by the artist and then embellished with dialog by the writer was born.

The series spear-headed the explosion of ‘guys in tights’ that Marvel has been known for since. Not just colorful characters, but ‘characters with problems.’ The Fantastic Four faced cosmic menaces with nary a sweaty brow, but eviction from their building was another issue.

Fantastic Four was modestly produced and a major commercial success due to it’s low production cost and the fact there were no other decent movies to see at the time. Lucky FF dodges the collection man again. It’s not my favorite comic book movie, but it is the only ‘family-oriented’ comic book film. The X-Men Trilogy , Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 ,Hulk , Superman Returns and Batman Begins are all far superior movies but feature various levels of gruesome violence and subject material that would bore the average kid. The Fantastic Four film, despite its drawbacks in character development and casting, is fun, colorful and innocent.

Doctor Doom makes me want to tear my eyes out, but never mind.

The new film due out this summer, Rise of the Silver Surfer, will attempt to tell the most successful and well-loved Fantastic Four stories of all time, the Coming of Galactus trilogy from issues 48-50 (featured in the hefty Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 2) back in the early days of the series. That’s ambitious to say the least. The images I’ve seen of the Silver Surfer look great and casting Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Silver Surfer is appropriate. I’ve heard nothing but rumblings of disappointment over the depiction of Galactus the World Devourer in the movie, so my hopes aren’t that high.

It’s big concept Stan and Jack material that is almost impossible to pull off in a movie. It’s surprising that Stan and Jack made the same ideas work in the comic! So bully to the producers for giving it a shot.

Just so long as it doesn’t suck.

SPIDER-MAN
Surfing about, I found this very impressive image from the forthcoming Spider-Man 3. Since the announcement of the first Spider-Man movie, I’ve tried to figure out where they were going to take the films. In the comics, the character has been all over the place.

The comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko depicted Peter Parker as a very clever and frustrated teenager, slowly developing into an impressive and powerful character, a teenage super-hero in more ways than one. He was surrounded by the likes of the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and Doctor Strange, all established adult heroes that never took him seriously. While the FF flew to other dimensions, Peter Parker fought a head cold, a broken arm, and still had to stop Doc Ock from blowing up the city while maintaining his secret identity from his ailing Aunt… who was dreadfully behind on the rent. Reading those early issues, you can see that Stan and Steve… well, Steve, were very intent on where they wanted to take the character. Nothing was easy for Peter Parker, but it was clear in those first 23 issues or so that Spider-Man was maturing and would outshine the likes of both the Fantastic Four‘s egghead Reed Richards and the rampaging Hulk. But that never came to pass and in my opinion the character more or less stopped developing after Steve Ditko left. He became the eternal teenager.

With John Romita at the drawing chores, the comic developed very much into the series we have had for the past few decades. Slick, stylish and full of adventure. Strangely, Peter has become dumber in recent years. No longer a clever and inventive fighter, he’s more likely to make awkward jokes and pop-culture references in the middle if a fight, overlooking several moments to defeat his opponent, who is more annoyed by Spider-Man than acting the typical ‘evil villain’ routine.

My assessment on Spider-Man‘s development in the comic and Steve Ditko‘s influence on the series may differ from yours, but I prefer the frustrated and intelligent Ditko character. It appears that Sam Raimi does too.

In the first two films, nothing goes right for Peter Parker. He tries so hard to be a noble hero, fighting back his passion for revenge and anger at the villains he is fighting, only to end up alone and full of pent-up anxiety. So when Peter wound up with Mary Jane at the close of Spider-Man 2, I knew things could only get worse… much worse. From everything I’ve seen in the trailers, this looks like an amazing story that continues to draw upon the mood and direction set in those early Spider-Man comics.

And it includes Venom, a character that embodies the style and energy of Todd McFarlane. Personally, I never cared for Venom, but I cannot deny that he has an incredible fan following and with the right visual effects team, will make a lasting impression on the movie-going audiences.

As long as the same energy and emotion that Raimi and company inserted into the first two Spider-Man films goes into the third installment, I think we’re in for a great film.

And if it sucks, I’ll just dig out my old Marvel Tales comics.

IRON MAN
The story goes that Stan Lee was feeling cocky about the success he was having at Marvel with the FF and Spider-Man. He claimed that he could make the worst, most unappealing premise into a comic book that would sell like hotcakes.

At this point in entertainment, war wasn’t in fashion. In fact, it was at this point that GI Joe changed from being a soldier to an ‘adventurer’ fighting Yetis and Mummy’s.

Weird, huh?

So Stan Lee decides to have a munitions salesman as his ‘hero.’ Not only that, but this ‘hero’ would be a devilishly clever businessman and globe-trotting jet-setter, zooming about in his hot-rods with a different sexy lady on his arm ever day.

The catch was that the hero, Tony Stark, was dying. Wounded by a piece of shrapnel lodged in his chest from a land mine in Korea, the only thing keeping him alive was his chestplate which kept the deadly metal from piercing his heart and ending his rich lifestyle.

Pretty tragic, huh?

While Iron Man started off in a clunky and battleship gray costume, a new outfit was later introduced, designed by Steve Ditko. In his now familiar red and yellow armor, he was one of the most colorful characters to grace the comic page. In many ways, Iron Man the ‘Wolverine‘ of his era, often placed on the cover of any comic to give it that extra star power needed for sales… or to sell Hostess Fruit Pies, whatever the situation called for.

Given the character’s failure to gain a steady audience in the 80′s and 90′s, that kind of star power is hard to swallow, that is until recent months which have seen Iron Man regain his major player status in Marvel Comics . What strikes me as very ironic is that in a time where America is involved in an unpopular and difficult war, we again are seeing Iron Man introduced into Pop Culture.

It’s unclear to me if this version of the character will be depicted as a war profiteer, but if so the Iron Man film will have an uphill battle to gain an approval from the audiences. An ingenious casting decision to have Robert Downey Jr., a very strong actor but troubled personality, play Iron Man is sure to give the movie some clout. For those of you not in the know, Tony Stark is a recovering alcoholic. See, his heart problem got solved and Marvel Editorial thought they’d give him another hurtle to overcome. Having an actor who has been seen fighting a substance abuse problem so prominently in the public eye playing a character embroiled in a similar internal conflict was recently revealed to not be a coincidence.

Downey himself said: “He struggles with his lifestyle, he struggles with the drinking. He faces the same issues a lot of people do. I see Tony Stark as the best and occasionally worst in Americans and citizens around the world. He’s a brilliant guy, an inventor who can’t totally separate himself from the repercussions of the weapons he builds. There’s a real sense of honor and I know a thing or two about honor.”

So here we are seeing a set of ideas that were seen as definite failures in comics fighting the battle to win the box office. In Spider-Man’s case, the concept has worked like magic, or at least so far. Will Spider-Man 3, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four be so lucky?

I hope so… but if they don’t work, at least I’ve got that closet full of comics to keep me warm.

Look for recommended goodies at the Daily P.O.P. Store!

Justice in many forms, even miniature

What am I reading?

I’ve been reading the ‘Justice Society Volume One’ collection nightly and while I have been enjoying it, I can’t exactly recommend it for mass consumption. Hell, they even took the credits off of the title pages for each issue so that the creators are free from incrimination. You have to wonder what the thinking was in bringing these characters back, and it was a comeback, not a relaunch. The series continues the numbering from the 40′s, acting as if it’s the same comic which boggles the mind because it’s terribly different.

With new blood introduced to the team in the forms of Power Girl, and newly-designed versions of the Star-Spangled Kid and Robin, the comic’s title changes to the very awkward the Justice Society in All Star Comics featuring the Super Squad.

This title changes throughout the comic’s run.

Taking place on ‘Earth 2′ where another group of heroes who have aged since their introduction in the late 30′s (what a novel idea!) fight a never-ending battle against very weird villains like the Fiddler, the Sportsman, and the Icicle, the book collects storylines which bleeds from one issue to the next. Plots involve a dancing fool disco alien named Zanadu, Dr Fate‘s ‘death,’ and a very impressive ‘return’ of the first Superman. I’m a sucker for artwork, with parts of my comic collection broken up by artist names rather than titles, so it was a pleasure to see Wally Wood drawing Superman. Of course Wood’s drawings of Power Girl are the most eye-poppingly risque images that I’ve ever seen in a comic book.

Despite the impressive artwork and non-stop action, the comic is… awkward. Characters suddenly drop out of the comic for no clear reason (Superman leaves the team so that Power Girl can take center stage as the team’s resident powerhouse, Green Lantern leaves to take care of his ailing business and the Flash just… leaves with his wife) and plots are fanciful rather than logical (why introduce some weirdo alien in the ‘Vulcan’ storyline to just later kill him? It’s unexpected, but… odd).

I’m also a sucker for seeing certain characters, a trait of DC readership I’ve noticed. It seems that most DC fans simply want to see their characters waltz across the page. Doing something is a bonus. There’s a certain quality to the Jay Garrick Flash, the Alan Scott Green Lantern and the first Hawkman and Hourman characters that I just… like. They seem more innocent and impressive in some way. So… they’re on a lot of pages in this collection which makes me happy.

Another problem that I ran into is that it’s never very clear how this ‘Earth’ is different from the alternate Earths. In the collection there is an introduction that hilariously tries to explain the concept of alternate Earths that is so absurd that as my good friend Greg Moutafis has pointed out, you can see why DC Editorial wiped it all out in the Crisis on Infinite Earths series. Aside from having a team of super heroes that existed during WWII, it’s essentially the same as ‘Earth 1′.

There are some interesting ideas littered throughout the series, such as Africa being an independent nation and a unified and effective UN that passes laws against air pollution that I wish the writers had taken further.

It’s a little point of contention of mine that when another dimension or whatever is introduce, you really should include a reason for it to exist, a difference in some way to what we accept as reality. To create another world altogether for no real reason… like in Doctor Who last year, it just confuses me. All we really got was a British President and airships… but why?

If you’re a big DC comics fan, I heartily recommend you flip through this collection at Borders or wherever people who read comics rather than buy them go. If you still like it, go ahead and buy the book along with a Cinnamonster… or whatever the kids eat today. It’s innocent wacky fun… just don’t expect a comic that compares to the quality of the current Justice Society of America series… which is so much fun it makes me nervous that it’ll get bad all of a sudden. Still, the guest artist in number five of JSA was excellent, wasn’t he?

Comics don’t change much, I suppose.

On the ‘tube, youtube, that is
If you’re like me and I know I am, you’ve heard of the ‘Hear the Voice of Marvel’ record from the 60′s. Well, The Happy Show has posted the recording along with a slide show of the Marvel greats here. My favorite bit is where Steve Ditko ‘jumps out a window.’

Video games, exercise for your thumbs

I got an update from the good people at Spider-Man 3 the Game. It features a video detailing the work that went into designing and animating the Sandman. The footage I’ve seen so far for the game is astounding. Lots of detail and top-notch gameplay will surely make this a must-buy. Unfortunately, I’m one of perhaps ten people who do not own a next-gen console (my mom is always bragging about her PS3), my choice being the X-Box 360, but this game is really making me anxious to get a new system.

Fill up your shelves with plastic men

Against my better judgment I started buying the DC Comics Minimates. I’ve been in a DC state of mind lately for some reason leading to a game catch up with certain series and a strange desire to own miniature versions of the characters. In any case… I’ve got these 2 inch versions of DC super heroes.

So far, there have been three ‘waves’ of figures (who coined that term? It certainly makes a delivery of toys sound more corporate) featuring eight figures each. Most assortments feature a pairing of a hero and a villain which is neat… aside from the occasional situation where two heroes are paired up like Dr Fate and Power Girl… I had no idea they were that close. Huh.

Up until this line of DC characters, the line of Minimates by Art Asylum has primarily been a Marvel Comics project with amazing renditions of the Silver Surfer, the team from Giant Size X-Men #1 and others. And while DC is taking greater care for the details, their minimates are rather overly detailed and accessory-laden.

While it’s neat to get a Deathstroke figure with four different weapons including his battle staff, rifle, handgun and sword, it does make a 2 inch character a little busy for my taste. After purchasing the Green Arrow/Deathstroke two-pack, I found myself yearning for the simplicity of a Green Lantern or Flash, who have little need for so many pack-ins.

The recent announcement of the Marvel Zombie Minimates has got me very very excited… which begs the question what is wrong with me. But look at the pic below and tell me they are not awesome, go ahead, I dare you.

What I really want to know is what my mind thinks will happen when I get more. My shelves already have a modest display of the Alex Ross renditions of key characters from Kingdom Come and Justice… and while it’s neat to collect them, it almost seems like I expect some kind of magical consumerist enlightenment to occur brought about by aligning my little plastic men in just the right way.

Of course there’s only one way to find out.

Welcome to the Framptongram Page!

Peter Frampton has reportedly signed on to compose the original soundtrack for the hotly anticipated new Eric Roberts mystery dramiller, Candelpin (or Candlepin).

Why not celebrate by sending someone a Framptongram and discovering if they ‘feel like you do’?

Candelpin (or Candlepin)

Candlepin (or Candelpin)

is the latest mystery action flick from Golan Globus Productions starring Eric Roberts as Sir Candelpin (or Candlepin), a hard as nail detective striving to make a difference in Edwardian Chicago. Upcoming starlet Matthew McConaughey plays the villainous Hon. Glen Frankenberry, corrupt peanut farmer.

Set against the backdrop of class warfare and the peanut industry, this no-holds-barred movie raises the bar for Roberts/McConaughey films.

Follow it on twitter: #candelpin or #candlepin (correct spelling legal case pending)