Tag Archive: dc


Sitting Down with a Comics Legend

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April 18, 2010

Originally Published: February 3, 2009, for 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

I was very excited when I had a chance to catch up with an old friend of mine. He is one of the most legendary comic writers to come along in recent history. He has to his credit writing for the X-Men and Batman, as well as creating the critically acclaimed Earth X and Clockmaker series, and working on two of the most popular maxi-series in recent history with Alex Ross in Justice and Avengers/Invaders. I am talking, of course, about Jim Krueger.

Jim and I talked about his inspiration for Avengers/Invaders, what he thinks will happen to Captain America in the future, his thoughts on the death of Batman, and much more. Click on the links below to give a listen to my interview with Jim Krueger.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Part 1 of my interview with legendary comic writer Jim Krueger.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Part 2 of my interview with legendary comic writer Jim Krueger.

Be sure to check out Jim’s website at

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The Death of a Batman

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Originally Published: January 18, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

A sure fire way to sell comics is to hit readers with something they would not see coming. Even with the rumor mills swirling, most comic readers won’t believe it until they see it. Well, the unthinkable has happened. Almost 70 years after his first appearance in Detective Comics #27, in issue #6 (of 7) of the Final Crisis series, Batman has been killed off by DC Comics. Supposedly, this was well in the works, but Warner Bros., a major stock holder in DC Comics and publisher of all Batman related movies and television programs, had nixed his demise due to the summer blockbuster, The Dark Knight, pulling in over $500 million dollars and proving Batman was at the peak of his popularity.

Written by a master of comic book controversy, Grant Morrison, the final pages of this issue would be the possible final pages of the Caped Crusader. Here is how Morrison’s controversial vision unfolded. Gotham’s Guardian, after having foiled every plot by Darkseid to manipulate the Dark Knight into helping Darkseid create an army of mindless soldiers with Batman’s unique skill set, confronts Darkseid in his earthly stronghold. After exchanging words, the two stare each down in the style of a Wild West duel at high noon. Batman, going against every fiber of his character to never use a gun and to never kill, pulls out the weapon that murdered the New God, Orion. It was a gun that fires Radion bullets. Radion, of course, is the only substance that Darkseid and the other “New Gods” are weak against, much like Superman is weak against Kryptonite. In the battle between man and god, Batman’s trigger finger was faster than Darkseid’s Omega Beams (imagine Superman’s heat vision multiplied by 1000). Batman’s shot was pretty impressive for someone who never used a gun. Unfortunately, Darkseid also got his shot off and vaporized the Dark Knight. The issue ends with Superman carrying Batman’s charred carcass from the stronghold.

If there is anything that has been consistent with these major death/re-launch events is that they provide a temporary boost in sales before a sharp decline sets in as people usually respond unfavorable to the replacements to these heroic icons. There are three major ones from “The Big 2” that stick out in my mind as failures.

The first two were in 1993 when Superman died and Batman had his back broken by Bane and was replaced by Jean Paul Valley, better known as Azrael. The public outcry for Superman to return was immediate and led to one of the worst story arcs in his history as DC struggled to find a way to bring him back. When Batman was replaced, and DC worked to correct it, it at least led to some of the more memorable story arcs in his recent history with the Knightfall and KnightsEnd arcs where it detailed his rehab to come back and wrest the title of Batman back from Azrael who had gone mad with power.

The third is the very recent re-launch of Spider-Man where he sold his marriage with Mary Jane to Mephisto (the devil) to save Aunt May’s life. This was one of the worst implemented re-launches in comic history and Spidey’s sales have suffered greatly because of it. With a horribly written four issue story arc called One More Day, Marvel rewrote over 20 years and 250 issues worth of continuity. How do you think the conversation between Marvel executives go when this decision came down? I think it would go something along the lines of a Guinness beer commercial.

Marvel Exec. 1: How do we re-launch Spider-Man and save Aunt May?

Marvel Exec. 2: This is a tough one. We need something that will do the character justice and stay true to him while making sure our readers understand why we made our decision to do this.

Marvel Exec. 1: Let’s just have him sell his marriage to Mephisto and we’ll go from there.

Marvel Exec. 2: Brilliant!

Marvel Exec. 1: Brilliant!

Everything I knew about Spider-Man, that I had learned over my 23 years, was gone in a matter of four weeks. Since the re-launch, Marvel has been reduced to using gimmicks like Spider-Man meeting President-Elect Obama to try and push sales and save one of their most beloved heroes.

A major issue DC has, is now that Batman has passed on, how do they keep Batman, Detective Comics, and all other Batman related series going without the main character, or at least until they decide to bring Batman back. They have already announced the I AM BATMAN story arc beginning in March that will encompass all existing titles as Robin, Nightwing, Damian (Batman’s illegitimate son with Talia Al’ Guhl), the newly resurrected Jason Todd (card carrying member with the revolving door of death), Alfred, Batwoman, Batgirl, Catwoman, and everyone else who might have any claim to the cowl duke it out to see who will inherit the mantra of the Dark Knight. My money is on the current Robin, Tim Drake. He has the best detective skills of all the candidates and was closest to the dearly departed.

Another dilemma that could (and should) arise is that once DC realizes the error of their ways, how do they bring back someone they had vaporized? In the very same issue, Superman was in the future (read the rest of Final Crisis to understand why) and as he was about to return back to the present, Brainiac 8 of the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st century, revealed to Superman a device called the Miracle Machine. This device was created in the 29th century by the Guardians of the Universe, the same guardians who created the Central Power Battery for the Green Lantern Corps. With the experience of creating devices powered by one’s will, the Guardians created this device that was so powerful, that the simplest thought entered into the Miracle Machine, could be made into reality. Of course, such a powerful device is kept under constant watch by the Legion of Superheroes and only a select few even know of its existence. Here is your obvious fix to bring Batman back once DC sees their sales plummet. Send Superman to the future (since he seems to be there every year or two anyways), grab the machine, think Batman back into existence, and the problem is solved. I know it is ridiculous, but these are the kind of things that fit right into revolving door of death in comics.

The landscape of comics is always changing, but this might be the straw that breaks a lot of backs. This ranks up there with some of the worst storyline moves ever made in comics history and I am sure I am not the only one that is shaking their head in disbelief. I would not be surprised to see some of the worst backlash in comic history from this. Batman is at an all-time popularity high with the comics, movies, video games, merchandise, and anything else you can stick a Batman emblem on in the public domain, and DC has just sent their cash cow to the hamburger factory for no apparent reason. Keep looking here as this situation continues to unfold in the coming months.

-Ray Carsillo

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Near-Flawless Victory

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Originally Published: November 29, 2008, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

Most felt that the Mortal Kombat series had suffered one of their own fatalities; they thought the previous installment in the series would mark a possible end to one of the most successful fighting franchises of all time. The genii at Midway would need something big, some twist, to rejuvenate the series and keep it fresh.

Enter one of the most enduring pop-culture franchises ever created, DC Comics. With the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and many others, you had instantly recognizable names, faces, places, and powers that had just recently been rejuvenated themselves through blockbuster box office returns and are in the midst of one of the largest comic story arcs ever where evil is supposed to win in the Final Crisis.

So, what happens when two beloved pop-culture dynamos come together? They FIGHT! I present to you ladies and gentlemen: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.

If you are going to get one fighting game this holiday season, this is the one. From a storyline that actually makes sense, to brand new features like “Testing Your Might” in the middle of a battle, and mid-air and special “Klose Kombat” fighting sequences and the series has successfully been renewed.

In terms of the combat, the old Mortal Kombat system has returned along with a few new twists. There are now expert moves, moves that, if timed correctly, are automatically done twice and done more powerfully the second time. However, so small is the window to pull off these moves that even the better experts will have difficulty performing them every time. Mix this with the potential for some old school 10 hit combos, the new mid-air and up-close fighting systems, and some revamped fatalities (and brutalities for the DC Heroes since they cannot kill) and the gameplay is on par with the best of the series.

The addition of DC’s greatest heroes and villains adds depth to the game by allowing you to play a deep story mode from both points of view (and you have to if you want to unlock both of the game’s hidden characters). You play through the story mode and get a chance to try almost every character to see their strengths and weaknesses. (I am still a dominating force with Sub-Zero.)

The big change to the story mode from previous games is that, even though it worked for a short while, there is no more third person action adventure. The story plays out for you in-between character-specific fights. For example, when Batman meets Scorpion and the two have words with each other, there is no third-person take on this. We go to an old school, best of three rounds, Kombat scenario. I personally enjoyed the third-person adventuring, but this was the only possible way to pull off a story mode in this game considering how many great characters are available to you. And, of course, the story mode leaves it open-ended enough so there is a possibility for a second MK vs. DCU.

Those are the game’s positives, but there are a few negatives. One of the big negatives is there are no level specific fatalities like in previous games. In the last installment of the Mortal Kombat series, you could knock your opponent into a lava pit or a giant meat grinder by hitting them up against certain walls or boundaries. Even in the old school games, with the right mashing of buttons at the end of a battle, you could knock your opponent into a spike pit or acid bath. These have all been removed.

Another issue I had was the lack of unlockables. The Krypt has been removed and the only things you can unlock, aside from story and arcade endings, are two bonus characters added to the twenty you start out with. I liked the Krypt, even if it was nearly impossible to get everything in it, because I enjoyed looking at extra movies and concept art and getting alternative costumes. You’re telling me you couldn’t give me black suit Superman from when he came back after being killed by Doomsday? How about an old-school blue Batman suit? The Joker in his Hawaiian vacation outfit is always hysterical. A lack of unlockables is a sore point with me and it damages this game’s replay value.

Even with a couple negatives, this was a great game. The spectacle of my favorite DC Heroes and Villains kicking butt was great. Add in the return of some of my favorites from the Mortal Kombat universe and then mixing in some old school, button mashing and I was one happy gamer from this. If there is one fighting game you are going to get this holiday season (because you should have gotten Super Smash Bros. Brawl back when it came out) this is the one.

If you want some more information on the new fighting mechanics and the storyline of the game, take a listen to my interview with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Lead Designer Brian LeBaron. CLICK HERE

Ratings are based on a system of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.

Graphics: 9.0: Blood and guts galore are always the visual gem that a Mortal Kombat game provides and this one does not disappoint. A nice detail was how good Sub-Zero’s Ice Ball/Superman’s Ice Breath looked when the opponent was frozen solid. A point was removed because some of the interactive environment looked a little blocky and faded from the screen too quickly. Aside from that, this is a beautiful looking game.

Audio: 10.0: The voice acting was crisp and the SFX were all solid. The voice script was a little over the top, but its comic book characters fighting Mortal Kombat characters, I think I would have been more disappointed if it wasn’t over the top. This game delivers a great sounding experience.

Plot/Plot Development: 8.5: It was actually a plausible plot for these respective universes to somehow meet. Written by comic book veterans Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, the story kept in tune with both the Mortal Kombat and the DCU story lines. The time period was set happening sometime after the second Mortal Kombat game and before the Identity Crisis of the DCU and it fit well with the original plot. Some things were a stretch for both universes though and a few of the pop culture references were funny, but unnecessary.

Gameplay: 9.0: Like every Mortal Kombat before it, this was easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Some of the combos are simply impossible to complete and there were a couple of glitches if you liked to use Scorpion’s, Sub-Zero’s, Batman’s, or Raiden’s teleportation moves a lot. Still, this game was mostly smooth and not very frustrating.

Replay Value: 7.5: The lack of unlockables and extra characters keeps you from coming back to the single player story and arcade modes very often. The multiplayer and online features are solid, but won’t keep you coming back unless you need a constant dose of bloody, brutal fighting.

Overall (not an average): 8.5: This game is a great new entry into both Mortal Kombat’s and DCU’s respective mythos. The game gets a little repetitive after a while, but that’s the same for every fighting game. New in-battle Kombat systems, old-school characters, a revamped story mode, and old-school Mortal Kombat brutality makes this a must have if you are a fighting fan and/or a DC Universe fan. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is out now for XBOX360 and PS3.

-Ray Carsillo

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