Tag Archive: superman


Warner Bros. Montreal Working on New DC Games

Filed under: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), Written — Leave a comment
December 14, 2011

THE BUZZ: In an interview with Peter Nowak of Canadian Business, Warner Bros.’ new Montreal studio’s head Martin Carrier and VP/Executive Producer Reid Schneider let loose that there are plans for more DC Comics inspired games on the way.

“We’re definitely working closely with DC on different titles, yet to be announced. It’s one of the reasons we talk to Geoff Johns and Jim Lee on a regular basis,” said Carrier. “It’s a good time to be working with DC. There’s so much energy going on there. So yeah, we’re in the triple-A space and the casual online space.”

Schneider and Carrier also alluded to these games not being movie tie-ins due to the success of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City showing that fans want more original stories based in the rich lore of the DCU and not just other media spin-offs.

EGM’S TAKE: Look out EA and Ubisoft, it looks like you’ve got some new gaming neighbors up there in Montreal. It’s no surprise really that Warner Bros. would be looking to devote a large force of employees to working with the DC Comics license considering the potential there and the fact that they’re working with Jim Lee and Geoff Johns, guys who drew and wrote some of the more prolific Batman and Green Lantern stories of the past decade and have moved up the DC management hierarchy, only bodes well for future titles. With plans to double the studio’s 150 employee work force by 2015 as well might mean a lot of work in the near future for these guys, which is good news all around for any and all DC Comics fans.

What games and heroes besides those that are Batman related would you guys like to see? Where does Warner Bros. go with Batman from here? What more for online could they do with the DC brand? Let us know your thoughts with comments below!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

The Pullbox – 8/31/11

Filed under: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), Written — Leave a comment
September 13, 2011

Originally Published: August 31, 2011 on EGMNOW.com

August is coming to a close and with it is an incredible run by Greg Pak on The Incredible Hulk that will lead into an all new monthly for “he who likes to smash” over at Marvel and of course the universe altering Flashpoint for DC. With all these changes going on, let’s jump right into this week’s comics and get our hands on my five must haves for the week.

1) DC – Flashpoint #5 (of 5): As mentioned in the open, this is where the entire DCU will be reset from. Although not following Flashpoint as closely as many other events over the past few years, partially due to my disappointment in the ending of Brightest Day by Geoff Johns, who is one of the main guys behind this re-launch, this issue actually left me feeling rather satisfied with how everything has drawn to a close with some tremendously heart-felt moments for many of the DCU’s powerhouses. Even if you haven’t been reading Flashpoint, if you have any interest in the DCU, you should pick this up just to have a solid idea of where things will go from here and so you can have a solid gauge of just what changes are taking place. If for some reason you’ve been staying off the DC bandwagon, then this is the perfect time to get on board with a fresh start and not as much of the weight that comes with some of publisher’s main characters’ 70-plus year histories.

2) DC – Justice League #1: The only other DC comic to be released this week, which not only made it very easy to pick my pair of DC must haves, but also is the starting off point for the new vision of the DC Universe. A part of me really wanted to hate this issue, I admit. The whole idea of a universal re-launch kind of turned my stomach when I first heard about it, and I’m still unsure of how things will turn out, but if everything ends up like this comic, then DC will be just fine and this could mark the beginning of a newly celebrated age in comics. Starting off in a flashback to five years ago before the Justice League had formed (in comics time of course), the issue has a lot of classic crowd pleasing elements like the heroes fighting each other at first until a new threat they can’t handle alone rears its head (which I won’t spoil, but DC fans will be thrilled about what it is). My only problem from this comic comes in the Superman redesign. The all blue-suit and more toned musculature really makes me think I’m looking at Superboy and not Superman. Overall though, aside from possibly being worth something as a new #1, I can see this easily becoming one of my monthly pick up depending on where this opening arc goes.

3) Marvel – The Incredible Hulks #635 – Again, as mentioned above, Greg Pak’s run with Hulk is coming to an end. With it, Marvel will hand over the reigns to a new creative team, with a brand new Hulk monthly, in writer Jason Aaron and legendary artist Marc Silvestri as Marvel will make sure what would otherwise be a monumental gap in their lineup stays occupied. Not surprising to see a new team come in after seeing Hulk’s main comic go through more changes in the past few years than Banner does purple pants, but the idea of ANOTHER re-launch has me shaking my head. Pak’s run was spectacular though and he added as much depth to the character than most any other writer in the Hulk’s history. So if you’re a fan of the big green gamma-irradiated monster known as The Hulk, you should pick this up to see where the character may just be going and who he’ll take with him when his new landmark monthly in October hits as this run draws to a fitting close.

4) Marvel – Herc #6.1 – Mind you, it’s not like Greg Pak will be out of work as he will continue now with the monthly he started a short while ago since he is probably the sole reason as to why this character has seen a renaissance in recent years. Hercules, one time Avenger, now stripped of his powers, must try to find his way in the world and figures what better place than…Brooklyn? Not quite Mount Olympus, Herc decides that this New York borough is in need of a hero and so after raiding Ares’ armory, he uses some godly weapons and his god-sized heart to try to dish out a little justice. Continuing the “.1” series for Marvel, which is really just an excuse to dish out more one-shots and make some more cash, this adventure may not be as epic as the main monthly for Herc, but it does a fine job of catching you up incase you missed the first six issues and are looking for something new and fun as the Herc series has done a great job of mixing humor and action to be one of the more overall entertaining reads to launch this year.

5) IDW – Locke and Key: Clockworks #2 – Continuing Joe Hill’s twisted story of how the Locke family are using mystical keys to keep the demon world at bay, Clockworks #2 mixes humor with some very dark and disturbing imagery that could only come from the mind of Stephen King’s son (Joe Hill is a pen name). The evil demon Dodge, who is trying to unleash his demon brethren into our realm, has possessed the youngest of the Locke children and is using his body to get close to his ultimate prize. Unwittingly, he also releases Kinsey’s tears and fears, emotions that using the Head Key she had locked away in order to do what was necessary in order to protect her family and our world. Mayhem runs abound in this issue as the countdown to the amazing conclusion to the Locke and Key series is in full swing now. If you haven’t been reading Locke and Key, go find collections of the previous story arcs and get on board while you still can with this phenomenally dark series.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

What Can We Expect from Brightest Day Aftermath?

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
May 3, 2011

Originally Published: May 2, 2011, on Comicvine.com

A lot happened in the final issue of Brightest Day. Characters died, characters came back, and the DC Universe has been shaken up in a lot of ways. So, this got me thinking as to what we can expect in the immediate future from some of these characters and specifically what we might be looking at in the three issue mini-series, Brightest Day: Aftermath, that will chronicle just how big the fallout is from this DC event.

I’m going to start with characters from Brightest Day that I think will play little to no part in Aftermath and then move up in importance of who will influence what I believe will be the DC Universe’s future as a whole. And be forewarned that if you have not ready Brightest Day #24 then, well, what’s wrong with you. Go! Now! Read it! What are you waiting for?! And then immediately come back here because there will be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Professor Zoom, Captain Boomerang, Osiris, Maxwell Lord, and Jade were part of the group that was resurrected by the White Lantern. Over the final 31 pages of the extra-sized final issue of Brightest Day, these characters were featured in a single panel (except for Zoom who wasn’t even featured at all after he freed Barry Allen from the Speed Force). One. That’s it. They’re jobs were done in other comics or in the case of Captain Boomerang; he threw his one boomerang in Brightest Day #24 and supposedly slinked back off to the Rogues.

It is safe to assume that because of this, it would be unlikely for these characters to have a major impact of any sort in Aftermath as they go back to their lives that will have their own respective ripples in the DCU. Jade is now a part of the JLA and dealing with Eclipso, Professor Zoom promised to cause trouble for Captain Boomerang in the future who will of course go back to the Rogues, Maxwell Lord will likely have his hands full being hunted by the former members of the JLI after killing Blue Beetle, and Osiris brought back Isis who will likely have more of an impact than her brother in the Aftermath if she is fated to help Swamp Thing as insinuated by the White Lantern.

The next characters that I doubt will have much influence in Aftermath will be Aquaman and Hawkman. Already confirmed to be having their own monthly comics to come out of Brightest Day, they’ll have their own problems to deal with. There is a traitor in Aquaman’s midst as revealed in the Brightest Day prologue pages as well as he’ll have the responsibility of having to train the new Aqualad. Hawkman also seems like he’ll need some time alone, as he’s not too thrilled over the fact that Hawkgirl was dust when Swamp Thing released him and the other element avatars. With these more pressing issues for these characters, I doubt they’ll be too worried about the rest of the DCU and Swamp Thing in particular for the time being.

Now there is no word of a monthly for Firestorm or Martian Manhunter, but I think these other two element avatars are characters who might have tougher times pulling off a monthly and could go right back to business as normal in the JLA. And considering the partial reveal we’ve seen of the first Aftermath cover featuring Batman and Superman, you can figure the heavy hitters of the JLA will be involved with this and they’ll need these two powerhouses who have also had experience with Swamp Thing and the White Lantern to help quell whatever conflict may be the spark for Aftermath. Not to mention Martian Manhunter had no problems in his prologue page of Brightest Day so it makes sense for him to go straight back to the JLA, who are also the most likely people to help Firestorm fix his matrix problems.

This leaves Deadman and Hawk of the 12 resurrected. I don’t see Hawk being of much use, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Dove and Deadman considering their relationship and so Hank Hall will have to tag along just for fun. Deadman though will likely be critical in the Aftermath because of his previous working relationship with Swamp Thing and he was also the most crucial of the resurrected over the course of Brightest Day. Deadman is not happy being a ghost again, but he knows he might have to hold Swamp Thing’s hand for a while in Aftermath.

And this brings us to characters that weren’t really featured in Brightest Day but look to have a major role in Aftermath. Aftermath has been described on DC’s The Source blog as “the new protector of Earth has been chosen – but one reluctant hero makes a return to try and convince Batman, Superman, and the rest of the DC Universe’s heroes that this may not be a good thing at all.”

The obvious choice for someone having a problem with this is John Constantine since he was revealed on the last page of Brightest Day after Swamp Thing causes some carnage in a big business meeting room and says “Bollocks.” Either he’s not happy or he doesn’t believe it. Constantine and Swamp Thing have a long and storied history with one another, and this could also serve as a gateway to work in Tefe, Swamp Thing’s daughter, who was created when Swamp Thing possessed Constantine briefly. Of course, Deadman could also logically have the biggest problem with this because he was forced to sacrifice his life in order to bring back Swamp Thing and wants some kind of retribution.

So those are my thoughts on what we can immediately expect in Brightest Day: Aftermath. Aquaman is going to be busy with a war beneath the waves. Hawkman has to deal with his girlfriend being dust. And the rest of the DCU is going to have to deal with Swamp Thing trying to re-acclimate himself to the world. What will Batman, Superman, and the rest of the JLA think of this? What kind of damage can Swamp Thing do and how will our heroes find him considering he can be anywhere in the world there is plant life? Let us know what you think with comments below!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Superman/Batman #5 Annual Review

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
April 6, 2011

Originally Published: April 6, 2011, on Comicvine.com

Reign of Doomsday continues as Cyborg Superman has turned the JLA Satellite into his own personal playground in an attempt to find meaning in his life by snuffing out Doomsday’s. Unfortunately, Batman and Supergirl are caught in the middle of their epic confrontation!

The Good

One of the most thrilling battles I’ve ever seen in a comic happens here between Cyborg Superman and Doomsday. Cyborg Superman literally attempts to throw everything in the satellite at Doomsday to the point where the satellite takes on the features of Cyborg Superman’s face and Doomsday KEEPS coming.

The most awesome part of this battle is that Cyborg Superman thinks that he has won after blasting away almost half of Doomsday body, not realizing how Doomsday adapts. Soon Doomsday adapts Cyborg Superman’s abilities into his own and becomes Cyborg Doomsday as he pulls parts of the JLA Satellite into his being as well and wrests control of the satellite away from Cyborg Superman, thus changing the outside to look like Doomsday’s face instead of Cyborg Superman’s. You can actually feel the fear of Cyborg Superman when he realizes what happens.

On top of this, you see Cyborg Superman’s thought bubbles and you realize just how insane his immortality has driven him and how obsessed he has become in wanting to be the one who destroys Doomsday in the hopes it can justify his existence, which was a brilliant way of giving more depth to this character in the midst of some tremendous action sequences.

There are also two specific full page spreads that should simply blow you away and that sum up the epic action that takes place in the pages of this comic perfectly.

The Bad

Batman and Supergirl are of almost no consequence for much of the comic. Supergirl is still trying to fight off her dark side and Batman knows the only way the good guys might win the day is if he can cure Supergirl. So while you have one of the greatest battles we’ve seen in some time happening between Cyborg Superman and Doomsday, you have a psychology session going on for Supergirl as she tries to cope with the loss of New Krypton and get over her dark self.

This break in the pacing was difficult to handle and had me wishing Batman and Supergirl were on the outside of JLA Satellite with Saint Walker and Starman who were uselessly trying to break in.

Also, if you haven’t been following the Reign of Doomsday story arc, this is NOT the time to jump into it. Although the action is great to see, you’ll be completely lost as to how we got to this point and you might not be able to appreciate how epic Doomsday has been over this story arc so far.

The Verdict

If you have been reading Reign of Doomsday, then this chapter is another stellar addition to the story arc and you will absolutely love how far Doomsday and Cyborg Superman go to try to stop one another and pummel each other into submission.

Even though it has some pacing problems, the only way I say you don’t pick this up is if you haven’t read the previous chapters and to that I tell you to go catch up as soon as you can so you can read this comic.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Brainiac Rises

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
February 27, 2011

Originally Published: February 27, 2011, on my StrongProtector account on GiantBomb.com

Growing up, I always dreamed of being a superhero. I wore a blue blanket around my neck as a cape and ran around the house vanquishing invisible enemies with what I perceived as martial arts, but that my parents probably thought might be closer to some kind of interpretive dance (I’ve always been a very uncoordinated individual). So, it makes some sense that the only MMORPGs I ever had any real interest in were the ones that let me make my own superhero.

Great MMORPGs are supposed to be able to suck you in and make you want to keep playing and building up your character and keep influencing the universe you find yourself in (and keep paying the monthly subscription fee), but I got bored with City of Heroes after a while and the same happened with Champions Online.

DC Universe Online was supposed to be different though. Over the four-plus years of development and delays we had to endure, we kept being told how it was going to change the world of MMORPGs, how it was going to be different, and how it was going to appeal more to people like me who weren’t into collecting rat pelts and beating up on smaller foes constantly in order to just level up once in the hopes of advancing past the next mission.

Well, after weeks of near non-stop research, where I sacrificed contact with the outside world, and also with my razor (see picture), I have come to this conclusion: DCU Online is easily the most fun, engrossing, and enjoyable superhero MMORPG I’ve ever played. But after playing it non-stop for a month, I don’t see any reason to extend my subscription beyond the free 30 days the game comes with.

The game opens with Brainiac putting into motion his master plan, his end game that will finally eradicate the heroes and villains who have always stood in his way and that will give him absolute control of the Earth. And he will succeed. Furious over missing the threat right under his nose and letting his obsession with Superman get the best of him, Lex Luthor from the future builds a time machine that allows him to temporarily travel back to the Justice League Watchtower before Brainiac launches his attack. Future Luthor has brought back with him Exobytes, little nanobots that Brainiac used to download the DNA and powers of Earth’s heroes and upload into his robot army for the final push of his conquest. Luthor releases these Exobytes into the atmosphere, thus creating millions of new heroes in the hopes it can change his present and our future as he is ripped back to his own time.

It is here that you can then create your own hero or villain. First, you have to choose a server offered and I normally wouldn’t even mention this, but as a comic book fan, I took a little extra joy in seeing each one named after a classic DC storyline, whether “The Killing Joke”, “Final Crisis”, “Justice” or the many others. Now, if you want to jump right into the action after this, you can choose from one of 15 hero/villain presets, but if you’re like me and want a more personal touch, then you can choose from hundreds of various combinations, with more that you can earn over the course of your playing time.

Either way, you can choose from one of six “mentor” types who will influence your safe house and mission layout. If you choose to be a hero that follows Batman, for example, you’ll face more of his villains like Scarecrow and Bane. On the other side of the coin, if you choose to be a villain that follows the Joker, you’ll face off mostly against the Bat Family.

I created one hero and one villain to start. The hero I made is a tech-ninja who sports a sweet black mage hat named Strong Protector and who is a dedicated brawler. The villain I created is a dual-pistol wielding army reject named Ray Rage. Someone is now going to use this information to probably lay out a psych profile for me. Anyway, I stuck with the more realistic hero powers, but ice, nature, fire, psychic, and dark magic abilities are all at your disposal as well when creating your own personal characters.

The instant appeal of DCU Online doesn’t lie in the fact that you can create your own hero or villain though because it’s been done before. The appeal lies in the fact that you are playing in an established universe with over 70 years of history to it. You’re jumping right into Gotham’s East End to cause havoc with the Joker for the GCPD and stop Huntress from putting pressure on your mob allies or maybe you’d rather jump into Metropolis’ Chinatown with Superman and need to stop the Hive from stealing mystical artifacts.

The concept clearly is enough to get my blood pumping, but how does the game actually stand up once you get into Metropolis, the Watchtower, or various other areas in the DC Universe? The best way to describe it would probably be a mixed bag.

The scope of the world you find yourself fighting in is absolutely massive and obviously being able to support thousands upon thousands of people online at once takes its toll on the aesthetics of the game, but that’s really no excuse for the amount of visual glitches you’ll find in DCUO. Much of the world is very slow loading and there are holes everywhere. Thank goodness there is a warp option in the menu otherwise I’d still be falling through an invisible hole that was in the middle of the Metropolis boardwalk. The graphics do look great though during the story cut scenes or the small comic style vignettes you earn after defeating every hero or villain you face.

The audio is spear-headed by tremendous voice acting from former DC Universe animation veterans like Adam Baldwin and James Marstens (Superman and Lex Luthor from Superman: Doomsday) and of course Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (Batman and the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series and countless other DC animation projects), but I was surprised at how generic the music was. It kept sounding like you’d hear the beginnings of Danny Elfman’s Batman theme in Gotham or John Williams’s Superman theme in Metropolis, and then it would just taper off. Would it have been too much to ask to bash heads to the music that many comic book fans have come to associate with their favorite heroes?

Where DC Universe Online really shines is in the simple controls and mechanics. Unlike most other MMORPGs, the action is completely responsive to your button commands like a traditional action-game instead of the random or turn-based styling that is more accustomed to this kind of game. This allows for players to have a much stronger say in what happens in a fight instead of relying on making the right choices when leveling up and hoping for the right digital role of the dice behind the scenes.

The leveling up has also been streamlined compared to most MMORPGs as you only decide on what new powers you can learn or new fighting styles to acquire. Your health, defense, attack power, speed, and other more traditional attributes increase at a fixed pace, which can be augmented via finding various types of gear from fallen foes, with the best goodies obviously being dropped by the super villains you take out.

Also, instead of having to go back and knock out a plethora of weaker enemies as you progress in order to level up, DC Universe Online successfully has eliminated the rat pelt collecting and has you level up at a much more consistent pace no matter what level you may be. You deserve a reward for bringing Doctor Psycho, Giganta, Harley Quinn, or any of the other countless villains in the DCU to justice no matter what your level is so whether you’re Level 5 or Level 25, you’re going up a level if you beat a villain.

The big problem right now with DC Universe Online is that you can actually get through most of everything you can do in the game in the free month that you get with it. Sure, you could stick around to test your mettle against other created characters in the small or large scale PvP Raid and Arena instances or join up in Legends mode and play as your favorite hero and villains in some classic goal oriented multiplayer, but there isn’t enough for you to buy a monthly subscription until the level cap is increased and some new villains and missions are added. Of course, you could just try out other mentors and powers for the main game as well and create a small army of characters if you really fall head over heels for this game.

When all is said and done, DC Universe Online is a solid, but not spectacular MMORPG unless you really love the DC Universe and their characters, like myself. If so, then this game is definitely worth a purchase, just make sure not to start your free 30 days until you know you can get some solid gaming time in, because even the most diehard of DC fans will probably be ready to hang up their cape after a month.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 7.0: In it’s defense, you’re going to have a lot of visual glitches in a world the size of what DC Universe is set in. A big knock against it though is this game has been in development for nearly five years when it was finally released so I was pretty ticked when I fell through the middle of Metropolis’ boardwalk for what seemed like forever and I have to SOE out on it.

Audio: 7.0: I loved the voice actors featured in the game and the SFX are something you would expect in any comic book game, but you couldn’t get the rights from Warner Bros. for some licensed music? I want the Danny Elfman theme for a Batman protégé character damnit!

Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: Great original comic book plot that fits perfectly into the DC Universe and just like many of the comics the game is based off of, if done properly, it will never truly end, but continue to evolve along with the game’s community.

Gameplay: 8.0: A bevy of super powers available to you early on and an easy leveling up system that didn’t have you running around collecting rat pelts was a nice change to your standard MMORPG. Despite this, much like the graphics, there were a lot of glitches and slow response times to your command inputs due to lag and it became irritating at times.

Replay Value: 7.0: An engaging and original comic book plot that will always change and evolve is a tremendous concept, but I will never understand the willingness to pay a $15 monthly charge for any video game that costs $60 to begin with. Unless this all you plan on playing for a good long while, you can probably get your entire superhero fix in the free month that comes with the game.

Overall (not an average): 7.5: As much good as there is in this game, there are still a lot of problems that I’m sure will be fixed over time, but as it is now keeps it from being elite and definitely not worth a monthly subscription fee. Find a spot on the calendar when there won’t be a lot of good games coming out, buy this with the free month, and then be done with it until it gets some sweet expansion pack.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Review for the Xbox 360

Filed under: CGR Undertow — 4 Comments
December 29, 2010

Originally Published: December 28, 2010, on Youtube.com/CGRUndertow

As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe for the Xbox 360 from Midway and Warner Bros. Interactive.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam Blu-ray Review

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
December 23, 2010

Originally Published: December 18, 2010, on Collider.com

Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam is the latest animated short to be released by the folks in charge of the DC Animated Universe. The Man of Steel, in his Clark Kent guise, is doing a newspaper piece on Billy Bastion, a young orphan with a heart of gold who tries to always see the good in the world. It is this eternal optimism that has also piqued the interest of a mystical being known as the Wizard Shazam. Unbeknowst to Billy, he has been marked by the Wizard in order for him to keep an eye on him. This mystical mark though is also acting as a beacon for the Wizard’s greatest failure, Black Adam.

Black Adam was originally a champion of Shazam, but his dark heart quickly led him to using his powers for evil and so the Wizard banished him to the farthest star system he could think of. With the powers of a god though at his disposal, Black Adam has been traveling back to Earth for centuries and now wishes revenge on those who had wronged him.

Now, left with no other choice, the Wizard must prematurely bestow Billy with the same powers as Black Adam to help protect Earth from all manner of villainy as he will now become the new Captain Marvel, Earth’s Mightiest Mortal. Billy must quickly learn about his powers and how to be a hero from Superman who, as always, conveniently shows up and together they must stop Black Adam once and for all.

Origin stories can be very fun if done properly and this animated short’s quick pace, great voice acting, and shiny stylized looking animation all come together very well on the Blu-ray format as probably the best short yet by DC’s animation gurus. All the major voice actors, George Newburn as Superman, Arnold Vosloo as Black Adam, Jerry O’Connell as Captain Marvel, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Mister Tawky Tawny also gave great performances and really made you believe in their characters motivations.

And Newburn continues to rival Tim Daly’s classic 1990s Superman voiceover portrayal here in more recent times. Even the changes they made to Bastion’s upbringing in order to make him a character that the audience could immediately get behind was forgivable for diehards and didn’t take anything away from the piece or the theme of the character.

The only real weak point of this piece is the most obvious one in that it is less than 30 minutes long for what easily could have been a full-feature all on its own for one of comics’ oldest heroes (first appearing in February of 1940 even though he didn’t become a DC property until 1972).

And since this adventure is less than 30 minutes long, it has been bundled together with the other DC shorts that were featured on their more recent full-length animated films. Extended versions of the Green Arrow, The Spectre, and Jonah Hex shorts are included to help flesh out this Blu-Ray package into a more respectable length closer to 70 minutes.

Unfortunately, if you are a fan of the DC Universe and have been collecting the animated movies up to this point, then these added shorts, which were needlessly extended with a couple of minutes of filler animation each to try to extend the Blu-ray further, don’t add much to this disc overall really. Even with special episodes from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Batman: The Animated Series, and Justice League Unlimited that highlight all the characters featured on this disc, there is only 30 minutes of non-documentary original content.

It is because of this lack of original animated content that I can’t recommend this to anyone who has bought Batman/Superman: Apocalypse, Batman: Under the Red Hood, or Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths already. Sorry Captain Marvel fans, but I’d just rent this or wait till it hit the bargain bin if you really want to purchase this solid, albeit very short, representation of your hero.

Rating: C

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jim Shooter Interview at Pittsburgh Comics and Collectibles Show

Filed under: Video — Leave a comment
November 22, 2010

Originally Published: November 16, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com

At the 2010 Pittsburgh Comics and Collectibles convention, I had the honor of talking with comics legend Jim Shooter. Jim is best known for his creation of the Superman villain, Parasite, and for serving as Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief from 1976-1987. Currently, Jim is working for Dark Horse comics as the primary writer for the new Doctor Solar and Magnus series.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

From My Mom’s Basement – Ep 23 – Vacation’s Over

Filed under: From My Mom's Basement — Leave a comment
June 6, 2010

Originally Published: May 25, 2010, on Lundberg.me, NationalLampoon.com, and SportsRev.TV

This week I reviewed Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Batman/Superman #72 from DC Comics. My hot chick pick of the week is Nilanti Narain.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Opposite Day!

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
June 5, 2010

Originally Published: March 2, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

The folks at DC Animation are constantly thinking up new ways to put some twists on classic comic book storylines and their latest undertaking is a new look at the classic alternative universe, or “multi-verse”, storylines that have been a staple of the DC Universe (DCU) since the 1960s.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths sees the Justice League visited by an alternative universe Lex Luthor where everything is opposite to our beloved Justice League’s universe. So, Lex Luthor and the Joker (called The Jester) are heroes and Superman, Batman, and the rest of the Justice League all has villainous mobster-type counterparts (Ultraman to Superman, Owlman to Batman, etc.). It is now tasked to our Justice League to rise to the challenge of adapting to this new world and to take down this nefarious group of super villains (called the Crime Syndicate) for the sake of the entire multi-verse!

If you’re a DCU fan and you are expecting to see a single comic story arc represented in this latest straight to DVD movie, then you will be sorely mistaken. A die-hard DCU fan will immediately recognize that this is more of a compilation of elements from all of the multi-verse stories of the 1960s all the way through to the first DCU Crisis. From adding a few original elements and using the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 storylines, to the idea of a multi-verse and its possible destruction, this DVD was able to tie together all those concepts very well to create a never-before-seen, enjoyable storyline involving all of our favorite superheroes. Of course, it didn’t take a lot of reworking from the brain trust at DC Animation since most of these pieces were already in place almost a decade ago when this was originally supposed to be a bridge between the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons, but I still liked it.

Although the movie is just 75 minutes, there are also plenty of DVD features on the special edition to make this a worthwhile purchase instead of a simple rental. The special features include a short documentary feature on the advent of the multi-verse in the DCU and how they inspire storylines even today, which was brilliantly done and features the usual powerhouses behind the scenes of DC. Along with this, you get a preview of the next big DC Animation project (Under the Red Hood), a special animated short featuring the original Spectre done in the style of a 1970s crime drama, and two episodes of the Justice League cartoon from the early 2000s that, of course, features an alternative universe Justice League. Right there you have probably another 75 minutes of bonus content, not to mention it comes with an Owlman figurine if you get the 2-disc special edition.

Even with all these great features and an original plot, there were a couple of drawbacks. I thought the animation style was a little sub par to what I’ve come to expect from DC Animation. There was just something that rubbed me the wrong way and it had to do with the characters’ faces. They almost looked a little too unrealistic, like they belonged more in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Along with this, the voice acting was only average. I was severely disappointed with William Baldwin’s portrayal of Batman and Mark Harmon as Superman and Chris Noth as Lex Luthor really ground my gears as well. I did love James Woods as Owlman, though, and Nolan North, a voice acting veteran best known for several of his video game roles, played Green Lantern and his evil counterpart, Power Ring, very nicely.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths could be a nice addition to any DC fan’s DVD collection with some great special features and a good plot based on some classic storylines, but I wouldn’t put it above Batman/Superman: Public Enemies or the Wonder Woman animated feature that came out last year.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths gets 3 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment