Comic Related

Comic films are massive business. This year so far we've seen five comic book related films which have grossed in total over $1 billion. Marvel seem to have their future films layed on for the next 3/4 years, leading up to the inevitable Avengers movie. DC on the other hand seem to be stuck in the traps, there have been many reasons cited for DCs lacklustre foray into cinema and I'm going to address...none of them. Instead I'm going to give you a list of the top 5 DC properties I believe should make it to celluloid.


1) Green Arrow

Green Arrow has had a helluva time over the last year or so. His marriage to Black Canary and their new book. A beautiful and exciting retelling of his origin in Green Arrow: Year One and his rising popularity thanks to the handsome young Justin Hartley on Smallville.

Now this actually looks viable, if reports are to believed and things don't get cancelled, with Green Arrow: Supermax. Originally I was incredibly skeptical about the premise of an unmasked and outted Oliver Queen thrown in prison with a number of "super"villains. DC so far have played it safe with their villains, especially with the more street level Batman and shyed away from villains with actual "powers". Will this actually work? I don't know, having David Goyer attached bodes well and I understand taking a risk on powers in a flick like this before bringing in a powered villain to the Batman franchise. However, when they have a perfectly good Year One story reimagined by Andy Diggle and Jock just sitting there waiting to be made into a film it makes me wonder whether this will really be a showcase for Green Arrow, or the villains.

Whatever happens, whether we're treated to a Green Arrow story that pays homage to the emerald archer or whether we're be attacked at all senses by a supervillain team up, I for one just want to see more of DCs characters up on the screen.


2) Green Lantern

If 3 is the magic number at DC, with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, then Green Lantern is most definately number 4. Especially, Hal Jordan. Since Geoff Johns brought back the greatest Green Lantern in Rebirth, Hal Jordan has been front and center. Returned to the Justice League, played a massive role in the Sinestro Corps War one of the most successful crossovers/storylines for some time. Hal was also one of the big hitters to actually have a storyline in 52, yet luckily avoided Countdown, unlike poor Kyle Rayner. He even manages to be the poster boy for Final Crisis, gracing the cover of issue 1. Hal Jordan in his day job, civilian identity is a USAF Pilot. That's right, all your Top Gun fantasies come to life...well, besides the voleyball scene where they'r...nevermind. That is cool. The only thing cooler is that in his superhero guise he is a cop. A SPACE cop.

Space. Anything could come from space. In this case, a film following Green Lanterns origin, we'd see the gift of a Green Lantern power ring given to a man who knows no fear from a dying alien. Much like Green Arrow: Year One, Green Lanterns origin practically lends itself to film, a flyboy USAF pilot finds a power ring, gets schooled by some alien super cop add ending of some kind of threat, lay hints that alien super cop may not be all he seems for the sequel and bam. Blockbuster. The effects can be handled easily enough now-a-days, look at the likes of other recent comic book movies, Iron Man, Wanted and the Incredible Hulk.

Again, like Green Arrow a supposed movie is in the works, but we've been given nothing, no casting, no teaser, no hint of production and talk can only get you so far. I sincerely hope a faithful Green Lantern movie is made, if only to eliminate all memory of the talk of Jack Black playing a comedy version of the Lantern. This might be more deserving of a movie than Green Arrow, but Green Arrow just ticks the right boxes at present, street level hero, already popular on television and B-level Hero they can take a risk on.


3) The Flash

The Fastest Man Alive is no stranger to television appearances, Barry Allen had his own TV series and made for TV movies back in 1990, even including Mark Hamill as The Trickster! Flash forward, Wally West took up his uncles role from the comics as one of the founders of the Justice League in the epic animated series, again, Mark Hamill as The Trickster! Even Bart Allen donned a red tank top in several episodes of Smallville to take up the role of The Flash. General people know of The Flash, they know what he can do to a degree. He's fast. Very fast. What general people don't know about the Flash is that he has one of the best groups of rogues outside of Gotham City.

When you're dealing with the "Fastest Man Alive" there are always certain jokes that come up and as such, The Flash has often had a certain humour to it, especially in the animated series. A tongue in cheek Flash versus the rogues could work, leading to him proving himself in an eventual JLA film, or you could throw him in at the deep end. The Flash vs Zoom. The Flash's hardest test, set by a maniac convinced he can make The Flash a better hero by injecting a little trauma and misery into his life. Fitting this all in a two hour film, with a short flashback summary of his origin is plausible. Though there are still other methods you could employ, such as taking on a natural disaster. The Flashes powers lends itself to various scenarios as well as the humour and ultimate determination. The Flash is a loveable character, who could easily appeal to all ages, more so than even Superman. So put any ideas for a JLA film on hold and get the characters out there and treated right FIRST!


4) Wonder Woman

Ask anybody, comic fan or otherwise to come up with a female superhero and odds are the first name on their lips will be Wonder Woman. A name synonymous with female heroism, a literal Amazon, Wonder Woman well known and instantly recognisable the world over. She also holds her own in DCs elite pantheon of superheroes as part of the trinity with Superman and Batman. Yet the Amazonian princess has proved a complicated character to write and to especially bring to film. She has many physical characteristics that have to be reached for an appropriate casting. She is, obviously, beautiful, yet she is an intense warrior, taller than both Superman and Batman. She is mature and wise behind her youthful looks, with her long, thick, dark hair and then there's the costume, which she needs to fill out, while still maintaining a warriors air.

Storyline. I don't know all that much about Wonder Womans cast of villains beyond Cheetah, Circe and Giganta, with Cheetah heading out as most plausible villain for a big budget film. Avoid the furore of getting to deep into the mythological side of things with the inclusion of Circe and avoid the embarrassment and sexual connotations of the princess of the Amazons dealing with an attack of a 50ft woman. Oh. Who used to be a gorilla.

All this said, there have been writers who have made the most of Wonder Woman, Greg Ruckas run was lauded and Gail Simone has been dying to get her hands on her forever and I couldn't think of many people better, as for the film reins, Joss Whedon was reportedly interested in writing a screenplay, the man who took on one of the now predominant female icons, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Someone out there needs to take on the warrior princess and tame her onto the screen, she's a hero, a legend and an icon and she needs this as much as we need to see it.


5) The Question

Street level heroes work. The Question not only works as a street level hero who passes over petty crime and focuses on the corruption higher up the ladder, but as Vic 'Charlie' Sage, TV reporter acting as a voice of The Question, outing the corruption heading on right under the noses of the people of Hub City. With a simple to integrate back story and lack of a super villain, this could be done on a reasonable budget.

The Question himself has seen quite a resurgance in recent years, ironically up to and including his death, though again, with a character so open ended as Vic Sage you could tell the story of his death and his training and philosophical opening of Renee Montoya or even have it spin out of the next Batman movie. The Question was one of the most popular characters on the JLU animated series as well as in 52 and with the ultimate Question homage of Rorschach set to make his film debut Spring, 2009, what better time to start working on a film of The Question? That...and someone should show Frank Miller how to treat a street level detective character with a bit of damn respect. Click Here to Read More..

Jason Statham as Daredevil?

It's been five years since Daredevil was released and I must say, I actually enjoyed it. It suffered from some dodgy CGI and some dodgy Jennifer Garner and although Ben Affleck played Matt Murdock well, the same couldn't quite be said when he slipped into the red leather and horns. In its favour where the nods and injokes for the fans, the Kingpin, Foggy and the absolutely brilliant Bullseye, a delightful mix of the almost camp attention seeker who made his first appearance under Frank Miller and the psychotic perfectionist he later evolved in.

Should Daredevil be remade? Jason Statham thinks so and would love to take the role as the saviour of Hells Kitchen. A new comic movie starring one of my all time favourite characters always sounds good to me, especially if it's further entrenched in the new Marvel Universe being created throughout the recent and upcoming films. Jason Statham has never been someone who's crossed my mind for the role of Daredevil, but that's more down to my subsconscious swaying away from English actors playing American heroes. He has the moves, as he keeps proving in his many Transporter films, for me he's a bit too built, I always picture Murdock as slightly more slender, not quite Spiderman or Iron Fist, but he's as athletic as someone like Nightwing. Though I'm not completely opposed to the idea, I've looked through several images of him in action (thanks Google) and I'd have to see him suited up first before really making my mind up.

However they go with any new theoretical Daredevil film I'd have to say keep away from Elektra, after Jennifer Garners wooden attempt at bringing one of the worlds most deadly assassins to life failed miserably, twice, I'd treat her as hands off for now. Though I could watch Colin Farrell as Bullseye all day. Click Here to Read More..

Weekly Review

This is where I shall be reviewing the books I have read during the week. This will mostly be graphic novels, some new some not so new and in no particular order. I'll give you a detailed review on the top three books I've read this week as well as letting you know whether I think they should be:

Must Own: Get this book in your collection now, it is essential.
Worth a read: A solid addition to any collection, enjoyable and worth following.
Pick it up: Have a flick through, not for everyone, but there's worse out there.
For the fans: Only for the true fans of the writer/artist/character.
Don't waste the cash: Put it down and we'll never speak of this again.

3) The Authority: Prime
Written by Christos Gage with art by Darick Robertson.

This starts off with a typical Authority moment, dealing with some monster and reminding you just who the Authority are. After that we get the plot device of former Stormwatch Weatherman and psychotic nemesis to both Stormwatch and The Authority, having a secret underground bunker which both teams want to get to first and neutralise any threats which may or may not be inside. The two teams arrive at the location about the same time...fight and posturing ensue.

I usually like Darick Robertsons art, I enjoyed his attention to detail in creating the Transmetropolitan world for Spider Jerusalem and I enjoy his gratuitous violence and Simon Pegg-a-like in The Boys, but for some reason, his Authority just doesn't work. Hawksmoor is for all intents and purposes Butcher, Apollo is a blue eyed former boy band member turned boxer and Midnighter...grrr, GRRR, I've grimaced a million times, I can out grimace anyone. There's also a humour in his work that detracts from the initial fighting, though, speaking of which, once the fighting and posturing starts it's all good enjoyable fun.

Inevitably, like all superhero meet ups ever, the two teams get together to take on the evil of Bendix in fairly predictable fayre. This is largely a by the numbers story, which just happens to be quite fun, but and this is a big but, is not for new fans. The history between these two teams goes back a long way and although there is just enough to keep the story together there are many in jokes and references that would just totally bypass a new comer to the Wildstorm. Wich rapidly needs to get on with its latest reboot and reintroduce the sorely missed Authority.

For The Fans: If it wasn't for such the convulated history between the two teams I'd say go pick it up and if you can get by that it's still not bad, but I'd come to expect a lot better from both Gage and Robertson.


2) The Pro
Written by Garth Ennis with art by Amanda Conner.

Thanks to an intergalactic wager by a character called, the Voyeur...sorry, Viewer, some chick who turns tricks is endowed with super powers and thrown ass first into the world of superheroes.

The familiar looking analogy of a super hero team welcome The Pro to their ranks with pompous aplomb gee-whillakers sensibilities, to which The Pro adds much needed relief, which is not restricted to purely comical!

This is by no means Garth Ennis best work, but it a great entertaining read with good laughs, especially if you're tired and jaded of the whole super hero scene for a while. This is more pointed in someways than The Boys, but definately not as extreme or shocking. The art is as beautiful as it can be in drawing a supersonic whore, with great colouring and attention to the visual jokes in the background which doesn't shy away from being crude, yet remains comicy enough to keep the laughs coming.

Worth a read: Garth Ennis fans will know what to expect, anyone else will get a good laugh at some of their favourite heroes expense all in glorious Amanda Conner art.

1) Scalped: Indian Country
Written by Jason Aaron with art by R.M. Guéra.


Not just the best thing I've read all week, but the best new thing I've read since I started on the Lucifer trades a while back.

Right from the start the dirty, dusty artwork invites you to peer closer at life on a modern Indian reservation, the browns and reds and oranges all suffering from too long in the sun, whether they be burnt, faded or just covered in dust, it all requires your attention. In the opening scenes we're thrown in and out of a nunchucked bar room brawl as we're introduced to what appears to be a simple hate filled protagonist and setting up the hero/villain scenario. Things in the 'rez' aren't quite that simple as there is so much more going on for Dashiel Bad Horse and throughout this graphic novel we see subtle glimpses of the other characters and their motivations and what could all be factors in his return home and his returns subsequent effect.

There are numerous twists, turns and impressive cliffhangers that serve to pull you in deeper while perfectly paced to keep you guessing just what is on whos agenda?

Must Own: Pick up Scalped and watch Jason Aaron soar, he's already been thrown in at Marvel with Wolverine, Black Panther and his ongoing Ghost Rider and I think there's a load more to come. If my review doesn't convince you, go pick up Vertigo: First Cut, which collects the first issues of some of Vertigos biggest ongoing titles right now. Such as: DMZ, Army@Love, Jack of Fables, The Exterminators, Scalped, Crossing Midnight and Loveless. All of which are now on order for me and I can't wait. Click Here to Read More..

One small step for mankind, one giant leap for comics.

Introducing people to comics is great fun. They're full of questions and you're bouncy with glee that you get to answer or at least give your opinion in a knowledgable way, while being stared at with starry eyed awe. The one question that isn't always quite so easy though, is;
"Where is the best jumping on point for.."

Now, jumping on points for individual characters can vary from the recent trade to a change in writer, to a specific issue a while back and some extensive Wikipedia research. Jumping on points for the big two, universally, usually varies from event to event, with Marvel coming out well ahead for being new fan accessible.

Marvel seem to have grasped the art of the jump on point fairly well, with a lot of mini series and adequate back up for their ongoings as well the recent accessible "event", Civil War, which acting as a great jumping on point and marker to read back or forward from. The X-books aren't quite as simple to just jump in to, with a wide selection of X-titles with numerous crossovers running in and out of each other over the last few years, for a strong jumping on point you'd really have to go back to House Of M.

DC on the other hand tend to opt for long running, continuity heavy series, with little explanation or reference of what has gone before. To get a grasp on the state of the DCU and what it's characters have gone through you must really head all the way back to Identity Crisis and follow it through the major events that spiralled after that, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Infinite Crisis, 52, Countdown and now Final Crisis, seemingly the least accessible of all. DC are trapped by their own continuity, their own fan base and their own company. Catering to the silver age and a fanbase that holds them back from innovation. DC itself a subsidary of Time/Warner, a subsidary of AOL and bring in barely a portion of the profits and subsequently are falling behind to Marvel on several fronts.

Wherever you jump on, if the character catches your attention there's always ways to find out more and to find out what you should be reading to head in the right direction. All else fails you, head to Wikipedia or just ask around, like I said...introducing people to comics is, and should be, fun.
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Hi, I'm Lee and I'm a Comicaholic.

I love comics. Over the last few years I have spent literally thousands of pounds (£1:$2) on graphic novels and comics. I've been a fan of comic heroes since I was a young lad, but a comic reader...collector, over the last few years.

I grew up watching the utter epic X-Men and Spiderman animated series during the early '90s. Series with continuity, including multiple episode storylines, action, drama with stories taken from the comics with no dumbing down. I was mesmerised, nothing else gave me such a range of different characters with so much depth and maturity.

I needed more. I needed the comics, but being in England, despite the few growing Forbidden Planet stores dotted around the country, finding a comic book store was like finding life from Krypton, pretty hopeless even if you know where to look.

So my fascination with comic heroes went on a back burner, every now and then I'd see an issue of X-Men, Spiderman or Wolverine and I'd snap it up, I'd watch old re-runs of the cartoons as well as others I'd missed from the '90s such as Incredbile Hulk, Iron man and the Fantastic Four. I watched and raved about the Blade films and couldn't wait to see Spiderman in the cinema as the years flashed forward.

2005. By now I finally had money that wasn't going to the car, girlfriend, rent or pub. Not only that, but I'd been on the internet a few years and found the Forbidden Planet website. Here was a calvacade of geeky dreams which I had never seen before and me with some spare change. Let's go shopping.

I needed to find an adequate comic jumping on point, I thought I'd stick with what I know...either X-Men or Spiderman, Spidey I'd just have a friend attempt to explain the clone saga to me and I developed a 1000 yard stare any 'nam vet would be proud of. So I opted for X-Men.

The site had a section for Marvel graphic novels and a subsection dedicted to the X-titles. I had no idea how many there were. I looked for characters I recognised, I saw storylines I recognised, but I wanted something that was issue 1. I picked up Grant Morrisons New X-Men 1 - 5.

Boy can I pick 'em. I loved it. There were characters I didn't recognise and plot points I didn't, but I was able to cope and what I didn't know just made me want to learn more as I picked up more X-books, books like the Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past as well as some Wolverine titles.

I started looking around on the internet for new things to read and where to go next and decided my next port of call would be on a whole new continent. DC comics. I knew Batman, Superman, The Flash and they had a bunch of weird colour coded characters. Green Lantern? Red Tornado? Blue Beetle? How imaginative. Apparently, thank you internet, the book of the moment was Identity Crisis. I loved Identity Crisis. All these new characters taking center stage especially one of those weird colour coded characters, Green Arrow.

I loved this witty, intelligent, yet hot headed character and had to find out more and to my amazement he has a few new books out written by Kevin Smith! I know him! I was sold and they actually turned out to be pretty good and so my foray into DC was under way, next stop Batman and then the lead up to Infinite Crisis.

Trying to find out more about comics and the top comics people have read and what I should be reading, one name constantly came up on lists, Watchmen. Who was I to argue? I ordered a copy. I opened it up excited and flicked through. It was...well...pink. Where were the bright vibrant colours I'd become rapidly attached to? I put off reading it and buried my head back into my brightly coloured, brash world of heroes until my to read pile ran dry. I took it to work with me and started reading, it was slow and still pink and I was waiting for the fight scenes. I kept reading. The characters developed, the mysteries unfolded, the plots unravelled, my mind exploded. This was it, this was my hit too far, I was now a comic junkie.

After that came the spending. I read as much as I can afford and when my to read pile runs low I'm more than happy to reread some of the epic storylines holding up my bookcase. So thank you New X-Men, Identity Crisis and Watchmen. The three hits that created an addict.
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San Diego Comic Con.

I was there. I may have been 7500 miles away, but in many ways, I was there.

I've never been to a comic convention, I've only ever been to one convention at all and it was fairly small, though hey, I met Face and Murdock from the A-Team! ...I digress, the main convention for comics in the UK is Bristol International Comic Expo closely followed by Birmingham International Comic Show.

Both of which pale in comparison to their bigger, better, brasher American counter parts, especially the Daddy of them all, SDCC.

Though thanks to the Gods of the internet I was able to be right on the floor, hearing the gossip, seeing the sights, watching the videos, hearing the panels and to the people responsible for this, I thank you. Even if you were just able to tweet a few words about who you'd met, or your instant reaction to a panel announcment I could follow it right alongside you on Twitter, Newsarama, The Weekly Crisis and perhaps most fulfillingly, the Marvel team with Jim McCann and Marvel.com editor (twitter legend) Agent M.

Marvel were brilliant, so quick to get news up online and Live Interactive Blogs for every Marvel panel, where we were drip fed news, announcements and hilarity as and when it happened as well as putting up with our stupid questions and even manage to provide us with artwork (credit to Nogs back in NYC for that!).

Altogether this may have only been a taste of the entire event, but that taste has got me hooked and from now on I'll be putting some money aside to ship this Englander o'er the Oceans to sunny San Diego for comic-con '09 where I'll keep as many people up to date as often as I can.

Hopefully some of the people who made this year so fun will be there, I owe them drink/handshake/more stupid questions.
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FIRST!

First post, on my first blog, on my first foray into fully embracing internet culture.

So, specialist subjects? Comics, films and gaming. Other than that posts will mostly concern Lee related things, probably me bitching about work, the weather or anything. I'm English, we complain.

Okay, you've somehow stumbled onto my blog, hopefully the pretty colours momentarily keep your attention, while you're here...tell me, what do you look for in a blog, what makes you come back and keep up to date? Don't make me do a webcomic, I have bad luck with artists.
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