loonyblog.

All I'll say about last week's Smallville...

Worst wire-fu ever.

Lois, Lana and the state of Smallville.

The following post was written via Blackberry while I was sitting on a plane. Due to our recent move, I was offline for a bit there, and this is a bit out of date already, as it refers not to this week's, but last week's episode. Still, I think the points are still valid, and think it's worth posting, outdated or not.

Read on if you're interested.

Continue reading "Lois, Lana and the state of Smallville."

Things I hate in Superman stories.

In case it's not absolutely crystal-clear, I read a lot of Superman comics. And watch every movie/television show that has Superman in it. And I have a tendency to form an opinion about every single one...I can't help it...I'm a fanboi! Anyway, here are a few of the things that drive me nuts when I see them in any Superman story, regardless of the medium.

Read on for the list if you've got a geek tolerance level of 50 or above (level 3 nerd also qualifies).

Continue reading "Things I hate in Superman stories."

Ma Kent is cast.

Yet another bit of Superman casting news today...Eva Marie Saint, best known for her work in On the Waterfront and North by Northwest, has been cast as Martha (Ma) Kent. She's a good choice for the role, no controversy here. As best I can tell, this leaves only the role of Jonathan Kent open, unless they decide to cast names as Jor-El or one of Luthor's henchmen (although in both cases, I really hope not). Here's a look at the future Mrs. Kent:

Meet Jimmy Olsen (no, really this time).

Two more actors have been confirmed for the upcoming Superman movie...Sam Huntington, an actor whose dubious credits include Jungle 2 Jungle, Detroit Rock City, Not Another Teen Movie and (ugh) Sleepover, has been cast as Jimmy Olsen, thus replacing Shawn Ashmore, who was previously believed to have been cast in the role. Personally, I think Ashmore would have been a better choice, but that's only becasue I've seen two movies with him in it, where I have yet to sit through a single Sam Huntington film. But he's been cast, so let's all get used to it.

Believe it or not, this was the best picture I could find of the guy (c/o Yahoo Movies). In everything else, he was either dressed up like a Jungle native, or decked out for a KISS concert.

Also cast, according to Entertainment Weekly, is James Marsden, who will be playing Richard White, son of Perry, and love interest for Lois Lane. Whiney (and occasionally weepy) Cyclops aside, I like Marsden, so this is an okay choice with me.

Say hello to Perry White.

Looks like one more we can cross off that list...according to SciFi Wire, actor Hugh Laurie has quietly confirmed that he's going to be playing Perry White in the upcoming Superman movie. If you're having a serious "who the...?" moment here, take a gander at his page on the IMDB. It seems like most of his work to date has been in television, but he was also in both Stuart Little movies, and on a slightly more respectable level, he also appeared in Sense and Sensibility. And actually, he's even written a well-received novel.

Laurie seems like a fine, non-offensive casting choice, although naturally we'll still have to wait and see if they decide to go in some kind of weird direction with the character, such as the weird Elvis obsession in the Perry White on Lois & Clark ("great shades of Elvis!" indeed).

Regardless, Laurie joins Brandon Routh as Clark/Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Shawn Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Not a bad cast at all. Here's a look at the Perry White-to-be (photo courtesy of the Hugh Laurie FAQ):

So who's left to cast? Unless they decide to skip the origin entirely there's still Jonathan and Martha Kent (even if they don't skip it, these two will probably be in there somewhere), there's still the possibility of an appearance by Kal-El and Lara (although let's hope to god it's not as excruciating as Marlon Brando's zillion dollar atrocity in Superman: The Movie), and beyond that, it could be any character from the Superman stable. Lana Lang? Pete Ross? Emil Hamilton? Brainiac? Metallo? Lobo? Supergirl? Darkseid? (Just for the record, if Darkseid is ever in a live action movie and not played by Michael Ironside, I will start an organized revolt). Filming is supposedly starting soon, so any casting should be leaking out in the next month or so.

Lex locked, let loose the loons.

This has been quite the week for comic adaptations...or at least for two movies anyway. Just days after the rumor that Kate Bosworth was in talks to play Lois Lane in the upcoming Superman movie, that news has been confirmed, along with the news that Kevin Spacey is locked in to play Lex Luthor. I'm pretty satisfied with this choice. Spacey's a hell of an actor, and could easily handle either version of Lex Luthor.

The question of course, is which one Bryan Singer & Co. are going with...will this be Lex the business man, as has been the case in the comics and animated series for the last decade or so? (Not to mention Smallville). Or will we see a return to the wisecracking evil genius Lex, as was depicted in the Gene Hackman-era films? Personally, I'd like to see a mix of the two. I've grown to like the more serious Lex, but there's always going to be a place in my heart for the classic version. I'm also going to be curious to see if they go with bald Lex, or opt for a revisionist look at the character (IE with hair), similar to the one John Shea depicted on Lois & Clark (although let's hope they leave out the cornball role played by the otherwise great Tony Jay).

In any event, Spacey's in, and that's good news indeed. Here's a pretty Lex-esque photo of the man (picture courtesy of Criminal Grace):

Is this Lois Lane?

The usually at least somewhat reliable fan page Superman-V.com is reporting that Kate Bosworth (currently being seen in Beyond the Sea), has won the role of Lois Lane in Bryan Singer's upcoming Superman movie. Here's a look at her (c/o KateBosworthWeb.com):

The only thing I've seen her in so far is The Rules of Attraction, and that wasn't the most in-depth of roles (although I do remember her looking good), and she's definitely a bit on the young side at just 22. Still, while she's not my first choice, I won't be offended if this turns out to be true. It's still much better casting than Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane, or Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang (sorry, but although I've come to live with it, even after all this time, I still think she was miscast).

Also mentioned on Superman-V is that Shawn Ashmore (that's Iceman in X-Men/X2), has been cast as Jimmy Olsen. Again, not bad at all, although it would be odd to see a Jimmy Olsen who's actually older than Lois Lane (I would assume the actors would be playing younger and older respectively).

The greatest Superman story ever told.

(This post is the second in a series looking back at some of my favorite comics of all-time. The first installment, looking back on Watchmen, can be found here)

Every now and then, on message boards, newsgroups, or at conventions or any other random gathering of comics geeks, the question of what is the Greatest <comic character name here> Story Ever Written. Now, I'm not sure what the greatest Spider-Man story ever written is (if I had to guess, I'd say either the Death of Gwen Stacy or Fearful Symmetry, but I'm hardly an expert) and I think I have an idea of what the greatest Batman story is, but there's one thing I have absolutely no doubts about in any way, shape or form: "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" by Alan Moore, Curt Swan, George Perez and Kurt Schaffenberger, most certainly is the Greatest Superman Story Ever Written. Read on to find out why.

Continue reading "The greatest Superman story ever told."

Questionable logic.

There's a brief article on NewScientist.com that suggests that people who look at Superman as a role model are less likely to help other people. The logic being that "to compare themselves to an exceptional individual makes them realise their shortcomings."

I question that logic. By the same token, you would think that any artist who looks at Van Gogh for inspiration, no writer who looks at Shakespeare, no musician who listens to Beethoven and no basketball player who looks up at Michael Jordan would ever be able to accomplish anything. While I'm no researcher, my guess is that this sort of thing only occurs in insecure people who are intimidated by greatness. Most people, you would think, would not be so timid.

Of course, the entire nature of this study is questionable. They asked people if they would be willing to volunteer for a fictional community program after listing the characteristics of superheroes (and specifically Superman). What one has to do with the other is beyond me.

Superman cast.

According to Superman-V.com, the role of Superman has been cast, and it will be Brandon Routh who dons the suit when filming starts in the near future. If you're scratching your head over that one (I know I did), he's apparently done mostly small roles on television, which means he's more or less an unknown. Which is certainly good, I suppose.

At only 25 he's a bit younger than I'd like, although Christopher Reeve was only 26 when he made the first Superman, so Routh can certainly grow into the role. The age thing will have one strange side effect -- the actor playing Superman as an adult in the movie will be younger than the actor playing Superman as a teenager on television (Tom Welling is 27). Still, I'm pleased with this casting. Now comes the all-important casting of Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. I don't think it's going to happen, but I'm still holding out for Selma Blair as Lois Lane. Although I must say, as absurd as her presence on the show has been, I'm sort of liking Erica Durance as Lois on Smallville. The role is silly as can be, but she plays it well.

Forever Superman.

Like many of you I imagine, I was stunned this morning when I woke up to the news that Christopher Reeve had passed away at the age of 52. I don't think I need to tell regular readers of this site about my life-long love of Superman...just browse through this site's Superman archives (four pages and counting!) for proof of that. But my respect and genuine admiration for Christopher Reeve was something that went beyond that.

Needless to say, Reeve was my childhood hero. He made us all believe a man could fly, but he also embodied the role with an effortless charm that you can't fake. What I really liked about Christopher Reeve as I grew older is that unlike many actors who were type-cast and grew bitter about the role that made them famous, Reeve seemed to actually understand and respect what it meant to be Superman on the silver screen. He was a larger-than-life hero to so many people around the world and didn't just brush it off as so many other actors did.

In his later years, Reeve gained a new level of respect and admiration for putting a public face on disability. Despite his near-fatal accident that left him paralyzed, he never wavered, and never stopped fighting for new forms of research to help not just himself, but all victims of spinal cord injuries. He also became an outspoken crusader for stem cell research, and fought for widespread health and disability coverage in this country.

On a personal level, I'm sad because we'll never see Christopher Reeve walk again. I never doubted that I'd see that happen some day, and far more importantly, he never did either. As I said on this site in one of my earliest posts, I believe in the idea of Superman, and that will outlive us all. Christopher Reeve the man has passed away, but his image will live forever and his work lives on with the Chrstopher Reeve foundation. I think he'd be proud of both of those.

1952 - 2004

Attention anyone in Seattle...

Okay, it's a little late to apply, but if you live in Seattle, you might be able to muscle your way into the open casting call for Superman. Actually, I gotta say, I find this very encouraging, and hopefully they'll wind up with a complete unknown for the role.

SuperSinger

Now here's some good news...Bryan Singer has been announced as the new Superman director. Plus, he's ditching JJ Abrams' script! Having just watched X-Men 2 again recently, and listened to his commentary track, I'm really, really, really excited about this. Michael Bay wouldn't have been bad, but this is a better fit all around.

SuperBay?

It's since been taken down, but earlier today, this page on Michael Bay's official site contained a single image: a silver Superman logo. No text, just the logo. This would certainly seem to suggest that Bay has been selected as the new director for the film, replacing Rush Hour director Brett Ratner and his successor Charlie's Angels director McG. My gut reaction was to recoil in horror, but now that I've had some time to think about it, I think this actually might be pretty cool.

While I'm not the biggest fan of Michael Bay's work in general, I do think that The Rock is one of the best pure action movies I've ever seen (and I've seen a whole lot of 'em). Michael Bay is an exciting director, and really, the reason why movies like Armageddon are so painfully dull isn't his fault, it's the screenplay. The Rock had a great screenplay, which Bay played to perfectly. I can't say I've seen anything else from him that lived up to that potential, but with the right script, he could do a hell of a Superman movie. For the record, by "right script" I mean anything but JJ Abrams' script that was trashed so thoroughly at Aint' it Cool back in '02.

One other interesting thing about Michael Bay: his movies always have this sort of super-patriotic, gung ho military feel to them. While it'd be really easy to screw up, I think a Superman movie that focused on truth, justice and the American way wouldn't be half bad, if handled properly.

Christopher Walken's Superman?

It's really tongue-in-cheek, but this article at MSNBC compiles a list of actors that have been rumored to be playing Superman in that movie should it ever get off the ground (pun sort of intended). The least serious one on the list is all the way at the bottom, where you'll find Christopher Walken. It'll never happen (at least, I hope not, anyway) but I have to admit, that would be really funny to see.

On a slightly more depressing note, this list doesn't hold a whole lot of promise. Looking over the list, there are a couple of actors I'd find acceptable to play Superman: Brendan Fraser, for all his goofiness and George of the Jungle-ness, would actually be a somewhat decent choice, as would Jude Law. The problem with most of the people on this list however is that while they may make a somewhat decent Superman, they'd make an absolutely horrible Clark Kent. That was the key to Michael Keaton's Batman performance, and why I think he was such a good choice. Yes, his cleft chin looked a little strange in that Batsuit, but he was a really likable Bruce Wayne.

Can you imagine David Boreanaz as Clark Kent? Or Josh Hartnett? Or Ashton Kutcher? Ugh. I think Jude Law could do both roles, and Fraser could probably do it reasonably well, but they're the only two on that list capable of it. Actually, I think Rupert Everett would do a great job in both roles, but somehow I don't think that will ever happen.

Say what!?

Dark Horizons pointed me towards this XTVWorld story that claims to be an official statement confirming that none other than Tom Welling will be playing Superman on the big screen. Not only that, but that the movie will pick right off where the series ends, as apparently the series will close after its fifth season (the third one just ended).

I've been meaning to write a piece about the jumbled mess that Smallville's mythology has become (and the sudden sorta-but-not-quite-entirely appearance of Kara Zor-El in the season finale just added to that), but this just takes the cake. For what it's worth, the fact that a quote attributed to producer Alfred Gough misuses the word "it's" suggests to me that this is less-than-trustworthy news.

Let's hope so, because personally, I'd like to see a Superman movie that wasn't tied to some of the sillier plot twists in Smallville. I like the show, but that would be such a burden on any movie.

Update: Well that didn't take long...The Superman Homepage contacted Gough directly, and it turns out that those quotes are indeed a whole lot of bunk. Typoed bunk, at that.

Seinfeld and Superman.

The first of two short films starring Jerry Seinfeld and Superman has been posted at the American Express site. There were some commercials with the two a while back, but this is much longer (about four minutes long), and while some of it could probably have been trimmed a bit, it's really quite entertaining. Which is odd since it's basically just a shill for Amex.

As far as the Superman depiction, like the original Amex commercials, this is based after the Curt Swan-era Superman (my favorite by a huge margin), and the voice is provided by Patrick Warburton, who was the voice of Superman in the older commercials. Personally, I think Warburton made a better Tick than Superman (his voice is just too goofy for my taste) but this is played for laughs, so I suppose it's good enough.

Anyway, it's worth checking out. It's goofy, and just a four minute credit card commercial, but it's done with reverence and respect, which is a lot more than you can say about some superhero movies.

The future of the man of steel.

There's a great interview up at Comic Book Resources today with Eddie Berganza, the editor of the Superman line at DC Comics. There are big changes coming next month, and he talks about this bold new direction, and surprisingly, it's more or less in line with what I had hoped. I say "more or less", because there are some areas I'm a bit troubled by.

The good news, is that Berganza wants to restore Superman to his former glory, emphasizing the larger-than-life character instead of the futuristic city and cosmic enemies we've had for the last few years. That really is good news, and it's nice to hear.

My biggest concern is the involvement of Brian Azzarello on Superman. I liked the first two 100 Bullets collections, and I agree that Azzarello is a talented writer...but on Superman? Before reading his run on Batman I'd have thought this would be a bold, but encouraging decision. But Azzarello's run on Batman has been just awful...filled with unlikable characters, little-if-any connection to the Bat-continuity and bad, bad dialogue.

Also of concern is Berganza's statement that Adventures of Superman will be "pulp fiction" style (referring to the old digests, not the movie). The idea that the book will show a "gritty version of Metropolis" is a bit suspect. But it could be really cool. We'll see.

Generally speaking though, I'm looking forward to this revamp. I'm enough of a doe-eyed fan that I'll keep reading it no matter how bad it gets, but I'd rather it get better, not worse.

Well this made my day...

From the transcript of Home Theater Forum's chat with representatives from Warner Bros. Home Video

<NMankaniTZ> Greetings! What are your plans in terms of releasing box sets of the "DC Animated" properties such as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Teen Titans on DVD?

<warnerbros> There will be season boxed sets of both BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. TEEN TITANS is scheduled as well.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...w00p.

Superman is dead. Long live Superman.

Superman-V.com is reporting that mumblings from the grapevine suggest that the most recent Superman movie project may be shelved.

Hallelujah.

I think Warner Bros. needs to give a lot of thought to how the heck they intend to position a reinvention of the Superman movies while at the same time letting Smallville continue on television. Especially if they're seriously considering younger actors to play the Lois Lane and Clark Kent roles, which I will always view as a serious mistake. Christopher Reeve was 26 when the first movie was made, and that's about as young as you can possibly cast the role (and even then, the actor needs to look about 30).

Today's superheroes-in-Hollywood roundup.

There's been a lot of new superheroes-in-Hollywood news lately, so here's a full roundup:

• The Batman (New Animated Series): According to Newsarama, this new series will be known as "The Batman" and will take place in year three of the Batman continuity. Confirmed voice actors are Adam West as the mayor (insert Family Guy reference here) and Gina Gershon as Catwoman. Comments to Newsarama's post suggest that Kevin Conroy will not be playing Batman/Bruce Wayne, but that part will instead be played by the person who voiced Peter Parker in the Spider-Man series on MTV. As far as I'm concerned, Kevin Conroy is Batman, so I seriously hope this isn't true.


• Superman: Apparently Beyoncé Knowles is actually up for Lois Lane. Shoot me now.


• Tintin: Dark Horizons has some new casting rumors for Spielberg's planned Tintin movie, but what's really wild is the rumor that none other than Roman freaking Polanski wants to make an alternate adaptation of Tintin in Tibet. I think Polanski's a great director...but Tintin???


• Wonder Woman: Apparently these shots of Sarah Michelle Gellar dressed as Wonder Woman for a skit at the MTV Movie Awards have some people talking that she's up for the role in the movie, but Superhero Hype! doesn't buy it. Which is good, because SMG looks like a twelve year old out on Halloween in that outfit.


• Batman: Intimidation Game: Some official details on Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie are up at Dark Horizons, and they do sound promising indeed. The plan is to make this as grounded in reality as possible, and so rather than go with a Tim Burton-style fantasy Gotham City, the current plan is to use exterior shots filmed in New York and London. Sounds great to me.

Okay, we can all relax now.

Ain't it Cool News has been updated with word that Beyoncé Knowles is not going to be playing Lois Lane, despite the recent rumor that suggested otherwise. Apparently director McG wanted her, but nothing was ever actually signed, and they have since moved on. Phew. Hopefully Selma Blair will wind up in the role, as I really do think she could do it justice.

As for Johnny Depp as Lex Luthor, that's still up in the air.

Why must they do this to me?

Just when everyone thought there was some actual good news about the new Superman movie, Ain't it Cool News reports that the latest casting rumors point to Beyonce Knowles as Lois Lane and Johnny Depp as Lex Luthor.

I'm speechless.

Now that I can live with.

The latest rumors to hit the web about the eternally-in-production new Superman movie suggest that Selma Blair (of Cruel Intentions, Storytelling and the upcoming Hellboy among others) is in the running to play Lois Lane. While I still think Dana Delany would make a great Lois Lane (she certainly did on the animated series) I'm willing to accept the desire from everyone involved to bring in someone significantly younger.

But hey, I won't deny that Ms. Blair is a far, far, far better choice than Natalie Portman, who was recently rumored to be among the shortlist of actresses being considered. She can act (as proven in Storytelling, if nothing else), and at least Selma Blair is the right age for the role. At only 22, Natalie Portman is waaay too young. Heck, she's only one year older than Kristin Kreuk, who plays the teenage Lana Lang on Smallville!

Now we just need to hope that an equally promising actor is found for Clark/Superman. Those rumors about Ashton Kutcher ("Dude, where's my cape?") scared the crap out of me.

Today's Random Superman Image

Trimming the fat.

On my weekly Wednesday trips to the comic book store (Midtown Comics -- best in the city) I usually pick up at least two books, more often three or four. But lately I've found several of them to be getting increasingly dull, so I've decided to ditch a few of them. It wasn't too long ago that I dropped Green Lantern (got too preachy), Green Arrow (Kevin Smith left and it lost its wit) and Birds of Prey (Chuck Dixon left and the book went straight down the toilet), so this is one of those things I should do every few months or so. Anyway, here's what I'm ditching today:

• Amazing Spider-Man: I started buying this when J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) started writing it, and in all that time I can't say it's really ever been a particularly good book. Especially for the last few months, the book has felt slight, as if it only took JMS about 20 minutes to write the thing. And John Romita Jr's artwork has never looked as rushed as it does here. I waited until the latest storyline finished, but now I'm ditching this one for sure.
• JLA: This one I bought for the last bi-weekly storyline, and it's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. The book desperately needs to ditch a few characters and do something to get exciting again.
• Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight: Back when there were only four Batman books, this filled my weekly bat-quota. But now that Gotham Central is around (and so much better than this) I'm dropping it completely. The storylines have just been dull, and since they're all three or more issues long, it can be seriously painful to keep reading it on a regular basis.
• Batman-Superman: What a disappointment this book is. I've never liked Ed McGuinness (he draws everyone like they're super-buff midgets -- even his women look like mutants!), but Jeph Loeb is a solid writer, so I had some high hopes for this book. But the first issue was just awful, with narration from each character that sounded like an old married couple talking about each other, and it hasn't gotten any better since. I won't miss this one for a minute.
• Batman: The Loeb/Lee storyline was a real dud as far as I'm concerned (now that the whole thing's out, try and reason the storyline from the solution backwards - it makes no sense), but the single post-Loeb/Lee issue that's out now is even worse. The 100 Bullets team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso should stick to straight noir books. Their Batman reads like a weak chapter of Sin City. It's only a six-part storyline, so I'll revisit this one after they're long gone.

I do of course still buy plenty of books. I buy every Superman monthly, the remaining Batman books, two Vertigo titles (Fables and Y: The Last Man), a few of the America's Best Comics line (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Tomorrow Stories and Tom Strong), a few others I can't recall off the top of my head and the occasional limited series (like Neil Gaiman's 1602) thrown in for good measure. Plus I'm slowly (very, very slowly) making my way through the Transmetropolitan library (I've read the first two collections so far), and every now and then there's an original graphic novel or collection in the mix.

There's been a lot of talk lately about the death of the "pamphlet" style publishing of American comics, but I for one actually like individual issues. Sure, they're comparatively ugly, and pile up like you wouldn't believe, but there's something very nice about going to a store on a weekly basis and spending a few bucks for the latest installments in the books you follow. As long as comics still come out on a regular basis, I'm going to stick by 'em.

No, no, no, no, no, no!

Superman-V.com: Natalie Portman Being Considered for Lois Lane?

Why must they hurt me so? I survived Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, for heaven's sake!

Scary movies.

Hey, it's Halloween, so why not get the scrap scared out of you? retroCRUSH has posted their list of the 100 scariest movie scenes of all time, and it's actually a really good compilation. I've seen a pretty large percentage of the movies on this list (I don't know if I should be proud of that or not) so it was nice to see some of the less well-known scenes that made the cut.

I can't say I really think the pink elephants scene from Dumbo belongs on the list, but it was nice to see them mention Return of the Living Dead, which is an oft-overlooked movie because of the fact that it's half parody, half horror movie. Other clever picks include the Large Marge scene from Pee Wee's Big Adventure (which I must admit, really did scare me the first time I saw it) and the eyeball scenes from Zombie and Un Chien Andalou. There's just something about eyeball piercing that's horrifying on a gut level.

Totally absent from this list (probably for good reason) is a movie that absolutely scared the crap out of me when I was a kid...Superman III. Yes, Superman III, the one that featured Richard Pryor and Robert Vaughn, and was more comedy-laden than any of the other Christopher Reeve Superman movies (well, except for Superman IV, but that was unintentional). Superman III is a very silly movie, but at the end, there's a scene where Vera Webster (played by Annie Ross) is absorbed by the giant evil supercomputer and turned into a robot. Looking back on it, it's not a very scary, or graphic scene...but for some reason as a kid this horrified me. Even as an adult, that residual fear stays with me as I watch the movie. When the scene finally arrives, it's not scary in the slightest. But the childhood memory of that fear has its own affect.

I'm sure everyone has one or two movies like this. I know there are people who found E.T. to be scary as all hell when they were younger, and I'm sure there are people who haven't gotten over the trauma of seeing Optimus Prime get gunned down in Transformers: The Movie.

I'm probably going to watch a movie this evening, and I haven't decided if I'm going to watch a traditionally scary movie or Superman III. In the end, which is scarier? A movie I know was made to scare me, or a film that unintentionally permeated my childhood nightmares?

Hey, what happened to Lex Luthor?

I'm not saying there's anything nefarious going on here, but it occurred to me the other night that on Cartoon Network's Justice League show, Lex Luthor's skin is significantly lighter than it was on Superman. Example:

Odd, isn't it? I remember there being some flack online a while back when the Superman Adventures comic (which is based on the animated series) lightened Lex's skin. I guess whatever argument caused that to happen spilled over onto the new series.

(thanks to JLAnimated for the image)

And the winner for lamest crossover ever is...

DC Comics has announced that this November they will release a Superman/Thundercats crossover book. Here's their description:

Earth's champion meets the galaxy's toughest 'Cats in a Special by Judd Winick, Alé Garza and Trevor Scott! While attempting to stop Mumm-Ra's mutants from retrieving another Eye of Thundera from an alternate dimension, the Thundercats are hurled into Metropolis! Can the Man of Steel withstand a blow from the most powerful sword in the universe?

Good lord. Could there possibly be a lamer crossover? Not since Superman took on Muhammad Ali has there been a sillier and more pointless crossover book. And yes, I'm including the Punisher/Archie crossover when I say that. At least that book knew how ridiculous the concept was. This one is just downright stupid. Don't get me wrong, I think Mumm-Ra is as badass as the next guy...but keep Superman out of that Saturday morning cartoon-verse. He's got enough problems as it is.

Krypto: The Animated Series?

I was reading this interview with Sam Register of Cartoon Network when I suddenly stopped at this quote:

Comic fans can also look forward to a certain Kryptonian hero getting his own show on the Network. No, not Superman. Not Supergirl. Not even Superboy.

It's none other than Superboy's dog Krypto who is poised to take the spotlight. Alan Burnett of "Batman: The Animated Series" fame is currently scripting the venture.

Say what? I'm such a nerd that I'm excited about just about anything with a Superman logo (well, almost anything) but this just seems like a stupid idea. Don't get me wrong, I like Alan Burnett, I think he's done some quality work, but an entire show about Krypto? Silly. Hopefully if they do actually make this they'll throw in Streaky the Supercat as well. Heck, while they're at it, they might as well throw in those weird blob things from Herculoids, Blip from Space Ghost and heck, Ozmodiar just to round things out a bit.

It's a bird, it's a plane! It's pixelated!

Following in the footsteps of such titans as Sunsoft, Infogrames, Ubi Soft and Titus, EA announced today that they have acquired the rights to make Superman games starting next year. Now this is intentionally geared to match the next Superman movie (should that ever actually materialize), but it's a pretty broad agreement, and gives them the rights to everything from the animated series to the comic books.

So the question arises...will these games suck like every other one to date? I mean, has there ever been a sorrier lot of games than the Superman collection? You know something's seriously wrong when the best game of the lot was a totally lame sidescrolling arcade game from Taito, whose only real claim to fame was that it featured John Williams' score (albeit totally MIDIfied), and actually played more like Altered Beast than a Superman game.

Now mind you, these games didn't have to suck, it's purely the fault of the developers. I don't think we'll ever know what the hell Titus was thinking with Superman 64, particularly the absolutely insane and nonsensical multiplayer mode that (I kid you not here) had you flying around in spaceships for some reason. And don't even get me started on the 2600 Superman game. You know a game's bad when the best I can say about it is that it's not as bad as the disastrous E.T. game. I had very high expectations for this most recent batch of games, but after those less-than-stellar reviews I pretty much lost hope.

So I wish EA luck with their new titles. If they're smart they'll avoid oddities like flying saucers and try and make a decent Superman game for once. If they do, I'll be first in line to buy one. Heck, I'll probably be first in line either way. I'm a total sucker for this crap.

I can eat solid food again!

Yesterday went in for my dentist's appointment to fix my broken tooth. The good news, is that there was enough of my tooth left over from my tuna fish incident that I didn't need a crown. So instead I got the whole thing filled, like a giant cavity. Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong over the next few weeks, I can safely rest assured that I won't need that crown. Which is good, because as much as I like that ghetto-style, Dr. Teeth look, it would have looked really weird on me.

Since I was sitting around all day, I started playing with my new phone, and so far I'm really liking it. It's got a few quirks, but I was able to send and receive e-mail while sitting in the waiting room, and that's pretty darn cool. I've also customized it by adding a few pictures (the background is the Superman logo, of course) and a new ringtone (the Superman theme song) although that will only be used when I'm at home...I still prefer vibrating rings to actual ring tones.

It has a bunch of games on it, but they suck like all cell phone games. I'm really looking forward to seeing the N-Gage at E3 for this very reason. Cell phone games as they currently stand are pretty lame...a phone that can do actual 3D and has a design made for gameplay is kinda cool. Of course I'm not sure it will be able to balance that and still be a decent phone at the same time, but I'm looking forward to seeing it nonetheless.

Finally, some good news.

Yes, we're at war. But at least Brett Ratner (who reportedly got his start by sending a letter to Steven Spielberg saying "I'm Jewish, give me money to make a short"), is off the Superman movie.

Oscar picks soon. Stay tuned.

Preach on, Harry.

Here's a first for you...an impassioned plea at Ain't it Cool News to Warner Bros. that is not only sensible and intelligently presented, it only has a handful of exclamation points and even then, they're presented one-by-one, not all in a row like the site usually does (ex: "A look at INFERNAL AFFAIRS!!!!").

I've said pretty much all I need to say on this matter, but the fact is that Superman means something to a lot of people, and the more dissenting voices the better.

I tip my hat to AiCN for a well-reasoned argument. Just be warned, that same maturity can't be said for the site's anarchic comments.

I want to believe.

Anyone who knows me reasonably well knows I have something of a small obsession with Superman. In truth, it's actually more than that...I genuinely believe in Superman. Not in the sense that I think if I fall out a window, he's going to swoop in and catch me, of course, but I believe in Superman as an Icon, and I think that carries with it a great deal of meaning. Superman is the closest we have to an Odyseus. He is The Hero of a Thousand Faces, and the prototypical superhero. Everyone else, from Batman to Captain America, are merely tweaks on the same general idea. Which is why Superman has managed to be reimagined successfully with each generation (Smallville being merely the latest in a very long line of such transformations).

Why do I mention all of this? Because every bit of news I read about the upcoming Superman movie simply fills me with disgust. While supposedly the current script is better than this abysmal early draft, this latest bit of casting news hasn't done a whole lot to inspire any confidence in me. I like Alias as much as the next guy, but frankly I'd be perfectly happy if J.J. Abrams would just stay the hell away from Superman.

The fact that it's being planned as a trilogy suggests the kind of epic hubris that brought us Batman & Robin, and I would really rather not see Superman's triumphant return to the big screen be rushed so Warner Bros. can cash in on the current superhero frenzy caused by the decent adaptations of Marvel's major characters.

I saw Daredevil last weekend, and while it wasn't exactly high art by any means, it was entertaining, and unlike any recent attempts at adapting DC heroes into movies, was clearly done with respect and admiration for the source material. I don't want the new Superman movie to fail...I think there should be at least one new movie every ten years...but I'd rather not see one than have something that's going to milk the franchise or something potentially disastrous like the Superman vs. Batman movie that was proposed.