by Stone Marshall | Jun 29, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
DC has refreshed its stable of comics once again, putting its characters in new situations— and most of them have gotten a new look to celebrate. But as usual with superhero makeovers, some are less successful than others. So we’re going to put on our fashion-hats and rate what’s hot and what’s not in the DC Universe!
Superman
Pros: One of Superman’s big new themes going into this shake up is an attempt to humanise him a little more—reduced powers, an exposed identity, this is a Superman at his most human. So his uniform has been informed likewise: gone is the cape, gone is the suit. Instead, this Clark Kent jumps around in a branded Supes T-Shirt and jeans. Let’s be real though. The best thing about this update is that we’ve briefly tossed aside one of the biggest faux-pas of the New 52 redesign: the dreaded lack of red pants on the outside of Superman’s suit.
Cons: This is definitely one of the most radical changes in the line up, but at the same time… it’s just a bit boring. Nothing particuarly screams “hero” about a T-shirt and jeans. If anything, Clark looks like an extremely buff Superman fan rather than Superman himself. But the most egregious change for me? The haircut. Getting rid of the Classic Clark Curl has happened a few times before, but I’m not sure I can handle a buzzed Superman.
Rating: Three Buzzcuts out of Five
Batman
Pros: Batman’s look is iconic, yes. That’s kind of the point. But I kind of love the insanity of doing something so extreme with the Batsuit—and turning it into this Police-branded mechsuit with Bunny ears is definitely insane.
For the more faithful Bat-Fan, our new Batman Jim Gordon also has a far more traditional Batsuit (also sans cape—did DC hire Edna Mode recently?) that he wears inside the suit—and it looks very slick.
Cons: Allow me to be a bit contradictory. While I like that this new Batsuit is doing something we’ve not seen done with the Batman aesthetic—one that’s changed so little over the years—at the same time, it’s too much. It’s comically proportioned, and feels way too “out there” to be something cooked up by the GCPD, and yes, the Bunny ears are nowhere near Batty enough.
Plus, the biggest con of all? For some reason, putting Jim Gordon into this suit has meant we suffer the most tragic loss of them all: his moustache is no more.
RIP, Jim’s Moustache.
Rating: Mechsuit – Two Robot Bunnies out of Five, Stealth Suit – Four Robot Bunnies out of Five
Wonder Woman
Pros: Now balancing roles as a Justice League member, the God of War and Queen of Themiscyra, Diana’s upgraded into something beyond her star-spangled short shorts and into something a little more battle-ready. Wonder Woman has never looked so ready to kick butt!
Cons: But… it’s also a bit egregious. The armor, while nice, also look awkward in places (especially at the pauldrons), and the wristblades are just ‘90s extremities that look out of place on the overall suit. I quite liked this look when it was announced—but honestly, what’s dampened it for me was seeing some of the original plans for Diana’s new look that DC unveiled recently. Turns out, there were much better ways to reduce the amount of exposed flesh on Wonder Woman and make her look like a modern character.
Rating: Two Wristblades out of Five
Aquaman
Pros: It includes elements of armor, without making it too bulky to make it unrealistic for someone who spends most of their time under water. This new Arthur Curry look is an Aquaman who’s ready to battle. The longer hair, tribal patterns on the armor and darker aesthetic also call to mind the character’s upcoming cinematic look.
Cons: Although I do like that they attempted to keep the original Aquaman colors, it clashes with the dark armor of the top half and makes Arthur look like he forgot the bottom half of his new outfit. Also, as several readers pointed out when this costume was unveiled, his new belt does an unintentionally hilarious job of highlighting Aquaman’s wang. Ooh err.
Rating: Three Bulges out of Five
The Flash
Pros: Once again, another character design that draws on a live-action adaptation. The Flash’s new look adopts a similar two-scarlet-tone to the suit of The Flash TV show, breaking up the otherwise relatively plain costume in an interesting way—it even removes the white background from the Flash emblem, just like the show.
Cons: The one area the costume doesn’t borrow from The Flash is the bit that doesn’t quite work for me: The all-yellow boots clash much more against the darker reds than they used to. But the silliest thing has to be the over lightning effects that spread out of the costume when the Flash uses the speedforce now. It’s always been an element of the Flash aesthetic, but here, especially in the above image, it just looks like he’s exuding ‘90’s exTREEEEEEMEness out of his body. It’s a bit much, and not a great Speed Force representation, and it dampens the overall look of the Flash.
Rating: Three EXTREEEMES out of Five
Reverse Flash
Pros: Speaking of The Flash, Professor Zoom’s new costume is pretty much going back to the classic look after the New 52 offered a radical, monstrous black-and-red alternative—one very much inspired by Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne’s look on TV. Unlike the flash, the overt black lightning works perfectly for Zoom’saesthetic, and it matches up to his new suit nicely. He’s supposed to be extreme, he’s the Reverse Flash.
Cons: I don’t really have any qualms. Weirdly enough, thismight be my favourite new look of them all!
Rating: Four Reverse-EXTREEEMES out of Five
Green Arrow
Pros: The armored look of the New 52 has been eschewed for a more casual looking, svelte getup for Oliver Queen that probably works a bit more for the Emerald Archer. The dark green aesthetic brings to mind Arrow of course, but aside from that,it’s a decent changeup for Ollie.
Cons: Although the top and bottom halves of the initially revealed design were a bit disjointed, that’s been rectified as of Green Arrow#41, so I guess my major complaint for Green Arrow’s new look is once again, a hairy-one: and hoo boy, is Ollie’s new mullet reaching Arrow-Flashback-Wig levels of terrible. Thank god he still has a hood to put on, because without it we’d be looking at that damn mullet all the time.
Rating: You have failed this city. (Two out of Five)
Lex Luthor
Pros: The floating disc-dealio he flies around on now is pretty cool, and I like that the garish Luthor color palette of neon green and bright purple (such a lovely, reserved fellow is our Lex) of his old bulky power armor has been maintained. Once again, Lex represents a sort of streamlining and bulking down that is a hallmark of this wave of redesigns. It certainly helps keep the characters looking sleek and modern.
Cons: This is almost a pro for me (I’m a bit weird), but the weird ‘90s cyberpunk look, right down to the ridiculous shades is such a clash with the otherwise modern approach that it looks hilariously silly rather than interesting. Plus, it’s one again the addition of a duster to body armor that puts me off. Seriously, DC. Stop trying to make this happen.
Rating: Two Dystopian Futures out of Five
Green Lantern
Pros: It’s… got some green on it, I guess? Actually the lantern Gauntlet looks pretty nice, admittedly.
Cons: Oh, Mr. Jordan. This is not a good look for you. Gone is the classic lantern suit, replaced by a similar white body suit mostly covered up by a hooded duster that makes Hal look more like a magical space hobo than a defender of the galaxy. There’s too much going on, and honestly the acquiescence to “He’s the Green Lantern, there has to be green on him somewhere” has worked against the overall look. The bodysuit+tatty coat/cloak is a bit too much.
Rating: One Cosmic Hobo out of Five
Cyborg
Pros: I commented when this look was revealed that it sort of looked like that new Terminator from Terminator Genisys, and that kind of look works for Cyborg extremely well. For a man mostly made of tech now, Cyborg looks slick and modern, after trimming quite a bit of excess armor. It’s a stripped down look, and it works excellently for Vic. The metallic muscular look really embodied the mix of flesh and metal that the character is, and it looks great.
Cons: Once again, another look I don’t really have any qualms with (unless people don’t want to be reminded of the new Terminator film? I guess the judgement on that will have to wait until it’s out.
Rating: Four T-800’s out of Five
And the Loser is…
For me, it’s gotta be Hal. I mean, I get what they’re trying to do—how it all ties into the idea of him being a renegade and all that, but it’s just a mess. I’ve repeatedly turned back to how some of these looks feel like they’ve leapt straight out of a ‘90s comic book, but I think that shines through the most in this new Green Lantern. It’s trying way too hard to look gritty and grim, and instead it just looks, well, ridiculous. Congratulations Hal Jordan, I guess!
Disagree? Think there’s a far worse (or far better) costume update out there in DC’s new comics that’s not covered here? As always, let us know in the comments.
Which DC Comics Character Has The Most Ridiculous New Costume?
by Stone Marshall | Jun 25, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
“Hey, can you come look at this?”These are the words of a crazy man, standing five inches away from his television set, clutching a bowl of dinner cereal for dear life, mouth agape with a mixture of intense focus, borderline delirium, and soggy cheerios. I am the crazy man, by the way, and this is me last night, speaking to a friend, who does not watch “Game of Thrones,” but has keener powers of observation than anyone I’ve met outside of McGruff the Crime Dog.*I’m asking for her help because I need to look at what I’m watching. I need her to tell me I’m not crazy. I need her to look into the eyes of the late Jon Snow, and I need her to confirm that what I’m seeing is real.
The morning after the season five finale’s brutal cliffhanger ending, in which Jon Snow is betrayed and murdered by his fellow members of the Night’s Watch, I wrote about the many reasons why Jon simply cannot be dead. More to the point, he might be dead now, but he won’t be dead forever. Like others who have read the George R.R. Martin novels “Thrones” takes its cues from, I’ve been thinking about Jon’s resurrection for the better part of four years now. It’s not just a possibility. It’s an inevitability. It. Is. Known.
But what if it isn’t known? What if Melisandre isn’t going to take a page out of the Thoros of Myr playbook and give Jon the Beric Dondarrion treatment? There’s no sign of Ghost in Jon’s death scene, so warging into his dire wolf is off the table, right? Kit Harington and the producers of the show all insist that Jon is dead and is “not coming back next season,” which is a filthy lie concocted in J.J. Abrams’ secret John Harrison Long Khan Laboratory … unless it’s the truth?
If Jon Snow is dead, I have some late stage grieving in my future next year. For now, I have obsession, looking for anything to support all of us who believe the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch will get over his case of the Mostly Deads. And thanks to you, I have help.
Multiple folks who read my take on why Jon is still alive reached out to me online and asked me to take a closer look at something that happens at the end of the scene.
At Chris’ urging, I rolled the tape, and rolled it again, and rolled it some more. I kept rolling until I could roll no further on my own. I called in back-up in the form of Detective Friend, and got the verification I needed: Jon Snow’s eyes do indeed change color as the camera zooms down upon his face.
I don’t see his eyes turning Targaryen purple, but there is certainly a color change. Perhaps it’s just a trick of the light, as the ice-blue hue of the snow becomes more pronounced the closer the camera zooms in on Jon’s face. But his eyes appear a lighter shade than normal, no question about it.
Here it is without all the shadows:
And here’s what Harington looks like in real life:
IS THIS REAL LIFE? Did Jon Snow’s eyes change from Kit’s normal dark brown to a lighter hue — an icy green, as I’m seeing it? Am I just seeing things, or is there something here?
Let’s roll with “something here,” for the sake of argument. What would the eye color change even mean? Insert shrug emoticon here. It could mean a whole lot (Jon’s R+L colors and destiny finally emerging, Jon actually warging into Ghost, Jon turning into some White Walker hybrid something-or-other, what have you), or it could mean a whole lot of nothing. Could just be a trick of the light, much like Melisandre’s prophetic powers appear to be.
It also could be nothing, and “Game of Thrones” has simply driven some of us (see: me) insane.
The pics don’t do the argument as much justice as the experience of watching it five inches in front of your screen, witnessing the transformation of Jon’s eyes before your very eyes. Go and check it out for yourself, and tell me I’m crazy — or go crazy with me. It’s a long off-season, folks. Let’s have fun with it. Someone certainly has to.
* I have never actually met McGruff the Crime Dog.
‘Game Of Thrones’: You Definitely Missed This Clue To Jon Snow’s Return From The Dead
by Stone Marshall | Jun 24, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
As has been long promised, 2015 is shaping up to be a record-breaking year in movie history, with tons of sequels, origin stories, and event pictures stuffing the ledgers of Hollywood studios across town. Yet after the recent info dump from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, it looks like we’re going to be in store for an even bigger year in 2017!
Just looking at the schedule gives us anxiety, and it has become extremely hard to pick a limited list of favorites in what’s shaping up to be another overcrowded year. Still, pick favorites we must, so we’ve got a list of 15 of ‘em for you, in chronological order, right here! Start saving your pennies, kids, because 2017 is out for your wallets and your eyeballs!
After the wrangling that had to happen with finding a new writer following Kelly Marcel’s departure, it looks like Fifty Shades Darker is on track for a 2017 release date. Stepping in for Marcel is E.L. James’ husband, Niall Leonard. Fans might have to wait a little longer than they’d like to see the continuing adventures of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, but if the fan base is as passionate for the sequel as they were for the first installment, we’re sure they’ll have no problem waiting. It’s the Christian (Grey) thing to do, after all.
Release Date: 2/10/17
The LEGO Movie allowed Will Arnett’s portrayal of Batman to steal the show, and in the spirit of their famous video game franchise, LEGO is taking another IP for a spin in building block form. While the storyline is still mostly under wraps, there’s still been some crumbs promising hilarity as well as a tribute to every portrayal of Batman thus far. Lord and Miller passed the directing gig to Chris McKay, but even just their producer’s muscles should ensure this one will be enjoyable for all of the LEGO Movie fans they made last year.
Release Date: 2/10/17
Hugh Jackman says that he’s got one last Wolverine picture in him, and that last film is coming in 2017. We have no clue what this film is going to be about or who else is going to star in it, all we know is James Mangold will be reprising his directing duties after his successful tenure on The Wolverine. It’s not a lot to go on, but with the two most successful components of the last film’s success in play, it’s hard not to be excited that they’ll be sending Wolverine off with a bang.
Release Date: 3/3/17
A reboot of King Kong would normally get laughed at in this day and age. Which is why the fact that Legendary got the rights to the character was the first sign that things were going the right way, as they know how to take an outdated, often mocked classic monster and turn them into a modern menace. Throw in Michael Keaton, J.K Simmons, and Tom Hiddleston into the mix, and we have a sneaking suspicion that this film will do well enough that Godzilla just might get to meet his Legendary playmate.
Release Date: 3/10/17
After fans flocked to see Cinderella on the big screen this past March, Beauty And The Beast seems ready to replicate that glorious success in 2017. With its cast set and ready to go, director Bill Condon is following in Kenneth Brannagh’s footsteps and reviving a page of our childhood in live action. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens lead a cast that includes everyone from Luke Evans and Josh Gad to the golden trio of Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, and Sir Ian McKellen. All of the stars look to be aligning, and Beauty And The Beast already sounds like it’ll be a delight for children and adults.
Release Date: 3/17/17
There was legitimate doubt that we’d even get a Furious 8, especially after the fitting ending Paul Walker’s character was given at the end of Furious 7. With his character’s finale looking like it doubled as a series finale, fans thought they’d never see Dom and the rest of the crew back in action. Thankfully, Vin Diesel himself confirmed that Furious 8 is fueling up for another go in the same slot it filled this year. Who will be back? We’re not sure yet. But honestly, if anyone was going to tell us that the show was going to go on, it had to be Vin himself.
Release Date: 4/14/17
Admit it, you miss Rocket Raccoon already. There’s only so many times you can watch your Guardians Of The Galaxy Blu-ray before you go mad over having to wait so long for the sequel. Still, the sequel is indeed happening, and James Gunn promises the father of all conflicts in this next one. No, literally, it’s all about the dads in this one – he said it himself. With the entire crew back among the stars, the trouble they could get into is as limitless as Star Lord’s ego. Whatever it is, though, it just might lead to some complications for The Avengers down the road.
Release Date: 5/5/17
If there’s any Star Wars announcement that excited the fan base more than J.J. Abrams being announced as the director, it most certainly has to be the announcement that Rian Johnson would be taking over for the middle installment of the continuing trilogy. With his work on such dark masterpieces as Brick and Looper, Johnson’s sensibilities are cut out for the phase in the Star Wars trilogy that usually is reserved for somber and brooding uncertainty. Considering that The First Order will more than likely be just getting started with their villainous ways, and that Darth Vader helmet still requiring an explanation, Star Wars: Episode VIII is going to be a hell of a follow up to The Force Awakens.
Release Date: 5/26/17
Toy Story 4 is the idea that makes no damned sense, yet makes perfect sense at the same time. While Toy Story 3 put an emotional bow on the saga of Andy, it also introduced Bonnie and her new lease on life for Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy box gang. With each short and special that’s been produced in the past couple of years, we’ve gradually been primed for another film outing, and while this entry is supposedly going to be dealing with a different batch of friends than we’re used to, we wouldn’t be surprised if our old friends came back in some form or another during the new story’s course.
Release Date: 6/16/17
Determined not to let a little bit of a production shake up get in their way, Warner Bros. is still plugging away on a Wonder Woman film slated for June 2017. Gal Gadot has obviously been working her ass off to get into shape as the titular Amazonian, and with Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice introducing her character properly, we’ll be ready to see her take center stage by the time the release window rolls around. Which is a very good thing, considering her standalone adventure will probably be the catalyst for another important DC film that comes a couple of months after this one.
Release Date: 6/23/17
With Humanity and The Apes properly divided, and the military assumed to be heading to the ruins of San Francisco, the sequel to Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes looks like it will be one of diplomacy and/or war games. Matt Reeves’ 2014 sequel blew the doors off of a saga that was once known for its vastly diminished returns between sequels, yet in this case, the complete opposite is true. The series is as strong as ever, and the third frame in Caesar’s rise to world domination promises to be as nuanced and brutal as the last.
Release Date: 7/14/17
While everyone is trying to figure out who the next Peter Parker will be, all of the other fans in the world are giddy over the fact that Spider Man is heading home to Marvel Studios for the first time! Untitled Spider Man is the only name we have to go on, but we do know that this movie will bring us back to Peter Parker’s high school days, and will continue whatever threads we see form during his initial appearance in Captain America: Civil War. Whoever gets to play the famed web-slinger is in for a hell of a ride, but if that first appearance goes well enough, we might breathe a little easier knowing that this new solo adventure will be as “Amazing” as we hope.
Release Date: 7/28/17
Jaeger and Kaiju are ready to tear up the old town again, as Pacific Rim 2 has recently been postponed to August 8. No big deal, though, as this will give Guillermo Del Toro plenty of time to work out the story and the production angle on a sequel that was clamored for by the fans. In fact, it’s pleasing to know that Universal is once again giving Uncle Guillermo another shot at making one of his franchises a household name, as the last time they did that they produced Hellboy II: The Golden Army. If Pacific Rim 2 is as good as the Hellboy sequel was, this just might be the movie event of 2017.
Release Date: 8/4/17
From the looks and sounds of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, it seems as if Thor is going to be put through the ringer. He’d have to be in order to go back to Asgard, which will probably make him even more enraged when he finds out that his delinquent adopted brother has taken over their homeland. All we need to hear is those sentences above, and we’re already looking forward to Thor: Ragnarok. Our fingers are crossed that the third time is a charm, and that Chris Hemsworth will finally get to shine in a Marvel movie that makes us forget the enjoyable, if not weak predecessors in the Thor line of films. All snark aside, the set up for the third flick sounds pretty bad-assed. It will be here soon.
Release Date:11/3/17
And so we land on the last big film of 2017, unless you count The Croods 2 as a big deal. Barring any huge announcements in the next couple of months, Justice League – Part I is going to be the feather in the cap of 2017’s hat. With DC’s building blocks already in play, it looks like we’re going to see the darkest, grittiest version of the Justice League we’ve seen since… well, since ever. The fact that we’re even getting a Justice League film is exciting enough, considering we’ve been teased so many times in the past. While it still needs to win us over with all that happens before it, Justice League still has a spot on our list – and in our hearts – because it’s the stuff that geeks are made of.
Release Date:11/17/17
by Stone Marshall | Jun 23, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
There is little doubt that the direction of dramatic mastermind
Kenneth Branagh played a huge part in how the dignified grandiosity of Marvel’s 2011 entry,
Thor translated to the big screen. Possibly a testament to that, a recently cited rumor indicates that the studio was looking to reacquire the services of the thriving thespian for the still-vacant director’s chair for the series’ upcoming third film,
Thor: Ragnarok.
Heroic Hollywood founder and habitual scooper, Umberto “El Mayimbe” Gonzalez appeared on Popcorn Talk’s Marvel Movie News “vodcast,” where, during the course of several discussions, he dropped a notable tidbit about Marvel’s intent on having Branagh reprise his duties as director for the apocalyptic Thor threequel. According to Gonzalez:
I was hearing that Marvel wanted Kenneth Branagh back for Thor 3. But, he just got an offer to direct Murder on the Orient Express at Fox. So, I don’t know if it is going to happen or not. They’re thinking about bringing him back into the fold.
While Gonzalez would go out of his way to qualify this idea as a rumor, it does seem to contain a reasonable ring of truth. While Marvel projects further down the line like the two part Infinity Wars films have locked down their directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, Thor: Ragnarok remains rudderless. This bit of inertia from the normally meticulous studio could be indicative of the idea that they are waiting on a crucial answer from one particular individual. The idea of Branagh coming back to the franchise would undoubtedly be something seen as desirable by fans and insiders alike; especially after the second film proved to be a bit of a misfire.
The much-publicized creative tumult for the series’ second entry, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World saw director Patty Jenkins abruptly bow out, yielding a bit of a rush job for replacement helmer Alan Taylor. That film ultimately felt as if it suffered from issues with its pacing, which seemed to mitigate much of its dramatic impact; even in the midst of its more heartfelt moments. Consequently, it would only seem natural that Marvel, in its mad scramble to find a director for Ragnarok, might be looking to reestablish the structural direction the widely-hailed original film managed to attain under the stewardship of Branagh.
Of course, as Gonzalez mentions, Kenneth Branagh is reportedly in the midst of negotiations to direct an apparently promising upcoming reboot of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, which could put quite a damper on the Thor reunion. However, it all seems to be still very much up in the air and for all we know, Gonzalez’s revelatory rumblings might be the effect of some secret negotiations taking place to restore bit of Shakespearean flair to the God of Thunder’s third go round.
It will be interesting to see what (if anything) develops from this alleged attempt to win back Branagh. Marvel Studios rounded a critical creative corner that saw its Cinematic Universe expand hugely when it put the original Thor in his hands. It was a risky venture, ambitiously looking to cover elaborate source material that required a director who understood how the magical, quasi-historical motifs of the Asgardian front needed to be accessible to popcorn audiences. Thus, there could be no better captain for the ship that is Thor: Ragnarok than the man who boldly shaped the property in the first place. The film is set for release on November 3, 2017.
