Wednesday's Finest: 'Batman Incorporated' #1 (DC)

By Don M. Ventura

Grant Morrison had no interest in returning Bruce Wayne to the status quo. After reintroducing Bruce in Batman and Robin #16, Morrison writes a prologue in Batman: The Return and revs right into Batman’s quest to franchise himself in Batman Incorporated.

We open with the gruesome (and I mean gruesome) death of Mr. Unknown, a Japanese masked vigilante that Batman has traveled to Japan to recruit as the Japanese Batman. Unfortunately by that point he no longer has a face, hands, or a life.  Now Batman and Catwoman are on the search to locate Jiro Osamu, a young man who appeared to be Mr. Unknown’s ward.

Batman Incorporated is another highlight in a resume filled with highlights for Morrison, and a treat for readers who are open to newness in the Batman mythology. This is not a departure for the character, just an exploration of an idea that feels like a natural transition for the character. While his heroic counterparts are able to save the world time and again, it makes sense that Batman would attempt the same with a conglomerate of caped crusaders since he is unable to be at all places at once.

While Bat-books will always have a dark edge to them and the crimes within, Morrison has brought some pleasing lightness to his story. I enjoyed reading Selina make a “reeooowr” sound a few times during the issue without it being silly. And why not throw in some giant mouse robots as well? The conclusion even pays homage to the 60’s Batman series without being wince-worthy.

Morrison is also adept at creating terrifying villains who don’t recognize the boundaries of humanity in which they effortlessly cross. Professor Pyg was an eerie example of this, and in Batman Incorporated we have the reintroduction of Lord Death Man. It only makes sense that if you are going to create new Batmen you’ll have a gaggle of murderous enemies in tow.

Yanick Paquette has drawn a fantastic piece with this first issue. His thick lines and expressions are somewhat reminiscent of J.G. Jones. I liked his square-jawed Batman, but even more so enjoyed his work on Selina. Her expressions were priceless, whether she was calmly cracking a safe while Batman took out one of Dr. Sivana’s robots or coveting the enormous diamond she was enlisted to steal.

Nathan Fairbairn has colored the pages nicely hear. He had plenty of opportunities to bring an insane palette to some of the exterior scenes featuring Japan’s colorful electric skylines. The cover by J.H. Williams III is easily the most striking cover of the week and conveys precisely the tone of the series.

This next chapter of Morrison’s Bat-saga has started off strong and I’m eager to follow Batman across the globe.

'What If?' Hits #200 This December

There are some pretty large gaps on the print runs of this title, but What If? hits its milestone issue #200 this December with stories penned by Marc Guggenheim and Stan Lee. 

What if? began its run in 1977 and ran through 1984 as a bimonthly title that featured alternate and often eerie takes on popular storylines (e.g. “What if Phoenix has lived?”, “What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk?” and so on). The stories are narrated by the Watcher and typically would end on a pretty dark note—the idea being that things probably played out for the best in the original tales. For example, in the Phoenix story Jean Grey goes completes nuts, kills all of the X-Men (in a truly gruesome fashion), and then destroys Earth.

This new What If? asks “What if Norman Osborn had won the siege of Asgard?” (by Guggenheim and artist Dave Wilkins) which clearly will start off dark and probably grow more so. Lee and Dale Eaglesham will explore an alternate version of the Fantastic Four classic “The Coming of Galactus” which was originally written by Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.

I would love to see top tier writers and artists continue to take on popular storylines, even if only on a bimonthly schedule. Personally, I’d love to see “What if Steve Rogers reclaimed the mantle of Captain America?” or “What if Peter Parker and Mary Jane hadn’t made a pact with Mephisto?” The best What If? stories were the ones that contemplated seemingly positive alternate realities.

What If? #200 goes on sale on December 29^th.

Aronofsky Officially Directing 'The Wolverine'

Should we call this Wolverine Begins? Twentieth Century Fox officially announced today that Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain and The Wrestler) is going to direct The Wolverine, the sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Considering Aronofsky’s resume, his take on the character is not going to resemble the 2009 film by director Gavin Hood.

The film is set to begin shooting in April 2011 but did not announce an official release date for this next installment.  It’s probably safe to say that The Wolverine will be hit theaters in the superhero-filled summer of 2012 alongside Marc Webb’s Spider-Man film, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

See the official announcement from Twentieth Century Fox here.

Search for The Man of Steel Begins

Deadline offered up some casting news for the Christopher Nolan produced/Zack Snyder directed Superman film. The casting process is about to begin and, in similar fashion to the original Richard Donner Superman film and Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, the filmmakers are going to search for an actor who is either unknown or relatively unknown. Tapping an unknown is key to casting the role, in my estimation, because casting a familiar face could be too distracting for audiences.

The producers are looking for an actor aged between 28 and 32 and are planning to audition hundreds of actors before making a pick. I’m crossing my fingers that the casting of this film will treat the search for

Lois Lane

as importantly as their cast for the Man of Steel. If you have ever seen the original screen tests of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder you will remember that it was clear the goal was to cast a pair who would bring a spark to their relationship.

According to the report the producers are open to casting someone with some television presence but not a household name. A couple of the names that continue to circulate are Armie Hammer (who was cast as Batman in the never-filmed Justice League movie) and Joe Manganiello (True Blood) who created some buzz for himself a few weeks ago when he mentioned that he was in talks to play Superman (he later claimed on Twitter that he was not in negotiations for the part).

The report also indicates that the Snyder is expecting to begin shooting this film in June of 2011 for a 2012 holiday release.

'Cowboys & Aliens' Trailer Debuts

And we thought we were only going to get a movie poster to whet our appetite for Cowboys & Aliens this week. Check out the very cool trailer for next summer’s high concept western/sci-fi flick starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Keith Carradine and Clancy Brown.

Cowboys & Aliens arrives in theaters July 29, 2011.

Six-Minute 'Young Justice' Clip from the New York Comic-Con

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Splash Page posted the non-bootlegged six minute clip from Young Justice that premiered at the New York Comic-Con in September. If you have been a fan of the DC Universe line of animated films you are probably going to get a kick out of this gem. The scene includes classic DC heroes and their protégés taking on a bevy of icy villains.

Young Justice premieres with a one-hour special on Friday, November 26^th on the Cartoon Network. The series begins airing next Spring.

Denis Leary in Negotiations for 2012 Spider-Man Reboot

According to Heat Vision, Denis Leary is in negotiations for the role of Captain George Stacy, the father of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), in Marc Webb’s 2012 Spider-Man reboot.  George Stacy was a police captain in the original Amazing Spider-Man as well as a supporter of Spidey’s good deeds; James Cromwell played the character who was briefly featured in Spider-Man 3 (although he and his daughter were superfluous to the story).

Leary would join Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Rhys Ifans (rumored to be playing Curt Connors/The Lizard), and Stone. Martin Sheen and Sally Field are in negotiations to play Uncle Ben and Aunt May respectively.

Marvel Ends 'Thor: The Mighty Avenger'

Marvel confirmed to Bleeding Cool today that Thor: The Mighty Avenger would be ending its run with January’s issue #8. Marvel says they were reevaluating some of their overexposed characters; it would be difficult to dispute that Thor doesn’t fit that bill. The God of Thunder might as well have his own shelf at the comic book store when you take into account all of the Thor minis and regular titles currently being published.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger (by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee) and Ultimate Comics Thor (by Jonathan Hickman and Carlos Pacheco) are two excellent Thor books that can easily be picked up and enjoyed by the casual comic book reader.

Langridge’s Thor was a fish out of water story that was so appealing; removed was the boring posturing that you can get with a half-hearted take on the character. Samnee’s pencils on the book have continued to take Thor to another level. I think the perfect word for his artwork is lovely. As simple as his work might seem, there is so much life in his characters expressions and it was always a joy to sit and enjoy his pages.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger will be missed.

One More Brief Note on the 'Green Lantern' Trailer

If I were going to have to choose one thing that brought immense happiness after watching the Green Lantern teaser trailer, it was this brief glimpse of Mark Strong as Sinestro. That is one bad ass looking dude.

'Green Lantern' Trailer Debuts

I know not every one is sold on this. Me? I’m sold.

The Green Lantern trailer hit the web today after being teased on Entertainment Tonight last week and getting everyone stirring. And now we get to see all of the high flying adventure in all of its HD glory and I must say I am quite happy with the results.

Thank you technology for being able to realize so much of what we are looking for in the more fantastic comic book adaptations. While I’ve read some of the groaning about Ryan Reynolds being too lighthearted to play Hal Jordan, is there any disputing how serious the filmmakers appear to be taking the original source material?

There’s that very cool looking Kilowog that we saw last week. The complete trailer gives us our first glimpse at Tomar-Re (flying so smoothly) and a very cool looking Mark Strong as Sinestro.  It looks like we’ll be treated to some excellent action and some quality evil-doing by Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard looking very 70’s pornstar then very creepy). I was surprised at how much was squeezed into what is essentially a teaser.

Green Lantern hits theaters June 17, 2011.

Marvel Offers More on 'The Death of Spider-Man'

Marvel is touting “The Death of Spider-Man” (the Ultimate one) as one of its most ambitious stories ever. I’m pretty terrible at guessing the ends of storylines or the conclusions of movies, but I wonder if this is Brian Michael Bendis’s swan song for the character that he reimagined for the Ultimate Universe?

After all, he’s written this character monthly (and sometimes bimonthly) consistently for just over a decade now. That is beyond a committed run on this or any character. Additionally, Bendis’s run on Ultimate Spider-Man has arguably been the most consistent in quality for any Spider-Man book over the last ten years.

We will have to wait and see how this begins to unfold. For now, here is the official press release for the books that will center around “The Death of Spider-Man”:

"Marvel Announces Death of Spider-Man By Bendis & Millar"

"Groundbreaking New Storyline Hits the Ultimate Comics Universe in February"

Marvel is proud to announce Death of Spider-Man, the groundbreaking new story that forever changes the Ultimate Comics universe from superstar writers Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar. Kicking off with a prelude in Ultimate Spider-Man #153 and going into high-gear with Ultimate Avengers vs New Ultimates #1, this is the story that no comic fan can afford to miss when it all begins in February 2011 because, in the Ultimate Universe, There Are No Rules. This storyline continues in further issues of both Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Avengers vs New Ultimates.

“As a group and as individuals we have made a conscious effort to create stories this year that no one has ever seen before,” said Bendis. “I am very, very proud to be a part of this storyline and very proud of Marvel for even attempting such a bold endeavor. Sit back and watch as we unveil a storyline unlike any other!!”

The most successful new imprint of the century, Ultimate Comics has continually pushed the limits of super hero comics and raised the bar for comic book storytelling, with Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.1 selling well over one million copies.

Millar added, “This is the biggest, boldest thing we've attempted in the ten years since we kicked this line off. This is the one thing that could be bigger than the CREATION of the Ultimate line and it's great to be a part of it. Being part of something like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and soon you’ll all get to read the story we’ve written for you, This should be up there with the very small number of events that really mattered. This is going to be big.”

This February, Death of Spider-Man marks the most ambitious Ultimate Comics story yet...and one that no fan will ever forget!

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #153 & #154

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Pencils by SARA PICHELLI & DAVID LAFUENTE

Cover by SARA PICHELLI

Rated T+ ...$3.99 each

ON-SALE IN FEBRUARY

ULTIMATE AVENGERS VS. NEW ULTIMATES #1 (of 6)

Written by MARK MILLAR

Pencils & Cover by LEINIL YU

Variant Covers by BRYAN HITCH & FRANK CHO

Rated T+ ...$3.99

ON-SALE IN FEBRUARY

Original Story: Coming in February 2011 from Marvel Comics — "Death of Spider-Man."

Del Toro and Eick Ready to Bring Hulk to Television

Marvel Television is on the precipice of placing their recently announced Hulk television series in the most able of hands: Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth) and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica).

Talk about a pairing certain to make fanboys comfortable that, not only is the series going to be handled respectfully, but with a fresh approach that these two filmmakers bring to their projects. The deal is not yet finalized, but it is sounding like we are awfully close to an official announcement.

Deadline broke the story last night and the story is already spreading like wildfire. The series would not premiere until after The Avengers has bowed into theaters (in the summer of 2012). The Hulk character is expected to be a combination of prosthetics, CGI and puppetry, with a character design that will pay homage to several variations of the character (including the original 1978 series).

More to come!

'Green Lantern' Teaser on ET Tonight!

Set your DVR! Tonight Entertainment Tonight will feature more of the Green Lantern teaser trailer they teased on last Friday night's episode. I would expect that the teaser will be accompanied by some behind the scenes footage featuring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

Aquaman and Green Lantern Go to War (Separately) in 2011

War is Hell!

And war seems to be heading to two of the DCU’s most popular characters. On Friday, DC teased something called “Aquawar” that will be spinning out of the pages of Brightest Day #19 (below).  From DC’s solicit:

“Aquawar” breaks out with Aquaman, Mera, Aqualad and a surprise guest star facing off against the terrorist forces of Black Manta and Siren to keep the vast waters of the world from sinking the United States!

My money says that “Aquawar” will lead into the next attempt at a monthly for the King of Atlantis, who hasn’t had his own book since Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis ended in 2007.

Peace may not be coming easy for the Green Lantern Corps either. The prologue to “War of the Green Lanterns” begins in the pages of Green Lantern #63 and Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #7. Geoff Johns teased the event yesterday on The Source with the following:

From Rebirth to Sinestro Corps to Blackest Night, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner have stood by each other and fought together to save our universe. After all that, what could possibly tear them apart? We’ll find out in “War of the Green Lanterns” starting in March’s War of the Green Lanterns #1 and throughout the Green Lantern titles in March, April and May. Every Green Lantern is about to be tested — and tested against one another.

Season Two of 'Walking Dead' Not Likely Until Late 2011

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that AMC is "likely" to not air the second season of The Walking Dead until next October (yes, the October in 2011). Considering that the current season is only a mite six episodes, a near 11-month wait for the next season may seem as frightening as a zombie apocalypse. While the second season will feature 13 episodes, that is may not be enough to appease viewers who continue to tune into AMC’s bona fide hit (5.1 viewers tuned in for Sunday’s third episode—up from the previous week).