SDCC '11" 'Justice League' Comic-Con Souvenir Book Cover

Image says it all

Justice League: Tights and Flights No More



My Boots Are Shiny


Costumes and Superheroes go together like bacon and eggs, franks and beans, death and taxes, politics and corruption.

I tell yeah boys and girls….

Costumes are an obvious tool to instantly identify your favorite character. T-shirts and toys come with the idea next.  

I am not a traditionalist when it comes to comics. I don’t care if Thor suddenly has a beard or if Peter Parker has a whole closet full of different Spider-suits.

All I ask is that it make sense. I don’t even have to like it.  But if Superman suddenly has a costume that looks ‘shiny’, I just want to know why.

Come August a lot of our favorite DC Superheroes will be sporting different looks. It is still not a hundred percent clear whether it’s due because of a brand new DCU, or if there was a sale at GAP.

Looking at our heroes’ new duds one thing is unmistakably clear.

No one is wearing tights anymore.

In recent years a good portion of champions have walked away from their second skin attire but, more than most have kept the traditional look.

It’s clear that with the success of superhero films audiences appreciate a more uniform-ish look.

So it appears that DC Comics wants to make it official and walk away from costumes that could be worn under a three piece suit.

This is most evident with Superman. Next to Wonder Woman he has the most radical change in  appearance. His metallic look is an obvious reflection of his name. The Man of Steel. This costume (like all the others) now has a uniform style to it. I hope to discover that what he’s wearing was once his father’s. I think that would be a great take on Superman’s origin.

Jim Lee has won more over with this design. His pencils make the outfit look bold, iconic and powerful.

However, I can’t say the same from George Perez's presentation of Supes. BUT that is from just one picture, so hopefully The Man of Steel will look amazing come September.

Overall, as a fan I have nothing to complain about. With Marvel, I loved Spider-Man’s Iron-Spider look and I loved Bucky’s Captain America uniform, and now with DC Comics, The Justice League are looking as heroic as ever.

The Big Seven on the JLA Would Be Great, But the Team Would Still Need Personality

I’ve mentioned previously—to myself and others—that I’d like to see the Big Seven return to the pages of The Justice League of America. After all, when Grant Morrison brought the team back together after a prolonged absence, magic happened. Sure, Morrison and magic are often synonymous, but seeing the Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Flash fighting alongside together was awe-inspring.

But wait.

The dynamics of the Big Seven have changed. When Morrison recreated the classic roster, Green Lantern was Kyle Rayner and the Flash was Wally West. They were the magic in Morrison’s bag of tricks. The other members, as iconic as they are, can be somewhat stiff. Kyle and Wally brought a necessary lightness to the team. Especially Kyle, who was still fairly new to being a Green Lantern.

So while I still desire a book with the Big Seven again, I’d like to suggest some names for the team to keep the book from becoming a bland mess. My criteria, and someone else’s might be different, is that these are characters who have been around the DCU for some time (I can get nostalgic about these choices), they can hold their own in a JLA-level threat (alien invasions, super-villain team-ups, etc.), and—most importantly—they have bigger than life personalities:

DC or Marvel: Who Has the Better Movie Strategy?

While walking the red carpet for Sucker Punch in England, Hey You Guys asked the director how his Superman fits into the planned Justice League of America film announced earlier this week.

“It doesn’t,” said Snyder.

Snyder explained that Chris Nolan’s Batman universe and his own Superman universe will not be tied to what Warner Bros. have planned for the Justice League film. “What they do with Justice League will just be its own thing—with its own Batman and its own Superman.”

Sorry continuity purists!

JLA: The Movie...2013?

We could be getting a Justice League movie...as early as 2013.

Per Supermanhomepage.com

" LA Times has indicated that the WB is planning a Justice League of American film in 2013."
 
Per the article, now that Harry Potter is ending Warner Bros is looking for their next big franchise.
 
In reality what is probably going on is that there is just talk and that maybe after a few more superhero films are under their belt, that in 2013 they can think about bringing fans a JLA Movie.
 
That's my thoughts
 
Stay Tuned Commuters.

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 2/16/11 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Hulk #30

Marvel Comics

««««

Red and Green Hulk face off against Xemnu the Living Titan and his cadre of monsters while the Impossible Man records the proceedings for galactic gamblers. Does that sound dumb? Too simple for you?

You are sorely mistaken because this is a hell of a book. Jeff Parker has written a one-shot old school Hulk story with the green and red Hulks facing down against monsters—the most special of all being a old-English speaking white Hulk called Kluh. Are you still with me? Trust me, the whole thing works.

Original Hulk artist Ed McGuiness has returned for to put his distinctive spin on the book, and it is a welcome return. While I am an enormous fan of current series artist Gabriel Hardman, I can’t imagine many artists other than McGuiness who could have so perfectly captured the tone of this issue.

Based on Hulk and his work on Thunderbolts, Parker is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. He seems to have an affinity for pitting his heroes against monsters, which I do not mind if it works. And boy does it work. 

Brett Booth

Hello there Cape Town Commuters... want a sneak peek at Brett Booth's JLA?

Here is a page that I think is just beautiful. You can see more here.

 

Justice League of America #54 hits stores tomorrow.

Justice League of America #200: A Childhood Favorite

I don’t know that I could pick a single greatest issue of a comic book. One that sits above all the rest.

But if I were to attempt to choose the most memorable books of my childhood, I’d have to say it was Justice League of America #200. Wow-zers. As a kid, this was the comic to end all comics back in March of 1982 when it was published.

Just what did DC do to celebrate the 200th issue?

They pit the Satellite League against the Big Seven. That is, Firestorm vs. Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado vs. Aquaman, Zatanna vs. Wonder Woman, Atom vs. Green Lantern, the Elongated Man vs. the Flash, Green Arrow and Black Canary vs. Batman, and finally, Hawkman vs. Superman (somebody had to do it). Neither of these teams were schlubs.

The story was a sequel to the team’s origin story (as presented in Justice League of America #9) where the League faced off against seven elemental aliens bent on taking over the Earth. Original for it’s time I’m certain. Twenty-some years later we learn the aliens used a hypnotic suggestion to influence their captors to set them free, unaware that any time has passed. Thus, once the original League met up with their Satellite counterparts they did not recognize them and charged straight into battle.

Okay, so this sounds pretty standard even for the time: Confused heroes do battle with one another, they realize they've been duped, then the heroes team up to bring on some justice. Familiar stuff for sure.

But the art takes this issue to a higher level. All of the big guns of the time were on hand to celebrate the JLA’s momentous anniversary: Jim Aparo, Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Gil Cane, Dick Giordano, Brian Bolland, and Terry Austin. This issue was scripted by legendary DC writer Gerry Conway, while the opening, segue sequences, and action packed conclusion were drawn by George Perez. This book was a work of art from beginning to end.

Each artist took on a single fight sequence between two of the heroes; the artist often being the guy most associated with regularly penciling one of the characters in his sequence. For example, Kane drew the fight between Green Lantern and the Atom, while Infantino did the Elongated Man/Flash battle. The creators set out to create an unforgettable story and they succeeded in every sense.

Justice League of America #200 gave readers fifteen heroes in non-stop action and guest appearances by Snapper Carr, Adam Strange and the Phantom Stranger. Sheesh. They threw everything into the kettle and mixed themselves up a tasty dish.

Jim Lee Takes on the Justice League of America

Jim Lee just tweeted this version of the famous Brave and the Bold #28 cover featuring the first appearance of the Justice League of America and it is even more awesome than I expected!  Has Starro ever looked this menacing? Or sticky?