Superman

Justice League Unlimited – My Thoughts

Posted on by popcorncatcus

I loved the Justice League animated series when I was a kid. The show ran for 2 seasons and centred around 7 characters who were part of a Justice League in the comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, The Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter). When the show expanded into Justice League Unlimited, I thought it would be cool to see more characters like Green Arrow, Black Canary, Supergirl, and so on. It was a fan favorite but I guess I didn’t like it as much as others did. I’ll go into the things I like first before the things I did dislike.

Likes:

  • That they brought back Hawkgirl and dealt with the impact from Justice League. Hawkgirl was the best female character, heck probably the best character out of the main 7. It was great to see her back and dealing with the mistrust of others.
  • The battle against Lex Luthor/Brainaic. Having the main 7 battle against the villain made for some feel good moments.
  • The crossover with Batman Beyond. Batman Beyond ended a year or so before but having Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Batman travel back in time to the Old West (meeting Bat-Lash and Jonah Hex), and then the future where they meet Terry’s version of Batman, Static Shock, Warhawk (the son of Green Lantern & Hawkgirl), and a cameo appearance from Hal Jordan.
  • “For He Who has Everything” – Based on the Alan Moore story. We get to see Superman’s dream if Krypton didn’t blow up. It is a lot different to the book (lack of Robin and Batman’s explanation of his dream). However, it is still a well done episode.
  • Black Canary & Green Arrow – They aren’t my favorite animated versions of these characters but they are still good characters, probably the best of the new ones introduced. Shout out to Vixen. She’s a good character too.
  • A look into Central City where The Flash operates. We get to see the Rogues and an appearance from Linda Park. Orion is kind of a bummer this episode. The Booster Gold episode is good too.

Dislikes:

  • How The Flash and Martian Manhunter don’t do much. The Flash was gone for a full season and Martian Manhunter just sits around at the Watchtower all day. Misuse of two good characters.
  • Naïve Superman who turns into a calculating politician type – Superman isn’t supposed to be cynical or thinking how a politician would. He is supposed to be a beacon of hope for everyone. Here though, he just feels a bit cynical and even annoys Shazam to quit. He isn’t a lovable character at all.
  • Wonder Woman – All Wonder Woman does is get angry or tries to flirt with Batman. The character is another character that is supposed to be a beacon for hope and the truth. Many are supposed to gravitate to her but all is she is either angry or just there. I have no problems with Wonder Woman being angry but not as her main personality. Also she is really inconsistent in power. She is supposed to be around the same power level as Superman but it is never really shown.
  • The characterization of many characters. I get that a lot of things from comics that you can’t bring into an animated show. The Flash didn’t get much fleshed out in this part of the show, Superman was really bitter, cynical and not fun, Batman was written like a god, John Stewart lost some of his shine, Wonder Woman I explained earlier, and The Huntress is another character that I felt missed the mark.
  • The whole Cadmus arc – I think it is well done as an arc goes but I just found it boring, cynical and just playing on the whole what if the Government was scared of heroes. We could have used that for possibly a Darkseid arc a lot earlier or the Legion of Doom style arc. There could have been more The Flash, Green Lantern and of course more Wonder Woman based stories.
  • Too many characters – Same thing that Young Justice has gone through, there are just too many characters. That means there is a lack of development for some, no back story for others, and leaving some of the main 7 in the lurch except Batman. When you have too many characters to tell, a lot of stories can be muddled.

It is a good show don’t get me wrong. I grew up with it and I know many did too. However, it is just that compared to Justice League (the animated show) and other DC animated properties, it misses a lot of marks. There’s too much focus on characters like Batman, or too little on The Flash. Some arcs that dragged on and got boring, and a sense of not knowing what to do with some characters. It is a show I probably would watch if randomly on TV but I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it again.

For the Man Who has Everything…

Posted on by popcorncatcus

For the Man Who Has Everything…

One of the most iconic Superman stories out there. Written by Alan Moore, the annual tells of Superman’s vision of what his life would have been like if Krypton didn’t explode. What his life’s desired, a life in Krypton. This story was adapted in an animated episode of Justice League and loosely adapted in Supergirl. The story features Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin (Jason Todd) as well as Mongul. Alan Moore originally wanted to use Supergirl instead of Wonder Woman but Supergirl was being saved for later because of COIE.

The story begins with Kal-El’s birthday in Krypton. He sees his wife and kids. His wife’s name is Lyla who is a Kryptonian actor (who is supposed to be 20 years older than Kal but this is just a dream). They have two kids: Van and Orma. Life is good. However, something is not right because Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman arrive at the Fortress of Solitude. They are talking about gifts until they see Superman inanimate with something on him is a plant that came as a gift. Batman notes that he is in a world of his own.

Back in dream Krypton, Kal is staring out the window while Lyla asks out of concern if he is okay. Kal notes that his father didn’t come over. It disappoints him but he is alive and busy with his political work (purposely because he didn’t like Allura or Kara because politics).

Kal argues with his father about politics and burning relations and how he is working with people from the Sword of Rao who are seen as a bit of a cult. Jor-El notes it is to do with politics and it is important. We find out that Kal’s mother Lara has died because of an illness and Jor-El has been kicked out of the Science Council and became laughingstock after telling everyone that Krypton was going to blow up (which in Kal’s dream didn’t). The heroes wonder what that thing is and who did it. Mongul comes in and explains what it is. It is called Black Mercy, it is a plant that gives people what they desire in a vision.

Mongul takes on Wonder Woman after the Amazon attacks him. She is outmatched and Bruce knows he has no chance if Diana is struggling. Diana gets some weapons from the Fortress and shoots Mongul while Batman tries to get the tendrils from Black Mercy out of Superman. We cross back over to Kal’s vision. He goes to the hospital to comfort Allura after Kara was attacked by a protestor wanting the release of a prisoner from the Phantom Zone. Kal calls his wife and tells her to take her daughter and meet them there. Kal takes Van to a safe place until he sees Jor-El talking to a gathering of Sword of Rao loyalists about how Krypton needs to be back like it used to be. This is when Kal realizes that none of this is real and goes to where Kandor was supposed to be. He tells Van that none of this is real.

Superman breaks out of his dream but unfortunately Batman has Black Mercy on him. He imagines that his parents were never murdered. His father overpowered Joe Chill and Bruce lived a normal life. He was married to Kathy Kane and they had a daughter together. Wonder Woman is still battling Mongul. Superman talks to Jason and immediately gets to action.

Superman is angry because he was pulled into a world which made him forget about his life here. Jason is trying to figure out how to get Black Mercy out of Bruce and succeeds. He carries the plant with him. Superman and Mongul continue to fight. Mongul uses Superman’s statue of his parents holding up a globe that is supposed to be Krypton, to hurt Superman physically. Jason saves Superman and everyone else by distracting Mongul and throwing Black Mercy at him. Black Mercy wraps itself around Mongul.

Mongul imagines himself as the ruler of War World with him conquering battles. However, he is just stuck in a dream in reality with no means of escape. Diana gives Superman a replica of Kandor in a bottle. He already has one and swaps it with the one Diana has. They kiss. Batman and Robin give him a plant called the Krypton which is unfortunately dead. Superman notes that it is probably for the best and offers the three heroes coffee.

It is a nice story and great to see a vision which doesn’t involve Lois or Lana or anything like that. Just that he imagines himself with children, living in Krypton married to an actress. However, it becomes a nightmares because of his father being involved in a cult, his mother being dead and Kara in the hospital. Batman’s fantasy is his parents not dying and life being good. It is great to see Robin (Jason Todd) doing a lot and helping the heroes save Superman and stopping Mongul. It is a great one shot story as an annual.

Clark Kent gets Fired!!!

Posted on by popcorncatcus

The time Clark Kent was fired from the WGBS family all because of Superman.

It was August, 1985 and Superman was about to enter the Post-Crisis age in less than 2 years. One of the last arcs before the reboot was Clark Kent…Fired as part of Superman vol. 1 #410 running into issue #413. However, issue #411 was a filler issue that didn’t count for anything. Currently, Lois and Jimmy worked for The Daily Planet while Lana worked for WGBS TV. Clark was pulling double duty working for both the Daily Planet and WGBS TV.

The story arc begins with Superman saving Hawaii from a satellite that is falling apart. He goes back to the Daily Planet to write his story about how Superman saved the day. The Daily Planet runs the story but unfortunately it turns out to be false. Superman finds out that the satellite that he thought was going to destroy Honolulu was still in space. The Daily Planet finds out it is false and immediately retracts the story. The Daily Planet and WGBS TV have to apologize on TV. Superman meets Morgan Edge and explains that Clark Kent got it wrong because he can’t rise up suspicions that he is one of the same.  

Clark goes to see Perry White and Morgan Edge and is asked for an explanation. Clark can’t explain it. He gets fired because Morgan Edge has his hands tied by stakeholders who are not happy. Lois and Jimmy believe something is afoot because to them Clark and Superman must be working on something and Superman wouldn’t sell out Clark. Lois finds out that Clark is fired and goes to tell Perry off who isn’t too happy himself. Lana is tries to make it easier on Clark by being there for him since they are kind of dating. She asks him to call her when he gets back and notes that he might be really strong mentally, Clark could be really distressed about what has happened. They are a cute couple. Too bad they didn’t get a longer run.

Clark goes back to his apartment and investigates as Superman what could have happened. He finds out that Lex Luthor has something to do with it but he doesn’t know what it could be. Lex is at his island and explains the plan. He has hit Superman with some brain waves which made Superman believe in imaginary pre-conceived incidents, which is why the satellite situation didn’t exist in reality. The end game is to ruin Superman and make him doubt himself, so Lex can take over the world and defeat Superman.

He is a bit disappointed that Clark has been fired because Lex likes him. He also notes that this would make Lana sad because they are romantically involved. Clark goes to the unemployment line but escapes when he is needed as Superman. He then returns as Clark and visits an old friend, Steve Lombard. Steve owns a sporting goods store after life at the Daily Planet. They bond before Superman has to do his thing.

Clark returns and he and Steve talk while walking through the streets of Metropolis. Steve tells him that he has a lot of options. While that is happening, Lois and Lana are checking in to see how Clark is doing but he is not around. Clark saves Steve from getting speared by Lex Luthor’s spear of energy.

Superman goes to fight Lex and they have a huge, brutal fight. Clark defeats him but he has to kill Lex to stop an atomic blast from happening. However, it doesn’t work and an atomic blast occurs. Superman realizes that there was no blast and no fight against Lex. He is confused by the whole thing and Lex knows he has him.

Clark has been working as Steve’s part time assistant & accountant while Clark looks for a full time job. Lois calls up Steve and tells him that they might have something planned for him and Clark which could work for everyone. Steve signs him and Clark up to a charity ball for all WGBS employees including ex-employees. He tells Clark he wouldn’t do it but they invited him. It is actually a front of a party for Clark to make me feel like he has people on his side.

Superman saves some people and Lana confronts him about selling out Clark Kent. She like Lois, don’t know that Clark and Superman are one of the same. She will find out Post-Crisis but we aren’t up to there yet. Superman battles Lex again and because of his brain zapping, Superman believes that he can’t get to Earth and his locked out forever, meaning that Lex can take over the world.

Superman is distressed and so are his friends and loved ones. Clark had been a no show at his party even though Steve told him to come many times. He and Lana are disappointed wondering where he is. It turns out Superman had been sleeping under Lex’s control in his secret island, with waves from rods keeping Superman contained. However the trance is broken when Clark hears his friends and loved ones calling out for him. He wakes up and breaks free.

He fights Lex in space until they both stop seeing a dark portal. Superman thinks Lex has something to do with it but Lex assures him that he does not. The portal is asking for Lex and sucks him in. It turns out it has something to do with Crisis of Infinite Earths and we don’t see Lex for a while. Superman goes to Clark’s party and tells everyone that he and Clark had been working together to get Lex out of the way. Clark gets his job back and everyone is fine and dandy….except Lex.

It is a nice arc. It shows how brilliant Lex could actually be. It was nice to see Steve Lombard helping Clark, Jimmy and Lois knowing that something is up and Lana trying to be there for Clark and getting really annoyed at Superman.

Steve Lombard’s Really Bad Day

Posted on by popcorncatcus

In Pre-Crisis Superman’s history, Steve Lombard was a former football star who retired and went into media, working with Clark and Lana for WGBS. He was shown to be a jock and a bully to Clark and other members of the WGBS and The Daily Planet group but they still kind of liked him. He was always the butt of the jokes and pranks but there was one time that Steve Lombard had a really bad day. It happened in Superman vol. 1 issue #384 in June, 1983.

It all started with him mugging the camera for close up before shooting. Everyone is rolling their eyes and just sick of his shtick. While that’s happening, a young man walks into WGBS and Daily Planet building. He is out for revenge against Steve after being the target of his practical jokes back in college since they were roommates. His name is Leo Morey, a physics scientist and he walks him and greets Steve. However, he picks him up and tosses him around like he has superpowers, hurting Steve pretty bad.

Lana, Jimmy and a few other employees check out what has happened. Lana sees that Steve is physically hurt and gets him some medical help. Leo has disappeared and no one knows what to make of this whole situation. Superman is busy doing his thing with the whole saving the world. He is reminiscing about his break-up with Lois. Superman and Lois were a couple back then but they couldn’t work it out. She is in the Arctic on her way to the Middle East to cover a peace meeting between two leaders but she is not over Superman and needed to take some personal time.

Back in Metropolis and things don’t get any better for Steve. He is sent to Morgan Edge’s office to talk business. He is down on the ratings. People don’t gravitate to him like they used to and those ratings count to a lot of advertising revenue. Thus he is fired.

Clark comes back and bumps into Lana who is called to go to the airport to cover the peace meeting in the Middle East since Lois is not really responding. Lana and Clark have a little meet cute and she kisses him on the cheek, hinting that they are close to being a couple. Clark notices that Steve’s name is being scrapped off his door and wonders why Steve has been fired. Steve goes to Clark’s apartment and even though he is mean to him, Steve considers Clark to be his friend along with Jimmy and Lana. They talk and Steve tells Clark that he kinds of deserves it for being mean to Leo.

He tells Clark that Leo is not done with him. Just like that Leo comes in, ready to kill or humiliate Steve again. Clark is pushed away by Steve for protection, which surprises Clark that Steve cares that much. It also works out since Clark can turn into Superman. Steve is about to be killed until Superman comes in and saves Steve. Leo basically goes all “We can be friends but I need to get rid of this bully” and obviously Superman doesn’t buy it. They fight but Superman isn’t able to win easily because Leo is solar-energized. Superman figures out that he needs to get rid of Leo’s belt and the best way to do that is show Leo who he actually is. Leo is a peace loving scientist, not a killer. It works and Superman is able to get his belt and save everyone.

Steve tells Clark that he’ll find his own way and thanks him for being a good friend. They have a good friendship as Steve becomes a used car salesman and then an owner of a sporting goods store. It wasn’t the best day for Steve.

The First Death of Superman

Posted on by popcorncatcus

The Death of Superman is considered to be one of the most important and iconic Superman nay comics story arc of all time. It was considered to be a huge game changer, so much so it reached major pop culture status. However, it was not the first story called Death of Superman. The first story was back in November, 1961 as Superman vol. 1 #149. It was titled ‘The Death of Superman’. However, the Silver Age had many covers that were a huge fake out, so readers probably believed that Superman wasn’t going to die. That being said it was an imaginary story which was retconned to take place in one of the many universes in the DC multiverse.

The story begins with Lex Luthor in jail, breaking rocks. He is asked to do something but instead he whacks one of the wardens and because of this, his library privileges are done.  He goes on a monologue that he found something called Element Z and it can be used to cure cancer. He gets enough of it and asks if he can use the prison laboratory (which is a thing apparently?). They don’t trust him, so he has to do it with supervision. Using Element Z, Luthor creates the cure of cancer. It is verified and people are cured of cancer.

Superman is happy about Lex’s success and he vouches for him as they save to defeat cancer together. Superman also vouches for Lex to be released on parole. Superman and Lex Luthor are buddies, saving the world. Lex is ambushed by criminals but Superman saves him and gives him a signal watch in case Lex needs saving. It happens a lot and Superman has to keep on saving him. Eventually Lex calls him in and tells him he needs saving. But it is a trap!!! Superman is hit by a ray of green kryptonite and it turns out that he was pretending to be Superman’s friend to lure him into a trap.

Lex shows Lois, Jimmy and Perry his trap as Superman is dying. He tells him that all the criminals he needed saving from was actually legit because he had a lot of enemies. Normally one would think Superman would find some deus ex machina way to win against Luthor but that doesn’t happen. He actually dies. Superman is dead. The world mourns for him as he is buried. People from his past come to mourn him but what happened to Clark? That was never explained. Anyway, people at his funeral include Lois, Linda (Supergirl), Lana, Lori, Perry, Jimmy, Krypto, Cosmic Lad, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and members of the JLA. The Superman robots are watching on TV cause they can.

Luthor is celebrated as the greatest villain ever. He goes to dinners and balls celebrating his success. He even has reenactments using Superman robots he created, to show people how he killed Superman. While doing one of his reenactments, Superman comes in and destroys the reenactment. But it is not Superman. It is actually Supergirl and she captures Lex and takes him away to Kandor for a trial.

Lex listens to all the testimonies in court while thinking that he can easily get out of this. He decides to be smart and plead guilty but try to plea bargain. He says he can build a ray that can make Kandor big again, so they don’t have to be small and live inside a bottle. However, they tell him no and send him to Phantom Zone.

Supergirl decides to take over the mantle as Earth’s savior while mourning about her cousin and how she didn’t want this responsibility since Superman is dead.  He doesn’t come back and thus the imaginary story is finished.

It is a pretty good story, going against the grain of normal Silver Age stories. Would have liked to see more Supergirl taking over Superman’s role as the savior of Earth but it is just a self-contained story. So, that was the first time that Superman died in a story. Not as heavy as The Death of Superman in the 90’s but a good story.

Superman & Batman meet the Justice Titans

Posted on by popcorncatcus

I do like when DC decides to have short arcs that are fun and kind of light. There are times when the story arcs are way too dark and heavy. One short, light arc that features in Superman/Batman vol. 1 (2003) was a mash-up between the Justice League and the Titans in a dream world. The arc began during issue number 60.

The issue begins with Batman going from rooftop to rooftop escaping from the police, wondering what is off with Gotham. It didn’t feel like the Gotham he knew. The police are after him like he was a vigilante (which he kind of is anyway). He gets saved in an alleyway by Superman who also notes that something is odd about this place. It turns out that they are in Gothamopolis, a fusion between Gotham and Metropolis and it is freaking them both out.

They are ambushed by a team called Justice Titans, a mash up between the Titans and the Justice League. They are led by Night Lantern and include: Aquaborg, Star Canary, Donna Wonder, Hawkbeast and The Flash. Each of them are a mash-up of a member of the Justice League and The Titans. They battle Superman and Batman. It seems to be a pretty even fight until Hawkbeast throws his mace and it hits a helicopter. Superman saves the pilot and that then and there is when they become allies.

We get to find out who the heroes are. They are called to battle Doomstroke (a mash-up between Deathstroke and Doomsday). They do defeat it but it does escape, leaving a part of it like a piece of bone, which Batman makes a notes to study. It turns out that he sees nothing but those heroes do, meaning Batman knows this is a dream. He tells the other heroes who don’t believe it because they feel real to each other.

Doomstroke returns to his evil team which includes Lex Joker and includes Terra as a traitor just like the comics. Batman knows that Terra is a villain and a traitor but Terra is able to spring the trap to bring in the Brotherhood of Injustice. The heroes fight because Superman told them the same thing about Terra. They all fight until Batman realizes that the villain who is Lex Joker is actually Dr. Destiny. Superman tells Batman to break the statue of hero Ravanna (Raven and Zatanna fusion) which creates a wormhole kind of thing.

Bruce wakes up to see Zatanna in front of him. Apparently they are married and have a family together. Everything is happy and peaceful but he knows it is a dream because he can see Dr. Destiny. He convinces Zatanna that none of this is real and she uses a spell to wake up. He thinks about how good life could be with Zatanna but remembers Superman must be in trouble with Raven.

Superman is captured by Raven and sentence to death. He pleads with her to stop this but it isn’t getting anywhere. Then he asks her to kill him, trying to bluff her. It works and Raven wakes up. All 4 of them wake up but only Batman and Superman knew what happened.

It is a fun story for a short arc. It gave us a unique look into a group of heroes which is nice to see. Would have been cooler to see them more in action but alas it wasn’t meant to be.

Superman & Wonder Woman – DC’s Power Couple

Posted on by popcorncatcus

The New 52 changed a lot in DC’s history. One of the biggest changes was Clark Kent not being married or in a relationship with Lois Lane anymore. Instead, he shared a relationship with Wonder Woman which went for a 3 years. They were a power couple. There was no couple stronger, each didn’t have to hide through a secret identity and could be themselves. Superman was by far the strongest but Wonder Woman was the better warrior and a better fighter. She was new to the world while Superman wasn’t but still alien. Both complimented each other well but they also have their own conflicts.

The couple divided fans. There were fans that supported it because it was a new change of pace and it kind of made sense. Others didn’t because it was different to the status quo or that it was like putting the most popular guy together with the most popular girl. However, I liked it and the couple was popular enough to branch out into a comic series in 2013 called Superman/Wonder Woman. The series had some of the best variant covers as part of a themed month that DC would do back during the New 52. There was the film variant taking inspiration of Gone with the Wind, a selfie cover, a Harley Quinn cover and a couple of others.

The first arc was called Power Couple. It begins with Superman and Wonder Woman flying around the North Atlantic try to stop a storm. Immediately Clark notices that something is off when he sees a weird red light in the centre of the storm. Earlier, Clark and Cat Grant are brainstorming stories at a club in their little venture (FYI: Clark Kent did a Jerry McGuire from the Daily Planet and Cat followed him). She tells him that they need a story otherwise their venture is done. Around the same time Diana is in London talking to Hessia about Clark while working out. Back to the present with Wonder Woman saving a plane from falling until she notices that Superman was punched through the air. Diana gets hit by whatever was down there as Superman flies some pilots to safety.

Diana is in London at the balcony of her apartment when Clark shows up with a flower from his Fortress of Solitude. They have a conversation about the secrets they have to keep including themselves even though Batman and Mera know. She gives him a sword forged by Hephaestus, her brother. Diana tells him that since she studied under Ares, she has a lot to teach Clark. Back to the present and Diana sees what attacked her. It’s Doomsday!!!

Wonder Woman is outmatched despite valiantly fighting and is nearly killed until Superman flies in, knocking Doomsday away. Wonder Woman wants to know what the heck was that thing and explains to Superman what she saw. The description scares Superman and tells her it’s Doomsday but it can’t be because Doomsday is in the Phantom Zone. It can’t be possible for it to escape but whatever it is has Superman concerned because Doomsday is death. Diana takes him to meet Hephaestus for a new weapon for Superman. Hephaestus wants to know how strong Superman is and if he is really deserving of his weapons. So, he hits him.

Hephaestus agrees to create a weapon for Superman. Apollo and Strife enter Hephaestus’ armoury. Apollo isn’t happy about Diana’s choice in men. He is annoyed that he is not a warrior and is not even from Earth nor is he human. Superman take exception and tells Apollo that he will hit him hard if he demeans Diana. Apollo slaps him hard and Diana is pissed. Diana is ready to attack Apollo until Superman appears and punches Apollo really hard. Apollo gets mad and proclaims “I am the sun!!!” shooting a yellow heat blast at Superman. Apollo doesn’t know that Superman is powered by the yellow sun. A fully powered up Superman throws him up into air.

Back at Metropolis, Cat Grant decides to open a package with a USB. She plugs in the USB and sees something huge. Batman talks to Superman who is sitting at the dark side of the moon trying to get rid of the excess sun energy he received from Apollo. He needs to talk to Diana and tell her everything as they are a team now that they are a couple. At the same time it’s Christmas and Diana is shopping in London for a Christmas gift for Clark, while talking to Hessia.

Zod appears in the desert and is flying around getting used to his powers. The other Justice League battles him including Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Vibe and Steve Trevor. Things aren’t going well for the other Justice League until Wonder Woman and Superman appear. Superman takes Zod into captivity. Turns out Zod was from the Phantom Zone and he escaped. Superman and Wonder Woman talk. She gives him his secret Christmas present which is time. He can relax and not worry about saving people.

They are enjoying themselves until Superman hears that everyone has found out about them. It’s been leaked. Clark and Diana talk about it, wondering how it happened and if it is a good thing or not.

Zod tricks Superman into bringing into Faora. Earlier, Clark finds out from Cat how they got the story and Diana talks to Hessia about what has happened. Zod and Faora escape and Superman has to go find them. He needs Wonder Woman to help him but can’t locate her since she’s at Themyscira, relaxing in her own way which is beating up monsters. Superman takes on Zod and Faora and the Big Blue is outmatched. Wonder Woman finally gets the update from Cyborg and she makes her way to try to find him in haste. Wonder Woman comes in and lands a blow on Zod and burns Faora with her sword.

The heroes retreat after Superman is nearly killed. Superman and Wonder Woman go back to Hephaestus’ forge for a new weapon which is happy to create. Zod and Faora hatch a plan to beat Diana first and Superman will try to protect her, losing in the process but that doesn’t happen because the heroes are prepared.

They win but Apollo being petty as gods do decides to power up Zod and Faora, knocking down the heroes. Superman and Wonder Woman are in a nuclear reactor where they can see Zod opening up with Phantom Zone. Superman tells her that they have to slice through atoms with the sword she gave him to save the world. They do it to cause a nuclear explosion, saving the world and destroying the portal to the Phantom Zone. Hessia heals them both. After they heal they go clubbing and dance together to have some downtime to enjoy each other’s company. It is nice to see them relaxing with each other.

The first arc isn’t much on plot but focuses on the development of their relationship including trusting each other. The couple do get caught up in many crossovers affecting them. They would have lasted longer if they had more relaxing moments between them but alas there was a lot of drama from the crossovers and new directions but also comic book fans wanted to see the return of the status quo, things that they like and that is fair. Personally, I liked them together but that is just me.

Man of Steel – The Superman Film that didn’t feel all that Super

Posted on by popcorncatcus

Man of Steel is an interesting film. It’s acts as a Superman origin film but it isn’t really. While it wasn’t as groundbreaking as Superman (1978), it did kick off the DC Film universe. The film focuses on Superman learning to be essentially Superman. Unlike most Superman films, it has Clark meeting Lois as Superman first rather than Clark Kent, going against the grain of the Superman mythos.

The film is about Superman learning how to save the world and how to be the bridge between Krypton and the humans of Earth. He has to learn to trust humans and earn the trust of them too as he battles against Zod, Faora and Non to save the world. Henry Cavill plays Superman and to me he is a Superman much like Christopher Reeves. He plays Superman and Clark Kent really well. You just look at him and you know he embodies everything that the character stands for. Amy Adams plays Lois Lane and she’s great at it. She feels very modern Lois but I wish it was tougher for her to find out who Superman is. It just felt like it was too easy and it was a missed opportunity to learn more about Lois Lane as a character.

What I do love in this film is giving Clark younger parents. Jonathan and Martha Kent (played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) are able to be more of parents to Clark, teaching him the ways of the world and it’s a good touch. It would have been a bit weird casting older actors that could have been Clark’s grandparents if anything. However I did like Jor-El (played by Russell Crowe) but it just seemed too convenient to have him know everything and guide Superman and Lois like it was video game. It was a missed opportunity to have Superman figure all this out instead of being guided. So, there was a lack of character development for the main two characters. The villains were fine. Zod is a good choice for the type of movie and story that they wanted to tell, so I can’t complain about him. Michael Shannon did a great job and didn’t play it camp like Superman II. But again just have him deal with the ghost of Jor-El was a bit of a miss.

The fights are great. They felt very comic book like with the destruction everywhere and heavy hitting. However it does feel a bit odd that Superman doesn’t take the fight away from Metropolis but I guess it was a choice for the next film. I understand that many people took exception of Superman killing. However it’s just another universe where Superman has killed in DCverse. It happens and you roll with it. The score is great but I would have loved the movie to be a bit brighter. I understand what Synder is going for but a little pop, little light won’t hurt anyone.

The main issues I have with the film are the direction of Jor-El being a guide, it ruins character development which leads to the very minimal development for Lois and Clark. It just feels like “Oh” when Lois figures out Clark’s identity pretty quickly. There’s no build up, there’s no banter or anything like that. It is just “You’re Superman” and she doesn’t seem very surprised or shocked. Having the banter between them or at least meeting at The Daily Planet could have given more possibilities and would have allowed Perry White to do more. Another issue I have is probably less about Smallville. I want to see Clark growing up with his friends to help build up how alone he feels instead of him wandering around like a nomad.

Man of Steel is a fun watch and it’s good but there are just a lack of character development, a plot that moves around too much and a sense of cynicism that works better with Batman than Superman.  There was just several missed opportunities but the score, the fights, the CGI and the casting are great and that will help the viewing experience.

The Batman and Superman Families at Warworld

Posted on by popcorncatcus

It’s always fun to see stories where we get to see the Batman and Superman families interact with each other as allies. In this Annual for Batman/Superman vol. 1 during the New 52, we get to see the families interact with each other at Warworld. Just for reference, Warworld is a mobile man-made planet controlled by the villain Mongul. In a previous arc, Superman and Batman defeated Mongul sending him to the Phantom Zone.

The story begins with Superman and Batman at the Fortress of Solitude looking through the Phantom Zone to see Mongul. After all that Superman is doing his thing in Metropolis until he gets teleported to meet an alien named Jochi, who turns out to be the son of Mongul. Jochi wants to get revenge in his own way. He wants the families of Superman and Batman to fight in Warworld for their planet or risk their planet being blown up.

Clark is sitting and thinking while Batman joins him. Batman tells him that he knows what is happening. They both agree that they have do this. Superman knows that Supergirl is his first choice. She is just as strong as he is. He has to find a second and Wonder Woman comes in asking how come he didn’t pick her since she’s a warrior and trained by the God of War. He tells her that just in case something happens, she needs to protect the world. Diana relents and gives Kara her sword. She and Clark kiss before she flies off.

Batman immediately goes for Red Hood to ask him if he is interested. He decided on Red Hood because Jason has been off world with Starfire and Arsenal. Also because it is not like Batman has many options. Red Robin is off doing this own thing, Nightwing and Robin are considered dead.

They meet near Warworld. Superman is joined by Supergirl and Steel. Steel is there to try to disable to guns on Warworld. Joining Batman are Red Hood and Batgirl who overheard what is happening and joined them. She said she could help disable technology along with Steel but Batman isn’t too happy with that but it’s not like he gets a say. Joining the heroes is Krypto. We find out that Superboy (Kon not Jon) has died. The heroes get teleported to Warworld to meet Jochi. Unfortunately for Jochi, people are questioning his leadership, so now it’s all out war. Red Hood saves Jochi from a monster and thanks to Batman, Jochi is indebted to them and has to join the Batman clan. Now the fighting begins while Steel and Batgirl figure out how to destroy Warworld.

Naturally the Superman clan and Batman clan are in the final two. They dine and find out that they have to fight each other, much to their disappointment. While Red Hood and Supergirl bond over fighting and swords, Batman and Superman talk strategy. They’ll have to fight each other to ensure that the planet is not destroyed but also to give Batgirl and Steel time to destroy Warworld.

The fight between Supergirl and Red Hood is pretty even since Kara is just using her sword. Krypto is easily defeating Jochi and Batman is using Kryptonite to ensure he can fight on an even field with Superman to stall for Steel and Batgirl. Batgirl just wants to blow the whole thing up. The leaders are unhappy that Batman doesn’t kill Superman and vote to blow up the planet. It’s looking grim until Jochi kills the leader and explains that they should find strength in mercy. That doesn’t sit well with the crowd. The crowd try to kill him.

Batgirl’s idea of blowing it up works and the heroes escape. However there is a piece of Warworld that explodes and is falling to Earth at a fast rate. Batman tries to save Jochi who declines, saying that he needs to be a leader and this is his own fight. Superman saves the day by transporting Warworld into the Phantom Zone and all is good. Superman and Batman bond of the deaths of Superboy and Robin respectively as they go their separate ways and Mongul kills Jochi.

This is a fun story. We get to see Steel and Batgirl work together, Red Hood and Batman on the same page, Supergirl with a sword and Supergirl fighting Red Hood with their swords. It’s just a fun little annual.

Cross Worlds – When Young Superman met Young Batman

Posted on by popcorncatcus

In 2013, DC Comics released Batman/Superman volume no. 1 as part of the New 52 period of DC Comics. The comic written by Greg Pak, pencilled by Jae Lee and Ben Oliver, and inked and coloured by Jae Lee, Ben Oliver, June Chung and Daniel Brown. The comic tells the stories of Batman and Superman as well as their versions and children (Helena Wayne) and cousin (Karen Starr) in Earth-2.

The first arc of Batman/Superman is titled Cross Worlds. The story arc begins with a young shabby looking Bruce Wayne sitting on a bench watching some kids bully another kid. Bruce knows that if the kid named Zack doesn’t fight back, they’ll come back to bully him or so how he thinks. Just when the kid is struggling, a young Clark Kent in Gotham to work on a story stops the kids. Immediately Bruce is not impressed. They start to talk to each other. Clark immediately figures out it is a dishevelled Bruce Wayne and start talking about murders of three Wayne Industries employees. It’s pretty obvious that they both don’t like or trust each other.

Young Batman goes to fight Catwoman in Metropolis in part of those murders. This Batman does notice that this Catwoman is not like the one he has faced before. She takes damage but it is like nothing to her. Batman deduces that she is not drugged. While they are fighting, a younger Superman comes in and starts to fight with Batman. They fight while Catwoman escapes but something like an apparition comes out of her body. She wakes up to reality and wonders how she got to Metropolis while Batman fights younger Superman. Batman knocks younger Superman into Smallville where younger Superman spots a different Batman. This Batman knows that Superman is Clark and tries to reason with him but unfortunately younger Superman isn’t all about this. Batman ensures that this Superman can’t do any damage but poisoning him with Kryptonite. It seems kind of confusing on a first read.

Younger Batman goes back to the Batcave and encounters Catwoman in the Batcave instead of Alfred. They fight as this Batman is outmatched by Catwoman. He finds out then and there that he is actually married to Catwoman or at least the older version of himself. He starts to fight against his older version of himself and this is where we figure out that there are two Batmans which means that there are two Supermans flying around.

Superman goes to Smallville and faces off against the other version of himself. The older Superman has his parents still alive. Naturally the younger Superman is completely outclassed as he doesn’t listen to reason. Martha stops the two Clarks and talks to the younger one who knows that he is not part of this world. She hugs him and everything seems solved.

So Superman of this world takes Superman of the other world to meet his wife Lois. In this world Lois and Clark are married. Lois is already briefed on what the situation is and welcomes the young Clark. Young Clark tells her that him and Lois are just friends in his world. Suddenly Wonder Woman arrives on a Pegasus type creature, looking like she is going to throw it down. Young Clark is absolutely smitten and in awe by her. I mean who could blame him with how she appeared in Metropolis. She jumps off and stabs Lois with her staff. An apparition appears out of Lois just like the one that came out of Catwoman.

The apparition is called Kaiyo, the chaos bringer who is there to cause chaos. At the same time current world Superman uses his heat vision to help Lois heal after getting stabbed by Diana’s staff. Diana uses her Lasso of Truth to find out information from Kaiyo. We get an image of Darkseid and both Supermans are absolutely scared. This was nothing of the likes they have seen before.

Wonder Woman joins the Supermans while we get glimpses of how the current world Superman met current world Batman. When they were really young kids, Alfred’s car breaks down. He repairs it while Clark is back from playing baseball and asks Bruce if he wants to play. Both kids play and then play fight with each other. This is where they become friends. Jonathan Kent and Alfred bond over their kids playing and becoming friends. The two kids talk under the stars and they bond. It’s a bit different from other world Clark and Bruce.

At the same time, current world Superman gets hit by one of Bruce Wayne’s machines. Batman saves him and now we have all 4 of them together trying to break a magical crystal that was stolen from Batman or something along those lines. Both older heroes who we find out are from Earth-2 treat the distrusting younger heroes from Earth-1 as little kids. Both the younger heroes have to learn to work together to destroy the crystal.

Earth-2 Superman pushes Earth-1 Superman into the Magic Crystal with his face. Earth-1 Superman envision his late parents but because of the magic he is basically reviving them. This is when he has to stop and also where Earth-1 Superman and Earth-1 Batman start to distrust each other less. Once the Magic Crystal is broken by the heroes, Wonder Woman battles Kaiyo and gets shot at by Selina and Lois.

After the crystal is destroyed, it is revealed that it was all a contest by Kaiyo and the loser has to be invaded by Darkseid. Earth-2 loses because they were less like warriors than their Earth-1 counterparts. Everyone gets their memory wiped and returned to their homes. Clark and Bruce meet each other again where they watch the kid that got bullied punch one of the bullies. Thus they become uneasy allies.

It is a great introduction to Batman & Superman of both Earths and the contest sets up what happens to Earth-2 later in the DC Universe. However I would have loved a bit more action. The art is absolutely amazing. Jae Lee is just amazing and is well supported by Ben Oliver and the colourists.