As if you didn't know how this would end...

...we're down to the final two...

...who didn't call it?

Robin III Part 38: Batman #470 (October, 1991)

Tim meets another of Batman’s rogues as they track down a mystical object.

I have this issue.

Tim helps Bruce “ask” some fence about the location of the Themysciran Goblet and they get a lead that takes them to Arkham. When they get there, Tim learns about the Cheetah’s recent assault on the facility. Bruce looks over the list of inmates, but can’t find any connection to either Cheetah or the Goblet – until Tim shows him the list of those recently released…

As they leave Arkham with a new target to find, Tim’s taken away by a harpy. Bruce frees him and together they tie the creature to a lamppost.

They reach their destination: the mansion of Maxie Zeus. After some gunplay, Tim witnesses Bruce get captured when another prisoner is brought out, and follows Zeus as he takes them to the Goblet…which is in the middle of a pit full of spikes. Tim makes his play just as Bruce is about to be thrown in, and manages to grab the Goblet before Zeus’ lightning bolt shatters it. He also manages to knock out Zeus in the same move.

Back at the Cave, Tim looks on as Bruce inspects the item…and is left scratching his head as Bruce races off in the Batmobile.

Notes of Interest:

1) This is Part 15 of the War of Gods storyline.

2) It is also the first time Tim faces Maxie Zeus.

WTF? Moment: The only question I have is when Tim makes his move for the Goblet. It’s in the middle of a spike-pit…in the middle of a field…and Tim just swoops in on a Bat-line and grabs it? Just how long is Tim’s line? I’m not saying it couldn’t reach the pit, but it would have been more believable if artist Norm Breyfogle had Tim swing out and let go of the line before grabbing the thing and knocking out the bad guy.

WTF? Fridays...3/29/2013

How's about some movies?

The film is out.

It's on my list.

Is it on yours?

and always remember...

...yes, this is a tee-shirt...available here.

YES!!! More The Wolverine trailer goodness. 

First Impressions:

* The Hand

* I believe the red-headed Asian is Yukio.

* That actor is a dead-on match for Lord Shingen.

* This seems to be a take on the "Post-Fatal Attractions" Logan in that his healing ability is removed rather than his adamantium.

and finally...

* It looks like the Jean Grey cameo is a memory/dream sequence.

All good things. So why did this take so long?

One more:

Because it's sooooo damn cool, I thought I'd mention it ONE...MORE...TIME...

...PEPPER...is IN the SUIT!!!

Making movies based on female characters is hard...

...it's a nine letter word, starts with s, and rhymes with 'hexuality'.

Case in point, here's what a Wonder Woman television show would have looked like back in 1967...

...and yes, that is the same announcer as the classic Adam West Batman series.

Wrong direction, but a decent effort considering the time frame.

Then there was Linda Carter's win in 1975...

...which was also a product of the times, but worked on all levels.

Then there was the botched 2011 series...

...notice anything?

Pants.

Never mind the color, WW had pants.

She never did in the comics (back in my day)...except when she went all mod back in the sixties:

But now there' s a new image on the net -

Here's a costume that is faithful to the comics, is worn by someone with a striking resemblance to Diana, and looks like it would work on the screen...

...except the woman in the picture is Kimberly Kane.

A porn star.

And the pic is from a currently-in-production porn parody.

I saw The Avengers three times in the theatre. Every time, the one spot where there's an unintentional murmur/laugh was when Black Widow is talking to Loki. He's in the cell and her...umm...back is to the camera.

You know the scene I'm talking about. Everyone does.

It's okay for Hugh Jackman to run around onscreen looking like this...

and Chris Evans looking like this...

and no one has an issue with Superman's private area wrapped in red...

...but for some reason, a PG-13 film can't have Wonder Woman showing too much leg.

This is ridiculous. I'd like to think that with Nolan involved and a well-written script, there will one day be a Wonder Woman film, but my point is that we should be able to have good films made with talented female actors playing popular comic book heroes (and villains) without getting all bent out of shape over proper film-ratings and suggestive outfits.

The one obvious exception being Power Girl, but you get my drift...

I want a Wonder Woman film. A good one.

I also want a good Black Widow film, a good She-Hulk film, a good Bat-Woman, Huntress, Black Canary, Black Cat, Catwoman, Supergirl, Tigra, Mockingbird, Rogue, Shadowcat, Phoenix,Power Girl, (insert name here) film.

I know I'm not alone in this.

And before you mention it, I liked Elektra. Jennifer Garner did a great job. It was the writing/plot of the thing that hurt.

So get on it Hollywood! Or else there's going to be more and more nerds/geeks/dorks putting their money into the other film industry.

Just sayin'...

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I MISS A DAY...

...this explains why Iron Man sinks to the bottom of the ocean as the house explodes:

Pepper's in the suit.

Pepper's in the suit?

Pepper's IN the SUIT!

Damn...

It's about damn time...

SEASON 3 BEGINS PRODUCTION!!!

Now, if only Netflix will post the demise of Amy Pond...

On a side note - I'm going to be in Boston all day tomorrow (Tuesday, March 26) so my next post will be Wed the 27th...at some point...

Okay. Now that I've calmed down...

...I've come to realize that this guy has his own...whatever the heck this is!

I never liked Iron Patriot much as a character.

Norman Osborn? Didn't he die in like Amazing Spider-Man #122?

I understand the need for the character in the comics - an Iron Man-type with patriotic ties. I get it.

But an Iron Man dressed as Captain America? That's like Batman wearing Superman's color pallet.

I also understand why Iron Patriot would appear in a Marvel Studios film...for maybe ten minutes total, like the original Cap costume in the USO show in Captain America: The First Avenger.

But if IP is around long enough to warrant his own figure, I'm gonna need a minute.

Because Rhodey is War Machine, not Iron Patriot.

Period.

In Marvel Studios I Trust

This is just sick...

...the new 1/6 scale figure from Hot Toys.

Not enough money man...or space for that matter...

WTF? Fridays...3/22/2013

I'm still running around this morning, so forgive my short comments this week...

Black Knight is coming to Marvel: Avengers Alliance. 

This is cool.

Phantomex is in M: AA as of this morning in the new round of PvP fights.

So I'm supposed to put my team up against random strangers...get my a$$ kicked...for a slim chance to get a character I don't even want?

No thanks.

Wolverine...in The Wolverine...is going to be some sort of "wandering samurai".

...

I'll believe it when I see me some trailers.

...

Isn't this film coming out in like five months?

Trailers please...

I'm not sure what to make of this...

Disturbingly awesome?

Awesomely disturbing?

There's more over here...

...and they're done by Rafa Toro.

and finally...

...this is just damned awesome.

Post-poned due to time...

Got up late, have to run around and do stuff before work this afternoon...

...this sucks!

Coast City Comic Con - The Aftermath, Part Nine

So, what happened after the Costume Contest...?

Well, there were three options: Dance Your Pants Off!, a screening of Zardoz, and the Drink & Draw over at LFK.

Not being twenty, or willing to see Sean Connery in bandoliers and boots, I chose the Drink and Draw.

I have to say the Drink & Draw event back at Wizard New England 2010 kinda spoiled me.

I was a Volunteer back then, so I could "sit with the band" basically and got to meet some creators. One whole seating area was corded off for the event, and there was big piece of white poster board set up on one end of the bar where artists could walk up and draw whatever throughout the night. That convention was in early October, so all the art had a Halloween theme.

The event at LFK was completely different.

There was one table with a placement card on it. It was a nice ling table, but nobody was there when I showed up. The place was busy, so I found a stool at the bar and had dinner there while artists slowly arrived. I didn't know anyone, and couldn't find anybody from Coast City Comics to lead the event.

In the end, I stayed at the bar and watched some people draw on their own individual pads.

Not the best way to end my first day at the Con, but the food was delicious and I looked forward to Day 2.

Ukko's a'comin'...

...and man are people a'stressin'.

First they were saying 18 inches, then it was 16, then 14, then 12.

I really don't care how much snow we get, but can't we wait until it actually falls?

Marvel: Avengers Alliance update...

...I found out the final task to gain Hank Pym in the Special Ops:

You need to defeat Dr. Doom.

But Doom is an "Epic Boss", which means that in addition to winning all the battles you need to complete all deploys.

To complete the deploys, you need specific heroes - Spider-Man, Cable and Wasp.

To send out the specific heroes, you need to recruit them.

To recruit them, you need to have 315 Command Points.

I have 27 CP's as of this morning, and the Op ends in 14 days.

...

...speaking of the X-Men...

...if you haven't seen this pic, it was (supposedly) posted by Bryan Singer showing everyone he's got either signed or is on his "to do" list to get signed.

It's pretty damned impressive.

My only question is the gap in the first row between Puck and Storm...I mean Peter Dinklage and Halle Berry. What's up with that?

Eternals vs. Inhumans...

I'm a long-time Marvelite...which is the current word to use to describe a fan of all things Marvel. The words used back in my day were "Marvel Zombie", which have a completely different meaning now.

As I ponder Thanos' eventual cinematic appearance and contemplate what FOX will do with their FF reboot, I am reminded that I still confuse these two groups.

So, in an effort to get it straight, I perused my handy-dandy resources...

and

 to submit the following...

The Eternals were originally human beings.

Over a million years ago, an alien species called The Celestials came to our galaxy and saw the genetic potential within Homo Sapiens. They collected a "handful of subjects" and performed experiments on them that altered their DNA in such a way that gave the subjects the ability "to mentally manipulate limited quantities of cosmic energy", which is the same cosmic energy Silver Surfer uses.

They didn't become immortal until later.

An Eternal scientist named Chronos (or Kronos) caused an explosion while experimenting with cosmic energy.

Now, Chronos (or Kronos) is the father of Mentor (or Alars)...who is the father of Thanos, as well as Eros (or Starfox)...meaning we may be seeing more than just Thanos in Avengers 2.
Because in a related story, Drax the Destroyer...now a member of Guardians of the Galaxy...was originally a human who died in a car crash and was resurrected as a being bent on destroying Thanos. But Drax had a daughter who was also in the car accident. She ended up being raised by Mentor (or Alars) and other Eternals on Titan and became Moondragon.
But that's another story...

The Inhumans were...wait for it...also originally human beings.

Only these "handful of subjects" were collected merely twenty-five thousand years ago by visiting Kree scientists who learned of the Celestials' experiments and decided to perform their own.

They created a "small tribe of highly genetically advanced human beings"  but unexpectedly abandoned their work and left the solar system.

So the newly created Inhumans wandered around until they found a place to call their own and built a city and founded a government based on "genocracy, rule by the genetically fittest".

It wasn't until much later that a geneticist named Randac isolated the chemical catalyst for genetic mutation he called Terrigen. He subjected himself to this Terrigen Mist and came out of it with powers rivaling that of the Eternals. Being genetically superior to those around him, Randac was named ruler and started the program that allowed all Inhuman citizens to be subjected to the Mist.

The Inhumans have closer ties to the FF than the Avengers, so it's possible we may see them in the Fantastic Four reboot. Of course, the Inhumans wound up on the Moon, which is where Jean Grey became Phoenix. But that's another story...

Let's watch some vids...

...starting with the Injustice: Gods Among Us quarterfinals:

Batman vs. Wonder Woman

Flash vs. Joker

Aquaman vs. Green Lantern

Superman vs. Green Arrow

I had to watch these like five times each. Kept getting distracted by all the stuff happening around them.

And I've got questions...
Why are the women just standing by while Wonder Woman fights?
Where exactly are these fights taking place (other than Paradise Island)?
How can you know which of the things around you can be grabbed/pulled/thrown/hit?
...and most importantly...
Will there be a Marvel Ultimate Alliance/Injustice combo pack?

Then there's the new Kick-Ass 2 trailer:

It's Red-Banned, so you'll need to verify your age, and it is definitely worthy of the age-restriction...
...but it's soooo good.

My wife and I made the mistake of watching Kick-Ass for the first time with Adorkette. It was more gruesome than I expected, and after watching this trailer, I have no intention of letting her see K-A2 until after I do.

I haven't read the books, but understand the message behind this universe. It's a very realistic approach to what could and would happen once "super-heroes" start popping up in the real world. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Still gonna watch it though...August 16th...

WTF? Fridays...3/15/2013

I want to start off by apologizing for my lack of meat in my recent posts...I've been back-and-forth to NH for work-related stuff this week and it sucked.

Now let's see what's been going on in the world:

Bryan Singer has been quoted that he's bringing some "science-fiction aspects" to X-Men: Days of Future Past.
...
That's like Whedon saying he's going to bring "action" to Avengers.
But I will say this - Singer is the Whedon of the X-Men Movie Universe.
In fact, I'd call him a fine blend of both Whedon and Chris Claremont. He's able to gather all this talent, and all these characters, and make the story work.
I'd still prefer the XMU under the Marvel Studios banner, but if it were, I'm sure Feige would have Singer in the director's chair.

Injustice: Gods Among Us has introduced a new Blackest Night DLC pack - heroes (and villains) playable in Zombie form. This is awesome. The trailer above is from Germany so the text is weird, but you can get the gist.

Speaking of Injustice...

...Doomsday (and Raven) are going to be playable. Can you imagine what Doomsday in Zombie-Mode would look like?

And finally,
I saw John Carter From Mars recently with the wife and kid - and we liked it.

I couldn't understand the...I don't want to say hatred...but the complete lack of interest in this film.

The CGI worked, the characters were well rounded, Dejah wasn't an empty-headed sex-pot, and the story was well told.

I think the film got a bad rap. It's possible Disney did some stuff to make it look worse (so they could get a better deal with Marvel, 'cause remember: this came out just before the deal was made).

Anyway...

If you haven't seen this movie yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. I can't see myself reading the books due to the language of when they were written, but it did make me go back and re-read Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II.

Another member joins the team...

...and he's more helpful against ninjas than you'd think:

It's Clobberin' Time!

Wanna hear Stan Lee talk about Green Lantern?

Me too!
Part 1...

Part 2...

Nice!

This new G. I. Joe clip is SICK!

March 28th...right?

WTF DCnU?

Is this where we are? 

Have things at DC gotten so bad they have to do this?

I get it.

The DCnU is the DCnU, and by God they're sticking to it - but at the cost of Miller's Year One?

Another nail in the coffin for me...

So - the new Star Trek 2 trailer...

...yeah, there's a reference to Empire Strikes Back in there...

...but did anyone catch the one to Lethal Weapon 2?

Didn't think so. Check again...

There's a new Spec Ops over at Avengers Alliance...

...and there's a new character up for grabs...

...uh boy...