Deadline is reporting that the upcoming HBO Max series Green Lantern has cast Finn Wittrock as Guy Gardner, a key member of DC Comics' interstellar law enforcement agency, the Green Lantern Corps.
Posts tagged #Green Lantern
HBO Max's GREEN LANTERN Gets Series Order & Showrunner
The Green Lantern Corps has the greenlight.
Variety has reported that HBO Max has given a series order for Green Lantern, based on the DC Comics superheroes. First announced in development last October, Green Lantern will join Doom Patrol, Titans and Harley Quinn, which were recently brought over to HBO Max from the DC Universe streaming service.
According to the article, Green Lantern will "depict the adventures of a multitude of Lanterns, including Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz and Alan Scott — Earth’s first Green Lantern, who, true to the comics, is a gay man — and many more. The series will also include fan favorites such as Sinestro and Kilowog, and will also introduce new heroes to the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps."
The series received a 10-episode order and will be co-written and executive produced by Seth Grahame-Smith and Marc Guggenheim, with Grahame-Smith serving as showrunner. Berlanti Productions will produce in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Grahame-Smith, 44, is best known as the writer of the novels novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, and co-wrote the 2012 film version of Dark Shadows. He was also one of the screenwriters on The LEGO Batman Movie.
Guggenheim, 50, is the co-writer of the 2011 Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds, and the screenwriter for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. He also served as showrunner on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, and was an executive producer and writer on Supergirl.
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. THE FATAL FIVE Animated Cast Announced
Get ready to face the future.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the upcoming animated DC Universe Original Movie Justice League vs. The Fatal Five has announced its voice cast, which features a mix of returning and new actors, along with the animated debut of Green Lantern Jessica Cruz.
According to the official synopsis for the movie, "Justice League vs. The Fatal Five finds the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance when the Justice League faces a powerful new threat — the Fatal Five! Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman seek answers as the time-traveling trio of Mano, Persuader and Tharok terrorize Metropolis in search of budding Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. With her unwilling help, they aim to free remaining Fatal Five members Emerald Empress and Validus to carry out their sinister plan. But the Justice League has also discovered an ally from another time in the peculiar Star Boy — brimming with volatile power, could he be the key to thwarting the Fatal Five? An epic battle against ultimate evil awaits!"
The cast includes:
Elyes Gabel (Scorpion, Game of Thrones) as Thomas Kallor/Star Boy
Diane Guerrero (Doom Patrol) as Jessica Cruz/Green Lantern
George Newbern as Clark Kent/Superman
Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Susan Eisenberg as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
Peter Jessop (Mass Effect) as Tharok
Matthew Yang King (Batman Ninja) as The Persuader
Sumalee Montano (This Is Us) as Emerald Empress
Philip Anthony Rodriguez (Grimm) as Mano
Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bloodsport
Daniela Bobadilla as M'gann M'orrz/Miss Martian
Kevin Michael Richardson as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific
Noel Fisher as Querl Dox/Brainiac 5
Tara Strong as Imra Ardeen/Saturn Girl
Created in 1967 by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan, the Fatal Five first appeared in Adventure Comics (vol.1) #352 as a gang of supervillains assembled by the Legion of Super-Heroes to help them destroy the Sun-Eater threatening Earth. They battled the Legion numerous times, in various incarnations, with Validus killing Lyle Norg, the Legionnaire known as the first Invisible Kid.
The Fatal Five has appeared in other animated projects, including the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far from Home" and the Legion of Super Heroes animated series. In addition, the Persuader appeared in the Smallville episode "Legion", the only member of the group to appear in live-action.
Justice League vs. The Fatal Five is expected to arrive on direct-to-video sometime in Spring 2019.
DC Rebirth: One Year Later
It's been one year since DC Comics relaunched their fictional universe with all-new number one issues in what they called "DC Rebirth." After looking at the Top 300 Comics sales list for May 2017, I thought it might be interesting to see how well the latest DC Universe relaunch is performing in the long term.
As expected, the big winner of the DC Rebirth relaunch is Batman. As one of DC's biweekly titles, Batman had the unenviable task of following an incredible run by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo during The New 52 era, but writer Tom King and rotating artists David Finch and Mikel Janin have more than proven themselves. Issues #22 and #23 charted at #3 and #7 respectively in the Top 300, although #22 was part of "The Button" crossover storyline with The Flash that featured an lenticular cover.
And speaking of The Flash, that series is definitely the surprise winner of DC Rebirth. Issues #22 and #23 chart at #4 and #23 respectively, with The Flash #22 featuring "The Button" crossover with Batman and a lenticular cover. The creative team of Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico have been positively killing it, a welcome improvement from The New 52, where the title languished around the Top 50 mark.
All-Star Batman, from Scott Snyder and various artists, has also been strong and charts at #15, an impressive feat considering the book costs $4.99 a month. Unfortunately, the title is ending with issue #14 this September, presumably because Snyder is moving on to New Challengers later this year, which means DC will lose one of its strongest sellers.
Detective Comics also does well, proving fans can't get enough of Batman books as long as they're done decently. Issues #956 and #957 come in at #19 and #20 on the Top 300, showing that the idea to feature Batman and a team of Batman-related heroes was a good one. It's a shame though, that Batwoman does well as a team member here but her solo series only comes in at #81.
After the main Batman titles, Justice League turns up in the #21 and #22 position, apparently showing a little fatigue after spending most of Rebirth's first year around the Top 10 spot. Writer Bryan Hitch has received considerable criticism online from fans tired of the rather dull and lifeless storylines without recognizable villains, so perhaps some of them are finally giving up on the series. #21 and #22 is still nothing to sneeze at though, so I wouldn't expect a creative change any time soon.
Thankfully, Superman is close behind, with issues #22 and #23 charting at #25 and #28 on the Top 300. Writer Peter Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason continue performing as a solid creative team after their terrific work on Batman and Robin as part of The New 52. DC Rebirth has been wonderful to Superman fans, restoring the Pre-Flashpoint Superman with Lois as his wife and the addition of Jon Kent, a.k.a. Superboy. Who knew that making Superman a cool dad was exactly what the character needed?
Another big surprise is Titans, which charts at #31 for issue #11. Dan Abnett seems to be the first writer since Geoff Johns to really "get" the Titans, as he successfully balances the superteam heroics with the awareness that the team's close friendship with one another feels like family. The art by Brett Booth could be better, especially with his rather cartoonish facial depictions, but as with Justice League, DC isn't about to mess with the creative team as long as the sales hold up.
As for the rest, there are only a few standouts of note. Wonder Woman got a creative boost from Greg Rucka and Liam Sharp, but the creators' final issue arrived this week and replacement writer James Robinson won't arrive for another six issues. Dan Jurgens has been telling solid Superman stories once again in Action Comics, while Dan Abnett has been doing some serious worldbuilding in Aquaman although sales haven't been kind. Hopefully, that will change with the stunning work from new artist Stjepan Šejić.
For anyone wondering, here are the DC Rebirth titles I started off with one year ago:
Action Comics Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps
All-Star Batman Harley Quinn
Aquaman Hellblazer
Batgirl Justice League
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Nightwing
Batman Suicide Squad
Cyborg Supergirl
Deathstroke Superman
Detective Comics Superwoman
The Flash Teen Titans
Green Arrow Titans
Green Lanterns Wonder Woman
And now, here are the DC Rebirth titles I'm currently getting, with new additions in bolded italics:
Action Comics Hellblazer
All-Star Batman Justice League
Aquaman Justice League of America
Batman Nightwing
Batwoman Suicide Squad
Batman Supergirl
Cyborg Superman
Deathstroke Teen Titans
Detective Comics Titans
The Flash Wonder Woman
An overall net loss of four books, but pretty much consistent. The most noticeable losses here are both Green Lantern titles, which continue being unable to meet the high bar set by Geoff Johns before Flashpoint, and both Batgirl titles, which aren't as strong as Gail Simone's or even Cameron Stewart and Brent Fletcher's runs in The New 52. Harley Quinn is exactly the same book I ended up dropping during The New 52 and the lower sales are beginning to reflect that I'm not the only one who wants a change.
The good news about DC Rebirth is that one year later, none of the original books have been cancelled. (Okay, All-Star Batman is ending, but that seems more of a creative decision rather than sales.) However, the bad news is that a number of titles emphasizing diversity have failed to catch on and probably won't make it to 2018, such as Cyborg, Blue Beetle, New Super-Man, and Superwoman. Also, DC still hasn't figured out that the only Hellblazer we want to read involves top-notch British creators telling stories of true horror that aren't watered down with "swearing" using skull symbols. It seems odd though, that DC doesn't have anything lined up to replace these books yet, unless you count their upcoming Dark Matter line with the aforementioned New Challengers and Jim Lee's The Immortal Men.
Oh, and I should mention that the main reason DC Rebirth is performing so well is probably due to the superb initial offering of DC Universe: Rebirth #1, followed by more of DC recapturing what their readers enjoyed prior to The New 52. Unlike Marvel, which remains clueless about what its core readership actually wants, DC learned from the mistakes of The New 52 and addressed those mistakes with an engaging mystery woven throughout the Rebirth era. Even better, there's still more to come, with Geoff Johns wrapping up that mystery in Doomsday Clock, Snyder and Capullo returning for the Metal event, and teasing hints that the Justice Society of America and the Legion of Super-Heroes will finally be back in play relatively soon.
Once again, it's a great time to be a DC Comics fan. On to Year Two!
Green Lantern Isn't in JUSTICE LEAGUE PART 1, Maybe Not in PART 2
Entertainment Weekly has revealed that DC Comics character Green Lantern won't be on the team roster for Zack Snyder's upcoming Justice League Part 1 in 2017 and may not even be there for Part 2 in 2019.
Speaking with Greg Silverman, the president of creative development and worldwide production at Warner Bros., EW inquired about what Warner Bros. has planned for DC's flagship superteam and learned that Green Lantern may not return to the big screen until the film Green Lantern Corps in 2020.
"[Green Lantern] is an incredible character," said Silverman. "He’s actually multiple incredible characters. There’s real opportunity there. We didn’t do a great job on that first Green Lantern movie. This is a character who deserves to be treated in the same way that Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman are being treated now, which is with great reverence. I guess I can say to the Green Lantern fans: if they can be patient with us, I think they’ll be really happy."
Meanwhile, producer Charles Roven, who also produced Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and is part of the braintrust overseeing the DC film adaptations, suggested that Green Lantern may not be in Justice League Part 2. "Every beat of the movie is not yet worked out," remarked Roven. "So there’s the possibility that he may or may not be in Justice League 2. For now, we felt that we were introducing enough characters that the best possible place we could put Green Lantern is some introduction in Justice League 2, or barring that, a movie after."
Green Lantern Corps will reportedly feature both Hal Jordan and John Stewart in a reboot of the Green Lantern film from 2011 starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. The film underperformed at the box office, bringing in $220 million worldwide with a reported production budget of $200 million.
Justice League Part 1 is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 17, 2017, with Part 2 following on June 14, 2019, and Green Lantern Corps on June 19, 2020.
DC Comics Announces REBIRTH Line with All Titles at $2.99
The curtain has finally been raised.
Comic Book Resources has posted the full list of titles for DC Comics' upcoming "Rebirth" that is scheduled to begin on May 25, 2016 with the release of an 80-page special DC Universe: Rebirth #1, priced at just $2.99.
Afterwards, DC will start releasing various "Rebirth" specials and relaunched #1 issues for their ongoing series, apart from Action Comics and Detective Comics, which will return to their original numberings where they left off at #957 and #934, respectively.
According to the article, the line will include two types of books -- those published twice monthly and those published on a monthly basis. Every DC Universe book, regardless of their publication schedule, will be priced at $2.99. The line will consist of 32 total ongoings, 17 twice-monthly and 15 monthly titles. DC will also publish 23 "Rebirth" one-shots ahead of launching the new ongoings.
"At DC we believe in superheroes, and what makes them great," said DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio in a statement. "And, we also believe in the direct market and the core comics fan. 'Rebirth' is designed to bring back the best of DC's past, embrace the stories we currently love and move the entire epic universe into the future. We are returning to the essence of the DCU. With 'Rebirth' we are putting the highest priority on the direct market and we will continue to create and cultivate new opportunities for retailers to thrive and prosper, grow readers, fans and customers."
The article also states that creative team information on DC's new lineup is set to be revealed next month at WonderCon in Los Angeles, on Saturday, March 26. The event will be live-streamed on DC's YouTube channel, for those unable to attend the event in person.
And here's the full release rundown...
June:
Rebirth Specials:
AQUAMAN REBIRTH #1
BATMAN REBIRTH #1
THE FLASH REBIRTH #1
GREEN ARROW REBIRTH #1
GREEN LANTERNS REBIRTH #1
SUPERMAN REBIRTH #1
TITANS REBIRTH #1
WONDER WOMAN REBIRTH #1
New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
AQUAMAN #1
BATMAN #1
THE FLASH #1
GREEN ARROW #1
GREEN LANTERNS #1
SUPERMAN #1
WONDER WOMAN #1
New Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
ACTION COMICS #957
DETECTIVE COMICS #934
July
Rebirth Specials:
BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY REBIRTH #1
HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS REBIRTH #1
THE HELLBLAZER REBIRTH #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE REBIRTH #1
NIGHTWING REBIRTH #1
RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS REBIRTH #1
New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
NIGHTWING #1
New #1 Issues (Shipping monthly):
BATGIRL #1
BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY #1
THE HELLBLAZER #1
RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS #1
THE SUPER-MAN #1
TITANS #1
Fall
Rebirth Specials:
BATMAN BEYOND REBIRTH #1
BLUE BEETLE REBIRTH #1
CYBORG REBIRTH #1
DEATHSTROKE REBIRTH #1
EARTH 2 REBIRTH #1
SUICIDE SQUAD REBIRTH #1
SUPERGIRL REBIRTH #1
TEEN TITANS REBIRTH #1
TRINITY REBIRTH #1
New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):
CYBORG #1
DEATHSTROKE #1
HARLEY QUINN #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #1
SUICIDE SQUAD #1
New #1 Issues (Shipping monthly):
BATMAN BEYOND #1
BLUE BEETLE #1
EARTH 2 #1
GOTHAM ACADEMY: NEXT SEMESTER #1
SUPERGIRL #1
SUPERWOMAN #1
SUPER SONS #1
TEEN TITANS #1
TRINITY #1
DC Comics: The New 52 at Two
It's been just over two years since DC Comics rebooted their fictional universe with all-new number one issues into what they named "The New 52." Looking at the Top 300 Comics sales list for July 2013, it's interesting to see how well the DC Universe relaunch is performing in the long term.
To no real surprise, the big winner of the New 52 relaunch is Batman. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have been hitting it out of the park every month, with some truly epic Batman tales like "Night of the Owls," "Death of the Family" and the current "Zero Year." With issue #21 charting at #3 in the Top 300 two years, it's safe to say this is DC's biggest New 52 hit. Other Batman titles are still doing well, with Detective Comics, Batman and Robin and Batman: The Dark Knight still charting around the Top 20 and Top 30. Nightwing and Batgirl have drifted down to around the Top 50 mark, while Batwoman and Catwoman chart around the Top 80s and could use a significant creative boost.
After Batman, Justice League seems to be the New 52's biggest success. The main title Justice League was #6 for July 2013, the first part of the six-issue "Trinity War" storyline weaving through Justice League of America and Justice League Dark as well. Justice League of America is currently at the #20 position, but Justice League Dark only came in at #92 despite being part of "Trinity War." The recent move to boost the price to $3.99 while keeping the page count the same is probably keeping readers away, and certainly contributed to my decision to drop the title after "Trinity War."
The next successful line is probably Green Lantern. Issue #21, the first without writer Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke, comes in at #18 but there's no telling yet if this will remain the norm. Related titles Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians and Red Lanterns are currently placing roughly between the Top 40 and Top 60 range, justifying their continued existence but not doing much else. New title Larfleeze debuted at #59, so it's doubtful this will help add more enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, the Superman titles keep floundering, both creatively and saleswise. During Superman's 75th anniversary with the major box office hit movie Man of Steel, when everyone's attention is the character, the Superman books should be doing much better than they are. Action Comics post-Grant Morrison comes in at #37, with Superman close behind at #40. Supergirl is much farther down at #84, while Superboy's current placing at #106 seems destined for cancellation in the near future. Now, there is a possible bright spot here, with Scott Snyder and Jim Lee's Superman Unchained debuting at #1 and Greg Pak and Jae Lee's Batman/Superman right behind at #2. So obviously, there's still demand for the Superman titles, as long as top creators are there making enough of an effort to justify the high $3.99 cover price.
As for the rest, there are only a few standouts of note. Thanks to Geoff Johns' decision to remain with the title, Aquaman continues to perform well at #35 and is still managing to do better than books like Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man and yes, Superman. Earth 2 was a welcome addition to the New 52 that comes in at #44, but its future is now in doubt after writer James Robinson announced he's leaving the series with #16. The Flash hung in for a while but has recently drifted down to #55, which seems like the time to make some sort of creative change. That's no guarantee of success however, with Green Arrow turning things around significantly with Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino but only coming in at #79 after five issues into their run.
Here are the New 52 titles I started off with two years ago, with titles that have since been cancelled in bold:
Action Comics Green Lantern
Animal Man Justice League
Aquaman Justice League Dark
Batgirl Justice League International
Batman Legion Lost
Batman and Robin Legion of Super-Heroes
Batwoman Nightwing
Birds of Prey Stormwatch
Detective Comics Superboy
The Flash Superman
The Fury of Firestorm Teen Titans
Green Arrow Wonder Woman
And now, here are the New 52 titles I'm currently getting, with new additions in bold:
Action Comics The Flash
Animal Man Green Arrow
Aquaman Green Lantern
Batgirl Justice League
Batman Nightwing
Batman and Robin Superboy
Batwoman Superman
Birds of Prey Teen Titans
Constantine Wonder Woman
Earth 2 Worlds' Finest
An overall net loss of four books, but mostly consistent. The most noticeable losses here are the Legion books, which disappointed from the start and seem primed for yet another creative reboot at some point down the road. Meanwhile, Dan Jurgens salvaged Fury of Firestorm after a horrible New 52 relaunch that ignored everything fans were promised after Brightest Day. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done and Jurgens isn't enough of a sales draw these days to bring readers back to a doomed title, so that was that.
DC seems determined to make the line work though, with new books like Superman/Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn arriving soon. But with Marvel breathing new life into many of their books with "Marvel NOW" and Image capturing more readers with The Walking Dead, Lazarus, The Manhattan Projects, East of West and others, DC needs to put '90s creators and attitudes behind them and step up its game even more. Let's see how the next two years of New 52 turn out...
DC Comics: The NEW New 52
Now that we're five months into DC Comics' Post-Flashpoint "The New 52" relaunch of the DC Universe, we have a far better grasp of how comics retailers and buyers are responding to the initial offering of 52 titles. As you can tell by the Top 300 sales chart from December 2011, some are still doing exceedingly well and others not so much. That's to be expected, of course, so according to recent comments from DC, some of "The New 52" probably won't survive past their twelfth issues.
With this in mind, I thought I'd share my personal wish list of ten titles I'd like to see replace the cancelled books come September 2012. For the record, this isn't any super-duper top secret information I've learned from my strategically-placed insider minions, just a list of the characters I'd like to see get some ongoing series love from DC Comics.
1. Cyborg -- The only member of the new "Big 7" Justice League currently without his own series. I've gone on about this before in a previous post, so here's why I feel Cyborg deserves an ongoing.
2. Jesse Quick -- The Flash still places in the Top 10 four months in, but only has one title while Green Lantern currently has four. A solo Jesse Quick book could be a good way to broaden the Flash universe while keeping the current "One Flash Only" status quo.
3. Raven -- Currently missing Post-Flashpoint, Raven offers the potential for dark supernatural stories that could appeal to female readers and fans of the seemingly-erased New Teen Titans. Also, there was talk of a possible Raven TV series back in 2010, so perhaps it's time to give the character a full creative push.
4. Text H for Hero -- Yeah, you heard me. With all the recent advances in smartphone technology, maybe it's time to update the old "Dial H for Hero" concept for the 21st century.
5. Blue Devil -- One of my favorite characters from the '80s, Blue Devil got some run in Justice League America and Shadowpact for a while but never really brought the character back to his initial appeal. As far as I'm concerned, a movie special effects wizard/stuntman supernaturally trapped inside a high-tech Blue Devil suit is a pretty fun idea worth bringing back.
6. Chronos -- I know time-travel is pretty much verboten these days, but I really enjoyed reading about the adventures of the second Chronos, Walker Gabriel. This series could help flesh out the new DC universe continuity and potentially correct any creative missteps that need some quick fixing.
7. Checkmate -- The fairly-recent Greg Rucka series came the closest to finally giving DC a considerable espionage presence comparable to Marvel's SHIELD. The concept still needs a little fine-tuning, but firmly believe there's considerable potential here.
8. Vigilante -- Apart from the original cowboy Vigilante, Greg Sanders, the only version of this character I liked was the Punisheresque Adrian Chase. The basic concept of an attorney that goes after criminals in his off hours has always worked well for Daredevil, so I'm surprised DC hasn't developed this premise further.
9. The Spectre -- Another DC character with a possible TV series in development. Either Jim Corrigan or Crispus Allen could work here, but Corrigan seems to be the one favored in recent animation. Keep the character's powers limited to original levels of supernatural vengeance against criminals and you could have an edgy little series here.
10. Secret Society -- A modern updating of the original Secret Society of Super-Villains series, which is in the process of being collected in hardcover volumes. With so many major villains with goals of power and domination populating the DC Universe, you would think they'd be at odds with one another from time to time. So go ahead and pit them against one another in a ruthless, underground "society" where alliances and loyalities shift daily.
Geoff Johns Hopeful for GREEN LANTERN Film Sequel
With yesterday's release of the film adaptation of DC Comics' Green Lantern onto DVD and Blu-Ray, just in time for this weekend's New York Comic Con, it's no surprise that The Hollywood Reporter is asking about the possibility of a sequel. Even though the film disappointed with only $116.6 million in domestic box office, it still pulled in a total of $219.8 million worldwide, $19.8 million over its reported production budget of $200 million. And that was before home video sales, so a sequel may not be as out of the question here as some might think.
THR's Heat Vision posted a piece about DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer and current Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns speaking about the subject at the "Green Lantern All Access" panel yesterday at the New York Comic Con. "There is the hope that we will eventually see one," Johns said, apparently channeling his hopeful Blue Lantern creation Saint Walker. "I hope that the character gets another film, and it will be live-action again -- I guarantee."
Johns also mentioned the criticism the film received for not having enough character development, but he was happy that it introduced Green Lantern to a large amount of people not familiar with the character.
"There was a lot of really good stuff in the movie," said Johns, pointing out that the Extended Cut Blu-Ray released yesterday includes additional scenes that add to Hal Jordan's character.
In addition, Johns discussed the upcoming Green Lantern: The Animated Series debuting on Cartoon Network on November 11, 2011. "With the new animated series, Green Lantern is only going to get bigger," he remarked, which could potentially tip the scales in the film sequel's favor if the animated series brings in solid ratings.
One of my chief criticisms of this summer's film was that the character Sinestro was being set up for a sequel even though he was far more of a menacing threat in his limited screen time than main villains Hector Hammond or Parallax were in all of theirs. As a result, Sinestro is the obvious choice for the sequel's villain and based on the post-credits sequence where Sinestro receives his yellow Sinestro Corps uniform, it seems "The Sinestro Corps War" would be the presumed basis for the storyline.
But bottom line, if you want to see a sequel to Green Lantern, it sounds like you'd better go out and buy that Blu-Ray and watch the animated series every week. And maybe then, all will be well...
Saying Goodbye to the Post-CRISIS DC Universe
The DC Universe is dead. Long live the DC Universe!
The last of DC Comics' titles before the big reboot/relaunch/reset/whatever next week in Flashpoint #5 arrived today, effectively ending the post-Crisis On Infinite Earths version of the DC Universe's status quo that begin in 1986. Some characters were killed off in titles such as Justice Society of America (vol.3) #54 and Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #3, while others will simply fade away into comic book limbo, as they and their fans wait and wait in the hopes of seeing them in new adventures once again somewhere down the line.
It seems like just yesterday that John Byrne's The Man of Steel and Legends mini-series arrived to usher in the new DC Universe, followed by the issue #1 relaunches of Superman, Wonder Woman, Justice League and The Flash. Other memorable titles such as Suicide Squad, Captain Atom, The Question and Young All-Stars were added, while regular titles such as Batman, The Adventures of Superman and Action Comics received a desperately-needed fresh coat of paint.
We got to see Wally West, Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Roy Harper and Garth mature beyond their original sidekick roles and become the adult heroes we always wanted to see. We witnessed Clark Kent finally date and eventually marry the love of his life, Lois Lane. We saw Bruce Wayne take on not one, not two, but five Robins along with a few Batgirls as well. We watched as Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke became Green Lantern and Green Arrow for a new generation of fans. We read on every month as the Birds of Prey made superheroines just as entertaining and interesting as superheroes. And we got to see Conner Kent, Bart Allen, Tim Drake, Cassie Sandsmark, Mia Dearden and Jackson Hyde step into an important legacy and become the shape of things to come.
Worlds lived. Worlds died. And nothing was ever the same, just as the Psycho-Pirate told us would happen on the very last page of Crisis on Infinite Earths #12.
But now, it's time to turn off the lights and move on. As much as it kill us to do so, we say goodbye to titles such as Secret Six, Batman Incorporated, Justice Society of America, Power Girl, Booster Gold, Adventure Comics and Zatanna. We say goodbye to Lois and Clark's defining superhero marriage, Superman's red trunks, Oracle's wheelchair, Stephanie Brown, the remnants of the Golden Age, uninterrupted runs for Action Comics and Batman, Zatanna's top hat and fishnet stockings, a costume for Harley Quinn that isn't horrific, and so much more. We say goodbye to the DC Universe as we know it.
And now, we say hello to a new DC Universe. Some things remain, others change, and all with the potential to become something new and exciting given enough creative effort and support from readers. No, you probably won't like everything you see, but hopefully you'll like enough of it to keep reading month after month. Remember, the 52 books that DC's launching the post-Flashpoint DC Universe with are just the beginning. Other titles will be coming, so if you don't see anything in 52 titles that looks remotely interesting, you can always check back in a few months or so. Just don't be afraid of change and don't be afraid to try something new. What you think you're dreading now may end up surprising you down the road. If nothing else, at least it's not the same old, same old, right?
So here we go again. Worlds will live. Worlds will die. And nothing will ever be the same.
DAMN Good Movies -- GREEN LANTERN
Here we go, time once again for another of my infamous movie takes, this time focusing my willpower on the film Green Lantern, based on the classic DC Comics character. As always, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want it spoiled for you, then for crying out loud, please stop reading now. If, however, you're wise enough to know that movie reviews with spoilers are always more interesting than the ones without them...well...Beware my power...
As anyone who's been paying attention knows, Marvel Comics has been owning their main competitor DC Comics when it comes to superhero film adaptations in recent years. Hell, all you have to do is look at Marvel's three films this summer compared to DC's one to realize that. Oh sure, DC and parent company Warner Brothers have been great about putting out Batman films and every so often you'll get a Superman film or once in a blue moon, even something like Watchmen. But by and large, DC hasn't been able to launch film franchises for their main non-Batman and non-Superman characters the way Marvel has. So apparently borrowing Marvel's format of building upon the success of one character's film, such as Iron Man, DC and Warner Bros. are presumably hoping to use Green Lantern to finally get film projects going for Wonder Woman, The Flash or potentially even the Justice League of America.
Producers tapped Martin Campbell, a talented action director noted for such films as The Mask of Zorro and two great James Bond movies, GoldenEye and Casino Royale (2006). Even comics writer Geoff Johns, now DC's Chief Creative Officer, became a Co-Producer of the film, bringing his well-received reinvention of the Green Lantern mythos over the past six years to the table. Some pretty good moves there, certainly reason to give hardcore Green Lantern fans hope that all will be well. And despite some early missteps on building box office buzz, such as a somewhat disappointing Entertainment Weekly cover and the first trailer that emphasized humorous aspects of the film, the Green Lantern hype machine went into overdrive to convince everyone that everything's fine, situation normal, we're all fine here now, thank you...How are you?
For Green Lantern to truly succeed, though, it falls upon screenwriters Greg Bertlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg to streamline decades of Green Lantern storylines and continuity into a narrative newcomers can easily follow. The film starts off with Xudarian Green Lantern Tomar-Re giving a healthy amount of narrated backstory to open the film, hoping that geekish fans who enjoyed Galadriel rattling off something similar at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring will find this stuff just as interesting. As a result, the audience doesn't get to first experience the wonder of the Green Lantern mythos through Hal Jordan's eyes and any such storytelling impact is abruptly lost.
When John Broome and Gil Kane created Hal Jordan in the Silver Age of 1959, they started his origin off with a dying Abin Sur sending a beam of emerald energy from his Power Battery to find his successor. The two meet, the power ring and battery are passed on, Abin Sur dies, and Hal Jordan flies off to do all sorts of Green Lanterny things. It's very straightforward, very simple to grasp, nicely emotional if handled well, and ultimately lost on this film's screenwriters. To be fair, they do try to make you care about Hal, playing up his dead dad issues and showing that under his cocky test pilot bravado, he's just as insecure about himself as you are.
All the excessive CGI effects don't help, either. Thor had a heavy amount as well, but balanced them with some nicely elaborate set pieces that made the film feel far more real and believable than Green Lantern does. Because everything set in space or on the planet Oa is CGI, including the other aliens in the Green Lantern Corps with the exception of Sinestro, you feel like Hal steps into an animated world every time he leaves Earth. Some of the shots of Oa are impressive, don't get me wrong, but you have to wonder how much more impressive they would have been if some of the structures didn't look like something straight out of the Green Lantern video game.
Another considerable problem is the lack of a solid menace for Hal to fight. Yeah, he has Parallax and Hector Hammond to deal with, but do you really care about what they do or what happens to them? Parallax is little more than a glorified take on Galactus from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer that was shrugged off by fans as the far less imposing "Cloudactus." Hector Hammond, meanwhile, looks more like Ned Flanders meets The Elephant Man and you half-expect him to go "I am not an animal...I am a super-villain!" No, the real menace to Hal is obviously Sinestro, but as shown in the post-credits sequence where he gets his spiffy yellow Sinestro Corps uniform, he's being saved for a sequel that may never come if the box office doesn't justify it.
Ultimately, however, Martin Campbell tells the story he's given as well as he probably can. The film moves along at a decent pace, doesn't drag considering the one hour, forty-five-minute running time, has a nice albeit unremarkable score by James Newton Howard, and introduces everything it's supposed to introduce. There's nothing here as painful as dancing Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 to make you wince or make you think you're watching a Joel Schumacher Batman movie by mistake. You're just a bit frustrated with this movie, because you know that with some fine-tuning here and there, it could've been something really special.
So what about the performances from the cast? Well, as you might expect, I have a few thoughts here and there, so this is what I noticed...
GREEN LANTERN/HAL JORDAN -- Ryan Reynolds has to carry most of the film on his entire CGI-suited back and for the most part, he does a solid job of it. He could've easily turned Hal into an arrogant douche, but makes him charmingly cocky without overselling things. I have to wonder how other actors like Star Trek's Chris Pine or Super 8's Kyle Chandler would've done in the role, but Reynolds certainly looks and acts the part and has the build to bring in his admirers. If the film does poorly, it definitely won't be because of him.
CAROL FERRIS -- On the other hand, Blake Lively is a bad actress miscast as an equally bad character. I've never been a fan of Carol in the comics and Lively does nothing here to change my opinion. If you notice, the best of the Green Lantern trailers are the ones that show little to no footage of Carol, so that should give you an idea of what to expect when she's on screen. I did, however, like that they let Carol easily recognize Hal as Green Lantern, so we didn't have to sit there and wonder at her inability to see the obvious.
HECTOR HAMMOND -- Peter Sarsgaard turns in a very odd performance here, making Hector disturbing and skeevy even before he gets his ginormous dome. I appreciate that he's crafting something different with the role, but at times the tone of his character seemed more appropriate for a David Lynch film than a mainstream superhero movie.
SINESTRO -- Every time Mark Strong was on screen, I could only sit and think of the Green Lantern Film That Might've Been or Could Possibly Become in a Sequel. Strong is perfectly cast as Sinestro, giving the presence the character deserves and making fans anticipate his heel turn to the Fear Side of the Force...errrr, Emotional Spectrum all the more. Hell, just go out and see this movie so I can get my sequel with Sinestro, okay?
TOMAR-RE-- Geoffrey Rush gets to provide vocals for the CGI Tomar-Re and provide the opening narration because he has the poshest speaking voice. The character is used for little more than exposition, but Rush is a nice fit for Tomar-Re and a welcome addition to overall feel of the film.
KILOWOG -- As Hal's training drill sargeant, Michael Clarke Duncan is another good fit for his character even though his character is severely underwritten. Towards the end, Kilowog takes credit for Hal's training, even though said "training" lasts all of five minutes on screen...if that. I understand that Campbell wanted to keep things moving, but smacking Hal around for a few more minutes later on after another scene or two would've made the training more substantive.
PARALLAX -- Clancy Brown voiced Parallax but you would never know it until you looked on IMDb. Instead of a shining golden creature, Parallax is depicted here as a dirty-looking Smog Monster cloud that occasionally gains a face with a gaping maw. As a result, you almost have to wonder if Hal Jordan is supposed to be a space cop or an environmentalist.
AMANDA WALLER -- Angela Bassett, who many feel should've been cast as Storm in the X-Men movies instead of Halle Berry, is a completely reworked version of the Suicide Squad's head honcho, Amanda "The Wall" Waller. In this film, Waller is now a generic government scientist who assists Hector Hammond in studying Abir Sur's corpse. It's essentially a thankless role and probably would've been better served if Waller had been closer to her comic book roots.
SENATOR HAMMOND -- In a curious bit of casting, Tim Robbins was picked for the role of Hector's disapproving father. I'm guessing the addition of this character was for the purpose of making Hector more sympathetic villain with depth, but when you have Hector acting so repulsively, why would you try to make him sympathetic to the audience at the same time?
THOMAS KALMAKU -- Taika Waitiki lands the typical sidekick gig as Tom "Don't call me Pieface" Kalmaku. It's his job to give Hal somebody to bounce his reactions off of and provide the necessary amount of computer skills that at least one character needs to have in superhero films these days. And thankfully, he's not annoying as some sidekick characters can be, so well done there.
I know I've probably been a little rough on this film here, but Green Lantern is an entertaining superhero film. It just happens to be bogged down in far too much setup with the promise of a much better film down the road. That's not exactly what you need if you're hoping to launch other characters the way Marvel has, so unless audiences ignore film critics the way they did for the first two Transformers films, we'll just have to hope that Warner Brothers doesn't give up and remain fixated on just Batman and Superman movies.
And for those who might be wondering, here's the updated and revised list of my Top 20 Comic Book Films:
1. Superman (1978)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. Watchmen (2009)
4. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
5. Spider-Man (2002)
6. Batman Begins (2005)
7. Iron Man (2008)
3. Watchmen (2009)
4. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
5. Spider-Man (2002)
6. Batman Begins (2005)
7. Iron Man (2008)
8. X-Men: First Class (2011)
9. X2: X-Men United (2003)
9. X2: X-Men United (2003)
10. X-Men (2000)
11. Thor (2011)
12. Green Lantern (2011)
13. Batman (1989)
14. Superman II (1981)
15. Iron Man 2 (2010)
16. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
17. Hellboy (2004)
18. Superman Returns (2006)
19. Sin City (2005)
20. 300 (2007)
14. Superman II (1981)
15. Iron Man 2 (2010)
16. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
17. Hellboy (2004)
18. Superman Returns (2006)
19. Sin City (2005)
20. 300 (2007)
Your friendly neighborhood movie reviewer,
Charles
Relaunching My DC Comics Shopping List
In the words of the late Doctor Who actor Nicholas Courtney, "Well...Here we go again..."
DC Comics finally released information on the last four of their 52 Post-Flashpoint reboot/relaunch/reloaded titles yesterday, revealing the new Superman, Superboy, Supergirl and Action Comics books. It's been an interesting couple of weeks, watching news trickle out each day and seeing the instant assessment from fans about whether these new titles are going to be worthy of their $2.99 for the immediate future. As fans, you tend to make a call on some titles based on their creative team alone, or others on the how the characters you've loved for years have been altered in whatever way. We all do it, and I'm no different, obviously.
With information on all 52 titles now available for prospective readers to dissect and analyze to their hearts' content, this means I now have a decent idea of which titles I'm going to add, which I'm going to keep and which I'm losing. So for the two or three of you who might actually be interested in such things, here's a rundown of how my monthly DC Comics shopping list is regenerating into its new incarnation. (Sorry, couldn't help myself there...)
For the sake of comparison, here's how my original list of 22 DC Comics titles looked...
Action Comics Hellblazer
Adventure Comics Justice League of America
Batman Justice Society of America
Batman and Robin Legion of Super-Heroes
Batman, Incorporated Power Girl
Birds of Prey Secret Six
Booster Gold Superboy
Detective Comics Superman
The Flash Teen Titans
Gotham City Sirens Wonder Woman
Green Lantern Zatanna
And now, here's my new Post-Flashpoint list, with new titles in bold...
Action Comics Green Lantern
Animal Man Hellblazer (Presumably)
Aquaman Justice League
Batgirl Justice League Dark
Batman Legion Lost
Batman and Robin Legion of Super-Heroes
Batwoman Nightwing
Birds of Prey Stormwatch
DC Universe Presents Superman
The Flash Teen Titans
The Fury of Firestorm
So overall, that's only one less title every month after losing ten as a result of cancellation or simply not going forward with the relaunched version. Not too bad, certainly better than I expected a couple of weeks ago, and I'll be trying out a few others for a short time to see if they can convince me to add them to this regular buying list. I will miss Batman, Incorporated, Justice Society of America, Power Girl and especially Secret Six, though, but at least there's word that Batman, Incorporated is going to return in 2012 for twelve issues.
It should be interesting to see this list a year and a half from now. All 52 are unlikely to make it past issue #18, especially with this economy, so I imagine those titles of genuine quality and talent have the best chance for long-term survival. Hopefully, some entertaining "mid-season replacements" (to use a television programming term) are already in the works.
Now, if my own list changes are generally typical of DC's existing audience, then I'm guessing they should be okay for the foreseeable future. I'm sure there will be creative team changes and adjustments along the way as they figure out this relaunched DC Universe, so for those upset about things like missing characters and certain costume designs, try and be patient if you can. I've been though this sort of thing before back in 1986, so it's not nearly the end of the world that you might think it is. It's just change.
To rattle off a bit more from Doctor Who, it's a bit dodgy, this process, you never know what you're gonna end up with. But it could be fantastic so pass me the fish fingers and custard...