#And we were GEOFF and GORDON

[coimbrabertone]

NASCAR Numerology: How NASCAR's Current Teams Got Their Numbers: Part Three.

Alright guys, we've done Trackhouse, Penske, Wood Brothers, RCR, and SHR, now we're gonna cover the numbers for Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, and Spire Motorsports. That's a grand total of nine cars to cover and some very historic numbers, so let's get on with the origins, the meaning, and some of the notable events in the history of some of the most significant numbers in modern day NASCAR.

We start with Hendrick Motorsports, which is a bit of a mess for two reasons:

The first is that Hendrick has like three different numbering schemes simultaneously: One built around the #5, one built around the #24, and a handful of car numbers that don't fit into either scheme.

The other is that Hendrick Motorsports has recently restructured, to the point where...the #5 is the #48, the #48 is the #88, the #9 is the #24, and the #24 is the #5.

Confused yet? Don't worry, I'll explain it all.

The Hendrick Motorsports story begins in 1984 with the All-Star Racing #5 of Geoff Bodine. This team initially had high aspirations, trying to sign the likes of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Tim Richmond, but after sponsorship and co-ownership deals fell through, Rick Hendrick was left holding the bag alone, he and Geoff Bodine would need to make do with each other.

Well...they won Martinsville, Nashville Fairgrounds, and the season finale at Riverside.

This was enough to keep the #5 team alive, and for 1985, they returned, now properly under the Hendrick Motorsports banner. The #5 didn't win in 1985, but improved results throughout the season moved them up from 9th in the standings to 5th.

This was enough to finally win over Tim Richmond, who came over to start a second team with Folgers sponsorship - this was the #25, and Rick Hendrick's dad, Papa Joe, co-owning this entry.

Tim Richmond took seven wins in 1985 and finished 3rd in the standings, but unknown to everyone else...he was suffering from AIDS all this time. This would keep him out of the car for most of 1987 - with Benny Parsons running a Folgers #35 car in his place - but he would return midseason and immediately win two in a row at Pocono and Riverside.

Unfortunately, Richmond's return would only last eight races. Tim Richmond would attempt to return to NASCAR for 1988, but the medications he was taking to manage his illness conflicted with NASCAR's drug testing policy. Richmond would die from AIDS complications in August 1989.

Hendrick Motorsports at this point ran three numbers built around the #5 - the #5, the #25, and the #35.

They were also running the first non-scheme numbers in the form of the #17 with Darrell Waltrip, however, DW would take his team and his number in 1991 to start his own team, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports. The split was amicable, and Rick Hendrick actually helped DW get the team setup.

The next team - and the next numbering scheme - came in 1993, when Hendrick Motorsports hired Jeff Gordon to drive the #24. Initially, the team had intended to run the #46 - because for the movie Days of Thunder, Hendrick Motorsports provided the car and had Greg Sacks race at Phoenix 1989, Atlanta 1990, and Darlington 1990 to acquire footage.

The City Chevrolet sponsorship on the $46 Days of Thunder car is actually modeled on a real Chevrolet dealership that Rick Hendrick owns in Charlotte.

Unfortunately, issues with Paramount - who distributed Days of Thunder - prevented Hendrick Motorsports from running the #46 for real. So instead, they picked the #24, because it had relatively little history in NASCAR prior to Gordon, it was available, and it came right before #25. Thus began the most dominant partnership of the 1990s.

Jeff Gordon would win 93 times and would win championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001.

Terry Labonte in the #5 would add to Hendrick's 1990s domination with a 1996 championship.

Such was Jeff Gordon's success that, in 2001, Rick Hendrick allowed Jeff to become the co-owner of a new entry - the #48 of Jimmie Johnson. #48 was double #24, beginning the new numbering scheme. This would also see a part-time #84 car for Kyle Busch in 2004.

Jimmie would win the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2016 championships in the #48, equaling the 7 titles of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Then we get the #88 car, which was set up in 2008 for Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he moved to Hendrick Motorsports. Why #88? Well, his DEI number was #8, Dale Jr. had a rabid fanbase, and a lot of people already had #8 merch and #8 tattoos. How to keep those people invested in Dale Jr.? Simple, make his new number two 8s, hence #88.

Thus, come 2017, Hendrick Motorsports has the #5 of Kasey Kahne, the #24 of Chase Elliott, the #48 of Jimmie Johnson, and the #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Then everything started to change.

For 2018, Chase Elliott moved to the #9, taking the number most associated with his famous father, Bill Elliott. Bill had run the #9 at his own team from 1975-1981, then continued running it at Melling from 1982 to 1991, and then ran the #9 again at Evernham Motorsports in 2001, 2002, and 2003 as he spearheaded Dodge's return to NASCAR.

Chase was in the #9, but he took his #24 team with him. Hence my joke about the #9 really being the #24.

Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne dropped out of Hendrick due to chronic dehydration issues impacting his ability to race. Kahne's #5 team became the #24 team for rookie William Byron.

Also in 2018, Alex Bowman took over the #88 for Dale Jr.

Fast forward to 2021, and Hendrick Motorsports shuffles things around again.

Kyle Larson started the 2020 season win Chip Ganassi Racing, however, during the COVID-19 hiatus, Kyle Larson used a racial slur on a hot mic during an iRacing event. McDonalds, Credit One Bank, and Chevrolet dropped him that day. This left Chip Ganassi no choice but to fire Larson the next day.

Kyle Larson was highly rumored to replace Jimmie Johnson in the #48 for 2021, but after the n-bomb incident, sponsor Ally didn't want to touch him.

Nevertheless, Larson dominated in dirt racing in 2020, completed a racial sensitivity course, and made outreaches to black communities to apologize for his actions, including a visit to the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis.

All of this convinced Rick Hendrick that he should hire Kyle Larson after all, but he needed to shuffle things around to make it happen.

The flagship #5, Hendrick's original number, would return for the first time since 2017, with Kyle Larson running it, primarily sponsored by Hendrick Cars, but also Valvoline, Cincinnati Inc., and Tarlton. The team, however, would be the same as Jimmie Johnson's 2020 #48 team.

Alex Bowman's #88 team, however, would switch to the #48 plate and take on Ally as their sponsor.

Thus the #24 became the #9, the #5 became the #24, the #48 became the #5, and the #88 became the #48.

An awful lot for one team, huh?

Roush is thankfully a bit simpler.

The #6 is Roush's flagship car and has been ever since they were founded in 1988. Why the #6? Then sponsor Stroh's Light wanted a one-digit number to be instantly recognizable. Thus, Mark Martin's time with the #6 began.

Initially, Roush built around the #6 brand, with their second car being the #16 Family Channel Ford and them running the #60 Winn-Dixie car for Martin's Busch Series starts.

Their third car in in 1996 was the #99, which didn't really fit - other than the coincidental of 9 being 6 upside-down so #99 is kinda like two sixes, but Jack Roush says that was a coincidence. But Roush Racing went back to the sixes scheme in 1998 with the #26 car. They also bought the #97 John Deere Pontiac in 1997 and changed it over to a Ford for 1998, bringing it into the team for a five-car effort.

Roush had a couple of six car races in 1999 because Jack grew interested in Busch series racer Matt Kenseth, who was running a Chevrolet for Robbie Reiser. Jack didn't seem to mind too much, and by the time 2000 rolled around, he took Reiser, Kenseth, and their #17 car into the Cup series, running the DeWalt Ford.

Matt Kenseth won Roush's first Cup championship in 2003 with the DeWalt #17, and so in 2024, RFK Racing's two cars are the #6 and the #17.

The original Roush number, and their first championship winning number.

Now for Spire Motorsports real quick.

The #7 car in NASCAR became famous due to owner-driver Alan Kulwicki, who in the late 80s and early 90s, insisted on doing things himself even as NASCAR was starting to move towards bigger, multi-car teams. Alan winning the championship himself in his own equipment in 1992 would inspire a slew of drivers to follow his lead in this era, but for Alan himself...well, he died in a plane crash on the way to Bristol in 1993.

He never got the chance to defend his title.

The #7 AK Racing team was taken over by Geoff Bodine in 1993 - 'member him from Hendrick? - and ran as Geoff Bodine Racing for awhile, before selling to Ultra Motorsports for 2000. Ultra Motorsports and the #7 car of Jimmy Spencer had precisely one notable moment to their name.

At the 2003 MBNA America 300 at Dover International Speedway, the #7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge was a lap down when the caution came out, becoming the first car to benefit from NASCAR's new beneficiary rule - implemented to stop drivers from racing back to the line after the caution flag came out - which led to commentator Benny Parsons dubbing him the lucky dog.

Sirius' logo at this point included a little dog.

So yeah, that's where the term "Lucky Dog" in NASCAR comes from, the more you know.

The #7 then went through Robby Gordon Motorsports for awhile, followed by Tommy Baldwin Racing - in which Danica Patrick made her final NASCAR start in the 2018 Daytona 500 - before winding up at Spire Motorsports for the 2021 season.

Corey LaJoie has run the #7 from 2021 to 2024, accomplishing fuck all, and will be replaced for the 2025 season. It is currently unknown who will replace him. Justin Haley has been linked to the ride, and he actually won Spire's only Cup series victory in only his third start at a rain-shortened 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.

Spire then built out their numbering scheme off the #7, with Carson Hocevar running the #77 and Zane Smith running the #71 - though he is due to be replaced by Michael McDowell for 2025.

So yeah, that's Hendrick, Roush, and Spire down. We've done #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10 already, so next time we'll pick up with Joe Gibbs Racing and their #11 Toyota.

[about-faces]

I'm still loving Gotham Nocturne and I wish it was getting the love/respect/attention is deserves. I've spoken several people who haven't been reading the current Detective Comics run because they're Batmanned Out (good lord, do I get it) and they see it as just another attempt at some kind of "ultimate Batman story with Batman fighting the ultimate evil," which I strongly disagree with.

THAT SAID... as time has gone on, and the story seems to be reaching its finale, there are a few things that stand out of me as problems with this epic storyline.

1.) It's one of the most egregious examples of "writing for the trade paperback." This simply isn't a story that's meant to be read month-to-month. It's too slow, with too little "happening," at least on the superficial level. Paradoxically, it's NOT a story that should be binged! The best comparison that comes to mind is Better Call Saul, since that's the only other example of serialized media that's meticulously slow-paced yet INCREDIBLY RICH for those willing to engage with it on its level rather than expecting it to be Breaking Bad (or in Nocturne's case, a typical Batman story.) Ram V is capable of writing super-engaging monthly issues, as the fantastic Rare Flavours proves, but that brings us to...

2.) The story is sprawling. Maybe even TOO sprawling. When it comes to people who are sick of Batman, I try to sell them on the fact that this story is about GOTHAM AS A WHOLE, right down to the villains who call it home, and how everyone there is as intrinsically a part of Gotham as Batman is. But ensemble stories like that are tricky, and it makes the focus feel all over the place at times, with alternately too much and too little attention being paid to the main players, Batman included. It's a balance that was handled beautifully with Batman: The Audio Adventures, but it seems a bit more awkward here. Again, it's hard to pull off!

Like, we have characters pop up and then vanishing without explanation. We got Azrael back in the AzBats armor for the first time in decades, like, holy shit! That should be a HUGE development! And then, poof, he vanished! There's simply no time to explore Jean-Paul's character because there's so many other things the narrative needs to explore.

This feels like it would have really benefited from a companion series, something to focus on the characters the way the backup stories have done, but just more so. I think about how Peter Tomasi would write companion books to the main big storylines written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, and Scott Snyder, and how he'd focus on character, which always enriched the greater "big important storyline." Which, in turn, also brings me to...

3.) The backup stories have really lost a lot of their punch since they stopped being written by Si Spurrier and were taken over by Dan Watters. Watters is incredibly capable, make no mistake, and his Cheshire/Lian Harper story is one of my favorite parts of this entire saga. But by and large, his tales focus more on the spooky and weird sides of what's happening with Nocturne, whereas Spurrier's stories were more focused on characters navigating the weirdness of the events. As a result, Spurrier gave us what I consider to be some of the very best stories about Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, and Victor Fries ever written. I really miss those, and how they enriched Ram V's (possibly overly-ambitious) narrative.

Ultimately, Gotham Nocturne feels like the Batman equivalent to an arthouse film, which means it's going to be appreciated by a handful of nerds while leaving most other fans cold, and I can't really blame them. If anything makes me sad about all this, it's how all this incredible character work with Bruce, Harvey, Victor, Talia, and others is going to be ignored. Hell, it already is, given the complete lack of acknowledgement we've seen in other Bat-books for what's going on in Nocturne.

At this point, I just hope it sticks the landing in the finale, because I want to be able to have a complete, satisfying epic to recommend to people who want something a bit richer than the typical "guy in Bat costume punches clown" stories we usually get.

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2022 - December

The Chimes at Midnight by Geoff Trowbridge (2008)

It takes its time to get to the meat until there’s more to chew on in the latter half. Most of these TOS alternate histories were mildly interesting but this one is a cut above.

A Gutted World by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2008)

"What if the Cardassians discovered the Bajoran Wormhole?" This is the question that got me reading all these Myriad Universes novellas in the first place, but because I’m me and a completionist, I couldn’t just skip past the others in the series to get here. I come to Star Trek expanded universe stuff with a DS9 first approach so I was keen to read how the author spun out this alternate history in which the Dominion gets their foothold in the alpha quadrant if they met the Cardassians first. It had a little too much TNG cast for my taste (especially since those characters dominate so many of these stories), but it’s a worthy DS9 tale.

Brave New World by Chris Roberson (2008)

Now we get to a whole lot of Data, so more of TNG. The courtroom stuff doesn’t hit the same way in these stories as it does in the TV episodes, and then all the implications of androids woven into the fabric of the galaxy is strangely not that compelling.

The Embrace of Cold Architects by David R. George III (2010)

Another Data-heavy story. I think these novellas introduce interesting directions with how the Federation will absolutely exploit artificial beings if they have the slightest excuse, but this particular one needed to be its own novel. It ends just as things get interesting.

The Tears of Eridanus by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster (2010)

A TOS story that deviates from the prime universe thousands of years before the era we know. It revels in an alternate history in which the Andorians made first contact with Earth, and the Vulcans and Romulans never parted ways.

The Last Generation by Andrew Steven Harris, Gordon Purcell, Bob Almond, Terry Pallot, Mario Boon, John Hunt, Robbie Robbins, Chris Mowry, Neil Uyetake, Andy Schmidt, Scott Dunbier, Justin Eisinger, Mariah Huehner, Bill Tortolini (2009)

I could’ve done without Data and the TNG cast at the center of things (again), but it’s cool to see Sulu flying around being a badass in his Excelsior ship. All these TNG tales feels like the higher-ups asking “Ey, where’s my TNG (money)? I gotta have my TNG (money)!”

Strange World dir. Don Hall (2022)

I loved it, but then I’m a sucker for perilous adventure tales across strange new lands.

Violent Night dir. Tommy Wirkola (2022)

Die Hard meets Home Alone with a blend of Bad Santa and maybe God of War?

Empire of Light dir. Sam Mendes (2022)

I was there for it all the way. Sometimes I remember I’m a normie-ass man but that part that feels like I’m a distant weirdo never goes away, and this movie’s for that guy.

Demon Wind dir. Charles Philip Moore (1990)

I watched this movie within a video game along with its MST3K-style commentary at 2 AM with my youngest brother and what a thing to do and write down.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio dir. Guillermo del Toro (2022)

I mean, of course it’s great. I haven’t read the original story and it sounds like this hews closer to that than the popular perception from Disney’s takes.

Babylon dir. Damien Chazelle (2022)

This could've been dry but instead it’s constantly running at full charge, and even when we slow down to the granular level of filmmaking commentary it’s still a high pressure romp.

Jack and Jill dir. Dennis Dugan (2011)

Eh, I suppose the most impressive thing here is that Sandler sells the idea that’s he's own twin sister to the point that you consider them separate people.

The Whale dir. Darren Aronofsky (2022)

This had the potential to be bleak but instead it’s just genuinely hopeful. The performances come across a little too staged, as does the whole movie I suppose, so it’s no surprise to learn than this was originally a stage play.

The Outer Limits - "The Sandkings" (1995)

Here we go! I’d been thinking about watching the entire 1995 reboot of The Outer Limits and it’s everything I could’ve hoped for. All the 90s actors I remember from Saturday afternoon sci-fi TV, dated effects and production techniques, stories about man’s reach exceeding his grasp. This first episode even features three generations of the Bridges acting clan. The thing about intelligent alien bugs isn’t so compelling, but the overall production makes up for it.

The Outer Limits - "Vanishing Act" (1996)

I was looking for an episode that features New Year’s Day and found this story about a man who time jumps forward by ten years every time he falls asleep. It’s a sci-fi sort of twist on It’s a Wonderful Life and very reminiscent of something you’d see on Star Trek.

Tales from the Crypt - "And All Through the House" (1989)

And since I plan to also watch Tales from the Crypt after TOL, I skipped over to this story about a bad Santa stalking a bad mom.

The Outer Limits - "Valerie 23" (1995)

Here’s a reminder not to fuck around with robots. Don’t do it! Especially not if they’re hot! There’ll more fucked up robot tales in the seasons ahead...

The Outer Limits - "Blood Brothers" (1995)

We get a few stories here about rich assholes trying to live forever. This one does also present an interesting idea: what if we could all be cured of all ailments and live twice as long in the process? What happens when no one’s dying and the population count explodes? In any case, that’s more thought than what goes into the episode’s story. It’s mostly about a rich guy jumping the gun on proper medical testing and getting screwed as he should.

The Outer Limits - "The Second Soul" (1995)

Oh man, I was definitely on the paranoid side of this story as the events unfold. It was nice to get one of these where it isn’t a bleak or worst case ending.

The Outer Limits - "White Light Fever" (1995)

Another rich asshole who literally wants to live forever. And that’s it. Spoiler: he doesn’t get to.

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared - Series 2 (2022)

I wanna love this because I loved the original web series, but binging a bunch of TV-length episodes just felt like too much of it. I liked them when they were shorter and spaced out more. Binger beware, I know.

[pointless-letters]

“We’re still laughing.”

[helloliriels]

loved what you made of my last fake fic title so here is another one! eeeeek!

product in your hair

hehhehe

*hugs from a turtle* (as always no pressure tho!)

... ooohhhhhyeahhhh!!! Have sum real fluff this time, as promised!!! Haha ☺️😄💕

Product In Your Hair

John ran his fingers through his hair, making sure this was *more* ... waaaaay more product than he normally used!

If there was anything the genius hadn't picked up on yet - it was that John wasn't straight;

Wasn't dating anymore;

And was about to come undone every time he was around his gorgeous flatmate ...

............................

John grinned devilishly. Looking at his reflection in the mirror with satisfaction. Then topped it all of with a nice bit of setting spray.

There.

Time to play a game of 'deductions' with the world's greatest detective.

.

He took a deep breath ...

Psyched himself up ...

And headed out the door.

........................

"John, you've really outdone yourself tonight," Lestrade beamed, leaning in to be heard over the noise at the pub, "do you think he's noticed yet?"

John's eyes automatically rose to find Sherlock. Then he winked at Lestrade, catching Sherlock's eye from across the room as he leaned back. "Yeah ..." he nodded, "I think he's catching on, Greg - finally! Did I make it obvious enough?!"

He practically glowed.

Beaming with pride.

.

"Thank GAWD! At long last!" Lestrade gave him a hearty pump on the shoulder. Smiling up at John's reclining figure. At ease. At home at last, in his own skin ... "Seeing you like this ... makes me proud John. I'm so happy-!"

Sherlock was suddenly wedged between them.

Eyes dialled in to the contact he had just interrupted. Razor sharp gaze on Greg's fingers, until they pulled back to his own glass ...

.

John could not comprehend quite how Sherlock had managed to move across the room so quickly, without their notice?

Let alone why ... ??

.

"Ah, Gordon. Good to know you had time this evening to hang out with the cool kids. No cases requiring your overworked and underpaid attentions? Or perhaps you came tonight to request my assistance ...? Continually out-of-your depth, as always. I hope you were giving John all the details ..."

Sherlock’s deductive insults began rattling out - rapid fire - and John covered his face in mortification. Quietly dying a little inside as the genius prattled on and on ...

"Did I notice you were leaning into the bar more heavily than normal, Geoff? Your stomach was making enough noise to rival this frankly alarming establishment," he continued, "probably not the best idea, these chips ..." as he moved them out of reach ...

John zoned out. Ignoring the words being spoken. Hearing only the sound of Sherlock's tone. Cutting it's way through all else ...

Sherlock was jealous ...

Sherlock was JeALoUS ...

Sherlock was ... ?!

.

John was an idiot.

.

He groaned into his hands and a frantic giggle escaped, realizing how stupid he'd been not to just SAY something! To stick like GLUE to Sherlock's side until the braniac actually caught on!

"... perhaps we should all move over there?" Sherlock pointed to a booth nearer the loos, "Does your doctor know you're developing Ulceritive Colitis? I DO hope they've suggested treatments for someone of your advancing age ..."

How could a genius be this thick!?! ... John wondered ... even as the words spewing forth became more viscious and belittling. John came to and realized he had better make it STOP. And NOW!

"Sherlock?" He tried quietly.

".. you really should see someone for the thinning hair and extra weight you've been putting on, too. John and I agreed it's at least 15 pounds-"

"SherLOCK ..." John tried again. Growling.

Sherlock continued regardless.

"SHERLOCK!!" John shouted!

Catching everyone by surprise.

.

You could hear a pin drop.

John's small stature seemed to suddenly take up the whole room.

Sherlock stared down at the floor. Pursed lips. Hands held behind his back.

A schoolboy. Caught.

Embarrassment. Anger. Frustration. Hurt. Panic. Flashed in those eyes as he dared to meet John's commanding gaze ...

.

"That's enough." John calmed his voice down. Having the attention he needed now, and having ceased the damage from continuing ...

The noise in the room picked back up. A backdrop drowning out any further attention towards them alone.

John stepped over and pulled Sherlock aside.

"Bloody git!" he seethed, "you didn't have to go at Lestrade like that!" He still held on to Sherlock’s arm, tugging him along. Sherlock was not protesting. Not arguing. Just letting John lead.

John stopped. Took a deep breath. Pinched the bridge of his nose and gave Sherlock a second before physically turning him so they faced each other ...

"You noticed," John stated. Nodding for agreement, "I assume you noticed my hair??"

Sherlock nodded.

Swallowing.

.

"And you drew some conclusions?" John continued.

Again, a nod.

.

"I want to hear you say them," John commanded. Arms folded.

"You put product in your hair." Sherlock announced it as if he had just declared the death of a family member. "You've decided to embrace your bisexual nature and moved in on the nearest male of approachable target age."

.

"Jesus, Sherlock?!" John laughed, incredulous at how close ... and yet how FAR from correct the deductions were!!

... He immediately regretted it.

.

Sherlock looked at him, pained. Turning away.

.

"NOooOoo!" John declared. Grabbing and latching on to Sherlock's warm hand ...

"You're so close!" John praised, "Brilliant even! ... and yet ... yet you've overlooked the most obvious part of the equation??" John slipped his hand into Sherlock’s palm and pulled him close.

Arms snaking around the detectives hips.

Then he looked up with adoring eyes and waited ...

.

Sherlock stared at their connectedness. At the warmth of John on him.

On him.

On.

HIM.

.

Sherlock blinked.

"I'm apparently not being obvious enough?" John tsked, then holding Sherlock's face in his hands, pulled him down for an impromptu kiss...

"How's that for obvious?" He asked, not getting a reaction, "Didn't think I was after the belhop?" John pulled him into a kiss again! "The bar boy?" John teased, getting more cooperation and infinitely more blinks ...

"The guy playing billiards? Was I after him? Hmmm?" Sherlock met him halfway this time, greedily kissing John's lips like he was suffocating for air. Ironically making them both gasp and pant with the exertion.

"Now that's more like it!"

John grinned on reply, tugging Sherlock into the corner, where Sherlock quickly took over the lesson ...

.

"Oi! You two - get a room!" Greg cheered from the bar. Raising a glass to them both.

John and Sherlock both turned on him, shouting, "RUDe!" Then burst out laughing, holding onto each others sides as they doubled over with it ...

"Actually ..." John sobered, petting Sherlock's jacket lapel, and stealing a kiss by his ear whispered, "would you mind?"

Sherlock's eyebrows raised and he glanced towards the hotel lobby ...

A gleam in his eyes ...

.

Sorry this one took so long to answer! I wrote it like 3 different ways before I got what I was after! lol, I said I'd get to them all! 4 more to go!

[natromanxoff]

Daily Mirror - November 25, 1991

Credits to Silvia C. and Queencuttings.com

Parents too late to see AIDS son

Parents too late to see AIDS son

By CHRISTIAN GYSIN, MIKE TOWERS and GEOFF SUTTON

ROCK giant Freddie Mercury died of AIDS last night — 25 hours after telling the world he had the killer disease.

The 45-year-old Queen singer died just before his parents reached his bedside at his £4 million Kensington mansion after a race across London. They left later, deeply upset.

Freddie's publicist Roxy Meade said he died "peacefully" at 7pm of broncho-pneumonia brought on by AIDS. A private cremation will be held later this week.

The gay star, who belted out chartbusting hits like Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are The Champions, is the first major pop idol to fall victim to the AIDS scourge.

A member of his entourage said: "The rest of the band are all devastated. They are in a complete state of shock and can't say anything at the moment.

"It was so quick that we haven't come to terms with the simple fact that he has gone.”

Freddie had lived like a recluse for the past two years as his illness left him increasingly frail and gaunt.

His death was announced at midnight.

Fans immediately gathered in the street [Turn to ]

[Photp caption: THE LAST PICTURE AIDS-RAVAGED Freddie looks gaunt and frail in this picture from two months ago.]

ROCK STAR FREDDIE LOSES FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

[From Page One] outside his home — and wept as his body was taken away in avan.

Paul Curtis, 21, who delivered a bouquet of carnations to the house, said: "He was brilliant.”

Radio stations across the country began playing hit after hit.

Paul Phear, a disc jockey on London's CapitalRadio, said: "I guess this is the day we all knew was coming but prayed would never arrive.”

Freddie retreated behind the 10ft walls of his home as fears for his health grew.

[Photo caption: DOC: Atkinson last night]

On Saturday he issued a statement confirming what had been feared for months — that he had AIDS.

"It was time, he said, "for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth."

Shamed

Early today it was revealed that he secretly recorded videos about AIDS, to be released after his death.

Freddie sings on some and talks about the plight of fellow sufferers on others.

The star's doctor, AIDS expert Gordon Atkinson, was at his side when he died.

Moments before, the doctor had emerged to tell newsmen he was "slipping.”

Freddie's deeply-religious parents Bomi and Jer Bulsara dashed from their modest terraced home In Feltham, Middlesex.

Freddie shamed his family through his gay exploits.

His elderly parents belong to the Zoroastrian sect of ancient Persia which condemns homosexuality as "unclean." Family friend Rusi Dalal said: "They were very unhappy at his homosexuality. Being gay is not accepted in the Zoroastrian religion.

"We also have very few believers and the religion can only be passed on through the father to his children.

"Obviously a gay man will have no children and this deeply upset the Bulsara family."

But Mr Dalal added that the parents, who moved to England from India 30 years ago, had healed the rift with their son.

In the early years, Freddie hoodwinked his parents by living with girlfriend Mary Austin and hinting that she would become his wife.

One former Queen employee said: "For many years, Freddie's mum asked: ‘When are you going to get married?' She had no Idea about his lifestyle.

"He always wheeled Mary out if there were going to be difficult questions about being gay."

Mr Dalal said: "I believe bis parents got on quite well with him recently.

"They were proud of his achievements and he did care for them. But it had been difficult.”

[Photo caption: STAR'S PARENTS: Bomi and Jer Bulsara last night]

Girlfriend stayed loyal as tragic Queen singer went looking for thrills

FREDDIE’S IMPOSSIBLE LOVE

So close to Mary but so many gay affairs

By GEOFF SUTTON

TRAGIC Freddie Mercury's platonic girlfriend Mary Austin pledged to support him to the last as he lay dying from AIDS. She said: "I love him very much and have loved him for the past 21 years."

[Photo caption: DEVOTED TO THE END: Mary Austin]

But from the start, the pair knew theirs was an impossible love. Freddie's homosexuality and a list of boyfriends as long as his arm saw to that.

The flamboyant Queen singer slept with whoever he wanted and once boasted: “I've had more lovers than Elizabeth Taylor."

He revelled in gay decadence and surrounded himself with followers tagged with girls' names like Phoebe and Liza.

He said: "My sex drive is enormous. I've got a big bed and it can sleep six.”

But then AIDS began to destroy his inner circle as friends and lovers were gripped by the HIV virus.

Freddie retreated into a subdued, private world.

And petite blonde Mary, 35, emerged again as the one constant love of his life.

With her three-year-old son Richard — Freddie's godchild — she stands to inherit the bulk of the star's estimated £20 million fortune.

In recent weeks she had been his closest companion behind the 10ft walls of his mansion in Kensington, West London.

Cry

Most days she left her nearby flat — bought by Freddie — and sat with him for hours.

She noted as his personal assistant, nurse and shoulder to cry on.

And she said: "I will be constantly with him to help him fight his illness."

Freddie met Mary long before he hit the big time.

He was running a clothes stall in Kensington market with Queen drummer Roger Taylor.

She was manageress of the pioneering fashion boutique Biba.

They lived together for seven years.

Freddie claimed they enjoyed a sexual relationship until he acknowledged he was gay.

More recently he gave his blessing to Mary having a child by an interior designer — and doted on Richard after the boy was born.

His caring side also shone through as he showered lovers with expensive gifts.

Lately he had been on a lavish house hunt, snapping up 10 homes for friends and employees.

But he could be a bitch.

A record company executive told how Freddie flipped in Munich, one of his regular haunts.

The boss said: "We were cruising in a limo, drinking, taking drugs and watching TV.

"Freddie's latest young boy switched channels and Freddie went bonkers, shouting and screaming.

"He told the chauffeur to stop the car and physically kicked the kid out, leaving him stranded miles from anywhere.

"Then we went to find Freddie another friend."

The star also loved New York, particularly a club called The Mineshaft, which is notorious for violent gay practices.

Slut

He said of the Big Apple: "It's Sin City, I just slut myself."

But in 1987, Freddie discovered that two of his former lover had died of AIDS.

And earlier this year, his ex-manager Paul Prenter became another victim.

Before he died, Paul said: "Freddie was so scared he would catch it.

"It was more likely he would walk on water than go with a woman. Once his friends started dying, Freddie knew his wild life had to stop.”

[Photo caption: WILD MAN: Rock star Freddie Mercury in action on stage]

Fun before heartache

TRAGEDY and heartbreak followed the laughter in this exclusive picture right.

It shows Freddie at a West End restaurant with DJ Kenny Everett and pals.

Now Freddie and two of the others are dead — all wiped out by AIDS.

The star lies across Tony Bastin, a courier who shared his life for two years before they split in 1982.

Tony died at 35 in 1986.

On the left, behind Kenny, is the DJ's ex-lover, Nicolai Grishanovitch — known as The Madam from Minsk. He died last year aged 39.

Kenny, 47, who shared his Kensington home with Nicolai and a waiter, said today: "Freddie burnt the candle at both ends and in the middle.”

[Photo caption: TRAGIC PALS: Freddie and Kenny with Nicolai, left, and Tony, right, during the night out]

POP WORLD MOURNS A TRUE GREAT

TRIBUTES to tragic Freddie poured in from the pop world early today.

Shattered DJ Simon Bates said: "He was the most entertaining artist of the eighties."

And Capitol Radio DJ David Jensen added sadly: "It's such a terrible shock. Freddie and Queen made one of their first radio appearances on my Radio Luxembourg show in the early seventies. Even then Freddie had great charm and charisma. One instinctively knewhe would become a big, big star."

Singer Phil Collins described Freddie as a tremendous performer. And neighbour Tony Blackburn said: "I'm very sorry to hear of this."

The tragic news was kept from Rod Stewart until he came off stage in Michigan.

A spokesman for him said: "The news will devastate Rod. They were close friends.”

[Photo caption: GRIEF: Simon Bates]

SKY’S THE LIMIT - RICK PAYS TRIBUTE TO A POP LEGEND

ROCK star Freddie Mercury, who has died at the age of 45, was the undisputed King of the band Queen. Few journalists knew this charismatic performer as well as the Mirror's Rick Sky. Here he remembers the man who was the epitome of showbusiness.

A kind of Magic

FREDDIE MERCURY was pop's most flamboyant superstar.

The bisexual singer's lifestyle made Elton John look like a shy wallflower in comparison.

On stage Mercury was an over-the-top performer full of grand, dramatic gestures, who camped it up mercilessly.

Off stage he was little different. He loved wild living, riotous parties and spending money.

Back in 1974, when Queen burst on to the pop scene with their first hit single, Seven Seas Of Rhye, there was little doubt that Mercury would become one of rock's characters.

Hits

The buck-toothed singer wore leotards, leathers and cat-suits and strutted and preened like a ballet dancer force-fed on vodka.

Right from the very beginning he lived his life like the superstar he was destined to become.

And as the hits kept coming — among the band's biggest were Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions and A Kind Of Magic — that life became even more outrageous and extravagant

Pop's Mr Showman was well known for the parties he threw where the champagne and the good times were never ending.

At one I went to in London's Kensington, just a stone's throw from the singer's £4 million mansion, naked girls, their bodies painted, paraded among guests, serving drinks and food.

At another, strippers performed for guests. One danced with a boa constrictor while others, when they removed all their clothes, turned out to be men. Mercury had a large entourage of camp followers and never made any secret of his bisexuality.

The singer — born Frederick Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946 — once confessed to me, in an extremely candid interview, how he was determined to live life to the limit.

He said: "Excess is a part of my nature. Dullness is a disease. I really need danger and excitement. "I've often been warned to stay away from clubs because they are too dangerous. But I revel in that — I'm never scared of putting myself out on a limb.

"I have a lot of gay friends — but then I like having interesting and strange people about me.

"I'm a very emotional person, a person of real extremes, and often that's destructive both to myself and others.”

Indeed Freddie WAS being destroyed — by AIDS. So much so that when, earlier this year, he made a video for the single I'm Going Slightly Mad, he appeared dressed as the poet Byron, complete with a wig and layer upon layer of make-up to hide the ravages of his illness.

The last time I had a proper interview with him was just as the rumours about his health were starting.

He was a changed man. The party-loving show-off had disappeared to be replaced by a virtual recluse who spent his time locked away in his Kensington mansion..

Age

Freddie told me: "I'm too old to rock'n'roll. I have to face facts. I'm over 40 now and think about my age a lot.

"I can't carry on rocking the way I have done in the past!

"It is all too much. It's no way for a grown man to behave. I have stopped my nights of wild partying. That's not because I'm ill but down to age.

“I'm no spring chicken. Now I prefer to spend my time at home. It is part of growing up.”

One of Mercury's biggest hits was Who Wants To Live Forever?

Freddie will do just that… in pop history and for millions of rock fans.

[Photo caption: THE ENTERTAINER: Nobody did it better]

[Photo caption: GOING BANANAS: Freddie took on a maze of disguises for his last video]

[thecomicsnexus]

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #11-12 MARCH - APRIL 1988 BY KEITH GIFFEN, J.M. DEMATTEIS, KEVIN MAGUIRE, AL GORDON, GENE D’ANGELO, JOHN WORKMAN AND BOB LAPPAN

Revealed at last... the secret origin of Maxwell Lord (at least, until Geoff Johns runs out of ideas).

SCORE: 10

Maxwell Lord is one of my favorite comic-book characters of all time. His Phlegmatic personality is a very nice addition to a comic-book with a comedic tone. His super-power (which has not been introduced yet) can be very subtle and his business nature makes sense for the late eighties.

He is also no hero... (and he is definitely not a super-villain). He is just a selfish man with a lot of power that sometimes does horrible things, but for the most part, it looks like world peace was his superior ambition (maybe for the wrong reasons, but a great outcome anyway).

Of course, then Didio decided to give the finger to the fans, destroying both, Max and Ted at the same time. Sure, the character became more famous since then (appearing in TV shows and movies)... but he kind of lost his personality forever (well, technically, he wasn’t even alive when they retconned him).

But enough about the future. This story closes many plot threads introduced in the previous 10 issues (also explaining why Mister Miracle recognized fourth world technology in the satellite that gave birth to the JLI).

It kind of mixes the events of Millennium as well, with that experience changing Max’s mindset.

Now I completely forgot Metron was involved in this story...

Spoilers after the break...

And things aren’t as I remembered them either (I remember the post zero-hour retelling of this story, with the artifical entity being Kilg%re).

Fire and Ice become a new dynamic duo for this title (we already had Blue and Gold). But they are still to join the league.

Does the humor become too silly sometimes? Yes, Those lines shouldn’t work in any story. They were clearly added to the finished art, so you can actually remove them without affecting the story. But it is kind of this book’s thing. These are B or C level heroes, and it is nice of them to not take themselves too seriously.

[calciopics]

Roger Hunt, England World Cup winner and former Liverpool striker, dies aged 83

Roger Hunt, the revered former Liverpool striker and member of England’s World Cup winning team, has died aged 83. Hunt died at home on Monday after a long illness, prompting a host of tributes to a player who was instrumental in Liverpool’s rise from the Second Division under Bill Shankly and appeared in all six England matches at the 1966 World Cup.

He won 34 caps and scored 18 goals for his country – including three during the victorious World Cup campaign – and famously celebrated Geoff Hurst’s controversial strike against West Germany in the final when it came down off the underside of the crossbar. “I thought it was over the line,” said Hunt who, as the closest England player to the ball, was regularly asked in the intervening years why he had not converted the rebound.

Hunt is the sixth member of England’s World Cup-winning side to die in the past three years, after Ray Wilson, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters, Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles. Hurst, Sir Bobby Charlton and George Cohen are the only surviving players from Sir Alf Ramsey’s team.

The Liverpool forward was never knighted – he received an MBE in 2000 – but was affectionately known as “Sir Roger” by supporters for his part in the club’s transformation under Shankly. Hunt scored 285 goals in 492 appearances for Liverpool and was the club’s all-time leading goalscorer until Ian Rush broke his record in 1992. He remains the second-highest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history, and no player has scored more league goals for the club than Hunt with 244. He was Liverpool’s leading goalscorer for eight consecutive seasons.

Liverpool were in the Second Division when Hunt signed as a 20-year-old and his 41 goals in 41 games helped them win the title in 1962. First Division titles swiftly followed in 1964 and 1966, with the club’s long-awaited first FA Cup triumph arriving in 1965. Hunt scored the opening goal in a 2-1 victory over Leeds with his strike partner Ian St John, who died in March, supplying the winner.

Hunt spent 11 and a half years at Liverpool before joining Bolton Wanderers, the club he supported as a boy, for £32,000 in 1969. He scored another 25 goals in 84 appearances for Bolton before retiring in 1972. After his playing days ended, Hunt worked for the Pools Panel for more than 30 years and for the family’s haulage company near Warrington.

Liverpool’s manager, Jürgen Klopp, led the tributes to one of the most important figures in the club’s history. “It’s really sad news and our thoughts and our love go to his family,” said Klopp. “Unfortunately, it feels too frequent in this moment we are saying farewell to these giants of our club.

“Roger Hunt comes second to no one in his importance in the history of Liverpool FC, that much is clear. To be the goal scoring catalyst of the Shankly team to actually achieve promotion and then go on to win those precious league titles and the FA Cup puts him in a bracket of LFC legends who are responsible for making us the club we are today. Not only that, he was also a World Cup winner in 1966, too.

“I am told the Kop christened him ‘Sir Roger’ for all his achievements. A goalscorer who never stopped working to help his teammates; I believe he would have fit in well within our current team. So, it is Sir Roger we will remember, honour and pay tribute to over the coming days. You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the Football Association, said: “English football has lost another great with the passing of Roger Hunt. On behalf of the FA, our thoughts are with his family and friends today. Twice a league champion with Liverpool, either side of a memorable FA Cup success in 1965, Roger will always be treasured by fans across the country as one of our World Cup winners of 1966. He will forever be remembered at Wembley Stadium and we will pay tribute to his memory before our home fixture with Hungary next month.” (The Guardian)

[lordtraco]

Highlights of Half Life 2 with @nerdneeniya

Constantly complimenting the game for being 50,000% better than HDtF

Hating on Breen right off the bat because I already know to hate this dude.

The sadness in all the NPCs is just heartbreaking honestly...

I love all the people. All of the resistance peeps.

Mostly Alyx.

And BARNEY aaaa I wish there was an option to hug himmmmm

Honestly though, Dr. Kleiner? Might be my favorite. He is sweet and loves Lamarr and is such a well-intentioned goof.

Lamarr got to go chase birds out in the wild... I wish her the best in life... Miss you already.

The fact that Gordon... Attacks with his crowbar... In a motion that just looks like he's punching.. what? Whack with it, man!!!

You ever just FEEL the moment a thing that could go wrong doesn't go wrong, but an angsty fic could emotionally destroy you in a what if scenario there? YEAH.

That happened first with "oh dang what if the teleporter didn't work with Alyx" and again when I realized the intercoms were announcing when CP people died and I thought "oh gosh what if the Resistance has Barney's number memorized in case he's found out and killed?"

...on a happier note, we've decided Gordon Freeman is the Tony Hawk of that world. Unless he's in an HEV suit, and even sometimes when he IS in it, strangers don't know it's him.

That easter egg Vortigaunt! Had so much dialogue!! We went through naming them Jeff, Geoff, Gallum, Hope, and finally settled on Nadia.

The boat levels were really funny because she kept running into walls and missing ramps.

The Mossman and Alyx arguing felt a bit unneeded? But understandable when put into the context of being a bit "claustrophobic".

"that's Ravenholm. We don't go there anymore." "We're going there aren't we?" *Knowing silence*

Dog. Just. Dog. Best doggo!

The sheer confusion of learning that the guy who looks like a mob boss that was spawned a couple times as a joke in HLVRAI... Is in fact Father Grigori, the guy I envisioned to be some white haired beanpole priest in robes... Just. I'm still reeling.

When leaving Barney "NO!! COME WITH!!!"

When separated from Alyx "NO!! COME WITH!!!"

When leaving Dog "NO!! COME WITH!!!"

every time: nope, no friends for you.

"I'm running outta bullets" "wait can you throw the sawblades with the gravity gun?" "OHOHOOOOO!!!"

*shooting poison headcrabs* "aww... It makes cute noises don't kill iiiit I love themmm" "I hate them, DIE ALREADY!" "They squeeeeeeek I love them."

All in all, a great game so far! I miss when unlabeled boxes had things in them, but it's all good.

[aion-rsa]

10 Injustice Characters the DC Animated Movie Needs to Get Right

https://ift.tt/3fCncB7

As we wait an announcement pertaining to the existence of NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice 3, we at least know that Warner Bros. is set to adapt the games into a DC animated movie.

Ever since its release in 2013, the Injustice franchise has not only become a staple of NetherRealm’s roster, but the comic spinoffs have made it a beloved part of the DC multiverse. The plot revolves around a reality where the Joker was able to mess with Superman so badly that the Man of Steel gradually became a mass-murdering dictator, with the support of several members of the Justice League. Left without any other option, Batman brought in counterparts of the Justice League from the “mainstream” universe to help him fight a civil war against his former friend. It was a story that merged the Justice Lords two-parter from the Justice League cartoon with Marvel’s original Squadron Supreme comic series.

A popular prequel series was released, mostly written by Tom Taylor, that explained the five years in-between Superman killing the Joker in cold blood and Batman’s last stand. Sometime later, the game’s story was adapted into the comic Injustice: Ground Zero. And the Injustice universe has only continued to grow since then.

As snazzy as NetherRealm’s story modes are, they are going to have to make some changes to the narrative for the animated movie. It’s not like every character is going to stumble into exactly four best-two-out-of-three fights in a row before someone else is the focus. Knowing that there will be alterations, some characters are really going to need some tender love and care.

Superman (Both of Them)

Injustice: Gods Among Us didn’t invent the idea of an evil Superman, but things are a bit over-saturated these days. Face it, “Dark Superman” has been done to death, what with Brightburn, The Boys, Invincible, and everything Zack Snyder intended with his Justice League movies.

It’s important that the animated movie really get into the WHY of what turned Superman evil instead of the Joker just getting a tragic win over him. The Injustice comic nudged him over and over again with multiple betrayals and manipulations before he finally snapped and angrily broke every bone in Green Arrow’s body. Hit all that, or at least enough of it.

More importantly, Injustice is a story of two different Supermen. The mainstream Superman has to ring true. He has to be the beacon of hope and positivity that pop culture has been missing for the past decade.

Ultimately, as long as they don’t do that minigame where Superman blows up cars and the people in them with his eye-lasers, we’re cool.

Batman

In this DC take of Marvel’s Civil War, Batman is by default the better person when compared to Superman. He has a line he won’t cross and that means no murder and no tyranny. That said, he still needs to be portrayed as a flawed hero. He may be competent, but he still behaves like a total douche at times and deserves to take one to the chin every now and then.

Being a paranoid futurist who buries himself in contingency plans means alienating allies, friends, and even family members. There’s a great moment in the Injustice comic where he reveals that he infected Cyborg with a virus within a week of meeting (you know, just in case), which Killer Croc says is outright sinister. It’s this kind of behavior that led to Superman’s fall to darkness, because even if Bruce wasn’t behind any of the horrors, he still chose coldness and paranoia over being there for a friend who was going through some serious shit.

Harley Quinn

A hype trailer for Harley painted her as a major protagonist in the first game but the game’s story mode just didn’t measure up. The comics did a better job and the Ground Zero volume was specifically about telling the game’s story from Harley’s perspective. I’m not saying that she should be joined by her team of BFF henchmen from Ground Zero, but she should definitely be a prominent hero.

Similar to the Mark Waid comic series Irredeemable and Incorruptible (also about an evil take on Superman), Harley’s turn to heroism is the universe’s response to Superman’s actions. She’s done some horrible things and may never make up for her actions under the Joker’s thumb, but she’ll keep fighting to stop Superman’s atrocities.

Wonder Woman

While Batman did a bad job trying to pull Superman from the darkness, Wonder Woman succeeded in pushing him in. It’s noted here and there, but this Wonder Woman was also altered by tragedy. In this timeline, Steve Trevor turned out to be a Nazi traitor. His betrayal left Diana feeling much less optimistic and hopeful than her mainstream self.

Wonder Woman’s villainy isn’t as pronounced as Superman’s, but she’s definitely the friendly face who eggs him on and wants him to stand over all mankind. As Superman uses her to fill the void left from Lois Lane’s death, the power couple become very good at bringing out the worst in each other.

Damian Wayne

The Injustice game did Damian a little dirty, revealing deep into the story that the Nightwing fighting on Superman’s side was not Dick Grayson, but Damian. According to Batman, Damian murdered Dick. The comics dove deeper into that and made it more of a freak accident brought on by Damian being an impulsive and angry child. Still, Bruce and his son were unable to make amends due to their shared lack of warmth.

Later stories, and even Injustice 2, added more depth to Damian. It always made sense that he’d join Superman’s Regime, but there was a soul in there who would eventually see that this wasn’t the right path. In the comic Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe, which was treated as a sequel to Injustice 2’s dark ending, Damian took up the mantle of Batman to oppose Superman and even grew a long-missing sense of humor in the process.

Lex Luthor

The great tragedy of the DC multiverse is that Superman and Lex Luthor just can’t get along. They will always be at odds no matter what Earth they come from. The Injustice universe was the one exception, as Luthor was portrayed as fairly warm and altruistic. Much like Batman, he has contingency plans up the wazoo, but they don’t come off as creepy.

Seeing him there as Superman’s longtime friend who sadly has to stab him in the back brings back that multiversal truth about the duo. Just because this is a world where Superman kills and things get very bleak doesn’t mean it’s the worst world and that it isn’t worth saving. The mainstream Cyborg is reluctant to come to terms with this heroic Luthor, but he ultimately accepts the miracle that this universe created a Luthor worth befriending and even looking up to.

Hal Jordan

Maybe it’s just me, but I was never a fan of how Geoff Johns retconned Hal’s past and gave him deniability for everything he did as Parallax. I liked that a boring hero dude like Hal snapped, did some bad stuff, and then had to accept his failures in an attempt to be better. With Injustice, they gave us that exact Hal.

Read more

Games

Injustice Beat Zack Snyder’s Justice League to the Punch

By Matthew Byrd

Comics

Injustice: Year Zero Brings the Justice Society to DC Alternate Universe

By Jim Dandy

Overflowing with willpower and being an otherwise competent space cop, Hal is still something of a dunce at times, and he’s susceptible to manipulation in the right situation. He’s already following Superman’s lead, but having Sinestro pop in to indoctrinate him into the Sinestro Corps makes him actually interesting. Let Hal be the worst version of himself here so he can double back on it in the sequel and beg Guy Gardner’s ghost for forgiveness.

Shazam

Injustice may be the B-side to Mortal Kombat, but the game itself is fairly tame on the violence. Joker’s death isn’t actually shown on screen, Luthor’s end is fairly clean, and Grodd taking a trident to the torso is relatively tame.

But what we absolutely, positively have to see in the animated movie is Shazam’s death scene to really give an idea of how far gone Superman is. It’s bloodless from our point of view, but it’s grisly as hell and made worse when you remember that Shazam is a literal child under all the mystical power.

Batgirl

The Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl was one of the first DLC characters added to Injustice, but it’s unfortunate that she’s not in the main story mode — something the animated movie could fix by giving her a more prominent role in the fight against the Regime. Her ending gives her a kickass backstory where she returns to the cowl after her father dies at Superman’s hands. The comics go deeper into this, even making it so that Superman doesn’t directly kill Commissioner Gordon.

In this continuity, she was already wheelchair-bound as Oracle. She had to go under a very dangerous procedure under Luthor’s care in order to walk again. This is one of the storylines that could make for a captivating arc in the movie.

Alfred Pennyworth

Alfred isn’t in either Injustice game. He’s already dead by the start of the first game. But I don’t care. Alfred needs to be in the animated movie because he is the heart and soul of the Injustice comics. While others bow to Superman, follow him, or even try to reason with him, Alfred Pennyworth doesn’t play those games. He will straight-up verbally clown Superman for his actions without flinching. He is not afraid of the Kryptonian, no matter how red his glowing eyes get.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

This comes to a head in the comics when Alfred takes a pill that gives him Kryptonian strength and he kicks the absolute shit out of Superman for ruining his family. I know I’m asking for a lot, but I simply need to see Alfred stomp a mudhole in Superman so hard that his own shoe explodes from the impact.

The post 10 Injustice Characters the DC Animated Movie Needs to Get Right appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3hIQH7h

[douchebagbrainwaves]

REVENGE OF STARTUP IDEAS

To become more popular, you need to start looking for your next round? Profilers are the answer. In reality the angel might be more likely to pretend to be a product business, not a service business. And when there's no installation, it will be accepted even if its spam probability is from a neutral. Tip for acquirers: when a startup turns you down, consider raising your offer, because there's only one of us so far and no word yet for what we were practicing for. VC firms are partners. Indeed, c0ck is far more damning evidence than cock, and Bayesian filters know precisely how much more. Merchants bid a percentage of sales for traffic, but the technical due diligence is generally a joke. There's something that needs to happen first. You can do whatever you want with money from consulting or friends and family.

You don't want to face what is usually the most productive part of the conversation depends on the answer. Web site. Because making something people want, and the spammers will just switch to mad-lib techniques for generating message bodies. You already know them. They create a new world among themselves, and standing in this world is what matters, not standing in their family can win them points in the world between them and angel investors. Mihalko, made that year something his students still talk about, thirty years later. They want to talk to someone who wants to buy you, and the problems you understand best are your own. 116539136 california 0.

No one will look that closely at it. Standard, schmandard; the whole industry is only a few thousand great programmers a year. And of course if they continued to fall into it. From the Cliff's Notes, it turned out that many did. I'm advocating. They just arrived back from NYC, and when they're feeling ambitious, plain theory. The most dramatic change, I predict, is that they'll be able to just ask them, right? The problem is, the world and afterward they went wherever they could get more funding—which generally meant Silicon Valley. A period after a recent talk, someone asked what made startups fail.

It's the same all over Silicon Valley. In the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko ridicules a company overloaded with vice presidents. In fact, wealth is except for a few seconds I realized this was kind of a battle of the byte codes at the moment. As well as gaining points by distancing oneself from unpopular kids, one loses points by being close to them. Since the invention of the quartz movement, an ordinary Timex is more accurate than a Patek Philippe costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps millions, just to show that there's some solid ground here. But the more investors you have in a round, the less it would take to write it yourself, then all other things being equal, they would have little trouble doing it. Startups' valuations are supposed to be learning. I suspect the hardest part of that is often discarding your old idea. While writing the prototype, the group has been traversing their network of friends in search of angel investors. Soon you're releasing whole features you know are broken. 19212411 Most of the persecution comes from kids lower down, the nervous middle classes. The time required to raise money grows with the amount.

Thanks to Patrick Collison, Lisa Randall, Trevor Blackwell, Robert Morris, Geoff Ralston, Jessica Livingston, Fred Wilson, and David Petersen for inviting me to speak.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of February 19th, 2020

Best of this Week: DCeased: Unkillables #1 - Tom Taylor, Karl Mostert, Trevor Scott, Neil Edwards, John Livesay, Rex Lokus and Saida Temofonte

Ahhh shit, here we go again. DCeased was awesome.

In much the same way that the original Marvel Zombies filled my heart with dread, DCeased absolutely blew my mind with the short six issues that it took place in. It was equal parts violent and heartbreaking as the heroes of Earth had to figure out a way to either stop the Anti-Life virus or die trying. We had a good spin off with the single issue, A Good Day to Die and now we have Unkillables, another spin off focusing on some of the more violent heroes and villains while the events of the main series unfold elsewhere.

The book begins on the first day of the Anti-Life virus being released as Deathstroke finds himself on a job in Kentucky. Throughout the original story, I did kinda wonder what people like him or the other assassins were up to, given that we saw a select number of other dead supervillains throughout like Giganta and Clayface. As Tom Taylor and Karl Mostert unfold the story we see that Slade Wilson was killing some infected Neo-Nazis before an attempt to renegotiate his price ends with him infected too.

Mostert and Taylor set this opening up in a very comedic way with the white supremacits running from something in the local church as Deathstroke looks on, puzzled as to why they’re running before taking a few out before heading inside. Mostert, Rex Lokus and I think Trevor Scott then give us an awesome single page of Slade facing down a horde of zombies with only his gun and a bloody sword. He looks like a badass and, in the following panels, proves it by killing them with ease.

Mostert doesn’t shy away from Slade’s brutal violence and shows how fluidly he can kill with dynamic poses as he shoots and slices multiple enemies at once. This accentuated by the excellently colored spurts of blood from the zombies and the gory detail of blood on the walls. There’s even a really good panel of one of the zombies being cut in half with Scott inking the silhouette as their blood and insides drip down. Even better is when Slade gets infected and violently rips his mask off before coming back to his senses while choking a guy.

Tom Taylor introduces a unique aspect here as Deathstroke returns to normal on the second day of the virus being introduced. As we learn later, it’s due to Slade’s unique super soldier DNA that allows him to fight off the infection, effectively being immune to a point. I can definitely see this being a double edged sword for him as the infection seems to last for a day before being purged from his system. This makes him unique amongst both the heroes and villains of Earth as maybe a potential savior.

I’d also like to praise Saida Temofonte for her amazing lettering as well. She does an amazing job, not only with word balloons, but with captions that have a bloody background and the typefaces she uses for sound effects. For the most part, they fit the gruesomeness of the story with intense and bloody BANGs to eerie RRRRRRs, signaling the incoming zombies. Deathstroke’s scream as he claws his own face is intense, scratchy and blood curling until we get an AMAZING title page with names filling the empty space.

As things progress, we cut to Jason Todd in the Batcave. The silence is eerie as we get one small “spsh” sound as Jason steps through the blood trail of Bruce, Tim and Dick. Unfortunately, this seems to take place shortly after the events of DCeased #2 when an infected Dick and Tim attack and infect Batman, leaving Alfred to kill them all. Jason, like most readers, is shocked because he thought Bruce would have found a way to survive and then he’s met by Ace the Bathound. After letting Ace see that he’s not infected, Jason proceeds to make graves for his brothers and father before speeding off in the Batmobile to find the rest of his family with Ace.

These scenes are powerful as Jason, normally the black sheep of the family, has to deal with the fact that he’s one of few left. Why wasn’t Bruce prepared? Why was he the one left and not Dick or Tim? Damian’s still alive in Metropolis, but effectively, Jason is all alone. Mostert and I believe Neil Edwards show Jason’s love for his family as he carves out wooden headstones and buries them in the cave. Without a word of dialogue, this speaks volumes about Jason’s love for his family.

Elsewhere in Gotham, Ravager, Rose Wilson with a missing eye, unlike her main continuity counterpart, is curled up in her apartment in fear. The zombies are pounding on her door when Slade radios in and tells her it’s time to escape. Rose has the ability to see into the future in short bursts and sees that everytime she goes for the door, Zombies come through and kill her. Deathstroke, however, has a plan. As a side note, it’s great to see Rose in gear similar to what she wore in Geoff Johns’ “Teen Titans” while also complementing Deathstroke’s current armor.

Unfortunately for Deathstroke, as he keeps his eyes to the sky, he sees the terror that is an infected Man-Bat flying at him with a terrifying SCReeeee as he crashes through the window and smashes the plane on the roof Rose runs to her dad and, believing him to be infected, plunges her sword through his chest and he screams “Ow.” This scene is pure comedy made even better by the dramatic rain and fire in the background. Soon after, Mirror Master, Evan McCulloch, shows up offering them help.

I don’t know what the reason is for using the Scottish version of the character, but it doesn’t really matter as the representation of the Mirror Dimension is still cool as hell. While wearing special glasses that block signals, they walk through the dimension and Mostert draws an epic depiction of it with all of the violence, gore and death through the many mirrors while the characters look miniscule compared to the vastness of it all. The Mirror Dimension has always been terrifying and McCulloch could do a lot to solve the problem, but it makes sense that he doesn’t. Cause it’s terrifying.

After many pages, we arrive at the rest of the stars (fodder) of the series in Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy, The Creeper, Cheetah, Lady Shiva, Bane, Deadshot and Captain Cold. I do have a bit of a continuity issue as Cold was shown to have been one of the Infected during the events of “A Good Place to Die,” but alternatively this series could explain how he got there or, much like that story, it’s off base with what’s happening in the main pages. But some of these additions are pretty interesting to say the very least.

Savage is near immortal, but has been shown to have been killed before. There’s a high chance that using Deathstroke, he’ll find a way to cure and rule over the people of the Earth after the heroes leave. Grundy is already dead, so can he get infected? The Creeper is much like Deathstroke in that he can heal from anything, so it makes sense that he’s managed to survive. Cheetah is strong and fast, but I don’t rate her chances high and the rest, while immensely skilled, are still just human. This is a ragtag group, but they’re not averse to getting the job done by any means.

The rest of the issue focuses on Jason Todd and his fight to rescue the remaining members of the Batfamily. Mostert, Lokus and John Livesay give readers an awesome assault on the Gotham PD with Cassandra Cain as Black Bat, James Gordon and Harvey Bullock fighting back against the zombies. Cass awesomely kicks and knees zombies in the background while Harvey and Jim shoot them. I LOVED Cass as Batgirl/Black Bat and it was awesome to see the return of the iconic costume and a character that I like so much.

Of course, Temofonte thrills with the lettering here again. She sells the panic in both Jim and Bullock as they fight off the horde as well as the frankness of Bullock as he has to break it to Jim that Blck Bat is the only one coming. The static-y bubbles that she uses on Bullock when he gets infected is also amazing and saddening, but gets even worse when Cass has to “CRCK” his neck to kill him. Soon after, Jason plows through the GCPD in the Batmobile with a “CRNNNCH” that shrinks around the vehicle.

Jason rescues Cass and Jim after shooting the remaining zombies in the head and plans to get the hell out of dodge. Jim, still holding out on the idea of hope, tells Jason that Barbara is still out there somewhere, but Jason, knowing that it’s no longer the time to keep secrets, reveals his and Cass’ identities and shows Jim that Barb is dead. He then takes the haggard detective to her last known location and Mostert and Lokus sell the utter despair of the scene.

Infected versions of Barb, Stephanie Brown, Batwoman and Catwoman were killed by Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn in Issue #3 of DCeased (if I remember right). This scene of James finding his daughter is depressingly grey and his facial expressions show us just how painful this is for him. He’s lost just about everything and cries in his grief. Jason, however, finds the dead body of the Joker and ties him to the front of the Batmobile before they all make their escape to Bludhaven.

This first issue of a three part miniseries already has me as excited as the original story did. I love each of the characters being used, the callbacks to past history and the way that everyone is being written. Each of these violent characters sees that there’s no need to hold back anymore as the regular rules are tossed out of the window. Everyone now has different amounts of pain and grief to deal with while others have different hopes of power or a cure. Ultimately, I don’t think things will end ultra well given the events of the main series, but I have no doubts that this will stand on its own.

Tom Taylor continues to be excellent when writing the despair and tragedies of DCeased and lifting up lesser characters, like The Creeper. His scripting and dialogue are a joy to read and I really feel like he’s got a grasp on everyone. Karl Mostert brings their all to this book with awesome panels and scenes that make readers want to wince, but look again to see the utter brutality of what they’re witnessing. His art is stellar. The various inkers definitely bring it to life alongside Lokus’ vibrant colors and Temofonte’s amazing letters.

I’m already gleefully anticipating the next issue and it more than justifies the $5.99 price, high recommend!

Also, y'know, support me on Patreon: patreon.com/TyTalksComics

[northoftheroad]

Hits and Hugs

"Call Me Master" By Frank Robbins, art Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. Batman # 215.

So, I know it's cuter to post pictures of Batman/Bruce hugging his kids than hitting them. But when you start looking, the discrepancy between how many times that Bruce Wayne has hit Dick Grayson, and how many times he has hugged him, it is staggering…

Let's be honest: Bruce seldom goes further than a hand on, or an arm over, the shoulder when it comes to being affectionate. And to be completely fair, there are fairly few times when Bruce punches Dick out of the blue. Most common, he is under some kind of mind-control. Sometimes, Dick is trying to stop him from being overly violent. Once, in the examples I have here, it's Dick that starts the fight, and for a while, Bruce chooses to evade, until he hits back.

In the 40s and at least a few decades after that, spanking or a box on the ear was considered legitimate disciplining. For some people, it still is. Which explains some of the incidents here.

I got an interesting comment to an earlier blog post, from atqh16. That the reason Bruce tends to get physical with Dick more often than the others is that he sees Dick more as an equal, not his kid. It's a good point. On the other hand, Bruce has admitted that Dick is like a son to him several times, from the Golden age and onward.

I could still buy that Bruce and Dick's relationship is complicated enough that Dick is both /like/ his son and more of an equal; Bruce doesn't feel he has to guard himself as much around Dick as the younger boys (not that he's doing a stellar job, these days. I would also like to add that I’m no expert on Jason; for all I know Bruce has hit Jason as Red Hood several times over the years). 

I've left out a few panels that never were in continuity – a scene from a what if-tale and the hug from "All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder" – as well as when it wasn't Bruce but something that looked like him. Also, a few times when Dick was mind-controlled and Batman had a legitimate reason to defend himself.

This post is about comic books, but off the top of my head, I can remember that a mind-controlled Batman fights Robin and the others in "Young Justice" season one, and he's also mind-controlled in "Batman: Bad Blood" when he fights Dick and (I think) breaks his arm. (Don't you also wish we sometimes could get a scene where Bruce feels terrible about this, and perhaps even apologizes...?)

If you know of something I've missed, please let me know so I can update! it would be nice if there were another hug or two out there...

"The Strange Case of the Diabolical Puppet Master". By Bill Finger, art Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos. Batman # 3. Batman is hypnotized (it should be noted that Dick knocks Batman out cold and carries him away, after this…)

"The Ghost Gang Goes West". By Bill Finger, art Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. World's Finest Comics # 4. Batman wants Robin out of the way from a dangerous situation.

"The Isle that Time Forgot." By Joseph Greene, art Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos. Batman # 10. Birthday spanking...

"Your Face is Your Fortune." By Jack Schiff, art Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos. Batman # 15. Bruce doesn't like that Dick teases him about being too old to understand.

"The North Pole Crimes". By Bill Finger, art Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. World's Finest Comics # 7. Dick is succumbing to the cold, Batman hits and taunts him to get him on his feet again.

"The Case of the Valuable Orphans". Writer unknown. Art Win Mortimer. World's Finest Comics # 24. It is a ploy to get Dick adopted into the house of suspected criminals.

Teen Titans # 53. By Bob Rozakis, art Juan Ortiz and John Fuller. Batman and the other mentors are under the control of the antithesis.

Teen Titans: Year One (by Amy Wolfram, art Karl Kerschl and Serge LaPointe). A retelling of Teen Titans # 53 (this episode is also retold in Teen Titans Secret Origins).

"Call Me Master" By Frank Robbins, art Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. Batman # 215. Bruce is under hypnotic influence. Dick tests his hypotheses by ordering Bruce to hit him.

The New Titans # 55. By Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, art George Pérez and Romeo Tanghal. After Jason's death.

The same scene in The New Titans # 57. By Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, art George Pérez and Bob McLeod.

Robin vol 4 # 86. By Ed Brubaker, art Jacob Pander and Arnold Pander.  Batman hears the news that Jim Gordon has been shot and gets so violent with a criminal that Nightwing tries to stop him.

Batman # 600. By Ed Brubaker, art Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens. Bruce Wayne is accused of murder. He tells his coworkers that he doesn't intend to prove his innocence because Bruce is an ineffectual mask. Dick is upset and, to be fair, throws the first punch.

Superman/Batman # 55. By Michael Green and Mike Johnson. Art Rags Morales, John Dell and Drew Geraci. Bruce accidentally gets Superman's powers, but it also affects him mentally, for instance, he beats up Catwoman. Dick tries to stop him.

Nightwing vol 3 # 7. By Kyle Higgins. Art Eddy Barrows, Geraldo Borges, Eber Ferreira and Paulo Siqueira. Bruce is stressed by the Court of Owls, and he wants to get out Dick's talon tooth. Why he can't just explain it and remove the tooth with pliers is anybody's guess – not to mention that he manages to strike exactly the right tooth...

The same scene in Batman vol 2 # 7. By Scott Snyder, art Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion.

Nightwing vol 3 # 30. By Tom King, Tim Seeley and James Tynion IV. Art Javier Garron, Meghan Hetrick and Jorge Lucas. Bruce forces Dick to fight to make sure he's up to going undercover in Spyral.

The hugs:

"Bruce Wayne Loses the Guardianship of Dick Grayson". Batman # 20. By Bill Finger, art Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. Bruce is upset because he is losing custody of Dick.

"How Many Times Can a Robin Die?" Batman # 246. By Frank Robbins, art Irv Novick and Dick Dillin. Robin is almost killed. And it's almost a hug, at least, isn't it...

JLA # 75. By Joe Kelly. Art Doug Mahnke, Yvel Guichet, Darryl Banks, Dietrich Smith, Tom Nguyen, Mark Propst, Wayne Faucher, Sean Parsons. Batman and several other superheroes were dead. Nightwing leads the JLA, and they manage to get the dead people back. (Perhaps it shouldn't count since Bruce is obviously not doing the hugging…)

Forever Evil # 7. By Geoff Johns, art Richard Friend and David Finch. Lex Luthor killed (stopped Dick's heart) to stop a bomb, but revives him (if it's because Batman loses it, or whether he would have revived Dick anyway, is open for discussion).

Batman vol 3 # 54. By Tom King, art Matt Wagner. 

Flashback – Bruce comforts little Dick who has recently moved in. (New edition thanks to a comment :-) )

[littlebitwriter]

Movie Ideas For DC Universe Animated Original Movies

I am so happy that Warner Bros. Animation department for these direct to video animated features are finally ending that weird New 52 inspired incoherent bland universe of films I myself did not enjoy at all. From Justice League: War to the recently released Reign of The Supermen I really was not hip deep into it or interested remotely in it. Luckily those bland continuitous films were not the only thing we were getting. Warner’s did decide to mix things up each year with two films set in that continuity and a other film not.

These other films included an adaptation of the classic Elseworlds graphic novel Batman: Gotham By Gaslight and The Killing Joke among other things. The future seems bright moving away from that weird odd continuity (if you like those, that’s totally fine but I myself did not). With Justice League vs. The Fatal Five, a JLU reunion film set in the DCAU has me excited that Warner’s is bringing back versions of the characters we know and love in animation. Also possibly doing direct adaptations of classic beloved storylines like Batman: Hush or The Long Halloween or Superman: Red Son.

In terms of adaptations they don’t have to be exactly like the storylines they could expand upon them and add more weight to the story. Where with these adaptations I would have fun and mess up everyone’s expectations I would do what Gotham By Gaslight did with these films but not in the same way. Where nobody while watching Gotham By Gaslight expected Gordon to be the bad guy. Where that was what the comic never did and i would do things like that where I’d turn things on their head and tell these stories in ways you’ve never seen before. Telling it in such a way where you walk in thinking you know exactly what it’s going to be but then they hit you with curveballs and it’s like oh no you don’t. But it’s still true to the heart and the ideas of that story.

Here is the list of characters and storylines I would like to see adapted into A DC Universe Animated Original Movie. Also as of recently many of these films are getting theatrical screenings as Fathom Events, these possible films would receive similar treatment if not perhaps get a full on theatrical release. Also maybe these films will branch out of the 75 minute time limit and direct to video all together to finally reach that traditional 90 minute mark for these animated movies.

A BATMAN BEYOND SEQUEL FILM

Recently ever since Into The Spider-Verse people have been saying Warner’s should do an animated Batman Beyond movie and I thought in a similar vein to both Batman & Harley Quinn and Justice League Vs. The Fatal Five it can serve as a sequel and reunion film of Batman Beyond. It would be interesting if Warner’s would take the risk of making it theatrical bringing back Kevin Conroy as Old Man Bruce Wayne or Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis and possibly Loren Lester as an older Dick Grayson. That’d be the thing to make tons of old school DCAU fans happy. Maybe bring back Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and the rest of the gang to make this a special project. Also with the franchise celebrating its 20th Anniversary the timing for an another Batman Beyond animated film couldn’t be better.

BATMAN YEAR ONE-HUNDRED

If you can turn Batman Year One into a movie, then why not Batman Year-Hundred? Batman Year 100 by Paul Pope is a great Batman work that I feel does deserve a feature film treatment. The story could be expanded upon and could take risks as to who The Batman of Year One-Hundred is since the graphic novel itself keeps it very ambiguous. It’d be an interesting maybe off beat choice for the project I want from them.

KINGDOM COME

Much like Gotham By Gaslight, Kingdom Come does very much suit an R-rating. Due to its complexity and so on all thanks to Mark Waid and Alex Ross, I think there can be so many great interesting story opportunities to take with this film and I think it could be very exciting. Although Alex Ross’ artwork would be impossible to emulate, I think that the classic Bruce Timm style animation would be perfect and serve the story with the nostalgia people have for those incarnations of the characters particularly. Also a film like Kingdom Come deserves to be two hours and theatrically released. It’d be a big game changer if it were to ever succeed and exceed beyond non comics readers expectations.

SUPERMAN ANIMATED FILM - A Psuedo Adaptation of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW

It would be A Superman: The Animated Series reunion that would finally give us a good ‘Death of Superman’ continuity. It could be in that traditional Bruce Timm animated style but not in that continuity like Superman: Brainiac Attacks, but this film would act as more of a What if or Elseworlds story with the same classic, traditional DCAU designs. With Tim Daly, Dana Delaney and Clancy Brown reprising the roles of Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor with a bit of an adult take that works and clicks with the material. It’d be the animated Superman movie everyone would need to see in theaters.

BLACKEST NIGHT

Blackest Night would be a great film to adapt very loosely. Treat it as Marvel Zombies but with DC characters is how I would approach it. Make it an imaginary Elseworlds story and have fun with it. You can have true to form elements from the Geoff Johns series but also take risks and do something fresh. I think I’d be a great film. Have Josh Keaton or Nathan Fillion play Hal Jordan and have it be an R-rated and treat it like Netflix’s Castlevania. It’d be a tremendous animated film I myself would love to watch.

(Blackest Night fan art poster by DemonAnelot.)

Those are all the adaptations and and animated film ideas I’d want the DC Animated crew to work on if any of these projects were to come into fruition I’d be a happy, happy man.

-LittleBitWriter

[thereviewsarein]

The 2019 Juno Awards are over and done, with new winners, returning favourites, and great moments on stage in London, ON.

Between the Saturday night gala and the Sunday night awards show broadcast on the CBC, a ton of awards were handed out to the cream of the Canadian music crop this year. And while everyone has their own favourites and opinions on the awards, there is no doubt that the Junos have once again shone a bright light on the talent, excellence, and entertainment that this country has to offer to the music world.

Shawn Mendes won big, taking home trophies for Single, Songwriter, Pop Album, Album, and Artist of the Year. Arkells also added to their awards collection with wins for Rock Album and Group of the Year, plus Eric Ratz’s Producer of the Year for Rally Cry. And Avril Lavigne made a big splash in her mainstream comeback by taking home the Juno Fan Choice Award!

Note: Congratulations goes out to the newest member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Corey Hart! If you missed his performance of Sunglasses At Night, hit play now!

Throughout the show, deftly hosted by Sarah McLachlan, the Junos showcased performances, speeches, and memorable moments. The Reklaws, Arkells, Bülow, Jeremy Dutcher, Bahamas, Nav, Coeur De Pirate, McLachlan herself and more poured their hearts into their performances and showed Canada what they can do. Artists, maybe none more than Jessie Reyez, showed how much these awards and this recognition means to the Canadian music community. And the fans in the London arena did a fantastic job of showing love and being part of the show themselves.

It was a big night for music north of the border. A night of highlights and high fives and the hall of fame.

The highlight of the weekend though may have come on Saturday night when Arkells ceded their time to Jeremy Dutcher after winning Rock Album of the Year. Dutcher, the winner of Indigenous Album of the Year for Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa was played off before he had finished his message about reconciliation in his speech, and the Hamilton rockers gave him their time to finish his thoughts. As Dutcher said, “this is what holding space looks like”, and we all need to be doing more of it.

Congratulations to all of the winners, the nominees, their teams, loved ones, fans and supporters. This really is something that should be celebrated.

Check out the full list of 2019 Juno winners, some videos from the show and photos that we’ve snapped over the years, and leave a comment telling us who you think was the biggest winner of this year’s awards.

2019 Juno Award Winner!

Juno Fan Choice Award Winner: Avril Lavigne

Single of the Year Winner: Shawn Mendes, In My Blood

International Album of the Year Winner: Post Malone, Beerbongs & Bentleys

Album of the Year Winner: Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes

Artist of the Year Winner: Shawn Mendes

Group of the Year Winner: Arkells

Breakthrough Artist of the Year Winner: Bülow

Breakthrough Group of the Year Winner: The Washboard Union

Songwriter of the Year Winner: Shawn Mendes: Lost in Japan — co-songwriters Nate Mercereau, Scott Harris, Teddy Geiger, Youth — co-songwriters Geoff Warburton, Khalid Robinson, Scott Harris, Teddy Geiger, In My Blood — co-songwriters Geoff Warburton, Scott Harris, Teddy Geiger (Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes)

Pop Album of the Year Winner: Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes

Rock Album of the Year Winner: Arkells, Rally Cry

Country Album of the Year Winner: Brett Kissel, We Were That Song

Adult Alternative Album of the Year Winner: Bahamas, Earthtones

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Alternative Album of the Year Winner: Dizzy, Baby Teeth

Rap Recording of the Year Winner: Tory Lanez, Love Me Now

Dance Recording of the Year Winner: Loud Luxury, Body

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year Winner: Jessie Reyez, Being Human in Public

Reggae Recording of the Year Winner: Dubmatix, Sly & Robbie meet Dubmatix — Overdubbed

Indigenous Music Album of the Year Winner: Jeremy Dutcher, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa

Electronic Album of the Year Winner: Milk & Bone, Deception Bay

Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year Winner: Voivod, The Wake

Adult Contemporary Album of the Year Winner: Michael Bublé, Love

Contemporary Roots Album of the Year Winner: Donovan Woods, Both Ways

Donovan Woods

Traditional Roots Album of the Year Winner: Pharis and Jason Romero, Sweet Old Religion

Blues Album of the Year Winner: Colin James, Miles to Go

Vocal Jazz Album of the Year Winner: Laila Biali, Laila Biali

Jazz Album of the Year: Solo Winner: Robi Botos, Old Soul

Jazz Album of the Year: Group Winner: Andy Milne and Dapp Theory, The Seasons of Being

Instrumental Album of the Year Winner: Gordon Grdina, China Cloud

Francophone Album of the Year Winner: Loud, Une année record

Children’s Album of the Year Winner: Splash’N Boots, You, Me and the Sea

Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Winner: Gryphon Trio, The End of Flowers: Works by Clarke & Ravel

Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble Winner: Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Oundjian feat. Louis Lortie, Sarah Jeffrey, and Teng Li, Vaughan Williams

Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Winner: Barbara Hannigan with Reinbert De Leeuw, Vienna: Fin de siècle

Classical Composition of the Year Winner: Ana Sokolović, Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year Winner: Lovecollide, Tired of Basic

World Music Album of the Year Winner: Wesli, Rapadou Kreyol

Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award Winner: Eric Ratz: People’s Champ, Relentless (Arkells, Rally Cry)

Recording Engineer of the Year Winner: Shawn Everett: Slow Burn, Space Cowboy (Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour)

Album Artwork of the Year Winner: Mike Milosh (art director, designer, illustrator and photographer) (Rhye, Blood)

Video of the Year Winner: Ali Eisner, No Depression (Bahamas)

Comedy Album of the Year Winner: Dave Merheje, Good Friend Bad Grammar

2019 Juno Award Winners and Recap The 2019 Juno Awards are over and done, with new winners, returning favourites, and great moments on stage in London, ON.

[tessatechaitea]

Drowned Earth: JLA/Aquaman #1

I'm guessing they're not a bunch of misunderstood ocean beings whose powers don't exactly mirror those of Justice League members on a one-to-one basis?

See?! Black Manta just told us how powerful Aquaman is! And made a "speaks with fish" joke to boot! I mean, we'll probably never really see how powerful Aquaman is in the course of the story. Easier to just have somebody say, "Holy crap! Aquaman is so powerful!"