#i think i'm more excited for this movie than i am for superman

[spyskater]

With the casting of David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as Supergirl's parents, this is the perfect time to talk about a thought that's been floating around my head the last 24 hours: It's a stroke of brilliance to not show the destruction of Krypton in the new Superman movie and to instead save it for the Supergirl movie immediately after. Like Martha and Thomas Wayne's murder in a Batman movie, the destruction of Krypton has been rehashed enough times for the audience to not need to see it again for a while. But doing it in a Supergirl movie changes our perspective of it and recontextualizes the catastrophe. Clark's perspective of the event is that of a baby sent down the galactic river by his parents (Moses imagery) and filmmakers often end up padding from there (Zack Snyder's Krypton sequence is 20 minutes and might as well be its own short film). But Kara was cognitive and fully experienced the destruction of her planet.

If you haven't read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (which is the series the movie is based on and I highly recommend), Kara is a teenage girl when Krypton is destroyed. She watches as the streets of her city go up in flames, witnesses people die in the explosions. But Argo, the capitol city and Kara's home, survives the wreckage and floats out in space. What luck! Her father, being a prominent scientist, does everything he can to keep the city thriving, but wait! A disease pops up as a result of the destruction and begins killing everyone left. So not only is Supergirl traumatized by the destruction of her planet and the loss of her friends and neighbors and mother, but she then has to watch the rest of its survivors slowly die of disease until her father makes the hard choice to send her away on the space ship he manages to build for her.

We have spent years watching Clark being sent off in the final moments of Krypton, but imagine how devastating and heart-wrenching it's going to be from Kara's perspective, losing a home and culture and memories in a different way than Clark. We learn about Krypton through Clark with him as our stand-in. But through Kara, we experience Krypton.

[poppetsisters]

New promotional art of the Fantastic Four just dropped and I have some thoughts.

It looks like the concept art from February was more or less correct all along: Reed really doesn't have any white around the turtleneck. I feel this is a bit of a mistake because he looks almost bare without it. It's kinda the same problem I have with the newest Superman costume not having a wide collar, it just makes the blue feel over dominant. I also notice that along Reed's arms are some tubing that kinda remind me of a slinky, which strangely is what the Fant4stic Reed costume did.

That said, It's a much better suit overall than what we got in previous Fantastic Four movies. I don't even hate the moustache. I understand it's a bit of a controversy that Pedro refuses to shave his stache, but I'll defend it on two grounds:

He really does look weird without it.

It gives him a Howard Hughes/Walt Disney look which I think given the aesthetic of the movie is a pretty inspired take

Sue seems to have the most comic accurate suit, but that's only as far as we see she has a Byrne-style collar. Now this is gonna sound weird, but I think her hair could've been more period accurate. You can tell I have very little bad to say about it because I'm being overly picky about hairstyles, but I felt like she could've had a bob like in the kirby era or something to make it look unambiguously 60s in the way Pedro's moustache does. *shrug*

We already got Johnny's suit from the D23 clip, and I've shared my thoughts on that in a previous post, but Ben's suit leaked a while back which I didn't give my thoughts on, so I will now. I was kinda shocked at how similar his suit was to Johnny's that I immediately assumed everyone would have a uniform... well... uniform. The only difference was the collar curving upward toward the shoulder before going down the arm, as well as a lack of gloves. Otherwise it looked like the same outfit. I feel like The Thing being shirtless is too iconic not to have represented at some point in the movie, maybe he gets battle damaged and it reveals his rock hard abs. I don't mind that he wears a shirt, I just think it's not gonna last very long.

Hopefully we'll get a better look at these suits. Once we do, that's when I start making a new youtube video. I am hesitantly excited about this movie. All I need is ONE good movie!

[nikrei]

December Comics Round-Up

We're hitting the DC Explosion, and then right after that, the DC Implosion!

Action Comics (444-479) (1975-1978)

We're getting into longer storylines, which is fun! And I'm also enjoying all the little mundane "day in the life" backup shorts, they're better snapshots of characterization than most of the main storylines.

Superman (284-322) (1975-1978)

Starting to exam the balance of Clark vs Superman, and it's tipping more towards even these days when before it was pretty firmly 1:9 Clark to Superman. I'm very much not a fan of rehabilitated villians falling back into old ways. There's pretty much never a good reason for it beyond "the writer thought it'd be cool to have this guy be evil again" and it really exemplifies the worst trait of comics: status quo is king. Any development can and will be deleted at any time. And guess what! That shitty story was exactly when Martin Pasko (my enemy) took over as the writer! And then he continues to pound out the stupidest stories like he's competing with Bob Haney (my enemy) for the title of "the worst. And now it's the end of 1977 and we are bringing back kryptonite into the world. I guess some writers got tired of not having an easy out.

Superman Family (175-187) (1976-1978)

Lucy Lane has showed back up, once again only in Jimmy's story. This time superman got to meet her and see what's up, but still we have no idea if Lois even knows she's alive, I'm chewing the drywall folks. Out of the collection of stories I'm enjoying Kara's and Krypto's the most, loving Krypto's time as a movie star complete with a romance with his costar (tho that seems pretty over now, rip Krypto one day I'm sure you'll be able to keep a girlfriend)

Black Lightning (1-6) (1977-1978)

Rereading this as a part of the superman mythos instead of a stand alone is pretty neat, and I agree with all the folks who wrote in asking about a Rose\Thorn cameo, that would be great (I do not remember if this happened or not). It was interesting to see Talia with ties in suicide slums thru Peter Gambi, the first time I read I was just excited to see her (still am) but wasn't thinking at all about her future activity in Metropolis.

1st Issue Special (13) (1977) | The Return of the New Gods (12-19) (1977-1978)

Between this run, Cosmic Odyssey, New Gods 89, and Mr Miracle 77 and 89, this run is the most Kirby-esque. It does a really good job of picking up that torch. I did forget how very thoroughly they killed Darkseid at the end of it, tho it certainly didn't stick.

Mister Miracle (19-25) (1977-1978)

Of the Steve's I absolutely prefer Gerber to Engelhardt. I just do not like Steve E. But Steve G introduced Ethos who is rad and wrote a Much better Barda, and I would have been interested to see where he went with Alianna. I had forgotten about Scott's sort of merging/becoming a motherbox, and I'm sad that it seems like future Mr Miracle authors also forgot about this because it was one of the neatest things to come out of this run.

Super-Team Family (1-15) (1975-1978)

I picked up this run as a team-up mag, not a reprint mag, and deffo Not a Challengers of the Unknown save Henry Kissinger from the bermuda triangle and pretend he's some sort of angel of peace and goodwill towards man. We get back to team-ups about halfway through, but I'm going to need dc to leave Jean Loring alone, they cannot fucking be trusted with her. The last issue is fun tho! New Gods and Flash team up! Once again Barry has been nerfed for the sake of a team up (these authors just do Not understand how fast he is) but not too terribly and it was still v enjoyable.

World's Finest Comics (228-246) (1975-1977)

It is sort of impressive how much I hate every part of issue 228's main story. Every. Little. Part. I meant to finish this up to 1978 by the end of the year but it's wild how Bob Haney (my enemy) saps my will to read comics. What even was the Kor-el storyline? It's turned into an anthology, so I do get to cleanse my palate with Green Arrow and Black Canary stories at least.

Superboy (207-235) (1975-1978)

I understand that the story's that they write will always reflect the values of the times, but does a universe set 1,000 years in the future have to have the exact same values? Its just unimaginative. Also bls save me from reverse racism stories. ...hey.. I think it's pretty messed up to send Infinity Man back to spinning thru the tortures Infinity of time that broke him in the first place. Just saying. This comic (all comics) has such an awfully punitive bent.

Karate Kid (1-15) (1976-1978)/Kamandi (58) (1978)

Not so much a fan of this one.... they nerfed Val, he's having trouble with basic stuff and its especiallyobvious reading it side by side the superboy/Legion title where he is his usual badass self, and i'm sorta annoyed that they axed his flightring in the first issue, and it's orientalist as hell, like. These villians. This art. Whats wrong with you?

Adventure Comics (438-455) (1975-1978)

Sad the the Spectre's run seems to have ended, happy that aquaman's has started! The 70s Spectre was sooo much fun he's just murdering everyone in increasingly creative ways (turned a guy into glass and shattered him, brought a guy's taxidermy bears to life to eat him, turned a guy into wood then took the time to slice him up at a table saw) 60s and 80s Spectre could never. Wrt aquaman, 444 confirms that both aqualad and aquababy are nameless, then as of 446 aquababy gets his name! Let's see how long he lasts. 452 and he's outta here! Aquababy down, and I'm gonna make sure that Arthur follows him, what a dipshit, and Aqualad still doesn't have a name. Aqualad's backup feels a little out of character for me, like, he learns a group of pacifists killed his father so he immediately decides to fuck up their whole town? Implied to be willing to kill them? That's not my boy. I was a little disappointed to go back to superboy in smallville stories, but the first one was tiny babs w superpowers! So everything is forgiven.

Flash GL backups (217-243) (1972-1976)/Green Lantern (90-100) (1976-1978)

Forgot that Green Lantern had a back up feature in Flash! So I went back and read all these! Fun to have Hal back in space, tho i did enjoy all of his green arrow team ups, and also yay, Itty's here!

Aquaman (57-63) (1977-1978)

This was just none stop let's beat on Arthur fest and I'm not gonna lie, he so deserved it but even i was feeling a bit bad for him at the end. Mera's adventure to try and save Arthur Jr was badass and heartbreaking, and it ended with the trip reunited, and Aqualad said he found his name but while he found his parents names (also Thar and Berra? Really? Compared to Arthur and Mera?) in his adventure backup he sure didn't find his. Also they never actually say what name he found sooo.....

The Brave and the Bold (117-132) (1975-1977)

Okay I'm gonna need Haney to stop writing about any indigenous person ever. For real. He needs to shut his mouth. Then issue 124 was the most bewildering 4th wall breaking, author insert issue I've read in a while. Deffo implied that the writers/artists are in the same universe but still controlling everything that happens around them.

Teen Titans (44-53) (1976-1978)

I've got mixed feelings about this run after the hiatus. Love Mal's tenure as the Hornblower, hate that it's so short with no explanation (he just "loses the horn??" Bullshit) V annoyed with how they handled aqualad (he's psychosomatically falling into comas because of his "inferiority complex" comparing himself to the other titans?? Bullshit) but I do enjoy the big three parter at the end that has just about every teen hero out there. Mostly, I can see why it got canceled again: it just meanders without any thought to what's going on, the stories aren't that interesting, and they randomly nerf characters all over the board.

The Phantom Stranger (35-41) (1975-1976)

Well at least we got Cassandra back for the last two issues. And it was fun to have a Deadman team up! Overall this definitely fell into the "too preachy" category in the later half. (I mean. Its the Phantom Stranger. His whole thing is preachy. But still, its more fun when he's hanging out with actual people like Cassandra (sorry Boston u don't count apparently))

Weird Western Tales (34-38) (1976-1977)

Whelp these last five issues of Jonah in Weird West were more of the same fun romp, and I will be excited to read him in his own mag in January!

Shazam! (17-35) (1975-1978)

The last couple of issues suddenly got a new artist who was all about the more modern 70s style rather than the traditional golden age that they were doing before. Very much enjoyed Freddy beating the shit out of captain nazi. Overall I'm honestly meh about the Marvels as a separate universe, I'm looking forward to what'll happen in new earth.

Ricard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter (1-18) (1975-1977)

Woo-hoo Shiva's first appearance! Also Ben! (Sorry Richard ur a distant third) I'm really glad that there was never a hint of romance for Shiva, and everytime somebody ventured it she shut them down cold. And her love for really shitty puns, I liked that too. The whole thing was wildly Orientalist tho, like wow these authors do Not think there is a difference between China and Japan. Basically every minority gets the short end of the stick (sorry that u keep getting shot or grievous headwounds, Ben) but it is pretending to revere east Asian cultures so it's ridiculous that they don't actually know anything about them.

The Secret Society of Super-Villians (1-17) (1976-1978)

Finally an ensemble with a plan and a plot!! Its a little like a proto suicide squad if the squad had no one around to ride herd on them! And Darkseid is there! I enjoyed the first arc, but after Darkseid skipped town things got a little aimless. Lots of crossover activity with Super-Team then JSA then Freedom Fighters, and I know it got canceled and it's not their fault, but the last two unpublished issues are pretty much the Freedom Fighters show with nothing for the Secret Society.

Starfire (1-8) (1976-1977)

I will admit that i picked this up solely for the name of it. The first two issues are by Michelinie (one of my fave bronze age writers) and he sets up such a cool story! I think this Starfire and Kory would get along so well! Then some other asshole picks it up and it becomes 10x more uncomfortably sexual (nothing overt, SA just starts being a more prevalent trope) and all her lieutenants don't respect her and are only following her because they want to fuck her and are really gross about it.... why would they do this to me... the last issue had a new writer team and felt like it was gonna be fun but they deffo got unexpectedly canceled, so that's the last of her, rip.

Kobra (1-7) (1976-1977)

Oh God this motherfucker was written by Martin Pasko (my enemy) way to start on a bad note. I saw Kirby and got excited, but apparently this is right when he was leaving DC, so Pasko took it over and rewrote dialog and changed character designs. And another Jason B enters the ring! So far we have Jason Bard, Jason Blood, and now Jason Burr! Okay, it starts off retty good. The premise is pretty fun, and it's wild how the story beats follow Danny Temple's storyline in Robin 93 (not so surprising, given that he was supposed to get a run as Kid Kobra) but with like 500% less bio-essentialism. Like, we've got good twin\evil twin but it is strongly nurture over nature. Also I'm enjoying that good twin Jason just Does Not Like the cops, that's an unexpected dynamic. But then, of course, Martin Pasko (my enemy) starts off strong then flops when he has more than three issues to work with, i hate him what is this mess?? Double is so unnecessary! I mean I guess it's good to find out how Randu ended up blind, but at what cost?? Mel you did not deserve Pasko's bullshit I'm so sorry babe.

1st Issue Special (8) (1975)/The Warlord (1-10) (1976-1977)

I really like the combination of fantasy and sci-fi in Skartaris, but it does fall very much into the tropes and pitfalls of the time. Still pretty enjoyable, and I'm gonna have a good time reading it, I think.

Showcase (94-96) (1977)

New doom patrooool!! Love to meet Arani under different circumstances, wild that she fully did have a romance w Niles in this version. I can see why it didn't get extended, as it lost the "outsiders and weirdos" charm that the original had.

I did mean to get everything to 1978, but I ended up spending more time with friends and family than reading comics over the holidays (terrible I know)

[romancomicsblog]

Who should play Supergirl in the DCU?

One of my favorite characters in the Superman mythos is Kara Zor-El AKA Supergirl. She embodies the values of the El's in a way Clark can't because, well, she was there. She knows Krypton, she has seen it destroyed, and is more of an immigrant to Earth than Superman.

Supergirl is a character built on loss, loss of a home, loss of time, loss of her culture. But she is also built on finding hope after, and becoming something greater than she could've ever imagined because of her losses.

The last daughter of Krypton is set to make her DCU debut in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, based on the comic of the same name. I'm excited to see David Corenswet and whoever takes on the role be my favorite cousin hero duo.

I thought I would give my choices on who should play the Girl of Steel, what characteristics I want to see, and who they should emulate from the past.

Past Live Action Depictions

While I know she has depictions in film from Helen Slater and in Smallville by Laura Vandervoort, I don't have strong opinions about either performance. So I will be pulling from some others.

Melissa Benoist

Melissa Benoist is Supergirl.

She has the right balance of kindness and strength that a El needs to work. More than that, Benoist was inspiring like a Supergirl should be. I don't think we've gotten a better live action look at the Els than her and Tyler Hoechlin.

I also loved that she wasn't an entire retread of Clark. Yes she was also a reporter, but she wasn't a bumbling fool. She was cute and charming and Kara, and just a different type of confident as Supergirl. We need someone who can be confident, charming, and believable as both.

Kara also brought the pain of Supergirl, the loss, just as much as she brought the comedy. We need a real talented actress who can do it all.

While her fighting could've been more believable (it's the CW so it's tough), I think this is a fantastic version of the character, and should be the blueprint.

Sacha Calle

While I was not a huge fan of The Flash film, Sacha Calle was a delightful surprise. Of the 3 leads (4 leads I guess cause Ezra twice? Great job DC), she is the least utilized, but with what she is given, she is very good.

While we don't get the hope, we definitely get the trauma and pain, and you feel it through her entire performance. While she doesn't feel like Supergirl we typically know, she does feel like the version that would be Henry Cavills cousin.

She also has a brutality to her that I'd like to see more of in live action. I like the idea of when she gets there, it may be harder for her to hold back given all her trauma. I'm not sure if that's the intention, but that's what I picked up.

While she wasn't an exact Supergirl, I think she captured the spirit of the character, and if they decided to bring her back for Woman of Tomorrow, I would not be against it.

Stipulations

Our Supergirl should be younger than our Superman, David Corenswet, who is currently nearly 30. While Supergirl tends to be 15-16, I think making her in her early 20s would be beneficial. That way she has been on Earth for a while, has seen her cousin grow up, and is finally donning the cape.

Much like in the DC Universe, the S means something in our world. Because Superman is such an icon, I think we can swing for a bigger named actress for Supergirl.

While Kara is Kryptonian, she does need to look like David Corenswet's cousin, who is white. However, she could be mixed.

Kara also is typically blonde, but we have dye these days so anyone can be blonde.

I am looking for an actress who can lead a movie, feel like a mentor to Superman in some ways and a mentee in others, with dramatic acting skills, in their 20's to early 30's, and who hasn't been known for a superhero role before.

Let's get started.

3. Anya Taylor-Joy

Starting off strong with an actress with range, Anya Taylor-Joy has done it all. From hit shows like Queen's Gambit to films like The Menu, Split, and Last Night in Soho, Joy is constantly proving she is one of the best actresses working today.

What often is not talked about is her choices. Unlike other huge actors, Joy is willing to have some fun. She was Peach in Super-Mario, Magik in the New Mutants, and Brea in the Dark Crystal. She is no opposed to sci-fi or more out of this world roles.

And Yes, she was in New Mutants, but no one remembers that movie or cares.

I can see her as a constant in the DC universe, pulling off the drama, pain and kindness easily.

My only concern is whether Joy can pull off Hope in the way some of the others can. Can she convince a people to go to war? Can she bring up the Man of Steel when he is at his lowest? I am not sure, but I'd love to see her try.

I think she is a fantastic pick, and can really make the character her own.

2. Natalia Dyer

Known primarily for her role in Stranger Things as Nancy Wheeler, Natalia Dyer has great Kara energy.

While she has been in other projects like Velvet Buzzsaw and Yes, God, Yes, showing off both her drama and comedic sides, it's Nancy Wheeler that truly is just a great Kara audition.

She has seen horrible things, but takes lead, kicks ass, and remains hopeful for the future.

She tows the line between cute hopeful person and someone who would absolutely destroy you if need be.

I think Natalia is a great pick and could use a big role other than Nancy to show what she is capable of. Sadly, she's one of those castings that I think I found someone just a little bit better.

1. Elle Fanning

What can I say, she's Great (see what I did there?)

Known for roles in Maleficent, The Girl from Plainville, and The Great, Elle Fanning is a fantastic actress with the range we need.

While all three actresses have the necessary skills needed for the role, I think much as David Corenswet looks like Superman, Fanning looks like Supergirl. She's just got it. Blonde, big smile that can turn into an intense fearsome hero. It's too good.

And as much as Nancy Wheeler is an audition for Kara, Catherine the Great is an even better one.

She is a new leader of her people, forced into a terrible marriage with a terrible man, and must find ways to be hopeful, charming, and kind in a horrid situation. While the marriage is an add on, it's similar trials that Kara has to face.

As Catherine, she must play the dotting wife and the rebel leader, which can easily translate to doe eyed reporter to warrior.

While the show is fantastic and has its fans, Fanning doesn't really have a role she can attach her acting career to yet as big as Supergirl. I think she is in the right stage of her career where she's a big name but feels fresh.

Elle Fanning would make the perfect Supergirl.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can find my socials here!

[whatyourusherthinks]

My Adventures With Superman Review Wrap Up

Final Summation

Roan, skip it. We know you think this show is good. You only spent god knows how many paragraphs gushing about every single detail in every single episode, and the only things you complained about were things only people obsessed with Superman would complain about. I now know more about you're opinions on a fictional flying man than I know about my wife's political affiliation. You obviously recommend the show, what more do you even have to say? ...Buggnutz, you make an excellent point. So let's move on to...

Episode Rankings

Season One is in red while Season Two is in blue pppbbblllttt...

Olsen's Eleven

My Adventures With Supergirl

My Adventures With Mad Science

The Death of Clark Kent

Two Lanes Diverge

The Machine Who Would Be Empire

You Will Believe a Man Can Lie

Pierce the Heavens, Superman!

Zero Day: Part Two

Full Metal Scientist

Zero Day: Part One

Kiss Kiss Fall In Portal

Let's Go To Ivo Tower, You Say

Hearts of the Fathers

Adventures With My Girlfriend

Adventures of a Normal Man Pt. 2

Adventures of a Normal Man Pt. 1

More Things in Heaven and Earth

My Interview With Superman

Most Eligible Superman (This placement is all your fault Cat Grant)

What I Want From And For Future Episodes

BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING BUGGNUTZ I know this is selfish. I know that this isn't the purpose of reviews, I know that creators shouldn't be hamstrung by the wishes of fans and should do what's best for the story they are making, and I know that just because I'm a big fan doesn't mean that I deserve to have my voice heard in the creative process. I know all of this. But I had some ideas/wishes for things I'd like to see in future episodes and maybe the readers will agree and the creators will take inspiration from. I just wanna have fun and excise some ideas from my head. Okay, anything you want to add? ...You're a massive nerd.

Anyway, the first this I want is for the show to have

Massive. Nerd. Yeah I know. Actually, I don't want a movie necessarily, I actually just want 10+ seasons or however many the creators want. I feel like so many shows that are beloved are cancelled before the creators are ready to end them, and I really don't like it. This is just hoping everyone gets a fair shake in working on this show and telling the story they want to tell.

Second thing: Lex needs to start wearing more green. Oh god, really? Yes! He is a green villain, he should at least accent his clothes with the color! The guy wears green mech suits and has a green trench coat for Rao's sake! Yes, true, he doesn't ALWAYS wear green in the comics, but it's the color most associated with him. I guess they didn't make Alex wear so much green because they wanted the twist to not be more obvious than it was, but he's been revealed now. Seriously, I want this more than I want him to go bald. Why does Lois Lane wear more green than Lex Fucking Luthor? Actually, y'know what would be a funny way to do it? If Lex steals Lois's coat and just starts wearing it to be a petty bitch. That not only would be incredibly funny, but it would perfectly in character with the version they've presented for the show. AND SPEAKING OF DUMB ASS COSTUME CHANGES.

Third, give Clark his shorts back and Ma also makes a skirt for Kara. I am not ride or die on all super heroes having the "underwear on the outside". Batman looks fine without the black shorts, so does Wolverine without the blue, the Fantastic Four, and whoever else got that costume change. That is, except for Superman. Superman needs the red shorts for his costume. His design just isn't complete without it. Not only does it break the main blue coloring of his costume in a way that looks so much better than the quasi-belt every did, but the illusion to circus strongmen is something I think is essential to the character. And if you do it for Clark, you should absolutely do it for Kara. I was so excited in the second episode when Ma makes additions to Clark's costume, but now with the new costumes at the end of the second season, it just feels like fanservice inclusion that the writers forgot about. Well it wasn't to me, and it should be brought back. You don't even have to change anything else about the design. I've seen some artists draw mock-ups of the new costume with the shorts/skirt added, and it looks great. If the first scene of the third season isn't Clark and Kara standing awkwardly at the farm while Ma takes their measurements for additions to their costumes, I might actually throw something at the screen. Calm down dingus. NO THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Fourth thing, since the Newskid Legion are a major supporting characters, I want an episode with the Guardian. Hell, Cadmus was also introduced in the first season, and how badass would it be if Monsieur Mallah and the Brain met the Newskid Legion? I can totally see Mallah getting concerned about these kids getting into dangerous Superman situations by themselves and coming to the conclusion that what they need is a genetically modified clone to hang around and protect them. Besides, this is probably the closest we could get to having one of the best versions of Superman teaming up with Captain America (who also happens to be one of my favorite superheroes), and that would be awesome. Unlike my other wishes here though, I don't really need the Guardian to be a reoccurring character, I guess, I dunno I would like it but if they just wanted to make him a one-off that's fine too. But it would be awesome.

My fifth thing, and honestly I'm surprised I want this, is I want Krypto and Streaky to make an appearance. See, here's the thing with all the Kryptonians in the comics. It diminishes Clark's status as the last Kryptonian if every other decade they introduce more of them. The comics pull this a lot, and it honestly is kinda dumb. MAWS right now has only Clark and Kara, and they hammer it in the second season that there is not a single other Kryptonian left and that they just have each other. I'd bet dollars over donuts that Zod and his posse will show up if the series continues past season three, so do we really want to just keep saying "Oh... uh... more rockets left Krypton or that other Krytonians were just off planet." or whatever? Not really. But Superboy is getting introduced next season. And it's clearly supposed to be Conner Kent (or Kon-El), the clone made from Clark and Lex's DNA. He's even got the leather jacket and the shades like from the 90s comics, I can't wait to see what they do with him. So here's my proposal. Lex has to test his cloning experiments, and before he moves on to attempting to clone a human, he tries to clone a dog and a cat. And that dog and cat happen to have superpowers just like Superman. The writers could even be cute about it and have a horse and a monkey be previous attempts too. And then at the end of that episode Clark gets a puppy and Kara gets a cat. You can probably already see the potential. This Clark would be adorable with a dog, and there is such an easy b-plot to have Jimmy or Lois or whoever have to pet sit for Kara and deal with an asshole cat with super powers. Yeah you could stick with the comic's origin for Streaky and expand that to Krypto, but that would involve expanding Kryptonite to including a bunch of different types and that's another kinda stupid thing the comics do. Also, if Lex is cloning Superman, Bizarro better show up. I'm dead fucking serious. (Actually how funny would it be if all of next season is just Lex making a bunch of superman clones in various to try to kill him and they all go out of control in various ways. You already got Hank Henshaw as a pre-existing character who already hates Superman. This could be like Reign of Supermen but with the intention of killing Superman before replacing him.)

Sixth, and hear me out on this one. I already mentioned Conner Kent/Kon-El Superboy will make an appearance next season. Outside of the comics, most people know this Superboy from Young Justice, and in that show he is dating (or was, I stopped watching after the second season) Miss Martian. But, she's kinda got her own baggage that would be a bit to hard to bring into a show that's exclusively based in the Superman mythos, so here's my pitch instead. After Superboy eventually gets redeemed and joins Clark and the team, he should meet and fall in love with... Martian Manhunter HEAR ME OUT! Out of every DC hero that I would consider to be their own property (i.e. not other Superpeople like Supergirl or Steel) Martian Manhunter is probably the easiest to incorporate into the show. The comics and other animated properties constantly draw parallels between J'onn's and Clark's situation, and there is so many interesting directions you could take this in this particular show. Clark's constant emotional journey is about acceptance on his adopted planet and while Kara being around is great and I'm sure we'll get some great drama and introspection from both characters in the next season, he still considers earth his home. He doesn't remember anything from planet of origin. J'onn does. That's always been a point of contention between the two and it leads to some really interesting drama if the right writers utilize it. Can't you totally see a Clark who, in future seasons, feels more secure in his place on Earth having to help a new alien with a similar but way worse situation with the same problems he had at the beginning of the show? Now I can hear what you're saying... Martian Manhunter has always been a fairly asexual character, and a major part of his backstory is that he has PTSD about his wife and kid. Thank you Buggnutz, and you're right! But MAWS changes every character to fit better with the storyline, and I think the changes are always for the better. So do the same with J'onn. Age him down. Instead of him being rescued as an middle aged adult by a random scientist who then dies immediately, maybe this is teenager or young adult J'onn is accidently rescued by Star Labs, or the Brain and Mallah, or Lex Luthor, or whoever, and his PTSD comes from losing his parents instead of his wife and kid. You can still keep his personality the same, just adjust the anime knob a tad. Everyone already lost their minds with twunk Slade Wilson, can you imagine the pop-off for emo twink J'onn J'onzz? And then he can meet Conner and they can have a meet cute and it can be the new relationship to hope for after Kara and Jimmy inevitably hook up. Plus, DC already changes the sexuality of pre-existing characters, including Superboy (kinda sorta), in the comics so this wouldn't be the first time they've done something like this. And while the show is already a huge diversity win in general, if it's raining why not let it pour hm? This is the only outside hero I want added to the show by the way. No Batman, no Wonder Woman, none of that. Keep it to obscure easter eggs and references. Let the Superman show be about Superman please.

And for sure don't bring in the Doom Patrol. Or, at least, not every member of the Doom Patrol. Who the hell are the Doom Patrol? They are my favorite superhero team. They've changed a lot over the years, but the basic gist is that they are a team of regular people who got into horrible accidents which gave them powers, but also made them freaks in the eyes of society. They've been everything from black ops earth defenders to psychedelic dimensional travellers. Heck, their most recent series makes them a metahuman government support network. The reason I bring them up is that the Brain and Mallah are frequent enemies of the Doom Patrol, so if they were to bring them into the show, they'd probably make them enemies of the crew. I don't wanna see my boy Robotman be evil, aight? However, there is one member of the Doom Patrol that could possibly work as a one-shot antagonist, if they really wanted to do it. That is the Doom Patrol typical defacto leader, the Chief. Nile Caulder, a.k.a. the Chief, is a super smart guy in a wheelchair. Yeah that's it. His big thing in the comics is he usually engineers the accidents that give the various members of the Doom Patrol their powers, as a sort of sociopathic experiment. So he's already evil, canonically. It would be an easy thing to turn into "oh he's a scientist for Task Force X and he specifically wants Brain and Mallah because history or maybe ego" but eh... They're is probably too much history in the comics for it to fit. I'm just asking that the writers not make the Doom Patrol evil.

One final thing... Darkseid is gonna show up eventually, right? There was the lasers in flashback during 'More Things in Heaven and Earth', so there has to be plans way down the line for the New Gods. Right? Well if they do, I hope for two things. One) Mister Miracle is involved somehow. Even if it is in a limited capacity, I'd just want to see him. Mister Miracle is awesome. And two) Only give us sparing glimpses of the big man, at least until the finale of his storyline. Here's the thing, Darkseid is a big deal. He's literally the god of everything evil, and a character like that loses his gravatas if you keep bringing him back. So save him for like the final fight. Which isn't to say never show him or mention him. Darkseid is a force of evil, he has armies of minions on his literal beck and call, and Desaad is just his hype man. Darkseid shouldn't tussle with wannabe heroes unless they attack him first. Darkseid is greater than these lesser being. Darkseid is Omega. Omega is Antilife! ANTILIFE IS DARKSEID! DARKSEID IS-

[worldsfinestpowercouple]

Lately the mcu is getting all kinds of bad luck. From mideocre movies and TV shows to the recent news of the actor who was going to play blade left as well as another director.

I left the mcu last year for gunn's dcu. And comparing mcu's bad streak, gunn's superman is moving forward with filming As well as season 2 of peacemaker.

Supergirl going to to be filmed in the fall for a summer 2026 release. Creature commandos set to stream in December of this year kicking off the new dcu.

They have a team of writers for green lantern series. They seem to be running smoothly and without problems.

On top of that, joker 2 in the fall of 2024 and the batman in 2026 fall season.

We got Bruce timm's cape crusader in August of 2024.

As a new dc fan I am loving all of this. I'm glad I ditched the mcu. It's just getting so bad I'm barely excited for even the Fantastic Four.

It boggles my mind that half of the dc fandom is split. And for what? Cause snyder's vision couldn't hold a candle of the mcu?

We're at a point where the new dcu can actually be far more successful than Disney's MCU.

Now that marvel is in the shitter and DC is rising up I think as fans not only should we be excited but to fully support it regardless of who is in charge.

I'm having fun looking forward to start brand new.

Finally DC has a chance to be the best high quality of entertainment.

It's wild. Mcu just keeps falling. Am I the only one to notice this shift?

Wild man. Wild. Let's hope for the best.

[buffyfan145]

Really am going to miss "The Flash". Liked the finale even if it was a bit more subdued than I thought it would be. I was a fan of the 90s "Flash" TV show that only got 1 season before it was cancelled, so I'm so glad we were able to get 9 even if I do think it probably should've ended before that just due to the writing. There were still things I liked in the later seasons, but still glad we had it this long. Very happy too that they brought Caitlin back and Eddie as well and they stayed alive at the end. Also happy Barry and Iris finally had baby Nora, and Joe and Cecile got engaged. Not mad they left it open ended too even though we know it's unlikely we'll ever see this version of the characters again with the new DCU. It's also the ended of the Arrowverse and I loved all of those shows and it's sad to see them all gone now. Even likely both "Superman and Lois" and "Gotham Knights" won't stay either on The CW (or broadcast TV in general), as we still don't know their fates, so it's possible there will be no DC shows on The CW anymore. I am excited for what the DCU is planning, as well as the Elsewords movies/shows like Matt Reeves' "The Batman", "Joker 2", and if there's more announced, but it's a huge change to get used to and after losing all of these. So again I'm glad we had this show for as long as we did and Grant's Barry is still my favorite version of the character and still hoping there's a cameo in "The Flash" movie next month even if it's like how his cameo was in "Titans" and they just use footage from the show. LOL :)

[mouseratz]

finally got my hands on dawn of dc superman #2 and holy shit. it's sooooo good it's soooo fun I am loving every bit of it.

Marilyn Moonlight is like, a cowboy super-person (quite unclear if she's friend or foe!) with a ghostly theming (possibly like the abandoned settings of old westerns- GHOST TOWNS!) and she's so fucking awesome I'm very excited to see more of her, she didn't overstay her welcome but also made an impact in the few pages she's there.

I'm also still really enjoying lex as a sort of snide commentator on whatever superman is up to, because of course he is. it's definitely playing up the frenemy aspect of their relationship.

and as for the grander plot, metropolis city zombie apocalypse except it's a bunch of little parasites is SO fucking awesome. it's framed like a horror movie in some ways, too, and you see the usually bustling city quite empty, things threatening from the shadows, the bright lights cracked and dimmed. it's SUCH a contrast from the previous issue, where metropolis is warm and inviting and lively, making the horror elements pop so well (and then to have a character like Marilyn take the stage in such an environment.....)

and the hints for who's behind it, I'm not really familiar with any of the mad scientists, but I think they look nice + the threat of "cutting up" Bizarro (a character who is often already mistreated) shows some level of cruelty that's very interesting!

overall this is like, literally one of the most exciting series I've read from issue to issue/as it's releasing yet. it's very very fun so far!

also I love the art so much I don't really have a lot to say other than it's crisp and lovely while still expressive. it is also very nice

[notmoreflippingelves]

11, 14, 15, 16, 23 and 24 for the fandom year review, please! ;D

Biggest squee moments of the year (For ye youths who no longer use such awesome terminology, that means the fandom moments that made your heart cry out in overwhelming joy. Can y’all believe that “squee” didn’t quite stand the test of time??)

I am currently reading through Post-Crisis Superman comics in roughly chronological order. And pretty much every time, Clark and Lois have a cute moment, I just sit there with my face in my hands grinning like a schoolgirl. I was particularly giddy when they got engaged. I am not sure that this entirely counts as a squee moment of the year--considering that it literally happened a few years before I was even born. But it was arguably the squee moment for me this year discovering it years later.

In terms of moments that actually did happen this year, Sir Pentious ending up in Heaven in Hazbin Hotel. And the long-awaited Wicked movie being as good as I hoped it would. (Also it was cute, because there were a bunch of people in my theater that dressed up for it. I sort of did too--since I wore a Wizard of Oz shirt and my ruby slipper socks. It just made my heart so full to see people excited about movies again).

Favorite m/f ship of the year

Yeah, it's still Elena/Esteban. Even though Esteban had some actual real competition as my current blorbo this year, they are still the het ship for me even if they are on my mind less. That being said, Clark Kent/Lois Lane are giving them a bit of a run for their money, and I can't wait to be obsessed with them when the new movie comes out next Summer.

Favorite f/f ship of the year

Regrettably, I've never really had nearly as many femmslash ships as I do het and/or slash ones--and amongst the few that I do have, I tend to be less passionate about them overall.

It doesn't help that on the rare ocassions that I get into a fandom with a sizeable femmslash community...I tend to be indifferent to--if not outright dislike-- the most popular pairing (tbf this is also usually the case with het and slash dominant fandoms) and the possible f/f ships that do ping my radar are even rarer than usual by my rare-pair obsessed standards. And so it's hard to get more excited about a ship that I'm at best casually interested in when no one else seems to be.

In terms of canon ships, Charlie/Vaggie from Hazbin Hotel is kind of cute. And in terms of more mainstream and "popular" ships (lol see what I did there), I was really feeling the Elphaba/Glinda vibes from the Wicked movie, even though I never really had been into them in the past. I also have seen a rise in Kay Faraday/Franziska von Karma shipping due to the AAI collection release--which makes me really happy as I've always liked that ship. (especially when compared to their fanom default options of franmaya and kayema.)

In terms of ships that I personally have thought most about in my mind even if nobody else seems to/haven't done much about, Chloe/Maliga from Elena of Avalor.

Favorite m/m ship of the year

Much as I want to say that it's still krisnix or even estevictor (and I still do love them and think about them a lot), I really can't give this spot to any ship except Jason Todd/Dick Grayson from Batman/the DCU in general. I am vibrating them in my mind and thinking about them so much.

The most missed of your old fandoms

While I am still involved in the Ace Attorney fandom, I wish I was still as intensely focused and passionate about it as I used to be (and was for awhile). It's currently a really great time to be an AA fan given that there is a lot of enthusiasm due to the recent AJ collection and AAI collection ports. So many people are discovering the ships, characters, and games that are some of my very favorites and I wish I was "all in" with them--as we need the spark.

While I am again still in the fandom and it never exactly reached true "hyperfixation" levels for me, I also wish I was more hyped/involved with the BBC Father Brown Cinematic Universe fandom. It's definitely one of the nicest fandoms I'd been involved with and honestly, we get so much attention/fanservice from the writers that it's seriously unreal. It really is a "happy place" for me, which is why I wish I could be insane about it for longer than a month or so each year (after the next season drops).

Fandom resolutions for next year

Finish (and post) a dang fanfiction. I had a little goal with myself last year to post one of the very many Elena of Avalor fics that I started by Christmas. That did not happen and even after an entire year went by, I still didn't finish any of my many works-in-progress. (I did however start a few new ones to add to the already massive pile).

Find more femmslash ships that I can be just as obsessed/unhinged about as my het-and slash faves. It's already an underappreciated side of the fandom and I feel like I should do my part toward spreading lady love. I know I can do it, because it took me forever to find slash ships that I shipped more than casually. (It turns out I just disliked pretty much of all the popular ships and it was a matter of finding the right rare pairs.)

Catch up on some of the fandoms that I enjoy but haven't been following as closely (particularly the last season of What We do in the Shadows and multiple seasons of Doctor Who. (I watched and enjoyed most (all?) of Thirteen's first season but haven't watched anything since even if I have heard very mixed things about both the rest of the Chibnall run and the second RTD run).)

Gif more things. (Particularly for Ace Attorney, Elena of Avalor, and Father Brown). I haven't giffed anything in *months* and even though it's a lot of work, I do enjoy it and think I've gotten okay. (Nowhere near good enough for a "big" fandom but just good enough/one of the few people who does for my small-midsized fandoms.)

[eldritchsurveys]

1237.

What was the last song you added onto your iPod or any music player? >> The last song I "liked" on Spotify was Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) by Stevie Wonder. I was listening to the album it's on the other day and I was like "why did I never Like this???"

Grab the nearest book to you. What’s the copyright date on it? .

Are you usually the one who throws the parties or attends them? >> I don't do either of these, actually. Can't remember the last time I was invited to a legit party.

Do you ever look at the tags on a survey? .

What’s your favorite flavor of popsicle? >> My favourite kind of popsicle is the one made by a local place, Any Colour You Like (like the song!). They make a lot of fun and interesting flavour combinations and most of them are favourites of mine.

Do you believe that one day the sun will burn out? >> Sure, that's apparently how the universe works. Won't happen in my lifetime, though.

Did you go see the movie The Great Gatsby? >> I did not. I didn't like the book when I read it in high school and I doubt I'd much care for it now either, so I had no motivations to watch it.

What’s your homepage when you bring up the internet? >> It's just the Firefox landing page or whatever.

What’s your favorite smell? .

Have you ever seen or been in quicksand? >> I have not.

Have you ever cracked your phone screen before? >> Maybe once? I don't remember. Certainly not more than once, though.

Do you like Train’s music? >> I was really into Drops of Jupiter when that was popular. I listen to it every once a while for the nostalgia, but I am otherwise uninterested in Train.

How many different languages can you say “hello” in? >> A few.

True or False : Superman is your favorite super hero. >> False. I never got into DC Comics at all. The only DC character I'm remotely interested in is Harley Quinn, love her.

Do you like to look at license plates to see where people are from? >> I do.

When was the last time you went to Wal Mart? >> I really don't remember. It's been years. There's no point anymore, they're not as cost-effective as they used to be.

Nothing is worse than being sunburnt agree? >> I don't know, I've never been sunburnt.

When is your last day of summer this year? >> Whenever the autumn equinox is.

Have you ever seen the movie High School Musical? >> I have not.

Are you one of the oldest or youngest within your group of friends? .

Do you ever have dreams where something happens and then it does? >> I do not.

Sunset or sunrise? >> I'm slightly more partial to sunrises.

One of the best feelings in the world is turning in a test agree? >> Fuck no. I hate tests.

Do you have a pair of Beat headphones? >> I do not.

How was your week? >> Agonising.

Are any of your electronics not working properly at the moment? >> All of my electronics are fine, as far as I can tell. My phone is doing this thing where sometimes the screen won't respond to touch for a few seconds, but that's all. Don't know what that's about. The damn thing is not even that old.

Are you excited to pick out your wedding dress one day? >> I think I wanted to be excited to get fitted for my suit, but I was having some pretty bad body dysmorphia through the whole experience and that really ruined it for me.

Does it bother you when an artist remake a song that one has previously done? >> Of course not.

What brand of ChapStick do you use? >> I don't use Chapstick. My lips are really sensitive so I mostly just use my facial moisturiser (and serum when I have it) on them every other night and seal that in with Vaseline, and then shea butter as a daily moisturiser.

[isamerceds]

fair warning duly noted! i'll brace myself for the live-texting extravaganza. but hey, i'm sure it'll just add to the fun of experiencing the movie through your eyes. you have no idea how excited i am, my mom won't stop talking about the movie, my siblings won't shut the hell up either, it's been crazy. but thank god it's out tomorrow and i'm so happy! i appreciate your confidence in our potential sibling-like bond with sam. i have a feeling we'll hit it off too! and endless teasing sounds like a blast, you know how much i love teasing people. oh no, i'm sorry to hear about the change in your filming schedule. that just means we'll have even more to celebrate once you're done. let me know when you're done and i promise i'll go to scotland with you! noise-cancelling headphones it is, then. make sure to wear protection, i don't know if i'm ready to have a little sister or little brother right now. me? things have been pretty good. i'm hoping i will have some time to relax now that i don't think i have anything to film anymore, maybe last of us and superman but it's more chill than i thought it was.

I'm totally telling you, 'I told you so' if you get annoyed with the constant live texting. I can be quite intense when I'm into something so don't say I didn't warn you. I can't wait for you to meet him too. You're such an important person in my life and I would love for the two of you to get along. I have a feeling that you will though. Something tells me you, too, will end up having that sibling-like bond, and you'll probably end up teasing each other endlessly. I do have bad news. I was called to work earlier than expected. I was set to begin filming the movie in mid-May, but we actually began yesterday. BUT as soon as I'm done, and if you have the time, the both of us can fly to Scotland and have an amazing trip. And I will remember to provide you with the noise-cancelling headphones because there's no way we're letting you stay in a hotel. How are things with you, though? tell me everything.

[notebookmusical]

Hi! I hope you had a good weekend! Where did you go? Did you do anything fun? Happy Lunar New Year! Don't worry about the lengths of your replies at all. Mine will probably be shorter from now on too. How are you? I don't know which songs will be singles. Maybe the first two songs since one is a feature and those numbers are usually singles in an album..or number 3. I have like no idea for this album though but maybe we will get three singles like Midnights. I always tend to love the first 3 songs of every Taylor album so I'm also excited for those. I've also noticed I don't care for her number sevens as much lol, and I think her 10s are just okay. I haven't liked any song that's number 14 as much for her last few albums, but I actually love the Great War so hopefully I like the new one. I only noticed cuz it's one of my favorite numbers. Haha I hope that's not too crazy that I know that. But I always seem to love the first and last and title songs. I haven't seen the rumored list except someone that worked on a few Lover songs worked on a few songs so that's interesting and gives some ideas of what it will sound like. I'm sure Aaron worked on a few songs too. There seems to be a lot of upcoming music I'm looking forward to..even before her album comes out. Ariana Grande has a new album and Beyonce announced her Act 2 album and released two songs! They are so good and I'm really interested to see her do a full country album. Ariana's album comes out the beginning of next month, the same day as Bleachers actually, and Beyonce's is the end of next month! We are also expecting twenty one pilots new music by the end of this month and I'm curious when their album will come out too. What have you been listening to recently or what are some albums you're looking forward to?

Speaking of Ariana, the first look and trailer for Wicked premiered last night. What are your thoughts? I've watched it a few times and think it's okay. I don't really know what I expected from it but I don't know how to feel. I like Ariana I guess but idk if she is exactly Glinda to me but I don't really know who else I would want either. It didn't really show enough but I thought the actual movie and trailer at least looked nice, with the colors and stuff. I am still not sure about the two parts thing though and I'm wondering if that's why it didn't show much? I admit I am more familiar with Act 1. I like Cynthia and think the movie has potential but it doesn't feel like Wicked either to me yet. I think they also said the movie might add stuff from the book, so I might read it before the movie comes out. I love Wicked a lot though, more than other musicals and have been waiting forever for a movie version. I'm sure a lot of other people have too and have mixed feelings. I feel the same way for now but I'm definitely seeing the movie anyway. What do you think about it?

Also I love your new url! I can't believe she played that song when I don't think she's played it live before. She did that with a few songs during these shows with Eyes Open and Electric Touch and Superman lol. I actually have no idea what surprise songs to guess anymore haha. I will probably send you my guesses later this week though. Do you have any guesses? I'm so curious if she will share more about the album in the next few weeks or if she will play a new song before it's out but I doubt it. Do you think she will add it to the show in some way or even wear any new costumes? I guess I can't decide or how that would be. I can't believe we were all expecting rep at this point and she even said she would have announced the new album at a show, but it feels so crazy now. I thought this ask would be shorter, but they always look long anyway. You don't have to worry about replying either or it can be shorter. My reply was also late so I understand but I hope you have a great week.

hellooo friend! hope you've been well — i saw something on twitter about a 21p album and thought of you today! i was in california, visiting some family!

it's always nice to see family — got to eat a lot of good food and a lot of (much needed) sunshine! wait what's your least favorite number seven? i don't think i've ever noticed a pattern of some sorts for my favorite/least favorites, now that you mention it! i loveeee the great war, it's probably in my top 5 on midnights — dear reader, mastermind, yoyok, the great war, and paris. in no particular order. i've been listening to a lot of holly humberstone lately as usual, but most recently have been spinning the last dinner party! last week my favorites were the rosie darling album "lanterns", as well as the kaitlyn tarver album "quitter". what about you? i'm super excited for the new bleachers, new holly EP, new beyonce — lots of good music for the month of march!

i actually somehow still have not seen the wicked trailer in full 😭 but my friends seem very mixed on it (mostly not a fan). i'm wondering if i should try to read the book before seeing it, since i feel like there'll be more book influence? maybe? hopefully? but from the stills i've seen, i still have a very hard time imagining ... everyone ... as their characters haha.

ugh i love the outside! i used to listen to it in the car constantly as an incredibly lonely little girl who didn't fit in at school and just moved to a new country. it's one of the songs i'm most excited for on debut tv — aside from tied together with a smile, cold as you, and invisible. debut is just... a perfect album to me. very nostalgic.

we have a show tonight! i wonder what she'll sing! i'm likely going to be up for surprise songs (i have some friends going, so i'm hoping to watch their surprise songs); i feel like it'll be from some more recent albums (maybe rep? maybe lover?); i feel like she hasn't sang from them in a while! i don't think she'll add a TTPD set — eras is already so long, they'd have to go back into rehearsals/choreo for it, it just feels like a bit of a logistical nightmare — especially when you consider the movie, and that she's already toured for so long. my guess is we'll see it on the b-stage for surprise songs!! either way, i'm excited! that being said, if you were to cut maybe 5 songs from the current setlist to make a TTPD setlist, what 5 songs would you cut?

hope you're having a good week! love you! 🤍

[billconrad]

Writing About a Controversial Topic

    Authors break new ground in their books to generate sales and interest, but almost every plot concept/type has been explored, so it is hard to stand out. One method authors use to rise above their peers is to write about a controversial topic. This push outside the norm generates buzz and excites readers. It also benefits society by bringing exposure to unspoken topics.

     An example of an old controversial topic is scary monsters. When Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein got published, the reaction was explosive. People were afraid to sleep because scientists might steal their body parts to make monsters. This concept was over-the-top terrifying, generating a huge amount of interest. Now, sewing a monster together out of random body parts is a timid concept and evokes little interest. Unfortunately, exposure to a controversial topic makes readers uninterested, and authors must keep thinking expansively. That is both the power of the press and its curse.

    Authors are constantly looking for new topics that upset people. They also recycle old ones. A mean criminal who rebels against society? Writers never tire of that. How about a cannibal? People will always despise them. I think the future of controversy lies in privacy, AI, personal security, strange surgical alterations, business ethics, online creations, and restricting the freedom we now have.

    I avoid controversial topics because I am not a big enough author to weather the storm. My most prominent attempt to push a boundary occurred in my second book, Kim and Gabe Survive. The story is about a 17-year-old female and a 34-year-old male surviving a tragic event. They have a minor romance, but my romantic scenes were more intimate when I first released the book. The feedback was immediate and horrific. Did I bow to the pressure and make a second edition? I folded faster than Superman on laundry day!

    My conservative personality has always steered me clear of controversy. I'm not too fond of criticism and take every step to avoid it. However, some writers live for stirring up trouble. Is that an excellent tactic for an upcoming writer? A writer needs to be bold to make an impression. Prominent writers have figured out how to write about a controversial topic so that they get positive reviews. For example, the well-received book 50 Shades of Grey was controversial. They even got a movie deal.

    So where does my lack of controversial topics ultimately leave me? I will always avoid controversy in my writings (and my life). This intentional choice of avoiding controversy was present from a very early age. Does this mean my books will never be bold, take risks, or push the envelope? Tragically, yes. I am okay with this choice because I can sleep knowing my work is not intentionally upsetting people.

   You’re the best -Bill

   June 06, 2023

    Hey book lovers, I published three! Please check them out.

    Interviewing Immortality is a psychological thriller about a 500-year-old woman who forces a disgraced author to interview her.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival is a drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties is a classic spy novel about two hunters discovering that government communications are being recorded and the ensuing FBI investigation.

   These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.

[tanadrin]

Considering your recent musings on worldbuilding, fantasy, and magic realism, would be interested to hear your thoughts on superhero worlds, where practically all those subgenres crossover (soft science fiction for the technology, dark fantasy/horror for the magic, high fantasy pantheons loosely based on mythology and entirely made-up and genre-busting ones, space opera for the occasional interstellar travel, etc.) and yet from some point on it gets merged into the background of an universe supposed to be just like our world until noted otherwise (particularly in social trends, etc.), in true magic-realist fashion.

i gotta say, superheroes are just... basically uninteresting as a concept to me. whether you're deconstructing or reconstructing or playing it straight, you have to torture basic narrative plausibility (irrespective of SF/fantasy/realist plausability) to make the genre function that i simply tend to lose interest.

also, i don't think "a universe supposed to be just like our world until noted otherwise" is a very good definition of magical realism. magical realism is, IMO, about emotional logic overwhelming other systems governing the narrative at specifically heightened points, in a way that should break those systems (but apparently does not). but not everywhere in the narrative (that's more like surrealism), and typically not in ways that are marked as unusual within the narrative (characters don't go "wow, that was weird/amazing/terrifying!"). your definition seems to me to be a better definition of "low" or "urban" fantasy, or certain kinds of near-future science fiction, than magical realism.

because in superhero fiction, the weird/amazing/terrifying nature of the fantastical elements are part of the point. superman is a hero because he is remarkable and, well, superhuman. it would only be magical realism if clark kent was an ordinary guy who one day caught a building that was collapsing and saved lois lane because of his overpowering love for her, and his sense of personal alienation from the rest of the human race, and everyone acted like this was pretty normal and it was never brought up again. as soon as you make him an alien, as a causative factor in his supernatural abilities, you just have regular science fiction.

i do think it's kind of fun that the superhero genre is one of those genres that borrows freely from others--narratives where tropes from horror, fantasy, and science fiction can coexist comfortably are neat. i have friends who are english major types, you know, real insufferable book nerds, who speak of the superhero genre not unlike you do: they evoke the image of a febrile amalgam of different artists in the same shared universe, where the contradictions and paradoxes only add to a kind of semi-surreal character; and of more independent auteur-style projects like Watchmen and Worm which comment cleverly on established tropes of the genre.

but whenever i dip my toe into superhero fiction of any flavor, i feel less that i'm sampling from a roiling cauldron of imagination too rich to be contained by any single narrative approach and more that I am tasting a bland wafer of something whose foundational characters and stories were almost instantly converted into an undifferentiated paste by particular commercial and cultural demands; and rather than injecting new and exciting material into that paste, most innovations in the genre have taken that paste and tried to sculpt it, like making little sculptures out of spam and calling it cuisine.

this is not to say i have never enjoyed a superhero movie; just that even the works praised as daring innovators within the genre seem to me to be basically more of the same. like licensed star wars media or video game tie-in novels, it's incredibly difficult to transcend the limitations of your genre when the thing that crystallized the genre in the first place, the thing that has your audience present in the first place, are those limitations. i don't think it's possible to make a superhero story very interesting for the same reason it's not possible to build the burj khalifa out of spam: spam is not steel, and in order to make spam have the properties of steel, it would have to cease to be useful as spam.

[romancomicsblog]

Who should play Clayface in the DCU?

After a wild curveball pick for the third movie in the DCU, James Gunn has announced Clayface will be coming to the big screen in a big way after Creature Commandos.

Clayface will premiere in Fall 2026, and will be a horror thriller tragedy written by Mike Flanagan of The Haunting of Hill House Fame.

Apparently Flanagan is a big fan of Batman: The Animated Series, so we can expect the character to be similar to that version, an actor turned big monster made of goo.

While this is an unexpected film, I do love that the DCU has been a mix of classic DC characters like Superman & oddball choices like this and Creature Commandos. It feels like a choice made because of an exciting story instead of obligation. That being said, this character is going to need a good actor to make the story work.

I have a couple of ideas of who could be The Batman's newest villain. But before we get into my picks, as always let's look at Stipulations.

Legacy of Batman Villains

Unlike most superhero villains, Batman villains have a reputation in Hollywood to be more nuanced, and bigger named actors often will take them as meaty roles. We recently got a sequel to Joker, and a whole television show dedicated the Penguin that got universal acclaim.

Though Clayface hasn't been done on the big screen yet, his association to the Dark Knight means we can definitely get a big name actor to portray the character.

Already in the DCU

Clayface has already been confirmed via the trailers that he will appear in some capacity in Creature Commandos.

Whether this is the same person we see in the movie, who is to say?

This version is played by Alan Tudyk, who could potentially reprise the role in the film, but given he is already playing Doctor Phosphorus & Will Magnus, for now I'll look to other actors.

Characteristics

The version I am going with and the DCU is likely going with is Basil Karlo, a B list actor who becomes disfigured, and undergoes treatment to fix his face, which makes him into the monster he is.

He is dramatic, tragic, and sympathetic. He should have a sadness to him, and the range to play a villain and a man turning into a monster. Other than that, we have a lot of range of actors. Basil can look like anyone, so really any body is on the table.

So let's get started.

3. Kevin Durand

An actor who really impressed me this year was Kevin Durand, specifically in Abigail & Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Durand has a physicality and charisma to him when playing a villain. I think watching him tragically become something else would be a lot of fun, and I think more than any other actor on this list, he definitely has the voice for it.

What particularly impressed me was his motion capture performance of Proximus Ceasar in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. I can see Durand using those skills to bring the monstrous Clayface to life.

If I had a gripe, he may be a little too clean, at least for Clayface. But if they ever needed a Sportsmaster I'd know exactly who I'd call. I like him, but he's not my favorite.

2. Jesse Plemons

No one plays a bad guy like Plemons.

If we're going for the award noms, Plemons could easily bring the acting chops to a role like this. He can be scary, empathetic, sad, and downright evil.

I can see Plemons as Karlo continue to push himself, not knowing what he is becoming. Of all the actors here, he may do tragic better than any of them.

My main concern is, can we root for him? Does him constantly being the villain make it less sad when he inevitably becomes the monster?

Also of the three, Clemons doesn't really have the voice for Clayface. Sure they can adjust it with technology but it isn't the same.

I'm not sure if Plemons is the right man for this job, but if he got the chance, I'd love to see him take a stab it.

1. Peter Dinklage

If we'd like to merge acting ability of Plemons with the tragedy of charisma of Durand, Peter Dinklage takes this easily.

Peter Dinklage feels like an actors actor, which is exactly what we need here. Someone who can steal every scene he's in, someone we can root for and believe his transformation.

He's proven multiple times he can play tragic and a villain. We know he will do big roles in Sci-Fi or Fantasy, such as Bolivar Trask, Eitri, Scourge and Tyrion.

He's done Shakespeare, motion capture, comedy, and even is set to play the Toxic Avenger: A Man who get's horribly disfigured and becomes a hero. Make him a villain and more tragic, that IS Basil Karlo.

This is my Clayface.

Thank you for reading! If you like this, be sure to follow me on all my socials here! And let me know what you think: who should play Clayface in the DCU?

[undertheknightwing]

my thoughts after watching the first ep of S&L:

The Kents are literally so sweet with each other!!! Sure they're not perfect but their dynamics and interactions are so sweet and endearing!! 10/10, I'm giving them all little pats on the head

I wasn't expecting Jon and Jordan to not know about the Superman thing, but it was interesting to see them work it out.

The scene where the boys find Clark's old spaceship under the barn had me laughing because Jon was giving so much "preppy jock who ends up dying in the first twenty minutes of a horror movie" vibes (/pos)

Tag Harris mention!!! I vaguely remember Tag being mentioned in ur Escapism fic and am excited to see more about the character in the show :)

Clark recapping his life was indeed a very cool way to start the show. It kinda throws a lot at you at once but it worked well!

The Kent family dynamic is one of my favorite things about the show! You're absolutely right, it's so sweet and full of love 🥺❤️ clois and the family dynamic was done so dirty in s2 smfh

Okay yeah Jon definitely would be the first person to die in a horror movie or be so chaotic that he accidentally kills the slasher 😂 but that's probably my favorite thing about his character, they set him up like he's nothing more than the "dumb blonde jock" brother then BOOM one of most complex and interesting, and honestly depressing, characters in the show right underneath the smile

But I love his more airhead-ness from the pilot too and I think the fandom does too because when he's not seen as being tortured emotionally by all his trauma, he's the one walking into glass doors thinking they're opening 😂

Both sides are perfect and can exist in the same person if you ask me

I did mention Tag Harris in Escapism as someone Jon had a crush on and once you see the episode Tag stars in, you'll definitely understand why everyone thinks Jon liked him lol