#like actually DC's history's greatest monster

[fleetsparrow]

Me: Ooh, some nice meta with canon panels going on, think I'll just reblog—

OP: "...but you can avoid those, because Devin sucks."

Me: ...

Me: *blocked*

[paperanddice]

The secret to the scythers and the stormclouds is that the engineer who supposedly created them is actually a front for a quintessence madcrafter. A mutation that came from someone exposing themself too much to the powerful energy of quintessence, the madcrafter is no longer humanoid in any recognizable sense. An immense, slug-like creature in a massive rig of tubes and tanks that store and transfer quintessence and the madcrafter's own body fluids about, mixing them in precise ratios and returning it back to the madcrafter's body to produce quintessence constructs and healing energy.

The madcrafter is almost 20 feet long, though the front third of that rears upright to form a sort of torso and head. Four undersized, humanoid arms with three fingered hands position along the torso region, and the face consists of almost nothing but a massive, gaping mouth that drips a strong acid. The collection of tubes built into the madcrafter's body has a large opening in the back of its mouth, through which the creature can spit up new minor quintessence constructs. Usually they spend a day between each crafting, carefully utilizing their produced and stored quintessence to its greatest efficiency, but in desperate times of battle it can unleash its stores to produce many scythers or stormclouds in its own defense. This eats into the madcrafter's stores of quintessence however, drawing upon its own life energy, and the carefully balanced mixtures it pumps through its system to rapidly heal wounds slows to a stop as it overuses this ability.

More madcrafters may be out there, or other mutations that came from quintessence's influence. Whatever this one has planned is unknown, and whether the intention and mind of the original person is still directing its actions is a mystery that not even the madcrafter can answer. All it seeks is additional quintessence, to grow ever more powerful by incorporating it into its body, and build an army of constructs for defense and control.

Originally from the 3.5 Monster Manual V. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as a spot on the Paper and Dice Discord server, consider backing me there!

5th Edition

Quintessence Madcrafter Huge aberration, neutral evil Armor Class 14 (natural armor) Hit Points 161 (14d12 + 70) Speed 20 ft. Str 22 (+6) Dex 10 (+0) Con 20 (+5) Int 19 (+4) Wis 15 (+2) Cha 13 (+1) Saving Throws Int +8, Wis +6, Cha +5 Skills Arcana +8, History +8, Insight +6, Investigation +8 Damage Immunities acid Senses passive Perception 12 Languages telepathy 100 ft. Challenge 10 (5900 XP) Regeneration. The madcrafter regains 10 hit points at the start of its turns as long as it has at least 1 hit point. If the madcrafter uses Launch Quintessence Construct, this trait doesn't function at the start of the madcrafter's next turn. Actions Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) acid damage. Launch Quintessence Construct (1/Short Rest). The madcrafter can spit a scyther or a stormcloud into an unoccupied space within 60 feet of it. Each creature within 5 feet of that space must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The created construct takes its turn immediately after the madcrafter. The madcrafter can recharge this ability as a free action by taking 20 points of damage. Mind Blast (Recharge 6). The madcrafter magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or take 40 (8d8+4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

13th Age

Quintessence Madcrafter Huge 5th level leader [aberration] Initiative: +4 Gaping Bite +10 vs. AC - 25 damage plus 15 acid damage Natural Even Hit: The target also takes ongoing 10 acid damage. R: Launch Quintessence Construct +9 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies in a group) - 20 acid damage Natural Even Hit or Miss The madcrafter spawns a scyther or stormcloud engaged with the target. Limited Use: 1/turn, by expending one use of the madcrafter’s regeneration. If the madcrafter has no regeneration uses left, it instead takes 20 damage. Harvest Quintessence: 1/turn as a quick action, the madcrafter can kill one quintessence scyther, stormcloud, or soldier engaged with it to gain one additional use of its regeneration. Madcrafting Regeneration: While the madcrafter is damaged, quintessence pumps through its body to heal 20 hit points at the start of the madcrafter’s turn. It can regenerate 5 times per battle. If it heals to its maximum hit points, then that use of regeneration doesn’t count against the five-use limit. Dropping the madcrafter to 0 hp doesn’t kill it if it has any uses of regeneration left. AC 20 PD 16 MD 19 HP 200

[leonardhoee]

Ikevamp Boys as Avengers

(Because why not)

Comte- Nick Fury

(He’s kind of the leader of everyone in th emanation. Similar to assembling the “greatest heroes on earth” Comte created his mansion for the greatest men in history. They both of that same tired parent energy and Fury’s relationship with Tony is similar to Comte and Leo’s)

THIS but make it Leo and Comte

Leonardo - Iron Man

(Obviously. He’d totally make the iron man suit. He’s a tease and a flirt just like Tony and he’s equally self sacrificing. They both carry a lot of guilt and self hatred but all they want to do is help others through their genius. Also the fact that everyone else in the mansion looks up to him and respects him is just like Tony with the other Avengers. I’d say he’s kind of the glue that holds everyone in the mansion together just like Tony is to the Avengers.)

((Also guys just IMAGINE Leo making an iron man suit or something with AC/DC in the background. like THIS))

Isaac- Bruce Banner/Hulk

(He’s a science boy with social anxiety but when he can’t control his bloodlust he becomes like the Hulk. Just like Bruce he doesn’t want to hurt anyone and he has a hard time controlling that side of him. Also his relationship with Leo is just like Tony and Bruce��s. Science Bros!)

Theo- Rocket

(They’re both resilient as hell and have no problem fighting for their loved ones. Just like Rocket, Theo is rough around the edges but his tough persona is surface level because as soon as you get to know him you realize his personality is just a coping mechanism and he’s actually the sweetest person.)

Alternatively: Thor

Jean- Bucky Barnes

(Jean has blood on his hands that he feels the need to repent for. Just like Bucky he was an innocent person who went through the horrors or war and came out thinking he’s a monster. Both of them have similar personalities and his relationship with Napoleon somewhat mirrors Cap and Bucky.)

Alternatively: Black Widow

Napoleon- Captain America

(Both of them have a strong sense of justice and would do the right thing regardless of the risk it poses to themselves. They have the same type of classic charm and all they want is to protect innocent people. Imagine him ripping that log in half like Steve in that one scene)

Dazai- Hawkeye

(I don’t know too much about Dazai but they both give me similar energy. Dazai is always up in windows and Clint is always up on some high perch just watching people.)

Shakespeare- Loki

(I don’t hear people talk about this much but Shakespeare is smart as hell. He has the closest IQ to Leo out of pretty much all of them. And he was manipulated by Vlad just like Loki was manipulated by Thanos. No one really trusts him and no one helped him when he was stuck in that situation. They both tend to cause problems but only big enough to be considered a nuisance instead of an actual threat. Someone protect both of them.)

Alternatively: The Grandmaster

Mozart- Okoye

(Okay hear me out. Mozart is devoted to his music the same way Okoye is devoted to her country. I see them both having the same drive, passion, and no-nonsense attitude for what they believe in.)

Alternatively: Loki

Sebastian- Spider-Man

(Listen he is a history fan that got adopted by his favorite historical figures. That’s exactly like Peter getting adopted by the Avengers and making little blogs about each of them. You know, just like Sebastia’s diary...)

Arthur- Starlord (but smarter)

(They’re both flirts and incredibly fun people to be around. Arthur is definitely a much smarter version of Starlord but I can totally see him stealing a infinity stone and flipping off a government. They have the same level of pure chaos. Plus his friendship with Theo is like Rocket and Peter)

Vincent- Adult Groot (like from the first movie)

(Both of them are the purest most adorable boys but they can KICK ASS. They care so much about their family and friends and would do anything for them. Rocket and Groot have one of the closest relationships in the MCU and their dynamic is just like Theo and Vincent)

Faust- Doctor Strange

(I mean it’s in the name isn’t it. They both have a similar cold, detached attitude and calculated precision when it comes to their work. Both of them are pretty arrogant and they would not hesitate sacrificing something to meet their goals. Faust is like Doctor Strange gone evil.)

Vlad- Thanos

(Yeah you guys probably saw this one coming. They both belive they’re doing something that will benefit humans in the long run and to be honest whose to say they aren’t right? It’s all subjective. However they did manipulate and hurt a lot of people and neither of them would hesitate if they had to do it again for the sake of their goals)

Charles- Scarlet Witch

(This one took some thinking. Charles had a responsibility thrust onto him at a young age just like Wanda with her powers. Neither of them want to hurt people but they have to. Charles is a yandere and I belive Wanda is the closest to a yandere we have in the MCU. She would’ve done anything and everything to keep Vision alive and with her and I can see that same dedication and passion in Charles.)

Enjoy my shitty edits

[thevindicativevordan]

Considering the fact that you've stated that the Hulk was your second favorite superhero, & that though you weren't as huge a fan of her as her cousin, still found She-Hulk to be a very cool and enjoyable character, I was surprised that you didn't delve into the character Rampage, otherwise known as Karen Lou 'Kitty' Faulkner, in your post about Metropolis' local heroes since she's one of DC's versions of the big green behemoth, the others being Damage & arguably Doomsday & Solomon Grundy.

Someone else asked about her and I figured I'd talk about her there. Damage is fine, but if I want the Hulk I'll read the Hulk, no need for the DC copycat. Do think there's a place for Damage but not as a solo character, put him on a team. Grundy I have no opinions on other than "he's cool". Which just leaves Doomsday.

Doomsday is the Venom of Superman's Rogues: cool design and being really important back in the 90s means he's basically sticking around forever. Unfortunately he peaked in his debut and now he has nowhere to go but down. How the hell are you supposed to one-up KILLING SUPERMAN by beating him to death no less? Kill him again? Doomsday is "important" enough that he can't ever go away, but how he's built as a character means he doesn't work as an ongoing threat. He's too powerful to be a "villain of the week", but he's also too simple to really drive more complex storylines. No goals or asperations, he's just a pure hate-filled animal who wants to kill everything he sees, especially Superman. A few times they've tried making him more intelligent or crafty, but those didn't stick.

Doesn't help that the backstory they've given him is rather dumb and disappointing. Doomsday worked best when there was an aura of mystery to him, we had no clue where the hell this guy came from, why he was imprisoned, how he was able to go toe to toe with Superman, and it should've stayed that way. Hint at his mysterious background if you like, but we never should have gotten concrete answers about how he came to be. At the very least why the hell was he tied to Krypton? Why does EVERYTHING have to tie back to Krypton? It makes the galaxy feel pretty goddamn small when survivors from Krypton keep landing on Earth and crossing Clark's path.

Alright rant over, so what can be done with Doomsday? Because he's never going to disappear permanently, he's probably Superman's 4th most popular villain as depressing as that is. Key to utilizing him efficiently is to use him as the muscle in addition to a mastermind villain who is manipulating the beast to their own ends. If Pak had gotten to write Doomed as an arc in Action instead of having to turn it into a crossover, I really do think it could've given Doomsday another perennial story aside from Death of Superman. Loads of interesting ideas were in that story: Doomsday's adaptability making it so that whoever kills him becomes the next Doomsday, making him a foe Clark now has to contend with mentally as well as physically. Brainiac actually has a history of using Doomsday as a cover for his more complex schemes with both Doomed and a Post-Crisis story that I think Jurgens wrote where Brainiac took control of Doomsday's body. Continue that, when Doomsday shows up it's because there's someone pulling his strings.

Adding on to that when Doomsday shows up, people need to die. Not heroes, none of them will stay dead, I mean civilians. Normal everyday people who just get slaughtered in the monster's wake. Doomsday is the Grim Reaper incarnate, he's the monster who bludgeoned the world's greatest hero to death with nothing besides raw force, but he can't ever top that with a single kill. None of the lesser heroes dying will have the same impact as Superman dying did, and none of the A-Listers will get killed by Doomsday. So instead write Doomsday showing up as the equivalent of a bomb being dropped. Mass deaths, widespread damage to property, he's a walking one-man war that causes mass panic at a sighting of him.

Obviously you can't do that too often without making Superman seem incompetent, so I'd only want to use him for "big stories". When Doomsday shows up you know that it's only the opening salvo in a larger story, the Superman equivalent to Joker using laughing gas on a building. Beating Doomsday should not be something Superman can achieve by using just his fists either, how come Doomsday isn't completely immune to that anyway? Isn't that how his powers work, becoming impervious to whatever killed him last time? When Superman punches Doomsday it should result in the equivalent of a regular guy punching Superman, now Clark is the weaker one who just shatters his bones against Doomsday's invulnerable skin. So he has to get smart and out think the creature, Doomsday is who Superman breaks out the toys in the Fortress for.

Character-wise there's a few simple ways Doomsday acts as a contrast to Superman. First and foremost, if Superman is a symbol of hope, Doomsday is an icon of terror. People shit themselves at the prospect he's going to show up because they know not even Superman will be able to save everyone from him. There's going to be casualties, only questions are "how many?" and "will it be my loved ones turn to get ripped to shreds?". Hate is also as central to what Doomsday is as Compassion is central to who Superman is. Doomsday is like the titular Alien or the Terminator, he can't be bargained with, he has no morality to appeal to. All he feels is hatred towards every other living thing, he wants to rip their guts out with his teeth and bathe in their blood. Other super powerful bad guys such as Zod, Darkseid, Mongul, or even Bizarro have intellect behind their brawn. It's possible you can strike a deal with them but that's not an option with Doomsday. As a character foil to Superman, Doomsday is a dark example of the importance of self-control. No inhibitions or restraint are present inside the monster's mind, he's a raging hurricane that is driven by wrath, something Superman has to take steps to check within himself as well.

Design-wise I like the New 52 giving him tusks, I'd like to retain those if possible. Also I want to see more done with Doomsday's "evolution", give him bodily appendages that act to counter threats rather than leaving him as Grey Hulk with spikes. Do more with the body horror of Doomsday's evolution. Also I really like the idea of Doomsday being "contagious" as a form of reproduction/survival. Make it so that he leaves "spores" behind that infect the few people who aren't lucky enough to get a quick death at his hands. Any lucky survivors may be infected with the Doomsday virus, which causes the afflicted to become bloodthirsty psychopaths utterly incapable of not acting on their worst impulses like the "zombies" of Crossed. Were Doomsday himself to ever get damaged beyond his body's ability to heal, one of those hosts would be transformed into the new Doomsday. Bad as Doomsday is by himself, the scars he leaves upon the environment and people he meets are ones that never truly heal.

Buried beneath the simple edge there's the potential for Doomsday to be a much more entertaining character than how he's been used post Superman's death. With a little luck, and a writer who can actually see and execute on that potential, Doomsday might one day be worthy of all the hype.

[twistedtummies2]

Gotham’s 31 Most Wanted - Honorable Mentions

It’s New Year’s Eve, everybody! Just as I did back in October with my “31 Days of Disney Villainy,” before I begin my countdown of my Top 31 Favorite Batman Villains – one for each day of January – I want to go over some of the baddies who sadly didn’t make the cut. These are the Terrible Ten who ALMOST got onto my main countdown, but for various reasons ultimately didn’t quite manage it. Some of these guys are more well-known than others, so we’ll see how many you all recognize. With that said, before the countdown begins at midnight, here are my Honorable Mentions for Gotham’s 31 Most Wanted!

1.     Calendar Man.

Julian Day, a.k.a. Calendar Man, is a villain who has had a lot of ups and downs in his history. Depending on who you ask, he’s either one of the dumbest Batman villains ever made, or one of the most underrated. I fall into the second crowd. The Calendar Man is a deranged crook who commits crimes themed around holidays and seasons. I actually find that to be a very interesting concept, and I’m surprised that so many people dislike the character, and that for a long time he was considered something of a joke. In more recent years, however, the Calendar Man has been making a slight comeback; he’s still often the butt of bad jokes, but more people seem to be waking up to the potential this guy has to be a legitimately interesting and/or intimidating dastard. However, while I do have a soft spot for the character, I just like other rogues better. Not much else to it.

2.     Clock King.

As I said yesterday, when naming the rules for who could qualify on this list, I would not be including “crossover rogues.” These are villains who are TECHNICALLY part of another superhero’s rogues gallery, but whom Batman has faced on numerous occasions. Batman has faced Lex Luthor more than once, for example, but I think it’s fair to say no one’s going to lump him in with the same crowd as Clayface or Catwoman. Similarly, King Shark has appeared in various forms of Batman-related media, but he’s really a villain of Aquaman’s. With this in mind, there are four villains who I felt I just couldn’t COMPLETELY leave out of the running, despite them being those sorts of rogues. The Clock King is the first one. The original Clock King, William Tockman, was a foe of Green Arrow, and was, in my opinion, a better villain than people often give/gave him credit for. However, the character really took off when he first appeared in the 60s Batman TV series, and then got even more attention in a few appearances in “Batman: The Animated Series” and its spin-offs. In fact, the latter version was so popular, THAT version of the Clock King – Temple Fugate (pictured above) – later replaced Tockman, though even he was really more of a Teen Titans villain than a Batman rogue. In fact, while the Clock King does keep appearing in Batman-related media, I’m not even sure if the two have ever even MET in the comics. I will admit that he feels like he fits right in there, and I’ve always had a real soft spot for this villain, but I didn’t think it was right to place him on the list.

3.     Deathstroke.

Ever since the “Arkham” video games, in particular, I always hear Deathstroke referred to as a Batman Villain. I’ll confess that it’s always cool, both in and out of comics, to see him square off with the Dark Knight, but Deathstroke really isn’t a Batman Villain in the strictest sense. Much like the Clock King, in the comics – heck, even in other media – he’s typically depicted as the arch-enemy of the Teen Titans. I guess you could say this perhaps makes him Robin’s arch-nemesis, but that’s not quite the same thing. I do love Deathstroke – he’s definitely one of the greatest DC Villains out there – but I don’t think he fits here any more than Clock King does.

4.     Gentleman Ghost.

This is the third example of a villain who I didn’t QUITE think counted as a Batman Villain. And of them all, he honestly came the closest. See, in the comics, I’m not even sure if Batman and the Clock King have ever met, like I said; and in regards to Deathstroke, sure, they’ve fought on several occasions, but Deathstroke is pretty much well-renowned as the foe of the Titans, and especially Robin. Close, but no cigar. The Gentleman Ghost, however…I keep feeling like DC WANTS to make this guy a Batman Villain definitively, but haven’t quite done so yet, if that makes sense. This dapper phantom thief is TECHNICALLY an arch-enemy of Hawkman & Hawkgirl, of all characters. However, in other media, he often seems to have no set foeman, and in perhaps his most famous incarnation, from “Batman: The Brave & the Bold,” his origins were outright changed to make him a Batman Villain, with no ties to Hawkman whatsoever…in fact, did the Hawk family even APPEAR in that show? I sincerely can’t remember right now, so if anyone can remind me, please do. On top of that, not only has the Ghost faced Batman in the comics, but in one particularly seminal story – “All My Enemies Against Me,” in which a whole group of Batman Villains teamed up to try and take down both the Caped Crusader AND an invading Killer Croc – Gentleman Ghost was included among the ranks. Keep in mind, he was kind of the one odd guy out: all the other villains, from obscure ones like The Spook to more popular ones like Penguin, were DEFINITELY Batman Villains. So to see Gentleman Ghost counted among those ranks was a bit strange but also seemed to indicate he’d found his niche there. However, he’s never been OFFICIALLY counted as one of those villains, and again, in the comics, he’s still most closely tied to the Hawks, or at least the Justice League. So even though I was EXTREMELY tempted to count him on the Top 31, I felt it was still cheating.

5.     King Shark.

Our fourth and final villain who I didn’t really think counted as a Batman Villain. Just like the Clock King and Gentleman Ghost, King Shark has been in a lot of Batman-related media, but in the comics, his encounters with the Dark Knight are fairly minor. He’s real arch-foe is Aquaman, unsurprisingly. This is one of the reasons why I feel I can’t count King Shark on the main list, but the other is that I legitimately have an issue with the character: he’s constantly changing. True, comic book characters change frequently, and villains like the Mad Hatter and the Joker have undergone significant tonal shifts over the decades…but with King Shark, it seems like every single writer who uses him has a 100% different way of handling him. Sometimes he’s a strong and noble warrior; sometimes he’s a blood-hungry, animalistic monster; sometimes he’s a wisecracking psychopath; sometimes he’s actually fairly nice polite until his instincts get the better of him…heck, even his APPEARANCE changes constantly! Sometimes he’s a Great White, sometimes he’s a Hammerhead, sometimes he’s a Tiger Shark…there’s just an absolute zero for CONSISTENCY with this guy, and it drives me up the wall! In recent years, the character has become more popular, but I’ve never really been able to latch onto any version of him more than another, and I’ve never really had any strong attachment to him in general. I don’t hate the guy, I just wish people would handle him better.

6.     Maxie Zeus.

Much like Calendar Man, Maxie Zeus is one of those villains who, depending on whom you ask, they’ll either call one of the dumbest supervillains ever made, or one of the most underrated. Admittedly, between the two, I prefer Calendar Man, but there’s actually a lot of untapped potential in Zeus. The key problem with this character is essentially not his fault: he’s inspired by the campy character of King Tut from the 60s series. (He was adapted into comics himself, incidentally, but that version sucks in my opinion, and is hardly ever used…good riddance. I’ll stick to Victor Buono, thank you.) For those who don’t know, King Tut was a professor of Egyptology who, due to a mental issue, came to believe he was the reincarnation of the famous pharaoh. In Maxie Zeus’ case, he was a gentleman who came to believe he was actually the Greek God of Thunder, Zeus. Just as Tut thus embarked on a mad quest to turn Gotham into his new empire, Zeus plans to turn Gotham into his new Olympus. With such daffy inspiration, you can see why Zeus would be underestimated, and in recent years he’s often been depicted as a “joke villain” - similar to characters like Condiment King. However, in my opinion, Zeus actually CAN work as a legitimate antagonist when handled by the right people in the right way, and I even think that’s been done a couple of times. I tend to think he gets a bad rap. Still, again, there are other villains I simply like more.

7.     Orca.

Dr. Grace Balin used one of those handy-dandy super serums to transform herself into a half-killer whale, half-human hybrid, all in a plan to try and wreak havoc on her hated nemesis: a nasty woman called Camille Baden-Smythe. Dubbing herself simply “The Orca,” she began to rain destruction down upon her enemy, constantly leading to face-offs with the Dark Knight. However, at the end of her first adventure, Balin was mortally wounded, and found the only way to survive was to permanently become the Orca. Since then, the Orca has gone from vigilante to frequently more of a true villain, and still makes off-and-on appearances in comics and even spin-off comics…though, unless you count a jokey cameo in the LEGO Batman Movie, the comics have so far been her only home. I know a few people who are big fans of the character, and I actually have a soft spot for her, too. I just didn’t like her QUITE enough to include her in the Top 31.

8.     Professor Radium.

Now, chances are, even if you happen to be a major comic book fan, you’re probably wondering “Who the Heck is Professor Radium?” Don’t worry, you’re not alone in that. Professor Radium is an EXTREMELY underrated and equally extremely little-known and little-used supervillain who I actually have a personal nostalgia for. In the core comics, he was once a well-meaning scientist who wanted to use radiation-based procedures and special formulas to enhance and extend people’s lives. In a twisted paradox of fate, he wound up instead turning his skin a glowing green, and developed a “Touch of Death.” Radium, in his initial appearance, desperately tried to fix his condition, but the mixture of the accident plus his tragic situation led to him steadily going insane, and he was seemingly killed at the end of the tale. He would later return many, many years later, however, forced to resort to a life of crime due to his terrible condition. I actually found out about Professor Radium through means that are somehow even more obscure than the character himself: the Batman comic strips. Yeah, Batman had a comic strip, all the way back in the 40s, and Professor Radium was one of the few villains from the core comics to appear. (It figures.) The comic strip story was essentially a remake of his origins, but now with a darker twist: his story starts the exact same way, until Radium has a chance encounter with a man planning to commit suicide. He “helps” him with his powers, and from that point on, instead of trying to fix his condition, Professor Radium decides to use his “Touch of Death” as a “Good Samaritan.” He begins bringing the peace and bliss of death to unhappy people, so they no longer have to endure the torture and pain of life. This version, too, was seemingly killed…and since this version never appeared again (his was the last story arc in the strips, and this take never carried over into mainstream), we can presume that death was permanent. I find both takes on Professor Radium to be surprisingly tragic, complex, and fascinating villains, especially for the time period. His occasional, albeit often minor, reappearances in more recent years have helped to ensure he isn’t COMPLETELY forgotten, but I really would like to see a proper new reinvention of this villain. He’s got a lot of potential that hasn’t been fully realized.

9.     The Spook.

In the 1970s, the Spook – real name Val Kaliban – was one of Batman’s most recurring villains. In his original format, the character was a former member of the mafia with a fascination with escape tricks and illusions; after faking his own death to escape from prison, he began using this knowledge to commit crimes – everything from finding masterful ways to escape from robberies, to selling “escape insurance” to caged crooks and busting them out for a hefty fee. Starting in the 80s, the Spook began popping up with far less frequency. Attempts were made in the 90s to reimagine the character; that version had him as a nameless black ops soldier who, traumatized by a mission that went horribly wrong, actually believed himself to be a ghost. It was an interesting, radical reinvention, but it never really went anywhere; future stories would feature Val Kaliban again, and no mention has been made of that second Spook since. As of now, the character has not been seen in the mainstream since 2006, when he was seemingly killed off during the events of the storyline “Batman & Son.” However, the Spook HAS appeared in some comics from spin-offs and crossovers, and is known for – both in-universe and in reality – going long periods of time without so much as saying “Boo” before popping up once more. I personally really like this character, but I guess there are just others I like more or have more nostalgia for.

10.  Tally Man.

The much-underappreciated Tally Man is a villain who I really wish I could love more than I do, if that makes sense. This somewhat theatrical gun-for-hire came from a tragic and disturbing childhood: his family was regularly harassed by a mobster who demanded they pay protection money for some sort of debt. Eventually, the boy that became Tally Man snapped and beat the mobster to death, after the man attacked his mother for not paying him. He was sent to prison, and in the intervening time, his mother killed herself, while his sister went insane. The boy became obsessed with the idea of debts not being paid, and turned to a life of crime: he acts as a sort of agent of Karma, in his own mind, collecting “pounds of flesh” for the highest-paying crooks from their enemies, their clients, and so on. I really love the character’s design and past, but the problem lies in his actual appearances. Tally Man first appeared in the immediate aftermath of the famous “Knightfall” saga. At that time, Bruce Wayne was out of commission, and the Batmen Tally Man faced were actually people taking his place while he recuperated. To me, that’s kind of cheating; it’s not quite the same when you’re facing an Imposter Batman, if you get my meaning. After these initial appearances, Tally Man quickly descended on the ladder of villainy: he ultimately just became little more than a stooge – an average gunman with kind of a cool name, effectively a mere pawn used by more popular rogues, most notably Two-Face. Heck, even his crazy costume was eventually eliminated, as a second Tally Man took his place, and was REALLY just a normal gunman with a cool name. There was nothing about the second one that made him any different from any normal gangster character. Since then, the character has totally disappeared. Apparently there were plans for him to appear in the DCAU, but that never came to pass. I really wish the character had been used better in the comics, and I hope he makes a comeback that fixes these issues.

And that concludes my list of Honorable Mentions for my Top 31 Favorite Batman Villains! As I said before, the countdown proper starts at midnight, just in time to ring in the New Year! I’m fairly sure the first choice on the list will be quite a surprise. ;)

HINT: …I seriously don’t have a hint for the first guy, just…I’m pretty sure you’ll be in absolute DISBELIEF at who it is. That’s all I can give you for now. I’ll do better next time. XD

[wazafam]

Through the years, Bruce Wayne has become one of comics', movies', and even video-games' most beloved and favored characters as his alter-ego, Batman. The world's greatest detective has always shined as the badass vigilante with a moral code. Yet, comics have always pushed boundaries and asked themselves the question: what if?

RELATED: The Dark Knight: 5 Ways Batman And Joker Are The Best Hero-Villain Duo (& 5 Alternatives)

While not trying to copy Marvel, DC's given birth to dozens, if not hundreds, of alternative Batmen over the years. From his own universe and fellow heroes/villains to the ever-popular Elseworlds and the Dark Multiverse, alternative Batmen always seem to be popping up all over the DCU, for better or worse.

10 Batman Beyond

It wouldn't be a Batman list without mentioning the future version of Batman. In the futuristic Neo-Gotham, Bruce Wayne has given up the mantle of Batman. However, when Terry McGuinness comes across the Batcave, Bruce trains the boy to become the next Batman.

Batman Beyond ended up being an amazing animated series. Giving Terry time to grow and utilize the different gadgets and futuristic Batsuit, he took on amazingly strange villains, like Blight, Inque, and a future Joker possessing Tim Drake's body, all while under the mantle of Batman.

9 Jean-Paul Valley

Just about every Batman fan worth their salt knows of the events after "Knightfall", one of the best Batman comic arcs. After Bane broke Batman's back, Jean-Paul Valley, a university student who sees Bruce's tactics as Batman as obsolete and not as brutal as they should be, Valley took the mantel of Batman.

Equipped with a high-tech Batman suit, Valley brutally beat down Bane, took back Gotham, and declared himself its savior. After Batman healed from his injury, he fought and defeated Valley, who would later take on the name Azrael, forming an odd friendship with Black Canary and continuing his methods.

8 Jason Todd

Fans may know of Terry or Jean-Paul becoming Batman, but how many remember the time Jason Todd took the name? When Batman is presumed dead after the events of "Final Crisis," the cowl is up for grabs and somehow, Jason Todd manages to grab hold of it.

RELATED: 10 Best Villains in the Arkham Games, Ranked

Still using guns and behaving as if he's still the Red Hood, Todd was just as brutal as Jean-Paul, viciously killing criminals without mercy. Although his time as Batman was brief, with Nightwing serving as a better Batman, Todd proved that he should never again take on the mantel.

7 Vampire Batman

There have always been crazy rumors in the comics about Batman being a demon or a vampire. Of course, none of them are true ... on the main earth, that is. On "Red Rain's" earth, Batman does in fact become a vampire after a battle with Count Dracula.

Even after the count dies, Batman continues to protect Gotham as a vampire before giving in to the bloodlust after killing the Joker. Afterward, Batman became the undead, killing without remorse and throwing his code to the wind, embracing being a prince of darkness.

6 Lovecraftian Bat

Many fans assume that a vampire version of Batman is as crazy as the Elseworlds can get. It wasn't. "The Doom That Came To Gotham" is a Lovecraftian style comic written by Mike Magnolia and it turned Batman from an Urban Myth into a supernatural beast.

When the demonic Ra's Al Ghul rises from the grave, many citizens slowly begin to mutate into creatures, including Batman. By the end of the comic, Batman's able to bring down Ra's, but is stuck in the form of a massive Bat, forever protecting Gotham.

5 Elliot Ness: Batman

Mixing history and fiction is a fun concept, but it's always going to get weird. In another Elseworld, Bruce Wayne doesn't take up the mantle of Batman. Instead, Elliot Ness, in a bid to take on Al Capone, becomes the caped crusader.

RELATED: Batman: The Animated Series - 10 Villains The HBO Max Revival Should Focus On (That Aren't Joker)

It's as strange and awesome as it sounds, with Ness not even getting the name for dressing up as a bat, but rather for utilizing an actual baseball bat to beat on Capone's goons. With this strange new Batman fighting crime, Capone didn't stand a single chance.

4 The Batman Who Laughs

Beyond the typical Elseworlds and iterations who've taken up the mantle, there's always the Dark Multiverse. While there are plenty of awesome candidates, like the Devastator or Red Death, The Batman Who Laughs needs to be mentioned.

Recently, fans have felt like the Batman who became infected with Joker Toxin and became a twisted dark version of himself has been overused, even becoming a Doctor Manhatten version of himself called Darkest Knight. Despite this, The BWL is still a terrifying and intriguing version of Batman without rules or his code.

3 The Drowned

Again, there are plenty of Dark Multiverse iterations of Batman, too many to fit on one list. Yet, it's worth noting the Batman from Earth -11: Bryce Wayne, a female version of Batman who became the villain known as The Drowned.

After killing the leader of Atlantis, Aquawoman, Batwoman's world was devastated by a tsunami. Bryce was forced to resort to experimentation, changing herself into a Batman that breathed underwater and could corrupt anyone with her Dead Water. Add that to wiping out all metahumans and that's one crazy Bat.

2 Dark Claw

Crossovers are always fun, but there's always the chance they may go too far. When Marvel and DC comics joined forces to create a combined universe known as Amalgam, the craziness was elevated with the introduction of Dark Claw, a combo of Wolverine and Batman.

RELATED: 10 Best Female Batman Villains In DC Comics, Ranked

After watching his family die, Logan Wayne slowly unlocked his mutant ability and became the hero known as Dark Claw. Utilizing the Wolverine's claws and Batman detective skills, Dark Claw took on villains like the Hyena and became one of Amalgam's most popular characters.

1 Zur En Arrh

Unlike the other Batmen, Zur En Arrh is from the mind of Bruce Wayne. Originally an alien from the planet Tiano featured in Batman The Brave And The Bold, Zur En Arrh was updated for modern comics as being an alternative personality, with his flamboyant costume even being introduced to the Arkham games.

Absolutely insane, Zur En Arrh's origin is much darker than the originals. Leaving the theatre after a show, Thomas Wayne had remarked to his son that "Zorro would be locked up in Arkham" moments before the Waynes were gunned down. Those words became twisted in young Bruce's mind and gave birth to Zur En Arrh.

NEXT: Batman: 5 Ways Two-Face Is The Most Tragic Villain (& 5 Ways He's A Monster)

10 Of The Craziest Alternative Versions Of Batman | ScreenRant from https://ift.tt/3dudtMl

[aion-rsa]

The Justice Friends from Dexter’s Laboratory Deserve a Revival

https://ift.tt/3kXKHFK

I’d like to think that it’s widely accepted that 1990s animation was very good to comic book superheroes. We had a genre-changing Batman: The Animated Series, the deep and socially relevant X-Men: The Animated Series, and two expanded cartoon universes that came out of each one. But there was one superhero cartoon, neither DC or Marvel, that sticks out to me for being a bit underused and well before its time.

I want to take a second to talk about the Justice Friends.

The original two-season run of Dexter’s Laboratory not only focused on the main misadventures of the boy genius and his bratty sister Dee Dee, but it had two side-cartoons that popped up here and there. One was Dial M for Monkey, where it turned out Dexter’s lab monkey was secretly superpowered and spent his time fighting world-threatening enemies behind Dexter’s back. The other was the Justice Friends, an animated sitcom about three superheroes who shared an apartment.

The Justice Friends had only nine shorts in the show’s run outside of appearances in the main Dexter cartoons and Dial M for Monkey. Outside of a guest appearance on Powerpuff Girls in 2002 and cameos in the Cartoon Network-based knockoff of Super Smash Bros., we haven’t seen the Justice Friends in the spotlight in decades.

And man. If anyone needs a revival, it’s these guys.

The main three Justice Friends were made up of Major Glory, Val Hallen, and the Infraggable Krunk. Major Glory acted as a long-winded patriot, decked out in red, white, and blue. The metalhead Val Hallen wielded his magic electric guitar and spoke in a cross between Shakespearean English and surfer dialect. The Infraggable Krunk was a purple rage monster in torn, green pants and basically had the mind of a child.

In other words, this cartoon was a parody of Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk. It was a jab at Avengers back in a time when nobody cared about the Avengers!

In other episodes, we’d even see further members of the team. Living Bullet, despite his super-speed, was obviously designed as a take on Iron Man, down to the rectangular eyeholes. Capital G could increase his size at will like Giant Man. There was a Scarlet Witch stand-in named Miss Spell. Phan Tone was blatantly Vision.

They even had White Tiger! While Marvel does in fact have a superhero named White Tiger, this guy was a take on Black Panther. Imagine that. Coming up with a Black Panther parody for your cartoon and not knowing that this would be incredibly relevant in 20 years.

While Avengers movies are the biggest thing these days, it’s a major whiplash to remember that the 90s were a blind spot to the brand. Unless you were big into comics, the closest thing you got to a real Avengers cartoon around this time was the season of Iron Man when Force Works was a thing.

Despite all the animated Marvel crossovers, we didn’t get an actual Avengers cartoon until the very end of the ’90s going into 2000. Avengers: United They Stand was not only the last gasp of the Marvel Animated Universe, but it was a strange, strange short-lived series. It focused entirely on the B and C-list Avengers, some who still haven’t appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and treated Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor as these untouchable legends who were too special and busy to appear on the show.

The opening credits ended with a group shot, followed by a half-second pan to show the Big Three above…

I don’t think Thor ever showed up in those 13 episodes.

The Justice Friends mainly existed for two kinds of storytelling. In their own cartoons, they acted like the weird Hanna Barbera shows from the ’70s that had laugh tracks. The trio would deal with mundane sitcom stuff (visiting relative, dating situation, arguing over what to watch on TV, trying to get a good night’s sleep) with a superhero twist. For example, they would go with the TV trope of trying to DIY on fixing a toothache instead of seeing a dentist. EXCEPT it’s Krunk and while having a Dorito shard digging into his tooth will cause him intense pain, removing said tooth is nearly impossible due to his invulnerability. It’s not the kind of situation where you can just tie it to a door and slam it.

Outside of the Justice Friends cartoons, their appearances would paint them as half-competent crime-fighters most of the time. It’s there that we got their three most memorable appearances. There’s a quick fake commercial for Justice Fruit Pies starring Major Glory that’s painted as a parody to the old Hostess comic book ads from the 70s and 80s (which all late-90s kids are familiar with, right?).

In the ever-memorable Dial M for Monkey episode “Rasslor,” a cosmic wrestler voiced by Randy Savage comes to Earth and bases his judgement of humanity’s survival on whether or not their greatest heroes can best him in combat. The Justice Friends each give it a go and lose, leaving things to Monkey. Strangely, this is based on the comic Marvel Two-in-One Annual, but it’s not so much a parody as a blatant retelling with different characters. An issue of Deadpool Team-Up featuring Thing blatantly calls it out when a Randy Savage-like alien invades a wrestling show.

Then there’s “Last But Not Beast,” the original finale to Dexter’s Laboratory. This full half-hour storyline has Dexter accidentally unleash a vicious kaiju upon Japan. In the end, the creature is taken down by the joint efforts of Dexter, his family, and Monkey, but before all that, we see the Justice Friends fight the beast and lose horribly. It’s a huge comedy of errors where Capital G can only grow to a fraction of the kaiju’s height and nobody can dent the stupid thing. They’re finally done in when Krunk tries to throw the monster into space, but it doesn’t break escape velocity and instead crushes the heroes.

Read more

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While Dexter’s Laboratory came back for another two seasons later on, the Justice Friends only made one appearance. In “Dexter’s Wacky Races,” various characters from the show take part in a big Wacky Races parody and this includes a hot rod driven by the three main Justice Friends. They ultimately don’t have a lot to do in this adventure (though more than Monkey and Honeydew, who are practically forgotten about by the writers), but it’s nice to see them pop up one last time.

Five years later, Iron Man would be released in theaters and everything would change. Now the characters Major Glory, Val Hallen, and Krunk are based on are part of the most money-making movie in film history. And yet, they’re obscure footnotes in Cartoon Network’s pantheon.

When I got to talk to Rob Paulsen about the return of Animaniacs recently, I brought up my interest in seeing the Justice Friends make a comeback. Paulsen, the voice of Major Glory (describing his performance as, “a combination of Fred Baxter and Robert Stack”), seemed pretty stoked about the character and agreed that creator Genndy Tartakovsky was well ahead of the curve.

“We were having just a freaking hoot,” Paulsen remarked, “and I was looking at Genndy going, ‘Dude. You’re way younger than I am.’ He’d been, I don’t know, maybe not way younger. He’s probably 50 now. But I said, ‘This is very hip. I mean, you’re just Marveling out.’”

But would a Justice Friends revival truly work in this decade? I mean, can you imagine a show in this day and age about comedic superheroes coexisting as dysfunctional roommates when they aren’t being semi-competent in saving the day? How could such a show be a success and—

Wait a second…

Huh.

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

Well. At least if they brought back Justice Friends we won’t have people moaning about how it’s been turned into an atrocity compared to the source material.

The post The Justice Friends from Dexter’s Laboratory Deserve a Revival appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2HmHeCP

[marybatson]

Billy Batson is a teenager who becomes Captain Marvel, the World's Mightiest Mortal. Granted access to incredible powers by the wizard Shazam, he speaks the wizard's name and is struck by a lightning bolt that gives him the powers of the gods. He has been a member of the Justice League, Justice Society, Marvel Family and Squadron of Justice. Captain Marvel was created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker for publication in Fawcett Comics, and is now owned by DC Comics.

CLICK FOR STATIC PAGE

What’s happening in current continuity?  (as of fall 2022 to spring 2023)

Billy will feature in his own solo Shazam title sometime in 2023, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Dan Mora.

Mary Bromfield is the current Shazam titleholder on earth as seen in The New Champion of Shazam! (2022). 

Simultaneously, Black Adam is finding a new successor in Malik White in Black Adam (2022), creating the first new Black Adam family member since post-Crisis!

The new Lazarus Planet event in 2023 will feature members of the family along different storylines.

STARRED TITLES (★) FOR READERS INTERESTED IN BASICS 

FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS (Golden Age, 1940-1950s)

WHIZ Comics (1940) | First appearance and adventures!

Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) | Extended run of WHIZ Comics.

America’s Greatest Comics (1941) | More standalone stories.

The Marvel Family (1945) | The entire family comes together for their own series.

Shazam!: A Celebration of 75 Years | An anniversary anthology. Not actually a run/series or is it essential to read but I thought it gave good summaries in bulk for the overarching Captain Marvel history.

CW: As stated in this post listing other classic Marvel Family comics, a few of these issues have depictions of racial caricatures relative to the time period.

PRE-CRISIS (1973-1986)

Shazam! (1973) | Captain Marvel and all Fawcett characters become property of DC Comics in 1973. This is the beginning of his origin in pre-crisis.

World’s Finest Comics (1941) ★ | Captain Marvel first appearances with Superman, Batman, and company during the 70s-80s.

POST-CRISIS (1986-2011)

Legends (1986) ★ | With Darkseid's attempt at turning humanity against its heroes, Captain Marvel is set up for the murder of cyborg villain Macro-Man. Sudden outcry and blame is directed at the hero, who swears to never become Captain Marvel again.

Shazam!: The New Beginning (1987) | The new Billy Batson origin after the Crisis events.

The Power of Shazam! (1994) ★ | The first graphic novel that kickstarted the series. Probably my topmost favorite depiction of Captain Marvel.

The Power of Shazam! (1995) ★ | The best starter introduction series for Captain Marvel by Jerry Ordway, who does well establishing the Marvel origin into DC continuity. Highly recommended if you want an all-encompassing primer to the modern day Marvel Family!

Underworld Unleashed (1995) ★ | A story where Neron, a demon lord from hell, goes around offering both villains and heroes alike deals in exchange for their souls. He sets his aim on Captain Marvel.

Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil (2007) | An origin retelling. This aligns to most people’s image of Billy-the-street-orphan-who’s-like-7-probably. Mr. Mind’s final form is pretty Evangelion-level freaky and Mary is affectionately microscopic-sized.

Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam! (2008) | A continuation of Monster Society as a series and really fun even if it’s for kids!

Shazam! Power of Hope (2000) ★ | A short comic on the essence of Captain Marvel. If you only had time to read one issue among any of these, I recommend this one.

JLA (1997) | Featured in #28-#31. Captain Marvel aids the JLA as they fight off beings from the 5th dimension.

JLA: World Without Grown-Ups (1998) | A Young Justice mini-series about kids all over the world waking to a world where adults don’t exist. Cameos Mary and Freddy, and ultimately Billy/Captain Marvel plays a role in saving the day.

JSA (1999) ★ | Specific introduction around #26. Captain Marvel becomes a member of the JSA, initially to help ease Black Adam into the team.

Superman/Shazam: First Thunder (2005) | His one of many infamous team-ups with Superman.

Reading late 2000s events like Final Crisis and those that lead up to the 52 event are also recommended, but not really necessary. 

THE NEW 52 (2011-2016)

Shazam! (2013) | Geoff Johns’ reintroduction of the Shazam lore into New 52, following the events of JSA and 52.

Justice League (2011) |  Captain Marvel’s hero name was shifted to Shazam in this era. He was included in the events of Trinity War and Darkseid War.

REBIRTH (2016-Present)

Shazam! (2019) | Billy lives with the Vasquez family along with Freddy, Mary, Eugene, Pedro, and Darla. The power is shared among the six.

Teen Titans Academy (2021) | Billy and his family have lost their powers and attends Teen Titans Academy to determine why.

Shazam! (2021) | A four-issue run of Billy’s Teen Titans Academy arc as he journeys through the underworld to recover the power. Features Future State!Black Adam and characters from Teen Titans Academy.

I recommend reading these if you simply wish to keep up with the new and ongoing Shazam family books.

MULTIVERSE/OUT OF CURRENT CONTINUITY

Convergence: Shazam! | It combines classic with modern very well. The art and characterization is very nostalgic. Good primer for a modern take on the classic Marvel Family.

The Multiversity: Thunderworld Adventures | Takes place in a world apart from the DCU. Sivana stars as the main villain!

Drew @daydreamerdrew​​ curated a lengthy list of Marvel Family appearances in outside continuities here!

PRE-CRISIS

Action Comics #583, 675, 690, 692, 720, 768, 782, 800, 804, 826, 829

Wonder Woman Vol 2 #8, 59, 62, 126, 165, 173, 175, 188, 2120

World's Finest #253-260, 262-270, 273-276, 278, 280-282

Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, 7, 10-12

POST-CRISIS

Justice League of America (2006) #0, 1, 7, 43, 50, 54

Justice (2007) #1, 6, 8, 9,12

Justice League International (1987) #1-6

JLA: Classified (2005) #5, 8, 9, 44

JLA (1997) #14, 26, 28-31, 39, 41, 69, 76, 112, 113, 120

JSA (1999) #26, 27, 33-37, 40-52, 54, 59, 60, 73-75, 78

Black Adam: The Dark Age (2007) #1, 2, 4, 5

Day of Judgement & Day of Vengance

Countdown to Final Crisis (2007) #20, 41, 43-45

Countdown #38, 43, 44, 51

52 (2006) #6, 11, 12, 16, 43, 45, 50

Genesis (1997)

THE NEW 52 + REBIRTH

The New 52: Futures End (2014) #2, 6, 8-11, 15-19, 22, 25, 28, 36-42, 45, 47, 48

Justice League (2012) #0, 7-12, 14-16, 18-23, 30-36, 38, 39, 41-52

Justice League of America (2013) Vol 3 #6, 7.4, 8-11, 13, 14

Justice League Dark (2011) #22, 23

Cyborg (2015) #1, 3, 6, 8-10

MULTIVERSE/OUT OF CURRENT CONTINUITY

Kingdom Come (1996) #2, 3, 4

Injustice: Ground Zero #1, 9-12, 20, 21

Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Two #9-12, 16, 22

Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Three #5, 8-10, 13, 16-24

Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Four #1-3, 5, 11-15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24

Here is a quick list of post-Crisis and Rebirth runs featuring Captain Marvel/Shazam. I state that these might be my favorites, but over the years I admit I’ve fluctuated a bit. Regardless, these contain much of the modern depictions of Billy Batson in the last 20 years or so!

These are only some of the many features Billy has had in comics across the board, but the ones I’ve listed should be enough to get you a good grasp on his character! You can also check out the Wiki or ComicVine for more listed appearances. The Comic Book Reading Orders website has another easily accessible guide, though only until Rebirth.

[tessatechaitea]

Eclipso #1

Remember the early 90s when DC desperately tried to make Eclipso a serious threat?

Okay. Motivation spelled out pretty clearly on the third page.

According to this comic book, Eclipso killed the dove Noah sent out of the ark that time it never returned. This comic book doesn't mention the raven that Noah sent out and then refused to let back on the ark even though it was trying to warn him of the psychopathic asshole wading through the receding waters waiting to murder everybody on the ark. Does that mean Eclipso has some kind of relationship with God? Maybe Eclipso is the one who created the flood because God promised him everything would die in it. And then God fucking betrayed Eclipso and allowed a whole bunch of creatures to survive. Although the most probably explanation of this moment is that Giffen and Fleming needed a quick way to portray Eclipso as some kind of legendary evil. What better way than to make him practically immortal and associate him with the greatest massacre in the "history" of mankind (perpetrated by fucking God himself, the diabolical monster!)? In the present, Eclipso has taken possession of a South American guy with a grudge against his village. He was cast out for unknown reasons (probably really fucking good reasons!) but it was enough of an excuse for Eclipso to possess him to grant him vengeance. So I guess that's Eclipso's thing, just like I speculated based on the cover pretty much telling me exactly that. I'm good at understanding! Eclipso possesses people so that they can get revenge then helps them murder as many people as possible so that everything will eventually be killed. But can Eclipso really kill everybody on Earth during the finite amount of time during eclipses? I bet more babies are born during an eclipse than Eclipso can kill! As Eclipso thinks about his recent past, the editor makes sure the readers know he's talking about the big blockbuster Eclipso event in the annuals. But he also mentions something that happened in Valor #1 and my initial reaction was, "Like fuck I'm going to read that." My second reaction was, "I'm pretty sure I own that comic book and it's in the current stack of old comic books to read." I hate myself. Eclipso discovers that the people of the village he just murdered have stockpiled tons of cocaine. So now he's going to run a criminal drug enterprise to fund his murder spree. I suppose he can possess more than one person at a time with the use of his black diamonds. And I think he can continue to possess them even if there's no eclipse? But if that's the case, why the fucking stupid name? Maybe he's just more powerful during an eclipse. Or maybe the only way somebody can shake his possessing spirit is by exposure to sunlight. So he's really just kind of a shitty vampire. Eclipso gives a little Eclipso history lesson for the newer readers.

"The dark side of the moon" doesn't actually mean it never gets sunlight, you stupid turd. The entire concept of his name comes from an event where "the dark side of the moon" is bathed in sunlight!

It could be I'm not parsing Eclipso's speech correctly. Maybe he means that by being banished to the dark side of the moon, he was forever having to hid from the sun whenever the dark side was turned toward the sun. Maybe he means he wasn't susceptible to sunlight until he was banished to the dark side of the moon. But then the assumption, I think, is that he was in the dark for so long that sunlight became his greatest weakness. There's a few possible interpretations here and while some people might like to give Giffen and Fleming the benefit of the doubt, I would rather rake them over the coals and call them fucking idiots. Fucking idiots. Eclipso abandons his possessed man in the hopes that the black diamond will pass on to The Count, the man who was using them to grow and process the cocaine. In works and The Count is an angry man who easily falls victim to the darkness in his heart. Now Eclipso is the kingpin in an international drug smuggling operation. Seems like a weird and boring place to start his super villain career but maybe drug smuggling stories weren't as played out in 1992 as they seem to be today. Or are they? People fucking still eat that shit up, don't they?! Eclipso murders The Count's wife just in case any readers weren't sure if they should root for him or not. Certain readers almost certainly only began rooting for him after he threw The Count's wife out of the second story window. Here at Eee! Tess Ate Chai Tea, we prefer to pretend that those kinds of readers don't exist. Oh, sure, sometimes I'll reference them if I want to mock their weaselly little beta cuck beliefs. Mostly though, I only remember they exist when one of them becomes irate because I called Deathstroke a pedophile. Imagine that being the thing I wrote that finally crossed a line for you! Eclipso kills all of the drug lord's bodyguards and then takes over the town's sheriff when he stops by to investigate. The sheriff kills all of the cops so now I guess Eclipso has nearly conquered the South American country of Parador? What a dumb fake country name! I would have gone with Uruzil. The next issue blurb just says "Eclipso for president." Man, that sounds like a dream compared to what we have now. Eclipso #1 Rating: C-. I'm not impressed. Apparently in 1992, I was impressed enough to keep buying it. Or I was just intrigued by a comic book about a brutal villain. Either way, I kept buying it even after this mediocre start. Maybe I was supposed to be impressed by the way Eclipso sort of rules the minds of these men from between the panels. Or maybe I was supposed to appreciate his dark humor in the narration. At least I think it was dark humor. He did say "Not!" at one point. That was funny in 1992, right?

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of March 27th, 2019

Best of this Week: Detective Comics #1000 - Various Writers and Artists

Possibly more controversial than I'm thinking it'll be, I'm glad Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo did the job of reintroducing Slam Bradley into the DC Universe. Slam Bradley, of course the way I choose to remember him, was one of DC's first characters and the precursor design to modern day Superman. He was a 1930s dick (detective in this case) who made his name in infamy with racist depictions of Chinese people being swung by their braids with toothy grins. He's likely the reason DC won't reprint some of the early Detective Comics works in a compendium.

This is without a doubt, a great celebration for one of the greatest comic book characters of all time, if not THE greatest. The difficulty in reviewing something like this, much like Action Comics #1000 (if I reviewed that one, I don't remember) is that so many stories have their ups and downs, hits or misses and there's so much ground. But some of these were so good that this book is getting an entry all on it's own this week.

He's been made better in recent years with a badass run as a side character in Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman (2001) as a cool former police officer with a son by the name of Slam Jr. on the force. He was probably some of the best parts of his short time there and was very compelling in interactions with Selina.

Kevin Smith and Jim Lee have arguably done some of the best and WORST Batman projects ever, but through the good and the bad, both have immense talent and their tale “Manufacture for Use” added a beautiful layer to the significance of the metal plate that his emblem is made out of.

The book is simple enough, a montage of Batman fighting his greatest villains shows in the background while his alter ego, Matches Malone, has a conversation with a merchant peddling in the various pieces of gear left by villains. He has Harley hammers, crazy quilts and even freeze guns, but there's only one weapon Malone is interested in; The Gun belonging to Joe Chill. The weapon that killed The Wayne Family.

He and others had been leaving Batman clues since his first days as a hero to have him join a guild of detectives, solving unsolvable or very difficult cases and knowing that Slam is one of the detectives along with Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, The Question, Detective Chimp, Elongated Man and his wife, Sue Dibny is relieving and fantastic.

I'm glad DC hasn't shied away from him given his past history. Even his inclusion in Superman of China based on his former character, warts and all, seemed like DC was kinda ashamed of it, but here he is, as awesome as he was later in life!

Upon seeing it, Alfred questions why Bruce would keep it as a trophy, nothing the ridiculousness of The Penny and the Dinosaur, he sees the gun as strange or even perverse. Batman, however, wishes to never see it cause anyone pain again, melting and forming it into an oval adorned with the symbol of a Bat.

Batman has dedicated his life to stopping crime in Gotham at all costs, but not everyone see his methods as being right or just. Doctor Leslie Thompkins has been looking over Bruce since his parent’s murder and oped that he would take his pain and do something productive with it, actually fix Gotham, but instead she sees how vengeance has consumed him, turning him into something of a violent monster himself and she’s not wrong. They meet each other on the anniversary of his parent’s murder in Crime Alley and are beset upon by a group of teenagers whom Batman viciously slaps the hell out of. Dr. Thompkins stops him out of fear and Batman looks like the real villain here.

If that isn't chilling...

Brian Michael Bendis is a GREAT Batman writer. Checking out his 15 pages in the Batman Walmart 100 Page Giants, much like Daredevil, Batman is a character that is PERFECT for him. “I Know” drawn by frequent Bendis collaborator, Alex Maleev, is amazing. Penguin started becoming disillusioned with the meetings put together by villains like The Joker on how to finally get rid of The Batman, Penguin begins to muse about who had the money to fund Batman. I believe he proposed the idea to the others, but they all shot him down, citing times Batman showed up when Bruce was a hostage or how he “blubbered like a baby.”

Penguin didn’t let it go, however, and prepared Suicide Bomb Penguins to attack Wayne Manor while Bruce was hosting a ton of high profile Gothamites. It would have been the end of Bruce Wayne.

Warren Ellis writes some very character driven stories, but when he has to get technical, he is a master as good as any. In “The Batman’s Design” he goes over Batman’s methodology when taking on criminals, treating things like a chess game that he’s already won. He leads the criminals to a trap and plays them like a fiddle, setting off an explosion that knock out or send some flying, determining a sniper’s location and just being so terrifying that the leader just hands him a bomb switch before his ass gets destroyed.

Becky Cloonan does a great job of alternating between cool and warm tones for when Batman is in the shadows vs contending with explosions he’s setting off. Batman looks slim, but imposing regardless. This is definitely some of her best art so far!

Now… if you ask any of my friends from when I was in The Navy, they’ll tell you about how I waited in line for Batman: The Arkham Knight. I was excited. I was elated. The conclusion to an amazing trilogy of games that shaped a newfound love for the character for me! And it bloody sucked. I HATE Arkham Knight with a passion. If it’s not The Batmobile, it’s the Joker, if not the Joker, it’s the Knight himself, if not him, then Scarecrow as the shitty final villain.

I really loved the noir tone that was set by Elizabeth Breitweiser’s colors over Steve Epting’s art. Things are very dark and cool. Batman is shrouded in shadow and Doctor Thompkins acts as a small light by comparison. There is great contrast when action happens with warm tones as Batman slaps the teens and Batman standing in the shadows as Leslie and the kids are under the one light is powerful.

Suffice to say, I was not pleased when it was said that The Arkham Knight would finally be appearing in comics different than his video game counterpart, but… I dunno, I kinda like him here.

His characterization seems to be that of someone who has lived in Gotham and has seen Batman’s methods of treating the poor citizens, the weak and the sick. He sees Batman as a cancer, a darkness that needs to be exterminated for Gotham to truly thrive. The best thing, there’s precedent for this kind of character.

One of the first few arcs for Detective Comics involved a cool set of villains known as The Victim Syndicate, people who have been hurt or grievously injured in Batman’s relentless pursuit of crime. These guys put Batman’s team through the ringer, almost turning Stephanie Brown against him completely as Tim Drake had been presumed dead at the time. Another casualty of war. If I remember right, The First Victim noted that there was someone or something coming for Batman soon and if that’s the Arkham KNight, then I am excited.

The Victim Syndicate was one of James Tynion IV’s best ideas during his run and I really hope whoever the creative team is for Detective Comics thus forth lives up to the quality. Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke are both amazing, so I have high hopes if its them.

But Penguin had an epiphany. Ending Bruce Wayne would not end Batman. Batman would become focused. Driven. Possibly to the point of killing. Bruce Wayne is the only thing keeping these villains alive, so Penguin relents and never reveals what he believes he knows, until years later when Bruce is old and mute… but who says that Bruce has lost a step? He zaps Penguin who is taken away as Bruce tells him that he knew, pretty much calling him a “coward ass bitch” as he’s taken away.

Overall, while there were few misses, this collection of stories had great ideas, great characterization, heart and was just fantastic. Looking forward to another 80 years!

This one was just cute. The Batfamily interacts with each other and take a FANTASTIC family photo drawn by Tony S. Daniel. Starring, Batman, Alfred, Nightwing, Batgirl, “Robin” Damian Wayne, Red Hood, Batwoman, Catwoman, “(Red) Robin” Tim Drake, Spoiler, The Signal, Cassandra Cain Ace the Bathound and Huntress. It’s a well put together double splash page and everyone, even Bruce seems happy.

[fred-frederator-studios]

Arlen Schumer: The Frederator Interview  

Arlen Schumer is the designer and illustrator of our Frederator Fredbot, the robot that’s inspired so many variations.

You read that right.

We all hear so much from fans about our “red robot” that I thought the time was right for Arlen to design something for us again, 20 some-odd years after his first.

So here it is! The 2019 Frederator New Year’s poster. (You can see some of the poster’s development work here.)

Arlen’s not only a fantastic artist/designer, but he’s a prolific pop culture historian with some great books and essays to his name, and a thriving lecture series on some of the famous (and even more unsung heroes) of comic book art.

How did Arlen Schumer come to Frederator? And how did Arlen come to art, specifically, comic book art? As you can read below, he and I have known each other and worked together for several years, even pre-Frederator.

All this and more, in the first Frederator interview of 2019.

Hi Arlen. When did you start drawing? 

I grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, a great place in the early-mid ‘60s, with equal parts bucolic American suburbia and small-town Rockwellian, pop culture ambiance—everything from an uber-Jewish deli like Petak’s to Plaza Toy & Stationery, which had a classic 20th Century soda fountain: it was there, after school, that I read all the comic books of my youth while drinking chocolate egg creams (with a pretzel log, natch). And because Fair Lawn, like all of New Jersey, was in the shadow of New York City, I grew up on all that pop culture through television, not just the 3 networks but the 3 local stations that showed everything from the old Universal monster movies to The Little Rascals to The Three Stooges to the George Reeves Superman TV series.

One of those local TV shows, a children’s show called Diver Dan, which was filmed in black & white to look like it took place underwater—the actor, in a deep-sea diver’s suit (with a helmet that never revealed his face, so he was like a superhero), walked slowly like he was underwater, surrounded by pop fish hanging by wires—triggered my interest in drawing, as I watched my brother draw him first, and copied him. I’ve been drawing ever since!

What was the first comic you fell in love with?

Giant Superman Annual #7 (Summer ’63): Not only is its cover the hands-down greatest of all the great multiple-panel Superman Annual covers that Superman Artist of the Baby Boom Generation (and my first favorite artist) Curt Swan drew in the ‘60s—not only does it feature perhaps the greatest single Superman figure ever rendered by Swan (in pencil; head of DC coloring Jack Adler did the hand-painted grey wash tones over it) or any Superman artist, before or since—but it is the first comic book cover I can recall ever seeing, when I was five years old, in summer camp that year. What an image to come into the wonderful world of comics by!

What was your first professional job as an artist?

My summer job between freshman and sophomore years at art school (Rhode Island School of Design), creating black & white line illustrations for a t-shirt silkscreening company in Fair Lawn.

I know that you count Neal Adams as a primary mentor? Were there any others?

Neal Adams was one of two Gods of Comic Book Art in the late-‘60s: the other was Jim Steranko, who was described as the Jimi Hendrix of comics, because Steranko’s career was as meteoric in its rise, and as short-lived. Though Steranko didn’t die in ’70 like Hendrix, that’s when he left Marvel Comics after less than 4 years of explosive and experimental works—and, like Hendrix, his impact on both the art form and its audience was in converse proportion to the relatively small amount of work he turned out. In particular, Steranko’s design sense and typographic talents were a tremendous influence on my choosing to major in Graphic Design at RISD.

It was sometime in my junior year there that I must’ve written Steranko a fanboy letter, gushing about those very things—and much to my shock and surprise, he wrote me back, inviting me to come see him in his home/studio in Reading, PA! So I took a bus from Providence, RI to Reading, and spent the day with Steranko—except I barely remember a thing about it! Why? Because I think I was having a Dr. Strange-like ectoplasmic out-of-body experience the whole time I was with him—I, a fan, spending quality time with one of the Twin Gods of Comics!!!

He wanted me to leave RISD and begin working with him as his apprentice! I couldn’t believe what he was offering me; I remember the bus ride back to Providence in a daze, feeling the utter cliché come to life of my future like the road in front of me: I could either stay on the main highway of getting my college degree, or take that exit ramp and join the circus! What do you think I did?

I stayed in school and got my diploma a year later. Had it been freshman year, maybe I would have left; but not when I was a year away from matriculating—not to mention honoring my mom’s sacrifice of putting me through school financially. But I’ve remained in touch with Steranko ever since, and feel both fortunate and unique, that I am the only fanboy who grew up to not only work for one of the Twin Gods of Comics (I ended up working for Neal Adams 3 years after I graduated from RISD), but almost worked for the other, too!

And then, Fred, there was—YOU! You were one of the first great professionals I met/interviewed with after I graduated from RISD and moved to New York City, when you were still at Warner-Amex having just created the MTV always-changing logo [actually it was Manhattan Design; I was the company creative director]. You impressed me as someone who was “real,” who didn’t hide behind a phony “professional” mask. We stayed in touch after that, and you gave me my first real breakout illustration job when I went solo as a freelancer a few years later, designing and illustrating an animated 30-second spot for a radio station, working with Colossal Pictures in LA (who later became Pixar)—and a NY metro-area billboard to go along with it!

Since then, we’ve done a bunch of great things together, up to and including this Frederator poster! And I’ve watched you wade through your own career waters as a multi-dimensional leading man, wearing so many different hats over the years—the decades—which has inspired me to cultivate my own Renaissance Man attributes. I’ve always described you to others as a mensch, the ultimate New York pro who’s got a great big beautiful heart an d soul to match his creative mind. If I could ever be described that way one day, I would consider that to be the highest compliment I could ever receive!

How about the mentors that you never met?

My father died when I was only four months old; my mother raised my older brother (by a year and a half) and I herself. Neither of my grandfathers was alive, and, though I had a handful of uncles, I would only see them a few times a year at family gatherings. So I had to find surrogate father figures elsewhere—and I found them in the American Pop Culture I grew up with in the’60s, in roughly this chronological order: Sean Connery’s James Bond, my first idealized masculine role model (the first movie I ever recall seeing, when I was around four-five years old, was Dr. No, the first Connery Bond, at a drive-in theater); Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling, a pop prophet of moral righteousness in the vast television wasteland, looking cool as all get-out in those incredibly tight TZ introductions—all of my artworks based on the series can be seen as my ways of honoring Serling’s legacy as a son would honor his father’s; and the superheroes in comic books, first and foremost Superman and Batman (the Yin-Yang of the genre), pseudo-paternally teaching me right from wrong, good from evil, and standing up and fighting for one’s beliefs. These are the things I suppose sons learn from the fathers, as well as their religious and academic authority figures. But “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Comic Books”!

You've published a few pop culture histories, and given countless lectures on various great, neglected figures. What got you started as an historian?

I don’t know how any artist in any genre or medium, if they truly love their work, cannot also be equally-interested in the history of that art form. When Keith Richards plays any of his classic Rolling Stones licks, he knows which black bluesman he nicked it from; filmmakers like Spielberg and Scorsese know the history of film like they know their own films. And the history of comics is as rich in artistic triumphs (and personal tragedies) as the histories of the other major 20th Century art/entertainments: film, television, popular music and rock and roll.

When I was a senior at RISD, for my degree project, I toyed with designing an exhibit of comic book art, and when I went looking for a theme, the only subject that seemed both worthwhile of my passion for the material and deep enough for the demands of the assignment was one based on the comics I grew up with in the 1960s, and the artists who drew them, the twin founts from which I drew the inspiration to become an artist. Though I never did that exhibit (I ended up doing a giant autobiographical photo-comic instead), I kept the ideas and images that I gathered, in the hopes that one day I’d use them in some other form. Many of those 1979 layouts are the same ones I’ve used in my book published in 2003, The Silver Age of Comic Book Art; its introduction, in which I place the images and ideas encountered throughout the book in a socio-political, historical framework, is composed of essentially the identical concepts from my aborted exhibit idea.

The idea to do a book instead on this period of comic book history goes back even further, to 1970, when Jim Steranko, on the heels of his amazing barnstorming stint at Marvel Comics, wrote, designed and published the first of his twin-volume History of Comics, which remain the best books of their kind, and were—and continue to be—a source of inspiration. Except they were about The Golden Age of Comics (circa 1938-1950), the period Steranko grew up with and was affected by, not The Silver Age of Comics (circa 1956-1972) that I, and the entire Baby Boom Generation, was turned on to.

Steranko himself might have been inspired by the first great book about comic book history, Jules Feiffer’s 1965 The Great Comic Book Heroes, even though it’s more of a handful of wonderfully written, witty essays on specific Golden Age superheroes Feiffer followed avidly as a boy, accompanied by reprints of the origins or earliest adventures of those heroes. Feiffer may not have realized what it was like to be an 8-year old comic book fan in 1966 and hear that there was actually a book in the Fair Lawn public library about comics!

How did you come to design the Fredbot?

When you asked me to come up with my take on the classic Japanese-influenced sci-fi trope of the giant-monster-attacks-the-tiny-people back in 1997 for your first Frederator brand image—but make it a robot, and make it look like you [I don’t remember this last part], to boot—I immediately thought of the animated robot Gigantor, one of the first Japanese anime to reach American shores in the wake of the Batman TV series in 1966. Once I started drawing my version of Big G, it was a no-brainer to add the distinctive Seibert horned-rim eyeglasses, topped by the equally-distinctive Seibert eyebrows, and voila! Fredbot!

OK, I know you love Bruce Springsteen. How come?

I believe there are Four Pillars of Rock & Roll, in roughly chronological order: Elvis, Dylan, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix, representing the greatest voice, lyrics, band, and guitar; hence, The Four Pillars.

Like Elvis, Bruce is a singular, dynamic presence with a commanding vocal power; his lyrics and songs have stood the test of time and made him the only one of the many “new Dylans” to actually live up to the label, living a true, real rock & roll life while writing it down, The Great American Novel but on records, great American songs chronicling not only his life and career, but that of the postwar generation that has come of age with him, timeless anthems like “Born To Run,” “Thunder Road” and “Born in the USA,” just to mention three of his greatest hits; with The E Street Band, Bruce captured the sheer joy, enthusiasm and positive energy of the early Beatles; and, like Hendrix and any of the other guitar gods—Clapton, Page, Van Halen, The Edge—Bruce has played searing, soulful, melodic leads with the best of them.

But Bruce isn’t one of those rock & roll pillars—he’s the rock & roll roof built over them, the complete rock & roller, putting it all together as no one has before. Bruce Springsteen is, quite simply, the promise of rock & roll...delivered.

His uncompromising and unparalleled creativity, body of work, attitude, and performance and work ethic have been an inspiration to me since I first heard the song “Born to Run” over a tinny AM car radio when I was 17 years old in the summer of ’75. Especially when I lecture, I employ what I call the “Springsteen Performing Style,” which is to give your 110% all to your audience, whether it’s 10 people or 10,000 people.

Bruce is also a bonafide moral leader for our age, doing what a true leader should be doing: living his life by example, and using it to inspire and exhort others to do the same.

He is the true President of the United States.

Thanks for the interview Arlen. And of course, thanks for the Fredbot! Happy New Year!

[anne-iero-way-blog]

Domestic Frerard One-Shot #1 (Actually the first Chapter of a Fanfic I’m Writing)

Um, hi. I guess. I mean, that's how you talk to someone, right? Start with a simple "hi".

I'm Anne Iero-Way, and my dads are gay. Wow. It rhymes. But I'm serious. My dads are Frank Iero and Gerard Way, members of the world's greatest band, My Chemical Romance. Somehow, Frank got Gee pregnant, and I was born.

Anyway, I'm twelve, I have bright red hair (which I dyed without permission), hazel eyes, pale skin, and my locker is #708, so if you find this, you better give it to me or fucking tape it to my locker before I set all of my family's dogs on you. Trust me, we own A LOT of dogs.

Today has been a normal day so far. A few pricks here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary, though I did get a few dirty looks since I missed school for a week.

Anyway, I want to bitch slap this girl in my history class. She showed her friends some pictures of an older guy she thought was hot. She found his profile on Instagram. At first I was uninterested, but I eventually went to see who she was talking about.

I was so fucking shocked. She was talking about my uncle Mikey. My uncle, who she talked shit about simply because he was my uncle. My uncle Mikey, who I had gone to visit for a week. Oh, right. I forgot to tell you that's the reason I wasn't at school.

Since my dads and I are currently in LA, I've been able to see my aunt Avril more. Well, she's not really my aunt, but I got lost in one of her concerts when I was seven. I met her, and she was really nice. She even helped me find my dads. I'm going to a magic shop with her tomorrow.

You know what, it's weird to say my dads' names. I'm going to start calling Frank dad, and Gerard mum. Well, when I'm not around him, anyway. I don't think he'd like it very much.

Here's for hoping I find something cool tomorrow.

xoanne

Anne set both her pencil and her paper blog thingy on her bedside table. After that, she read a few fanfictions on her phone before turning it off and plugging it in to charge.

She checked the time before crawling back into bed. 3:28 in the morning. She'd be getting only about two hours of sleep. Two and a half if her brain decided it wanted a break, which probably wouldn't happen. Oh well. She could always grab some coffee before school.

Anne hardly ever drank coffee, besides frappuccinos, because damn that shit was good. But relying on caffeine for a day couldn't be too bad, could it? She already drank energy drinks on a regular basis when her dads weren't there, and Gerard did it all the time. She closed her eyes, hugged her Super Sons pillow (she loves DC, deal with it), and slept.

~

"AC, time for school!" Frank called from downstairs. AC was what Frank and Gerard called Anne, since her name was Anne Crimson, but none of Anne's friends knew her middle name. The nickname was also used by the adults she normally associated with (Mikey, Ray, Avril, Brendon, Melanie, etc), but it was mostly used around the house.

Anne hurried down the stairs, her black backpack slung over her right shoulder as she pulled on some leather fingerless gloves.

Gerard and Frank were subtly flirting and making breakfast together when Anne got to the kitchen. Once they sat down, the family of three talked about the potential MCR reunion. Gerard had pancakes with a side of egg whites, while Frank ate a spinach omelette and Anne practically devoured a Parmesan bagel. What? Cheese is good.

"Well, I gotta go. I need to talk to the UA crew," Gerard said, standing up from his chair. He grabbed his bag and hugged Anne before going up to Frank and kissing him. He was about to pull away, but Frank wouldn't let him, and the kiss quickly turned into a full-on make out session.

Anne slowly backed out of the dining room and went into the room where her dads kept the alcohol and all the drinks she wasn't allowed to have. As she reached for a can of Monster, she heard Gerard moan, and was grateful she had an excuse to leave.

After spending a good ten minutes drinking the can, she tossed it into the recycling bin in the corner and headed towards the back door. By the time she got there, Frank and Gerard had ended their lip war. Gerard was running a hand through his messy red hair, trying to smooth it down before he left.

"Goodbye, m- I mean, dad. See ya later. Oh, and remember, I'm going to the magic shop downtown with Avril later," Anne told Gerard as he opened the door. Gerard put a quick kiss on her forehead before exiting the house.

"Bye, AC. Don't do any stupid shit, alright," Gerard said with a giggle as he climbed into his black car.

[doctorwhotodayofficial]

NEWS: Chris Chibnall wants to make this very clear! - There are no old monsters in the new series!

Getting tired of repeating himself, Chris told Radio Times: “There are no [Daleks]! I don’t know how many times I need to say it. There are no old monsters this series. OK? I think, you can’t as a showrunner coming in, you can’t really define it against the past. Like, that’s what [the press] will do, but it’s actually not for me to come in and go ‘Where am I going to place this in relation to the Hartnell era, or the Hinchcliff era, or Peter Davison. It’s not about that. It’s about going ‘Ah, what stories do I want to tell? What’s happening in the world? What’s happening in film and television? And how does Doctor Who sit at the forefront of that? I just wanted us to feel like we were moving forward.”

He then went on to say, “This is Doctor Who in an era of Netflix – you’ve got to keep up. You’ve got to keep up with Black Mirror, you’ve got to keep up with all the DC shows in the US. So it’s just making sure it’s fit for purpose. I think you tell great stories with great actors. And you tell stories that feel resonant to people’s lives. I mean, Doctor Who is the single greatest idea anybody’s ever had in the history of television, so just make that, really, and make it to the best of your ability.”

[comingupforblair]

I don’t know if I’m going to keep defending the DCEU as vocally as I have.

I still love the films and remain excited for the future but I feel like I’m just saying the same things over and over again to people and it’s becoming clear that it’s like talking to a brick wall. Actually it isn’t because the possibility of a wall becoming sentient and engaging in reasonable discourse is more likely than some of these people getting off this bent of ‘’Zack Snyder is history’s greatest monster and DCEU fans are delusional and worse than nazi’s”.

I don’t think I’m going to change anyone’s minds so I don’t see a point in trying anymore. The films are going to keep going regardless and I don’t see much point in continuing to slam my head against a wall trying to get people to ease up on their vitriol or maybe, just maybe, see that DCEU fans aren’t ‘’delusional’’ or blind advocates of of anything and everything DC related and refuse to hear a bad word against the films ever. Maybe we’re just fans who love something as much as they love the MCU or whatever else they like. I’m fucking exhausted dealing with the seemingly never-ending shit that comes with being a fan of this franchise. I just want to enjoy the films in peace.

I don’t think I’ve made any difference so it’s feeling pointless to keep trying, not when it requires dealing with people who are often just unbearable to interact with.

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/3yQNVBv #

While Booster Gold may be one of the more self-serving members of the Justice League, when Michael Jon Carter learned of one of the greatest threats the DC Universe ever faced, the golden glory hound pulled off a death and resurrection way bigger than Superman‘s – and he didn’t even advertise. Booster Gold is typically portrayed as a guy who’ll do anything for a quick buck. While he was always a true hero underneath his greedy demeanor, there was a time where it seemed like all Booster really cared about was his fans and his fame.

It wasn’t until 52 by Keith Giffen, Greg Rucka, and many more, that Booster’s heroic streak returned for good. When a mysterious force was threatening the newly formed Multiverse, it was up to Booster to stop it. The problem was that he had to do it without giving away how much he knew. And when the master plan called for the death of Booster Gold, he at least got the good publicity he always craved.

Related: The Flash is Teaming Up With DC’s Newest Hybrid Hero

Throughout 52, Booster Gold finds himself in a publicity war with a mysterious new hero known as Supernova, even getting himself killed trying to one-up his foe by containing massive explosion in 52 # 15 . Meanwhile, Booster’s robotic sidekick, Skeets – the other half of Booster’s most amazing bromance aside from Blue Beetle – has been scheming behind the scenes. But when the corrupted Skeets confronts Supernova and the time-traveler called Rip Hunter in 52 #37, Supernova reveals that he is none other than Booster Gold himself. It turns out that weeks before Booster’s “death,” Rip warned Booster of Skeets’ evil intentions. He had Booster fake his own death to travel back in time in disguise. Acting out a rivalry with his past self, Booster secretly gathers all the tech Rip needs to stop Skeets, who’s revealed to be Mister Mind, one of Shazam’s oldest villains. Mind pursues Booster and Rip to the birth of the Multiverse as a giant cosmic moth, but Booster traps the monster and hurls him into a time loop before he can consume reality.

Though he didn’t actually sacrifice his own life, Booster Gold’s “death” sill managed to outshine that of the Man of Steel. In the classic 1993 “Death of Superman” story, Kal-El gave his life to save his beloved Metropolis from the raging Doomsday. His sacrifice saved many lives and is held up as a seminal tale in DC history. And while his actions were heroic, Booster’s actions saved the entire Multiverse. That’s pretty impressive for the superhero commonly referred to as “The Greatest Hero You’ve Never Heard Of,” and it shows just how much Gold has managed to grow as a character.

Booster Gold may have faked his death, but the threat he faced in Mister Mind was bigger than anyone ever expected. His actions in 52 show a willingness to sacrifice himself, which marked significant growth for the character. The death of Blue Beetle before DC’s biggest event, Infinite Crisis, forced Michael to mature in ways that fans hadn’t seen and prove himself a true hero. Booster finally realized there was more to heroism than fame and fortune — something Superman already knew. With Booster Gold and Blue Beetle reuniting in Infinite Frontier with an expanded Omniverse, there’s much more for Booster to protect. And with his adoring fanbase skyrocketing in volume, there are many more spotlights for Booster Gold to steal, even from Superman.

Next: Superman Could Help More People by Making a Tiny Change to his Costume

#marvel #avengers #marvelcomics #spiderman #mcu #ironman #comics #captainamerica #thor #avengersendgame #marvelstudios #xmen #dc #marveluniverse #art #cosplay #tomholland #hulk #disney #comicbooks #dccomics #peterparker #tonystark #blackwidow #marvellegends #endgame #deadpool #marvelcinematicuniverse #loki #bhfyp

The post Booster Gold’s Death & Return Was Even Bigger Than Superman’s appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

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[vintagegeekculture]

Saw your post on George Miller and Justice League. Any tidbits on what his version would have been like vs. the typical Hollywood one?

Sometimes, I get asked about movies “in production,” or maderecently (a bit outside my wheelhouse), and my response is usually that I onlyknow what the news sites know…and they don’t know anything.

The script for the unmade George Miller JLA script (possibly not the finished script) leaked online, and some fascinating concept art and storyboards exist for it.

I don’t have psychic powers to tell me how the movie wouldhave been, but I have trouble imagining a scenario an Aussie JLA film by the “Max Max:Fury Road” guy starring the Valkyrie as Wonder Woman would have been anythingother than fun. That’s like something a pop culture fan would wish for ifthey had access to an omnipotent genie. Max Max: Fury Road was one of myfavorite films of 2015. The DC films we did get ended up being extremelydivisive instead of Guardians of the Galaxy-style crowd pleasers everyone loves, and we only occasionally gota glimmer of the warm characters we know and that people like. 

Although it would be a crying shame to make a Justice Leagueof America movie without maybe the most scene stealing and gorgeous backgroundperson of all time, Brooke Ence, who actually might be a real immortal Amazonfrom Paradise Island who brought her own Amazonium armor to the shoot and just keptedging into frame. Most upstagingly gorgeous extra since Figwit in Lord of theRings. Remember Figwit, how that was a thing in the early internet? He ended up getting his own action figure. If they end up making more of these, I hope they do the same for Ms. Ence, give her dialogue, make her a part of the plot.

Personally, my favorite tragically unmade films have to be:

Odd John starring David McCallum. There was talk there wasgoing to be a film adaptation of Olaf Stapledon’s scifi novel Odd John in thelate 1960s, featuring a weird sinister advanced mutant the world isn’t readyfor, starring David McCallum. Alas, it never happened, but that’s a case ofperfect casting.

Time Machine II. Not much is known about this one, but there wouldhave been a sequel to George Pal’s Time Machine with the original cast, and itwould have involved stop motion monsters made by Ray Harryhausen. George Paland Harryhausen sounds like a dream film!

Federico Fellini’s Mandrake theMagician. Tastes differ, but I’ve always thought the warm, humorous and humanFellini was the greatest director of all time (I’ve always preferred “warm”directors like Fellini and Spielberg to “cold” ones like Kubrick and Nolan).Fellini was actually close friends with comics great Lee Falk, and he tried foryears to make a Mandrake film with Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale (he was not alone: his fellow Italian Sergio Leone wanted to make a movie about another Lee Falk creation, the Phantom, in the 1970s). Fellini loved magicians; a big plot point in the otherwise realistic Nights of Cabiria was a stage magician who hypnotizes people. Fellini loved Mandrake so much that he did a photo shoot for French Vogue with Mastroianni in full costume as he would have appeared for the movie. 

Supposedly, Marcello Mastroianni wanted the role so badly that he interrupted a meeting on the second story of a building by “levitating” up to the window. 

By far the single most tragically unmade film of all time,in my opinion, would have been the War Eagles in the late 1930s, a film created by the people who made King Kong, like King Kong director Merian C. Cooper and with special effects by Willis O’Brien, who did the original King Kong effects. The plot is that an American aviator, when flying over the south pole, crashes and finds a lost land of Vikings who ride giant birds. In the finale, the Nazis attack Manhattan with fleet of Zeppelins equipped with something that sounds like an EMP, and so the only hope is for our hero to ride to the rescue on the back of giant birds with his Viking allies. The final battle would have been over the Statue of Liberty. The only thing we have left of the film is concept art, a script, and some special effects test footage.

War Eagles ended up not being made for maybe the awesomest reason: Merian C. Cooper, director/producer, left the United States to join the anti-fascist Flying Tiger aviators in China. Also, the anti-Nazi themes of the film made it incredibly controversial in the late 1930s. The film was never made, but it’s pretty obvious that if it had been, it would have changed movie history the way King Kong did.