Cdizzle's Superhero Haven

Graysons Project Scrapped

2008-11-12T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Geeks everywhere rejoice for The CW has decided not to follow through with the proposed Grayson's TV show. The series was supposed to follow a young Dick Grayson pre-batman as he does circus stuff or something of that nature.

They were going to call him D.J. and it was proposed by Smallville Executive Producers, Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders. According to IGN, the biggest reason that the series never took off is because of Christopher Nolan, the director of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". Apparently Nolan wasn't too pleased about this idea and never signed off on it.

Another reason why this probably didn't get green lit is because overall it was a pretty bad idea. Comic book aficionados everywhere realized that a story about Dick Grayson before he meets Batman, is pretty much a useless story.

It's an extremely good thing that this show was stopped before they actually filmed a pilot and disappointed a lot of potential actors.

Action Comics #871 Review

2008-11-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

Officially this is the fourth part of the "New Krypton" event in all the Superman brand books. The last part of the event ended with a group of Kryptonians being approached by Doomsday, the monster that killed Superman in the 90's.

This issue picks up from that and basically features one big fight scene between the Kryptonians and this new Doomsday. One of the more interesting elements of the story was the side plot revolving around General Zod's loyalists and their disdain for humans.

Overall though I think this issue was just O.K. I really wish Gary Frank was penciling these issues but he's not. I probably would have liked it better if the art wasn't so bland. Hopefully the event picks up from here though, I want future issues to revolve around Superman's struggle between his adopted home and his birth one. Here are fan reviews of the issue.

Joker Novel Too Serious

2008-11-12T18:32:00.001-08:00

I just got finished reading the "Joker" graphic novel written by Brian Azzarello and art by Lee Bermejo. My initial reaction is this is a very well written read. I'm inclined to think that the continuity of this novel takes place in some sort of comic book version of the recent Batman movies universe.

The Joker in this novel looks like the movie version of the character with the scars and everything. Also the other villains like the Penguin, the Riddler and Killer Croc have their looks tweaked to be more realistic than their traditional comic versions.

One of the best things about "Joker" is how realistically everything is presented. It actually reads like a mafia movie. I'm actually usually not into the crime novel type of comics, but this book pulls it off excellently. From the writing to the gritty art, I would suggest this book for anyone who is a fan of The Joker.

Here's an interview about the novel with the writer, Brian Azzarello.

Captain America Get's A Director

2008-11-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

It seems that the big news in the comic community this week, is the fact that the upcoming Captain America movie now has a director attached. The movie whose official title is "The First Avenger: Captain America," will be directed by Joe Johnston who has been in the directing game for a while now.

Now to be perfectly honest I'm not quite sure how I feel about this announcement. On the one hand it's cool to know that the movie is moving forward. On the other it's weird that the guy who directed "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "The Rocketeer" is now in charge of propelling one of Marvel's flagship characters.

Hopefully Marvel studious knows what they're doing. I mean their first two self-produced movies (Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk) were very good. There still isn't a script or a cast for this movie yet, so there are still a lot of hurtles to clear before a clear picture of what this film is evident. All I ask is that this movie does not make Captain America corny because that would be extremely unfortunate.

New Krypton Excitement

2008-11-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

OK! I don't read that many comics from the DC line, but one of the story lines that I'm most excited about is New Krypton. The short version of the premise is that Superman finds the lost city of Kandor and brings it to the North Pole, next to his Fortress.

Now there are thousands of super powered Kryptonians inhabiting the Earth. One of the most intriguing elements of this story is the tension between the humans, who feel a sense of danger, and the Kryptonians who aren't necessarily to thrilled with the idea of following human laws.

So far the only official tie in issues that have come out as part of this arc are "The New Krypton

Special" and Superman #681.

Both of which were really awesome. I really think that this is one of DC's most ambitious stories simply because it does a whole perpetual back flip on the idea that Superman is the last son of Krypton. Which is an idea that has been the main basis of the Superman franchise for years.

With this idea flipped on it's head there is no telling where the Superman series will go.

That's the part I love the most, the fact that I have no idea how this story will end. Anyone who is a good Superman fan should definitely mess with this groundbreaking storyline.

Changes on Heroes Set!

2008-11-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Jeph Loeb for all of you who don't know. He is now jobless, at least as far as his work on the TV show Heroes goes. Him and his former fellow producer, Jesse Alexander were fired by NBC executives according to an LA Times article.

For weeks now there have been reports of the slowing ratings for the show. It's really perplexing to me though because I'm actually enjoying this season for the most part. I wonder if this is a case of average TV watchers, not being able to follow the storylines that are more comic book influenced.

The decline in the ratings of the show have been a problem for the network, and I guess cutting Loeb and Alexander is supposed to be some kind of solution. I don't really understand it all, and I think it's unfortunate that two people who have been with the show from the beginning, are now gone.

Wat The Crap Is An Iron Patriot!?

2008-10-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Ok boys and girls Marvel has just released a teaser image that presumably ties into the after math of the universe post-Secret Invasion. They're calling this shadowy figure the Iron Patriot.

Here's what we know. This picture seems to be a mix of Iron Man with a little bit of Captain America in the form of the star on the chest. I have no clue what this means. Maybe James Rhodes (Iron Man's best friend) drops the War Machine moniker and adopts a new mantel?

It certainly gives fans a mystery to ponder for a few months while we try and figure out just how Secret Invasion will be resolved.

Docking Bay 94 Store Review!

2008-10-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Docking Bay 94 (formerly known as Lost Realms) is a comic book shop thats located in Pompano Beach, Fl. The store is pretty big, well a lot bigger than X-treme comics and the staff there is pretty friendly.

I especially like how they have a whole back room full of older comics, where you can search in the bins for what you like. Another really sweet part of this store is the fact that they also have clothing in this back room. There are lot's of cool T-shirts, which are kind of my thing.

I bought a really cool Venom emblem shirt there once. Docking Bay is well organized and they also do the whole Magic cards, V.S., and all of that other gaming stuff that I'm not really into.

If you're a big fan of comic books and the types of things associated with them, this store is perfect for you.

Last Secret Invasion Issue Delayed

2008-10-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

Comics Continuum has reported that Secret Invasion #8 has been delayed from it's original date of November 8 to December 3.

Marvel's Editor Tom Brevoort said that the delay is a result of the extra pages that this issue has than the other instalments in the series. The title's artist Leinil Yu is a little behind on the art and instead of trying to force him to rush the pencils and release a low quality product, Marvel has decided it would just be best to release the book later.

I honestly don't have a problem with this. I mean it's only two weeks later and if the man needs the extra time to deliver quality art then I'm certainly willing to wait for the final product. Nothing bugs me more than rushed art.

Speaking of art...I dare someone to tell me that the cover to this last issue isn't freakin super sexy!

Black Panther Chickified!

2008-10-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yup! You read the title correctly. Marvel released a press release about their plans in February to issue in a new Black Panther who happens to be a female.

Now at first reaction this seems like a ploy for more readers to me, but who knows it could turn out to be a legitimately good idea. I'll admit that I'm not really the biggest Black Panther fan to begin with. I mean yes I know that he is one of Marvel's first serious black heroes, but I don't know I guess the story never seemed all that compelling to me.

If this new upcomming arc proves to be interesting though I can see myself buying this book in the future. My first thoughts about who is under the Panther mask is that it's probably the current Black Panther's wife, the weather-controlling X-man known as Storm. What I'm more eager to find out though, is why does the current Black Panther need to be replaced? I hope they don't kill off the character.

Anyway, heres the press release for this news that was found in the Washington Post.

Hulk DVD Is So Incredible!

2008-10-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

So to go along with the awesome movie that was The Incredible Hulk, fans now get treated to a very cool DVD. Let's start with some of the things that I liked about the actual movie. It doesn't treat it's audience like idiots and it does well as a reboot to not give us a back story again. We know the Hulk's story by now so we just get right into the conflict.

Also the casting was phenomenal. Edward Norton as Bruce Banner was the perfect choice. He brought the right amount of insecurity and nobility to the role. Another stand out in the casting is Tim Blake Nelson's role as Dr. Samuel Sterns, a character who in the comics becomes the Hulk villain know as the Leader.

The action in this movie is really nice to look at and the story isn't too slow as Ang Lee's Hulk movie was.

Now let's talk about the special features. Anyone who is interested in the process that the movie creators went through in order to create the computer-generated Hulk will be pleased. There are lot's of behind the scenes features that show exactly how the effects were engineered and the role that the actor's gave to their CGI characters.

Also the special edition is stacked with lots of deleted scenes. Ultimately if you're the type of person who really wonders how did they do that? Then the special 3-disc edition is the version of the movie that you want. The Incredible Hulk was definitely another step in the right direction for Marvel's line of movie projects.

Howard Replaced in Iron Man 2

2008-10-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

Breaking and in my opinion somewhat dissapointing news. According to The Hollywood Reporter it looks like Don Cheadle will be replacing Terrance Howard as Colonel James Rhodes in the Iron Man sequel.

On the personal level I think that Cheadle is an awesome actor but it is really messed up as a fan to hear that Howards won't get the chance to don the War Machine armor in the next movie. The report says that Howards wanted more money and since Marvel studios wanted to work with Cheadle anyways, they opted to just change the actor.

I really wish that things like this would stop happening early on in movie franchises. How are audiences suppose to feel a sense of continuation when the characters start to magically look different?

Honeslty I fear that this may be an omen of bad things to come, but hopefully I'm wrong.

Now personally I like Cheadle as an actor but I really wanted to

Iron Man DVD Plays No Games!

2008-10-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Recently I bought the two disc edition of the Iron Man movie. Let me tell you straight up that this DVD does not play games. Seriously. This movie was good the first time I saw it in the theaters it's even better now that I get to rewind my favorite parts over and over again.

The special features are also extreemly interesting. The deleted scenes alone shed a lot of light on some of the things that could have gone into this movie. The seven part documentary on the special features disc is also enlightening especially if you're someone like me and you like to see how you're favorite movies are made.

Ultimately if you're a true comic fan you need this DVD in your life. Yes! It is worth the extra money for the two disc edition.

If you want to get amped up here's the DVD's official site. Iron Man

Action Comics #870

2008-10-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

This is another finale to an arc. Geoff John's Brainiac arc comes to a close with Action Comics #870.

My first impression of this issue is simply wow! I mean it's rare that you get a nicely drawn comic with fully kinetic action sequences as well as the softness and sincerety of softer emotional scenes. The way that this issue ended definitely whet my appetite for the upcoming New Krypton arc.

I just hope that DC keeps Gary Frank on the pencils because in my opinion he really did an extreemly good job at keeping this arc moving. The great characterization and the crazy iconic action scenes make this a must read for any Superman fan.

Click here for Comic Book Resource's review.

Invincible Iron Man #6 Review

2008-10-08T23:43:00.000-07:00

This issue of Invincible Iron Man marks the conclusion of the series' first arc entitled "The Five Nightmares".

My opinion as a self-admitted new Iron Man reader is that Matt Fraction is definately on my list of top 5 writers that I'm feeling right now. This arc effectively provided a jumping on point for new readers as well as gave itself enough sense of continuity as to not throw of long time readers.

As for the issue itself it provides a satisfactory ending for this arc and it all but assured us that we won't see the last of the new Iron Man villain Ezekiel Stane. I especially liked the way that Tony Stark does what he has to do to save the day, but he still feels bad about the actions that he was forced to take. This kind of characterization is what makes this a very good read.

Heres Ign's review of this issue.

Animated Avengers Hooray!

2008-10-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal, according to Newsarama and Comics Continuum Marvel is going ahead with plans to make an Avengers animated series to be aired on Nicktoons TV in 2011.

As a fan of animation I'm pretty excited about this development. This is also cool because it would be awesome to see this cartoon along side the upcoming Avengers movie that's planned to come out around that same time.

It's also interesting that this cartoon is going to be on Nicktoons TV which isn't a network that I automatically identify with comic book based cartoons but it could work out. This won't be the first Marvel cartoon to air on this channel because early in 2009 Marvel is going to put out it's new Wolverine and the X-men show as well as it's new Iron Man cartoon on Nicktoons TV.

A cartoon about the world's greatest heroes? Can't go wrong with that!

Xtreme Comics

2008-10-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Xtreme Comics is a comic book shop located in Boca Raton, Fla right across from Mizner Park. I go to this store every Wednesday.

The atmoshpere is really friendly and they have all of the essentials for any comic fan. Although it's not a huge store, I find that I can still get all of the necessary comics that I need every month so the size of the store really doesn't bother me much. Also its close proximity to FAU makes it an ideal spot for the student buyer.

Xtreme Comics also has action figures, anime and apparel available also. I'd rate this store a 7 out of 10

For more information go to Xtreme Comics

The Graysons!?

2008-10-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

According to SuperHeroHype The CW (The newtwork that shows Smallville) is planning on taking on a new TV pilot. It's called "The Graysons" and it's going to be based on the early days of Batman's iconic sidekick Robin.

It seems that since Smallville may be in it's last year, the network is looking for a nice replacement to fill that niche. I don't know if this will work as well as the network executives seem to think. I mean a young Dick Grayson wasn't a crime fighter and he didn't fight bad guys until he became Robin.

There's also the fact that Robin doesn't even have powers which was one of the things that made Smallville cool. We'll have to wait and see if this will actually play out anyway.

Ultimate Spider-Man #126

2008-09-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ok the following sentence is going to be very hard for me to type so I suppose the best thing to do is just get it out of the way. This issue of Ultimate Spider-Man was just...alright. There I said it and I'm still alive. Ultimate Spider-Man is my favorite monthly comic and to say that an issue didn't really excite me is a bit painful. The biggest problem with this contiuation of the return of Venom is the fact that it is way too heavy on the action. Now ordinarily action isn't a bad thing but it is when the dialogue suffers because of it. The other problem is that it's very unclear exactly when in time this story is supposed to take place. It's before Ultimates 3 but maybe sometime after the last story of Ultimates 2? Who knows? Anyway it was still a little entertaining and the end at least has the potential to advance the story in a cool way.

Click Here for Comic Xtreme's review.

Captain America #42 Review

2008-09-28T22:13:00.001-07:00

Finally we reach the end of the Death Of Captain America storyline. This issue succeeds on multiple counts. It wraps up a lot of the ongoing character arcs and it does its job by solidifying Bucky's place as the new Captain America. Now the bad part. If we're thinking in the line of graphic novel collections, this ending doesn't exactly conclude in a way thats satisfactory to that form. Although the different plot threads end, they don't exactly end in any definate way. It's a bit hard to explain but if essentially we as the reader are still left with a lot of questions. All in all still one of the best comics Marvel is putting out.

For different reviews you can visit IGN or CBR

Heroes Premiere Review

2008-09-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

The premiere of Heroes tonight consisted of actually two episodes. I don't want to go in depth with the details of the show in this review but what I will say is that Heroes is definately back!

All of the things that I listed below as things that would have to be fixed, were indeed fixed.

The action was definately amped up and there definately wasn't a lack of special effects.

Ultimately I think this show is going in a very interesting direction. I can finally say that Heroes is no longer predictable.

I once again find myself asking questions, just like I did with Season one. Another thing that indicates how much I am digging this season so far is the fact that I actually like Hiro's storyline this time around.

I want to say more but it is a blog so I have to keep things short. For more info a good site to go to is Herosite

Heroes Season 3!

2008-09-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Alright people here's some real important news. In case you are not aware the third season of Heroes begins tonight with a 2-hour seasom premiere. Now I figured I'd be an irresponsible comic book fan if I didn't mention this and give nbc some free promotion.

Heroes is a show that takes all of the sensibilities of a comic book and brings them to the tv screen. Unfortunately season 2 was a bit sub-par so here are my three things that I think Heroes would have to do this season in order to make up for the second season stinker.

Bring back the fast pace: Last season it took almost 6 episodes for things to even get moving for different characters. I mean Hiro was in japan up until the last few episodes of the season.

More character development: Last season the biggest problem was that none of the characters grew. I mean you could probably make an argument for Matt Parkman but that's about it. In order for this season to prevail there can be no more amnesia stories and no more retreads of story beats that we've already seen before.

More Action: Let's be real comics are a visual medium so a tv show based on comic sensibilities should be full of action right? Well last season, while it did have it's cool scenes, there was a tremendous lack of the calibur of action that we saw in the first season.

For more info on heroes visit NBC's website.

Uncanny X-men #502

2008-09-17T19:41:00.003-07:00

This issue of X-men is full of good and bad things. I'm happy to say that it seems that the title is starting to finally move along story wise since the new creative direction was intorduced in issue #500.

I also really like the new paradigm of the book. The X-men basically being a militaristic strike-force with an alternating roster depending on what is needed really works for me.

The Good:

Pretty art
Nice use of humor and references to X-men history
All of the characterizations are spot on (except for maybe Dazzler's)

The Bad:

Some of the females look the same
The introduction on the first page. The backdrop and the ink make it very hard to read.

Overall this was a fun read and continues to make use of the X-men's new location in San Fransisco. This would be a good read for any long time X-men fan, but if you're a newcomer I'd be hesitant to recommend this simply because of the extensive dependance on past continuity.

Action Comics #869

2008-09-17T19:41:00.002-07:00

Ok here we go it's review time. Hooray! So to get things started with this Action Comics review I just want to say that this book has been a pleasant suprise for me. I originally started following the series because of Gary Frank joining the book. Frank's pencil skills on Marvel's Squadron Supreme really impressed me so I decided that I would start picking this book up just because of the excellent art.

Well once again this book does not dissapoint! The main story arc right now focuses on the redefinition of the villian, Brainiac.

Seriously I don't know where to start with the complements for this book. Geoff Johns has an incredible grasp on how to write all of these characters in the Superman universe and Frank is just amazing with the drawing duties as always.

Without spoiling too much of the issue this story involves Brainiac trying to take over Metropolis to add it to his collection of cities from other planets. There are a few cool twists in this book and the dialogue is phenomenal.

Definately a must read for Superman fans.

Also on a somewhat related note on the Superman front. The season premiere of Smallville's eight season is tomorrow so don't forget to check that out.

Here is a link to Ign's review of this issue:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/911/911285p1.html

New Comic Wednesday's!!!

2008-09-17T19:41:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!
This is just a quick post to let everyone know that I will be posting 2 comic reviews for the comics I liked most out of this weeks batch.

Until I get those posted, here is a list of all of the comics that I bought today.

Dc Comics:

Action Comics #869
All-Star Superman #12

Marvel Comics:

The Mighty Avengers #18
Uncanny X-men #502
Amazing Spider-man #572
Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33 (War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Squadron Supreme Vol.2 #3

IDW Comics:

Spike: After The Fall #3

Ok guys! My reviews will be up A.S.A.P.!

December Solicitations

2008-09-17T07:49:00.001-07:00

Ok both DC Comics and Marvel Comics have released their lists for their upcoming coming comics in December.

Comics Continuum has the solicitations for both of the companies.

The link for the DC solicitations can be found here http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0809/15/index.htm

And Marvel's solicitations can be found here

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0809/16/index.htm

Review: Deadpool #1

2008-09-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

Well since tomorrow is Wednesday (new comic day for those not in the know) I decided that in preparation for the reviews that I'm going to do tomorrow, that I would review my favorite comic from last week.

That comic as you can see is Deadpool #1 which launches the new ongoing Deadpool series. This book plunges the merc-with-a-mouth right into the heart of the Secret Invasion story, and basically involves Deadpool just being a general psychopath and killing skrulls.

I thought this comic did a very good job of balancing the humor of Deadpool with the Secret Invasion concept allowing readers to see the events through Deadpool's obviously distorted P.O.V.

The art by Paco Medina was also very well done. It was actually a lot better than I expected. Overall the issue was fun and good laughing material. I'm eager to see where Daniel Way takes this story.

http://marvel.com/

What's After Secret Invasion

2008-09-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

Recently Marvel comics has announced their name for the next phase of their universe post-Secret Invasion.

They're calling it Dark Reign and it seems to be pretty mysterious at this point. The word on the street at this point is that the ending to the Secret Invasion event will play a big factor in what Dark Reign will actually entail.

I'm hoping that the Skrulls will somehow be integrated into the modern Marvel society. That seems like a very interesting idea, that could lead to some very interesting stories.

For more information on Secret Invasion I suggest going to Marvel's website for the event here

www.embracechange.org

Favreau's Ideas For Future Iron Man Movies

2008-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

It seems like the future of Marvel's Iron Man movies will be very promising. In an interview with www.chud.com Jon Favreau (The director of the Iron Man movies) discusses his plans for the next movies in the franchise. Favreau says that he plans on making the story one big overarching story, similar to Lord of The Rings. In light of this news here are my top 3 things that I think should be in the next movies.

War Machine

For all of you not in the know, Tony Stark's best freind James Rhodes gets his own suit of armer in the comics. I think that this is absolutely essential for the next movie because as it is Rhodes didn't get enough screen time in the first movie, so giving him the War Machine armor would be a great way to keep things interesting.

2. Better action sequences

As great as the first Iron Man was it was a little lacking in the action department. Favreau assures us though that more action is on the way.

3. More interaction with S.H.I.E.L.D

One of the best things about the Iron Man movie was the fact that they acknowledged many elements of the comics such as the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. I would really enjoy more interaction with fun elements from the comics such as this because it truly adds something to the credibility of the movies.

Here is a link to the article.

http://http://chud.com/articles/articles/16305/1/FAVREAU-TALKS-THE-FUTURE-OF-IRON-MAN/Page1.html

Saying Hi

2008-09-04T18:06:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone this is a new blog that I'm starting and it's going to be about the world of super hero comics. Obviously I don't have everything worked out yet but as soon as I can this thing will be up and ready to go. So this is just me saying hi for the moment.