Hardy will be AWESOME as Bane

Total Film have given 11 reasons that Tom Hardy as Bane will be a great thing. Personally, I think that having such a good actor as Bane is a really interesting and daring choice.

Between Nolan's Batrilogy and the Arkham games from Rocksteady we are getting some great exposure to the general public. Joe Public's opinions of Batman and his villians has been irrevocably changed since Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. No longer is a spinning Batsymbol, a powdered moustache and Adam West's pot-belly the first thing that comes to mind when Batman is mentioned.

Could we get some respect for Robin next?
Look for a post here later this week on that very topic.

Neo to jack back into The Matrix?

http://goo.gl/fb/gQRuj
Wow wow wow wow.
Two new Matrix films? Shot in 3D?
Bill and Ted 3?
Thank you cinema fairies!

We probably won't get much more news on this for a while, so just enjoy it.

Countdown, Ion and Green lantern: Pros and Cons of a shared universe in comics

I have recently reread the collected editions of the 2006 12-issue series following the adventures of Kyle Rayner, Ion: Guardian of the Universe. Reaching the end of the book I realised a few things, including why some books are never as strong as the could or should be. Namely, when they are used to set up other plots in other books.



Another stab of the knife as
Kyle is plotted against.



Taking Ion as an example (if you haven't read it, there will be spoilers):



I think that some books just need to be left to stand alone, other wise the writers can't really develop any satisfying drama. In the case of Ion, I really felt that it was hampered by editorial mandates to include outside stories. The only drama coming from the death of Kyle's mam, not from any internal or external conflicts.

The Monitor plot could have been completely contained in Countdown and didn't need to encroach on Ion, and the hints to what the then unannounced Sinestro Corps were doing didn't have a pay off because they lead to another book (Sinestro Corps Special, which kicked off the Sinestro Corps War).


Sinestro Corps Special - here Kyle's descent
happens in a couple of pages.
Coupled with the panel space
devoted to the Monitor story line in Ion,
 have we seen enough for Kyle
to break down like this?



Yellow rings shown at the end

of Ion. Why couldn't Kyle

have found one of his
 enemies wearing one?

The irony is that the Sinestro Corps War would have kicked arse without the lead up in Ion, where as Kyle's journey in both books suffered because there wasn't a strong enough connection between the two. Take away the interference of the Monitors and the Countdown tie-ins. Let Kyle's mission be to hunt down Sinestro - on the way he is attacked by old and new foes with a common leader. Make a bigger deal about the link between Alexander Nero, Effigy, Grayven, the Qwardians and of course the mystery illness that killed Kyle's mam. At the end Kyle could have found that Grayven was wearing a yellow ring (since yellow rings were on the last page anyway), this would have given the final battle more relevance and an in-book pay off to the plot against Kyle storyline before we find out who orchastrated it in Sinestro Corps.



Just as Ion lacked a punch at the end, we shouldn't have to read other books for the pay-off or conclusion of a story arc. Ion's drama came from the plotline involving his mother, which had only been set up a few issues earlier, rather than being in place from the beginning of the over all story arc.



Bruce Wayne returns just in time to get
Dick and Damian out of trouble.



The end of Grant Morrison's run on Batman & Robin showed the worst example I have ever seen of this. At the end of the big story line involving Dr. Hurt returning to destroy Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne's Batman and Robin. It looks like he is about to win, when in walks Bruce Wayne, fresh from The Return of Bruce Wayne to save them and kick the bad guy's arse. I'm sorry Mr. Morrison, but having a character who hasn't been in the storyline come back from the dead to solve the protagonists' problems isn't good writing. At the end of the arc, the protagonists should be able to (or not) solve the problem themselves. Bruce could easily have met up with them in the next story (see Batman: The Return), but how are first time readers going to react when they pick up the trade? "Where did the f*%$ did he come from?"

So having said all that, would I opt out of a shared universe for the sake of better stories? No, because happily we have stories like Identity Crisis that fit the other side of the coin. That prove to us that something really special can come out of the kind of shared universe that only comics can create. This was a story that had fingers in all the DCU pies, continued to affect stories for years afterward and it was really good. Part of the reason it was really good is because it explored the history and relationships of these characters that inhabit the shared world of the DCU and how their lives and adventures affect each other.

Deep down it is the relationships between characters that keeps us coming back each month. How the different storylines test and strengthen these ties. The next big crossover is War of the Green Lanterns and I have no doubt that it will be great. Why? Simply because Geoff Johns and the rest of the Green Lantern team have proven themselves capable of remaining true to the characters, no matter what tests befall them? No, but because editorial also has such faith in them, that they are left to write the best stories that they can.

Dredding the new Judge movie

First off, was there really a need for this movie? Stallone did great in the first one which from the looks of it had more money spent on it. SuperHeroHype have released a photo of Karl Urban's Judge Dredd riding a motorcycle with a painted cardboard box on the top. Sorry, I meant his Lawmaster. Come on though, this would have looked awful in the 70s, let alone the 80s or 90s when production design reached it's peaks. If you can't do better than the 90s version, why even bother? Couldn't they have got one of Stallone's out of storage or a museum?

Batman: Angels of Death

The DC Comics Solicitations for April came out earlier this week and the rumoured Bat-crossover has been fully announced. It will last for three issues and involve Red Robin, Batman and Gotham City Sirens. So it looks like the main characters are going to be Tim Drake, Dick Grayson and Selina Kyle. Will Bruce be in this at all? I don't think so. To my cynical mind this seems to be a crossover that steers clear of Grant Morrison's non-linear concept of deadlines and release schedules whilst giving Gotham City Sirens a much needed sales boost.

I'm looking forward to it though as Red Robin is currently the best Bat-book on sale, but could do with raising it's profile, and the brotherly relationship between Tim & Dick is usually written really well, especially by Fabian Nicieza.

The relevant solicitations follow:

RED ROBIN #22

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA

Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II

Cover by GUILLEM MARCH

In the first part of a 3-part crossover with GOTHAM CITY SIRENS and BATMAN this month, Gotham City faces final judgment as the Angels of Death seek to spare the city by finding one person who is without sin. After putting Red Robin through physical and emotional trials, have they found the city’s salvation? What is the one thing they learn about Tim Drake that might change their minds? Guest-starring Catwoman and Batman!

On sale APRIL 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #22

Written by PETER CALLOWAY
Art by ANDRES GUINALDO
Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
In part 2 of this month’s 3-part crossover with RED ROBIN and BATMAN, the Angels of Death having sworn judgment on Gotham City, which they see as a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah – but Gotham’s heroes are fighting back! And when secrets surface – secrets she’d rather kept hidden – Selina finds herself in the middle of a fight for the very existence of Gotham! Guest starring Batman and Ra’s al Ghul.
On sale APRIL 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T

BATMAN #709

Written by DAVID HINE

Art and Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
This month’s 3-part crossover with RED ROBIN and GOTHAM SIRENTS reaches its conclusion as Batman becomes Gotham City’s last hope! Can he help the city avoid a cleansing scourge? Will the Angels of Death find one good man whose soul is pure? And what is the tragic secret in Dick Grayson’s past that might doom Gotham? Guest-starring Red Robin, Catwoman and Ra’s al Ghul!
On sale APRIL 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T

James Newton Howard score Green Lantern

James Newton Howard will be writing the score for the Green Lantern movie. I think that this is great news, as he has proved that he can score grounded superhero action movies with his work (alongside Hans Zimmer) on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Hopefully this will help to keep a sense of drama consistant through the film, even as we sit through the 'please Joe Public humour'.

Wonder Woman TV show from NBC

The previously discussed Wonder Woman TV show has been picked up very quickly after the new management of NBC have settled in. No real details yet other than Geoff Johns (DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Office) tweeting 'wonder woman wonder woman' and this article confirming the news.
Update: here is a link to deadline, again confirming reports, this time in alittle more detail.

Looking forward to seeing more details on this and hope that it resembles the DC Animated Movie, which you can buy from amazon (no pun intended) here: Wonder Woman 2009 (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Newsarma talk Bane & Catwoman in TDKR

An Op/Ed that discusses the villians roles in the upcoming film.

Ozma

Sifting through some of my old CDs on the PC, I found this little gem from Ozma.
That's right, Tetris. Awesome.
Enjoy:

X-Men First Class poster

The first teaser poster has been released. I'm still not sure about this film, could be good, but I hear that it is being rushed and Matthew Vaughan is under alot of pressure from the studio to get shots completed.