As Man of Steel Sequel Gets Crowded, Let’s Hope There’s Room for a Sense of Humor

With confirmation of only that Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) will appear, the Man of Steel sequel has been ripe for speculation, with everyone from Nightwing to Martian Manhunter rumored to make an appearance. Will this still untitled Super-sequel be a backdoor Justice League movie, or will it simply be the DC Trinity as a set-up, with the rest of the League being primed for future solo or team movies (via post-credits teasers). In addition to those, I've heard rumors of Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern and Doomsday. They can’t all be showing up for this film, can they?

One thing we do know for sure is the tone established by Zack Snyder and David Goyer, both back for the follow-up. With Man of Steel set as the opening salvo in a shared DC cinematic universe, we can expect some major differences from the Marvel universe which takes a more light-hearted approach. There was not an ounce of humor in Man of Steel and I don’t see how the addition of the Dark Knight Detective and a warrior Amazon are going to change that tone very much.

Presumably the movie will pick up on the fallout from the invasion of Zod and Battle in Metropolis (not to mention Smallville), where Superman may have saved the day, but not without a lot of collateral damage, and a fatality to his name. Repercussions are sure to follow and leading the charge are likely to be Lex Luthor (currently rumored to be Joaquin Phoenix) and fellow wealthy philanthropist Bruce Wayne. The movie could use some lightening up, but I think we've all seen enough of a movie Luthor played for laughs, so that isn't the route to go either. Maybe the secret identities of the world’s finest heroes can work in some humor as they play off of each other in their “disguises.’

While my initial response to Superman killing Zod and the massive destruction was disappointment, I recognize the storytelling possibilities it provides and visually, the movie looked terrific. We asked for a Superman that would actually hit someone, and boy did we get that. I can only hope that the sequel will indeed face the climactic actions head on and hold him accountable. You don’t destroy a city and kill your enemy without there being some push back from the government, concerned citizens or fellow “do gooders” This movie should be Superman’s redemption and emergence as a leader, a real super-hero. He still has to earn trust. I hope that having Batman and Wonder Woman join him will help set that up.

The Dark Knight trilogy did very well by playing it very serious (with occasional moments of levity) and I expect that the new DC movies will follow a similar formula. I just hope the movie aren't too much like video games that is just confrontation after confrontation with nary a laugh to be found.  I do hope Nightwing shows up, because having a Robin around is sure to brighten things up a bit. Even if he’s rebelling against Batman.

Review: Legends of the Dark Knight: Alan Davis Hardcover

Unlike most of DC’s other hardcover volumes focusing on a single artist’s Batman work, “Legends of the Dark Knight: Alan Davis" (Volume 1?) actually includes a continuous run of Detective Comics stories  (#569-575) with the same creative team, as writer Mike W. Barr and inker Paul Neary join penciller Davis for most of the book.

Barr and Davis’s stories are an entertaining throwback to the “superhero” Batman in the months just preceding (and then briefly concurrent with) the constant Miller-angst that reigns til this day. Batman smiles, cracks jokes, and frequently calls Robin “chum.”  Alan Davis’s art is crisp, clean, almost but not quite veering into cartoony. He homages the giant prop Sprang era quite a bit, but he can do grim as well, as seen in one panel where Batman backhands the Joker in a burst of anger.

The first few stories feature Catwoman (in her purple dress with green cape outfit) and the Joker. Next up is a Scarecrow story that seems to have been the inspiration for one of the later Timm animated episodes featuring the villain, in which he removes people’s fears rather than creating or exploiting them.  An over-confident grinning Batman is as unnerving as the grim look you normally see, especially when he plays chicken with a couple of trucks.

The highlight of the volume, is the anniversary issue of Detective Comics #572, reprinted in its entirety even though it includes non Davis art, where Batman teams with fellow detectives Slam Bradley, Elongated Man  and even Sherlock Holmes (featuring guest art by Carmine Infantino, Terry Beatty and ER Cruz) in a story that focuses on a century-spanning mystery book.

Following that is a Mad Hatter story with a tragic ending that leads directly into the next issue. This issue “…My Beginning and My Probable End” is billed as “the new origin of the Batman” which signals the changes in Batman’s history, as his origin is retold with echoes of Year One and the upcoming Year Two, the first chapter of which is also reprinted here (subsequent chapters are penciled by Todd McFarlane and are not included in the volume), and ends Davis’ Detective run. I believe this is also the first appearance of Dr Leslie Thompkins and her clinic, vs. the pre-Crisis version of her as en elderly lady still living in Crime Alley.

That leads to another observation about the uniqueness of this volume – that is, it’s place in Batman’s history, as it straddles the time period between pre-Crisis Earth 1 Batman and post-Crisis/Year One Batman. This is most evidenced here by the prominent inclusion of circus acrobat Jason Todd, as established back in 1983. By the end of the run, there is allusion to the new Jason Todd origin that was established in the “Batman: The New Adventures” era that followed “Batman: Year One” in Batman, but that’s inconsistent with how Jason is portrayed throughout the book. This version of Jason would less likely have been voted to be killed by readers, as he actually seemed like a genuine kid who was thrilled to be at Batman’s side and eager to be a worthy partner.

The collection concludes with the Year Two sequel, Full Circle, originally a standalone graphic novel, and a short story from the Batman Gotham Knights black & white back-ups that features characters from the original Barr/Davis run.

All told, this is one of the more satisfying, straightforward volumes of artist-centric Batman volumes. It takes place during a transitory period in Batman history, but that makes it no less enjoyable for fans of old-fashioned superhero Batman fun that combines the tongue-in-cheek sensibilities of the 60s with the burgeoning seriousness of the 80s, with beautiful art to carry the reader along.  The art reproduction is also consistent throughout the volume. Not sure why this is called Volume 1 though, as I believe this includes all of Davis’ Batman work. Highly recommended.

You can also read this review at the Collected Editions blog.

Yes, this is actually happening

Is this thing on.....?

Yes, yes it is. With new content coming very soon.

Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" to be Remade in 3D Animation

On August 19, Disney announced it was teaming with director Robert Zemeckis to remake the Beatles’ 1968 animated classic, Yellow Submarine in the same 3D animation style Zemeckis is using in the upcoming A Christmas Carol, which stars animated versions of Jim Carrey in all of the major roles. Zemeckis’ submarine will use 16 Beatles’ songs.


From Variety:

Disney and Robert Zemeckis are looking to catch the wave of Beatlemania, floating a new 3-D "Yellow Submarine" for the bigscreen, with merchandising in tow and prospects for spinning off both a Broadway musical and a Cirque du Soleil stage production.

The original version of the film was animated in a psychedelic style (not dissimilar to Terry Gilliam animations in Monty Python’s Flying Circus about a year later) and featured several Beatles songs, including “Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "All You Need is Love". The Beatles did not do their own voices in the film and their only active participation was in the live-action closing scene.

This is the latest example of the Beatles seeming resurgence in pop culture that began with “Love” the Vegas Cirque De Soleil production (and soundtrack album) based on remixes and remastered Beatles songs and continues next month with the release of Beatles: Rock Band video game and the entire remastered Beatles catalogue.

The original Yellow Submarine movie is both of its time and a timeless classic, melding of music and visuals. Hopefully, the Zemeckis version, planned for a 2012 release, will be a celebration and tribute to the original rather than solely a crass remake, but if gets more people to experience the music of the Beatles, then it can’t be all bad, can it?

USA Today runs weekly Superman comic online

As a tie-in to it's great new weekly comics experiment, "Wednesday Comics," DC Comics has partnered with USA Today to feature its lead strip, Superman, as a weekly online installment. Start here to begin the story. As of this writing, they're up to week 3.

"Wednesday Comics," a 12-week series, pays homage to the Golden Age of the Sunday newspaper's comics section. It is a 16-page weekly that unfolds to a 28" x 20" tabloid-sized, full-color spread, with each strip on its own 14" x 20" page. Each week find new stories on traditional DC superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and the Teen Titans, classic characters such as Adam Strange, Kamandi and Sgt. Rock, and quirkier heroes like Deadman, Metamorpho, the Metal Men and the Demon (here teamed with Catwoman).

At $3.99 an issue, it's bit expensive for a weekly book and not every strip works, but it's a great experiment that spotlights lots of character and creators, and throws in a bit of nostalgia. It's too early to tell which stories will ultimately turn out the best, and no one knows if and how the stories will be collected, but between the weekly fold-out newsprint and the online weekly Superman strip, it's a great time to be fan of DC Comics and is wide universe of characters.

Read more about the concept behind "Wednesday Comics" here.

Batman team-ups with a smile

On Friday, November 14, the latest Batman animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, debuts on Cartoon Network. Aimed at younger audiences than previous shows (even younger than the recent The Batman), this series features a less stern Batman acting as a mentor and leader to various heroes throughout the DC universe, most notably, the new Blue Beetle. You can catch a sneak peek of the series on Cartoon Network's website, and read profiles of the initial set of heroes here. The first group also includes Aquaman, Plastic Man, Red Tornado and Green Arrow.

Here's how supervising producer James Tucker describes the show's demographic and approach:

The target audience for The Brave and the Bold is broadly based. Nevertheless, it works demographically for 6-15 and still appeals to the hard-core comic/animation fan. In addition, of course, we're making it so that anyone who enjoys comic books/ superheroes and is a "kid at heart" will get something out of it. This is just the version of Batman that has been in the comics from shortly after his creation up until some of the darker, grittier versions of his character appeared in the late '80s and onward. Typically, people start telling the story from where his parents are murdered. That's not suitable for what is deemed children's entertainment. This version signals a return to a more innocent time. Batman is a crime fighter and hero first. As a result, Batman can be ironic ­ he can show more sides of himself than if he's just brooding, being gruff and distant to his usual cast of characters. He simply has to be more approachable for the premise of this show to work. Otherwise, why would anyone even bother to work with him? It's pretty much the Batman from the Brave and the Bold comics I read as a kid.

The first episode, "Rise of the Blue Beetle," features both Green Arrow and the Blue Beetle (the Jamie Reyes version, currently appearing in the comics, voiced by Batman Beyond's Will Friedle), whose origin is recounted in the episode. The heroes face JLA space villain Kanjar Ro, seen in the clip.

My Favorite Scene: Some Like it Hot

At about an hour and a half into the two-hour Some Like it Hot, the scene opens with Jerry (Jack Lemmon) dressed as ‘Daphne” – wig, dress, jewelry, make-up – lying on the bed, humming the tango and shaking maracas above his head, smiling at the events of his evening. Joe (Tony Curtis) climbs in the window, returning from his own escapade:

“Hi Jerry, everything under control?”
“Have I got things to tell you!”
“What happened?”
“I’m engaged!”
“Congratulations! Who’s the lucky girl?”
“I am!”

This exchange sets the tone for scene as Jerry, who up to this point had trouble playing along with the evening’s scheme (his occupying an elderly millionaire by accepting a date with him so Joe can woo a girl on the millionaire’s yacht he pretended was his own), fully embraces his role. That is why, for almost the entire scene, from when he is alone at the beginning until after Joe enters the room, he remains in “costume.” He only removes his wig when Joe tells him to remind himself “you’re a boy, you’re a boy” (a call back to a scene earlier in the movie when Joe has to remind Jerry “you’re a girl, you’re a girl” when they are surrounded women parading around in their underwear early into their masquerade).

Throughout the scene, Jerry cites all the clichés of a woman about to be married – “Do you think he’s too old for me?”, marrying him for “security,” mulling over honeymoon locations, wondering what his fiancé’s mother will think. After all, it’s his “last chance to marry a millionaire.”

Joe insists to Jerry that he has to call off the engagement/marriage. “There are laws, conventions, it’s just not being done!” but Jerry says he will go through it only until after the honeymoon, when he will ask for a divorce and “keep getting those alimony checks every month!” This represents the first time we see Jerry initiate his own money-making scheme, which are usually spearheaded by Joe. This time, however, Joe thinks, the idea is too far out – until Jerry shows Joe his engagement presents, a diamond bracelet. “Hey these are real diamonds!” Of course they’re real! Do you think my fiancé’s a bum?” Now, Joe recognizes the possibilities. When Jerry finally realizes he’ll have to call of the engagement and return the bracelet, Joe, replies “Now, Jerry, let’s not be hasty.” Joe’s true nature shines through.

In only about three minutes, attitudes, plans and schemes evolve, with a role reversal that unravels, as Jerry can’t maintain the deception and Joe is motivated by easy money. This, however, is the last scene where we see Joe behave in this way, as reality closes in and he also realizes the emotional damage his masquerade has caused. His change of heart is illustrated by what he ultimately does with that diamond bracelet (not that it was his to do anything with, but why quibble?). As such, this scene sets the stage for the final act of this brilliantly written, directed and acted classic with one of the best closing lines in movie history: “Nobody’s perfect.”

Hulk vs. Thor

A clip from January's Hulk vs. DVD, which pits the Green Goliath separately against Wolverine and Thor. Here's Hulk dropping into Thor's homeland, Asgard:

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Earlier this week, an expanded trailer for Watchmen debuted during Spike TV's Scream Awards, and showed up online shortly thereafter in regular and HD versions (in HD, you can see Dr. Manhattan's junk about 19 seconds in when he and the Silk Spectre appear on the moon). Coinciding with the new trailer was the release of this new poster featuring an image from the end of the trailer and the beginning of the book, the event that kicks off the story.

Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen was published by DC Comics in 12 monthly installments in 1986, and is considered the greatest graphic novel ever by most critics, and in fact is on Time's list of Top 100 Novels. Many, including Alan Moore, who hates all adaptations of his work, consider the book unfilmable, but based on the trailer and other images that have been released so far, it seems pretty close. Anticipation has been building since the release of the first trailer in front of The Dark Knight over the summer. Sales of the book have exploded since then, and this new footage will likely sell even more. The book is prominently displayed in all bookstores -- not just comic shops, so awareness is pretty high.

Barring complications due to the lawsuit between Fox and Warner Bros. over the movie, Watchmen opens in theatres on March 6, 2009.

A Wascally Wabbit of a Movie

Let me talk about an awesome little movie called Shoot ‘Em Up.

Starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti, this 2007 movie has no aspirations except to entertain action fans for under 90 minutes. Full of mindless sex and violence (and in one incredible scene, both at the same time), not to mention Bugs Bunny references, this movie is funny, violent and completely nonsensical – in the best way possible.

It’s like Clive Owen decided he had a great time doing Sin City and wanted to do something similar without so much green screen, and Paul Giamatti figured it was time he played an over-the-top bad guy after being an indie darling for the past few years.

Just as you think it’s winding down as it pays obligatory attention to the "plot," another scene that is so outrageous – to an hard rock soundtrack, of course – explodes that you can’t help laughing at. And then more after that. Until the very end. Did I mention it’s under 90 minutes?

It’s bloody, and it’s ridiculous and you’ll never look at carrots the same way after you watch this, but you’ll laugh your ass off at the sheer audacity of this great silliness. Trust me, watch this one.

Animation Round-Up

• Star Wars: Clone Wars, which debuted in theatres hasn't gotten the greatest reviews nor is it doing much box office, but, it still sets the stage for the upcoming animated series of the same name, scheduled to debut on Cartoon Network Friday, October 3 at 9 p.m. ET with a special one-hour presentation.



• Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a new animated series geared towards a younger audience will debut on Cartoon Network in November 2008. The series, with an animation style reminiscent of Golden Age Batman artist Dick Sprang (which also looks similar to the main title animation of the Batman 60s TV series), features the Caped Crusader teaming up with a different hero from the DC Universe in each episode, including many heroes never before seen in animated form -- such as the new Blue Beetle, featured prominently in the trailer. You can see a list of the planned guest stars here.
  

The Wonder Woman animated movie, next in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie series, debuts on DVD in February 2009, featuring the voice of Keri Russell. Based on an original story, the script is co-written by Gail Simone, currently writing the character's comic series. It will be released in rated and unrated version and is expected to be pretty violent. See the trailer at the above link.

• More DC Universe Animated Movies are in the works, though what's after Wonder Woman is still unconfirmed. More Batman is definite, and rumors include Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (presumably based on the the Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuiness story arc of the same name) and Green Lantern. Still being discussed is Justice League: Worlds Collide, a Bruce Timm-verse movie that bridges the gap between the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. an online Plastic Man series is also supposedly in development. Nothing has been offically announced.
  



• Marvel Animated Features -- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, featuring the children of the Avengers, as mentored by Tony (Iron Man) Stark was released on DVD on September 2. Up next is Hulk Vs., two shorts featuring the Green Goliath separately fighting Wolverine and Thor, due January. Upcoming releases include Thor: Tales of Asgard and Planet Hulk.
  



• Wolverine And The X-Men is set for a January 2009 debut, alongside Iron Man: Armored Adventures (which features Tony Stark becoming Iron Man as a teenager), on the Nicktoons Network.
  
  

Up Up and Go Away!?

(Spoilers ahead for previous and upcoming Smallville episodes)

On Thursday, September 18, Smallville returns for its eighth season. Let that sink in for a second. A show about the teenage Superman is starting its eighth year. And he’s still not Superman. And I thought I was a procrastinator.

When we last left Clark at the end of the seventh season, he had defeated Brainiac (for now), who still had cousin Kara (aka Supergirl) trapped in the past on Krypton, and was at the Arctic fortress, where Lex finally discovered what he had apparently been too blind to see all along – Clark was a strange visitor from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Then the fortress collapsed on them. End of season. And with a cliffhanger like that, it certainly couldn’t be the end of the show. But it was an ending. For some.

When the show returns this Thursday, Lex (Michael Rosenbaum), the show’s best character and central antagonist, will be gone, or "missing" as the show explains. Clark is missing too, but we know he’ll be back, thanks to the efforts of the proto-Justice League – Green Arrow (now a regular), Black Canary (in her second appearance) and Aquaman (in his 3rd or 4th, I lost track). At this point, previous team members Flash/Impulse and Cyborg, are nowhere to be found, their absence perhaps to be explained in the opener. Lana is also gone, having explained to Clark at the end of last season she had to move on so he could embrace his destiny (whatever, I’m just glad she’s gone). Kara is still on Krypton and won’t be back as a regular, though she will be back for at least one episode to wrap up her storyline. Lana, too will be back for a few episodes around mid-season.

This season will find Clark working at the Daily Planet with his
partner/competitor Lois Lane and cub reporter/photographer Jimmy Olsen. That’s right, it’s Lois and Clark, 2.0.

So, that leaves us with Lois, Jimmy and Chloe (Allison Mack), the only main character who does not have a comic book counterpart. As such, she’s good to have around because you’re never sure what’s going to happen to her. Everyone knows that ultimately, Lois, Jimmy, Lana and Lex are safe because they have comic book-established adult lives to still get to. So far the show has lost Pete Ross, who left Smallville (and briefly returned in last season’s worst episode), Jonathan Kent (who died, as he has in several—though not all – versions of the character), Martha Kent (who as a Senator, has left for Washington, D.C. in a complete departure for the character), and Lionel Luthor, Lex’s father, another character created just for the show, who gave viewers a glimpse of what a fully mature Lex Luthor would become, who was killed by Lex, expressly for that purpose – so he could replace him.

So what’s coming up this season, eight years after Clark has first learned that he’s an alien with super powers? Well, still not Superman, though he’s getting much closer (one would hope, wouldn’t one?) This season will find Clark working at the Daily Planet with his partner/competitor Lois Lane (Erica Durance) and cub reporter/photographer Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore). That’s right, it’s Lois and Clark, 2.0.

But, obviously, it’s not exactly the same as the 1993-97 series. First, he’s STILL not Superman. Plus, Chloe’s still around, though his parents are not. Also, a few new regulars debut. As mentioned, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Justin Hartley), who appeared only once last season, is now a regular. And there are two new characters to replace Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex – Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), Lex’s replacement as the head of his company, and Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer), a paramedic who catches Chloe’s eye and is destined to become Doomsday, he character who killed Superman in he comics. How exactly that happens is anybody’s guess, as this is a complete departure from anything that’s come before in the comics.

Chloe, who was arrested by the FBI at the end of last season, just as Jimmy proposed to her, will no longer be at the Daily Planet, instead, picking up where Lana left off, running the Isis foundation, dedicated to helping so-called "meteor freaks," even as she learns to embrace her own inner freak. She will distance herself from Clark, realizing she has been too much of an enabler, hoping that leaving him to his own devices will help him embrace his destiny (there’s that phrase again, get used to it this season). One of the first she will encounter is Plastique, a character from the comics (a Firestorm villain, of all things) who can explode.

This season is the first without original executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who instituted the "no flights, no tights" rule of the show, meaning we would never see Clark fly or put on the famous red and blue costume. According to the new showrunners, “The only thing that we are saying is that we can absolutely confirm that there is no tights, so that's pretty much all we can say on that.”

He will also learn the value of a dual identity as he begins to separate "Clark Kent" from the super-powered savior he is beginning to accept that he is. In the past Green Arrow was telling him to use his gifts to make a difference. This season, the roles are reversed, as Clark recognized what he needs to do, just as Green Arrow is having his doubts.

Helping Clark along in his journey is an appearance by comic super-team, the Legion of Superheroes, a team of young heroes from the 31st century who banded together to emulate their past hero, Superman. This episode is written by comics writer Geoff Johns, who has done a LOT of work with the Legion recently, most notably in the current "Legion of Three Worlds," which I wrote about recently. The Martian Manhunter and Brainiac are also expected to make return appearances this season.

I just read that they have a clip show scheduled (now THAT’s a bad sign) and a production break when the network will decide whether or not to bring the show back for another season, so that if this is indeed the last season, they can close it out appropriately. I really do hope that it is, because there has never been a TV series where I more looked forward to the final episode. While all descriptions and interviews suggest that Clark’s indecision will end this season, he’s at least two seasons too late. I want this show to close strong and look forward to the final iconic shot of him in costume, revealing it as he tears away is Clark Kent clothes and taking off to save the day.

There has never been a TV series where I more looked forward to the final episode.

While I will likely continue to watch this show for as long as it; on, I really hope that this is the final season. Lex was the best character on the show, and without him and without Clark actually becoming Superman, the show seems to have little reason to exist. He has been in this limbo state for far too long at his point that it’s even hard to recognize him as a hero. That he’s met almost all of his JLA teammates and faced off against his major enemies – Luthor, Brainiac, Doomsday – and still has not dedicated his life to "Truth, Justice and the American Way" is increasingly frustrating. Meeting the Legion HAS to be the final kick in the ass that he needs.

At least one more appearance by Lex and some way of somehow making everybody forget that Superman looks just like Clark can make this season and series go out on a high note. Short of introducing Batman or Darkseid, I really can’t think of what's left. Bring back Mom Kent for an episode to kick him in the butt, kill off Chloe as the last straw and put him in the costume. If it does continue, get rid of everybody except Lois, Clark and Jimmy, bring back Lex and rename the show Superman. Then go nuts with comic book stuff.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part 3 - Offline)

Fortunately, one of the reasons I haven’t been blogging is because I kept pretty busy this summer, with something going on just about every weekend, and sometime during the week. Here are a few highlights – with photos!

I hosted my second Father’s Day back in June, and that was lots of fun, indoors and outdoors. We followed that up with Father’s Day-related family outing to the Phillies game in July. In between the two were a couple of days at the beach with some of the family.

In August, we saw Rebecca awesomely play a lead role in her children’s community theatre production of "Beauty and the Beast, stirring the high school theatre memories of her Uncle Mike.

The biggest family news of course was the birth of Ella Grace Armandi on August 21. Rebecca is the big sister she always wanted to be! Lots of girls in this family!

And finally, I spent a long overdue day hanging out in Burlington with the youngest old people I know, Cioci and Unk, hearing lots of old stories and memories of days gone by. Highly recommended.

Other fun stuff
Besides all of this family stuff, I did a few other things worth noting along with the usual time-killing summer activities.

I joined my brother and friends to see the Apples in Stereo show at World Café Live, that was a just a fun time of hanging out with great live music, spent a Saturday at the Princeton Record Exchange, the biggest used music store I’ve ever seen, where I bought about $50 worth of cool music (top picks: Jerry Lee Lewis, REM and the Everly Brothers) that will find its way onto mixes for years to come.

A few barbecues, lunch-time concerts and extended after-work happy hours, not to mention a few ill-fated dates, round out the summer.

I finished off the summer on Labor Day weekend by going crabbing in Barnegat Bay in Long Beach Island, NJ. Caught a few crabs, had a few beers, had lots of laughs. A great way to cap off the summer.

So, I didn’t blog at all, but I kept myself pretty busy with a lot of new things – and that's even better.

Bring on the Fall.

Special thanks for the photos to my brother's Flickr page. After scouring through my hard drive and e-mail inbox for hours, I finally realized that almost every photo I wanted to use he already posted online, making them much easier to grab. Thanks Skip!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part 2 - TV and Comics)

Continuing my summary of what I was doing all summer when I wasn't blogging...

As for TV, summertime no longer means reruns. While the networks primarily ran game shows and reality shows (so easily skippable), cable as usual offered great options, though I only followed a few. I watched the premiere episodes of Swingtown and the The Middleman, but didn’t feel compelled to stick with them. As for returning shows, the second season of Mad Men has been fantastic so far, and Monk continues to be a fun diversion, though not quite compelling.

The one new show I added was Jurassic Fight Club from the History Channel, an hour-long documentary series that features paleontologists theorizing how different types of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures battled throughout the world, based on bones and other archaeological evidence, The climax of each episode is a 15-minute re-enactment of the battle in glorious CGI, and it’s pretty brutal stuff. The show became a little repetitive though and while I’m still recording it, I’m not quite as fascinated as I once was. The novelty’s worn off a bit.

But now, it’s post-Labor Day and the new TV season is about to begin. First up is the final season of The Shield, which premiered this past week. The network shows are all back thought September and October, and I’ll hopefully write about the new fall season soon enough – including a preview of what is likely (hopefully?) the final season of Smallville.

Comics

I’ve done a pretty good job of not buying new comics for the past several months after the disappointment of Countdown and the new Justice League book, among other things. My plan to wait for trade is mostly in full effect (not helped of course my this new tendency to put almost everything in hardcover first, making that wait even longer – over a year in some cases). But this summer, DC, or more accurately writers Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns sucked me back in with their summer event, Final Crisis and some related spin-offs.

Final Crisis is about "the day evil wins" and involves a new version of Jack Kirby’s New Gods as envisioned by Grant Morrison in his typical off-kilter fashion. The first issue begins with the death of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, and the return of Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, who was killed back in 1986 in Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC’s first major summer event. So far, it’s been a little hard to follow but I trust Morrison to pull it of in the end.

A little more straightforward is a pair of spin-offs written by Geoff Johns – Rogues' Revenge, about a banded together group of Flash villains and Legion of Three Worlds, which involves a whole bunch of characters, including several continuity challenging versions of the 30th (or 31st) Century’s Legion of Superheroes, as well as Superman and Superboy Prime, one of the villains from 2006’s Infinite Crisis ,who was first introduced around the first aforementioned Crisis, though he was a good guy at the time. The story promises to impact future storylines in books featuring Superman, Flash and Green Lantern, as well as the Legion. With art by the incomparable George Perez (also of the again aforementioned 1986 Crisis), this appears to be just a fun book.

Final Crisis, Rogue’s Revenge and maybe even Legion of Three Worlds (at least one speedster is likely to make a comeback in this story) all provide the prelude to the return of Barry Allen in the Flash: Rebirth, also by Johns, coming later this year. This is another book that I will have a hard time waiting for the collection. Just about everything else coming though, I can wait.

One of these days I may REALLY quit.

We’ll see...

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part 1)

June 30? My last post was over two months ago?! Apparently I decided to take the summer off from blogging, despite all kinds of "stuff" happening tailor-made for this place. But, once I started missing a few things, it got harder to catch up. And with such a gap, I started to feel a little overwhelmed about everything I "should be" covering, and that kept me away even longer. So finally, I realized/decided by the end of July, well, I’m taking the summer off.

Now, I want to wipe the slate clean and start fresh for the fall, so I’m going to get all of this out of my system with a series of summarizing posts. Then, we can begin again with hopefully a little more regularity.

The biggest miss of course was my review of The Dark Knight. If you scroll down this page, I spent almost a year blogging about my anticipation for this release. Then on July 18, it finally comes out and…nothing, even though I saw it twice (and still hope to catch it in IMAX). I reviewed Iron Man back in May , but skipped reviews of the other big summer movies I saw – Indiana Jones, The Incredible Hulk and … The Dark Knight.

One of the reasons I think I skipped it was because I didn’t know what to write. I LOVED the movie. There are only so many ways I can write "awesome". And I had read so much about the movie before and after its release, it was hard not to be influenced by some of what I had read. Heath Ledger’s Joker was inspired and Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent was mostly great, though the resolution seemed a little… rushed, despite the movie’s length. Returning cast Bale, Oldman, Freeman and Caine built on their strong showing from Batman Begins with even meatier performances. Nolan blended drama, action and humor to create a fantastic, very dark sequel. It immediately leaps to the top of the list of the best comic book movie, though it’s followed pretty closely by Iron Man, as I wrote earlier.

The Incredible Hulk was a fun movie too. Casting aside the Ang Lee version from 2003, this Edward Norton-led version owed a lot to the TV show and the comics. It provided what we were looking for the first time – lots of action, with some major fight scenes against the military and the Abomination, and featured the Bixby-like Banner on the run and in hiding doing menial jobs under false names. And like Iron Man before it, the movie made clear its part of a larger Marvel movie universe. Kudos to Marvel for taking control of the movies based on its characters and planting the appropriate amount of seeds.

As for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, while it was great to see Harrison Ford back with his fedora and whip on the big screen again, the movie was a bit of a letdown that slightly tarnished the legacy of the character. It has its moments, but overall it was disappointing.

I didn’t see other comic adaptations Hellboy II or Wanted in the theatre, but I’m sure I’ll catch them on cable within the next year. Other summer movies I considered seeing but haven’t were the comedies Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder, both still in theatres. I’m on a mini-vacation late this week. Maybe I’ll catch one of them.

New Hellboy II promos include animated Mignola preview

From Collider.com comes all kinds of new promotional videos for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, opening July 11, the coolest of which is an animated prolgue by comics writer/artist and Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola.

If nothing else, the movie looks pretty cool. The first one was a lot of fun, and there's no reason to expect this one won't be too, though it will be quickly be overshadowwed by Dark Knight, opening only a week later, which you may have seen mentioned a time or two on this site.

New Bond trailer

Check out 007.com to catch the trailer for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig, opening November 7th.

Shedding light on the Dark Knight

The Dark Knight opens in less than three weeks, and the full-court marketing press is on. Among the coolest promotions is from Comcast. For those with Comcast's digital cable, you can see trailers, mini documentaries, special "newscasts" and even one of the six animated segments from Batman: Gotham Knight, the animated DVD feature due out July 8, through On Demand (check "Movies & Special Events').

But even if you don't have digital cable, you can still see some of the Comcast goodies. Just go to the dedicated mini-site for some of the same documentaries and trailers.

Elsewhere are actor, writer and director interviews that help set the stage for the sequel. Most notably, you can read these interviews with star Christian Bale, co-star Aaron Eckhart, director Christoher Nolan and writers, David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan.

You can see five minutes from another segment of Batman: Gotham Knights here.

Finally, here's an early mainstream review (from Rolling Stone) that will make you just want July 18 to get here quicker!

Why So Serious?