The Joker revealed

Soon after beginning the viral marketing campaign attached to The Dark Knight, the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins, Warner Bros has released an official photograph of Heath Ledger's Joker by way of ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com.



That is incredible. Of course, I wonder what parents' groups will think of such a grotesque and fundamentally violent character in what they still believe is a francise of "children's movies."

And I'm sure that the internet is tearing at the seams with fans complaining about how this is "not the real Joker" (as if there is real Joker at all) and already claiming to boycott the film. For me, the grisly, no-holds-barred approach to the Joker is perfect and will fit neatly into the new Batman film continuity.

But, I am afraid I will start thinking I'm watching Ichi the Killer at times.

Mary Jane is not a supermodel, Mr. Hodges.

Until now I have kept my blog shut on this ridiculous Mary Jane statue issue, but after this statement by Tom Hodges, defending the statue's design, I couldn't keep quiet. What really stood out to me was this part:

If you're upset she's not portraying MJ like Dunst in the movies... then you obviously have no idea who the MJ character really is. She's a supermodel, not some whiny waive thin tone deaf little girl. She's supposed to be stacked.

Here's the deal: Mary Jane is not a supermodel. She is a fictional character who was written as a supermodel for a small time, but she does not in any way resemble an actual supermodel. In fact, other than plus size models and Trya Banks, most supermodels are "whiny, waif-thin little girls."

This is Kate Moss. This is a supermodel. For a time she was THE supermodel.



Kate Moss makes for a great clothes hanger. That's what supermodels are.

Somehow there has managed to be a disconnect between Hodge's definition of hotness with the fashion industry's already disconnected definition of hotness. Not only do comic creators not know what real women look like, they evidentially don't even know what supermodels look like. It's this sort of denial of reality and acceptance of the sexist status quo that makes people think that this sort of thing is perfectly innocent, inoffensive and fun.

Looking at that statue, I can only assume that Mary Jane is a slut. That's it. Is that what her character is? I must have no idea.

Sorry superheroes...

I'd love to write something cynical and witty about Countdown or World War Hulk or even Amazons Attack, but I'm not reading any of them. In fact, I haven't read too many superhero comics in the last few weeks. Instead, I've been reading Death Note. Don't expect too much mainstream love from me until I'm finished with all 12 volumes.

Quick and dirty Spider-Man 3 review

All said and done, Spider-Man 3 is the single best film to be the third installment of a superhero franchise. That action is solid, if not more impressive than the first two movies, and the consistent tone with the other films make this a good addition to the series in a genre where sequels usually become unbearable after the second film. The acting is also very good, especially Ms. Dunst, who I feel really was the star of this movie. Quite enjoyable.

The only real problem is the script. With so many intersecting story lines, the script simply stretches itself too thin while it attempts to give all its characters a sense of humanity. Perhaps another 20 minutes was necessary to flesh things out, or maybe the screen writers were just being lazy. Another problem, although less so, is that Peter's evil makeover is laughably ridiculous. So emo.

There is no arguing that Spider-Man 3 is much weaker than the first two movies and that this is mostly due to the thinned out script and use of cheap plot devices, but it still is a pretty decent movie and an above average superhero flick.

Marvel vs. DC: An Attempt at an Answer

Now that the post-Infinite Crisis status quo has finally been revealed in Fifty-Two #52, I find my self wondering which of the two major fictional universes I find more attractive now that they have finished their respective "shake-up" events. I've figured that looking at how both DC and Marvel match up in some key categories will help me come to the final answer: Am I a DC or a Marvel man? Let the games begin!

New Status Quo
DC: A new multiverse. Personally I really don't care much for this idea at I felt that Hypertime was a quick and easy way to make everything work while still keeping things in one set universe. I don't really know why I would want to read anything that takes place on Earth-2 or the Faucett Earth. I like the idea of a single universe for everything, but that said, I don't really see how this will really affect me much. So really, I'm just apathetic to the multiverse.
Marvel: Ugh. I can't help but see half of Marvel's protagonists as villains now. Mrs. Marvel and Iron Man especially. Maybe this will bring about some interesting dynamics between characters, but I just don't like not being able to really care about less than half of the characters in a superhero universe. Hopefully the Hulk can help smash some of this crap back into shape.
Winner: DC, for not making their heroes either outlaws or dickheads.

Continuity
DC: A multiverse, then a single universe, then a series of interwoven timelines, then a multiverse. The post-CoIE reboot was brilliant, although necessary move but now I'm just confused by who did or didn't do what. Although I only have to wait twenty years for another reboot.
Marvel: These guys always had their shit together, although they did get a later start. Everything is in continuity, and although that means that there are decades worth of stories that "count" but no fan will have the time to read. I admire Marvel's ability to refrain from rebooting their universe and accepting that continuity is going to get fucked up now and then.
Winner: Marvel, for keeping things simple and relevant.

Old School
DC: Things were pretty goofy in the fifties and sixties for everyone in the DCU. All I can say is thank you, Baby Jesus, for Crisis on Infinite Earths. That said, DC did get their act together much sooner than the competition. Pretty much anything Neil Adams and Denny O'Neil touched in the seventies was decades ahead of its time.
Marvel: When Marvel started out, Stan Lee wrote everything and I've made my feelings on Stan's writing abilities pretty clear. That said, Jack Kirby also drew a lot of stuff and that made those ridiculous stories all the more bearable. Personally, I don't think Marvel really got its head on straight with storytelling until the late seventies, especially when Frank Miller changed Daredevil into a swashbuckling Spider-Man rip-off into a hard edged, realistic vigilante.
Winner: DC, by a nose. While the stories where Superman tricks his family and Batman died every issue were stupid, juvenile and just plain crappy, the DC books of the seventies were far more advanced than those at Marvel. That said, Jack Kirby still kicks ass.

Main "Boy Scout" Character
DC: Superman. I've always had a hard time liking Superman. As a god-like superhero, he's the template, but in the end, smashing stuff or lifting huge objects can only be so interesting. I get that there's some sort of American idealism that is supposed to be invested in Superman, but it always rings hallow to me. Maybe I just don't "get him" and need to read It's a Bird again.
Marvel: Captain America. Also hard for me to get, especially since I find nationalistic idealism often to be silly. That said, Cap has a history of standing up for what he beleives is right, even if it is in opposition to the US government. That's the sort of hero I can respect, even if he has a silly costume.
Winner: Marvel. Even anarchists can think Cap is cool, while Superman just comes off as a tool a lot of the time.

Main "Tough Guy" Character
DC: Batman. The Goddamn Batman. Don't know what else to say other than he's the coolest comic book character of all time.
Marvel: Wolverine. He can be cool, really cool, but sometimes he just gets boring. And now that he's been reduced to a skeleton only to recover in an hour or so, it's a little hard to worry about the outcomes of his stories.
Winner: DC. Batman will punch you in the neck for thinking otherwise.

Main Female Character
DC: Wonder Woman. She's always gotten the short end of the stick in the so-called "trinity" of major heroes in the DCU. I don't know much about her, but I know that she's able to kick just about anyone's ass, especially since Superman can't sometimes bring himself to do the job. That makes her cool in my book.
Marvel: Uh... who would this be exactly? Storm? Or is it Mrs. Marvel now that Ororo's married to a B-list Avenger? In any case, I can't think of a single female Marvel character that is a household name. That's sad.
Winner: DC, for simply having a woman on the A-list.

Main Superhero Team
DC: Justice League. The JLA has either been full of A-listers or stocked with silly B-listers and either way is lots of fun. Personally, I prefer to have all the best characters on the roster, but even with a few second stringers, the League is always fun.
Marvel: Avengers. Until lately the Avengers have never interested me. Other than a handful of A-list characters like Cap and Iron Man, the team seems to have always been made up of characters that no one really cares much about. The X-Men have cooler characters, but somehow the Avengers are still supposed to be "the big guns." And even when the coolest characters are on the team (as they are in the current New Avengers) it seems a little awkward and forced.
Winner: DC. Ask anyone on the street to name ten superheroes and they are likely to name mostly JLA members.

Movies (post-X-Men)
DC: Batman Begins was damn near perfect and Superman Returns was pretty fun if only a bit preachy. Catwoman is unwatchable, but is the only bad recent DC movie I can think of.
Marvel: Marvel has a bit of a head start on the superhero movie renaissance, starting with X-Men and exploding with Spider-Man. Both the X-movies and Spider-Man films have been great (even The Last Stand!) but there have been even more Marvel movies that I haven't even seen because they just look boring. Hulk, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Daredevil, all movies I would theoretically love to see, but just to not seem to look worth the effort of renting them.
Winner: Draw. While Marvel has two successful series of films under thier belt, they also have a ton of mediocre films. DC on the other hand has next to nothing but promises good stuff in the future.

Now that I've run out of categories, lets tally up the points...

And DC wins by a landslide. Really, I'm a little surprised, but the numbers don't lie. Now I just need to figure out why I read more Marvel weekly than DC.

A few thoughts on Fifty-Two #52

If you haven't ready read it, do so, or else be ready to read some SPOILERS.

I just have to say that it's mighty convenient that Mr. Mind was able to eat all the parts that made the New Earth different from the Kingdom Come earth or the Wildstorm Universe. I mean, just how is it that he didn't create totally different realities, ones we've never seen before, while on his space/time eating binge?

The DCU has gone though so many shuffles and revisions that nothing makes any sense to me anymore. I mean, now that there is a new multiverse, does that mean that the first Crisis is null and void, at least for those Earths that existed back then? Does this mean that every DC/Wildstorm crossover need a dimensional travel explanation? And why even bother have the Charlton or Capt. Marvel worlds? The first Crisis didn't just erase them, it made them obsolete by integrating them into the mainstream DCU.

Sigh. I miss Hypertime.

I don't like Nightwing anymore

Maybe this is a little late since Nightwing Annual #2 came out a while ago, but this One-Year-Before-One-Year-Later story has sealed the deal: I don't like Dick Grayson.

Now, I do like him as a supporting character to Batman or Tim Drake, and he seems to be cool enough as Robin, but when he is the lead character some of his less appealing traits really shine through. Namely, Dick is a whiny slut.

I've already written about how Dick can't keep it in his pants, but I forgave him for it then. After all, it was One Year Later and everyone in the DC Universe could have done with some action. But as the Annual points out, Nightwing is just a plain ol' slut. According to the Annual, Dick, in a heartbeat, started making out with Barbara and even went to bed with her only to reveal that he was engaged to Starfire at the time! I'm not too familiar with Dick and Kori's relationship, but it's just not cool to sleep around when you are engaged. And, as the ending of the Annual indicates, Dick is still in love with Babs and will return to her some day. Apparently it's okay to sleep with strange fashion designers on the way. And has Dick even talked to Babs since returning to the states? I haven't been reading Nightwing for a few months, but I'm sure he's found some other ways to slut it up along the way back to Babs.

And Nightwing is emooooooo. He's more moody than Batman now! Somehow both Bruce and Tim returned from their world tour better adjusted and more badass, but Dick just got more whiny. Maybe that's what he gets for skipping out early. It seems that Nightwing is just in a bad place and I'm not sure if he'll ever get out of it.

I wish I could blame Dick's angst and promiscuity on one writer, but this appears to be the conventions of his character and that makes me not like him at all. I'm still all about Nightwing teaming up with Robin or Batman or anyone else for that matter. Hell, I loved his role in Infinite Crisis, but on his own he repulses me.

Someone let me know when Dick gets over it.