Semi-Heroic Reviews: Man of Steel

It seems odd to think of and look at Superman as a figure of controversy. But in our exceedingly social age little does escape controversy. And when the subject has been around for over 75 years, everyone has an opinion about how to tell their story right.

So when Superman returned...again, and the decision was made to not emulate iconic 30 year films, conflict follows.

Now, 5 years on, the "Internet consensus" would be happy to close the book on this film, and dismiss it. Man of Steel was bad. It's didn't work. It was made wrong. The movie got Superman completely wrong. End of story. Close the book.

And that seeming consensus has a strong hove to it. After Man of Steel's follow up, Batman vs Superman, came out, I found myself avoiding watching Man of Steel. I had enjoyed the film when I went to the theater. And when I rewatched it. And when I bought the DVD. The negative push that came after the release and over the intervening time had weeded it's way into my memory.

So let's keep that book open, and reexamine this film.

It wasn't until mid-2016, when I was rewatching Man of Steel that I was reminded how well this film worked for me. The re-imagining of Krypton. The lost and questing Clark Kent. Lois Lane sniffing out Superman before he even existed. Zod, and his unbending will, keeping Krypton's culture and ideology alive, no matter what it cost.

It was in many ways borrowing from the long history of Superman. And in other ways, it added new takes and ideas. A respect for lore, with a willingness to go beyond as needed. When it comes to beloved lore, it's exactly what is needed to help it live and grow.

Let's take flight then, and see the power of...

Man of Steel

The Horror Of...Halloween Night, Legion of Super Heroes - Fear Factory

You wake up on a weekend morning...or noonish, you need some Count Chocula and other vital nourishment, but then what do you watch to start up the day's Horror Marathon? You could go off the deep end with The Re-Animator or Hellraiser. But what about that ancient and forgotten ritual of the morning toons?

How about some superheroic fun and fright? And what fun it would be to find it in a future time, when you could rely on a legion of friends to back you up. It's time to take flight.

Legion of Super Heroes - "Fear Factory"

Semi-Heroic Reviews.

Time for adventure, time for larger than life heroics. Time for good to best evil. It's time for Semi-Heroic Reviews! ...It's the third name that popped in my head, and it amused me, so we're stuck with it.

"Holy Carpal Tunnel, Batman! Does that mean he'll review
us?"
"No. Just following our serial required 5 flow charts.
Reviewing us could kill a man."

It's time to head back to the thrilling adventures of yesterday year, or even this year.

Why? Because, like with The Horror Of posts, the point of talking about movies, TV, comics, etc, is to share things and talk about things I love and enjoy, not tear things down for fun. There's is so much out there that we can all enjoy, and some things that are under appreciated, or, even in the Internet Age Resurgence of Super Heroes, unknown to many.

So let's enjoy the bounty.

And to start us off, let's start a trek through the DC Comics Extended Cinematic Universe, and whatever acronym you use for it.

Yes, we will be heading back to 2013 with Man of Steel.

We'll move through the current slate of DC movies until we reach Wonder Woman, and then we'll have that review some time in the weeks to come, after I can see the film a few times and mull on it.

The Flash Review Season 2

As we ready to see what comes in the 3rd season of The Flash, let's look back at Season 2.

It was a hectic season that started off with Barry Allen, Flash, dealing with the repercussions of the first season. The effort to stop the Reverse Flash from escaping to cause more harm resulted in the deaths of Eddie Thawne and the Reverse Flash. A large tear in space/time opened up over Central City, and the Flash and Firestorm went in to try and close it before reality was destroyed.

In the wake of closing it we learn that Firestorm died in the effort. Ronnie Raymond, half of Firestorm disappeared into the gash in reality, and he is gone. The other half, Dr. Stein, is left without the ability to access their powers.
 

The Flash struggled with guilt over this, pushing everyone away. He was given control of STAR Labs, so he could use it's resources. But he still lacked the support he needed to embrace.

Once he brought his team back together (with Cisco - taking the codename Vibe, Caitlin, Joe, and Iris) he was hit by a new threat. The rip in reality was still around, and 52 distinct holes existed around the city. And through those holes dangerous metahumans were coming. And they were all targeting the Flash.

Supergirl Season 1 Episode 1 - "Pilot" - Girl Super Power

This continues a look at the Supergirl pilot.

Now that we've had a chance to experience Supergirl's premiere, it's time to revel.

The show has a wonderful feel that is reminiscent of The Flash, but is unique for this character and her sensibilities.

I know when the first look came out for the show their were some that had a reflexive dislike. It wasn't drenched in machismo, which we are taught as kids to expect from superhero adventure. Instead there's energy, adrenaline, idealism, hope, optimism, youthful delight, danger, threats, and fun. It's weird to see the rebuffing it got, and that some gave this show.

Supergirl Pilot/Season 1 Episode 1 Review

It has been a heady time for DC Comics on TV. Arrow. Flash. iZombie. Gotham. Constantine...is gone, but it was good while it was here (And he will be returning on Arrow.) We had a short animated series for Vixen. Legends of Tomorrow is coming soon. And we still have a live action Teen Titans pilot coming soon. Plus we have Lucifer and Preacher shows upcoming.

But right now, we have a new comer to leading a DC series. Kara Zor-El. Supergirl!

The show is in a funny spot. It has sister shows with Arrow and Flash on the CW, while it's on CBS. And the costume reflects some of the look of the movie Superman that is part of the expanding DC Cinematic Universe. But, at least for now, the show is off on it's own. (We just need the Flash to start passing through the space/time portals around Central City and pop up in National City.

And seeing as the show is coming from the creative team behind Flash and Arrow, if the channels decide to please fans, I can't believe we don't see an eventual crossover. But Kara needs time to settle into her show and establish her own mythos.

But we know what we eventually want to see.

"Wanna race?"

Trailers In Short - Heroes Coming Back Edition, Part DC

Okay. Let's close out this look at our heroic tales with some DC Comics? We will stick with live action. Haven't even had a chance yet to watch Batman Versus Robin. But I do have some worries about taking this angle for doing the "Court of the Owls" storyline. ...We can get into that another time.


Still, it is fun to keep up on the DC series on now. Sadly, I am a little behind on viewing and reviewing. I do want to get caught up this week on Gotham and Flash, in some manner, so let's see where they are? (Also I'd like to do something for Constantine, to Remember/Hope For The Best For It.) And I want to get into iZombie, to get a sense of it. And Arrow's current season to.

I better hurry up in my homework, as we have additional shows making their way soon to TV, as we'll see.

Trailers In Short - Heroes Coming Back Edition

Back to the trailers!

And cue the triumphant hero music. For it is time to get back into the hero groove. And it's a time for that. The Empire of old needs some Rebellion. The Machines need to be Terminated. It's time for Max to get Mad again. And...Daredevil, Ant-Man, Fantastic Four, and the Rest.

Plus we should get into DC's Live Action Universe.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Suppose it's time to admit something horrible. I found the first teaser that was released for this movie to be a little meh. It was a series of shots that went by quickly with no sense of what anything meant. There were sights I knew, like updated Stormtroopers and X-Wings. And the Millennium Falcon did a quick pass. It was nice, particularly as the Williams music kicked in. But it was blur of "What?" I still didn't know what to expect.

And now we get this one. Let's be honest it is a rush of more images of things we don't really understand. But it's longer shots and more reveals of how this universe looks, is being filmed, and how the characters may actual connect to one another. And that makes me happy. I feel like I'm starting to figure out the movie.

Trailers In Short - The Tunes and Toons Edition

It's the time of year when we need some childlike fun, and some merry songs to tide us through blustery cold days.

Time for some fun from LEGO's take on the heroes of the DC Universe.Time for the five armies to meet. Time for Snoopy to...do whatever he does, And it's time for some song and dance with a musical witch. And, Galavant, again.


LEGO Justice League Vs Bizarro League

Ah. Another LEGO film. I have so far found the DC animated LEGO films to be quite fun. I like their take on the pantheon of heroes. The humor,animation, and characters feel like they all work together. (Honestly, the Marvel ones haven't worked as well for me. They just feel too goofy.)

But this time out we get a turn with Bizarro. And Bizarro has decided to create some friends. So that means, after so many, years, we get a look at Bizarro's take on the Justice League again.

I don't think I've seen any of them since the days of the Super Friends. I guess they've brought them back in some forms at times.

Though the logic of the Bizarro's is tricky. Do everything opposite. It's hard not to do without being very silly. They've turned more to be more tragic to me in recent years. Bizarro ends up being a strange confused unwanted outsider.

But that's why it's more fun to use the concept with LEGO, where everything can be tongue in cheek!

But I don't think we've had a Bizarro World for awhile. It's supposed to be a square duplication of Earth. Sometimes it seemed it had some variety of people. But often it was a lot of Superman duplicates (Hence why you often Bizarro with a "No. 1" medallion around his neck. He's the original and worst.)

But then you had the team.

Ah.

So we get a tale of them being created from LEGO, and how they end up helping the Justice League against Darkseid. We get to see the value of a Bizarro.

It sounds like fun.

And how can I now resist adding the DC Nation short with Bizarro?

Gotham - What to see in Episode 1

Gotham started to last week in much the way you'd imagine. Along the way we were introduced a lot of sights tried to Batman and Gotham lore.


Gotham City

The skyline of Gotham is hard not to race to. As a fan it is always a pleasure to see the city represented.

The looming buldings of wealthy and power.

The lesser structures most of the citizens live. It is beautifully shoot.

Trailers in Short - Do You Want To Play A Game Edition

The trailers never stop coming, nor, thankfully, do the game stop coming. And we have a slough of sequels heading our way quite soon. Are we excited? Are we dreading them? Are we bored now?

Let's see how you handle an Alien, how the bricks fit for Batman, Batman's new old toys, a Tomb Raider...rises, and Nate Drake get smacked around for 10's of hours of game play.

Nostalgia - Network Movie Premieres, Trailers in Short

Sometimes us olden folk like some nostalgia. It's a homesickness for the past.

It's like when I was away from home in my first year of college. I had some VHS tapes of shows I'd recorded, and at times, there was a strange sensation on a low day to see ads and channel call letters from home. For moments you're home. (And if you need a refresher course on VHS and VCR's, please look here.)

But we can't go home to the past. We can relive it. We can get stuck in it. We can drown in it.

So let's do a quick toe dip, okay?

One thing that sticks somewhere in the back of the mind are ads. Different places and times take on ads and promotions in their own unique ways. We don't do things like we used to, for the better and the worse. And what can I say, I am a little bit of a sucker for old fashion hype.

Something that we used to have that has long become defunct is ABC/CBS/NBC having MOVIE PREMIERES. ...I mean, between Pay Per View, Netflix, Cable TV, etc...Why do it? No one is clamoring for it. Once though, most people just had the Big 3 Channels, and PBS and some small time local channels. Even when Cable TV became a thing, it wasn't that common. Most people couldn't afford, or didn't bother with, cable.

Antennas, man! That's the future!

So let's look back at the day of the BIG WEEKLY MOVIE PREMIERE ON THE TV BOX!!!

And among those that really liked to get in with a big show was ABC.

DC Comics does Reading

Saw this set of reading aids via DC Comics characters on Tumblr. They are ridiculous and silly.

Of course we have all seen this one.

It's long since become a meme.

Trailers in Short - Speedsters, Mystics, and Detectives. Oh My!

Well if the rounds of superhero movies isn't enough, we seem to be in store for a whole range of TV series based around comic book heroes. (Okay, we often have various superhero series these days. But let's all pretend, like the media does.)

So let's see all the DC Comics and Marvel Comics offerings coming this year. (And maybe some movies. We are obliged.)

Let's start with The Flash (he always races to the front of line). He's a favorite of mine in comics. And I am always pleased when he gets some press or representation. (And maybe they'll finally finish a Flash video game. The one that almost came out before looked lovely.) And I do love a speedster.

More shorts, more Tales from Metropolis.

Came across more of the Tales from Metropolis shorts that were produced for the DC Nation block on Cartoon Networks.

They make for some fun shorts.



TALES OF METROPOLIS...

An interesting animated short on Superman's 75th.

As part of their look at Superman's 75th Anniversary, DC has put out an interesting and enjoyable race through the last 75 years of the Man of Steel.



It is fun, in how it breezily races through his various incarnations from comics to cartoons to live action. All compressed into just over 2 minutes. If you are interested, DC did make some annotation of what the various aspects of the short represent from Clark's history.

Still, noticeably underused is Lois Lane. Her only appearances are in a flash of a legion of characters right at the start, and in a crowd scene representing the 90's animated series. The character has been there from the start, been a constant companion, and his wife, but she is hardly of note in the short. The individual villains get more attention. Heck, Jimmy Olson gets a more genuine shot out and moment. I can't help but think Lois's fanbase will be a bit insulted. Hell, they show the Doomsday fight and cut to the image of his cape hanging in the wind, not to the iconic image of Lois holding his body. Why?

Still, as a narrowly focused look at Superman, smoothly transitioning through his decades, it is impressive. If they'd shown Lois's evolution and impact along the way, it would have been near perfect.

Jim Gordon: GCPD: Nights *UPDATED*

Just a chip off the old brick.
LEGO HUMOR!

The news from Comic Book Hollywood (Would that be Comicwood?) is that we will see another comic hero making his way (Yeah. It’s a guy. You shocked?) to TV. A month back we heard about Flash coming to TV via a spinoff of the series Arrow. But know Warner Brothers will be producing a new series, based around Commissioner James Gordon, to show on FOX.

From the talk, it looks like he won’t be the commissioner of police. But he will be in Gotham City. It seems to be some sort of a prequel to the Batman era of the city. So it doesn't seem we should see any of the classic costumed criminals, nor have any sighting of Bruce Wayne (unless they are tweaking his history for the show as well).

Now the show is being made by the creator of The Mentalist, Bruno Heller, so we know he can make interesting criminal procedurals. But will it be a show worth using Gordon in, or worth getting excited about?

What origin will Gordon have. Jim Gordon has been given different origins over the years. Is he the guy who moves to Gotham and discovers how corrupt it is? Is he the guy who’s lived in the city for years, and has hit the wall of police corruption? Who will Gordon be?

75 years of Lois Lane being it all.

It's been 75 years of Superman come to day. All those years of adventures. But, as important, it's been 75 years of Lois Lane adventuring, often by his side. Chasing a story. Aiding her husband. Scaring the powerful into soiling themselves. That's Lois Lane.

Sadly, DC Comics is not as interested in her anniversary, or character, these days. I can't explain the thinking. But I can celebrate Lois Lane and Superman both. But, today, let's look at all that Lois Lane does in our grand comic book world. And tonight we've been celebrating her some on Twitter with the #LoisLane75 hashtag. And this post is late for that. But posts are less transient than twitter. And I plan, hopefully, to write far more later on about Lois and Clark. So let's start here, the many faces of Lois Lane (Not guaranteed to actually be all the faces of Lane. And all offers void in the Continental United States.)

LOIS LANE!

See Being Lois Lane

Be meaning to point to these videos for awhile. It's from a documentary produced that looks at the women that have played Lois Lane over the years. It gives a sense of how the character changed over the years, stayed constant, and how these women say the character they worked to embody.

It is quite interesting to see what they brought to their roles and how they look back on it.