Batman...with a son? It's a surprise to him too. Come to think of it, with so many love interests, he probably should have seen this coming. Ever heard of Batraceptive?
Anyway, Damian Wayne is the son of Batman. It's no coincidence that he shares the same name as the anti-christ in The Omen. Damian's mother is Talia Al Ghul...which makes him the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's Al Ghul is one of Batman's greatest enemies. He is a skilled assassin (Master of the League of Shadows), a brilliant mastermind, he is thought to have lived for centuries (experience), and his name in Arabic means "head of the demon" (cue: lightning, thunder and heebie jeebies).
Despite Batman always foiling his plans, he still considers "The Detective" his greatest adversery and hopes that they can one day be allies. So, is it actually a coincidence that his daughter births a son with Batman's DNA which he can mold and help grow on his own? Maybe, maybe not. I'll speculate and let you find the rest out on your own.
As you'd expect, Damian was taught to be ruthless, tactical and trained to kill. That last part might not sit well with his dad. But with the revelation that his grandfather was killed by the mercanery Deathstroke (THE Greatest assassin in the DC Universe), he may not have much of a choice.
It's the first time that we'll see Damian in an animated movie, or any movie, so I am very excited. The storyline and artwork is great. Voice actor, Stuart Allen seems like the perfect fit for the Damian Wayne voice. I love the little glimpses of energy and attitude that I've seen so far. The movie is set to be released by May 6, 2014, but in the meantime, check out the awesome trailer below and let me know what you think in the "comments" section.
Background: Justice League: War stems from the relaunch of the entire DC Universe: The New 52 comic series, which began in 2011. In this adventure, heroes unite for a common cause: protect the planet from the evil Darkseid.
Obviously, with the relaunch of an entire series there comes change, and where there's change, controversy follows. This is especially true for characters that have been around for nearly an entire century like Superman and Batman.
If you're watching this film simply for enjoyment, I would say that Justice League:War fulfills that purpose. There were detailed and realistic action scenes, it was visually pleasing, and many of the heroes that we know and love from the DC Universe were there...or maybe not exactly as we know and love them...
Wonder Woman:
For one thing, I would say that Wonder Woman's new wardrobe is definitely an improvement. While it's very different from the original, it still stays true to the character and gives her a more modern look.
On another note, there are some characterization changes that do not do her any service. Wonder Woman has always been a strong independent woman, with staunch opposition to misogyny. I mean she was born and bred in an island where only strong (mentally and physically) women are allowed, and men are strictly prohibited.
In many ways, this character has been the symbol for women's rights and equality in the DC Universe (but then again, some may disagree). Read more about Wonder Woman and American Feminism in The Stockton Post Colonial Studies Project. In Justice League: War, she's not only objectified by her male counterparts, but she welcomes Superman's assertiveness when he "claims" her for himself. And yes, I am aware of the romance with the two in The New 52, but it just wasn't developed in this movie.
Speaking of Superman: Is that really you, Clark? For the record, I'm not the biggest Superman fan in the world, but I've learned to appreciate the character more by understanding the complexity of his actions, and inactions. He symbolizes hope, justice and restraint. You ever wonder why the strongest dude in the DC Universe is always getting whooped? Is it because he's not good enough, not powerful enough, or is it because of his incredible restraint? He inhibits himself to protect others, always worrying that his power will hurt those around him.
Umm...not so much in this movie. The new Superman seems arrogant, careless and pretty ruthless. That's him (above) smiling after choking Batman out. At one point during the action sequence with Superman I was actually worried for Batman. It seemed like a completely different person decided to stamp that "S" on their chest. I was unpleasantly surprised with this version of Superman.
Aside from the name, the cape now on both shoulders and the slight change in the symbol, the one thing that stuck out at me was how much of a selfish little jerk Billy Batson was. For those who don't know, Billy is the little boy that transforms into the adult-sized hero when saying the magic word: "Shazam." He's an orphan, he's bullied, but he always finds a way to help others, and treat people as he would like to be treated. This is one of the reasons he's originally chosen to be Captain Marvel. I wondered if this was still the case after watching this film.
Cyborg:
Alright, I realize I'm bashing the movie a little bit, but it wasn't my intention, honestly. So here's positive: Cyborg. Cyborg is one of the few characters in the film which I liked (of course Batman is included, are you kidding me?). He is probably the only character in the film with some character development. It was a good origin story, especially for the time allotted.
The main reason I liked Cyborg was because I actually got to know what the person behind the mask (err..robot plate?) was going through emotionally. Ironically enough, you only see it with a guy who's half human and half robot.
Final Verdict:
If you're just looking to watch something for fun, I say go ahead and watch it. If you're a true DC fan, I say go ahead and watch it also, but as seen above, you may come away not liking a few things. I believe this revamp of the Justice League has some potential, but it also has some major character flaws. I'm interested in seeing where it goes, but deep down inside I'm not too happy with the changes.
Here's the trailer if you haven't seen the movie yet. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments.
Link for those in mobile devices: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3F9ASSsHUk.
Bats make up a quarter of all mammal species, yet they're probably the last mammal you'll ever come across. They are masters of secrecy, hidden, but always watching. Feeding in the night...owning the night. But what happens when the owl, a natural predator of the bat, is introduced into the bat's environment? Or rather, what's a bat to do when the owls were nesting in the bat's habitat the entire time...hidden, but always watching....
The Court of Owls is an organized crime society which has secretly existed in Gotham city for over 100 years. They kidnap child performers, raise and transform them into highly skilled assassins known as Talons, in order to shape and influence the city through their eyes.
While fairly new to DC Comics, this story is beautifully and seamlessly executed and introduced by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion. All of the twists, turns and intricate details of each character and Batman's overall history make this a completely engrossing comic book series. Unlike other introductions of characters or groups, you won't doubt the authenticity of this story for one second, despite the outrageous revelations of the character we all know.
Now the artwork. Ahh, the artwork. What's not to love? Because a comic book without great art is just a book with drawings.The use of color, shadow and even symbolism is so important when divulging into such a dark history for Batman, Nightwing (aka Dick Grayson), and Gotham City as a whole.
Another thing to note is how fluid the transition from Batman: The Court of Owls to Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes is. The latter follows the same story, but through Nightwing's eyes instead of Batman's. I highly recommend reading both versions of the series simultaneously.
So take a look at Volume 1, and let me know what you think. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Don't forget to follow Metta-X on Twitter at @MettaXReview.
That's right! Barely a month after taking a look at the first X-Men Days of Future Past trailer, director and producer, Bryan Singer hints at an X-Men Apocalypse movie.
If his name didn't already give it away, Apocalypse is THE definition of Epic, in X-Men world. He is the very first being in the Marvel universe to carry, what Professor X calls, the X-Gene. He is also, arguably, one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe - often compared to DC's Darkseid. By the way, Darkseid's home planet is called Apocalypse, but let's save that discussion for another time...
Apocalypse is immortal, can regenerate, absorb others' powers, can transform even the strongest of heroes, like The Hulk into his own personal henchmen, has an insatiable thirst for power and changing the world in his image, and apparently he's a bit of a tech geek...evil alien tech, that is.
The revelation of this news is in line with Marvel's idea of tying all films together, and further building out the Marvel Universe.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer, Simon Kinberg and his company, Genre Films have signed a three-year first-look deal with FOX, which will include an expansion of the studio's X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises. He is already heavily involved in X-Men Days of Future Past, so this is good for FOX, and Marvel fans alike.
"I have a lot of ideas on how to built those brands and do what everybody is thinking of these days: Be like Marvel," Kinberg tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I want to be able to build stories over multiple movies."
So Marvel fans, get ready, you're in for a wild ride!
First Appearance - Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #101 (1971)
Who he is - Morbius (also known as Nobel Prize winning biochemist, Michael Morbius) is technically not a supernatural vampire, but more of a scientific experiment gone wrong. Diagnosed with a rare blood cell deteriorating disease, Morbius secretly works on a cure and to his dismay is transformed into a super-powered being that must survive on plasma found in blood. If you ask me, the guy had it coming. Who told you to experiment using vampire bats!? C'mon, Morb!
What makes him so scary? - First of all, look at him. Secondly, he flies around in the darkest hour of the night looking to drain the plasma out of his next blood-filled victim with...creepy suckers on the palms of his hands. Oh, and he can hypnotize you too.
2. The Spectre
Publisher - DC Comics First Appearance - More Fun Comics #15 (1940) Who he is - Jim Corrogan is a murdered cop whose soul was refused access into the afterlife. He was granted supernatural powers by an entity known only as "The Voice" and given the responsibility to unleash vengeance on all evil. What makes him so scary? - Well, for starters, The Spectre is practically a ghost. He lives forever and cannot be killed (since he's already dead). His power is seemingly unlimited, and very creative. For instance, he can transform the ground you are running on into a giant concrete, man-eating snake or turn the glasses on your face into razor sharp scissors. What makes him the scariest is that you never know when he's coming, he has absolutely no remorse and he always kills.
3. The Man-Bat
Publisher - DC Comics First Appearance - Detective Comics #400 (1970) (Batman) Who he is - In another experiment gone wrong, Dr. Kirk Langstrom hopes to repair his damaged hearing by acquiring the sonar abilities of a bat. While the experiment works, a slight side-effect is that he is transformed into a giant Man-Bat. What makes him so scary? - What's scarier than werewolf? A flying Man-Bat of course! This thing can fly, has super-hearing and has super-strength, but the scariest thing is that it can put a hurtin' on the great Batman.
4. DeadMan
Publisher - DC Comics First Appearance - Strange Adventures #205 (1967) Who he is - Similar to Spectre, Boston Brand AKA Deadman is a supernatural ghost that was denied access to the afterlife. As an acrobat he was murdered by an assassin and now his spirit haunts the evil-doers. What makes him so scary? - He's a creepy looking ghost. That should be reason enough, right? Wrong. He also has the ability to posses and take over any living being's body with the host having absolutely no recollection of the act. The good thing is that he does use his power for good.
5. The Black Lantern Corps.
Publisher - DC Comics First Appearance - Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25 Who they are - This team is similar to the Green Lantern Corps, but oh so different. The black power rings grant power and life to the dead. What makes him so scary? - They are basically a team of super-powered zombies whose only goal is to eliminate all life. The rings take over former super heroes like the Martian Manhunter and even Batman. On top of that here is their creepy Black Lantern oath that grants powers to their rings, "The Blackest Night falls from the skies. The darkness grows as all light dies. We crave your hearts and your demise. By my black hand, the dead shall rise"!
Tell me which spooky comic book character is your favorite! Let me know if you have any others.
We have been waiting for this for quite some time. An ensemble cast with characters ranging from the very first X-Men movie all the way up to X-Men: First Class come together in the soon to be epic X-Men Days of Future Past.
So what is it about?
The X-Men of the future (or present, depending on how you look at it) are faced with an imminent, apocalyptic threat so great, that the only hope of stopping it is by warning and preparing their past bitter selves. The one tasked with doing this, is Wolverine, of course. The most recent Wolverine movie eludes to this in the end credits.
The brand new official trailer!
Judging from the trailer, this seems to be a very dark, powerful and emotional film, which is what set X-Men: First class apart from the others.
Towards the end of the trailer we hear a young Professor Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy speaking face to face with the older Professor Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart. In the exchange the younger, psychically bitter and enraged Professor X implores to the other, "I don't want your suffering! I don't want your future"! Shortly after the older, calmer version of Professor X whispers, "Please...we need you to hope again".
With that, I will leave you with the brand new official Trailer of X-Men Days of Future Past. Enjoy!
Before we get started, yes, I know the series is already in its second season, but I just got the chance to take a look at the very first episode. To say the least, I am pleasantly surprised. Especially after being sorely disappointed by the highly anticipated Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
As you can tell from the cover art, this is a much darker series than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The overall tone, acting and attention to detail is extremely refreshing and at times reminiscent of the Batman Trilogy.
Just so you have some background, here is what the show is about: After a shipwreck that should have killed everyone, playboy billionaire, Oliver Queen (aka DC Superhero: The Green Arrow) emerges as the sole survivor and returns to his city...5 years later. (Sound familiar? If you're a Batman fan it should. He is often compared to Batman).
What happened during all this time? Where was he? What or who did he encounter? And what will he do now that he's back? Obviously, many questions are left unanswered in the first episode, but the way the story is presented gives you just enough information to keep you wanting more.
The Canadian actor, Stephen Amell does a great job at luring the viewer in with his acting and demeanor. Another plus is that it is pretty evident that he does his own stunts and is skilled in parkour. All of which makes him more believable as both Oliver Queen and The Green Arrow.
SPOILER ALERT
One of the things which admittedly got me more excited than any other, was not the acting, nor the fancy bows and arrows or even the great action scenes. It was one brief two second tease of who may have contributed to Oliver Queen's troubled 5 years on that island and perhaps a foreshadowing of who we will see in the upcoming episodes.
That's right! That is none other than the unmistakable mask of Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke, one of my favorite villains in the DC Universe. Now what does Deathstroke have to do with any of this? Could he be behind the shipwreck, the death of some of the passengers, or does he perhaps have something to do with the possible wrongdoings of Oliver Queen's father? I do know that he is a paid mercenary, so it can actually be anything.
Final Verdict
If you have not noticed already, I happen to love the first episode of this series. If it is any indication of the coming episodes, I completely recommend watching it. The entire first season is available on Netflix.
Let me know your thoughts on the series and if there is anything superhero related that you would like me to review please feel free to let me know!
