#16: When You Try To Channel Your Inner Hero!

When my brother-in-law was a wee lad he decided to strike terror into the criminal element by adopting a new masked identity.

Actually, he didn’t have a mask. Or for that matter, a utility belt or any of the required conventions of the superhero mythos, so he made some adjustments…

• He donned  his best cape – a light blue flannel blanket.
• He scaled the highest building - his dresser.
• He extended his grappling hook – reached for the chandelier…
• And he swung out across the city to fight for justice!

And he nearly died when confronted with the inescapable laws of gravity which plague all “real superheroes”.

He then realized Adam West was a fraud.

I don’t have access to exact figures, but it’s safe to say most adults at one time or another in their childhood decided to take the superhero fantasy one step further and become homegrown versions of Superman or Wonder Woman. I know a lot of adults are still indulging that fantasy.

Bat-Image by Wikipedia!

But I digress.

There is a certain measure of fearlessness that accompanies childhood; we’ve all been invincible for an all-too brief period, and it’s a great sensation. It’s a shame we can’t capture that feeling and relive it from time to time.

Wait a minute… some of us do that every weekend, don’t we? It’s called a bender.

#33: The Ever-Widening Generation Gap!

Image via Wikipedia

“That’s not Batman!” – The Hook’s daughter, Glee Girl.

To a twelve-year-old, Adam West is not the Caped Crusader but a throwback to a strange, mystifying era. On a lark, we decided to “treat” Sarah to her first-ever viewing of the classic 1960s Batman television series.

I really should have taped her reaction to the…

• Theme song.  “Who wrote this? Hippies?
•  Costume .  “He’s the Dark Knight, not the Grey Goofball!”
• Crazy villains.  “The Mad Hatter? And he actually steals hats?”
• Villainous female sidekicks:  “Look at her dress! It looks like she has two pylons under there!”

Image via Wikipedia

The funny thing is, Glee Girl has already seen various Batmen in her life – Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, Bale – but they were contemporary enough for her young mind to accept. Ask her to travel to the 1980s or earlier, and you’ll get a series of reactions ranging from “That’s not too bad, I guess.” to “That’s so weird!”, or “Seriously?”

The chasm between generations has always existed, but it feels like this current generation has failed to carve out a pop culture legacy that will truly last the test of time. Of course, the Adam West series is considered sacrilegious to hardcore Bat-fans, but it struck a chord at the time and almost everyone from that era holds some memory of the show and its unique style.

I wonder, in forty years time, will the same be said of Gossip Girl?

Related articles

• Campy Bat (1960′s – 1980′s) (nespositobatman.wordpress.com)
• ‘Batman’ still packs a punch 45 years later (ctv.ca)

#79: When “They” Mess With Your Favorite Film Franchise!

By “They”, I mean the douchebags-in-suits who run what is laughingly still referred to as Hollywood these days .

Films, and by extension, filmmakers, had artistic integrity in the “good old days” and it shone through in the finished celluloid product. These days, the studios hire over-priced consultants to tell them what’s “hip with the young people”, and they force directors and screenwriters follow suit.

Take the furor over latest Catwoman costume worn by Anne Hathaway in the upcoming Batman flick, The Dark Knight Rises. People are completely pissed off by the exclusion of the sultry thief’s trademark cat ears, and we can only hope the studio listens.

NBC’s failed Wonder Woman pilot was supposedly sunk by the alterations to the Amazon Princess’ iconic costume and origin. Even Halle Berry‘s horrible Catwoman flick would have been better if her costume was more traditional. It probably still would have tanked, but a better outfit would have helped!

Legions of Star Wars fans waited sixteen years for their Lord and master George Lucas to deliver unto them a new masterpeice.

What they got was kicked in the nads by The Phantom Menace! Of course, they still gave Lucas all their money and continue to do so, but the point is still valid. People are incredibly loyal to film franchises and studios often exploit this fact to increase their bottom line.

Peter Jackson’s upcoming duo of Hobbit films should prove to be an intersting study in studio/fanboy relations. I only hope Jackson shows his fans more respect than Lucas ever did.

Related articles

• Anne Hathaway Defends ‘Catwoman’ Costume By Joseph Brannigan Lynch (imullins89.wordpress.com)
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• First Official Photo: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (slashfilm.com)

DC Comics Wants To Change New Comic Book Day Forever!

Superman’s creators are bored and have decided to kill him.

Again.

This time around though, they’re taking out their entire universe! Don’t worry, the DCU will be resurrected and rebooted into a different yet recognizable form. And if all goes according to the company’s plan, your local comic book outlet will undergo some changes as well.

In addition to over 50 new #1 titles in September, DC will be unveiling same-day digital publishing which many believe will signal the death kneel of the comic book store as we know it.

Or will it?

Will Store Like This Soon Vanish?

According to some retailers, readers will still have to physically travel to a store to download their titles! The retailer will have a series of cards or codes the customer will have to pay for before swiping or downloading.

Confused? Join the club.

The coming months will hopefully bring some enlightenment, but until then, there is going to be a lot of fanboy head scratching going on.

 THE NEW JLA: HEROES FOR A DIGITAL AGE?

Related articles

• DC comics to simultaneously release print, digital versions of comic books (teleread.com)
• DC Comics planning day-and-date digital comics publishing for relaunch (mobile-ent.biz)
• DC Comics Is Rebooting Everything and Going Digital (blogs.forbes.com)

A Potential Misstep Of Super Proportions – The DC Universe Will Be Reborn In September!

Image via Wikipedia

But as what exactly?

To the uninitiated,  in fanboy-speak, a reboot of the DC Comics family of titles, (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc.) essentially means over 50 established titles will undergo a revamp of their oft-rewritten 76 year-plus history of shared continuity.

In other words, the names and faces will stay the same, but when it comes to just about everything else after August 31st, all bets are off.

With  over 50 new #1 issues, a Geoff Johns-Jim Lee (they’re HUGELY popular comic writers/artists)  Justice League, and a plan to fully embrace “same-day” digital distribution (The first major publisher to do so) the Warner Bros. owned company is taking a MAJOR gamble with their market share.

Or are they?

DC is one of the “Big Two”, (Disney-owned Marvel Comics being the other, ‘natch!) and their fans are nothing if not loyal. Not to mention they’re backed by a monster company who won’t let their Golden Goose fail.

I use the term because in addition to monthly comic book titles, DC’s characters appear in novels, video games, clothing and literally thousands of other products.

Warner Bros can’t afford let the DCU reboot fail. Even the timing of the announcement has been calculated to coincide with the release of the second issue of Flashpoint, the DC mini-series focussing on a world on the brink of destruction, the result of  a timeline-altering villain.

The biggest change so far? Dr. Thomas Wayne survives the famour robbery  and becomes Batman to avenge the murder of his wife and son!

 

Now that readers know just what the final outcome of Flashpoint will be, sales should fly higher than you-know-who! Of course, if readers decide to resent DC for tinkering with established continuity once again, this reboot will become the comic book equivalent of New Coke!

Related articles

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• This fall, DC Comics will restart every big superhero comic at issue #1 [Comics] (io9.com)

A Bad Day For “The Warlock”, Or Have We All Been Punk’d?

Image via Wikipedia

It’s lonely being the Boy Who Cried Wolf – just ask Ashton Kutcher.

After years of pulling elaborate practical jokes on Hollywood buddies and the world, he now finds himself crying “I’m the new Charlie!”, but I’m not sure anyone is ready to believe him.

Yesterday, Demi’s husband tweeted the following riddle:  “What’s the square root of 6.25?”  It’s 2.5, as in Two and a Half Men, get it?

We’ll see, but for now The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, and other celeb gossip outlets are all over this story. Just like Charlie Sheen is, I’m sure.

Can you imagine the reaction at Sober Valley Lodge when this news reached ‘ol “Tiger Blood’s” ears?

ONE FINAL SAD NOTE:

It looks like Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane has crashed,  again.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting NBC has passed on the David E. Kelley-helmed pilot: “scuttlebutt reveals the pilot earned mixed reviews at test screenings. And then there was all the online blow back about the costume – which seemed to de-emphasize the patriotism and play up the comic’s Greek mythology. Ultimately, the wardrobe department went back to the drawing board but that didn’t seem to save the project.”

It’s just not a good day in Hollywood for some, it appears.

Oh. well everyone effected still has more money than me, so screw ‘em!

Related articles

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The Bat Signal Shines On Another Villian! Plus, They Killed Zorro! (Those Bastards!)

It looks like Chrsitian Bale is going to have his gloved hands full when The Dark Knight Rises in 2012.

In addition to the yummy Anne Hathaway‘s Catwoman and Tom Hardy‘s back-breaking Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has joined the cast as a Bat-villian named The Holiday Killer, a.k.a Alberto Falcone, the son of Gotham city’s crime boss, Carmine Falcone. At least that’s what Hollywood trade paper Variety is reporting. 

Entertainment Weekly magazine, however, is suggesting Variety is full of Gotham City garbage and that Gordon-Levitt’s role has yet to be determined. Again, I’m amazed by the rampant speculation and hype for a movie that’s not due to hit theatres until July 20 of next year! Never underestimate the power of fandom, folks.

 BEFORE THE BAT, THERE WAS….THE “Z” 

 It’s public knowledge that one of the influences behind the Dark Knight’s design was another masked man who fought tyranny and injustice on behalf of the common man. That hero is now dead, murdered in cold blood in the first issue of the aptly titled, The Lone Ranger: The Death Of Zorro. 

“This series is a really exciting opportunity for me,” says writer Ande Parks.  “Not only do I get to write two truly legendary American heroes, but I get to write a defining moment for one of them… his death. This series isn’t just about the death of Zorro, though. It’s about the enormous legacy that he leaves behind. When a hero dies, he leaves behind a legion of people who have been touched by his deeds. Unfortunately, the bad guys that have ended Zorro’s life are a small but powerful army who plan on continuing to victimize the Native Americans Zorro was trying to help. Zorro’s legacy, even as embodied by The Lone Ranger, may not be enough to defeat this army of renegade Civil War bushwhackers.”

The first issue is in stores now and it’s actually a pretty good read. And here’s a  fun fact: the first issue features covers by comic legend Alex Ross and professional wrestling icon-turned-artist, Jerry “The King” Lawler! Buy it or Lawler will put you in a sleeper hold!

 

AND FOR DESSERT….SOME CHEESECAKE!

If we’re going to talk hype, what about the pic of Wonder Woman Adrianne Palicki that’s been making the rounds? I’m not sure how I feel about the deviation from the classic Lynda Carter outfit, but NBC just wants to promote the show as quickly and cheaply as possible, and they’ve succeeded. 

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It’s Not Always Easy Being A Wonder Woman In A Man’s World!

Wonder Woman was first brought to life by Dr. William Moulton Marston in 1940, and her creation was inspired by the two women in his life, his wife Elizabeth and their “friend” Olive Byrne, who lived with the couple in a polyamorous relationship!    

Hard to believe she was created by a horny academic, right?

 Yes, the man whose research led to the creation of the lie detector, lived with two women in a intimate relationship and was very much into bondage and even peppered early Wonder Woman stories with bondage themes, which he believed would lead to world peace! In his own words..

The only hope for peace is to teach people who are full of pep and unbound force to enjoy being bound … Only when the control of self by others is more pleasant than the unbound assertion of self in human relationships can we hope for a stable, peaceful human society. … Giving to others, being controlled by them, submitting to other people cannot possibly be enjoyable without a strong erotic element”.

As for his creation’s effect on boys, he later wrote: “Give them an alluring woman stronger than themselves to submit to, and they’ll be proud to become her willing slaves!” For obvious reasons Marston’s creation was toned down over the years, though she didn’t necessarily have it any easier.

In 1974 the ABC network gave the world a Wonder Woman tv movie featuring a blond heroine with no powers, no familiar costume or even a secret identity or Amazonian history!       

Image via Wikipedia

 

In other words, ABC bitch-slapped their audience in much the same way they would decades later with LOST.

Nonetheless the character was re-tooled and a short pilot was created – “Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince?” a comedy starring a plain, dull, single gal who lives with her mother until she changes into a familiar costume and becomes a beautiful, empowered woman! Fortunately, it died before it could pollute the airwaves. Believe it or not, the Amazon Princess’ next appearance was an animated series starring the Brady Bunch kids!

Yep, Wonder Woman’s rep took a beating before Lynda Carter came along in The New Original Wonder Woman pilot. The title sucked, but they got everything else right this time.

At least enough for the time period.

Now our friends at NBC are going to take a shot at Wonder Woman, (CBS scooped up the series after ABC dragged their feet in the renewal process) and they’ve even cast their heroine. Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) will star and here’s the official description straight from WW’s DC Comics blog, The Source:

The series pilot is a reinvention of the iconic DC Comics title in which Wonder Woman – a/k/a Diana Prince, is a vigilante crime fighter in Los Angeles but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life. Kelley and Bill D’Elia (“Boston Legal,” “The Practice”) are the executive producers.

Sounds sketchy at best, but honestly, what else could they possibly do to Wonder Woman that hasn’t already been done?

Related Articles

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Attention Wonder Woman Fans! The Invisible Plane Has landed At NBC!

Image via Wikipedia

Like a true comic book heroine, the Amazon Princess has won the battle and secured herself a spot in the bloodthirsty television arena.

NBC had greenlit the project thanks to the tenacity of show runner David E. Kelley and a regime change at the network.

In Hollywood you don’t need a magic lasso to get your way, just patience and the belief that the weasel in a suit that turned you down will get his ass fired and the weasel that replaces him will like your concept.

Hopefully David E. Kelly is up to the task of crafting a modern tv concept for WW that clicks with NBC’s outlook. Remember their reboot of the Bionic Woman a few years back? There is a rumor that Charlie’s Angels director McG will most likely be handling directorial duties for the pilot episode. This will draw in viewers, but will it be enough to keep them around?

Image via Wikipedia

And that is the greater challenge - writing a show that will please both the fans and the masses.

Oh, and the fickle network weasels, can’t forget them.

Related Articles

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• McG The ‘Odds-On Favorite’ To Direct ‘Wonder Woman’ TV Series Pilot (splashpage.mtv.com)