#101: Aquaman KILLED a Guy – And Nobody Really Noticed…

It’s true. Regardless of what they boys on The Big Bang Theory say, the King of Atlantis is a badass.

He killed a guy.

Black Manta (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Specifically, one of Black Manta‘s henchmen, who will now and forever be known as “The Unluckiest Henchman in Comics Because He Got Killed By Aquaman“

I doubt the details are all that important to most of you, but here goes:

• The act in question took place in Aquaman #12 (DC Comics), which is a part of the company’s “New 52″ rebooted universe in which the Powers That Be are trying to make their lamest character – in the eyes of the world, that is – into their coolest.
  
• Aquaman and Black Manta (The guy with the punch bowl on his head and the glowing red eyes) are facing off over… Well, one’s good and the other evil, so its obvious just why they’re fighting, isn’t it?
• An innocent scientist, Dr. Shin, is about to be wiped out by one of Manta’s nameless underlings, at which point Aquaman stabs the underling to death by throwing his trident through his back.
• Take that, world! Who’s a wimp now?

This development has gone largely unnoticed in the fanboy community; a few sites have discussed it, but I haven’t seen any major mainstream coverage. I guess even a badass Aquaman still needs a publicist.

My daughter, Sarah, found the whole situation puzzling, to say the least.

SARAH: But Aquaman is supposed to be a hero! Don’t they have  standards to live up to?

THE HOOK: I think he’s more concerned with being cancelled again to worry too much about remaining true to a set of values most people consider outdated in this day and age.

SARAH: Yeah, Raj on Big Bang always says, “Aquaman sucks”! I guess that hurts after a while…

OTHER BUSINESS…

This installment brings us to the end of yet another slightly-off countdown. As for the future, I think I’ll simply stick to discussing terrible things without actually adhering to a system. I hope you’ll continue to stick around, I’d miss you if you left…

EVEN MORE BUSINESS..

A shout-out to my newest blog buddy, Kristen Lamb and her best-selling tome, We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s Guide to Social Media. Give it a try, folks. You won’t be disappointed…

 

 

The Blog Hop is over but I’m going to leave the links up for anyone who feels like checking out some of the variety the world wide web has to offer…

1.	Romance At Random	2.	Ruthie Knox
3.	Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews	4.	Reading Reality
5.	Storm Goddess Book Reviews	6.	Manga Maniac Cafe
7.	Full Moon Bites	8.	Reading with Holly
9.	Bookie’s Book Reviews	10.	All Things Books
11.	Good Choice Reading	12.	The Write to Make a Living
13.	The Book Diva	14.	Bea’s Book Nook
15.	Shawntelle Madison	16.	Elisabeth Barrett
17.	Socrates’ Book Review Blog	18.	Shelley Munro
19.	Insane Hussein Reviews	20.	Books R Us
21.	Jessica Scott	22.	Book Flame
23.	Manic Readers Guest Blog	24.	My Book Addiction and More
25.	SOS Aloha	26.	Pump Up Your Book
27.	Sharon Cullen	28.	Under the Covers Book Blog
29.	The Book Tart	30.	Reviews by Molly
31.	Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews	32.	Seductive Musings
33.	Romance Junkies	34.	Love To Read For Fun
35.	Cassandra Carr	36.	BookHounds
37.	Otterwise	38.	From the TBR Pile
39.	Love Saves the World (INT)	40.	Sharon Cullen
41.	So You Think You Can Write	42.	Babbles From Scott Eagan
43.	Bronwyn’s Writing	44.	TE Garden of Book Bloggers
45.	Bookshelf Confessions	46.	Review From Here
47.	Celticlady’s Reviews	48.	Labor Day Hop
49.	Romantic Reads and Such	50.	In Love with Romance
51.	The Bookpushers	52.	Reviewing Romance
53.	Queen of The Night Reviews	54.	Queen of All she Reads
55.	Romantic Crush Junkie Reviews	56.	Saucy & Sinful Reviews
57.	Romancing the Book	58.	Book Faery
59.	Harlies Books	60.	Love, Laughter, Friendship
61.	Ramblings From This Chick	62.	My Secret Romance
63.	Rambling Reads	64.	Delighted Readers
65.	suzy henderson	66.	Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance
67.	Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe	68.	HEA Romances With a Little Kick
69.	AJ’s Reading Nook	70.	Blackraven’s Reviews
71.	The Readers Roundtable	72.	Dark Divas Reviews
73.	T B R	74.	Romance Book Club
75.	Seaside Book Nook	76.	Cheeky Reads
77.	Mimmi’s Musings	78.	Kindle Fever
79.	Not Now…Mommy’s Reading	80.	herding cats & burning soup
81.	Kindles and Wine	82.	Harlequin Junkie
83.	Caribbean Accent Book Reviews	84.	Sara Jane’s Eclectic Reading Blog
85.	Sharon Hamilton Author	86.	Coffey Brown Books
87.	From the Bootheel Cotton Patch	88.	Teena in Toronto
89.	Me and Reading	90.	The Romance Dish
91.	All Things Books	92.	Amber Kallyn
93.	Book Review Diva	94.	Leigh Ellwood
95.	Me Want Food	96.	Captain marketing
97.	One Word At A Time, Joan Swan, Author	98.	You’ve Been Hooked
99.	The Things You Can Read	100.	The Autumn Review
101.	Day Drmzzz	102.	Confessions From Romaholics
103.	The Book of Terrible

Related articles

• JUSTICE LEAGUE and AQUAMAN Crossover in Dec. (comicvine.com)
• Aquaman #12 Review (worldofblackheroes.com)
• SDCC 2012: GEOFF JOHNS Teases Aquaman, GL, JL Future (newsarama.com)

#168: When Companies Go Back To The Well…

…of their greatest success – to make even more money.

Watchmen: The Feature-Film tanked – big time. Watchmen: The Groundbreaking Comic Book Series was a ridiculously HUGE success, so while the following press release from DC Comics is a shock in some ways, it makes perfect financial sense.

This summer, DC Entertainment will publish all-new stories expanding on the acclaimed WATCHMEN universe. As highly anticipated as they are controversial, the seven inter-connected prequel mini-series will build on the foundation of the original WATCHMEN, the bestselling graphic novel of all time. BEFORE WATCHMEN will be the collective banner for all seven titles, from DC Comics.

I guess no one at DC has seen..

•  The Star Wars prequels.
• Return to Oz.
• Predator 2.
• Terminator: Salvation.
• Road House 2.
• The Matrix sequels.

Then again, some of these films – especially The Phantom Menace and its ilk – have brought in big bucks for the property-holders, so of course the well is going to be revisited time and again. DC, has of course, taken the high road and said it’s “all about the fans” and the creative growth of the company.

“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. “After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”

Let’s get one thing straight: I understand DC is in business to make cold, hard cash at superhuman speeds whenever possible. At $3.99 an issue (the current price for DC Comics with back-up stories) the 35 chapters of Before Watchmen will cost $139.65 to read. If they can use some of that money to give back – which they do – then that’s even better, for everyone.

But I’m still shocked. As was Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore who long ago cut ties between himself and DC Comics and the industry at large, and who called the new venture “completely shameless.”

Image via Wikipedia

Mr. Moore told the New York Times, “I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago.” 

The legendary – and quite frankly, scary-looking -  Mr. Moore says that the endeavor only weakens the argument that comics are an authentic form of literature.

“As far as I know,” he said, “there weren’t that many prequels or sequels to ‘Moby-Dick.’ ” While he was unaware of DC’s specific plans for Before Watchmen, – no surprise given Moore’s public bashing of most of the film versions of his work – Mr. Moore said he has over the years resisted overtures from the publisher to approve sequel or prequel projects. Still, he says he won’t stand in the way of Before Watchmen or fight the project in court, where he said DC Comics would meet him with an “infinite battery of lawyers.”

Apparently the legal system is Moore’s kryptonite.

Related articles

• DC Comics Launching ‘Watchmen’ Prequel Series [Updated] (screenrant.com)
• Debate over ‘Before Watchmen’ (geekout.blogs.cnn.com)
• It’s About Time – Watchmen Prequels in the Works (eonline.com)
• Comic Book Fans, Rejoice! Watchmen Is Getting A Prequel Series! (perezhilton.com)

#170: Companies That Don’t Do THIS Often Enough…

Let’s face it, in these trying – to say the least – economic times most of us are trying to do more with much less, right?

Not Big Business.

Oh sure, they cry poor all…  the… time, but the reality is a different story entirely.

• Major players still make billions from brand loyalty and the public’s obsession with “Keeping up with the Joneses”. Or is it the Kardashians these days?
• Upper management still accepts ridiculously huge bonuses and stock options – no matter what shape the company is in.
• If the bottom line is in  jeopardy, the first cuts are made at ground level. The “little guy” can afford the cut, right?
• Big Business has one goal: advance the profit margin at all costs. A “slow year” will simply not be accepted!

So where am I going with this? I want to show you how one powerhouse corporation is giving back. I wanted to establish just how extraordinary it is for a North American company to do so when most of them seem driven to protect their own necks at all costs.

Take a look at this and then we’ll talk.

 Here’s part of the official press release from DC. I know it’s “Corporate America dreck”, but at least they’re trying. This is proof  you can direct your marketing campaigns in a direction that’s beneficial to others – if you really try.

 

 DC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES “WE CAN BE HEROES,”
AN UNPRECEDENTED GIVING CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT
THE HUNGER CRISIS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA

 Featuring Iconic Justice League Characters, Multilayered Campaign
To Leverage All Time Warner Advertising Platforms
Generating Significant Awareness of the Crisis

Multi-Million-Dollar Commitment Will Support
Three Aid Groups Working in Africa:
Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps

The current hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.is all too real: the region is suffering its worst drought and famine in over 60 years, with 13 million in need of critical assistance and 250,000 facing starvation in Somalia alone. 

 

From the  DC press release, We Can Be Heroes will be supported via promotional exposure across all of Time Warner’s divisional advertising platforms (Warner Bros., Turner Broadcasting, Time Inc., HBO), generating millions of consumer impressions and creating crucially needed awareness of this crisis worldwide.  Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps will equally share a corporate donation of at least $2 million over the next two years comprised of cash donations, employee matching funds and consumer matching funds. 

 

 A key launch element of We Can Be Heroes is the campaign’s website, WeCanBeHeroes.org.  Here, consumers can make donations which DC Entertainment will match 100 percent (up to $1 million in donations), purchase specially branded merchandise, with 50 percent of the purchase price going to fight the hunger crisis via We Can Be Heroes,  sign up for newsletters and updates, and join the We Can Be Heroes online community.  The site will also feature information on each of the partner organizations and updates on current conditions in the Horn of Africa. 

 

 

 For fanboys this is an opportunity to score some cool swag while actually contributing something of value to the world – all from the comfort of their parents’ basement.

 

 

 

Related articles

• DC Entertainment Announces “We Can Be Heroes” (graphicpolicy.com)
• Superman, Batman, Green Lantern And The Justice League Gather To Fight Famine In Africa [ Viral Video] (thetechnologycafe.com)

#5: Kids That Declare: “I’M BORED!”

Never let it be said that The Hook is unsympathetic to the plight of the Modern Kid; I realize kids have challenges that range from minor (convincing their parents to fork over their hard-earned cash for Justin Bieber concert tickets) to major (bullying, broken homes, etc.) but this a lighthearted jab at the modern rugrat, so let’s get silly,  shall we?

I know a child – who shall remain nameless in order to ensure my safety – that has the following items in her room..

• A big-screen plasma TV.
• A digital receiver.
• A DVD player and over 100  movies and various TV series boxed sets.
• Hundreds of books – of both the comic and novel variety.
• An iPad.
• Dozens of Barbies (Twilight, DC Comics superheroines, etc.)
• A laptop.
• Several portable video game devices and games.
• An iPod touch.

And that’s just the swag I know about! Despite this wealth of devices  designed to fill hundreds of hours of a child’s carefree existence, she will still periodically declare, “I’M BORED!”

I fondly recall the days of my carefree youth, when we rode bikes and drew fresh air into our young bodies. My summer routine was simple: I would get up at 9 am, eat a hearty breakfast of sugary cereal and hit the open road on my ten-speed. I’d be gone all day!

Of course, those days are long gone, A parent can’t let their child just gallavant like a vagabond until dinner, not in this world filled with monsters lurking around every corner.

But that’s a terrible fact to be explored another day.

As for children who feel they’re hard done by, they simply need to be reminded of just what they have - and how easily it can be taken away.

#43: When Good Heroes Get Bad Reps!

Today saw the release of Aquaman #1.

The seventh Aquaman #1.

He can withstand the crushing pressure of the ocean depths and this makes him tough enough to be invulnerable to machine gun fire. He also possesses superhuman strength and can swim at speeds of 10,000 feet per second. He can even swim up Niagara Falls!

But ask most people who he is and what do they say?

“Isn’t he that fish guy?”

He’s been around since 1941 and has navigated the treacherous waters of comic book popularity with the best of them. He’s starred in cartoons, been a Super Friend and even had a television pilot centered around him. It failed miserably, but you gotta admire the orange and green garbed one’s tenacity.

He’s adapted with the times: a hip, blue outfit and attitude for the 1980s:

Image via Wikipedia

A beard, long hair and a hook (He sacrificed a hand for his fans. How many superheroes do that?) for the 1990s.

Image via Wikipedia

But every time, his sales eventually dip and DC Comics sinks the King of the Seven Seas to a watery grave.

But somehow, he still floats to the top. Now he has Geoff Johns, arguably the comic scribe of our age, guiding his adventures.

His creators have even acknowledged his PR issues and dealt with them head on by subject our hero to heckling from fellow diners at a seafood restaurant. In their defense, he does order fish and chips!

Will he succeed this time? I wouldn’t bet your buried treasure on it, but one thing is for sure: he’ll always survive to ride the waves again. Until the undertow of public sentiment drags him down – again.

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)

Look, Up In The Sky, It’s….. A Fashion-forward Man Of Steel?

Quality control has always been Superman’s real kryptonite.

A integral component of DC Comics‘ realunch campaign for September appears to be updated looks for their iconic characters. Case in point, a streamlined look for the Last Son of Krypton.

 

There will  be a lot of print and cyber space devoted to the examination of this decision prior to the launch, but personally, only one phrase comes to mind.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

A gripping story and dynamic artwork is all a comic book needs, never mind flashy threads for your hero. A guy in a suit can be just as interesting as someone right off the catwalk.

In the right hands.

The Second Half Of Supes' New Look. What Do YOU Think?

Related articles

• First Look at SUPERMAN From DC’s New ACTION COMICS Relaunch (geektyrant.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

• DC Comics to relaunch most titles at No. 1 (seattlepi.com)
• DC Comics to Relaunch Entire Line, Including Day-and-Date Digital (techland.time.com)
• This fall, DC Comics will restart every big superhero comic at issue #1 [Comics] (io9.com)

An Act Of Incompetence Becomes An Issue Of Race – In A Flash!

Cover via Amazon

This year’s Free Comic Book Day yielded an unexpected windfall – a collector’s item for fans and a meaty controversy for the media to sink their razor-sharp, greedy little teeth into.

Last Saturday retailers across North America  gave away a special edition, 40-page Green Lantern comic as part of Free Comic Book Day. The book included a “sneak peek” of Flashpoint, DC’s summer event that launches today.

What DC also launched, however, was a ticking racial time bomb the media couldn’t wait to explode all over the web. Several news outlets, like USA Today spotlighted the coloring error that appears to have been branded a deliberately politically incorrect act rather than a mistake by an colorist who couldn’t be bothered to familiarize himself with his source material.

The Flashpoint preview included an  image of the Flash ”family” of speedsters racing behind series star Silver Age Flash Barry Allen. One of the heroes was a mysterious white, female blonde with a ponytail, complete with a red and gold, Flash-style costume. When I opened my copy I honestly assumed she was supposed to be Jesse Quick, another white female Flash family member, but with an altered costume.

Apparently that’s what the colorist thought as well. We were both dead wrong.

The script called for the inclusion of  a woman of color: Jenni Ognats, the mixed-race character known as XS, granddaughter of Barry Allen and long-time member of the 31st century DC Comics team the Legion of Super Heroes.

Did I mention she was black? Though truthfully, I’ve always thought she was more of a cocoa brown, the point is, she’s definitely not white.

The error will no doubt be corrected in issue one of Flashpoint being released today, so don’t bother racing to the comic store hoping to score a valuable misprint copy to hock online!

 The correct version (via USA Today) on the left, the incorrect FCBD preview version on the right.

“A mistake that changes one of the few women of color in the Flash family, one of the few women of color in the Legion, one of the few women of color in comics is more than a mistake,” a post on the dcwomenkickingass blog said.

 “Getting the character’s race wrong is a pretty big error,” said another poster on speedforce.org.

It was a simple mistake, people! Yes, the colorist in question is clearly a moron who hasn’t picked up a Flash comic in a year or two, but that’s all he is. He is not a racist attempting to subvert the minds of comic readers through subliminal messages hidden in art.

But can you imagine the mileage the media could get out of that story?

Related articles

• ‘Flashpoint’ shakes up DC – and Aquaman goes to war with Wonder Woman? (herocomplex.latimes.com)
• The Speculator Hits Of Free Comic Book Day 2011 (bleedingcool.com)
• At DC, The Flash to Star in Story Event (abcnews.go.com)

Smallville’s “Blue and Gold” Easter Egg To Fans!

Image via Wikipedia

Well, the highly-anticipated “Booster” episode of Smallville aired last night.

And you know what? It wasn’t terrible!

Sixty-minute story short, “Booster” focused on Metropolis‘ newest hero, Booster Gold and his plan to become the “World’s Greatest Hero“. Of course, this plan doesn’t sit right with the “Blur“, our friend Clark Kent.

Thrown into the mix is a teenage boy named Jaime Reyes, who became the latest version of DC Comics hero Blue Beetle.

CAN YOU GUESS WHICH IS WHICH?

Booster’s portrayer, Eric Martsolf has built-in fan base from his soap opera work and his day job definitely paid off when it came to portraying the seemingly-shallow failed football hero from the future with aspirations of usurping Clark Kent’s heroic destiny.

Written in part by comics super-scribe Geoff Johns, the episode was bursting at the seams with “Easter Eggs” for fans…

• The proper pronounciation of Jaime Reyes first name.
• The partial use of every incarnation of the Blue Beetle.
• The preservation of Booster’s comic book  history, including his cybernetic sidekick, Skeets and his Legion of Superheroes flight ring.
• The mention of Superman supprting cast members Steve Lombard and Ron Troupe.
• Booster’s suggestion for a new code-name for Clark, “You need something more…Super!”

There were many more, but I’ve got my geek on enough for one post! My only real problem with the episode which debuted two new characters was, ironically, enough, the treatment of the main one!

After ten seasons showcasing a strong, confident Clark Kent, we get an episode that undoes everything in one fell swoop! Lois convinces Clark to distance himself from the Blur (Worst superhero name ever!) by acting like a bumbling clod.

Seriously? The comics  haven’t shown us a Clark Kent like that since the 1980s! Smallville has demonstrated that a hero doesn’t need to hide the best qualities of himself when ”off-duty”. 

Still, we got to see the classic “phone booth change” and the ridiculous, but iconic glasses, so at least the bad was mixed with the good.
 

 

Related Articles

• Smallville: ‘Booster’ Spoilers Discussion (screenrant.com)
• ‘Smallville’: Eric Martsolf helps usher in the era of Booster Gold (herocomplex.latimes.com)