#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.

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)

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)