News broke yesterday that, Ben Affleck has been named an Executive Producer on the Justice League movie. This comes weeks after news that Affleck is also going to write, produce, and direct his own solo Batman movies in the future as well.
This is no real surprise. Affleck's reputation as a filmmaker is stellar and can only be a boost to the DC cinematic universe. Because of his celebrity status, people often forget that Affleck is a huge comic book nerd. His affinity for Batman is well known, as well as the Justice League.
I see this going one of two ways. First, this is a pre-emptive strike by DC to possibly lessen the influence of Zack Snyder moving forward. Whereas I may debate the merits and credentials of Zack Snyder as a director, he does have a flair and talent for making movies look awesome on screen. To me where he falters, is his ability to craft and create a consistent story- and this is where having another director such as Ben Affleck can help. Additionally, Affleck can help alleviate some of the pressure that comes from being the head of the entire of DC Cinematic Universe. Zack Snyder, rightly or wrongly, has come under increased scrutiny recently about his vision for these beloved characters. Having an experienced additional set of eyes- who legitimately cares about the characters can only help the final product.
The second way is to look at this is that DC is going to move past Zack Snyder after Justice League 1 and allow Affleck to run DC Cinematic moving forward. This would put Affleck in the "Kevin Fiege" role (the person who oversees Marvel Cinematic). Affleck has experience in this role as he has written, produced, and directed 3 feature films. He can wear all these additional hats and he may be in a better position to handle the intense scrutiny that comes from this position better than Zack Snyder. Affleck has familiarity and affinity with the source characters and materials- something that people often question regarding Zack Snyder.
This is a good thing I think for DC- either way it plays out.
For some reason when I attend movies at the AMC in my town, the trailers tend to be totally unrelated to the movie I am there to see. Before Civil War, there was close to 20 minutes of trailers before the movie began.
Money Monster
I do not personally fuck with George Clooney movies and lose me for this " poor white person lost their money". Alot of people lost their money when the market crashed, but you could not have a black person rush on live tv with a gun without being shot and killed on live tv. The movie seems like an Oscar Bait movie and seems weird for a spring/summer release. Ima pass on this one!
The Secret Life of Pets
This seems like an animated version of Cats V Dogs. Its made by the people who made Minions and they are quick to remind you of this. I have a daughter who will probably make me see this because she is 9 and is into stuff like this. On my own, I would pass, tho.
The Free State of Jones
Allow me to vent.... Fuck Matthew McConauhey. Like fuck him! This is movie is about some former rebellion solider in the Civil War who "rebels" against the confederacy to take back land lost in the Civil War. Of course he fights with former slaves and marries a black woman and creates a mix raced, post Civil War... blah blah blah. Later for this shit. Hollywood loves to glamorize the confederacy when in actuality, they was a bunch of terrorist and now they play into that " well some slaves fought for the confederacy" lunacy. Enough with movies about the Civil War, slavery, and the Confederacy. I am way past all that shit! Hell no I am not seeing this! Burn it with fire!
Jason Bourne
Nerd confession... I have never fully seen a Bourne movie. I am not a big fan of Matt Damon and that was before his whitesplaining incident with Effie Brown last year. This wont be the start of me liking him so I am out on this one, too. I am down for any and all comebacks with Julia Stiles tho!
Independence Day: Resurrection
I was not as a big of a fan of the original movie as most people are. I think it starts well, but the middle and end of that movie is awful. I think one of the guys from Geekin over 40 stated that this movie should end with the aliens winning and ruling over us. That would be awesome. But alas, it wont happen. No Will Smith, who needs a hit badly! If he passed on this, its probably not a good movie so Ima pass on this one, too. Also, a female becomes president and the aliens attack.... Vote Hilary!
Suicide Squad
So I am in a comic book movie and finally get a comic book trailer. I am not as familiar with Suicide Squad as Big Hutch or Sandman... I have no real investment in any of the characters. The trailer looks like a Harley Quinn, Joker, and Deadshoot movie. I guess. My seeing this will be based on Twitter users I trust and their reviews and if its rated R or not. I hope they don't make that mistake!
Dr. Strange
NOPE. @brothascomics is boycotting this move. Nothing has changed about that. I do not like the characters and the whitewashing is beyond for me. Deuces!
Rogue 1
I am not all together on board with these out of continuity Star Wars movies. I mean it looks great and its set in a time frame that I am familiar with after Empire Strikes Back. But its hard to emotionally invest in characters beyond Mon Mothma. I am sure I will see it, but I kinda wished Star Wars just stuck with the main movies and left all the side angle movies alone.
Two weeks ago, my family packed in the mini van and headed up I-75 from Metro Atlanta to Knoxville, Tennessee for Marble City Comic Con. The folks were kind enough to grant us press passes into their event and we wanted to drop a review of the con for our readers.
Con Size
Marble City is a smaller con. I would have to get the actuals, but they probably do 3000 or some visitors over the course of the weekend. The Con was held in a convention center and there was plenty of space for walking around and for vendors.
The Badge Process
If you have read any of our reviews before, you know the badge process at a con can be the worst part of the entire weekend. Marble City had an easy badge process. They were out of press passes when we got there, but the organizers were quick to resolve that issue and we were processed and in the con in less than 5 minutes! This was OUTSTANDING!
The Guest List
Being a smaller con, they had a few guests that I for sure wanted to see. I had two guests I really wanted to interview. The first was professional wrestling manager Jim Cornette who sadly got sick before the con and did not make it. The 2nd was comic book artist, Mike Zeck. He is probably best known for being the artist on the original Secret Wars. I hoped to get an interview with him, but he was overwhelmed with commissions and I was not able to talk to him. I did get this sweet picture, tho. The big guest was Manu Bennett from Arrow. I did not get a chance to speak with him, but I did get a chance to listen to his panel on Saturday afternoon. He seemed very genuine and enjoyed his time being there.
Vendors
A wide variety of vendors were found throughout the con. If you wanted comics, or toys, or jewelry, or if you are really into Steampunk, this was a great con for you. I even met Steampunk/Penthouse Pet, Sarah Hunter( @mssarahhunter). But they really had anything you wanted to buy. Some vendors were crazy overpriced but you find that at every con.
The Cosplay
For a smaller con, the cosplay was very good. I saw a few original costumes and people defitely put their time, energy, and money into their cosplay. This one dad had his kids in multiple costumes and they changed over the course of the day. That dad was winning for sure! There was a Cosplay costume contest and there were some awesome costumes of characters that I really didn't know.
Family Friendly
This is a very family friendly con. They even had an area set up for the kids with activities for kids and their parents. This was a great addition. Most cons don't offer anything for little kids, but they had an coloring area and even trivia. My kids actually won the Star Wars Trivia contest for kids and won some pretty cool swag!
Overall
If you live in North Georgia or South or Middle Tennessee, this is a great, smaller con to attend- especially if you are new to comic book conventions. Some of the larger cons can be overwhelming to new visitors and may spoil the experience and make you never want to attend again. Marble City Con is great family friendly con that allows you to see some awesome cosplayers and pick up some toys and comics to make yourself very happy!
I am actually a huge Peanuts and Charlie Brown fan! I own most of the holiday specials and movies and I read all the small comics that came out when I was a child.
Since Charles Schulz passed away, Peanuts, which is controlled by his kids, never went away. In fact, they have pimped out the Peanuts gang to sell everything from insurance, to cars, and all sorts of food products. Things that Schulz would have never authorized when he was alive.
Now that he has been deceased for 10 plus years, they have finally made a Peanuts movie. Since I heard about this, I was not excited about it. I just thought it would be another money grab by the family without any of the intelligence and heart that made Peanuts great! I was not wrong!
If you have ever seen any Peanuts special, you have seen this movie. They literally break no new ground whatsoever and its really just a retread/homage to the movies and shows that came before it. The main plot is about Charlie Brown's pursuit of the Little Red Head Girl and all the hi-jinx that result from his, often times creepy infatuation. You get all the standard scenes from the specials-the jokes, the dances- I mean nothing is really fresh or new- including the characters. Even tho you see multiple new characters, they do not get to speak. They are just background noise and props for the main cast that has existed for 75 years.
So I wonder who were the filmmakers making this movie for? Its marketed for kids, but all the characters and most of the jokes are made for their parents who watched these shows when they were a kid. I watched it with my daughter and she kinda- sorta enjoyed it. But even she recognized the jokes and bits from previous specials.
In summary, If you were hoping for something new and innovative, this is not it! You could easily watch all the holiday specials and get the same joy from those and save yourself the $1.50 at Redbox!
When I was a kid and my dad would show me those serials Superman shows from the 50's on his old school film projector, I was always fascinated by the power of Superman. You know, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive.... I always loved it when the bad guy would empty all the bullets out of his gun at and then throw the actual gun at Superman as if that was gonna hurt him.
Later, when the Superman movies came out in the 70's and 80's( we are only going to acknowledge the first 2), it was awesome to see his full powers on display with flight, x-ray vision, freeze breath, etc. And as much as I hate it, he even turned back time to save Lois at the end of Superman 1.
Yet after the last two movies failed, DC seemed to be over powerful Kal El. It seemed to me they felt he was too powerful and people could not relate to him and when he does reappear on the small screen, the focus has shifted from Kal El to Clark in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Not that the show was terrible, but even tho we get Superman in the show, the focus was primarily on Clark( and Lois) and all the relationship and work foibles that occur between him being Superman. DC doubles down on that a few years later when it debuts Smallville which totally focuses on Clark and Superman is an afterthought of the series which is alluded to more than seen. Smallville focuses on his life as a teenager and all the teenage angst that is associated with being a teenager. Now Smallville was a great show, I am not denying that, but it continued DC's focus on Clark over Kal El.
When we finally do get Superman back on the big screen with Superman Returns its an overly emotional Kal El whose powers are on full display, but he is burdened with all these real world problems- his girl got a baby and is engaged to some other dude and the parentage of said kid is in doubt.... They got Kal on some Maury Povich type shit!
Now even tho DC has been giving Superman a forum to shine as one of their biggest heroes, their handling of Superman recently borders on shameful. Superman has generally always been a symbol of hope for the DC universe. He represents what we all can achieve and someone to believe in yet -DC has attempted to turn him into Batman with superpowers. In Man of Steel, they tinkered with his backstory, killed off Pa Kent, and had him kill off Zod... all of this was done to create this tortured, emotional version of Superman- who seems to have very little hope. It's why he appears joyless in Batman V Superman because he doesn't have anything to be happy about. DC has created a cinema world where Superman is feared instead of loved by the populace. Superman has become Charlie Brown in DCU with various people playing Lucy and pulling the ball away from him. Its no wonder this Superman doesn't crack and go full Justice Lords and fulfill the destiny Luther predicted in JLU and begin his own brand of Justice in a world that already hates and fears him.
DC has become obsessed with attempting to give us more Clark than Superman. Obsessed. Its why shows like Lois and Clark and Smallville get made, while Superman is regulated to cartoons. They honestly feel people are more interested in Clark than Kal El and that's simply not true. Kids are not dressing up as Clark Kent at Halloween. The man inside the suit is not as interesting as the man wearing the suit.
This humanizing of Superman has its roots in those original Donner/Shuler Superman movies from the 70's and 80's. The whole sub-plot of Superman 2 was Kal losing his powers so he could be with Lois. I think, since most people hold this movie as the best of all the Superman movies, they come back to this trope of what would happen if Clark was not or could not be Superman. And honestly, I don't know or care. The DCU needs Superman to be Superman- not some emotionally stunted person who cannot handle his true emotions- DC has Batman for that!
DC should be highlighting his powers and abilities, not downplaying them. Kal El knows how powerful he is and keeps them in check himself, not because of some overly self important writer or director who feels Superman should be more like us. Superman is NOT LIKE US! He is SUPERMAN! He is an alien, from another world/planet with SUPER human abilities.
I am not one of those, "Zack Snyder should drop out because..." people. He has his vision of Superman and we have seen it on full display for the past two movies. That is fine, I guess. But he and DC should not be surprised by all the negative clap back they are receiving from fans and from creators who are not enamored with this version of Kal El. What I would like to see, after his "death", Kal El comes back and is appreciated as the hero and savior he was sent to be on Earth. Sadly, I think we are going to get an angry, seeking revenge Kal El before we see his redemption. Maybe this is part of Snyder's long run plan for the character...Maybe. But until then, I am going to enjoy Superman in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited- those shows are the most accurate version of Superman anyway!
One of our twitter follows sent me a DM and asked me what we are reading so I wanted to drop some quick comic reviews to give you something to look for if you are struggling to find a monthly.
In alphabetical order
Archie( book is on issue 8)
My love for Archie has been documented in this blog over and over. Its my personal blindspot! But the relaunch is well written, funny, and has enough mix of new and old to keep even non- Archie fans satisfied. Plus it seems to be the backdrop for the CW show that is being shot for this fall!
Battle of Ozzelberg ( book just finished 3 issue run)
Action and adventure and a fresh take on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Great story and beautiful art and a fun read for all ages. My daughter is a big fan of the book.
Black Panther( book is on issue 1)
Recently relaucnhed by Ta-Neisha Coates, the first issue was a primer to set up future events. I liked the political tone of the book because it was different and I am sure we will see Black Panther fighting against traditional villains later. A good book to jump in on and not be burdened by previous continuity.
Invincible Iron Man( book is on issue 8)
Relaunched at the conclusion of Secret Wars, Iron Man/Tony Stark is putting the pieces of his life back together with the help of Dr. Doom? and Dr. Strange as he searches for the secrets of Madame Mask. The book is fun and they have totally turned comic book Tony Stark into Robery Downey Jr's version. That can be annoying at times, but the book is fun and one of the better stand alone Iron Man books in the last 10 years.
Poe Dameron ( book is on Issue 1)
Just picked us issue 1 and its set at Poe is searching for the key figure who has the key to finding the map to find Luke Skywalker. His crew of other X Win fighters are along for the ride and we see the early humor and courage of Poe Dameron. Looking forward to continuing this book.
Power Man and Iron Fist ( book is on issue 2)
I passed on this when it first came out. I had been a Hero for Hire reader and I just kinda walked to the end of the line with those characters really. But I heard an interview with writer, David Walker on the Black Nerd Power Podcast and it really made me want to read it. Its fun and action filled and the art by Sanford Greene is awesome.
Spider Man( book is on issue 3)
There are a million Spider books out there. I am reading the Miles Morales version( naturally). Book is fun, well drawn; although besides issue 1, the book has been dealing more with Miles' personal life than super villains. Good start and a great jump on point for younger readers.
Extraordinary Xmen ( book is on issue 8)
One of the many X-books post Secret Wars. Storm is the leader and Old Man Logan is back from the future. Good book thus far and it just began with the Apocalypse Wars which I am sure is not a coincidence with the movie coming out next month. Again, good jump on book to stay away from the continuity problem.
Those are my monthly titles. I did just finish the Greg Capulo Batman but once he left the book, I was out. There no are DC titles until after Rebirth for me and even then, I still may be out of DC for a while.
Met up with the artist on the relaunched Power Man and Iron Fist- Sanford Greene at the South Carolina Comic Con. I had a chance to talk to him about football in the state of South Carolina( which he lives), how working on Power Man and Iron Fist with the writer who is all the way across the country( writer David Walker lives in Portland). And most importantly, I asked him about his views on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Great guy and good interview. I got my copy of Power Man and Iron Fist #1 signed, too.
