Crisis On Infinite Franchises

Ah, more Justice League news.  Zack Snyder recently confirmed that his Superman franchise would have nothing to do with the Justice League, and that it would be "cool" to have two Superman.  You know what else is cool Zack?  Movies making sense, but I think you forgot that during Sucker Punch.  Let's imagine something.  Say Superman become a new trilogy, and the Justice League movie does happen in 2013 and is a trilogy as well.  That means we have alternating years of Superman, where each summer Henry Cavill trades places with someone else.  I'm actually in support of this, because it's just too screwy not to let happen.

Superman is his own worst enemy?  This shit just got meta!

This begs the question: what about Green Lantern?  Would Ryan Reynolds be included?  That franchise was originally meant to tie in with a larger universe, but it would actually make more sense if they severed off ties from other movies completely.  Crossovers are really all or nothing events.  But for the Flash and Green Lantern, they would actually be better of going with the non-silver age heroes.  Use Jon Stewart instead of Hal Jordan and Wally West instead of Barry Allen.  At least that makes SOME sense rather than throwing and sense of continuity out the window faster than a speeding bullet.

Actually?  To hell with it.  Let's just run with this.  We're bringing in the Multiverse now.  How about a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie?  We could have Henry Cavill, the JLA Superman, and Tom Welling from Smallville battle it out on screen.  Christian Bale, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Michael Keaton and a JLA Batman can team up to take down Adam West.  And how bout the old Flash from the live action TV show?  Can we bring him in?  Why not.

Wonder Woman Costume Changes Work...Wonders?

I wasn't exactly thrilled with the costume for NBC's Wonder Woman pilot.  It was wrong in just so, so many ways.  But lucky for WW fans, the costume has receive a slight touch up.  Not an overhaul, but many of the smaller elements and spandexy look has been removed, making a far superior image.

The biggest change?  Her pants.  Gone are the sky blue spandex, replaced by a darker, navy tone and gold stars on the side.  We also have red boots instead of blue, which balances out the color composition.  The final result is something much more natural and believable.  My only complaint is that her shoulders look a little bare, and without her hair down the colors don't quite balance.  Nevertheless, these small changes have turned the costume into something I could actually tolerate looking at.  I won't say it's perfect, but for a TV show I think it gets the job done.

A Justice League Movie After All?

A few years ago, Warners came very close to making a movie called Justice League: Mortal.  There was a cast, a director, a script, but it was all cancelled at the last minute.  That movie would have then, hypothetically, branched off into a number of solo projects, but it was never meant to be.  Then, once Green Lantern was first being developed, there were quiet rumors of this being the beginning of a DC shared universe.  With upcoming adaptations of the Flash, Wonder Woman, and the Superman reboot, it actually looked quite possible.  The GL script even had a Clark Kent cameo, and what looked to be the beginnings of a unified continuity.  It would be very similar to what Marvel had planned for the Avengers.  The only problem then, was Batman.

Well, of course it was his fault.  He's such a dick.

See, you can't put Nolan's Batman in the Justice League.  The whole point of that world was that there were no powers of any kind.  But you could always recast Bats once the Nolan trilogy was done, and have the new Batman be a part of the shared universe, or even leave him out altogether.  What was the final straw?  Superman.  When Chris Nolan started godfathering the Superman reboot, he insisted that it be an isolated story.  And with no Superman or Batman, what's the point of a Justice League?  Geoff Johns, DC's CCO, then commented that their characters were "bigger than Marvel's" and that they would give each character a solo movie and their own personal continuity.

But no more!  Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov has confirmed a Justice League movie is on track for 2013, which makes about zero sense.  The Flash and Wonder Woman are supposedly getting movies as well, but we've been hearing this for years and I'm struggling to believe it.  But the JLA in 2013?  That's a bit tight for a project that will combine so many franchises.  Green Lantern seems fine on his own, but is all set to join up.  I guess the Superman reboot will now be part of this world.  But with a 2013 release, no other character could possibly get a solo movie in before then.  DC would have to suddenly have all these characters meet at once in the movie, explain their origins, and then battle their epic threat.

That threat being Joel Schumacher

But how is this different from Marvel?  Well, Marvel's characters are less known, but they have a strong, cohesive vision for what their world is going to be.  This is possible because there is little pre existing material for each franchise.  There was no earlier Thor reboot or Hawkeye live action TV show to get in the way of the Avengers.  DC has to deal with earlier franchises, a soon to be completed Batman trilogy, as well as confusion over a Wonder Woman TV show.  Having a Superman show developing his early years on the CW is not the same as putting a full Wonder Woman project on NBC.  You can't compare the two.  This entire package of announcements feels rushed and more than a little conflicting with earlier developments.  Many of these scripts have been "in development" for so long it's hard to take them seriously anymore.

So while I'm unbelievably pumped for the Avengers, something that's been steadily building up for years now,  I still doubt we'll be seeing a Justice League adaptation in the near future.  While a Justice League movie COULD be a thing of beauty, I think between the existing franchises and odd timing, we won't see it fulfilled by the ridiculously close deadline of 2013.

American Panther: Most Confusing Decision Ever

Let me brush y'all up to speed on something.  T'Challa,the Black Panther, is the ruler of the fictional African nation of Wakanda.  After an invasion by Dr. Doom, T'Challa destroyed his nation's most valuable resource (vibranium) in order to secure his homeland.  As penance and a chance to prove himself as a man, he has left his native Wakanda and taken up Daredevil's mantle as guardian of Hell's Kitchen.  It's been a decent enough comic in the past few months, and it's been somewhat enjoyable.  Then Marvel released this:

What,  The.  Hell.  During Fear Itself, we'll be seeing the "American Panther" in the Black Panther book.  Oh my god, that better not be T'challa under there.  I'm about as staunchly pro-America as they come, but there's no way you can have a foreign monarch suddenly change his country's most important symbol into an American one.  It would be like the Queen of England draping herself in the American flag and running for office in the states as "Madame America" (although if it's Prince William's wife, she sure as hell as my vote).  It's just a tremendously weird thing.

Now, one hope I do have is that T'Challa is not the one under that mask.  If someone were to try and usurp the Panther legacy by adding an American twist on it, that could make for an incredibly interesting conflict for T'Challa.  It would be really neat to see the Panther try and deal with his loyalties to his new home and the country that he loves, but I should never see a Prince of Wakanda in such a bizarre costume.  Alternatively, if this has something to do with Fear Itself, we might have an even stranger reason for the genesis of this costume.  Marvel and the current writers should know and respect T'Challa enough to cherish his legacy, even if a Captain America movie is coming out this summer.  Please don't let me down on this one guys.

Meet the New Lois Lane

Everyone knows who Lois Lane is.  She's been part of the Superman mythos for eons, and it would be hard to imagine a Man of Steel movie without her.  And Amy Adams will be bringing her to life for Zack Snyder's 2012 reboot.

I must say this is a .....strange choice.  On one hand you have the young, dashing, hard edged Henry Cavill.  I don't think he'll become "the" definitive Superman, but he can certainly be the coolest.  And now we have Amy Adams, who is almost a decade older than her love interest.  She might be one of the best actresses working right now, but can you really see her next to the super-sexified Henry Cavill?  She's almost too down to Earth, and maybe a little too sweet.  I just struggle to see her next to Supes.  This is probably the first casting choice for the movie I'm a bit disappointed in.  They've had mostly fitting choices so far, and this seems somewhat off key.  At the very least she's a wonderful actress, and I can't imagine it possibly being a "bad" performance.

Fun fact, this isn't the first time Amy Adams has stood next to the Man of Tomorrow.  She played a character named Jodi Melville (whoever the hell that is) on an episode of Smallville.  So at least one character from that show got into the movie, eh?

Aquaman Strikes Back

Let the Silver Age revival continue!  Geoff Johns has become both famous (and infamous) for returning Silver Age icons back to popularity, even if it means the occasional resurrection or putting newer characters to the side.  And for the most part, he's managed to make these stories work.  And you can't argue with the sales results: his comics consistently sell and are always among DC's top comics.

Now that Brightest Day is coming to an end, Johns has announced that he will begin writing an Aquaman solo series.  Cool?  Look, I can see why people would be interested in characters like the Flash and Green Lantern, but Aquaman?  He's always been kinda lame.  I don't know if it's the goofy costume, uncompromisingly useless powers or general lack of personality, but I've never seen any appeal in Aquaman.  Several writers have tried to dramatically change the hero, and no take on the character has ever really stuck.  But with Johns, expect all the original, classic interpretations to be out in full force.  No hook arm for this Aquaman!

I can't be too excited for this.  The only time I've ever liked Aquaman was during his guest appearances in the Justice League TV show, where he was kind of a badass.  That, and when it launched Vinnie Chase to stardom on Entourage.  It might not be fair to write this series off completely but hey, it's Aquaman.

Who Is the Avengers Villain?

So it's official.  The Avengers have started filming, which is a terrifying concept.  The project was announced almost three years ago, and it's always been theoretical, something so impossible to create you wondered if it would ever become a reality.  And it's filming.  Please, please don't mess this up Marvel...

The funny thing?  We've heard one casting announcement since SDCC last summer.  To be fair, most of the roster was set in stone and already in place.  That was kind of the point.  But the only new recruit outside of the team itself has been Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill.  The movie doesn't really need any more of a supporting cast considering it has, what, 7 main characters?  But there is one casting choice we have yet to hear.  The villain.

Look at them without at a villain!  Standing around, trying not to look bored.  It's embarrassing.

Let's assume that casting is done, and that the movie is in fact shooting.  This means the villain is someone who already exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or will be done with CGI of some kind.  This rules out some of the more human villains like Baron Zemo, or even guys like Thanos who need actors underneath all that makeup  Who does that leave?  One option is the Loki and the Hulk tag team.  This has been one of those rumors that has been thrown out and rumored about for quite a while, and is also the original story from the comics.  I'm not a huge proponent of this theory, since I think you can't really justify the Hulk as an ongoing threat or force of evil, even with mind control through Loki.  The Hulk will be at odds with the rest of the team, but I still don't like him as the biggest threat for our heroes.  And you can't have Loki be "the" villain, because he's ultimately Thor's arch nemesis and a threat we know the God of Thunder can handle on his own.

The other possibility is the Skrulls (or whatever they call them in the movies).  Considering you don't need to cast any specific Skrull characters and just need a bunch of the aliens themselves, this is still a viable option.  Then again, we need at least some of these damn dirty aliens to talk, and they can't all be part of some faceless alien horde.  So I would have expected there to be at least one Skrull cast, but I could be wrong.  We've heard more than a few rumors about the Skrulls as villains, so this could still be possible.
 

He's just as confused as I am.

I'm really seeing these as the two biggest options at this point.  Between news and rumors, as well as simply plausibility, they make the most sense.  Unless Marvel is being really, really sneaky that is.  And I wouldn't hold it past them.

Sucker Punch and Superman

Zack Snyder made 300.  For that, I will always love him.  That movie kicked so much ass and was so perfectly done he gets a permanent free pass from me for the rest of his career.  And that's good for him, because it looks like he's going to need it.  His sprawling adaptation of Watchmen was just too long and worn out for my taste, and ended up just not working for me (although I understand why some may like it).  And now he brings us Sucker Punch.  I never was too interested in this one.  The whole insane asylum spin doesn't really do anything for me, and the commercial make it seem like one big video game.  And the reviews are coming in.  And they aren't too pretty.

What?  This movie has no plot?  Impossible.

I bring this up because Snyder already has a strong attachment to comic book adaptions and is now working on the of father of heroes himself, Superman.  What does Sucker Punch tell us?  Based on the reviews, we can still count on him to make something visually impressive, so when Superman does finally punch something he'll do it in style.  But all of Sucker Punch's criticism seems to lie on it's weak script (written by Snyder) and jumbled storytelling.  And this trend has been apparent in Snyder's work so far.  With 300, the story was very simple and straightforward, making it easy for Snyder to set up something suitably epic.  You can clearly see that with Watchmen's much more complex plot and characters, the pacing was cramped and left little room for any subtlety.  So where does Superman fit on this spectrum?  This is going to depend on David Goyer's script.  If written well enough, I can see Snyder delivering the Superman movie fans have been dying for.

To sum things up, is Sucker Punch a sign of Doomsday for Superman?  No, not necessarily.  But it sure isn't a good sign either.

Journey Into Spider Island

Big things are on the horizon for Spider-Man.  Kicking off in August is a major story called Spider Island, which somehow involves Spidery's powers being transferred to almost all of Manhattan. 

It's still hard to say what the cause of the catastrophe will be, but my guess is that Doc Ock and the Sinister Six will be behind it somehow.  We know Ock has something planned (something..sinister?!?) for old Webhead, and he's one of the few villains who could pull off such a huge scheme.  Although I don't know how a master criminal makes his life easier by giving the average joe the powers of the guy who beats you up every time you show your face in public.  It would be like Two-Face setting up shop in Krypton.

I'm a big fan of Dan Slott's recent work on the Amazing Spider-Man, but this story sounds a bit off.  The whole island of Manhattan getting Spidey's powers?  I think when something like that happens, you start calling in the Avengers and Fantastic Four rather than Spider-Man.  I think the hero is at his best when confronting smaller, more contained threats rather than something with this kind of scale.  Because I trust Slott, I'm willing to give this event a chance, but I'm really not that excited by it.  It sounds a bit gimmicky and shallow, and even the title sounds a bit too retro for it's own good.  I think I'll stick with Fear Itself and War of the Green Lanterns for the time being.

Captain America Trailer Released

After weeks of rumors and teasers, it's here.  Captain America enters the fight with this first full length theatrical trailer.




This trailer had the opposite effect on me that I thought it would.  I was hoping for something that would tide me over, giving m.  Instead, I need to see this movie right now.  I'm going to go crazy waiting for it to come out

I have to say it looks pretty great.  Everything is spot on, and the only thing I would like to see a bit more of is the Red Skull.  But it's got some nice humor ("That was penicillin"), wonderful visuals, and the makings of some great action.  Everything is distinctly WWII, but fits in incredibly well with the rest of the Marvel Universe.  This is certainly a world that Thor could exist in as well.  And that reminds me, the appearance of Howard Stark?  You had to guess Marvel would throw that in there.  Chris Evans feels more and more like a right fit for Steve Rogers, although it will be interesting to see how he fits into the Avengers.

So Cap continues to impress, and still has potential of being one of the best superhero movies yet.  That being said, I'm probably looking forward to Thor more at this point.  Still, I'm dying to see both of them.

So Who Will Joseph Gordon Levitt Play in Batman 3?

It's been pretty much confirmed that Joseph Gordon Levitt will be joining Christian Bale and Inception co-star Tom Hardy in the latest Batman movie.  But was hasn't been confirmed is who exactly the actor will be playing.  We've been hearing he might play Alberto Falcone or the Black Mask, with wildly conflicting rumors about which one is true.  So what could his role be?

It's probably a safe bet that whoever Levitt plays will be a supporting player.  Bane is "the" villain, and Catwoman will be another leading role .  The last two movies have both had two villainois characters (one main villain and one secondary) and then assorted underworld types.  I would expect a something similar in The Dark Knight Rises.  And if it is a villainous role, I would expect something very simple and down to earth.  Alberto Falcone coming in as Gotham's latest crime lord is a believable story.  It's not like the mob just disappeared after the Dark Knight.  The character's only real appearance was in the Long Halloween, where he was revealed as the mysterious Holiday Killer (sort of).  I would expect that whole serial killer element to be significantly played down, if present at all, and his appearance would also reassert the presence of the Falcone family.  This choice seems very likely since it fits within Nolan's world very well, and Joseph Gordon Levitt actually looks a bit like the character.

But what about the Black Mask?  Certainly possible.  The villain himself is pretty boring, and he's little more than a crime boss who wears a skull mask.  There isn't too much of a need for another costumed villain, especially one who wears a black spray painted Red Skull mask.  I don't see what the Black Mask could add to the story other than adding another insane costumed villain for the sake of adding an insane costumed villain.  If the Black Mask is present, I would expect a highly modified version somehow involved in whatever Bane has planned for Gotham city.  And even then, he probably wouldn't wear a mask even remotely resembling what he has in comics.

So the running theme of these two rumors is the mob.  Since the mob will certainly have a presence in TDKR, this seems to make the most sense.  Fans are also throwing out rumors that Levitt will be playing Robin/Nightwing, which is a fairly ridiculous idea if you ask me.  Including him as the top assassin Deadshot isn't as ludicrous, but falls into the same trap of adding costumed villains for the sake of adding them.  But no matter who he plays, I'm happy the actor is involved.  He's done nothing but impress me in everything from (500) Days of Summer to Inception, and if we can see more bromance between him Tom Hardy, all the better.

News From C2E2

Plenty of great updates in the world of comics today at the C2E2 convention out in Chicago.  C2E2 has been a great source of info for summer events, and with SDCC becoming more focused on movies and TV we're seeing more and more critical announcements. 

Let's start with Marvel.  The company has promised big changes for Moon Knight, Daredevil and the Punisher, hoping to turn the three traditionally B-List characters into icons.  Now, I understand the need to change things up with Moon Knight, but both the Punisher and Daredevil both have strong followings and legendary runs.  Today Marvel announced the inclusion of Mark Waid on Daredevil and Greg Rucka on the Punisher.  Although I'm not especially excited for the new Daredevil (his comic has been consistently solid for the past few years), the new artwork on the Punisher looks wonderful.

There's also been plenty of updates on Fear Itself, including the introduction of a new Ghost Rider.  Ghost Rider has been on the fringes of the Marvel Universe for years now, and is currently without an ongoing monthly series.  He's a fairly tricky character to write about, although I am curious who will take over the Ghost Rider mantle.  Fear Itself won't be boasting a huge number of tie ins, but the ones described so far seem promising, like one focusing on Namor.  The event feels pretty well planned out, and the prologue issue about the Red Skull was a great start.

DC didn't have too many big announcements, instead keeping Flashpoint shrouded in mystery.  A good move.  It's their summer event, and I don't see any reason to spoil the mystery.  We also heard that the constructs Green Lantern creates in the comics will start to resemble those used in the movies.  This is interesting, since the constructs are pretty perfect as is.  Other minor updates such as Cassandra Cain returning to Batgirl sound fun, but ending the Flash solo series as Flashpoint starts up feels...unnecessary.  DC didn't have too much big news, but then again their major projects are mostly set to go.

The New Wonder Woman

I haven't exactly been the biggest supporter of the Wonder Woman TV show.  I'm not a huge fan of the character, and the show's basic premise of Wonder Woman as an executive sounded shallow at best.  And today we have a look at Adrianne Palicki in full gear, and this isn't exactly winning me over.

I've seen cosplay better than this.  The blue and red are far too bright and shiny, and the gold looks more like yellow than metal.  Although the color palette is the chief offender, the odd construction and composition doesn't exactly do wonders.  The strange looking belt and Ws on the boots are good examples of misuse of detail.  I'm actually surprised the thing looks as retro as it does.  Say what you want about the new costume in comics, it does feel much more suited for live action.  I'm surprised we didn't see more of its influence here. 

I know this is TV, and that we shouldn't expect something out of this world like Iron Man, but still.  They could have done better.

Darren Aronofsky Off Wolverine?!?!

This is downright disappointing news.  Darren Aronofsky was all lined up to direct the Wolverine, which I was hoping to be THE definitive take on Marvel's biggest mutant.  Aronofsky has earned huge critical acclaim with the Wrestler and Black Swan, and is arguably the most artistic director in Hollywood right now.  I was incredibly excited to see someone with that style take on brutal little furball like Wolverine.  While most of Marvel's movies are aiming for a nice blend of fun action and maturity, it felt like Wolverine was firmly going into darker territory.  And with this character and this director, I thought this movie even had a shot at rivaling the Dark Knight himself.

So now we have to find a new director.  While I'm certain there is someone out there to take on Fox's latest X-installment, I'm a big fan of Aronofsky and can't imagine another director piquing my interest quite like him.  I wouldn't say it's time to abandon ship just yet though.  With a solid script and strong leading man, the movie still has two key ingredients for success.  And if Aronofsky was able to at least hammer out some of the basic themes and elements, perhaps it's possible for someone to pick up where he left off.  What I'm trying to say, my dear readers, is not to give up hope on this one just yet.  Still, I can't help but feel decidedly less interested without a visionary like Darren Aronofsky on board.

Daredevil Reboot Is A Go?

Well this is...surprising.  Two or so years ago we heard whispers of a Daredevil reboot.  And why not?  The Dark Knight had just demolished the box ofice and Fox had a character with unbelievable potential on their hands.  Of course, after the train wreck that is the original adaption, most fans wanted Marvel to get their hands on it and do it justice.  And with the rights soon to expire, most fans though this wish would come true.  Sadly this isn't the case, and Fox has hired David Slade to direct not a reboot, but a continuation of the original story. 

So let's look at David Slade.  His name was thrown around during the search for a Wolverine director, where he lost out to the highly talented Darren Aronofsky.  I can't fault him for losing to one best directors in the Biz.  What I can fault him for is directing Twilight: Eclipse.  Sorry Mr. Slade, you're going to have to turn in your man-card for that on.  Hard to get excited about someone with such a small resume, or a resume that  includes 2 hours of shirtless werewolves.

As for this "continuation" stuff, this is the third time we've heard that excuse this year.  Spider-Man and Ghost Rider have both made similar claims in order to avoid some of the recent stigma towards rebooting a franchise.  Although it's unfair to not give Fox a chance, I still wish Marvel could have gotten the rights back for this one.  They have a much better record of staying true to the source material, which seems to be a key ingredient for a movie's success.  But who knows, maybe if this thing stalls long enough Marvel can get the rights back after all?

Shane Black Talks Iron Man 3

So Shane Black is directing Iron Man 3.  We now know he's writing it too.  And he had this to say about Tony Stark's final adventure.

"'Iron Man 3' will not be another 'two men in iron suits fighting each other' film,"  "Instead, it will be more like a Tom Clancy-thriller, with Iron Man fighting real world villains."

In some ways, this sounds remarkably spot on.  Iron Man seems to work best when dealing with real world issues rather than more classic supervillains.  Tony Stark is just at home fighting terrorist threats as he is joining up with the Avengers.  The best action scene in the first Iron Man was Tony tearing apart tanks a desert somewhere off in the Middle East.  Not to mention Warren Ellis' character defining story arcs which showed us Tony in a world of conspiracies and espionage.  And the Mandarin actually fits into this perfectly.  The 10 Rings are a terrorist cell, and the Mandarin is a part of that threat.  Now, I still want to see Tony fight the Mandarin in an epic clash.  Fighting against rogue forces is awesome, but Iron Man must battle the Mandarin to win the day.  This is like, comic book 101.

We also have the rumor of "no crossovers".  The first thing we have to do is ask what exactly this might mean.  Are we going to see no extra characters whatsoever?  This I could live with, as long as SHIELD is still around.  You can't have intelligence operations and espionage without SHIELD.  And as much as I want to see a Captain America cameo, it's not something I need.  Additional appearances and extra touches should only be ever added if they can add to the story, or are small enough so that they don't detract from the story and help make the universe a richer place.  So while I'm okay with limiting the influence of outside characters, I see absolutely no reason to take the story outside of the Marvel Universe and it's wonderful continuity.

So is this more isolated approach for the best?  I think so.  Just like the comics, the solo titles need to focus on the main character and their own supporting cast.  Could the Black Widow appear in Thor 2?  Sure, but she doesn't have to play a large role.  Give each character their own time to shine, and let them mash it up together in the Avengers.  Y'know, exactly like it happens in the comics.

2011 Event Face Off

I'm sure everyone knows how busy a summer this is for superheroes in the movies, but it's just as busy in the world of comics.  After Marvel and DC convinced themselves that we needed a break from big mega events, things were just too damn quiet without the Avengers confronting armies of genocidal ninja robots FROM SPACE!  We have three big storylines right on the horizon, and I'll break down which to be excited for.

War of the Green Lanterns
The jury is still out on whether or not the Green Lantern movie will be a success, but its hard to argue that Hal Jordan and Co. haven't been dominating comics these past few years.  In the aftermath of Blackest Night, Hal has joined forces with the rest of the Lantern Corps. to stop the renegade guardian Krona.  The rest of the Corps. isn't too happy with their star Lantern going all loose cannon, and we're going to see Guy Gardner and Hal try and kill each other, a story which refuses to get old.  And you won't have to worry about an endless storm of tie ins either.  The story is self contained within the trio of  GL books.  Green Lantern is a safe bet for good story telling these days, and even if it's not as iconic as the Sinestro Corps. War or Blackest Night, I can't imagine this War not being a fun one.

Fear Itself
I'm a sucker for the Thor mythos, and this storyline puts Marvel's best and brightest against the God of Fear itself.  The event has alot of players, ranging from the classic Avengers to the Juggernaut to Dracula.  Fear Itself certainly boasts a solid enough premise.  Ancient evil gods and a solid cast of heroes is always a good start.  The true deciding factor for this event will be Matt Fraction's writing.  The man can write pitch perfect dialogue and understands his characters incredibly well, but does decompress the hell out of his stories.  This doesn't bother me when he's writing Iron Man and explores the nature of Tony Stark's personal demons, but for an action packed event?  This could either be one of the smartest, most imaginative sagas yet or move at a snail's pace.  We'll just have to wait and see.  Still, early images look pretty cool, so check it out.

Flashpoint
While Green Lantern's event is very self contained (and all the better for it, IMO), Flashpoint will bring in the entire DCU.  And while Blackest Night dealt with the comic book trope of character deaths and resurrection, Flashpoint looks to deal with retcons.  The Flash does have a history of dealing with  time travel and such, and it looks like Earth's time line is going to radically change.  Out of all the events this summer, Flashpoint has me the least interested.  I gave the Flash a shot when Geoff Johns took on the new title and it let me down.  And the idea of exploring alternate reality versions of classic DC characters?  Not a bad one, but I'm not in the mood to pick up a ridiculous number of tie ins just to follow up on that.  And honestly, how many times have we seen alternate universes and time lines?  The event does have some promise, but if DC uses this as an excuse to retcon more storylines 


 So to sum things up, War of the Green Lanterns should be a solid, fun storyline, Fear Itself is both blessed and cursed a wildly imaginative, thoughtful writer, and I can live without entering the Flashpoint.  Regardless whether or not all of these events work out, I'm excited just to explore what they have to offer.  Say what you want about events, you can help but deny the sense of scale they bring to comics.

Hugo Weaving

Everyone knows Nazi's are evil.  And everyone knows Supervillains are evil.  But Nazi Supervillains?  Those guys are just the worst.  Enter the Red Skull, one of the most sinister, villainous characters in all of comics.  Up until now we haven't gotten a perfect look at Hugo Weaving in full make up, so Entertainment Weekly has shown us a full look at Cap's archenemy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Red Skull.

I was wondering how they were going to make him look, and that really is the Red Skull!  It has all the iconic elements that make the Skull so distinctive, while at the same time you can see there's a human being under there.  And I'm especially impressed by the costume.  It looks distinctly Nazi, but still larger than life enough to fit in a superhero movie.  And you can never go wrong with black, red and silver in a costume.  I'm going to reserve final-final judgment until I see him in motion, but this is pretty badass.  The first full trailer should be out tomorrow, so that time will be coming very soon.

Loki Vs. The Avengers?

Loki has to be in the Avengers.  He has always played such an intergral role in the team's formation, and was even their first villain.  And if rumors are to be believed, Loki will be fighting the team, and he'll be bringing help.  Apparently in the form of the alien Skrulls.  And he'll be using the cosmic cube to do it.

For the record, Loki should not be "the" villain.  He's Thor's archnemesis, not the archnemesis of the Avengers and the entire Marvel U.  The Avengers need to fight a villain that no single one of them can stand against alone, and Thor has beaten Loki one on one more than once.  Nevertheless, he should be a villainous character who does go acting like a giant asshole.  As for the Skrulls?  They're tricky to set up and explain, but offer a wonderful threat for the team to face.  I have no idea why Loki needs the cosmic cube, and I'm unsure of that part being true.

Another fun rumor is that there will be an Avengers teaser trailer in front of Captain America.  This is something I'm really hoping to be true, just to get some early buzz for the movie.  Pretty soon the movie will even start filming.  What a scary thought that is...