He-Man Comes To DC

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has had new series and one-shots from DC Comics over the last year or so, and now as suspected it looks like a cross-over with the DC Universe is on the way in August. Maybe the residents from Eternia will migrate permanently to Metropolis, Gotham, etc or this will be a temporary visit.

I’m not sure what to think about this though. I mean, the new costumes are bewildering and sexist. (He-Man gets more clothes, and Teela gets less). Well, here’s the only pic released so far, and here’s a brief interview with writer Keith Giffen.

He-Man and DC

Superman: Unbound Clip With Lois And Supergirl

After the first clip from next month’s animated film, comes this new one focusing on the ladies.

This is shaping up to be one good looking film and by that, I mean the style of animation, although the characters are cute too. I’m glad they went with Supergirl’s pre-New 52 costume. It’s much better than her current duds.

Supergirl and Lois Lane — voiced by CASTLE stars Molly Quinn & Stana Katic, respectively — take the spotlight in an all-new clip from SUPERMAN: UNBOUND, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.The film also features the voices of Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) and John Noble (“Fringe,” “The Lord of the Rings” films) as Superman and Brainiac, respectively.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, SUPERMAN: UNBOUND arrives May 7, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for
Digital Download.

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Superman’s Birthday And Flashpoint Box Art

 

It’s Superman’s 75th birthday today! He debuted in Action Comics #1 from DC Comics this week in 1938. There are a few celebratory articles online, but this BBC documentary from 1981, with rare footage of Superman’s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster is one of the best. I hope there’s some mainstream coverage of the Man of Steel’s milestone too.

Also below are two official breakdowns from two upcoming animated, Superman related projects. The first is a clip from next month’s Superman: Unbound film, which looks to feature much darker and more detailed animation than the last couple of DC toon films, and there’s also the first look at the cool box art from the film adapted from the alternate universe Flashpoint comics storyline.

The clip features Superman’s first encounter with Brainiac, a destructive force who has been devastating planets across the galaxy – with Earth next in his sights. Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) provides the voice of Superman opposite John Noble (“Fringe,” “The Lord of the Rings” films) as the voice of Brainiac. The film also features the voices of “Castle” stars Stana Katic as Lois Lane and Molly Quinn as Supergirl.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, SUPERMAN: UNBOUND film arrives May 7, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Digital Download.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX features an amazing cast of its own — from the Grey’s Anatomy duo of Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd as the voices of Barry Allen/Flash and Thomas Wayne/Batman, respectively, to Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale, Friday Night Lights, Chronicle) as Cyborg, C. Thomas Howell (Southland, The Outsiders) as Thawne/Professor Zoom, Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Slade and Deathstroke, Dana Delany (Body of Proof) as Lois Lane, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) as Aquaman, Danny Huston (Magic City) as General Lane, Sam Daly (The Office, The Daly Show) as Superman, and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman.

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Man of Steel’s Best Trailer Yet

The third time is the best time regarding Superman trailers. It’s out on June 14 and after some very atmospheric trailers that were light on details and dialogue, comes this more fun, hopeful and action packed peek.

There are subtle nods to the original Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve films, with Zod’s menace, and Pa Kent telling his son that he was sent here for a reason, and the update from the comics that the “S” is a Kryptonian symbol.

I’m excited for this film. As Kevin Smith once pointed out, Superman hasn’t had a good fight scene on the big screen since Superman II. This looks set to be the epic the Man of Steel deserves. Oh, and I’m digging the soundtrack too.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes “Man of Steel,” starring Henry Cavill (“Immortals,” TV’s “The Tudors”) in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, under the direction of Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”).A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The film also stars four-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams (“The Master”) as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane, and Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”) as her editor-in-chief, Perry White. Starring as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, are Oscar® nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”) and Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”).

Squaring off against the superhero are two other surviving Kryptonians, the villainous General Zod, played by Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), and Faora, Zod’s evil partner, played by Antje Traue (upcoming “The Seventh Son”). Also from Superman’s native Krypton are Lara Lor-Van, Superman’s mother, played by Ayelet Zurer (“Angels and Demons”), and Superman’s father, Jor-El, portrayed by Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).

Rounding out the cast are Christopher Meloni (upcoming “42″) as U.S. military man Colonel Hardy, Harry Lennix (“State of Play”) as General Swanwick, Michael Kelly (“The Adjustment Bureau”) as Steve Lombard, and Richard Schiff (TV’s “The West Wing”) as Dr. Emil Hamilton.

“Man of Steel” is being produced by Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment. Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters are serving as executive producers.

Zack Snyder’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Amir Mokri (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”); production designer Alex McDowell (“Watchmen”); editor David Brenner (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”); and multiple Academy Award®-winning costume designer James Acheson (“Restoration,” the “Spider-Man” films) and costume designer Michael Wilkinson (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and 2,” “Watchmen,” “300″). The music is by Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King,” “Inception”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, “Man of Steel.” The film will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX®, and is slated for release on June 14, 2013. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Cool Injustice: Gods Among Us Trailer

And it stars Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes! Also written and directed by Smith (Clerks, the scary Red State) it’s short, but pretty entertaining. Injustice: Gods Among Us, starring a host of DC Comics characters, is out next week.

On a related note, the next game in the Batman: Arkham series is called Origins and will be out on October 25. It’s set on Christmas Eve and features 8 of the world’s best assassins, including Deathstroke, coming to Gotham to kill Batman. There’s a host of beautiful screenshots right here.

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Roger Ebert’s Best Movie Reviews

Legendary artist Carmine Infantino died this week. He co-created Batgirl, and revitalised the superhero genre, which was dormant at the time, with his fresh take on The Flash in 1956. There’s a great rundown of the man and his influence on not only DC Comics, but the comic book biz as a whole right here.

Sadly, in the mainstream press Infantino didn’t get the press he deserves, which is usually the way. Jack Kirby received very little attention outside of the comics industry when he died in 1994.

Anyway, one man who did get a lot of ink about his passing was famed film critic Roger Ebert. I don’t think his TV show with Gene Siskel was ever showed here in Australia, but I’m certainly aware of the man, and amongst the many looks back at his life is this amusing rundown of his 40 most scathing reviews from films over the last few decades. My faves are below, and you can see the whole list here.

8. Battlefield Earth (2000):

Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It’s not merely bad; it’s unpleasant in a hostile way.”

12. Catwoman (2004):

“The director, whose name is Pitof, was probably issued with two names at birth and would be wise to use the other one on his next project.”

36. Spice World (1997):

“The Spice Girls are easier to tell apart than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but that is small consolation: What can you say about five women whose principal distinguishing characteristic is that they have different names?”

Necessary Evil DC Comics Documentary

The last time Warner Bros/DC Comics released a documentary was in 2010. Ryan Reynolds narrated Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics which looked at the 75 year history of the publisher, and it was rather enjoyable, and accessible, with plenty of interviews with comic creators, and some great art. The next focus is an interesting one, as it shines the spotlight on the multitude of bad guys and gals. Most people know the heroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc so to look at their enemies is an interesting idea, and comes at a good time, with the cinematic Bane and Catwoman recently seen, and Zod and Faora from June’s Man of Steel film, plus next month’s release of the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game. Official details below.

Behind every great hero, there are a whole lot of villains.” – Geoff Johns

Legendary Villain Christopher Lee Narrates

The Joker, Bane, Deathstroke, Darkseid and Lex Luthor — the scariest and most menacing villains in DC Comics’ universe — take center stage in a brand new full-length documentary from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and DC Entertainment (DCE). The joint announcement was made today by WBHE and DCE.

Christopher Lee, who has played the villain more times than almost any other actor, will provide his unique voice as narrator. His roles in more than 200 films include star turns as Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein’s monster in Hammer horror classics, Count Dooku in Star Wars, and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy andThe Hobbit films.

In this new documentary film, the malevolent, sometimes charismatic figures from DC Comics’ hallowed rogues’ gallery will be explored in depth, featuring interviews with the famed creators, storytellers and those who have crafted the personalities and profiles of many of the most notorious villains in comic book history.

Production begins March 30, to coincide with WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center March 29-31.

Noted Geoff Johns, best-selling author and DCE’s Chief Creative Officer, “DC Comics is known for many things, but chief among them is the compelling, diverse and legendary society of super-villains who populate its universe. From the monstrous Solomon Grundy to the brutal Black Adam to the charismatic Sinestro, there is no single greater collection of villainy in all of fiction. These villains are hugely popular comic book characters in their own right and, quite honestly, many are often times more popular than some of our iconic super heroes.”

Jeff Baker, WBHE’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, added “The DC brand is enjoying a huge resurgence thanks to the entire leadership team at DC Entertainment which is driving opportunities not only for new theatrical properties, but for brand extensions as well. This new documentary will reinforce this evolving strategy and leverage DC assets across the entire studio landscape.”

Johns also reiterated that this year’s initiative will be a turning point for DCE. “It’s time we deconstruct these complex and sinister antagonists and celebrate the role they play as the engine and energy of some of the greatest storytelling in comics. 2013 is the Year of the Villain at DC Comics.”

On Saturday, March 30th, fans attending WonderCon are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite DC Comics’ villain for an opportunity to be featured in the documentary. Fans can join DCE at WonderCon Booth 801 with filming to take place Saturday from 10:30 am – Noon. To find out more about where and what time to meet in the WonderCon DC Entertainment booth, keep checking the DC Comics Facebook (Facebook.com/DCComics) and Twitter sites (@DCComics).

Participation in upcoming ‘cons’ (Comic-Con International: San Diego and New York Comic Con) is anticipated, with a full release scheduled for later in the year.

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Iron Man’s Many Armours and Injustice Videos

Iron Man 3 opens in May and yes, there will be over 40 different suits of armour in the film. Tony’s been a busy boy, as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige describes.

“We have what we call the prehensile suit, which allows each individual piece of the suit to fly separately and latch on to him. It doesn’t quite work perfectly, but it is a great advancement that Tony uses throughout this movie, so that wherever he is, theoretically, he can call it to him and it can arrive. It doesn’t always work, and there’s a great scene in the movie, which we gave a little taste of to fans at Comic-Con this year in a giveaway of an art poster that Ryan Meinerding had done, where the entire suit doesn’t come to him. He just gets one glove and one boot and has to fight off a battalion of bad guys with just the boot and just the glove. “It’s often the limitations of the suit that can provide the most fun-when the suit breaks, when the suit doesn’t quite work — and there’s that in spades. We also, though, hint early on in the film by mentioning that this is not the Mark 8 as you might think because the Mark 7 was the last suit revealed in “The Avengers.” It’s the Mark 42. So there are well over 40 suits that Tony has built in between the time of “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3″ because of his obsession. By the end of the film, we see each and every one of them, and you realize Tony is a mechanic and he has been tinkering. Any conceivable idea he had about the suit technology he built and stored in his Hall of Armor. Finally, after talking about it for four movies we finally see his Hall of Armor and the giant army of suits that he’s built for himself.”

Iron Man 3 Igor

Iron Man 3 Red Snapper

You can check out 6 of those awesome suits here, but it looks like the classic Hulkbuster armour from the comics has yet to reveal itself, although the Igor suit somewhat resembles it. Oh, and if you’re in Disneyland you’ll be able to see some of those suits at a new exhibit that runs from April 13 to September.

I’ve never been a hug fan of fighting video games, although I spent many hours in my high school years playing Street Fighter 2. However, any chance to play as DC Comics characters has my interest, and Injustice: Gods Among Us continues to intrigue me, the more I see of it. Take these 3 videos for example. 240 missions? Surprise characters such as Martian Manhunter and Giganta (and possibly Lobo)! Sold! A demo for the much anticipated game will be released on April 2.

Rap Sheet, Not Wrap Sheet

Geoff Johns has been writing comics, and TV shows for years now, so maybe this wasn’t his mistake, but in this week’s second issue of DC’s new Justice League of America, Steve Trevor’s dialogue refers to Green Arrow’s fake “wrap sheet.”

That spelling didn’t look right to me, and after some brief investigation, I can confirm that it should actually be, “rap sheet,” when referring to someone’s criminal record. Apparently its stands for Record of Arrest and Prosecution.

As for the series itself, it’s not too bad, and has an interesting line-up with Katana, Vibe and Catwoman, but I kept thinking of the various Avengers launches from Marvel in recent years, with the similar boardroom and press conference scenes, and behind the scenes political shenanigans.

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Superman: Unbound Disc Details

Below are the official details for DC Comics/ Warner Bros’ next animated feature film. Yes, Superman’s chin may be a tad too pointy, but the film looks set to be pretty spectacular and action packed.

‘WHITE COLLAR’ STAR MATT BOMER DONS THE ICONIC ‘S’
SHIELD OPPOSITE ‘FRINGE’S’ JOHN NOBLE AS BRAINIAC IN AN
ALL-NEW DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGINAL MOVIE

SUPERMAN: UNBOUND

COMING MAY 7, 2013
FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

‘Castle’ Duo of Stana Katic & Molly Quinn Voice Lois Lane & Supergirl on
Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand & For Digital Download

A destructive force is devastating
planets across the galaxy – with Earth next in its sights – and even
Superman may not be capable of halting the terror in SUPERMAN:
UNBOUND, the next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated
Original Movies. Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and
Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives May 7,
2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack
($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), On Demand and for Digital Download.
The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include UltraViolet™*.

Based on the Geoff Johns/Gary Frank 2008 release “Superman: Brainiac,”
SUPERMAN: UNBOUND finds the Man of Steel aptly handling day-to-day
crime while helping acclimate Supergirl to Earth’s customs and
managing Lois Lane’s expectations for their relationship. Personal
issues take a back seat when the horrific force responsible for the
destruction of Krypton – Brainiac – begins his descent upon Earth.
Brainiac has crossed the universe, collecting cities from interesting
planets – including Supergirl’s home city of Kandor – and now the
all-knowing, ever-improving android has his sights fixed on
Metropolis. Superman must summon all of his physical and intellectual
resources to protect his city, the love of his life and his
newly-arrived cousin.

The film’s stellar voicecast is led by Matt Bomer (White Collar) as
Superman, John Noble (Fringe, The Lord of the Rings films) as
Brainiac, Stana Katic (Castle) as Lois Lane and Molly Quinn (Castle)
as Supergirl. Additional voices in the cast include Golden Globe Award
winner Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) as Ma Kent, Wade Williams (The
Dark Knight Rises) as Perry White, Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey
Show, Office Space) as Steve Lombard, Stephen Root (Boardwalk Empire,
Justified) as Zor-El, and Alexander Gould (Weeds) as Jimmy Olsen.

Supervising Producer James Tucker (Justice League, Batman: The Brave
and the Bold) also directs the film from a script by Bob Goodman
(Warehouse 13, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns).

“SUPERMAN: UNBOUND adds an all-new chapter to the growing legacy of
animated films featuring the Man of Steel and his epic challenges to
maintain peace on Earth,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Home Video
Vice President, Family & Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. “Matt
Bomer’s voice epitomizes the All-American hero that is Superman, and
John Noble counters that tone with a commanding, chilling delivery for
Brainiac. A superhero is only as good as the depths of his opposition,
and Noble brings out the best in his villainous portrayal of
Brainiac.”

SUPERMAN: UNBOUND Blu-ray™ Combo Pack has over 4 1/2 hours of exciting
content, including:
•       Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
•       UltraViolet™*
•       Sneak Peek at Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the next DC
Universe Animated Original Movie
•       Featurette – “Kandor: History of the Bottle City” – An all-new
featurette. Kandor: a peaceful scientific community dedicated toward
the preservation of all that is good on Krypton, the home world of
Superman.  That is, until the city was ripped from its world and
placed into a small glass bottle!  This is the short story
highlighting the shrunken city of Kandor.  Its history just as
fascinating as it is unique, here is how it ties in directly with the
Man of Tomorrow.
•       Featurette – “Brainiac: Technology and Terror” – An all-new
featurette.  Mostly machine, but part sentient being, Brainiac steals
cities and destroys worlds.  Is he the most vile of Superman’s
villainous foes?  Experience the Brainiac mythology and find out why
Superman barely stands a chance!
•       Audio Commentary – Featuring members of the creative team: Mike
Carlin, Bob Goodman and James Tucker.
•       Four bonus episodes from Superman: The Animated Series (“The Last
Son of Krypton, Part 1”; “New Kids in Town”; and “Little Girl Lost,
Parts 1 & 2”), all handpicked by producer Alan Burnett.
•       Digital Comic – Excerpt from the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac by
Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.

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Lois Lane

Supergirl

Superman

Superman Unbound Trailer

The latest animated film from DC Comics/ Warner Bros is based on the 2008 Brainiac storyline from the comics by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, in which Superman must fight the green skinned alien. The series was pretty entertaining and deservedly epic for the Man of Steel, and does a FAR better job of interpreting Brainiac (and Superman, and everyone else for that matter) than this never made screenplay that recently surfaced online.

Lots of Superman News

Phew. It has been a busy few days with Superman news being unleashed almost daily, in anticipation of the upcoming film, and if you go to your local comic shop, you may just be bale to get a double-sided bookmark with recommendations of great Superman comics too.

Firstly, as anyone with a passing interest in cinematic history will know, there was a go in the late-90s of making a Superman film starring Nicolas Cage (true!) and directed by Tim Burton. It never happened, but you can watch the amusing storyteller Kevin Smith tell the wild tale here.

Two pics of Cage in the proposed Superman suit have been recently unearthed, coinciding with a Kickstarter doco about the failed film, called The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? It would be  a fascinating insight and a cringe inducing one, that I’m sure would just serve to remind us of what a travesty the film could’ve been. I hope the doco gets made.

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Two scripts have also been unveiled on the net this week at the resourceful Superman Homepage. They’re PDFs of a draft of Superman Lives! and a later 2003 attempt called Flyby that was to be directed by JJ Abrams (the man now behind the first of the 2015 Star Wars films).

Now, instead of what could have been, two pics have been released about what will be, focusing on June’s Man of Steel film starring Brit actor Henry Cavil (Immortals). Here he is on the cover of this week’s Empire magazine, followed by one of many action figures sporting the film’s interpretation of the Kryptonian. Check out more toy pics, including Jor-El, and Zod here.

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With all this, plus the excellent Injustice: Gods Among Us comic, and upcoming game, it’s finally a good time to be excited about The Man of Steel once more.

Joker and Iron Man Looking Good

Ah, how far ‘toy’s have come in the last decade or so. Collectors can have a field day with small reproductions of their fave pop culture characters. Oh, how I wish I had the money and a nice display case to start a collection. Well, here’s two more recent figures, courtesy of those artisans at Hot Toys.

Iron Man 3 opens in May, and to get in the mood, you can check out this highly detailed 1/6th rendition of tony Stark and his armour parts from the film.

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Also 1/6th scale is this upcoming Joker figure from Sideshow Collectibles which costs $190 and is modelled on the classic Joker rather than the new hideous version with the stapled on skin-face. Yuck.

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Man of Steel Poster

The second poster for next year’s Superman film starring Henry Cavill is a surprising turn, and certainly not the heroic look we’re used to, but I like it. I assume those handcuffs are Kryptonian, but even if they’re not, Superman is a law abider, so would just play along anyway.

I really hope this film will be awesome.

Man of Steel Poster

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