0301
11

The State of the Supermen (and Girl) – Winter 2010/2011

Posted by under *mixed, Comics | Leave a Comment |

It really feels like ever since playing a crucial role in ending the Final Crisis, Superman has basically been missing from the DC Universe. He spent a year away from the Earth on New Krypton amongst 10,000 other Kryptonian supermen including General Zod. During this storyline, Superman did not star in either Action Comics or Superman as those books highlighted a series of replacement heroes operating in and around Metropolis. The New Krypton storyline climaxed with the destruction of New Krypton and an extremely short but brutal war between the surviving Kryptonians led by General Zod and what I guess amounted to the American military lead by General Lane (Lois’ father). Upon the conclusion of the World of New Krypton series, Superman returned not just to Earth but also to his namesake comic, Superman, as superstar writer J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) took the book’s reigns amidst much fanfare. Things, however, have not worked out quite as DC Comics may have planned.

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0506
09

REVIEW: Superman/Batman #60

Posted by under *dislike, Comics | Join The Discussion |

Beware Doomstroke and Hawkbeast! Seriously? Sorry for the bad photos, but I couldn’t contain my joy over the sheer stupidity of this comic.

The one nice moment in the issue, however, featured Batman acknowledging the similarities in the personalities of Hal Jordan and Dick Grayson despite his very different relationships with the two characters.

2401
09

3D EVERYWHERE I TURN…

Posted by under *mixed, Movies, Technology | Join The Discussion |

It seems like 3D has been everywhere the last few weeks. Some of the biggest news that came out of the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month was discussion about bringing 3D technology into our homes. Several different companies are pushing new technologies including 3D monitors for video games. Supposedly the industry is already working to avoid a format war similar to the Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD fiasco we all witnessed the last few years. We’ll see if they can pull that off.

But all of the reading I‘ve done lately about 3D being the future of television recently coupled with the way it’s also being heralded as the future savior of the motion picture industry… I admit I got kind of excited to see My Bloody Valentine 3D in a theater. Valentine is exactly what it’s advertised to be. A stupid 80’s inspired horror movie that embraces it’s 3D gimmick and runs with it. Eyeballs and blood seem to pop off the screen. A pickaxe gets thrown at the audience and a shotgun aimed at us. Basically all the horror movie stuff you’d expect. In general, it’s good fun I guess. You know if you like that kind of thing. It’s definitely not scary though and at the same time not funny enough to be a comedy either. The one thing I took from the film is that I’m not sure the 3D sex and nudity lives up to the way it’s advertised in the trailers. Seriously. Who advertises 3D sex anyway?

As fate would have it, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond in 3D (or is it 4D?) shipped the next day. And well… as much as I hate to hear people complain that Grant Morrison’s comics make no sense. This story makes very little sense and was so unnecessary. It basically serves to take Superman off the board during the main action of Final Crisis, but couldn’t he just as easily been in the future for Final Crisis: The Legion of Three Worlds? Oh wait, that’s right… he’s there TOO. How does that work? I dunno. Maybe they’ll explain it eventually or maybe they already did and just I missed it. Maybe I need to reread this two issue series, but I found the whole thing painful the first time. As for the 3D effects, they are kind of fun but it’s still just a gimmick.

So what’s the verdict about 3D in 2009? The glasses may not give people headaches as I hear they used to, but they still make the images slightly blurrier than I’d prefer. It’s a gimmick and unless James Cameron’s Avatar changes the game, I expect it’s always going to be a gimmick. Plus there’s no way the 3D gimmick is worth paying an extra $2 for in the case of MBV or an extra $.50 for Superman Beyond.

And let’s face it. Anyone who saw The Dark Knight knows the real future of the motion picture industry is Imax.