Wonder Wednesday

Newsarama did a list of the Top Ten characters/concepts missing from the DCnU relaunch. I've already touched on this, but they do a good job of compiling the glaring omissions and why they're so glaring. Check it out!
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dcnu-missing-revamp-characters-110514.html
This image by Tom Feister from ComicArtFans.com.

WTFriday?! - A Little Peak Inside My Head

You ever just make stuff up in your mind... like really elaborate stuff just to entertain yourself like "If I was magic, I'd make this happen" kinda stuff? I guess it's comparable to people who write fan fiction or draw fan artwork. Like, it's not "real" or anything, but here's how I'd do it, if I could. Well... here's how I'd do it if I could.

I'm always bugged by the lack of female presence in the world of live-action super heroes. I'd love for Wonder Woman to succeed but I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm put-off by the fact that for whatever reason Black Widow is in the Avengers movie. I don't really care about the Black Widow and there are many other female Avengers that are more closely associated with the team, most notably The Wasp, a FOUNDER in the comics, who is just completely left out. There was a live-action Birds of Prey show years ago, but it wasn't very successful and only lasted one season. I don't recall much of it. I need to sit down and watch some of that boxed set I bought forever ago. At least on Smallville, Zatanna, Black Canary, Mera and Supergirl have been used. Oh yeah and Saturn Girl and Star Girl, too. As for live-action movies, I know it's a tough sell, but I don't agree with the mentality that because Catwoman and Elektra failed that female heroes can't carry movies. Those two bombed because they were freakin' terrible... AND you know what else bombed? Superman Returns, The Punisher (both of 'em), The Hulk (both of 'em), Ghost Rider, Daredevil... and still...

Also, and this is about animation, not live-action, but the Wonder Woman animated DVD sold "too slowly" for Warners to even consider making ANY additional animated movies starring female characters. They covered up the fact that Superman/Batman: Apokalipse was actually about Supergirl (with Wonder Woman, Artemis, Harbinger and Big Barda, thrown in). Wonder Woman outsold Green Lantern. BUT guess who has ANOTHER animated movie coming out in a couple of months... Green Lantern. Hypocrisy? Uh, yeah, pretty much.

So, though it'll never happen, I've often thought it would be interesting to do an hour-long action/drama about female super heroes. I'd approach it as more of a "work place drama" like all those cops shows and legal shows and medical shows, where you use the job, in this case super heroics, as the starting point and then you'd develop and get to know the characters over time. In a lot of fields, even today, women still struggle to get the same respect that males get. You see it a lot in law enforcement and what is super heroics if no law enforcement? And in a more literal interpretation, female super heroes DO struggle to gain the respect of not just fans, but creators and studio execs. Female characters struggle to sell books. I'd take that and use it more metaphorically on the show.
At various points, I have thought of doing the show with made-up characters, Marvel characters and right now I'm thinking DC. A couple years ago, DC did this poster entitled "The Real Power of the DC Universe" so my working title is "Real Power." I'm even including some of the characters from the poster.

The first character that I want to use on the show is Dr. Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), who has the power to fly and... well, create light-- lasers, photon beams, bursts of bright light, pretty much whatever you need. Dr. Light hasn't been utilized very much in the past. She's been in the Justice League off and on over the years. She has great, easily comprehended powers. She's a scientist, she's a divorcee, she's a single parent with two kids, her father is one of her colleagues... there's a lot you can do with all that. Lots of story potential, which for the most part, hasn't been tapped in the comics.

I had a cuckoo idea. In the comics, there was an earlier Dr. Light, a super villain (real name Arthur Light). Recently, he's been really scummed up. He raped Elongated Man's wife Sue basically making him too revolting for any creator to ever use again, so they... I think they turned him into a magic candle. But anyway, I was thinking of... first of all, omitting that whole rape thing entirely... but using Arthur Light as either a former mentor/colleague of Kimiyo's or possibly even making him her ex-husband. Yeah, it's nuts, especially the way the character's been depicted recently, but I'd have him pop up and claim that Kimiyo stole his work to become Dr. Light and try claiming the powers and identity for himself.

The second hero I'd draft is Vixen (Mari Jiwi McCabe). She has a mystical Tantu Totem (amulet) that allows her to mimic the abilities of animals, the speed of a cheetah, the strength of an elephant, the leaping of a gazelle, the claws of a panther... she can even fly like a bird! (That one's a recent development and I kinda don't like it, so I probably wouldn't use it.) Mari is a fashion model, so that opens up a whole world of glamor/entertainment/show biz. I'd depict her as attempting to turn herself into a brand, to go beyond modeling and write books, design fashion, maybe even television or acting. She's be like my own aspiring Tyra... that also fights crime!

I'd also accentuate that her name is Vixen and crank up her animal magnetism, similarly to the way she was depicted in Justice League Unlimited, upping her sexual voracity. On JLU she dated Green Lantern, but I'd never be able to get the rights to him, but I have a suggestion for a replacement.

I actually have a casting idea for her, Taraji P. Henson. Taraji is just soooo raaaaoooow! She's so ferocious and sexy and amazing, she'd be perfect!

Third in my lineup is Oracle (Barbara Gordon), who stars in Birds of Prey, a series about a group of female heroes! (Recently joined by one male.) So perfect, right? While Babs isn't the typical super heroine, she is certainly super! She's honestly one of the best written, best developed characters at DC! Notice I said "characters" and not "female characters." She's THAT good. Brilliant, quick-witted, tough, resilient, resourceful... she occupies a completely unique role in the DC Universe, a cyber super hero, using her hacking prowess to access any information available anywhere, to guide her field operatives on their death-defying missions. Also... she's disabled. The opportunity to depict such a strong, smart, all-around-incredible character AS a person with a disability is just such a great opportunity. Yeah, there are people with disabilities on TV and in movies, but Babs is a rare breed and it would be amazing to see her on TV.

Dina Meyer actually did a great job portraying her in the Birds of Prey series, but she might be too old now.

I think a couple other characters could pop up in recurring roles but not be part of the main cast. First, I'd do a mash-up of The Question (Renee Montoya). I say mash-up, because she'd be Montoya but with a healthy dose of the previous Question, Vic Sage, who was the inspiration for Rorschach in The Watchmen. So I'd play her as a crazy conspiracy nut who may or may not be onto something big, but that all of the other heroes are creeped out by. In the comics, she hit a low point, developing a nice healthy drinking problem and sleeping with an assortment of random chicks (oh she's a lesbian, by the way). That could inspire a storyline... albeit one that's already been depicted numerous times on various shows, so I'd have to think of some fresh approach to it.

Then there's The Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), who in the comics is a high school teacher/daughter of a mafioso, who adopts the identity of The Huntress and stalks criminals... and uses lethal force. This of course opens up a storyline that pits her against the other characters. In the comics, she's tempered her methods, so maybe if she proved popular enough, she could join the gang and evolve in that direction. I like the thought of her being the "dark horse" of the group, the "bad girl"/"outcast" type. She rightly or wrongly has kind of a "bad reputation" in another way in the comics, being one of the few heroes to actually be depicted as, ahem sexually active. Heck, that's story fodder.

I feel that there needs to be a fourth "regular" cast member, but I can't figure out who it would be. There's Power Girl, who is brilliant! She's tough, funny, brassy. She runs a technology company, so that could play into Oracle and her computer resources. She has great powers, super strength, flight, invulnerability. The team could use a tough, ass-kicker... not that they won't all kick ass in their own way, but she'd serve as the resident "tank," the one that just dives in and starts punching.



I LOVE Batwoman, she's so well-developed, unique, smart, driven... I don't know if she'd be available. She's a fringe Batman character at best, so she should be. Ditto Oracle, if anyone wanted to use her in a movie or anything, they'd make her Batgirl. Also, thus far, not much of a team player. Zatanna, the magician... gotta be honest, one of my least favorite JLA characters. NOT to say I dislike her, but I like her considerably less than... like nearly everyone else.
Hawkwoman... first of all, she'd be Hawkwoman not Hawkgirl. I'm not sure why they opted for Hawkgirl on Justice League. I'd depict her very closely to the way she was depicted on JL, tough, kick ass... in the comics she and Hawkman have enhanced strength and regenerative abilities, so that would put her in the same role as my Power Girl, the resident tank. She has a convoluted origin though and I doubt I'd want to depict her as being married to Hawkman, although that is a unique role. I'd probably make her single at first, give her a different romantic interest (like Vixen on JLU she dated Green Lantern) and introduce Carter Hall/Hawkman later.
I have a soft spot for Fire & Ice. Fire's a fiery Latina, both figuratively and literally. She's a former model/secret agent. Ice is her demure, modest counterpart. I like them both, but don't know if they're right for this. Fire would probably overlap too much with Vixen in terms of past/personality. It would be nice to have a "nice girl" like Ice, though.

Then there's Black Canary (Dinah Lance). She's really perfect, honestly... she's one of the best female heroes out there. She's capable, smart, well-rounded... everyone loves her! My hesitation to include her is simply that she, Oracle and Huntress form the Birds of Prey and I didn't come up with this to be a Birds of Prey adaptation. Like I said, the first two characters on my list are Dr. Light and Vixen, two non-Birds. Plus, like I said, Birds of Prey was already a TV show and it failed. But Dinah's such a great character. She runs a floral shop, she's had a long and tumultuous romance with Green Arrow, she's a legacy character, carrying on for her mother (who I'd probably make still be alive on the show... and I'd make their relationship a bit more antagonistic, making the original Black Canary kind of a stage mother-type... who cheated on Dinah's father with Starman, who may be Dinah's biological dad... SEE??? GOLD!!!), her mentor Ted "Wildcat" Grant would make an excellent supporting character... there are a million reasons TO use her, but that damn Birds of Prey thing just makes me not want to.
Like Smallville, I'd have a parade of guest-stars to pop up for story lines. Like I said, I'd like to use Dr. Arthur Light as a past-associate or even possible ex-husband for Dr. Light. He'd have to be completely reinvented, though to remove the skeeviness of the comic character. Casting someone handsome would help.
I'd also slightly reinterpret Firestorm, two men in one body who can fly and manipulate matter, changing one substance into another. Firestorm is composed of chemistry geek Jason Routh and dumb jock Ronnie Raymond. I'd age them. They're college students in the comics, so I'd make Jason a Chemistry or Physics PROFESSOR and I think he'd make a nice match for Dr. Light, whereas beefcake Ronnie would make a nice match for one of the other ladies, like Vixen, thus leading to a love-triangle square!

If Oracle is involved, I'd love to bring in Nightwing and YES he'd have to wear that costume! Ha ha! (Click here to visit the blog from which this image was taken.) But theirs is one of those great long-running, will-they-or-won't they romances. MANY people consider them their perfect super hero couple. In the comics, Batgirl was always older than Robin, so he always liked her but she just thought he was an annoying kid... which is cute. My thought would be that Oracle wold be in her later 20s, while Nightwing would be in his early 20s and I'd make him a Zac Efron type, like "DAMN, when did this KID get so hot?!" But Oracle would still think of him like an annoying kid brother. Well... maybe until she sees him in those blue briefs.

Another possibility is Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), another technology mogul who in the past had some dealings with Oracle. I think there was some implication that there might be a possible romance there but I don't think it ever really blossomed. I'd love to play Ted as the sad-sack super hero, kinda like Nite-Owl in Watchmen, who, surprise, Ted inspired, the same way The Question inspired Rorschach. Also, in the comics, he's the "comedian" hero and has a glory seeking best friend, Booster Gold. There's a lot of fodder there... hell, they could support their own show!Like Helena Bertinelli, Black Lightning (Jefferson Peirce) is a high school teacher, so there's some potential interaction there. Maybe they could investigate the mysterious disappearance of some high school students or some new super drug that's the latest big thing with students?
Of course if Black Canary is involved, Green Arrow has to follow. GA is widely known because of his high-profile role on Smallville. I'd play him scruffier and more of a rogue, playing up that whole Robin Hood-inspiration. I like the idea of him as a liberal politician and I'd keep that womanizer aspect that so often causes him problems, especially with Black Canary.

And if Hawkwoman is involved her destined love Hawkman would come into play at some point. I like when Hawkman comes across almost as a barbarian, a savage warrior who just pours it all out there. I do NOT like when he comes across as a crazy stalker. I DO like when he and Green Arrow fight. At any rate, there's a lot of potential there.

Uhhhhh... anyone still reading this? Ha ha! Yeah, I know it's a lot. A LOT. For something that has no hope of ever existing! But I guess I have a lot of quiet time to think about stupid stuff like this. I seriously would LOVE if this would happen. I think there's so much potential. Sorry if it's not that well developed... uh, it's not real. Sorry if a lot of what I DID develop was romantic stuff, but hell, that's what people like! It's not like that's really what the show would be about, but I think that's what HOOKS a viewer. The villain of the week is the big story, but the inter-personal development is what keeps people coming back. So yeah, anyone in Hollywood reading this?

Justice League Dream Movie Cast

This is a lame game that Fan Geeks play, which I am terrible at, because I just can't keep up with actors or movies in general anymore. Basically, it's who should play whom if the sky was the limit in casting a movie based on a comic book, in this case the Justice League.

A couple years ago, Marvel announced that Iron Man was the first in a series of movies, to be followed by The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Ant Man (!) and Captain America. THEN, after each of these solo movies, all of them would join forces in one mega-movie, The Avengers.Terrified, DC tried to slap together a Justice League movie to counter. Rather than finagle in the existing Batman and Superman movie franchises, they chose to recast these parts... with stars of prime time teen-skewing dramas. It would've been like Batman's Creek. A movie of this magnitude takes time to put together and Warner Brothers was so desperate to get this out that they considered making it a live-action/CGI hybrid, a la Beowulf (because that was such a hit). It all fell apart, needless to say and the project was shelved.

Like I said, this is a lame game that Fan Geeks play and most of them do so unfathomably HORRIBLY! There seems to be zero regard for actual acting ability (lots o' porn stars and wrestlers on most lists), age or even ETHNICITY! There are probably less than ten ethic heroes that have EVER been in the JL and people can't even be bothered to cast actual actors of color in those roles? Or on the flip side, others seemed to pick actors JUST because they are the same race as the character they are casting, like Vixen... how about Mo'Nique? Ugh.

Most seem to be picked strictly on hair color. Here's a great example. One list had a bunch of Batman's Creek-ish young'uns cast as BatMAN, SuperMAN and company, then suddenly for the role of TEENAGE heroine Gypsy, the idiot chose......41 year-old Catherine Zeta-Jones! Sure, she's still stunning, but she hasn't been 16 in a looooong time! It's like they just took a bunch of names of actors, put them in a hat and went to town! Once upon a time, Catherine was my #1 pick to play Wonder Woman, but I think she's past even THAT now, much less a teenager. (By the way, I will NOT be including Gypsy in my list because, with all the GREAT super heroes to chose from, why would anyone pick this teenage Cyndi Lauper wannabe?)

So first up... Batman!The general consensus is that director Christopher Nolan and world-class tool Christian Bay-hole have one more Batman movie in them, before they move on and it's time for a revamp. Good! Don't let the door hit you on the panther-ass on the way out. Grrrr-Raow!

For this role, you need someone slightly rough around the edges but also suave and debonair (for the Bruce Wayne aspect), but still retains a no-nonsense dark side. Also, with a name like BatMAN, I want an actor a bit older... at least older than I! Therefore, my choice is...John Hamm! (My second choice would have been Gerard Butler, by the way, but he might not be able to pull off the suave, sophisticated thing.)

Next up, Superman!
I was watching Chuck the other night and thought, "Wow, Brandon Routh is totally wrong for the role of Superman! What was anyone thinking?" Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Superman Returns... moreso than a lot of other people, and I thought he did a decent enough job, but to me, I will always picture Superman as a Kansas farm boy, so I want someone more... Midwestern, if that makes any sense. And beefy doesn't hurt. (That's what she said.) I went with...George Eads from CSI! I mean, LOOK at him! He may have to tone down that Texas drawl a tad, but I think he can do it.

Now, for Wonder Woman...
I remain of the mind that I don't EVER want to see a live-action Wonder Woman movie, just because I know it will suck. Pessimism has it's place. Sigh. However if I must, Wonder Woman needs to be beautiful in a slightly exotic way. She also has to have some meat on her bones, so no waif-y 90210-esque tanerexics need apply. My choice is...Alana de la Garza... okay, she's Latina which may SEEM to contradict what I said earlier about ethnicity, but I think she works as "inexplicably ethnic." Without her name, I don't think you'd immediately peg her as Latina. There are a few other options, but this is my pick in this case.

Now if they HAD to make a WW solo movie, my first pick would have been...Eliza Dushku! However, since I went older with Batman and Superman, I figured Wonder Woman needed to be slightly older as well. (Immortality be damned.) If she can't play Wonder Woman, I think Eliza might make a fantastic...Hawkgirl, the resident bad ass of the group. We already know she can kick lots o' booty from her time as Faith on Buffy, so she'd definitely work here!

With Wonder Woman, there might be a couple of options for casting, but for the stoic heart of the team, Martian Manhunter, there is really only ONE choice...
Dennis Haysbert! You'd be in good hands, with him in the Justice League. PERFECT! It would be like Patrick Stewart in the X-Men. NO ONE else could handle the role.

Aquaman has the reputation of being this white bread, vanilla, blond surfer-looking guy, but he's TOUGH. He survived most of his life on his own, surviving the various perils of the ocean's depths. And he's the KING of Atlantis. He needs to exude power and strength, so blond pretty boys (which I have seen others cast in the role) like Paul Walker and Chris Evans are NOT going to cut it. I went with blond pretty MAN...
Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood (and Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" video). From ruling over vampires to ruling over amphibious mer-people. That works... right? He also has an icy, withdrawn demeanor which perfectly suits Aquaman!

Black Lightning is an inner city high school teacher, struggling to save his community from drugs and crime, so he's gotta be kick-ass! This next actor exudes toughness, as well as concern and compassion...Michael St. Patrick formerly from Six Feet Under!

Back to me watching Chuck the other night, I realized that...
Yvonne Stahovski would be flawless as Black Canary! She's beautiful, but in a girl-next-door kinda way and has proven to have the action skills needed. The fan geeks would cream over the thought of her in fishnets, too.

For Dr. Light, I must return to the issue of casting ethnic heroes. It can be tough when there aren't many name actors of a certain race. Like with Asian females, you kinda have Lucy Liu, Bai "Batshit Crazy" Ling, the woman from Lost and my choice to play Dr. Light...
Sandra Oh! HOWEVER, I'm not just picking her because she's Asian. Dr. Light is a righteous bitch in the comics and Sandra plays one on Grey's Anatomy. I always thought her character, Christina Yang was like their version of Dr. Light. So there!

I was a bit torn on casting Vixen. Instinctively, I wanted to pick Zoe Saldana, because she'd be GREAT in this role, but after she was already in Star Trek and Avatar, I didn't want to seem like I was using her because she was the current sci fi it girl. I mean, she's be fantastic, buuuut, I went with someone else.
Gabrielle Union, whom I freakin' love! Plus, I mean look at the two pictures! It's kismet! (She just needs a lion.)

Most existing "dream cast" lists stuck with established Hollywood castings, Christian Bay-hole as Batman and Brandon Routh as Superman. I didn't. I will however stick with Hollywood's most recent casting, as Green Lantern...Ryan Reynolds. He should be okay as GL. I'm not anti-Ryan Reynolds as a lot of fans are. However, my FIRST choice would have been...
Bradley Cooper. (Is it just me, or am I casting the sexiest movie of all time?) Since Bradley can't play Green Lantern, I STILL have a part for him (that's what she said... must... stop... that)... er, anyway, Bradley could also make for a great...
Green Arrow! Brash, charming, roguish... perrrrrfect.

Now, prior to Reynold's being cast as Green Lantern, his name popped up on most people's list of perfect actors to portray The Flash.
The Flash, in addition to being younger than most of the others, is also widely considered the heart of the team. Mr. Super Congeniality, if you will. And after watching (500) Days of Summer this weekend, no one is as full of heart or as lovable as... Joseph Gordon-Levitt! He's like a human puppy!

While The Flash is younger than most of the other heroes, he's been a hero since he was a teenager, so he's an old pro. Leaving the roles of bumbling novice to two heroes, Firestorm and Blue Beetle.As Firestorm, I'm going with...
Tyler James Williams, from Everybody Hates Chris, who it just so happens, voiced Firestorm recently on the Batman: The Brave & The Bold cartoon! Firestorm is supposed to be kind of awkward and dorky, so Tyler is perfect for that!
And finally, as The Blue Beetle a.k.a. Latino teen Jaime Reyes. I chose...
Ugly Betty star Mark Indelicato. Okay, YES, he is the only Latino teen actor I know of. HOWEVER, Blue Beetle is supposed to be a complete amateur, bumbling and awkward and Mark's depiction of Justin on Ugly Betty has suffered through similar problems. And besides, being gay... super hero... it's pretty darn close!

Sigh! If only everyone did as I commanded. We'd all be so much happier!