Henry Cavill as Superman WAY Up Close

And for good reason. With DC's decision to remove the "underwear" from pretty much all of their super suits, it's kind of the end of an era. Heroes OWNED that look for decades. Now suddenly, it's passe'?
But now we see that regardless, the trunks has been abandoned and the new Superman, portrayed by painfully handsome Henry Cavill is indeed undies-free. And belt and cape-free in these pics.
You know what though? Is it just me, or does the lack of shorts make this suit even MORE sexual than Brandon Routh's? There was all that hubbub about Routh's package and whether it had been enhanced or diminished by CGI. Looking at Cavill, it's like "boi-oi-oi-oing!" I'm lost. I don't even know what to think anymore.

Happy Reboot Eve!

So after all the hype, doom-decreeing, dread, scorn, speculation, confusion, misinterpretation and pants turning into shorts, tonight at the stroke of midnight, a giant DC logo --> will descend from the heavens and Clark Kent will go to kiss Lois Lane, who will then slap him (possibly breaking her hand in the process) because they aren't married (and may never have been) and she has a new fella. Yup, the dawn of the DCnU is nigh! Let's cut the bullshit. This is gonna be huge! We're going to see record numbers on these books. NO ONE, no matter how pissed off they are, is NOT going to buy the shit outta these books! I mean, we can't complain if we don't actually read the books, right? Yeah, a certain number of fans have already made up their minds... they're either all on board or leaving DC forever. Those that will be exiting Earth left, have already decided that these are abominations and that's exactly what they'll see when they look at Justice League and Lee's stylized, hyper-detailed art and they will decry that Geoff Johns is an overrated hack and just Dan DiDio's goon.

Where do I fall in the spectrum of DC has always been lame! It's about time they updated their characters! and Fuck this new shit!? I dunno... in the middle? I'm not thrilled with it, let's just get that out of the way. I'm not! But DiDio's been pretty frank that they were hemorrhaging readers as-is. People were leaving the hobby (and technically, it is just a hobby) in droves. A lot have transitioned from monthly "floppies" to "wait for the trades." I do that with certain titles, because it's nice to have the whole story there for the enjoyment. Then there's the recession. Let's face it, money doesn't stretch as far as it used to, and at $4 a pop for something it takes you fifteen minutes to read (at most), comics are kind of an indulgence.

So, I suppose SOMETHING had to be done. And let's face it, when was the last time DC has EVER generated this much buzz? Have they ever? The death of Superman, maybe? But EVERYONE is talking about this and reacting to it. Marvel attempted to drum up interest in its current crossover, Fear Itself, by offering comic retailers the option of tearing the covers off of their unsold DC Flashpoint (the lead-in to this relaunch) titles in exchange for an ultra-rare Fear Itself book, that they could sell at a considerable mark-up. Every comic message board and fansite... THIS has been the leading topic of conversation since its announcement, yea or nay.

I'm in a weirdly zen place with all of this. I love my classic DC Universe... including tons and tons of classic, silly Silver Age tales. I have a small collection of Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane comics, many of which consist of Lois turning into some monstrosity or traveling through time or gaining super powers... none of which "really happened" in the (until midnight) current DC Universe. See, I came of age during the Crisis on Infinite Earths era. I started ravenously reading comics, old and new around the age of eight, so I quickly discovered the long and rich history of DC Comics and how it was explained that any stories prior to the early 50s took place on Earth 2, so there were two Supermen, one old (Earth2) and one young (Earth 1). Only the young one had his own comics. The older one just popped up in guest appearances every so often. Ditto Wonder Woman. There had been two Batmen, but the older one died, and his daughter continued fighting crime on Earth 2 as The Huntress (-->). There were also older parallel Earth versions of The Flash, Green Lantern, The Atom and Hawkman, but those were different people altogether, with different alter egos, costumes and powers. Black Canary was originally from Earth 2, but came to live on Earth 1 (yet she remained remarkably youthful compared to her former allies). Ah! It was then revealed that Black Canary was actually NOT the original heroine from Earth 2, but rather her daughter! Thaaaaat's better!

And there were MORE! There was Earth 3, where instead of a Justice League of America, there existed a Crime Syndicate of America, featuring evil doppelgangers of Superman and friends! And the stars of that Shazam! cartoon I watched on Saturday morning? They lived on Earth S (later renamed Earth 5, which looks like an S in comic book font) and occasionally met up with the heroes from the mainstream DCU. In one of my earliest comic books, Wonder Woman teamed up with other female heroes from different Earths, including Phantom Lady, who it turned out, lived on Earth X, a world where the Nazis had won World War II!

And so forth and so on. Then came Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC streamlined its continuity, removing all parallel Earths... not only did they no longer exist, but they never existed to begin with. Extraneous characters like the older versions of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman were removed from all continuity. There never had been a Superman or Wonder Woman or Batman in the 1930s-40s. Period. All those wacky adventures the heroes had had during the 50s and 60s? Never happened. In fact, Wonder Woman's ENTIRE history was wiped out and she debuted as a brand new characters that no one had previously encountered! The Huntress (and Earth 2's Robin) were killed... then quickly vanished from everyone's memory... they never existed either.

It was a jumbled mess, but fans rolled with it and DC saw sales skyrocket with the reinvention of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. Both Superman and Batman had their pasts revised to make them more contemporary and realistic. Gone were some of Superman's goofier powers like Super Ventriloquism. Batman's history was darker, grittier and more urban. (His supporting cast was likewise grounded. The former "bored socialite," Catwoman, was now a former prostitute.)

It all made sense with time... okay, some of it never made sense, but they did what they could to explain away the loss of Superman's time as Superboy and its impact on the Legion of Super Heroes. If Wonder Woman was just debuting as a hero, then what's up with her sister Wonder Girl who still has a history with the Teen Titans? Power Girl was the Supergirl of Earth 2. Now there's not even a Supergirl of Earth 1! They cooked up their "Pocket Universe Superboy" who served with the Legion and revised Wonder Girl's origin, removing Wonder Woman and instead making her a disciple of the "Titans of Myth" and renaming her Troia. And Power Girl was the descendant of "an ancient Atlantian sorcerer."

But ya know what? All those silly old stories from the 50s and 60s? They still existed. They didn't magically vanish into the either like The Huntress and Earth 2's Robin. I kept buying and reading those quirky, charming old tales and enjoyed the hell out of them, just as much as I did the modern comics of the time. Okay, so the "real" Superman and Batman never had to deal with that time Bat-Mite gave Batwoman super powers and she made a mess out of things. But A Superman and Batman did. They were a more jovial and friendly pair. They smiled a lot and had barrel chests and told kids to drink their milk. What can I say, I'm a sucker for nostalgia (even for a time from before my parents were born) and Americana. Heck, I was a kid! I was still reading Archie comics and these wacky tales were certainly no more silly than those!

What's more, the Super Friends comic, the one that got me into comics to begin with, that was its own universe! The Dark Knight Returns, the blockbuster book of the late 80s that everyone was fawning over? That was also not part of DC's official continuity. So even though they'd eliminated parallel worlds, they kept popping up, to the point that in the 90s, DC established its own imprint called Elseworlds, which featured alternate takes on its heroes, such as a Batman in Victorian times, matching wits with Jack the Ripper. And several characters like Swamp Thing and the Sandman, that had existed in the mainstream DC Universe, were then established as living in a separate comic line, Vertigo and were no longer part of the DC Universe. What's more, suddenly they never had been!

But I'd read the story where the Justice League interacted with Swamp Thing. Suddenly, that no longer happened? It was still a great story. So were all those Justice League stories that included Wonder Woman... they weren't cannon, but that didn't make them not exist. The Super Friends wasn't "real?" I still loved them.

And thus in a few short hours, everything that has happened since Crisis on Infinite Earths until the present will suddenly "no longer have happened." Or "maybe happened, maybe didn't." Or "happened, but in a different way." Been there. Done that. Further more, got over it. I survived the first Crisis and DC's slightly bungled aftermath. I think I can handle this. Worse case? Shitty comics. I can just not read those. Best... hell even just okay... case? Good comics. Fun comics. Fresh comics! Maybe even... great comics? Could that happen? These heroes have endured one continuity Crisis after another and they always manage to come out okay in the end. Supergirl? Died in the first Crisis. She's back. Different, but back. Batgirl? Paralyzed after the first Crisis. Oh hey, look who's back in her own book! Huntress? Back times two, actually. It might take years, but these guys are tough. They can handle it. Can we?

How Can I Not Care And Still Be Completely P.O.'d At The Same Time

Two "big" comic-related stories popped up last week, but they were things I was kinda apathetic about.
First, over in Marvel's "Ultimate" Universe, they recently killed off Spider-Man. They are relaunching the Ultimate comics and will introduce a new successor to Peter Parker, Miles Morales a teenager who happens to be half black, half Latino. Huh. Okay, well, they replaced Ted Kord as the Blue Beetle with a Latino teen and that actually went well. I mean... I don't read the Ultimate books anymore, so what's it matter to me? Sounds like a good idea, though and Spider-Man is about as big a name as they come, so to have him embodied by an ethnic character is pretty bold, if you ask me. Along the lines of having AA female Monica Rambeau go by the name Captain Marvel, but even moreso!
Second, they revealed that Lawrence Fishburn would portray Perry White in the upcoming Superman: The Man of Steel movie. My reaction? Well, heck, Lawrence Fishburn kicks ASS! That's perfect casting! But that movie is so far off that I'm not getting myself worked up over it just yet. But anyway, that's a good choice, right?

Oh fuckin' WRONG! I started reading comments online and it was the skuzziest, most racist shit you could imagine! I was stunned, appalled and ashamed! Ashamed because I am a dyed-in-the-wool NERD! I am DORK to the core and I associate myself with that culture... only to find that these "peers" I align myself with, this culture I feel a part of, consists of such bigoted idiots! I've always tried to brush it off as more of an exclusionary thing. I've always said that hetero white males feel that if a protagonist isn't also a hetero white male and they don't read that character's books or see their movies or whatever, it isn't that they're racist, it's they feel that the character isn't like them, therefore feel that they won't "get" the character or they feel that the book (or movie or whatever) isn't FOR them, it's for individuals that are superficially like the character. But, nope! Turns out fanboys are just racist assholes.
Not even the old school, sheet-wearing, sister-fucking kind where they're just FLAT OUT EVIL. These are people that INSIST they aren't racist at all. They're "traditionalist." "Spider-Man has always been white! This is just PC garbage!" Peter Parker has always been white. The REAL Peter Parker still is. In Ultimate comics, though, Peter Parker is all kindza DEAD! This is a new character. Why does his successor have to be YET ANOTHER Caucasian teen hero? We have a shit ton of them already, 75% of which are in the Legion of Super Heroes. Fuck that! We need another white teen in tights like we need another fucking Green Lantern. What the fuck is everyone's problem?! I don't even get why people are pissed. This isn't Peter Parker! This isn't the REAL Marvel Universe! Why does it always have to be about YOU, white people?!

And who gives a fuck about Perry White?! I can't believe that people are bitching about that when in Iron Man, they turned Caucasian butler Jarvis into a fucking COMPUTER and no one said shit about that! A computer isn't even HUMAN! So what does that say?! White fanboys are okay with characters being dehumanized, but NOT being a different sort of human that is probably more athletic and can dance better than them?! Such ridiculous bullshit! GAH!

Also, it's 2011. Who the fuck is still racist? Are people even still doing that anymore?! Jesus, I know comic fans aren't that hip, but that backwards shit went out with fedoras and cocktails at lunch. (Okay those two things are welcome back in style, but not RACISM!)

Huff huff! Deep breaths! (Pass me a cocktail.)

New Superman Revealed

Here is Henry Cavill as Superman! (I got this from Ain't It Cool News.)
Click to enlarge. To be honest, It looks a lot like the last Superman costume from Superman Returns, just darker. It has that same high-tech textured look. I actually don't so much like the S shield. I'd have preferred it to be shinier and more metallic looking and I don't like that it has the same texture as the rest of the suit. It should contrast more. The size is right, though. Returns' S logo was widely panned because it was too small. This cape is better than the previous one, which appeared too thick and heavy. The boots retain the classic V on top. But again, like with the S shield, it seems to have the same texture as the rest of the suit, which is dull. I'd prefer more of a mix in textures. (I could be wrong though. It may look different in a more close-up shot.) My one concern is his crotch. Yeah, I said it! Is he wearing red trunks? I hope so, but you can't tell because it's engulfed in shadow here.
Here are two additional pics of Cavill in Clark Kent mode, minus the glasses.
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to buy him as a nerd, though. Nerds don't look like THIS!

I'm just going to borrow these from Artastic Avenjer's blog. These are some VERY sexy images of male super heroes by Joe Phillips.
I LOVE Joe Phillips' style! If I could draw LIKE anyone, he is my pick. He doesn't do a lot of actual comic work. Usually, he does these awesome gay themed illustrations that are published in books or calenders and lots of merchandising.It's like hot and cute at the same time. One thing he does really well is capture age. He draws clear adults or younger characters. Not every illustrator does that. But anyway, enjoy!












This one's my favorite. It's so hot! Although I think Beast should be bigger. Ice Man looks like a young Ben McKenzie and ain't nuthin' wrong with that! Also Angel seems to be the least endowed and when I think about it... that sounds about right. Ha ha!

Alex Toth/Super Friends Week - The Case of the Disappearing Bat Villains!

Above is a drawing by Alex Toth of Catwoman for The Super Friends. What's that? Catwoman wasn't on Super Friends? Correct! Legend has it, that Catwoman and The Joker were slated to be part of Lex Luthor's unlucky thirteen The Legion of Doom. However, rival network CBS (SF was on ABC, just for reference) decided to pick up a new Batman cartoon animated by Filmation. SOMEHOW, both Batman and Robin were able to appear on both shows on rival networks at the same time, but their villains were not.
So the networks/studios had to split them up and since The Joker and Catwoman were such pivotal Bat-Foes, Filmation got them and Warner Brothers, instead, included The Riddler and Scarecrow in the Legion of Doom. (The Riddler appeared in the Batman opening title sequence, his suit mistakenly (???) colored purple, but never in an actual episode.)
Above is The Scarecrow as he appeared on Super Friends. It bugs me that the "ruffle" around his neck is colored differently than his face when clearly, it's supposed to be a "sack" over his head with the chord tied around it. Observe this earlier model sheet which featured a much different take on The Scarecrow, with a long tattered trench coat, scarf and actual straw protruding. The face is more comical, though. The color scheme listed is fitting, red, blue, green, yellow, brown, tan... a hodgepodge of thrown together bits... which is what most real scarecrows are! I will say, though, that the Scarecrow in the comics is always rendered in shades of brown, so the version that actually made it to TV is accurate there, but the sketch is a unique take.

While Scarecrow and The Riddler were used instead of Catwoman and The Joker, they weren't really "replacements." In the case of Catwoman, that honor went to...
Wonder Woman's foe, The Cheetah... and good for her. It was a big career boost, as most people still consider her Wonder Woman villain #1. I never understood the first episode, though, where the Legion of Doom turned every man on Earth into a Bizarro and every woman into a... Cheetah. I mean Bizarro is this twisted, backwards-logic, crazy-talkin' creation, but Cheetah is just... a lady in a catsuit. So, like... every woman on Earth suddenly had on a cowl with cat ears? I don't see the logic OR how this benefits The Legion of Doom one iota!

The role that The Joker would have filled, was instead taken by Superman's cackling enemy The Toyman. Ironically, Toyman was slated to battle the Super Friends in a later episode, during the Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show season, but then HE was replaced by the identically-voiced Doll Maker. I don't know why the switch was made... maybe because the actual Toyman was long dead at that point... he'd actually been killed off in the comics prior to Challenge of the Super Friends! The Doll Maker possessed magic clay, which when Doll Maker sculpted into the form of any of the Super Friends, allowed him to control their minds. He was ultimately thwarted by the quick thinking and nonsensical powers of El Dorado. (There was another villain that same season, The Robber Baron, who I'd swear was a replacement for The Penguin.)

According to the Super Friends wiki, The Doll Maker is actually a comic book villain of Plastic Man's and his hideout is an abandoned factory previously owned by Toyman... which all sounds interesting, but I don't know where this info comes from, so who knows if someone just pulled that out of their fanfic-writing ass.
That's it for today! More Super Fun tomorrow!

Alex Toth/Superfriends Special - Day 1 SuperMANic vs. BatMANic Monday

In honor of Alex Toth's birthday last week, I'm going to do a series devoted to the single biggest influence in my life, The Super Friends (or Superfriends, depending on the season). I've written plenty about The Super Friends in the past, but there's always more to comment on! (For example, I just got my Super Friends-themed assortment of DC Universe Classics action figures... why am I not downstairs tearing those open? Devotion to you, dear readers! Please appreciate the sacrifices I make for your blog-reading pleasure!)
Today I'm going to discuss, quite frankly, my two least favorite Super Friends, Batman and Superman.
Aw that's right, bitch, I said it! These two rank BEHIND The Wonder Twins in my book! AW SNAP! BUT, what I really want to discuss is my complete lack of awareness that Batman was always more popular than Superman! I'm going to chalk that up to his live-action show and the Batmania it inspired. Seriously, it was the late 80s before I realized that Batman's comic sales kicked Superman's ass!
Prior to that, there was never a doubt in my mind that Superman was the #1 hero out there! I mean, they were the Super Friends! All comic stars were Super Heroes! You're telling me that more people love Batman than Superman? Pshaw! But... like, apparently, that's true.
I never even caught onto this with Mego. Mego Batman was the number one selling figure in the line. (Child Me: But... but... he doesn't even have any powers!) But if you look at the line, it was totally Batman-centric!
Both Batman and Robin were in the initial lineup.
FOUR Batman foes showed up in the line, Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman (not pictured). Only one Superman villain made the cut and he was a shitty representation, Mr. Mxyzptlk, rendered as an average-height fatso (the comic version is a miniature imp). Also... it's fucking Mr. Mxyzptlk. A.k.a. NO ONE'S favorite Superman villain! Gimme a bare-legged Brainiac over that shit!
Batman received TWO Playsets, the Batcave and the Wayne Foundation (sort of like Barbie's Penthouse playset, but with a giant penny and a dinosaur) and four vehicles, the Batmobile, Batcycle, Batcopter and Bat Mobile Crime Lab. (CSI: Gotham City?!)
Hell, even The Joker received a vehicle! Okay, granted, Superman doesn't really need a vehicle, but howzabout a Fortess of Solitude playset? (Yeah yeah, they made one in the 3" figure scale, but those don't count!)
Then again, Superman was kind of a dick on Super Friends, so maybe he deserved it. I mean he was constantly pushing the others aside and saying "This looks like a job for... Superman!" So maybe this was fate's way of saying, "Oh but, look! This crazy asshole in a rodent costume that has no powers, outsells you in merchandise! Suck that, Space Boy!"

Well... there has to be SOME reason, right?