HeroDistrict

Statistically, you have probably seen this movie at least 3 times by now.

The world has spoken with their collective wallets, and The Avengers all just got really rich. SHIELD easily has enough to fund their future operations without worrying about rising gas prices, the retainer costs for a group of super heroes, or any money spent on national defense (they basically cornered that market). However, the present state of Hollywood is based on the principal of complete one-upmanship. Lets not forget that Avatar was really cool not that long ago, but we all kinda forgot about that when we heard Titanic was coming out in 3D. Christopher Nolan just got really pissed.

Yup, Nolan looks just like this.

Mr. Nolan is now in the enviable position of taking the crown from the reigning kings, and I think he has a legit shot at it. The most recent trailer for The Dark Knight Rises was released slightly ahead of time on the Monday before The Avengers came out, after previously being announced that it was to be a trailer in the theaters alone. I was still super pumped about The Avengers, but I had Bane in the back of my mind the entire time. The Avengers may be casting the bigger shadow right now (most likely from the big, green, angry guy), but I would not be surprised to see the Hollywood machine make The Dark Knight Rises even more lucrative. It was just announced this week that Mountain Dew and Warner Bros. have teamed up to give movie goers a digital experience that seems quite a bit more impressive than the partnership between The Avengers and Acura. (And hopefully slightly less obnoxious.) The campaign includes the new flavor, Mtn Dew Dark Berry, and a website, DEWgothamcity.com (set to release June 18th), will be releasing exclusive content and story lines.

Either way, I am already riding the 5 Hour Energy high from The Avengers baditude, and can not wait to jump on the DEWness of The Dark Knight Rises.

The Avengers has been shattering box office records left and right, earning its place as one of the best superhero movies ever made. The funny thing is that the team and its members were relatively unknown to audiences just a few years ago. Somehow, by the time the crossover hit theaters, the whole world was dying to see Iron Man and Thor on screen. How then, would the world react to a movie consisting of pop culture icons such as Superman and Batman? Can the Justice League be done?

Short answer yes, long answer maybe. There are plenty of reasons why a Justice League movie could happen, and I see two ways of going about the franchise.

Option One: Follow the Avengers.

This could take a while if every Justice League member gets a movie.

Give each hero a solo movie before building up to the big crossover. One of the joys of the Avengers was seeing these unique heroes who each had their own individual mythologies and styles meet together despite coming from entirely different genres. The challenge was that each solo movie had to work on its own right. If any of them had failed, it would have seriously jeopardized the team up. The up side was that Marvel had a blank slate, where they could build from the ground up with few complications. They had an opportunity, produced a series of quality movies that lead up to their mega event.

DC is at a bit of a loss here since they don’t have that blank slate. Their first real attempt at crafting a wider universe failed with Green Lantern. One way or another, they’re going to have to seriously reconsider how they approach the character. On the other hand, Nolan’s unprecedented Batman saga has been so good it almost gets in the way of the Justice League. This incarnation of the character just doesn’t work in a world of superheroes, but with the trilogy coming to a close they might move forward with a version of the character that does.

The key to this pathway is going to be Henry Cavill and Man of Steel. If DC can revitalize Superman, this would be an excellent foundation for their larger than life characters. The problem is that Nolan insisted on making Batman a solo hero, one who’s story and mythology wasn’t complicated by the rest of the DCU. DC also has to figure out how to finally adapt Wonder Woman and the Flash before the whole team gets together.

Even though this is the most satisfying option, there is just too much to juggle here. Batman and Superman are off doing their own things, and Warner Bros just can’t figure out how to capture the rest of the team.

Option Two: Straight to the Justice League

Big names like Batman, Superman and Flash need no introduction. Cyborg probably does.

Ignore the crossover factor, and just go straight into the Justice League as its own continuity. Bring in new versions of each character (mostly) and create a unique, new mythology for the team. In terms of visual style, I recommend something close to Jim Lee’s work on the New 52 version of the team. Each character has their own style, but the repeated design elements brings everyone together in a fun way.

Is this the ideal solution? No. But it’s one that can work and has potential. If this is the case, I suggest that DC avoids an origin story. Have it be an early version of the team, but the origin story itself for the Justice League never really mattered. We all understand the concept of the team and don’t need an extensive explanation. And honestly, I’m nervous an updated origin would be an inferior rip off of the Avengers’ team issues. DC heroes were always a bit less flawed, and although there will be conflict on the team, we shouldn’t see as much as the Avengers.

Regardless of which option they choose, the most important ingredient is having a unified vision. Not that each movie needs to fit a certain mold, but some coordination is in order. And for the Justice League itself, a special director is going to be needed to handle such a huge showing. Joss Whedon was someone who understood the Avengers and knew exactly how to handle each character. DC needs a director and writer with that same understanding of the characters and how to make them work together. It’s a tough request, but it can be done.

In a week dominated by the overwhelming presence of the Avengers, we get a break from the insanity from our old friend Batman in the form of this lovely new trailer. Check it out.

My opinions on the trailer are a tiny bit mixed. All of the footage looks fantastic, and Nolan has really upped the scale of the story. We see bridges getting blown up, and massive fight scenes on the streets of Gotham. Much more of Batman’s scenes have him in the light of day, unlike the past two installments. Any worries about Bane being inaudible can be forgotten, and the villain is suitably menacing. Even Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is starting to grow on me. I don’t love the overall look of the character, but I did enjoy her moments on screen. It did sound a bit like she was imitating Michelle Pfieffer, but she’s a quality enough actress and seems to pull it off. I just think the trailer wasn’t perfectly put together, and ended on a bit of a flat note. Even though the trailer didn’t blow my mind, I have no reason to doubt the movie and it’s going to be a surefire hit.

Who wouldn’t pay to see this?

The trailer also gives us lots of nice plot details. As expected, Bane is going beat the hell out of Batman at one point. It’s kind of his thing. Catwoman definitely seems to have uncertain allegiances, although at the end of the day she probably seems like she’ll follow Batman. Most interesting to me are the Joseph Gordon-Levitt scenes. Out of all the non-costumed characters, he had by far the biggest presence in the trailer. I have no doubt he’ll be one of Batman’s closest allies, maybe even his successor. The trailer did allude to Batman’s possible death, so it is certainly possible Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a version of Azrael, the man who took over for Bruce Wayne after his infamous encounter with Bane. Although Batman is considered a murderer and criminal by the city after the events of TDK, it looks like his image is becoming a symbol of resistance once again.

Much of the story is still uncertain, but this is shaping up to be a fitting finale to Nolan’s Batman saga.

Our direct future sees the release of The Avengers (awesome, I know), and the more distant future sees even more opportunities to bring to life the colorful pages of the comics. However, the large number of superhero flicks that have come to fruition have been received mostly with negative reviews by the critics. Until Christopher Nolan turned the Batman franchise into artwork, superhero movies were looked down upon as cotton candy films. Loki does not agree with this.

Loki is very disappointed in you.

In a wonderfully written blog post for “The Guardian“, actor Tom Hiddleston spoke at length about the pride he takes in his role as Loki, and the power superhero movies can hold in the imagination and in the canon of strong cinematic characters. The Hulk is our anger, and Bruce Banner our shame of that anger. Bruce Wayne is Hamlet, forever trying to avenge the death of his parents. Captain America is the paradigm of military pride, and his placement in a time not his own, challenges his belief in himself and his country. All of these characters show an amount of depth that could challenge any actor, and in the case of Robert Downey, Jr., redefine a career.

I believe his career is now defined as “being awesome”.

Some may scoff at this, and bring to the conversation the CGI and use of special effects as taking away from what could be a moving story if it wasn’t lost in the muddle of too much grandiose computer work, but Hiddleston reminds us that the first moving film in 1895 put us on a path to where we are right now. What we are doing with movies now would shock and amaze the minds of the past. Perhaps the depth of superheroes is distorted by the colors and movement, but perhaps it also puts a magnifying glass up to the spectacle of flawed individuals who just happen to be able to fly.

Remember a few years ago, when Guy Ritchie was attached to make Lobo movie? After Ritchie went on to direct a sequel to Sherlock Holmes and everyone assumed the project was dead. It turns out that Warner Bros. and DC aren’t quite done with the alien mercenary yet and have brought in Brad Peyton to write and direct.  Peyton’s past credits include Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Journey 2.  Wowzers! 

Yup, seems like a good fit for this crazy bastich.

Back when Guy Ritchie was involved, I was actually excited for the movie. I’m not the biggest Lobo fan, but Ritchie has a unique style that would have been a neat fit for the character. But Brad Peyton? A resume featuring bad kiddie movies doesn’t really fill me with confidence for the excessively violent Lobo. Will Peyton try and take a stab at something darker, or is he being hired because he can deliver something a bit softer? At this point, we really can’t say.

Regardless of what Peyton tries, I have the feeling this movie won’t make much progress. It never seemed high on Warners to-do-list and unless Peyton can come in with a strong vision and script, I doubt they’ll take a big risk on the project. Warners seems somewhat apprehensive about venturing away from Batman and Superman after what happened with Green Lantern, almost as if all their other superhero projects have ground to a halt. Although if the Avengers does well, don’t be surprised if the Justice League suddenly gets put on the fast track.

So far, the New 52 hasn’t seen a big, company wide crossover.  Instead, the company is going for small mini-events, like the awesome Night of Owls storyline starting up in the Bat-books. Each corner of the DCU has its own big stories and crossovers, and most of these have been really exciting. However, noting has brought all these parts of the New 52 together. Bleeding Cool tells us that such a story is on its way. In 2013 DC will bring us the Trinity War.

DC will kill off everybody except Batman.

Of course, the first thing that pops to mind is DC’s trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Everything else in the story is up for grabs. Is it a battle between the three of them? Possible, although I have no idea how that would happen. Is it the three heroes fighting against something monstrous? Maybe. This early on, there’s only so much speculation we can do.  We don’t even know for sure if this event exists yet.

Only three months stand between us and the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. I know, I’m giddy, too. I’ve always marveled at the scale in which Chris Nolan shoots his films, and specifically his Batman capers. In a recent interview, Nolan spoke on his use of an IMAX screen as the proper canvas for his upcoming film, and took the opportunity to bash 3D movies. Personally, I’ve always been slightly turned off by the gimmicky nature of 3D movies and felt it doesn’t add much to the movie going experience, so it is really refreshing to hear an all-star of the movie biz speak of the ills of movies-coming-right-out-at-you.

3D is best used for awesome theme parks, not movie theaters.

Nolan said that all films are 3D and that the “stereoscopic” nature of films takes away from the audience experience. He did say it was a good technology for video games and other immersive technology, but his use of 65mm film makes the new soon to be hit “operatic” and in fact reminds him of the pageantry of silent era films. It all seems to be funny way to look at what seems to be a very involved process of photography, and a difficult skill to master, but its wonderful to hear about how and why a director chooses to do what he does. Batman at his core is, after all, a detective who uses his ingenuity above all those gadgets to catch the bad guys. He defines the tech – not the other way around. For the best 3D experience known to man, check out the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios.

Most comic book fans I meet have been reading comics for quite a while. It is not often that I find somebody who is just getting into comics, but it is always nice to see when it does happen. This event is usually immediately followed by a request for comic book recommendations. This is flattering, but also involves quite a bit of pressure. You don’t want to recommend a comic that won’t be enjoyed. It would be terrible to be the person who recommended the comic that killed any growing interest in the medium that a friend might have had. You want to suggest they read that comic that makes them start a pull-list at their local comic shop. Here are some pointers for recommending reading material to a comic book newbie.

Find Their Favorite Character

The answer will be Batman 99% of the time.

Many comic book characters are pretty mainstream these days. Chances are that this hypothetical friend saw The Dark Knight and now wants to read about Batman punching guys in their faces. That is why the first thing you should ask is if there are any specific characters that your friend is interested in. This will help to significantly narrow down the comic book field, as you should definitely suggest some comics starring the characters your friend is actually interested in. This is also a chance to see if there are any characters that they aren’t really interested in for future reference. When somebody is just getting into comics, I like to have them read about one character that they are initially interested in at first, and then branching out after that. Once you find out which character your friend would most like to read about, it’s time to get more specific.

Recommend a Story Arc

Every Batman fan should read this.

I think the best way to be introduced to comic books is through an entire story arc, as long as it is a good story arc. The best thing to do is find one that doesn’t reference outside events too much, or at least does a good job explaining them if it does. The purpose of recommending a story arc is to not only give a slightly larger sample size for your friend to read, but also introduce them to the general pacing of comics. There are occasionally standalone issues, but most feature either story progression, an epic battle, or both. Reading through a story arc will help your friend get used to the general pacing of comics.

Focus on Newer Issues

Everyone should recommend this.

It is always good to introduce somebody to the history of a character, but you can’t ignore the current issues that are coming out. If your friend ends up liking the comics, he or she will most likely want to start reading the current issues that are coming out. You don’t want them to have to read through 30 years of back issues to catch up, so it could be nice to recommend a more recent story arc to go along with the older one. This could mean that you just recommend a newer story arc, or you could recommend a classic story and a newer story. It really depends how many comics in total you think your friend will be comfortable in buying at first. These things do cost money after all. Plus you don’t want to intimidate them with a list of a hundred comics before they have succumbed to that sweet paper and ink addiction.

Check In and Offer More Recommendations

This is your chance to introduce lesser known, but equally awesome, characters.

Give your friend some time to actually read the comics before you start pestering them with more questions, but you should follow up and see what they thought of your recommendations. You can use their feedback to recommend new characters they should check out, specific writers, artists, or whatever else you think might catch their attention. They’re your friend after all, you should know what they like! And now you get to see them spread their wings as they go on their own journey of comic book discovery. Few things will feel more fulfilling than that in the world of comic book collecting.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Lionsgate is in the works of producing the tale of the stolen, and later sold at auction for $2.1 million, Action Comics #1 that belonged to Nicolas Cage. Written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant of Reno 911! fame, the story centers around a group of nerds who join forces and find the strength (and most likely an assortment of wonderful hi-jinks and hullaballo) to get their holy grail away from Mr. Cage. Though there is a role written for the avid comic book man, he is not a part of the film yet.

Trivial things like sanity can’t hold Nicolas Cage.

It is more interesting however, that Nic Cage has gone from being a man known for this acting, to a man who is known for his bad acting and everything else in his life. He is indeed better known for being Nic Cage more than for being a respected actor who is named Nic Cage. He is turning into a parody of himself as this story turns his already maligned career into a character of itself, and pushes the Man Nicolas Cage closer and closer to the Idea of Nicolas Cage.

I have been a huge fan of DC’s New 52. Some of the titles they have been putting out are great, and my pull list contains more DC comics than ever before. I really only have one problem with many of the new DC comics. They feel too short. I get that not every comic will be an epic novel, and some issues are just to further the story along and not a whole lot happens. Still, there are a lot of pages at the end of certain DC titles that are just advertising other DC titles. This is doubly annoying to me as I am already reading most of them. At least Justice League is now bucking that trend as short stories in an ongoing Shazam title are being added to the end of every Justice League comic.

Plus anything with that much lightning must be cool.

The first Shazam issue inside an issue was decent. They introduced some major players from the Shazam mythos and did a pretty good job of setting up a new look on Billy Batson. The segues between characters weren’t the smoothest, but I am pretty forgiving on that considering how short the page count had to be. Really, it is just fun to get more to read. It was cool when the first issue of Justice League had character design sketches to look through after the main story ended, but that kind of filler material gets old fast. I wish that more comics had little ongoing stories at the end of comics rather than pages of ads or other lame stuff. DC definitely has the roster of characters to pull it off.

Just put Bane in everything, problem solved.

Personally, I’d like to see stories featuring Bane in the back of every DC comic, but that is because I think Bane is awesome. There are plenty of other DC characters that don’t get the love they deserve, but might not have the fan base to carry them in their own standalone series. Dr. Mid-Nite is one character that comes to mind. Let us know in the comments which under appreciated DC characters you think should get a trial run on the pages of a bigger name.