Spare some change.

Last Thursday the internet vomited after DC Comics revealed it's "new look" for it's three most popular heroes; Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman:

First off, Supermans "costume" is not a costume. If it is, I wear a Superman costume almost every day. Secondly, if you've been reading comics for less than 1 year, you're allowed to complain. If you've been reading comic books for MORE than one year, please, stop talking. You honestly believe that these costumes will be the way that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will look for the rest of time? Are you new? The second lesson that they teach you in Comics 101 is that "New Costumes never last". Am I wrong?

The only thing that never changes in comics (or in life, for that matter), is the fact that everything changes. If you don't like it, don't worry, it'll change back. Maybe not for a little bit, but it will. Does that mean you should just take everything you're fed with a smile? Of course not! But, if you're going to protest something do it the RIGHT WAY. Don't just bitch and moan to bitch and moan. If you're on Twitter, tweet at DC, not at me or all your other followers. Some of them might actually LIKE the changes. If you're on Facebook, post on Marvel's page, not everyone else's. They can't do anything about the fact that Wonder Woman has blades. So yes, protest, write emails, write letters (with honest to God paper, envelopes and stamps), use social media in its correct form, to let your voice be heard. Do you think everyone else has nothing better to do than listen to you bitch? Well, you're wrong. They do have better things to do. A LOT better things to do.
-And seriously, Wonder Woman having blades on her costumes does NOT make her any less of a powerful woman than Captain America having armor makes him less of a man.

Look! Up in the sky! It's....Supergirl!!!

Last Friday, WB and CBS gave us our first look at Supergirl from the upcoming CBS TV series...Supergirl. Here's a look:

I gotta tell you honestly, I am SO in love with this TV show all ready. Why? Because I can tell all ready that it's a SUPER HERO show. Thanks to technology and progress and the producers being FANS of COMICS, we're finally living in an age where a super hero TV show can be produced where the hero, or heroin in this case, can actually use their super powers. In the past, we've had comic based TV shows where it's been 50 minutes of Clark Kent, 2 minutes of Superman being Superman, and then 8 minutes of Clark Kent wrapping up everything. NOW, we have a Flash TV show where The Flash can use super speed more than once per episode without the television show having to have a budget the size of this country's nation dent.
-But, back to Supergirl. Many roles have been awesomely cast, such as former Superman Dean Cain and former Supergirl Helen Slater, playing Supergirl's adoptive parents. How awesome is that? And, I think Melissa Benoist looks fantastic in the costume. Needless to say, when this series debuts this fall, I'll be watching. And, with all the other Super Hero TV shows on the air, I might have to get a second DVR. This is truly a golden age for comic fans.

What I thought of...Superman #38!

Superman #38: The big battle between Ulysses is here! The ultimate fight to save Earth and stop Ulysses from killing millions of people to keep his own planet alive!!
The Good: Some REALLY good stuff this issue. Between the Clark Kent stuff and the superheroics, Geoff Johns does a fantastic job of making this Superman story fun, relevant, serious AND light-hearted. I have to admit, I was super (pun intended) behind on this series. In  fact, I read from issue 32 to issue 38 just today, all in one sitting. What impressed me most about the story was the message that I got from it. It's one that Superman should always have, and that is "there's always hope". John and Romita (and let me tell you, Romita, Jr. knocks it out of the park in this series!) make this story, not only a great super hero comic, it's also a lesson in WHY Superman is the ultimate role model for any of us. No matter how bad things are, or how bad things get, or how bad we THINK they are, if we know that there's hope for a better tomorrow, and get our asses moving and do the work, things WILL get better. Situations WILL turn out OK.
The Bad: If I have to name something, it's that the story seemed very familiar. And no, that's not a joke for those of you that have been reading the title. But, it seems like I've read a Superman story that's similar to this before. Sure, when a character is almost 77 years old, and has had multiple books published each month, you're bound to run across some similar stories, the thing that ticks me off is that I can't remember where or when I read it! Yes, I read WAY too many comics. Just kidding, there IS no such thing!
The Verdict: You REALLY should buy this issue. And, if you haven't been buying the title, grab the other issues. It's one of the best, most uplifting Superman stories I've read in a long time.

Comic-Con Day 3!! And the winner is..........

MOVIES!!!!! Now, while movies win, I'm gonna have to call this a tie between DC/Warner Brothers and Marvel/Disney. BOTH had HUGE announcements that rocked the comic world when they unveiled some pretty surprising stuff. Let's start with Marvel.....

During the final moments of the Marvel Studios panel, Joss Whedon came out to announce that the next Avengers movie would be called....Avengers: Age of Ultron!!! There was even some footage shown. Here, is a description, courtesy of Super Hero Hype:

"It begins outside an alien temple. A man approaches. The Avengers footage is super quick, featuring lines from the first Avengers. Slowly, CGI images form of Ultron's face. Then the title comes up. THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON."

WOW! I can't wait!! Now, this does bring up some interesting questions. We saw Thanos in the first Avengers movie, will he play into this movie at all? How are Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch going to fit in? And what about Hank Pym? With what happened in Iron Man 3, I can easily see Tony Stark creating Ultron. I guess we'll find out in about 2 years!!

-Earlier in the day, at the DC panel, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder took to the stage to talk about the Man of Steel sequel. He revealed that the Man of Steel will costar none other than.......BATMAN!!! He then revealed the logo for the film:

Shooting is expected to begin next year for a 2015 release. No real details were revealed except that Batman WILL be recast and that the supporting cast of Man of Steel will return for the sequel. 

-Boy, between Avengers 2, the Sueprman/Batman movie and Star Wars Episode VII, 2015 is going to be one hell of a summer!!!

-Besides the movie announcements, there were some great comic announcements that were made. Here's links to just a few of them.

-Top Cow revealed some big plans for their company, including a Darkness film. You can read all about that over at Comic Book Resources.

-Robert Venditti spoke about the direct that the Green Lantern books are going to take, go here to read what he had to say.

-Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo spoke about Batman: Year Zero. Check that one out at this link!

-Join me tomorrow for SDCC wrap up day 4!!! 

Happy Birthday Superman!!!

75 years ago today, the world changed forever. When Action Comics #1 debuted the world fell in love with The Strange Visitor from Another Planet. Although, quite different from the Superman we know today, he unleashed the imagination of a whole generation. And that spirit has been passed on to this very day. Inspiring thousands of people to not only do what's right, but to create COMICS. Just think about it for a second. Right now Hollywood and the population at large is in love with super heroes. There's now 2 to 3 comic book based movies every year, and there's no end in sight. NONE of that would've been possible if the 2 kids from Cleveland hadn't decided to make their OWN super hero 75 years ago.
-There have been many versions or incarnations of Superman over the years, but here's some of my personal favorites.  

Pocket Mego Superman: This was the first Superman toy that I ever owned. I still have it(somewhere), and it'll always be my second favorite Superman toy. I played with this so much, it was crazy. The best part? It was just a pain and simple figure. No "action". No punches, no kicks, no nothing. All I had was my imagination and 5 points of articulation.


Ruby Spears Superman: This cartoon blew my mind!!! It aired Saturday mornings on CBS, and followed the John Bryne Man of Steel continuity. Each episode featured a main Superman adventure, followed by a Clark Kent discovering his powers cartoon short (remenber, in Bryne's version, there was no Superboy).  To this day, it's still my favorite Superman cartoon.

The Man of Steel #1: This was, and always will be, my favorite Superman comic series ever. It was just after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and John Bryne debuted a six issue mini series that retold and rebooted Superman for a new generation. Classic stuff.

Super Powers Superman Action Figure: This is my favorite Superman toy, bar none. Classic.

-In celebration of Superman's 75th birthday, every week I'll be spotlighting Superman in one aspect of another. Culminating on June 11th, when The Man of Steel opens in theaters everywhere.