Tales from the 50 Cent Bin! - Superman: Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite

Next up for the month is a return to the 90’s. I could probably say that the early 90’s were good for the Man of Steel. I’d probably say that the post-Crisis in general was pretty good. Yeah, you’d get some bad stuff here and there, but you get that in every era. Superman was powerful but not too overpowered, he got on with Lois, and he had a nice supporting cast of characters.

I was looking for a small arc to do, and I stumbled upon this story. “Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite” was released during November of 1990. It crossed over into the three books at the time: Superman #49-50, Adventures of Superman #472, and Action Comics #659. It was especially a momentous occasion since something major happened in Superman #50. The writers were Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, and Roger Stern. On pencils, you mainly had Ordway, Jurgens, and Bob McLeod (of the clan McLeod). On Superman #50, you had other pencillers enter the fray like Curt Swan, John Byrne, and Kerry Gammill. So, what happens when Superman loses his powers and gets engaged? Oh yeah… that happens here.

Favorites - Favorite Supporting Characters for Superman

Well, September has come to an end. I was able to get to all the supporting players I wanted to get to. Yeah, I left out a couple like Krypto, Emil Hamilton, and maybe Bibbo, but I had to end it somewhere. Besides, I already got a Krypto post from a few years ago that’ll satisfy most folk. As for other personal stuff, I’ll save that for a Random Thoughts post. I’m not done with the Man of Steel’s people yet. So, it’s time for the obligatory favorites list. This time, I’ll be listing down my 12 (sort of) favorite supporting characters from the franchise. The list isn’t really in order, but my favorites are at top.

1. Lois Lane

I might as well start off with his first supporting character. Lois has been around as long as Superman has. She’s been the rival reporter, the love interest, and a cool character especially in modern times. While I’ll admit that she wasn’t always the best during her 80 years, Lois is still an essential part of Superman’s life. Without her (married or not), things feel off. You can’t keep those two separate for long.

2. Jonathan and Martha Kent

Next, we got the Earth parents of Superman. In a lot of ways, they are the ones who made Clark into Superman. Yeah, the Els helped, but the Kents had to raise him. They taught him the values of humanity and how to live in the world. They even had things to share even when they got to live and see Clark become Superman. While they aren’t needed for every story, I think it’s cool to have them around at times. I don’t need them showing up in almost every other episode, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

3. Batman

Yeah, I got the Dark Knight on this list. What of it? Of all the superheroes Superman interacts or teams up with, Batman is right up there. It’s cool to see those two interact since they approach things differently. They both tend to learn things off of one another and they’re usually the closest of friends. Batman’s not essential to Superman’s story, but he adds variety to it from time to time.

4. Jimmy Olsen

While I do rag on Olsen at times, I think that has to do with how he’s sometimes written. When written well, Jimmy can be cool. When it comes down to it, Jimmy’s is more or less us. He’s just a regular guy in an extraordinary world. He has to pay the bills like everyone else. He just happens to be friends with one of the most powerful people in existence. At times, even he can get in on the action. He is the “Man of Action” after all.

Random Smallville Episode - "Lexmas"

Hmm... Lex and Lana together? I can kinda see that... if Lex wasn't such a butthead in later seasons.

Next up is a familiar friend/foe from last year: Lex Luthor! Yeah, I’m putting him in this month too! Remember that Lex was once Superman’s friend long ago. Also, even when he’s been a foe for Superman, he’s been a supporting character in the different TV shows. Heck, he was pretty much a supporting character in the comics themselves. In the post-Crisis, he’d show up randomly and he wouldn’t even be the villain of the piece.

As I said back in my villain post last year, Lex first appeared in Action Comics #23. He had been traditionally a villain for Superman, but it wasn’t until the 50’s where we basically got an origin for Lex. It turned out that he used to live in Smallville and was a scientist. He even was an okay guy until a lab experiment went wrong. Superboy saved him, but Lex ended up hating Superboy for what happened and went down a bad path. I think other stuff may have happened, but I’m not too sure. The friendship was removed in the 80’s (Lex was an older man and lived in Metropolis) then reinstated when Superman: Birthright became the new origin in the 2000’s. I think the friendship is still in play currently with the newer origin.

I was originally going to look at Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, but I decided to go back to Smallville since it did highlight the friendship between Clark and Lex. I was going to talk about the season 6 episode, “Nemesis,” but I’m going to hit something else this time. “Lexmas” was the ninth episode of Season 5. At this point, Clark and Lana are finally dating, Chloe knows Clark’s secret, and Clark and Lex’s friendship has gone sour. Also, Jonathan Kent somehow got roped into running for state senator. Lex is also running, so some of the season has been dealing with that. I’ll mention the Kryptonian plot going on here since it really doesn’t play into this episode.

TV Talk - Smallville: "Delete"

Next up for the month is another love of Clark Kent’s. Unlike the rest on the list, she didn’t originate in comics. It’s Chloe Sullivan from the TV show, Smallville. Yes, she’s on the list since she was a supporting character for Clark. Plus, she eventually made her way to the comics for a bit, so take that, Internet Elite! I got all my bases checked!

Anyway, Chloe was pretty much a mainstay on the show. Other than Clark, she stayed on that show for over nine seasons (she was a guest star in season 10). She was the Lois Lane of that show before Lois showed up. She was a reporter at Smallville High’s newspaper and eventually the Daily Planet. She also filled other roles on the show too. She was Clark’s confidant, a hacker, a healer (she had powers for a while), a vessel for Brainiac, a crush for Clark Kent (and probably a better girlfriend than this show’s Lana), and an Oracle homage. She pretty much did it all except for get Clark’s powers since that would have been a little too far for the Chloe fans.

For today’s post, I’ll be looking at the Season 3 episode, “Delete.” At this point, a lot of stuff has happened. Clark’s and Lana’s relationship has gotten weird. Lex actually found out Clark’s secret, went crazy, and then had his brain screwed with in a mental hospital so he can’t remember it. Jonathan made a deal with the Old Testament God--- I mean, A.I. Jor-El that actually doesn’t come into play here. Then, there’s Chloe who had teamed up with Lionel Luthor to keep tabs on Clark earlier in the season. That did stop after a while, but things have been weird between Clark and Chloe. Lionel is also a bit of an ass, so Chloe’s not doing too well.

Tales from the 50 Cent Bin! - The Adventures of Superman #525

Next up, in my look at the important women of Superman’s life, there’s Lois Lane. She’s pretty much the most important one of all. She was there right in the pages of Action Comics #1. She worked alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet/Daily Star (Golden Age) and has been on many adventures with Superman. If there’s been one constant supporting character in the books, it’s Lois Lane.  Heck, she even had her own book at DC, Superman’s Girlfriend: Lois Lane.

There were points where she was… well, how do you put “annoying crone” nicely? Yeah, she wasn’t that great in the Golden and Silver Age at least in my opinion. I’ve only read a few Golden/Silver Age stories, but she wasn’t that pleasant in them. She pined for Superman and loathed Clark Kent. To be fair, that version of Clark was a bit wimpy, but she would take it too far at times. It kinda made you wonder what he saw in that version. Over time, Lois would become less… crone-y (I’m trying not to use any other words). She still had the drive to get the story and the truth. She was still pretty aggressive but in a good way. She even gained a few defense moves. Ultimately, she became someone who I could see Clark (and most guys) falling for.

For today’s issue, I thought I’d hit the 90’s for Ms. Lane. It’s The Adventures of Superman #525 from 1995. At this point, the Superman books had just come out of a major crossover called “The Death of Clark Kent.” To make a long story short, Kenny Braverman, aka “Conduit,” found out Clark’s secret and tried to make his life hell. He struck out at his family and friends and even made Clark throw away the secret identity. Ultimately, he was defeated, but things still needed to wrap up. Karl Kesel handled the story. Stuart Immonen handled the pencils while Jose Marzan Jr. did the inks.

Superman Month - Time to Meet the Family and Friends

It’s another year and another Superman Month. He’s one of my favorite characters and has had many stories over these 80 years. While I’ve devoted a month to a few other things over the years, Superman (and martial arts) is one of the consistent topics. Every September, I try to have a certain theme for the month. Even when the theme is a bit vague, it’s kind of there. I don’t know what I was going for a couple of years back. I think the theme may have been “Divisive Works” or something since I looked at some things that folk are still divided over.

"Hey, what's Steve Harvey doin' back there?"

Last year, I looked at the many villains. This time, I decided to devote some time to another big aspect of Superman: the people in his world. It’s Family and Friends month. I’ll try to cover stories and episodes that look at Superman’s supporting cast as well as characters most associated with him. You may even see someone important from last year get a spotlight on his bald, shiny head. So, come around during the month of September, grab some of Ma’s apple pie, help Conner feed the cows, hang with Lana in the loft, and stay away from that Luthor boy. He’s been no good since he stole those 40 cakes, I tell ya!

Tales From the 50 Cent Bin! - JLA #10-15: Rock of Ages

Ah, that three/four day break from work/Nashville worked wonders. Yes, I wasn’t laying on my butt the whole time (my folks live on a farm), but you usually do that when you get a crown put on your tooth. Anyway, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Some little indie movie called Justice League is coming out soon and I thought I’d look at a few things that feature the team. It’s not completely a themed month, but it’ll be a little DC-centered.

First up for the month is a return to Grant Morrison’s run on JLA. It’s even somewhat topical since it involves a Fourth World element. It’s “Rock of Ages” and it took place through JLA #11-15. At this point, the team had a bit of a change-up. Wonder Woman’s dead (don’t ask me, man), Superman’s in his electric phase, and we got a couple of new recruits in the form of Connor Hawke (Oliver Queen’s son) and Aztek. Morrison’s writes, Howard Porter draws (mostly) and John Dell inks. Porter does get a little help on the last issue from artists Greg Land and Gary Frank.

JLA #10-15: “Rock of Ages”

Writer: Grant Morrison

Pencils: Howard Porter, Greg Land (#15), and Gary Frank (#15)

Inks: John Dell

Colors: Pat Garrahy 
Separations: Heroic Age

Letters: Ken Lopez

Editors: Peter Tomasi, L.A. Williams, and Dan Raspler

TradeTales! - Superman: Up, Up, and Away

Well, I’ve finally gotten to the end of this themed month… at the beginning of October. That happens when one needs a root canal. This time, I think it’s time for a free-for-all. Instead of one villain taking Superman on, have an A-lister and bunches of B/C-listers take him on. There have been a few stories that have done that. Heck, they just did that recently in Action Comics. The one most think of is “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” Since I’ve already did that one, I found another that’ll do the trick. You might even recognize aspects of it from another Superman property: Superman Returns.

Superman: Up, Up, and Away was a crossover between Superman (#650-653) and Action Comics (#837-840). It was a part of One Year Later, an imitative that moved the DCU ahead a year. The missing year was covered in the maxi-series, 52. During that year, Clark was powerless ever since his fight with Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis.  The story was written by both Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns. Pete Woods handles a majority of the art duties with Renato Guedes doing a couple of issues. So, if you want to see Superman Returns done better, keep reading.

Superman: Up, Up , and Away!

Writers: Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns

Artists: Pete Woods and Renato Guedes

Colorists: Brad Anderson and Renato Guedes

Letters: Jare K. Fletcher, Nick J. Napolitano, and Rob Leigh

Trade Tales! - Superman: Earth One Volume 3

Next up for the month is one of the big ones: General Zod. To make a long story short, he’s powerful, likes black, and loves long walks on the beach that he himself created with all the destruction he caused. 

In all seriousness, Zod has been a go-to villain ever since his introduction in Adventure Comics #283. Whatever version of his story you follow, he’s always been a rogue general who rebelled on Krypton. For his punishment, he and his followers were sent to the Phantom Zone. There have been other Kryptonians locked in the Zone, but Zod is the mainstay for the franchise. The guy’s especially been an important role in the movies since he's one that can go toe-to-toe with Superman.

Today’s story is the 3^rd volume to the Superman: Earth One series. I’ve covered the previous two volumes, so it’s time to finish it out. While the J. Michael Strazcynski-written series hasn’t been great, it has been an interesting re-telling of the Superman mythos. JMS is back at it with the story. Sandra Hope also returned to do the inking. This time, Shane Davis isn’t on the ride for the pencils. The penciling was being handled by Ardian Syaf, an artist who recently got himself into some trouble. That’s all I’ll say on that. So, what trouble has this version of Superman gotten himself into this time?

Superman: Earth One Volume 3

Writer: J. Michael Strazcynski

Pencils: Ardian Syaf

Inks: Sandra Hope

Colors: Barbara Ciardo

Letters: Rob Leigh

Tales From the $4.99 (eh) Bin! - Action Comics Annual #1

Next up for the month is a villain who is in the D-list: the Kryptonite Man Even though the Kryptonite Man is a mostly unused villain, he still has something that can knock Superman down to his knees. To give you a hint, it’s all in his name. The name has been passed around to different folk, but the effect is still the same: they are embowed with green kryptonite radiation.  The Kryptonite Man first appeared in Superboy #83 (1960) and has sparsely appeared since then. I think there were 3 versions in the Post-Crisis era and one of them was a weird clone of Superman. Since I’ll be spending some time in that era this month, I think it’s time for something more recent.

The Kryptonite Man made a return during Grant Morrison’s run on Action Comics. This time, he was Clay Ramsey, the infamous wifebeater that Superman threw around in his early days. Ramsey was a part of Vyndtyvx’s (Lord Vinnie) for Morrison’s run. Today’s issue is the annual from that run that featured the villain. Sholly Fisch, the backup writer on Action Comics, wrote the whole issue. Cully Hamner handled the artwork. There is a backup “written” by Max Landis with artwork by Ryan Sook at the back about the Atomic Skull. I’m not talking about the backup here but I can say is that it was alright if a bit brief.

Action Comics Annual #1

Writer: Sholly  Fisch

Artist: Cully Hamner

Colors: Val Staples

Letters: Steve Wands

Editors: Wil Moss and Matt Idelson

Random Smallville Episode - Onyx

Don't lose your hand, Lex! Especially that one!

First up for the month is the criminal mastermind of our time: Lex Luthor. If there’s one villain you know will show up in one form or another, it’s Lex. The guy’s shown up in comics, TV, movies, and video games. Ever since his first appearance in Action Comics #23 (1940), he’s been the thorn in Superman’s boot. He’s been a mad genius, a powerful businessman, a self-proclaimed savior of the human race, and everything in between. He’s even been the good guy in some stories.

Today, I’ll take a turn at Albuquerque and look at an episode of Smallville. While Smallville wasn’t perfect, it had more pros than cons. One of them was Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor. While it didn’t completely work with his descent into evil, seeing him go bad was pretty interesting. Today’s episode will be “Onyx” from Season 4 or what Trentus Magnus calls “The Dreaded Fourth Season.” Season 4 was where it got a bit weird for the show and I’m not talking about Sam Winchester either. It wasn’t a horrible season, though. Still, it must be asked: is “Onyx” one of the bad ones?

Favorites - 11 Villainous Characters Gone Good

“Everyone loves a good redemption story.”

I don’t know who said the quote, but it's a true one. While we sometimes like seeing folk be bad, we also like seeing them go good. You can look everywhere for this common trope as well. This list was actually what started the whole thing. I didn’t have to think hard about which heroic figures have gone evil, though. I did have to put a little more thought into this one. While some names popped into my head easily, others took a minute. These aren't necessarily my favorite characters and it’s not in any order, so let’s start off with someone really random.

1. Sami Brady (Days of Our Lives)

I know you’re looking at me weird, so let me explain. When I was younger, my grandmother was an avid watcher of Days of Our Lives. Guess what we more or less had to watch at about 2pm? We didn’t have another TV, so I had to do something with that time! If you’re wondering, no, I’m not a DOOL fan. I haven’t watched the show in years. I do glance at it at the YMCA if it's showing, though. Even though I’m not a fan, I can say I got fond memories of it. Sami wasn’t necessarily one of them.

To put it nicely, she was one… witch. She was usually scheming to get some dude. I think one of them was named Austin. Even when she got the dude, she’d screw it up somehow. She was pretty much the jealous sister of the show. After some time, I do remember her becoming less of a witch and turning into a somewhat nice person. I guess the writers or actress got tired of that constant role of villainess. I don’t know if she stayed that way since soap operas are a lot like comic books. I can say that Alison Sweeney did a good job with that role. The fact that I remember her says something. 

2. Vegeta (Dragonball Z)

I think it’s time to swerve away from the odd and look at “The Prince of all Saiyans!” When Vegeta came onto the scene, he was a straight-up bad guy. No one can doubt that. I don’t think anyone can forget what happened to poor Nappa, aka “Mr. Clean with a ‘Stache.” Even after his time on Namek where he allied with the heroes, he wasn’t a good dude. Vegeta was obsessed with being better than Goku and he even did some really stupid things because of his Sayian pride. When you let the evil android get stronger instead of taking him out earlier, you’re not exactly good, are you?

Even when Goku returned for the World Tournament years later, he was still a douche. He let himself be taken over by Babadi (some green thing?) and went on a rampage. It wasn’t until his own son was in danger that he actually began to look heroic. He sacrificed himself to take out Majin Buu and even though that Pepto Bismal-looking thing didn’t die, it was a noble sacrifice. Like all characters in the DBZ universe, he did come back but he came back different. He even put an end to his rivalry with Goku.

Trade Tales! - Superman: Earth One Volume 2

Next up on Superman Month is something I have been meaning to get back to. Back in 2010, DC released Superman: Earth One Volume 1. It was basically another retelling of Superman’s origin but in a different universe. The idea of the Earth One series was to give the heroes more modern origins. If there’s something DC is good (or “meh”) at in the 21st century, it’s retelling Superman’s origins. It took me a couple of years to get around to reading it. I thought it was fine and even reviewed it here in 2012. The whole Earth One series is something I’m still behind on. DC decided to do a couple of more sequels in this new Superman and followed it up with Volume 2.

The second volume to Superman: Earth One was released in October 2012. It’s supposed to take place sometime after the events of the last volume. J. Michael Straczynski came back to continue the story he’s been writing on this new Superman. Shane Davis is also back handling the pencils. Sandra Hope also returns to do the inks. The coloring is a little different this time around. But it is still being handled by Barbara Ciardo.

Superman: Earth One Vol. 2 
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski 
Pencils: Shane Davis 
Inks: Sandra Hope 
Colors: Barbara Ciardo 
Letters: Rob Leigh 

Trade Tales! - Smallville Season 11: Guardian

Next up for this month, it’s time to revisit something cool. Smallville may not be one of my favorite TV shows, but it is at least in the top 20. The show went from showcasing the early days of Clark Kent to almost becoming a Superman show in itself. It definitely felt like that in the last few seasons when Clark actually got his crap together. I know the series finale disappointed some and I was a little underwhelmed as well. It was less “where is the suit” and more “this should be a little better” for me. I still enjoyed it in the end.

In 2012, DC was getting its digital release schedule together and one of the new series put out there was Smallville Season 11. The comic was released weekly digitally in parts and the whole story would be put into print the next month. The comic ended up getting written by Bryan Q. Miller, one of the show’s executive story editors. He pretty much stuck with the series until its end in 2015. The pencils and inks for this volume was provided by Pere Perez.

Here’s a quick recap or those who don’t remember the finale.  The forces of Apokalips were staging an invasion on Earth. Clark ultimately saved the day when he finally donned the traditional costume and literally pushed Apokalips out of Earth’s orbit. How he did that and how Apokalips was able to do that, I don’t remember. Also, Lex Luthor returned to the land of the living via cloning, Darkseid, and a Lionel Luthor from the alternate Earth. Unfortunately (for him since he knew Clark’s identity), his memories were somehow erased when he killed his illegitimate sister, Tess Mercer. Wow, that show got convoluted in the end. The comic series would take place six months after those events.

Smallville Season 11 Volume 1: Guardian

Writer: Bryan Q. Miller

Artist: Pere Perez

Letters: Saida Temofonte

Colors: Chris Beckett and Randy Mayor

Cover Artist: Cat Scaggs

Movie Talk - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition

It’s September, so you know what that means: I get older! That’s right, my age officially gets higher and those few specks of white hair in my beard start to multiply… oh yeah, it’s Superman Month. This month really has no theme since I really couldn’t come up with one. I guess if there is a theme, it’s that I’m mostly looking at out-of-continuity stories. Anything’s really on the docket this time. Today’s quick look is definitely an example.

Back in March, I did a review on the theatrical version of Zack Snyder’s court drama, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Even when I saw it, I knew things got cut out and that hurt my enjoyment of the film even though I liked it. When word of an “Ultimate” edition started to crop up, I knew I was going to check it out. Before I got it, I had heard that it was better than the theater cut but not by much. Eventually, I got it and saw it over the span of a few days. Hey, I was watching it before work, so I had an excuse to split it up. So, is it indeed better than the theater cut? By the way, "there be spoilers here, arrr!" Also, if you want to know at I originally said in March, click here.

Movie Talk - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Come on, Clark! Give us farmboys a good name! Ah heck, I’d get my butt trounced too…

Well, it has now come. The movie that everyone has been clamoring/fearing/”meh-ing” for has finally come to theaters. I didn’t think that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 would be this sought after but… Oh wait.

All right, I’ll get down to business. I went to see Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Friday afternoon. I would have saw it the night before since I was off from work, but I didn’t need to see it on a full stomach. I actually missed a minute of the final fight in my viewing because I decided to drink a lot of water and Coke earlier that day. I’ve thought about giving it another watch but I think my first viewing’s enough for now. Besides, there a lot of other movies coming out this year that I may need to save a little cash for.

Since I did it with Man of Steel years ago, I’ll give a quick opinion here and save the somewhat spoiler-ish stuff for later. While it has some glaring flaws, I did enjoy this movie. The Trinity (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) make this a watch for me. They all were pretty good, well-acted, and well-cast. The action scenes themselves were quite nice. The story was fine but pretty muddled and rushed at times. I liked the supporting characters. Lex Luthor did leave me a little mixed though. Overall, it does leave me wanting to see more from this universe especially when… other folk show up here.

TV Talk - Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Overview

Well, I’m back with my ultimate say on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Basically, all I’m talking about today is what I liked, what I disliked, what I wished they did, and my favorite episodes of the show. Now, did I think this was a good show? Yes, I think it was even when it got pretty bad in the later seasons. I’ll get to why below.

PROS

I liked the overall concept of the show where it focused on life at the Daily Planet instead of Superman’s never-ending battle against evil. I thought the main cast was solid for the most part. Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher were a good Clark and Lois. While they might not be the best live-action versions ever, they were still pretty good. Lane Smith was a good Perry White while K Callen and Eddie Jones were good as the Kents. While Justin Whalin was okay as Jimmy, Michael Landis was a better one. Then, there was John Shea who played an awesome Lex Luthor.

You had some good villains in there even though a lot of them were subpar. There was Lex, Tempus, a son of Lex Luthor, and a few others. The first season was probably its best season since it had a mix of everything. The second season was about on par with the first season. While the latter two seasons have their issues, there were some good episodes in there. I always liked the theme song. While it’s not the movie theme or even the theme from Superman: The Animated Series, it’s good. It was also fun to see what guest star would show up on here. The show even had some good continuity in the four seasons.

Tales From The $3.99 Bin! - Superman Unchained

In the last couple of years, Superman has gone through some changes with the New 52 and with the whole DC You phase. Don’t worry, folks. I’m not going to harp on about current stuff because I like most of it. Yeah, I’m not a fan of the concept of his identity being leaked (spoilers, by the way), but some of the stuff has been good. As you can tell by the image to the right, I ain’t talking about that today. I just wanted to get that out.

Superman Unchained was a new series released at the time Man of Steel was released in theatres. I think I got the first issue right before I saw the movie and I stayed with the series until the end. The big draw of the thing was that it had Scott Snyder (no relation to Zach Snyder) writing and everyone’s favorite slow artist, Jim Lee, handling the main art. Dustin Nguyen handles some 2-page backups and an extended flashback sequence in the later issues. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be an ongoing series or a miniseries. It was supposed to last 12 issues, but thanks to some slowness in the art, it got stopped at only nine issues. I’m looking at this today because it features a character that’s an analogue to Superman: Wraith. I’ll get to him later down below.

Superman Unchained

Writer: Scott Snyder

Pencils: Jim Lee and Dustin Nguyen

Inks: Scott Williams

Colors: Alex Sinclair

Letters: Sal Cipirano

Editors: Chris Conroy and Matt Idelson

Random Pics of the Month - Green is the Word

Top of the morning to ya... or evening. Is that saying even Irish? Anyway, since it is St. Patrick's Day, here are some pics of heroes and villains who are fascinated with the color green.

Rogue

The Green Lantern Corps

Many Green Rangers.

Movie Talk - Superman: Brainiac Attacks

Well, I had to change plans a little bit. I was originally going to look at a somewhat forgotten Superman animated series from the 1980’s. Maybe it’ll be something for next year. Today’s post will be about the direct-to-DVD movie known as Superman: Brainiac Attacks. The movie came out in 2006. I’m guessing it was to help promote the fact that Superman Returns was being released that year. I rented this back in 2006. Recently, someone got this at Wal-Mart a while back. All I know is that it wasn’t me.

Now, I sort of talked about this a long time ago when I talked about Superman in the DCAU (DC Animated Universe). I now realize that I may have been too harsh on it. It turns out that it doesn’t tie into the DCAU. The creators of the movie only used the designs from Superman: the Animated Series. We even have some voice actors (including Tim Daly) from that series as well. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini didn’t work on it, so I really didn’t consider this in continuity anyway. So, how does this movie stand on its own two feet? I can safely say that it needs a cane, crutches, and some prayer. This was… yeah.