The Human Side of Luke Cage

How much of Luke Cage is a fantasy hero and how much of him is a normal man?

Luke Cage is human, all too human. For someone with bulletproof skin and superhuman strength that defies the laws of physics, Luke Cage is very human. Mike Colter truly does flesh the character out in the outstanding Netflix series. As with Marvel's Jessica Jones, the series focuses on a hero who has unique special abilities -- but no garish costume. And the backdrop in which Marvel's Luke Cage takes place is very real.

Saying there is a "human side" to Luke Cage may even be a misnomer. He is all too human - a man with the complexities of a tragic hero. Maybe it would be better to say there is a superhero side to Luke Cage. He's 95% Luke Cage and 5% Power Man. Unlike Daredevil or Iron Fist, Luke Cage does not allow himself to be swallowed up by an alter ego. Perhaps this is the reason for some of his complex misery. Becoming Power Man would allow for a brief departure from the life that is Luke Cage. The former "Hero for Hire" won't allow this. He never hides from who he is.

Luke Cage is a man who has found himself in very difficult circumstances and as a victim of circumstance. His false imprisonment sent him down a completely different path in life. Even free from prison, Luke Cage cannot live a peaceful existence. His attempts at blending in as a normal person in a normal life is consistently upended. Being superhuman not the reason why although enhanced strength and indestructible skin does help him during various. Being all too human is the source of his difficult existence. A powerful code of honor keeps him constantly in the thick of drama and trouble.

Luke Cage suffer through life because he is Power Man. He suffers because he is a rare character in the world. Luke Cage is a real man.

The Killing Joke Goes Animated and Stays Dark

The animated adaption of The Killing Joke is a decent entry in the D.C. Comics animated film series. Flaws exist with the padded nature of stretching out the source material, but watching the film play out does bring the original comic work to life. A slight Ralph Bakshi-style edge to the animation adds to the dark nature of the film, but the source material -- the original comic book -- still is delivers an incredible emotional shock.




The Classic Alan Moore Comic Revisited

Alan Moore's classic The Killing Joke was one of four Batman arcs that forever changed the direction of The Caped Crusader as he would be portrayed in D.C. Comics. The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, and Batman: A Death in the Family all helped redefine a more mature and serious hero. The Killing Joke was unique in the sense the story did not redefine Batman, but redefined The Joker. Always evil, no one really understood The Joker's motivation behind his sheer insanity. The Killing Joke acted as The Joker: Year One in the sense the mysterious villain's early origin is fleshed out to a greater degree. "One bad day" is all it took for a failed comic to become a malevolent villain.

The Joker/Batman Duet

The Joker repeats this to Batman in the non-flashback sections of the tale. The irony is not be lost on The Caped Crusader.  One bad day is all it took to alter the path of young Bruce Wayne to become a dark, brooding vigilante.

The other piece of unmistakable irony is The Joker is not the only one with a psychological imbalance. The obsessed Bruce Wayne clearly suffers from a psychiatric disorder. Normal people do not dress up as a bat and fight crime.

And like The Joker, Batman has abandoned his real identity. While The Joker completely abandoned who he was before becoming The Clown Prince of Crime, Batman only maintains the Bruce Wayne persona because he is forced to do so. Batman cannot cease being Bruce Wayne due to all the complexities associated with being the billionaire owner of Wayne Enterprises.

Being Barbara Gordon and Becoming a New Batman

The animated version does try to flesh out the character of Batgirl in order to make the audience care more about her when she is victimized by The Joker. Creating a love story backdrop between Batman and Batgirl is a nice touch. Batman remains woefully detached since the Bruce Wayne, the human component to the dual character, is buried deep within a damaged psyche. Barbara Gordon is alive. She has not become Batgirl. Batgirl is the traditional alter ego intended to protect an identity. Barbara Gordon does not lose her humanity, which creates friction between her and The Batman.

A nice touch.

A 20-minute epilogue to a main narrative, however,  is not the same thing as decades upon decades of seeing the character in print. The shooting of Barbara Gordon in the comic book was one of the most shocking plot twists in D.C. Comics' history. Batman path to a darker and more serious future was cemented.

Changing a legendary character is not a decision any publishing house would like to entertain. At the time, D.C. Comics' hand was forced. 

D.C. Comics' New Direction

The Killing Joke was published at a time when Marvel Comics was embarrassing D.C. Comics in sales. Things were horrible in the late 1970's when D.C. Comics was forced to cancel a multitude of titles. Marvel Comics was able to ride the success of the KISS comics and the massive hit of the Star Wars title. Under Jim Shooter's tenure as editor-in-chief, Marvel Comics' sales would skyrocket. Marvel was the future of comics. D.C. was old-fashioned and headed towards irrelevancy. D.C. Comics did change direction and did so successfully. Great and memorable stories such as The Killing Joke were the reasons behind the success.

Making a Villain Relevant

The film and comic version of The Killing Joke are both intended to redefine The Joker. The short length of the graphic novel was able to dramatically achieve this result. The rather short movie doesn't entirely do so as well. The pathos of the "human" who becomes The Joker is a bit rushed in the film and not as paced as well as the comic.  Largely, this is because more time is spent on the Batgirl character in the film. The Joker's onscreen story suffers at the gain of Batgirl's.

The film does has its flaws. The revelation The Joker's wife has died was painfully brutal in the graphic novel. In the film, the scene is rushed (the same pace issue emerges again) and reaction to the news is ridiculously underplayed. The edge is taken off the deep sympathy that is needed to be directed to the character for the scene to work.

The impact of the reinvention of The Joker was always going to be dulled in the movie version. The graphic novel fit into the context of the (then) 60 years worth of conflict between Batman and The Joker. The animated version of The Killing Joke is too "standalone" to yield such an impact.

To repeat, The Killing Joke, as a movie, is a mixed bag. Certain stories just do not translate well to different mediums.

Looper and the Incredible Missed Opportunities with the Hulk Franchise

Looper hits all the major points as to why there won't be third Hulk solo movie any time soon - if ever. The Incredible Hulk remains one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. In the late 1980's, when I "grew out" of comic books (I would make a triumphant return as a regular reader within a few years) John Byrne's outstanding run on The Incredible Hulk allowed the comic to be the last one I would continue to read after ceasing with the other titles in the Marvel and D.C. line.

The Hulk truly is an outstanding character, but he is a character that needs a supporting cast to help with the narrative. In the wonder Incredible Hulk TV series, all the human drama and emotion came from Bill Bixby's endearing portrait of the drifting scientist.

Looper also is not afraid to mention the first Hulk film -- truth be told -- killed the franchise before it started.

What a shame considering there are so many outstanding Hulk stories to craft into....maybe an adult animated television series?

Or perhaps we should all be thrilled and content with the animated adaptions they come forth from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

  

BTW!

Hulk Fans Can Check Out Hub About The Dumb Hulk's Childhood Angst.

Wonder Woman Enters The Great War...and Debuts a New Trailer

Wonder Woman has a mission and it involves stopping "The Great War." There is a certain sense of irony present with setting Wonder Woman's debut film in World War I. Perhaps World War II would have connected the Amazonian heroine a bit too much to Marvel's Captain America. Or maybe the creative minds at D.C. Entertainment and Warner Bros. just wanted to craft a movie that is a bit different. Considering the previous critical disappointments of the prior D.C. Comic releases, a more creative approach was needed for the Wonder Woman film.

So World War I is selected for the backdrop and the irony emerges - a tragic irony of sorts. Several 100-year anniversaries connected to the First World War passed with virtually no mention outside of historical or specialty cable channels. Glancing through social media, topics related to World War I history were totally ignored. No, ignoring them would require a conscious act. Major events and anniversaries were not mentioned because people knew nothing about them in the first place.

World War I was a pivotal event in world history and set in motion incredible global changes that resonated throughout the 20th century. Yet, the Great War is casually dismissed by those living today. The shadow of World War II further buries notoriety about the Great War.

Wonder Woman's history in comic books has also been overshadowed and ignored. Her comic book series has had a number of ups and downs throughout the decades. This is somewhat sad considering how iconic the character was in the 1940's when she debuted.

Until recently, she had been stuck as a supporting player finding difficulty connecting with readers in her own title. And if Linda Carter had not played the character in the classic TV series, Wonder Woman could have ended up a totally forgotten character. (Although the Super Friends animated series helped a bit, too)

The arrival of Wonder Woman in Batman v. Superman helped return the heroine to mainstream pop culture status. Hopefully, the new Wonder Woman film will reinvigorate major interest in the character...and in the history of World War I.

The Old Man Logan Trailer Hits The Internet

The trailer for Old Man Logan has arrived. The end is near for the Hugh Jackman run as Wolverine. What a fitting source material to draw from for the end.

Old Man Logan is one of the few Marvel Comics I read these days. Unlike when I was 10 years old, life's responsibilities make it pretty difficult to make comic book reading the only thing on the daily to-do list. Perhaps if I work hard enough and save enough money, I can retire early and go right back to reading comic books on a full-time basis.

Old Man Logan: The Marvel Comic for the Middle-Aged

Why do I pick Old Man Logan as one of the comic books I am still able to read? Two reasons stand out in my mind: the writing and the artwork are both excellent. Each issue of Old Man Logan leaves me wanting to buy the next one to see the tale of the former Wolverine unfold. I'm not alone. Marvel's sales are far lower than D.C.'s these days, but Old Man Logan does 50,000+ copies per month. Not exceptional by any means, but a lot of the Marvel books are selling below that number.

And then there is another reason - I'm old, too. 44 years old is not exactly over the hill. I'm still younger than Hugh Jackman and he is pretty youthful in style and appearance.

Old Man Logan is way, way older than 44 - but he's still middle-aged considering his tremendous life expectancy. The themes and style of Old Man Logan do play well to someone like myself - an older person who pop culture sensibilities are not in tune with someone who is 17. Old Man Logan's musings on life, the universe, and everything reflect an aged, world-weary person who wants to find peace but is dragged back into the difficult and violent life of his past. The character connects with older readers while not alienating younger ones.

Goodbye to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine

And Old Man Logan is the perfect swan song for Hugh Jackman always excellent portrayal of Wolverine in the X-Men movies and solo projects. Even when the films were subpar, Jackman delivered a great performance that truly captured the essence of the angry, detached Logan/Wolverine. When the films were outstanding (such as Days of Future Past) Jackman turned in some of the best onscreen superhero performances a fan could ask for.

Things do come to an end and Marvel Studios wants to reboot the X-Men series. That means a new Wolverine. Rather than simple let Jackman fade away, he is getting the perfect material to say goodbye to the character that made him famous.

Old Man Logan Trailer Musings

Old Man Logan is renamed Logan, which makes better sense from a marketing perspective. The themes of old age, loss, and sadness permeate the trailer. The use of a very sad Johnny Cash song sets the tone for the somewhat depressing, melodramatic trailer. The film is clearly targeting older audiences, an audience that has grown in the 16 years since the first X-Men feature debuted.

Logan is much older and burned out in the trailer. He is seemingly targeted by the military - presumably because mutants are no longer supposed to be in existence in this dark future. Logan is pained and living outside of the humanity he never truly belonged to....and it seems he discovers a daughter who makes life worth living for him again.

"Logan, you still have time" intones Patrick Stewart's Professor X as the trailer reaches its conclusion. Maybe that is a lesson for all. 

Looper and The Wrap's Take on Suicide Squad

The box office drop-off for Suicide Squad during the feature's second week was summed up by The Wrap.

• There are hardcore fans who positively must see every superhero movie ever made.
• The D.C. Extended Universe has its own niche of loyal fans.
• Warner Bros. and D.C. can't really grow the casual audience all that much beyond the above two.

 A near 70% decrease for the second weekend shows Suicide Squad has no legs, but a $220 million domestic gross (so far) means the film won't be a flop. However, the film going to deliver Warner/D.C. far less than anticipated - and hoped - for.

Looper takes a look at some future problems Warner and D.C. are likely to run into unless the ship of the Extended Universe is put back on course.

Suicide Squad's Mission Dies with the Critics

The reviews for Suicide Squad are rolling in - slowly but surely. They are not good. I was a bit worried about the film when I saw no reviews on RottenTomatoes.com a few days ago. When I found out there was a review embargo, well, I knew the score but was hoping for something different. Anyone who wants to check out the bad news - and it is bad news - can look at:

IndieWire - Suicide Squad Review: Margot Robbie Can't Save The Latest DC Disaster

The Verge - Suicide Squad has too many villains and not enough villainy to go around

SF Gate - Suicide Squad' is two hours of soul-sickening, sensory torment

You get the whole villainous idea. I am going to reserve judgment on this one since I haven't seen it. Ignoring the bad reviews, however, would be to deny the impending gloomy disaster. Blaming the critics is not the way to go. Saying "They don't get it" won't fly. Critics these days are not those of decades past. Years ago, movie critics had a snobbery to them. Today, critics are comprised of people who have a better appreciation for pop culture. Niche critics are sought after by audiences of particular genres. The newspapers may trash horror films, but horror fans are only going to take the review of top websites seriously.

Superhero and comic book films, however, have been smiled upon and awarded rave reviews from mainstream and niche critics. They are in agreement - overwhelmingly - this film is a dud.

Suicide Squad is shaping up to be another disappointment. Actually, it is going to be more than a disappointment. The collapse of D.C. Entertainment and Warner Bros. Studios' superhero movies may be in serious jeopardy. Batman v. Superman was a major critical failure, but still pulled in $800 million worldwide. If Suicide Squad turns off audiences, the next films in the D.C./Warner pipeline are going to be in trouble. Back-to-back disappointments do not spell well for Wonder Woman. Audiences are going to connect D.C. Comics' movies with a lack of quality - a branding disaster. If Wonder Woman falters, Justice League is going to be in a lot of trouble.

Another serious concern has to be raised here - Batman appears in Suicide Squad. Warner and D.C. might find themselves in the same position Marvel and Sony were in when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 didn't connect well with audiences. Serious fear existed Spider-Man would be destroyed as a box office draw. This led to the shut down of all proposed Spider-Man spinoffs and the third Andrew Garfield outing. Imagine the horror if Batman was killed off as a box office draw.

Could Warner and D.C. pull the plug on the current planned out cinematic universe and reboot things? If so, how? Wonder Woman is finished and Justice League is in production.

Not an easy situation to navigate, folks.



 

The Amazonian Arrives - Wonder Woman (2017) Trailer Debuts at the San Diego Comic Con

The trailer for DC's Wonder Woman debuts - no surprise, the San Diego Comic Con is loaded with trailer debuts. The Wonder Woman trailer reveals the film is most definitely not going to be campy like the classic TV series of TV's past. Wonder Woman is sticking with the (original) Warner Bros./D.C. Entertainment concept of developing a darker, grittier universe than Marvel's. This was Batman v. Superman's undoing. Suicide Squad (allegedly) experienced reshoots due to Warner wanting to lighten the tone.

Is the world ready for a serious Wonder Woman? We have until 2017 to find out. (And Warner Bros. has that long to reshoot things if need be)

One huge plus here - the film is set during World War II, which takes us back to the very early origins of the comic heroine.

Unofficially Official - Michael Keaton as The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming

From Batman to Birdman to The Vulture, that's the abbreviated career path of Michael Keaton. Michael Keaton is always going to be remembered for his two-movie run as Batman. Those whose memories recall the 1980's are sure to remember his work in Mr. Mom, Clean & Sober, and Night Shift.

Careers have their ups and downs and their major comebacks. Keaton's Oscar nominated performance in Birdman opened a comeback door for him. He can still be a bit choosy regarding his roles. He turned down Kong: Skull Island and reported backed out of the new Spider-Man movie before agreeing to appear. Nothing is official yet, but Keaton is assumed to be the new villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming and that villain is The Vulture.

MovieWeb and other sources have been reporting on Keaton's signing in the new film since about May 20th.

The Vulture is a bit of an odd villain to select since he is so- well - 1960's Marvel Comics. When the character first debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #2, he was a garish and menacing villain. What made the original version of Adrian Toomes so creepy was his age. The Vulture was up in age and came across as a mean-spirited cranky old man. The villain fit perfectly in the "generation gap" theme during those early issues. (Young Peter Parker was constantly battling older authority figures in the form of creepy villains)

In the early 1960's, not much was needed to make a super-villain menacing. Donning a Vulture suit, flying around, and "whalloping" people was pretty much all you needed to do. The Vulture has remained a multi-decade fixture of the Spider-Man books, but his limited powers (a flying bird suit) does not exactly strike fear.

The demented side of Adrian Toomes, however, can be extremely unsettling. In 1968, Spider-Man battled The Vulture in a classic Stan Lee/John Romita story that featured a completely maniacal Toomes looking for revenge against Spider-Man....and giving the wall-crawler a vicious beating.

If Keaton brings that version of Toomes/Vulture to the screen, we might see a great bad guy-good guy dynamic play out.

The Magical Arrival of the Doctor Strange Trailer

I consider Doctor Strange the most interesting of all the superhero movies slated for a 2016 release. Along with Suicide Squad, Doctor Strange is pretty unique, and unique sometimes comes with questions about ticket sale potential. Suicide Squad features Batman & The Joker so box office gold is pretty much unavoidable for that film - at least for the first two weekends.

The character of Doctor Strange has been around for 50-odd years, but Batman he is not. The big question is can a hero who is so far removed from the typical suit/mask/secret identity mix catch on with mainstream audiences?

The history of Doctor Strange does not reflect a very successful publishing life. In the 1960's, the books Strange Tales and Doctor Strange sold fairly well  as cult publications. Sales on college campuses among the counterculture set were strong due to (misplaced) perceptions of Doctor Strange  being a nod to psychedelic contraband.

Doctor Strange's title was cancelled time and time again over the years even though many of the story arcs were downright excellent. As a supporting character, Doctor Strange has been used quite well. Carrying his own book has proven tough. Can he carry a movie?

Why wouldn't he? Superhero movies are almost like Beatlemania these days.

At this stage, pretty much every hero movie draws people into theaters unless it is exceptionally bad. Fantastic Four pulled in about $50 million despite being a disaster of epic proportions.

Maybe the time is right for a Doctor Strange movie right now. An "atypical" hero could end up being what audiences want. The hunger for more hero fare is out there, but there is probably a want for something different as well.

Batman v. Superman: Box Office Opening Analysis

Rottentomatoes is reflecting a "29% Rotten" rating for the film that was supposed to launch the DC Extended Universe. The film does launch the universe, but on a sour (and dour) note. The opening weekend box office is going to be good news, but the news is sure to be short-lived. The-Numbers.com has a smart analysis of the film.

Batman v. Superman is on the road to breaking tons of records at the box office for March and Easter weekend. $80+ million on Friday is absolutely a fantastic start. The film, however, won't have legs to earn the $1 billion or so Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, or Jurassic World earned. Batman v. Superman is going to cool heavily and become a "wait for the DVD" release. Not good for a movie that needs to pull in $800 million to break even. The box office disappointment becomes even more embarrassing when Deadpool earned $750 million worldwide on a much, much smaller budget and far less hype.

Deadpool Movie Box Office Breaks Record and Shocks World

Deadpool comic books may not be the hottest sellers in the industry, but the movie is the hottest ticket in town. Deadline has the official numbers - the movie pulled in $12+ million on Thursday previews and a staggering $40+ million on Friday. with the Monday holiday thrown in, Deadpool should draw $115 million.

All of this is ironic considering the movie was supposed to be just a R-rated niche action-hero feature. With a low (by superhero movie standards) budget, the film was designed as a franchise capable of turning a decent, acceptable profit during the winter months. In other words, Deadpool would make a few extra dollars for Fox and Marvel by selling tickets to the most hardcore of superhero fans.

Deadline also reports audiences noted they bought a ticket for two reasons: to see Ryan Reynolds and because Deadpool is a superhero movie. 59% made up the latter, and that means comic book/superhero movies are going to remain hot for a long, long time.

On a side note, the success of Deadpool really shows how wrongheaded Fox was when the studio approved the absurd Fantastic Four movie screenplay. Never mess with a formula that works.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice Final Official Trailer Arrives

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is only around 40 days away from hitting thousands of screens, and the final official trailer for the film has been released. (Many thanks to the good people at Batman On Film for helping to draw attention to the trailer)

We don't get much insight into the villains. Lex Luthor is prominent, but there is no Doomsday. The trailer doesn't confirm rumors about the KGBEast and Bizarro. No matter. We'll all find out who the bad guys are when the film opens.

The trailer does focus on the main theme of the movie - Batman and Superman's tension, distrust, and opposition. D.C. Entertainment is noted for taking a risk with the all-villain ensemble Suicide Squad. Batman v. Superman reflects a similar risk - basing a film on the hero vs. hero dynamic popular in comic books. Maybe the plot isn't really all that much of a risk. It's something new. New sells. D.C. also gets to beat Marvel to the proverbial (and literal) punch as Captain America: Civil War won't feature the hero vs. hero theme until after Batman v. Superman hits the silver screen.













 

Are D.C. Comics Movies and Television Shows Dominating Marvel Comics?

"2016. The Year of D.C. Comics."

Based on the sales figures of monthly comic books, that state is not going to be believable. Marvel Comics' sales have been much stronger than what the Distinguished Competition has served up.

The great website CinemaBlend has a great article up highlighting why D.C. Comics is going to edge out Marvel in the live-action realm.

In terms of television shows and motion pictures, D.C. Comics Entertainment is doing extremely well. The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham, and Supergirl are doing extremely well on the small screen. Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad should be mega-smashes on the big screen.

Of course, Marvel has Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, and X-Men: Apocalypse slated for 2016 release. Season 2 of Dardevil is soon to arrive on Netflix.

CinemaBlend is reporting that "social and digital tracking" are showing Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman are generating way more enthusiasm than the new Captain America and X-Men projects. Maybe a bit of Marvel fatigue has set in.