Cary's Comics Craze , DR GIFT
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Batman, Captain America, Daredevil, Wonder Woman — and more — trade paperback reviews
As I'm always preaching here, don't forget to take advantage of your local library to read the latest Marvel and DC trade paperbacks. Or catch up on what you've missed!
Heck, countless CCCs have been typed on the keyboards of the computers at my local library.
Like this op-ed -- a roundup of reviews of some (mostly) recommended reads from the cape-and-cowl crowd...
BATMAN: DARK DETECTIVE
This six-issue 2005 limited series is a reunion well worth reading! And your money, if you're lucky enough to find each of the issues.
Writer Steve Englehart reunites with artist Marshall Rogers and inker Terry Austin for a follow-up to their classic 1977-'78 DETECTIVE COMICS run (Nos. 469-476 and 479, for you completists) -- one of the definitive takes on Batman. Needless to say, Englehart writes and the now late Rogers draws "my Batman." It's refreshing to see the sparks between the compassionate Dark Knight and Silver St. John, my favorite lover from Bruce Wayne's past.
Even if the late Rogers' art isn't quite as stellar as it was back in the day, his art and characters flow and is still a treat for the eyes. And Englehart has lost very little of his writing mojo despite being away from comics for years. Grade: A-
Heck, countless CCCs have been typed on the keyboards of the computers at my local library.
Like this op-ed -- a roundup of reviews of some (mostly) recommended reads from the cape-and-cowl crowd...
BATMAN: DARK DETECTIVE
This six-issue 2005 limited series is a reunion well worth reading! And your money, if you're lucky enough to find each of the issues.
Writer Steve Englehart reunites with artist Marshall Rogers and inker Terry Austin for a follow-up to their classic 1977-'78 DETECTIVE COMICS run (Nos. 469-476 and 479, for you completists) -- one of the definitive takes on Batman. Needless to say, Englehart writes and the now late Rogers draws "my Batman." It's refreshing to see the sparks between the compassionate Dark Knight and Silver St. John, my favorite lover from Bruce Wayne's past.
Even if the late Rogers' art isn't quite as stellar as it was back in the day, his art and characters flow and is still a treat for the eyes. And Englehart has lost very little of his writing mojo despite being away from comics for years. Grade: A-
Monday, July 3, 2017
'Pirates' and Marvel overwhelm 'Superman' and DC projects in 2006 (CCC flashback)
December 2006 -- Back in 1973, singer Jim Croce warned people not to pull on Superman's cape.
Apparently, Captain Jack Sparrow, who proved to be Supes' box office
version of Kryptonite this year (2006), didn't get the memo.
"The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" made over $1 billion worldwide, while "Superman Returns" struggled to make more than $391 million overall. The third "X-Men" film put a further smackdown on the Man Steel with a final overall gross of about $458.8 million.
To add insult to injury, Superman temporarily lost his powers in the comics during the "One Year Later" storyline. That storyline abruptly jumped the entire DC Comics universe forward exactly 365 days -- a year when the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman and Batman weren't around.
On the positive side, critics have praised ALL STAR SUPERMAN by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. The comic industry magazine WIZARD named the character its "Hero of the Year."
The WIZARD staff also named the DC series 52 as the year's "Boldest Move," since creative teams used to producing monthly titles were forced to crank out weekly issues featuring second-tier characters.
DC also: introduced a new Atom, Flash and Batwoman
(a lesbian whose alter ego is named after the original character);
retired the original Catwoman after Selina Kyle had a daughter; and
killed off Booster Gold as well as the Earth-2 versions of Lois Lane and
Superman.
As innovative as DC was this year, 2006 was Marvel Comics' year. It started when 600 suburban residents were killed in a reality TV stunt gone terribly wrong when the New Warriors confronted several super villains.
Then came the CIVIL WAR storyline where Tony Stark/Iron Man pushed for the Superhuman Registration Act, requiring super heroes to register their secret identities with the government.
The tension escalated as Captain America and his followers opposed Stark's supporters. Spider-Man decided to unmask at a press conference, but Peter Parker soon realized the deadly consequences of being a public hero. Disaster struck when the cloned Thor killed Black Goliath and that appears to be just the beginning.
The CIVIL WAR fall-out, which is rumored to include killing off Parker's wife Mary Jane, will challenge Marvel writers about how to handle secret identities and heroes' motivations for years to come.
During the summer, Marvel Studios announced plans for no less than 12 films. Eight of the featured characters in those movies most likely will appear in "The Avengers."
You might recall how wrong I was Jan. 12 (2006) when I predicted DC would "slowly, but surely start to dominate the silver screen."
I also brazenly used the following bone-headed sentence: "The potential for more bonafide Marvel moneymakers is coming to an end."
Wrong, Ashby!
Elsewhere in the super hero film industry, "out of nowhere" casting decisions ran rampant. Heath Ledger will play the Joker in "The Dark Knight" (in theaters July 18, 2008) and Robert Downey Jr. has the lead role in "Iron Man" (May 2, 2008).
They were either brilliant decisions or mind-boggling, depending on which fan you asked.
Speaking of Ledger,
here's something I can crow about. You're reading the same column that
ran the Joker casting news July 27 (2006) -- four days before Warner
Bros. made the official announcement.
(2017 addendum: This remains true, as far as I know. That same CCC column also made the NORWALK REFLECTOR the first newspaper to report the casting news that Ledger would play the Joker. Pretty darn cool, huh!? While I need to find the hardcopy of that column so I can post it here as one of my CCC flashbacks [reviews or op-eds published years ago that I have resurrected for this site], in August 2006 I wrote an op-ed for Batman-on-film.com in which I wrote why Ledger was an unconventional casting choice.)
So what about 2007?
With "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" filming within months of each other, "Ghost Rider" coming out Feb. 16 and "Spider-Man 3" opening the summer movie season (not to mention a second "Fantastic Four" film in theaters July 8), make mine Marvel!
EDITOR'S NOTE: This op-ed originally was published in the NORWALK REFLECTOR newspaper, which ran "Cary's Comics Craze" every other Thursday for nearly 10 years, starting in January 2005. CCC blogger/webmaster Cary Ashby has worked for the REFLECTOR since September 2004. He writes human-interest features, covers Norwalk (Ohio) City Schools, government and is the general education reporter.
"The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" made over $1 billion worldwide, while "Superman Returns" struggled to make more than $391 million overall. The third "X-Men" film put a further smackdown on the Man Steel with a final overall gross of about $458.8 million.
To add insult to injury, Superman temporarily lost his powers in the comics during the "One Year Later" storyline. That storyline abruptly jumped the entire DC Comics universe forward exactly 365 days -- a year when the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman and Batman weren't around.
On the positive side, critics have praised ALL STAR SUPERMAN by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. The comic industry magazine WIZARD named the character its "Hero of the Year."
The WIZARD staff also named the DC series 52 as the year's "Boldest Move," since creative teams used to producing monthly titles were forced to crank out weekly issues featuring second-tier characters.
 |
| Batwoman (Kate Kane) first appeared in 52 No. 7 (August 2006). |
As innovative as DC was this year, 2006 was Marvel Comics' year. It started when 600 suburban residents were killed in a reality TV stunt gone terribly wrong when the New Warriors confronted several super villains.
Then came the CIVIL WAR storyline where Tony Stark/Iron Man pushed for the Superhuman Registration Act, requiring super heroes to register their secret identities with the government.
The tension escalated as Captain America and his followers opposed Stark's supporters. Spider-Man decided to unmask at a press conference, but Peter Parker soon realized the deadly consequences of being a public hero. Disaster struck when the cloned Thor killed Black Goliath and that appears to be just the beginning.
The CIVIL WAR fall-out, which is rumored to include killing off Parker's wife Mary Jane, will challenge Marvel writers about how to handle secret identities and heroes' motivations for years to come.
During the summer, Marvel Studios announced plans for no less than 12 films. Eight of the featured characters in those movies most likely will appear in "The Avengers."
You might recall how wrong I was Jan. 12 (2006) when I predicted DC would "slowly, but surely start to dominate the silver screen."
I also brazenly used the following bone-headed sentence: "The potential for more bonafide Marvel moneymakers is coming to an end."
Wrong, Ashby!
Elsewhere in the super hero film industry, "out of nowhere" casting decisions ran rampant. Heath Ledger will play the Joker in "The Dark Knight" (in theaters July 18, 2008) and Robert Downey Jr. has the lead role in "Iron Man" (May 2, 2008).
They were either brilliant decisions or mind-boggling, depending on which fan you asked.
 |
| The late Heath Ledger claps while in a holding cell in this scene from "The Dark Knight." |
(2017 addendum: This remains true, as far as I know. That same CCC column also made the NORWALK REFLECTOR the first newspaper to report the casting news that Ledger would play the Joker. Pretty darn cool, huh!? While I need to find the hardcopy of that column so I can post it here as one of my CCC flashbacks [reviews or op-eds published years ago that I have resurrected for this site], in August 2006 I wrote an op-ed for Batman-on-film.com in which I wrote why Ledger was an unconventional casting choice.)
So what about 2007?
EDITOR'S NOTE: This op-ed originally was published in the NORWALK REFLECTOR newspaper, which ran "Cary's Comics Craze" every other Thursday for nearly 10 years, starting in January 2005. CCC blogger/webmaster Cary Ashby has worked for the REFLECTOR since September 2004. He writes human-interest features, covers Norwalk (Ohio) City Schools, government and is the general education reporter.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Remember when 'Wonder Woman' remained in development hell? (CCC flashback)
Can you believe that just 10 years ago Warner Bros. called it quits on making a "Wonder Woman" film in favor of a "Justice League" film -- that thankfully never got made? That seems like a lifetime ago, now that director Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman"
is the biggest blockbuster of the summer so far! And there will be a
"Justice League" film by directors Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon out in
mid-November.
My, how the times have changed! Here's a NORWALK REFLECTOR "Cary's Comics Craze" newspaper column from 2007 when I broke down the "Wonder Woman"-"Justice League" situation. (And at the end is a short review of the "Invincible Iron Man" animated movie.) ...
2007 -- Warner Bros. really knows how to kill a buzz. WB announced plans for Green Lantern and The Flash films and on the same day, no less fans learned "Wonder Woman" has been (re)sentenced to eternal development hell.
Who is doing the PR coordination for these bozos? It's a damn shame that "Wonder Woman," which has been in development since 2001, is being put on hold. It might be the last gasp for screenwriters to provide a female action-adventure character who is tough, beautiful, classy, independent and intelligent.
In February (2007), writer/director Joss Whedon was gone from the project because of creative differences. (He discusses the film in this February 2017 interview.)
My, how the times have changed! Here's a NORWALK REFLECTOR "Cary's Comics Craze" newspaper column from 2007 when I broke down the "Wonder Woman"-"Justice League" situation. (And at the end is a short review of the "Invincible Iron Man" animated movie.) ...
2007 -- Warner Bros. really knows how to kill a buzz. WB announced plans for Green Lantern and The Flash films and on the same day, no less fans learned "Wonder Woman" has been (re)sentenced to eternal development hell.
Who is doing the PR coordination for these bozos? It's a damn shame that "Wonder Woman," which has been in development since 2001, is being put on hold. It might be the last gasp for screenwriters to provide a female action-adventure character who is tough, beautiful, classy, independent and intelligent.
In February (2007), writer/director Joss Whedon was gone from the project because of creative differences. (He discusses the film in this February 2017 interview.)
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
'Green Lantern' movie (flashback)
"In brightest day/in blackest night,
no evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might
beware my power
Green Lantern's light!"
The Green Lantern oath is the coolest ever written; it's just a shame
that the 2011 "Green Lantern" movie doesn't come close to living up to
it.
It doesn't take the keenest of observers to realize that GL — and the Hal Jordan version at that — is part of DC Comics' new introduction to its feature films. And this leads to this natural question: When exactly will DC and Warner Bros. introduce Green Lantern to to the DC Expanded Universe?
My educated guess remains that we'll see him in "Justice League" and that either could be in the closing minutes, in the climactic battle, the very last seconds of the Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon film or even in a rare DC after-credits scene. (I mentioned this briefly in my January preview of the 2017 genre films.)
But back to the hit-and-mostly-miss "Green Lantern" movie starring Ryan Reynolds, which for some reason I recently decided to rematch.
no evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might
beware my power
Green Lantern's light!"
It doesn't take the keenest of observers to realize that GL — and the Hal Jordan version at that — is part of DC Comics' new introduction to its feature films. And this leads to this natural question: When exactly will DC and Warner Bros. introduce Green Lantern to to the DC Expanded Universe?
My educated guess remains that we'll see him in "Justice League" and that either could be in the closing minutes, in the climactic battle, the very last seconds of the Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon film or even in a rare DC after-credits scene. (I mentioned this briefly in my January preview of the 2017 genre films.)
But back to the hit-and-mostly-miss "Green Lantern" movie starring Ryan Reynolds, which for some reason I recently decided to rematch.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
'Watchmen,' 'Justice League' and Team Snyder/Team Whedon — oh my!
Zack Snyder is getting his second chance at directing a superhero ensemble film with "Justice League."
His first time to play in the DC movie sandbox was in 2009 with "Watchmen."
Reflecting much of his first two installments in the unrelated DC Expanded Universe (DCEU) — "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Watchmen" is a hit-and-miss affair. The characters look and act spot on from the original material, but that also means we have to spend much too much time with Doctor Manhattan and Ozymandias monologuing -- falling in love with the sounds of their own voices.
With the exception of a slightly altered ending, it captures the essence of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' 1986-'87 graphic novel/limited series (which is too long at 12 issues). The costumes leap off the pages onto the big screen and there's no less graphic violence or steamy sex.
"Watchmen" though is violent for the sake of violent. As great as actress Malin Akerman (Silk Spectre) looks without her clothes, the nudity is just as gratuitous.
The movie has the same moody atmosphere and follows the same storyline as the original WATCHMEN. All that simply proves is that Hollywood and Snyder can bring a story to life with little alterations. In the end, "Watchmen" is "eh" -- all show and flair, but no substance with nothing much accomplished except for a straightforward telling of a story we already knew. (Grades -- Movie: B-; Limited series: C)
His first time to play in the DC movie sandbox was in 2009 with "Watchmen."Reflecting much of his first two installments in the unrelated DC Expanded Universe (DCEU) — "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Watchmen" is a hit-and-miss affair. The characters look and act spot on from the original material, but that also means we have to spend much too much time with Doctor Manhattan and Ozymandias monologuing -- falling in love with the sounds of their own voices.
With the exception of a slightly altered ending, it captures the essence of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' 1986-'87 graphic novel/limited series (which is too long at 12 issues). The costumes leap off the pages onto the big screen and there's no less graphic violence or steamy sex.
"Watchmen" though is violent for the sake of violent. As great as actress Malin Akerman (Silk Spectre) looks without her clothes, the nudity is just as gratuitous.
The movie has the same moody atmosphere and follows the same storyline as the original WATCHMEN. All that simply proves is that Hollywood and Snyder can bring a story to life with little alterations. In the end, "Watchmen" is "eh" -- all show and flair, but no substance with nothing much accomplished except for a straightforward telling of a story we already knew. (Grades -- Movie: B-; Limited series: C)
Monday, June 19, 2017
More 'Star Wars' meme madness from Cary's Comics Craze
 |
| I created this meme after watching "Rogue One." Man, this photo from the 2014 Cincinnati Comic Expo gets a lot of use! Photo by JAMIE STEWART/Meme by CARY ASHBY/CARY'S COMICS CRAZE |
 |
| The late Carrie Fisher -- such a loss and force of nature. (No pun intended.) CARY ASHBY/CARY'S COMICS CRAZE |
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Golden gladiator gooses Grissom's gang: Second 'Iron Man' review (flashback)
Ten years ago, the precursor to Cary's Comics Craze wasn't just my column in the NORWALK REFLECTOR newspaper; it was a REFLECTOR blog titled Cary's Crime Craze.
As I mentioned in my intro to my 2012 flashback column pondering why the "Batman" TV series wasn't on DVD or Blu-ray yet,
that particular CCC focused on the original "CSI" TV series on CBS. I
reviewed each week's episode in detail, wrote some additional op-eds,
provided some "CSI" news and occasionally, posted some op-eds on the
cape-and-cowl crowd.
Such was the case in early May 2008 when I used that Thursday night to watch a one-time showing of the first "Iron Man" movie before its official release the next day. Can you believe that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark kicked off the Marvel Studios film nine years ago and will appear in his seventh (!) Marvel movie when "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is released July 7? (The CCC review of the trailer is here.)
Without further ado, here's a review that focuses on the "Iron Man" casting, here on this CCC for the first time ...!
May 2, 2008 -- OK, that's not the most accurate headline in the world, but hopefully it got you reading this far -- and besides my readers know I love illiteration. I did watch last week's "CSI," but honestly there's nothing to to say except it was forgettable. ...
Last night I didn't tape the show (hey 2017 readers, remember VHS machines?!) because I took the opportunity to watch "Iron Man" at a sneak preview at Premiere Theatre 8 in Norwalk. ...
I had a grant time watching "Iron Man." I've enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. in everything he's been in and this was no exception.
Such was the case in early May 2008 when I used that Thursday night to watch a one-time showing of the first "Iron Man" movie before its official release the next day. Can you believe that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark kicked off the Marvel Studios film nine years ago and will appear in his seventh (!) Marvel movie when "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is released July 7? (The CCC review of the trailer is here.)
Without further ado, here's a review that focuses on the "Iron Man" casting, here on this CCC for the first time ...!
May 2, 2008 -- OK, that's not the most accurate headline in the world, but hopefully it got you reading this far -- and besides my readers know I love illiteration. I did watch last week's "CSI," but honestly there's nothing to to say except it was forgettable. ...
Last night I didn't tape the show (hey 2017 readers, remember VHS machines?!) because I took the opportunity to watch "Iron Man" at a sneak preview at Premiere Theatre 8 in Norwalk. ...
I had a grant time watching "Iron Man." I've enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. in everything he's been in and this was no exception.
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