Green Arrow and Speedy Foreshadow Young Justice in Justice League Unlimited

Remember the Justice League Unlimited episode where Crimson Avenger and Speedy were teleported in to help Green Arrow.
It was from the episode "Patriot Act" which I thought was one of the best JLU episodes.
What caught my eye (ear actually) was the little exchange between Green Arrow and Speedy at the beginning....

Green Arrow: The Crimson Avenger and my ex-sidekick!
Speedy: Ex-Partner....
Green Arrow: Speedy...we gotta do this now?

What made this funny (and cool) to me was that four years later in Young Justice, Speedy would be the main catalyst in the separation of the heroes and their "sidekicks".
He was even the one that delivered the line "Don't call us sidekicks".

Even though, I know JLU and Young Justice are set in different universes, that kind of tip of the hat is what makes the DCU cool to me.

New Green Lantern Film Footage

At WonderCon this weekend, Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern/Hal Jordan) and Blake Lively (Carol Ferris) showed up with ten minutes of new Green Lantern footage.
It seems the internet community was underwhelmed by the last footage and Warner Bros. is trying to fix that.
I have to admit, I was less than happy with the first shots I saw, but seeing the costume in action, it looks better.
I still don't like the "organic" Power Ring Battery, but hey, I'm Silver Age and I still want Green Arrow beardless, Flash's costume to explode out of his ring and Wonder Woman to look like Wonder Woman.
Maybe I am too focused on looks....

Anyway, here is four minutes of the ten minutes of footage that WB released online (you get to hear Hal recite the oath!)....

Real Life Super Villains and Heroes...Kinda

Ever wonder why crazy people can't put on costumes and go out and fight crime?
You know...like Batman.
It seems like everyone you hear about that dresses up as a comic book character picks a super villain.

Case in point:

Gunman Dressed As The Joker Shot By Police
A soldier dressed and wearing face-paint like Batman villain The Joker was shot and killed by police in the Shenandoah National Park after he pointed a loaded shotgun at them after a chase, an FBI affidavit says.
Army Spc. Christopher Lanum, a suspect in the stabbing of a fellow soldier at Fort Eustis, was killed hours after the attack when officers attempted to stop the minivan he was driving, according to court documents filed Wednesday that first disclosed the weekend shooting.
full story here
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/12/national/main4863064.shtml

But on a better note, we may have a real life "Spider-Man":

Paraplegic Man Suffers Spider Bite, Walks Again
He has been confined to a wheelchair for 20 years. Now a paraplegic man is walking again, and his doctors call it a miracle. CBS13 went to Manteca to find out how a spider bite helped get him back on his feet.
http://cbs13.com/local/Paraplegic.Man.Suffers.2.958151.html

But even this story doesnt have a happy ending.....

The story of a paraplegic who man is walking for the first time in 20 years, has taken a new twist.
David Blancarte, the Modesto man possibly being considered as a medical marvel after he was able to walk following a spider bite, is in jail.
http://cbs13.com/watercooler/Paraplegic.Man.Suffers.2.960606.html

::sigh::

To quote Bonnie Tyler:

"Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream
of what I need..."

Comic Book Video Game: "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows"

The Spider-Man: Web of Shadows video game will be coming out tomorrow (October 22).
The game will come in three versions, a full-3D action game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, and Wii, a 2.5D sidescrolling action game for PlayStation Portable, and a 2.5D side-scroller for the Nintendo DS.
It looks like they've covered all the bases with this release.

GAME PREVIEW: "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows"
by Erik Amaya, Contributing Writer

“Spider-Man: Web of Shadows,” the new action game from Activision developed by Shaba / Treyarch and based on the Marvel Comics superhero, is scheduled for release October 22. Last week, CBR News got a hands-on first look at the game, which will be available on most console platforms, Nintendo DS and PC.

Like “The Incredible Hulk” released earlier this year as well as previous Spider-Man games, “Web of Shadows” continues the tradition of free-roaming action around an eight-square mile chunk of Manhattan. Missions are accessible at player’s discretion, and roaming mobs allow for a quick fight. Also, being a Spider-Man game, traveling around town is best accomplished with web slinging. Shaba’s mission statement in this game: take fluidity of motion and bring it to an action game.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18309

Argent - DC Comics

 Argent is a DC Comics female superhero.
Her first appearance was in the second series of the Teen Titans comics in issue #1.
She remained a regular member of that team until the events of Graduation Day when Nightwing disbanded the Titans.
Her powers are...well imagine a Green Lantern without needing the ring, and the creations aren't green, they're silver.
Argent made an appearance in Season 5 of the Teen Titans cartoon.
In the cartoon, Argent fired crimson energy beams which kinda blows the whole "Argent" thing but hey.

The Other Andromeda (Marvel Comics)

Andromeda, by John Buscema

DC Comics isn't the only brand that has an Andromeda. Marvel Comics has one too.
But this one has blue skin and is the daughter of Attuma, one of Prince Namor's ( The Sub-Mariner) enemies.
Despite being a super villain's daughter, she rose above this and became a superhero herself. Fed up with her fathers male chauvinist attitude, Andromeda defected from the ranks of Attuma's legions and joined Atlantis.
Okay, Namor was a chauvinist too, but he wasn't as bad as Attuma.
Andromeda even joined The Defenders.
And died there.
It's okay, Dr. Strange brought her back to life.
Kinda.
And later on, she even got to beat Attuma in one on one combat.

Laurel Gand / Andromeda - DC Comics

Laurel Gand, sometimes known as Andromeda, is a character in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
She was created as a replacement for Supergirl in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion continuity, because they killed Supergirl.
Andromeda was also inspired by elements of Superman's supposed descendant Laurel Kent, who was revealed to be a Manhunter android in the post-Crisis, pre-Zero Hour continuity.
She was in Superman: The Animated Series, in the episode "New Kids In Town".

I like the costume and all, but all these future time lines and alternate reality superheroes are kinda confusing to me.
Oh for the Silver Age days, when all we had to contend with was Earth 2.
I keep thinking that if Marvel and DC keep going, the entire Earth will be populated with super beings and they'll be no one else left to rescue.

American Dream, Marvel Comics

Artwork by Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding

American Dream, aka Shannon Carter, is a character featured in Marvel Comics MC2 series A-Next.
Her costume is very similar to that of Captain America and like him she has an indestructible metal shield.
She appeared as a civilian in A-Next no. 1, and was named as "Shannon" in A-Next no.3, it was not until A-Next no. 4 that she appeared in costume, as a prospective team member.

American Dream is the daughter of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter. Shannon Carter grew up idolizing Captain America and was hired by Edwin Jarvis as a tour guide for the Avengers Headquarters, at that time functioning only as a museum. When the new Avengers team was formed, she was determined to join.
She wears a costume based on Captain America's and although she is a non-powered human, American Dream is in peak physical condition and is a skilled martial artist. She has disc weapons similar to Ricochet's and has superb aim. She now also carries a version of Captain America's shield, which she uses both defensively and offensively to great effect and her fighting skills are matched by her leadership ability.
After joining the team as the "American Dream", Shannon soon proved herself to be an effective Avenger, and when the team saved the original Avengers from a dark parallel world, Captain America himself judged her worthy to wield the shield of the alternate Captain. She also proved to be an important character in defeating Galactus in the Last Planet Standing limited series. She along with Stinger and Spider-Girl shrink themselves and took down Galactus from the inside. They survived the iminante explosion by shrinking to microscopic size.

Carter is the leader of the "Dream Team" comprising herself, Bluestreak, Crimson Curse and Freebooter. All members of the Dream Team became members of the new Avengers team in A-Next no. 4. American Dream is also an ally of Spider-Girl, Earth Sentry, Blacklight, Coal Tiger, Argo and Captain America.

American Dream has fought against the Sons of the Serpent, Seth, the Revengers, Fatal Force and Loki.

American Dream's own five-part mini-series began in May 2008. The first issue was a sell out.

You know I could have sworn I saw a sketch YEARS ago of a woman in a Captain America costume called " American Dream". There was also a female Vision character called " Vision of Loveliness". It seems like they were done by John Byrne, but I could be wrong.

Superheroines A to Z - American Dream
http://www.bubblews.com/news/2463904-superheroines-a-to-z-american-dream

Amber, DNAgents

Amber was a member of the DNAgents that could project disks of electromagnetic energy as shields, weapons or stand on them to fly.
She was very outgoing socially and curious.
DNAgents was a comic book created by writer Mark Evanier and artist Will Meugniot and published by Eclipse Comics in 1983.
I never really got into the DNAgents, I think they reminded me too much of the Teen Titans.
That was proved out in the Teen Titans when the DNAgents " kinda" met the Titans.
I say kinda because the team the Titans fought was called the "ReCombatants". It was one of those crossover teams like the Squadron Supreme/JLA parallel team that fought the Avengers.

If you notice, in most shots, Rainbow (tall, slender, waist length multicolored hair, bare midriff, thigh high boots) is presented in the front, while Amber is in the background there somewhere.
Wonder why.......?
Well anyway, now, Amber gets her own entry without a Rainbow in sight.

Comic Book Blogs

Normally I don't do this, but I ran across several comic book related blogs today I really wanted to bring to everyones attention.
Some are funny, some are informative, some are both.
So yes this post is mainly just links.
Okay...it IS just links.
But GOOD links!

http://absorbascon.blogspot.com/
http://againwiththecomics.blogspot.com/
http://batfatty.livejournal.com/
http://bearcity.blogspot.com/
http://www.readaboutcomics.com/
http://comicsatemybrain.blogspot.com/
http://doctor-k100.blogspot.com/

.....Enjoy!

Watchmen, part 7

Another movie poster for the Watchmen, this one featuring Nite Owl.
I hope they get to use these posters......

Doomsday for Watchmen?

Doomsday for Watchmen?

Who will watch Watchmen? Nobody, if 20th Century Fox gets its way.

After a major court victory, the studio has announced a bid to block the release of Warner Bros.' anticipated adaptation of the seminal graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Fox originally tried to develop the project more than a decade ago, but didn't manage to get the film off the drawing board. The studio claims Warners never properly acquired the rights to Watchmen, and, in a major twist, instead of seeking a share of the would-be blockbuster's box-office gross, Fox is seeking to kill the flick entirely before it unspools in theaters March 6.

Cue the agonized cries of fanboys everywhere.

A federal judge in Los Angeles agreed with Fox lawyers that there's enough evidence to keep the lawsuit going forward—and keep the film's release in limbo.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b24472_doomsday_watchmen.html

DC Comics

DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. A subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment (part of Time Warner) since 1969, DC is one of the world's largest English language publisher of comic books. DC Comics produces material featuring a large number of well-known characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their teammates in the Justice League, who are among the medium's most popular and influential.

DC Comics was founded as National Allied Publications in 1934 by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. The initials "DC" were originally an abbreviation for the company's popular title Detective Comics, and later became the official name. DC has been successively headquartered at different areas of New York City, including: 432 Fourth Avenue; 480 and later 575 Lexington Avenue; 909 Third Avenue; 75 Rockefeller Plaza; 666 Fifth Avenue; and 1325 Avenue of the Americas. DC moved to 1700 Broadway in the mid-1990s, relocating there with Warner Bros. Entertainment's Mad, which had moved from 485 Madison Avenue.

The corporation is an amalgamation of several companies. National Allied Publications was founded by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1934 to publish New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (Feb. 1935), later known as More Fun. This groundbreaking comic book was the first such periodical consisting solely of original material rather than reprints of newspaper comic strips. Retitled New Fun after the first issue, it was a tabloid-sized, 10-inch by 15-inch, 36-page magazine with a paper, non-glossy cover. Issue #6 (Oct. 1935) brought the comic book debut of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the future creators of Superman, who began their careers with the musketeer swashbuckler "Henri Duval" and, under the pseudonyms "Leger and Reuths", the supernatural crimefighting adventures of "Doctor Occult".( Doctor Occult is the earliest character created by DC Comics still currently in use in its shared universe fiction.) Wheeler-Nicholson added a second magazine, New Comics, which premiered with a Dec. 1935 cover date and at a size close to what would become comic books' standard size during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age, with slightly larger dimensions than today's. That title evolved into Adventure Comics, which continued through issue #503 in 1983, becoming one of the longest-running comic book series.

His third and final title was Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated Dec. 1936, but eventually premiering three months late, with a March 1937 cover date. The themed anthology series would become a sensation with the introduction of Batman in issue #27 (May 1939). By then, however, Wheeler-Nicholson was gone. In 1937, in debt to printing-plant owner and magazine distributor Harry Donenfeld — who was as well a pulp-magazine publisher and a principal in the magazine distributorship Independent News — Wheeler-Nicholson was compelled to take Donenfeld on as a partner in order to publish Detective #1. Detective Comics, Inc. was formed, with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack S. Liebowitz, Donenfeld's accountant, listed as owners. Major Wheeler-Nicholson remained for a year, but cash-flow problems continued, and he was forced out. Shortly afterward, Detective Comics Inc. purchased the remains of National Allied, also known as Nicholson Publishing, at a bankruptcy auction.

Detective Comics Inc. shortly launched a fourth title, Action Comics, the premiere of which introduced Superman (a character with which Wheeler-Nicholson was not directly involved; editor Vin Sullivan chose to run the feature after Sheldon Mayer rescued it from the slush pile). Action Comics #1 (June 1938), the first comic book to feature the new character archetype soon to be called superheroes, proved a major sales hit and ushered in the period fans and historians call Golden Age of comic books. The company quickly introduced such other popular characters as Sandman and Batman.



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IGN: Superman on Trial

IGN: Superman on Trial:

"October 1, 2007 - An ongoing lawsuit over the rights to the characters of Superman and Superboy could have a far-reaching impact on Warner Bros.' small and big-screen incarnations of the DC Comics characters."

Bombshell

Bombshell is a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe who was first mentioned in Teen Titans vol. 3, #38. She was a member of the Teen Titans during the one year gap after Infinite Crisis. She has similar powers to Captain Atom as she underwent the same alien metal skin experiment that Nathaniel Adam did.

Bombshell has Dilustel (quantum metal) skin like Major Force and Captain Atom, which was cut from the body of an alien lifeform known as the Silver Shield which was captured by Project Atom. This skin makes her nearly invulnerable. She can fly and fire blasts of energy. Bombshell can generate energy waves capable of scrambling the minds of others, and can control electromagnetically powered technology, like the electronic parts of Cyborg.

Bombshell's origin is different from Captain Atom's and Major Force's in that she was not exposed to a nuclear explosion in the course of acquiring her Dilustel coating; she was merely covered with the alien material. Thus, there is no risk of a radiation hazard if her quantum metal skin is breached: in fact, damaging the metal coating beyond a certain point seems to negate her powers as it is not bonded to her body.

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Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary is a New God of Apokolips in the DC Comics universe.

A member of the junior Female Furies, Bloody Mary is an energy vampire that enjoys sucking the life out of her victims. She also flies using a disk and can project energy out of her eyes that can manipulate her enemies. She hates being touched, and will ruthlessly kill anyone who dares to. She has only worked with the Furies on a few occasions.

Bloody Mary was killed during a battle with Sovereign Seven after she tried to suck the life from Maitresse; however, since the SOVEREIGN SEVEN series is no longer considered to be a part of DC universe continuity, the character presumably remains alive and available for use.

Blithe

Blithe is a character from DC Comics' Supergirl series. She first appeared in Supergirl # 39, December 1999.

Little is known abouth Blithe's past.
It is known that to become an Earth-Born Angel, one must sacrifice themselves for one who is beyond hope and merge with them into one being. But Blithe doesn't seem like someone who would save anybody. In fact Blithe was a valued servant of a vampiric demon called the Carnivore. At his behest, Blithe used her psychic light powers to illuminate repressed memories in the heartbroken male-female merged Comet, and make his female form fill with feelings of hate and abandonment. This turned Comet into a very angry angelic centaur. Blithe and Comet both attacked the third Earth Angel, Supergirl, but Supergirl was able to defeat them both. However during the battle, Blithe was crippled by avalanche. She begged her master Carnivore for help, but he scoffed at her, calling her a crippled firefly. Blithe was in love with Carnivore, and this rejection drove her over the edge. Still able to fly, she flew to where scientist were keeping the evil half of Matrix, and merged with it, healing her crippled form and giving her stronger powers. She then teamed up with Comet and Supergirl, and the three fought and destroyed the Carnivore by combining their angelic powers of Love, Fire, and Light. Blithe realized that she had feelings for Comet, and didn't care which form the dual-gendered Comet assumed (which hinted that Blithe is bisexual). She was seen fighting alongside Comet during the period where Linda Danvers was separated from her Angelic half. It is assumed that the two are still together.

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Black Thorn

Created by Paul Kupperberg and Tod Smith, Black Thorn is a DC Comics character that first appeared in Vigilante #45.

Elizabeth Thorne used to have a life as a partying socialite, basically a rich drunk. Her brother forces her into rehab. While happy not to be involved with the bottle anymore, she misses the thrill of life. She joins up with the CIA but soon feels constrained by the need to operate within the law.

She fakes her own death and takes on the identity of Black Thorn. She begins working as a vigilante in New York where she met and fell in love with the Vigilante. For a time, her own methods are more brutal then even the Vigilante's own and they often argue. However, he goes insane and begins murdering innocent people, including cops. In a brief moment of clarity, the Vigilante commits suicide.

Devastated, she is later brought into the Checkmate organization by Harry Stein. There she comes into opposition with Amanda Waller.
Black Thorn is sent, along with Checkmate, Suicide Squad and other operatives, to oppose Kobra's plan to kill millions of people from an orbiting alien vessel. The mission succeeds, though many on both sides die.

Black Thorn is still at least semi-active, as she assists Wonder Woman and a whole host of female heroes against the forces of Circe in New York City.



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Black Orchid

Black Orchid is the name of three superheroines published by DC Comics. The first version of the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 (July 1973).

Although she has a number of superpowers —she can fly and is super-strong and bulletproof- her main ability is a mastery of disguise. She often spends an entire investigation impersonating an insignificant background female, such as a maid, a secretary, someone's girlfriend, and the other characters only discover her involvement at the end of the story upon finding the abandoned disguise with her calling card, a black orchid.

After appearing in Adventure Comics #'s 428–430, she next appeared as a backup feature in The Phantom Stranger #'s 31–41 (1974–1976), after which the character appeared only sporadically, such as an occasional cameo in comic books as diverse as the Crisis on Infinite Earths 12-issue limited series and Blue Devil Annual #1 (both 1985). She also appeared in Suicide Squad as a member of the team in issues #4, 7, 11, 12, 19, and 22 (1987–1988).

In 1988, the character was relaunched in a three-part limited series called Black Orchid which was written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean. The miniseries fleshed out the character considerably, providing an origin story which explained how and why she became known as Black Orchid. It also gave the character a civilian name in her origin sequence, Susan Linden-Thorne. She was given ties to the characters Swamp Thing, Floronic Man, and Poison Ivy.

The original Black Orchid is killed in this miniseries, and a new one which is a "sister" of sorts to the original is introduced. She goes under the alias of Flora Black to meet with Sherilyn Sommers, her closest friend.

An ongoing Black Orchid series, published under the Vertigo imprint, featuring the new Black Orchid, ran from 1993 to 1995. The second version of the character used pheromone manipulation as mind control to became a femme fatale, breaking and marrying millionaire Elliot Weems to claim his fortune and company business as her own. She then became the series' major villain in the closing story arc. She perished in the final issue. Her companion, a child version of Black Orchid heretofore nicknamed "Suzy", had matured over the course of the series, taking up the mantle of the Black Orchid as a young adult.

The grown-up Suzy is identical to her "sister" and carries on the tradition in both the DC Universe and related Vertigo titles. She has appeared in four event titles: 1999's Totems graphic novel, 2001's Justice Leagues miniseries, 2005's Day of Vengeance miniseries, and 2006's Infinite Crisis miniseries. She is at present an ally of the Shadowpact.

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Black Alice

Black Alice is a DC Comics character introduced in Birds of Prey #76 (January 2005). She is a magically powered anti-hero who uses her powers to prey on drug dealers in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

Lori Zechlin was a goth teen who lived with her father and her mother, a drug addict. Neither Lori nor her father (identified as John) suspected Mrs. Zechlin's addiction because she abused stolen prescription pharmaceuticals supplied by local drug dealers.

One day, overwhelmed by shame, Mrs. Zechlin put on her best dress, took an overdose of drugs, and drowned herself in the pool. Lori discovered the body when she came home from school. Lori discovered later that same night that she had a metahuman ability – she could "borrow" the magical powers of other superheroes or supervillains. Although she could not use the powers as well as their owners, and had little control over when she could take them or how long she could use them, Lori (taking the name Black Alice) formulated a plan to avenge her mother's death and punish the prescription drug traffickers whom she saw as above the law.

Lori's father, shattered and slipping into depression, became a recluse. He tried to pretend for Lori's sake that nothing was wrong. Her mother's death also distressed Lori, but she was aware of the change in her father and assigned herself the role of caregiver. Her grades started to slip, and she became alienated from her peers. Her primary social group, a Wiccan circle, expelled her because she was emitting "black energy" after her mother's death (in actuality, the circle's leader – her best friend, Dawn – was jealous of Lori's real and growing powers).

Having recently left Gotham City following the destruction of their clock tower headquarters, the Birds of Prey were traveling the country by jet in order to identify and help previously unknown metahumans. Oracle had become aware of Lori's power, but not her specific abilities. She sent Huntress, disguised as a school teacher, to keep an eye on Lori and offer counseling, while Black Canary was tasked with keeping surveillance on all of Lori's activities. The goal was to determine the specific nature and strength of Lori's powers.

While Black Canary watched, Lori abruptly left her boyfriend, Kyle, when Doctor Fate's power manifested. She decided to use it before its subsidence, and sought out a trio of suspected drug dealers. When Lori seemed intent to use lethal force, Black Canary intervened to save the lives of the three men. Doctor Fate's power faded, and Lori fled the scene, tailed by Black Canary. Suddenly manifesting Zatanna's powers, Lori waylaid Canary and escaped.

Black Canary and Huntress united to tail Kyle in the hopes of rediscovering Lori, and instead found that Kyle was two-timing Lori with Dawn. Lori discovered the same thing shortly afterwards and prepared to destroy a shopping mall (having now manifested the powers of Black Adam) in her efforts to avenge herself on Kyle. Black Canary was able to bring her down in an all-out brawl, but it was Huntress who brought a stop to Lori's rampage by presenting a contrite Dawn.

Oracle turned Lori over to the care of the real Doctor Fate, where she would receive guidance in the use of her powers.

But soon after, Dr.Fate died........

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