FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE

As I have mentioned once or twice in the past month I have pretty much walked away from the current DCU as far as the comics are concerned but I still love that universe and the characters that live in it.  Sometime back it was announced that there would be a Young Justice animated series coming soon from Warner Animation and today’s YouTube video is something that came out of San Diego this weekend and I thought it was keen.

I have to admit that all signs point to pretty darn awesome if this video is any indication of how the series is going to go down.  I have enjoyed the episodes of The Batman that I’ve seen written by Greg Weisman and Brad Douglas and my other friends over at the Spider-Man Crawlspace have said nothing but good things about his work on the Spectacular Spider-Man so I am confident the guy has a good handle on comic book characters in animation.

The biggest surprise is that the members of the Justice League are involved in the series, especially Batman and Superman.  Usually when these sorts of series are produced the mentor characters are either mentioned and never shown or never mentioned at all, so it is kind of cool that we’re going to be seeing the adults as well as the younger heroes.  The animation style reminds me of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, which is fine by me and the shot of the Hall of Justice put a big ol’ smile on my face.  Would I have preferred a more direct adaptation of the comic series that the series takes it’s name from?  Sure.  I am a huge fan of Peter David’s Young Justice series, but I figured they were going to make some sweeping changes and was prepared for that eventuality.  Frankly I am glad the show looks as good as it does.

So yeah, I am going to go out on a limb and say I am excited about this series and look forward to it’s premiere.

That’s it for today.  Come back tomorrow for more Superman goodness.

More to follow…

Sometimes I feel like a phony.

Well not really, but kind of.  At least not in any way that really means anything, but still.

Here’s the deal; I have garnered something of a reputation among the people I know and even people I don’t know directly as having a good handle on comic book minutia.  I don’t know everything and I have a good number of blind spots but I know more than most, enough to win a couple of trivia contests, which carries with it a certain amount of pride peppered with the knowledge that winning at a comic book trivia contest is a lot like winning a hot dog eating contest; sure it’s an accomplishment but at the end of the day it can’t be good for you.

In any case I have literally read thousands of comic books in my lifetime not to mention countless books on the subject.  I can speak with some authority on a number of characters and series.  Ninety-nine percent of the time I know what the heck I’m talking about.

And yet there are times when I feel like a complete and utter phony.

See most of the comics I’ve read I have done so academically or at least academic in the theoretical sense.  For the first seven year of my collecting life I mainly bought the Superman titles.  Sure I bought the odd issue here and there and made a run at collecting the Batman titles or Flash and a few of the X-titles but mostly it was the four comics featuring the adventures of the Man of Steel.  As I have written time and again the full on collecting bug bit me right after high school during the summer of 1994 when Zero Hour rode high and I thought that the DC line of comics was the best around, nothing’s ever going to keep it down.  After that I bought comics like they were going out of style.  I read a good chunk of the DC titles and even jumped on the Marvel bandwagon from time to time.  When it comes to the Mark Waid run on Flash, Ron Marz’s time on Green Lantern, Heroes Reborn, Heroes Return, Chuck Dixon on Robin, etc. I can discuss them both in terms of what it was like the read the books as they came out and in what happened in the books themselves.  This can be referred to as they, “I was there man!” approach to comic book discussion.

When it comes to the time period between 1987 and 1994 however there are a good number of books sitting in my collection that I can’t talk about in those terms.  I was there but not directly involved.  A good example is the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis run on the various Justice League titles from 1987 until 1992.  I was reading comics at the time.  I was even going to the comic shop on a semi-regular basis towards the end there, so I have some idea of what readers thought of those titles at the time and have heard much anecdotal evidence after the fact of what it was like to read those books as they came out but I didn’t personally read those comics until 1997 or so. So I’ve read the books and I can talk about them in terms of content and what I can piece together from memories and conversations, but I wasn’t “there”.  I didn’t experience the series as it came out.  The same can be said of the majority of Peter David’s run of Incredible Hulk or the Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men.

So when I write about those titles and when I talk about those titles I can do so with a sense of authority but there is always that nagging feeling in the back of my head that I’m a fake because I didn’t read them when they came out.  I know it may seem kind of silly but it is what it is.  Sometimes I’ll be writing a post or recording an episode of my podcast and worry that this guy will come out and accost me.

Oh well.  Life goes on.  I know that even thought I can’t pull out the, “You weren’t there, man!” card with everything I write and talk about I can at least do so without talking out of my ass.

And sometimes that makes all the difference.

More to follow…

With all of the whining I did this week I just plain forgot to post my usual YouTube Tuesday.  I’ll rectify that today.

It is no secret that my all time favorite animated super-hero series ever is Justice League/Justice League Unlimited.  Loved it.  Loved it to pieces.  I watched the series as best as I could when they first aired and I have gone through my box sets on numerous occasions.  I just dig the way Bruce Timm and crew animated the DC characters.

On two separate occasions the series had Superman and Darkseid duking it out.  I am a sucker for a good Superman/Darkseid fight.  When done right it is an awesome thing to see and Bruce Timm, along with the various writers, producers, animators and other people that worked on the show, lived up to that on both occasions.  What I enjoyed about those fights is how personal they were.  In the final two episodes of Superman: The Animated Series Darkseid took control of Superman’s mind and very nearly conquered the Earth before Superman broke free of his control.  Even though Superman fought Darkseid to a standstill it was apparent that the citizens of Apokolips were still going to love and support their dictator.

In the opening two episodes of Justice League‘s second season Darkseid came to Superman for help.  Brainiac had come a calling and was fixing to destroy Apokolips and New Genesis.  Turns out Darkseid was working with Brainiac and at the end of that particular story Superman got another chance to take his revenge.  Darkseid apparently died at the end of that battle, though not at Superman’s hands.

Gotta love Superman burning through Darkseid’s foot.  What I like about that particular brawl is how it was one of the rare times that Superman was willing to let someone die.  To him Darkseid had to go.  I don’t know if anyone had a problem with this though I can see why they did.  I saw it as an interesting character exercise.  This scene also had two interesting exchanges between Superman and Batman the first being when Batman stopped Superman from killing Darkseid.  The relationship between these two characters went through an interesting evolution over the course of the series.  My take on Batman getting Superman out of there was that Batman didn’t want Superman to cross that line, which deepend their friendship.  “You are not going to cross that line and I am going to make sure of that.”  All throughout this two-parter Batman had been pushing Superman’s buttons, which led to that neat line at the end where Superman told Bruce that he wasn’t always right.  So not only was this a great fight, but a great moment between Superman and Batman as well.

In the final episode of the series Darkseid returned in a big way and he was gunning for Superman.

Best.  Fight.  Ever.

Seriously.  While some may believe that Superman was acting out of character I thought that it was an interesting exploration of how far the Man of Steel could be pushed.  Superman was different on Justice League/Justice League Unlimited.  He had more of an edge to him but not in a bad way.  Most of the time he was reacting to the world around him and on more than one occasion his actions were manipulated by outside forces.  While it may not be my favorite version of the character I still dig on it quite a bit.  I thought that George Newbern did a fantastic job as the voice of Superman and was not only able to bring the edge to the character but also get the subtler, almost funnier side to the Man of Steel.

Great.  Now I want to watch all of it again.  Not that that’s a bad thing mind you.

More to follow…

I have a number of comments and observations pertaining to this issue.

Superman has a rather pleasant look on his face and is inviting Batman to come in.  Secretly he’s thinking, “Great Rao, Bruce, get that batarang out of your ass and join the Rao damn party.”

Why is Plastic Man giving Hal Jordan a back rub?

Plastic Man is also checking out Superman’s behind.  It’s why he wears the sunglasses, by the way.  That way he can just stare and stare and no one will notice.

Hawkman is not having a good time because Hawkman NEVER has a good time.

Hawkgirl is about five seconds from telling Carter that he needs to get the mace out of his ass and have a good time or so help her Ra she is leaving him and shaking up with Green Arrow.  She doesn’t care that Green Arrow is with Dinah because secretly Dinah’s into that kind of thing and Hawkgirl knows this.

Wonder Woman is enjoying herself because the pagan nature of the Christmas tree appeals to her upbringing.

Aquaman really wants to ask Zatana out.  Zatana doesn’t even know he’s alive.

Zatana…I really have nothing here.  Zatana is just having a good time and misses her Dad.  I mean he’s dead, right?  Has DC retconned that yet?

Captain Marvel doesn’t get any of the jokes that Ollie tells, but he laughs anyway so he doesn’t look like a dork.

Barry so wants to call him out on that.

Ollie is secretly thinking how awesome it would be to bag Hawkgirl and Black Canary at the same time and be part of a Pretty Bird Sandwich.

Dinah wants to leave Ollie for Hawkgirl.

What…in the hell…is Red Tornado drinking?

J’onn is on his fifth Manhattan and is getting to be a bit of a jerk.

Batman is thinking about how he is an orphan at Christmas time.  Because Batman is ALWAYS thinking about the fact that he is an orphan and everyone wants to tell him to knock that crap off but he has those files on how to kill them so they keep quiet and Batman really, really likes that.

Oh well, I think I’ve done enough today to ensure my place in Hell.  I swear my next two Christmas posts will be much more festive and not as snarky.

At least that’s the plan.

More to follow…

Seriously, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited are my absolute favorite super-hero animated series ever.

Actually all of the Earth-Timm DC related series that I have seen are across the board awesome but these two¹ have a special place in my fannish heart.  Both series just nailed what is best about DC and their characters.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am a fan of the comics first and foremost and love the complex histories and the continuity, but the way Bruce Timm and company distilled the essence of the DC Universe into one, easy to latch on format is just amazing.

I don’t normally like to gush, but it’s kind of hard when it comes to this show.

Every once in a while I like to take out my box sets and watch the whole thing again².  Actually I am in the process of doing so right now.  Every time I watch the series I get something new out of it.  Take Secret Origins for example.  These three episodes introduced the show and while it is not my favorite episode(s) it was a great way to kick things off.  This morning before work I am watching it and I hear a name I’ve heard every other time I’ve seen the episodes. 

Jay Alan Carter.

This was the astronaut turned Senator turned alien traitor³.  Jay Alan Carter.  Why does it sound familiar?

And then it hits me.

Jay Garrick.  Alan Scott.  Carter Hall.

Flash.  Green Lantern.  Hawkman.

I should have seen it earlier, but I didn’t.

Oh well, worst in life has happened.  For now I am content to sit back and watch the super-hero goodness unfold.

Man I love this show.

More to follow…

Fortress Footnotes

Welcome to Getting My Fix, a weekly feature here at the Fortress where I, like many other comic book bloggers, tell you what I bought this week.

I mean everyone else does it so why shouldn’t I?

We’ll start with the comics I bought for me.

Now that is one amazing cover.

I have not read this latest issue of Supergirl yet but I am looking forward to it.  I don’t think I am alone in thinking that this title has had some serious problems over it’s nearly three year publication history and this is where things might really turn around.  Not that I disliked the last few issues, but with everything I have read about this new direction I have high hopes.

Especially with New Krypton coming up.

Read more…

So I get home from work today and I discover my wife watching The Wizards of Waverly Place, which frankly surprises the heck out of me.  Rachel usually doesn’t go for such things.  In the past she has looked upon such shows as being somewhat derogatory to her religion, so I was somewhat taken aback.

Despite this I stood there for a few minutes watching the show with her and she explains that it is about a family where the three kids all have magical powers but only one can become the wizard of the family, so they are not only young wizards in training but much like Highlander there can be only one. Read more…