During an interview with The Comics Cube (via The Direct), Campbell said that classic villains like Brainiac, General Zod, and Lex Luthor were restricted from use in the first season.

“Some of it was… Warner Bros… and I think it was a good note,” she said. “Like our big execs on Warner Brothers were like, ‘Well, these are the big hitters that everybody’s seen and everybody’s expecting. And we’ve seen this a million times, so we want your twists on things.'”

Campbell continued, “And I think it was Sam Register and Audrey Diehl, who were doing notes with us, were like, ‘These characters take up the whole screen. They kind of suck the air out because they’re so famous, and there’s so many expectations, so hold off on them. Hold off on these characters, and build the story how you see fit.'”

They did manage to at least get a tease of Brainiac and Zod in the season one finale, which should mean more of these characters in the next season, which is exciting.

My Adventures With Superman is currently available to watch on Max and stars Jack Quaid as Clark Kent/Superman, Alice Lee as Lois Lane, and Ishmel Sahid as Jimmy Olsen.

The post MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN Producer Reveals Which Characters Were Restricted For Season One appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]

Director: Gregory Smith

Writers: Brent Fletcher & Todd Helbing

Starring: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Culditz, Sofia Hasmik, Chad L. Coleman, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Wolé Parks, Erik Valdez, Alex Garfin, Michael Bishop

Reviewed by: Steven Brown

Summary

Superman & Lois 3×13: All of Smallville comes together to view a meteor shower; Lex Luthor makes his move with a weapon that can rival Superman in raw power – and perhaps even kill him.

Positives

Thanks to the machinations of Bruno Mannheim, Lex Luthor finally has a weapon that may be capable of actually killing Superman. Finding the formally imprisoned Bizarro underground, Lex captures him and decides to experiment on and torture him. Being killed again and again, Bizarro resurrects more powerful than before. With each resurrection, Bizarro’s body becomes more and more twisted and disfigured, until Lex finally unleashes the creature upon the Man of Steel.

Negatives

I have no complaints about this episode. The action scenes were top notch, and the emotional impact was done really well. A particular scene between Lois and Superman during the battle with Doomsday stays in my mind, as Superman gives Lois a look, as if he knows he’s not going to return from battle this time.

If I had to complain about something, I hate that the next season is going to cut so much of the cast from the show. This episode saw some exciting new horizons for characters such as Chrissy and Kyle, and even Lana and John seemed to have found a potential relationship with each other. However, with the cuts being announced before the start of next season, I’m not sure what happens to these existing characters and their relationships with each other.

Verdict

Superman & Lois 3×13 was a great episode and an amazing conclusion to season three. It appears that the possible final season of the show will air in 2024 and I hope that the writers give it a proper send off for the fans it’s amassed over the years. There are so many vital parts to this show, between the villains, the action, and the entire family aspect of Clark’s life, and I hope they keep that same energy going into the final season.

Score: 5/5

The post Review: Superman & Lois 3×13 – “What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger” (Season Finale) appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Directors: Richard Donner, Richard Lester, Sidney J. Furie

Writers: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, Tom Mankiewicz, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Annette O’Toole, Jackie Cooper, Jon Cryer

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Thanks to WB for providing a review copy.

Summary

Superman: 5-Film Collection: As part of the year-long celebration for the 100t anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios, five films featuring the iconic DC superhero Superman – Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace – available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital.

Positives

1978’s Superman: The Movie, the first big-budget superhero movie, is considered by many to be one of the greatest superhero movies, if not the greatest, ever. And the general consensus is that Christopher Reeve was the finest live-action Superman. I whole-heartedly agree with that assessment, but will add that I feel that George Reeves, from the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV show did a better job of portraying his alter ego Clark Kent.

The 5-Film collection includes two versions of Superman II included, the original theatrical release and the Richard Donner Cut. For those not familiar with the story, Richard Donner was directing Superman and Superman II, with plans for back-to-back releases. However, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind replaced Donner with Richard Lester as director of Superman II.

Eventually, Warner gave Donner the opportunity to reconstruct his original vision for the film. However, Donner was somewhat hampered by only being able to use surviving filmed elements. With the cast much older, unable to perform, or passed away, reshoots were impossible. This resulted in a somewhat strange patchwork of Donner’s scenes still in the theatrical release, alternate takes, and screen test footage.

However, it’s a fascinating look at a movie that could have been, and Donner’s brilliance still manages to shine through, overshadowing Lester’s version. And it also set an important precedent that paved the way for the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Fortunately for Snyder, he had a lot more footage to work with for his restoration, as well as the ability for limited reshoots.

Positives Cont.

With Superman III, however, the franchise started to go downhill. While Richard Pryor was undoubtedly a talented comedian, the antics of his character were inappropriate for the tone set in the first two movies. With Superman III, a superhero adventure story devolved into a poorly managed farce.

Also, the plot involving computer crime has aged very poorly, and it wasn’t all that well carried out to begin with. But it’s near impossible to take seriously in terms of modern computer literacy.

However, the movie does have one saving grace. This occurs after Superman is turned evil by artificial Kryptonite. Superman’s metaphorical internal struggle becomes literal, as the evil Superman battles Clark Kent, who represents the goodness and humanity of the character. The scene plays out beautifully, and saves the film from mediocrity.

Superman: The Quest For Peace had noble intentions. Christopher Reeve contributed to the screenplay, wanting to tell a story with a message about nuclear disarmament. However, like Superman III, the writing quality fails to live up to the first two films. For example, there’s the  revelation of Superman’s new power, Rebuild-the-Great-Wall-Of-China-vision.

Also, the movie was hampered by some drastic cuts in budget. The special effects are noticeably much cruder than the previous movies. For example, some scenes of Superman flying are achieved through animation, rather than the graceful live-action flight used in the earlier films.

While Gene Hackman returns as Luthor, his henchman, the incompetent, but likeable Otis has been replaced by Lex’s less congenial nephew Lenny Luthor. Interestingly enough, Lenny is played by Jon Cryer, who grew up to play Lex Luthor in the CW Supergirl series.

Positives Cont.

There are two respects in which the Superman 5-Film Collection really shines. First is the picture and sound quality. With these films on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, this is the best that these movies have ever looked outside of the movie theatre, and likely will remain so for quite awhile – at least until 8K definition becomes the norm for home video.

The secondis in the wealth of special features available in this set. Warner previously released a DVD set with a huge release of additional content as the Ultimate Superman Collector’s Edition set. This content was then carried over to HD Blu-Ray in the Superman Motion Picture Anthology.

The  4K UHD disks in this new set don’t contain any extras beyond commentaries. However, an HD Blu-Ray disc of the five films are included. Each of these is a reissue of the same disc from the Motion Picture Anthology. Thus, each of these discs brings a copious helping of bonus features.

These include the typical fare of behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, documentaries, and many other notable items. There’s Superman and The Mole-Men, the pilot movie for the George Reeves TV series, WB Cartoons with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Private Snafu parodying Superman. As well as the complete Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s. These last are only in Standard Definition (i.e. DVD quality) . But if you want them in High Definition, you’re in luck. Warner is releasing them as a standalone Blu-Ray later this month.

Positives Cont.

It’s great to see that theatrical trailers of the films are also included. It’s irks me when a home video release doesn’t include the feature film’s trailers. This is the absolute bare minimum that should be included with any home video release. Thus, I am pleased to see that Warner remembered to include them here.

Negatives

While the special features from these five Blu-Ray discs are carried over from the Motion Picture Anthology, that was an eight disc set.  This means that 3 discs and their special features are not included in the 5-Film Collection. The Blu-Ray set also included the Extended Version of Superman: The Movie, Superman Returns, and a dedicated Special Features disc.

Thus, some buyers will have to decide what you want out of this set. Is owning the complete set of special features your priority? Or is having the superior picture quality more important to you? If you don’t have a 4K capable TV and disc player, and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, or if 1080p HD is good enough for your tastes, then you should be quite happy with the older Blu-Ray set, which includes the full set of features. However, if you want the best available picture, and special features are not vital, then the 5-Film Collection is the best choice.

Negatives Cont.

The real dilemma is for those of us who want the best of both worlds. To get the movies in 4K and the full wealth of extras, there is no choice but to double-dip. The 5-Film Collection is still worth getting. But carefully consider whether you want to sell or give away the Blu-Ray set if you already own it.

And it’s also a bit disappointing that the 4K set didn’t include the Extended Edition and Superman Returns from the Motion Picture Anthology. It would also be nice to have Richard Donner’s director’s cut from 2001 (a.k.a. the Special Edition). However, their absence isn’t a huge detriment to this 4K collection.

Verdict

The movies included in the Superman 5-Film collection include a true classic, two versions of a flawed classic, and a great selection of extras. This more than makes up for the final two films, which are mediocre at best. If you want the best viewing experience possible for viewing these movies in your home, then this set will be a worthy addition to your library. However, if you want the full selection of extra features, then you might want to consider purchasing the older Blu-Ray Superman Motion Picture Anthology instead of or along with this set.

The post Blu-Ray Review: Superman 5-Film Collection (4K UHD) appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Jamal Campbell

Colours: Jamal Campbell

Letters: Ariana Maher

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Superman #1: It’s the Dawn of DC! Superman has returned to Metropolis and his greatest enemy Lex Luthor is finally behind bars. The future of the Superman family has never been brighter! As Clark Kent settles back into his life, iconic and new enemies erupt from the shadows to strike down the Man of Steel! But waiting in the wings to back up Big Blue is…Supercorp?! What secret project has Lex given to Superman?! “A hero is only as good as their villains” will be put to the test in this brand-new oversize #1 featuring comics’ greatest superhero by DC Comics architect Joshua Williamson and award-winning superstar artist Jamal Campbell!

Positives

This week, DC continues their Dawn of DC initiative with Superman #1 (and Catwoman #52). Relaunching their Superman series isn’t unprecedented, as this is the sixth volume of the title. However, it is notable because the previous volume was replaced with Superman: Son of Kal-El, starring Clark Kent’s son Jon. So, the Man of Steel’s eponymous title is returning after an absence of a year and a half.

Superman’s other main title, Action Comics, has undergone a change in format that features the entire Superman Family along with Superman. However, it seems that the focus of Superman will focus more on Superman and his classic supporting cast. In this first issue, we see Clark at work as a reporter at the Daily Planet with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. I was quite pleased to see this, as this side of Clark’s life has not been very prevalent in recent years, especially after the public revelation of his dual identity.

Also, we learn that Lois has stepped in as acting Editor in the wake of Perry White’s  recent heart attack. This is sure to affect the dynamics of Lois and Clark’s relationship, especially considering her declaration that she won’t go easy on any of the staff, including her husband.

Positives Cont.

Given that she knows and supports her husband’s other life, I doubt that she will interfere with his ability to act as Superman. But we also see that Lois is already feeling the stress that comes along with the job. I’m sure that Lois is up to the job, but she may face difficult times as she gets used to it. And Clark may find himself powerless to help Lois with this.

Also, Superman #1 is clearly setting Lex Luthor up to play an important role in Williamson’s story. But will Lex be the primary antagonist – or will he be on Superman’s side? While the issue seems to be pointing towards the former, the final page drops a tease that Lex may not be the big baddy of the series.

And Lex does something this issue that seems on the surface to be a benefit for Superman. He gives Superman ownership of Lexcorp, newly renamed to Supercorp. Luthor’s gift of the company’s resources and technology could be a vast help to Superman and the people of Metropolis. But Superman senses there are strings attached and tries to refuse Lex’s offer. However, he is informed that if Superman doesn’t take ownership of the company, all of Lex’s employees will be out of work, rendering half of Metropolis unemployed.

There are some nice Easter eggs strewn about the issue. Lex communicating with Superman by broadcasting at a frequency no one else can hear is the same method he used to first contact Superman in Superman: The Movie. And Lex’s hologram mimics the hologram of Jor-El from the same movie. And the Superman logo that appears on the cover and in the book’s epilogue is the classic logo. But it is coloured like the crystalline version from the Christopher Reeve movies.

Positives Cont.

Also, when Superman is visiting Supercorp, the Supermobile is visible in the background. This vehicle has been rarely seen in recent years, except in Peter J. Tomasi’s excellent Super Sons and in McFarlane Toy’s Super Powers action figure line.

Also, when Jimmy mentions his girlfriend, Lois refers to a number of his past girlfriends. All of these refer to actual women that Jimmy has been with in past stories. I love that one of these is “the gorilla princess”, making a reference to the very strange, but absolutely brilliant maxiseries Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen by Matt Fraction. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favour and do so.

The issue ends with a series of panels that teases some of the upcoming adventures that Superman has ahead of him in future issues of this title. Over these panels, we hear a voice speaking to Superman. This ends with a final panel that reveals who the voice belongs to. And it is a classic and very powerful Superman villain indeed. Williamson is clearly hinting at a major clash with this villain in the months ahead.

The art of Jamal Campbell is well-suited to this title. All the characters look exactly how they should. And I love how he captures the grandeur of Metropolis. We can see that it truly is a metropolis not only in name, but in scale. And his clean lines and bright colours mark it as being the City of Tomorrow that it is often called.

Negatives

Superman #1 has a main cover, twelve standard variant covers, and five ratio variant covers. That’s eighteen different covers. As I’ve stated in previous reviews, DC has a bad variant cover problem. Sure, it’s great for those readers who just want to pick one or two of the variants, but it really takes advantage of completionists who want them all.

Now Superman #1 isn’t the most egregious example of this, but it’s the most recent in a long line of books with too many variants. The first issue of a new Superman series is worth a couple extra variants, but eighteen is more than a little overkill. However, it’s not as bad as the last two issues of Action Comics. Action #1050 had a whopping 27 covers to mark an anniversary issue. But the anniversary wasn’t even to mark a multiple of a hundred, but of fifty! And then they followed it up the very next month with ten covers for Action #1051 to mark the book’s new direction. For all that’s holy, please lighten up on the constant barrage of multiple covers, DC!

Verdict

Joshua Williamson won me over with his amazing run on The Flash. And I thoroughly enjoyed his Infinite Frontier and Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. So, I am coming in with high expectations for this title. And if Superman #1 is any indication, he is going to live up to those expectations. And Jamal Campbell’s artwork is the perfect choice to bring Williamson’s story to life. I look forward to seeing what the upcoming issues have in store for the Man of Steel.

The post Review: Superman #1 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Directors: Jared Stern, Sam J. Levine

Writers: Jared Stern, John Whittington

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Kraskinski, Marc Maron, Keanu Reeves, Olivia Wilde

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Thanks to WB for the review copy.

Summary

DC League of Super-Pets: In DC League of Super-Pets, Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side-by-side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack; Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle, and Chip the squirrel – to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.

Positives

Make no mistake, DC’s League of Super-Pets is a kid’s movie, but it’s a terribly fun kid’s movie that parents and other adults can also appreciate. That’s not to say that there’s a second level of adult humor that goes over the heads of children. Rather, the fun is broad enough to be appreciated by all ages.

Krypto is a long-term and beloved part of the Superman mythos and is treated with the respect the character deserves. Of course, the story is simplified a bit and the animal characters are given anthropomorphic traits that aren’t terribly realistic but are typical for children’s cartoons.

For me, where the movie really shines is in the plentiful references to the wider DC Universe. The lineup of the Justice League seems based on the New 52 and Rebirth eras. Cyborg is present and Jessica Cruz serves as the team’s Green Lantern. Plus, there are a fair number of jokes about Batman. When the heroes each pair up with a pet to fight the villain, the Dark Knight tells Ace:

Batman works alone…except for Robin…and Alfred…Commissioner Gordon…Justice League, Batgirl, Batwoman, my IT crew, whoever Morgan Freeman played…Ah, what the heck.

At this, he jumps into the battle along with his newest partner. Keanu Reeves actually does a pretty good job as this story’s Batman. In fact, pretty much all of the voice acting is really good.

Positives Cont.

There are also tons of Easter eggs, referencing various bits of DC history, like the Big Belly Burger fast food chain and the Jitters coffee shop, as well as plenty of references to companies like Wayne Enterprises, Lexcorp, and Kord Inc.

I won’t spoil the end-credit scene, but it ties into another DC movie that’s about to debut. The voice of Krypto in League of Super-Pets is also starring in a DC movie releasing this month. In this short scene, that character makes an appearance along with his own pet dog. Unsurprisingly, the two pooches bicker over whose owner is superior. This leads to an amusing debate over the difference between an antihero and a villain.

Warner Home Video offers this movie in three different physical packages:

• 4K UHD combo pack, which also includes a Blu-Ray copy and digital download code
• Blu-Ray combo pack, which also includes a DVD copy and digital download code
• DVD single disk pack

Most of the special features are on the Blu-Ray, so the 4K and Blu-Ray packs include the full set of bonus features. However, the DVD only has a single feature, “Behind The Super Voices” which introduces viewers to the voice actors starring in the movie.

If you insist on the best picture quality possible, then the 4K version doesn’t disappoint. The picture is absolutely stunning. The Blu-Ray copy is also quite good and will probably be satisfactory for most viewers. But if you’re not picky about picture quality and don’t care for bonus features, then the DVD is a pretty good bargain.

Negatives

As a cat person, I am disappointed that there is little feline representation in this movie. The original Legion of Super-Pets actually featured Supergirl’s pet cat, Streaky. I suppose they didn’t want to have another animal with the exact same powers as Krypto, but couldn’t they have given Streaky or a stand-in cat a different set of powers?

I should be grateful they didn’t use the obvious trope of making the main villain a cat. However, they did make the only cat in the movie into a subordinate villain. There is some clever humor in the idea of making the seemingly innocent little kitten into an ultra-powerful amoral killer, but it just helps to further into the long-running cartoon stereotype of cats being evil. I’d like to see a heroic cat in a cartoon for once. I implore DC and Warner to include Streaky if League of Super-Pets gets a sequel.

Verdict

While children are the primary audience for this movie, there is much here for adults to appreciate – especially if they are DC fans. In fact, this movie is another great way to get the younger generation interested in comics. If they like the movie, then there are Super-Pets comics, as well as a wealth of other kid-friendly titles to choose from. But even if you don’t have any children to watch with, it’s still an amusing movie that adult DC fans can appreciate too.

The post Blu-Ray Review: DC League of Super-Pets appeared first on DC Comics News.

Attendees of this year’s NYCC got a treat as the cast of the WB show reunited for a panel on the main stage. The panel included Tom Welling (Clark Kent), Erica Durance (Lois Lane, Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), and John Glover (Lionel Luthor).

Although some of the actors have had roles or had cameos on other Arrowverse shows, Welling may be the closest to his memories of the show. He co-hosts a podcast with Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in the series.  “The more that time passes, the more I appreciate it” Welling said. Rosenbaum came up a lot during the panel with cast members sharing stories of him on set.  Welling recounted a  short scene where Lex, as President, was to read two pages of a bad speech. Rosenbaum felt they “weren’t going to use it” anyway so he didn’t want to rehearse. When it came time to shoot, the cameras rolled and all Rosenbaum said, “Where are the teleprompters?” You’d think the actor would have memorized the speech, right? Wrong!  “I’m the president!” he said. “I didn’t memorize that s**t, I was just gonna read it,” Welling said that he went off for 10 minutes and did what he could.  Both Durance and Glover talked of their frustration with Rosenbaum, but they assured the audience that they “still love him”

Glover wasn’t supposed to be such a big part of the show. The cast and fans of the show liked him so much he was given for the second season.  Kreuk’s memories are more fear-based. “I was so scared most of the time. I was terrified for the beginning of that show,” she said. “In that fear state, there isn’t a lot I remember.”

Welling insisted on no flights no tights so much so that he had to contact attorneys to make sure it never happened.  “We wouldn’t have lasted 10 years if we’d put the suit on in Season 1,” Welling said.

The Panel did a great job of showing another reason the show lasted as long as it did.  They are all good friends. Not surprisingly, Alison Mack was not mentioned.

The post Smallville Reunion NYCC 2022 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artists: Daniel Sampere, Daniel Henriques, Danny Miki

Colours: Alejandro Sanchez

Letters: Tom Napolitano

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Dark Crisis #3: The battle of the Emerald Army has begun! Hal Jordan has launched all-out war on Pariah and the Dark Army to avenge his fallen Justice League teammates—but how can one man stand in the way of the Great Darkness? Meanwhile back on Earth, Titans Tower has burned and Deathstroke’s army has continued its scorched-earth march across the planet. To stop Slade Wilson, the young heroes of the DCU might have no other choice than to turn to the brutal tactics of Black Adam…

Positives

Dark Crisis #3 begins by showing us the aftermath of Deathstroke’s assault on Titans Tower. His Secret Society of Supervillains continues to hunt down heroes, causing some to run, some to lay low, and some to retire altogether. But we are also told that some still have hope as we are shown the new character Red Canary donning a mask, presumably marking the start of her career.

This appearance only shows part of her face, but the variant cover does show this mysterious new character n full costume. But nothing more is revealed about her this issue. This is a tantalizing mystery, and I can’t help but wonder how big a role she will play in the remainder of this miniseries. If not here, I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of her elsewhere in the DC lineup very soon.

We also see the Titans and other heroes reacting to Gar Logan’s severe injuries at the hands of Deathstroke. This seems to be hitting Nightwing especially hard, with him feeling responsible for Gar’s situation. There were some nice little nods to previous history in this section. It was nice to see Jason Todd giving support to his friend and former teammate from Red Hood and the Outlaws, Roy Harper. And Jason makes sure to pledge to help Roy locate his daughter Lian, who was recently revealed to be alive.

I also appreciated seeing that Gar received flowers from the Doom Patrol. Newer fans who only know the Doom Patrol from the TV show might not realize that Beast Boy first appeared as a member of that group in their original title. Williamson is making legacy a central theme in this series and these nods to past history demonstrate that Williamson is respecting that history in this story.

Positives Cont.

Jon Kent’s new Justice League isn’t doing so well either. Black Adam gives up on leading the team when they push back against Adam wanting to kill the villain Count Vertigo. I think the best part of this section is seeing Jon finally stand up to Black Adam. Jon has been somewhat unsure of stepping into his father’s shoes, which led him to letting Black Adam step in and take over.

But when Adam wants to cross this line that’s sacred to both Superman and Batman, Jon is having none of it. Adam sneeringly states, “I did not ask your permission, boy”. And Jon gets right in his face, his eyes literally blazing, and simply says “Stop”. And Adam is actually taken aback by this, even if only momentarily. This leads to Adam quitting the team and going off to find another team more aligned with his way of thinking. The issue’s ending sees Adam’s encounter with that team.

Wonder Girl Yara Flor shows up to join the League, having changed her mind after refusing Jon’s earlier invitation. I wonder if the new Batman, Jace Fox will have a similar change of heart. But there may not be a team left for Yara to join, as Robin quits, and several other members don’t outright quit, but head off to take care of other business.

But even if there is no Justice League, we do see the return of their predecessors, the Justice Society. The makeup of the Society as shown here doesn’t have any surprises. Any new faces will presumably show up when Geoff Johns’ Justice Society series debuts later this year. One notable absence is Jay Garrick, but he is busy with the rest of the Flash-Family searching for Barry Allen in the pages of The Flash.

We also see that Deathstroke is now fully under control of the Great Darkness. But the Darkness has only been controlling the Secret Society indirectly through Deathstroke up to now. But now the Darkness takes that direct control. Presumably this will amp up their power levels considerably. This is a grave concern, considering how they already currently have he upper hand over the world’s heroes.

Positives Cont.

Also, I have to wonder about the lasting impact  on the characters possessed by the Great Darkness. This could leave them deadlier threats than ever once the even concludes. Also, it could leave them severely traumatized. Would that make them even more evil, or perhaps leave some feeling remorseful, and looking for a shot at redemption. I think Williamson is a bit too good of a writer to just have everyone return to their previous status quo across the board.

And given the issue’s ending, have we reached the end of Black Adam’s redemption arc. It certainly appears that he’s returning to his old villainous ways. Or is this a momentary bit of backsliding before he reaffirms his intention to redeem himself. I suspect the latter. I don’t think DC will allow his re-establishmnt as a villain with the Black Adam movie imminent.

We also see Hal Jordan leading a contingent of Green Lanterns  in a direct confrontation with Pariah. There is a bit of dialogue that is particularly telling. Pariah states, “Soon a new Crisis will pull me and my Dark Army to your world, where I can use the rest of the heroes there to restore what was lost. The Great Darkness would rather all this go away. A return to nothing. But I keep it’s power under my control”.

But Hal asks in response, “You sure it’s not controlling you, hotshot?”. There’s the question. It’s looking like the Great Darkness calls the shots rather than Pariah. However, I suspect that Pariah will manage to achieve his goals to some degree by the end of the story. After all, it’s a pretty safe bet that the Great Darkness will fail to achieve complete and total nothingness.

Negatives

I have no complaints beyond having to wait an entire month to see what’s coming next. But at least there are the tie-in specials and Flashpoint Beyond to tide me over until then.

Verdict

Williamson is doing a phenomenal job of building an epic story despite the absence of several of DC’s most prominent characters. Taking the Justice League off the board is proving to be genius decision that allows for Williamson to focus on DCU’s entire legacy of fantastic characters. And the artwork by Daniel Sampere, Daniel Henriques, and Danny Miki truly adds to the epic feel of this series.

The post Review: Dark Crisis #3 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Meghan Fitzmartin

Artist: Laura Braga

Colors: Luis Guerrero

Letters: Pat Brosseau

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3: Sins of the old! In response to their lack of gratitude, the world holding Superboy, Impulse, and Tim Drake captive has brought back the three villains who have caused them the most pain to keep them in their place: Deathstroke, Captain Boomerang, and Lex Luthor. Old wounds will open. Wonder Girl and her search team will have to hurry up before there’s no Young Justice left to save!

Positives

Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3 picks up the story with Robin, Superboy, and Impulse coming face-to-face with Deathstroke, Lex Luthor, and Captain Boomerang. Bart is the one to spot the connection between this particular trio of villains. He tells his teammates, “These guys… it’s like they were chosen to hurt us specifically. Deathstroke blew my kneecap off! Captain Boomerang killed Robin’s dad! And Lex… you’ve never gotten over that he’s part of you, Conner….”.

I find it interesting that it’s Bart that realizes this, rather than Robin, who is the detective of the trio. Bart’s teammates tend to see him as somewhat flakey and easily distractible. But they tend to forget that like his mentor Wally West, Bart is strongly intuitive. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that he might clue in to something being off before Tim, despite Tim being generally more observant. In fact, it seems that Bart is more resistant to this world’s temptations than the others.

However, it appears that he is wrong that the choice of villains is meant to hurt them. Rather, I think that the architect of this world is offering them catharsis through a victory over them. But Bart sees through the illusion, as does Tim with a little prodding. But Conner has nearly completely given in to it.

Positives Cont.

After reading the previous issue, I concluded that the Cassie of this world wasn’t really the real Cassie, but either this world’s architect or their agent. “Cassie” confirms this when Conner finally realizes that Bart was right. She tells him, “Don’t make me do this. He’s going to be so mad”. It’s unclear who “he” is, though. Is it Pariah? Considering that this is a Dark Crisis tie-in. And Pariah has put the Justice League into similar false worlds in that storyline. However, I have a suspicion that something else is going on here.

When all three reject the life that this world is offering them, Cassie then informs them “He gave you the chance to accept this world on your own terms. Now he’s gong to make you accept it…by force”. The boys are then faced with the Justice League, Teen Titans, and several other DC heroes, presumably ready for a fight. This looks to be an insurmountable challenge, assuming that these copies are actually as formidable as the originals.

Negatives

The only real issue I have had with this series so far is the characterization of Arrowette and Wonder Girl. They seem to have somehow picked up a deep-seated resentment for the male members of the team that never existed before this series. But since neither Cissie or the real Cassie appear in this chapter, it can’t really be levelled as a negative for this issue.

However, the fact that they don’t put in an appearance is something of a negative. At the very least we should have gotten a quick check-in with the girls, who are as important to the story as the boys. But this is a pretty minor quibble, as I am sure they will figure prominently in the series’ forthcoming issues.

Verdict

As a fan of Peter David’s original Young Justice series, I am loving this return of the team. Fitzmartin and Braga are doing a fine job of tapping the nostalgia for that series, while still creating a new story of their own. I am hoping that this series is leading to a new Young Justice title. Hopefully DC has plans for Young Justice once the dust settles from Dark Crisis.

The post Review: Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Meghan Fitzmartin

Artist: Laura Braga

Colors: Luis Guerrero

Letters: Pat Brosseau

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2: Impulse, Superboy, and Tim Drake were just saved by Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl in the strange fantasy word they’re trapped in. And she’s here to help them navigate their retro surroundings. But…Cassie Sandsmark is back on our Earth searching for her friends alongside Red Tornado and the superhero formerly known as Arrowette. Which Cassie is lying and who’s about to get burned?!

Positives

Young Justice: Dark Crisis #2 picks up where last issue left off, with Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark showing up to help Robin, Superboy, and Impulse face off against the villain Mighty Endowed. However, it becomes evident that this isn’t the real Cassie. The boys have somehow travelled to a idealized version of the DCU Earth, but the story also shows the real Cassie on Earth-0.

Cassie again tries to enlist Cissie King-Jones, who was formerly the Young Justice member Arrowette. Cissie seems to have some anger aimed at the male members of Young Justice, but gives in to Cassie’s plea for help. But she firmly states, “I’ll help you, but this is the last thing I ever do for Young Justice. She also enlists the help of Red Tornado, who acted as the adult chaperone for Young Justice. It’s great to see him included in this story, as it wouldn’t quite be a Young Justice reunion without him.

After dealing with Mighty Endowed, the boys and the false Cassie travel to the Justice League’s Watchtower on the moon .I found it a bit nostalgic to see League as they appeared in the Grant Morrison JLA era. The boys split up to have a talk with their respective mentors in the League. Each of them is presented with the offer of taking over the role of them mentor – to become Batman, Superman, and The Flash.

The odd thing is that the fake Cassie is present at all three encounters simultaneously, pushing each of them to accept the offer. It seems that this Cassie is someone or something more than just this Earth’s copy of the real Cassie. Could she be the architect of this world in disguise?

Positives Cont.

The encounter between Batman and Tim has caused a bit of a stir on the Internet. Batman’s referring to Tim’s relationship as being “a phase” has been taken out of context to argue that Batman is homophobic. This is inaccurate, as Batman isn’t calling Tim’s bi-sexuality as being a phase, but that his specific relationship with Bernard is a phase. This Batman is pushing for Tim to resume his former relationship with Stephanie Brown.  Why Batman would want this is unclear, but not necessarily due to homophobia. And even if Batman was being homophobic, this still isn’t the real Batman.

I find it interesting that while Robin and Impulse are quickly realizing something is wrong with this world, Superboy is succumbing to its temptations. His recent history makes this somewhat understandable. He was written out of continuity, only surviving because of his being on Gemworld when the Flashpoint changed history. And he returned to find that Jon Kent had taken his role as Superboy and heir apparent to the role of Superman. So, it’s not hard to see that Conner might want to stay on this world where his old life has been fully restored.

The issue ends with the boys finding Cassie captured by a trio of supervillains: Lex Luthor, Captain Boomerang, and Deathstroke. This seems like a odd grouping. Luthor and Deathstroke are major villains, but Boomerang is nowhere near being in their league. But they all have one thing in common. Each of them is the cause of past trauma for each of the boys. Boomerang killed Tim’s father, Deathstroke crippled Impulse, and Conner was horrified to learn that he had been cloned from a mix of Luthor’s and Superman’s DNA.

Negatives

I am somewhat confused as to where Cissie’s anger towards the boys is coming from. She is quite vocal about her dislike for the three of them. She tells Cassie, “I stopped bing a superhero because of the toxicity. Your life revolves around those three boys… But who are you without them?… I didn’t want my decisions to be overshadowed by three privileged idiots who had the whole world handed to them on a platter, while you and I scraped for any attention”.

But none of this was in the original Young Justice comic by Peter David. The boys never overshadowed Cassie in David’s original series. Perhaps Cissie was as bit, but that was more likely to her not being the protégé of a major DC star like the others. And her retirement from Young Justice and the identity of Arrowette was in reaction to her having taken a life. She felt unworthy of continuing as a superheroine after that. There was no indication that she had any problem with any of her teammates when she quit.

Negatives Cont.

I wonder if Cissie’s guilt over that murder has caused her to slide into denial. Has she projected her anger towards the boys, making them scapegoats? Or has Fitzmartin retconned Cissie’s reasons for quitting? If it’s the latter, I can’t say that I like this alteration to the continuity. And while the boys arguably are somewhat privileged, Cassie is no less privileged. And none of them have ever lorded their privilege over their teammates or anyone else.

In short, I am starting to sense that either Fitzmartin has made some significant retcons to the team’s past. Either that, or she is mischaracterizing the girls, especially Cissie. Or perhaps there is more going on that will become clearer as the story progresses.

Verdict

Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2 continues this nostalgic look back at Peter David’s classic series. The original Young Justice series was one of my all-time favourite comics, and Meghan Fitzmartin and Laura Braga have managed to capture much of the feel of that series. This series is proving to be a nostalgic look back while providing an interesting story that will hopefully set up new incarnation of the team for the Infinite Frontier era.

The post Review: Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Wilfredo Torres

Colours: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Dave Lanphear

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing a review copy.

Summary

Superman ’78 Collected Edition: Fly into director Richard Donner’s Superman once more in Superman ’78! Written by Robert Venditti (Superman: Man of Tomorrow) and drawn by Wilfredo Torres (Batman ’66), Superman ’78 tells a brand-new adventure in the world of the beloved film.

A bright, shining day in Metropolis is interrupted by a mysterious drone that crash-lands in the city and starts wreaking havoc. This looks like a job for Superman! Where did the metallic menace come from? What is its purpose? Who is Brainiac?

As Metropolis is invaded by this being and its mechanical drones, Superman must make a life-changing sacrifice and leave Earth once and for all. Once aboard Brainiac’s ship, however, the Man of Steel finds he might not be the last son of Krypton as he believed after all.

This volume collects issues #1-6 of the hit miniseries Superman ’78!

Positives

In recent years, DC has been revisiting the worlds of classic movies and TV shows based on DC heroes; such as Batman ’66 and Wonder Woman ’77. This year DC revisited another pair of classic movie series with Batman ’89 and Superman ’78. The latter revisited the world of the Christopher Reeve movies, with a new adventure based on the character as originally envisioned by Richard Donner, the director of Superman: The Movie.

I have fond memories of this series of films, especially the first one. At the time, superhero movies were pretty uncommon and were mostly relegated to TV shows and cartoons. So, as a young comic reader, it was thrilling to see DC’s flagship character appearing in a blockbuster movie.  I was lucky enough to get to see it in the theatre twice, and then countless times with the advent of home video a few years later.

There are many great references and call-backs to the movies – even some of the sillier aspects. At one point, Superman throws a cellophane-like copy of his S-shield which enlarges and entangles an enemy – just like he did with Phantom Zone villain, Non, in Superman II.

Positives Cont.

Wilfredo Torres does a fantastic job of evoking the original actors who played the roles. His renditions were so good that I almost could hear the voices of those actors speaking the dialogue as I read the story. He also did a great job of capturing the look and feel of the movie versions of Krypton and Metropolis.

Robert Venditti’s story expands the mythos of the movie series with some inspired additions, as it’s unfortunate that the films never made use of one of Superman’s main villains, Brainiac. This story rectifies that oversight, using him as the main antagonist of the story. I also loved that Brainiac’s look is based on his classic Silver Age appearance, but also uses drones based on the 80s redesign of the character. Similarly, I was pleased to see Luthor sporting his classic 70s purple and green costume.

This being a Brainiac story, it’s not surprising that it introduces the bottle city of Kandor into the movie mythos. However, the identity of some of the surviving Kryptonians is quite surprising and introduces a major departure from most versions of Superman’s history. I won’t spoil any of the surprises, but I will mention that I find this to be an interesting development. If Venditti gets the chance to do a follow-up story, I hope we’ll see more of these characters.

Positives Cont.

I find it fascinating to ponder where this story sits in relation to the movies in the series. It’s clearly set after the events of Superman: The Movie, which is mostly Superman’s origin story and debut as a superhero, but there’s not much to connect the book to the later movies. There’s little to suggest that the events of Superman II to IV  have happened yet or even if they ever will. Venditti bases his story around Richard Donner’s original vision, and Donner was the director for the first movie, being replaced by Richard Lester partway through the production of Superman II.

This book is a handsome hardcover collection of the 6-issue miniseries and looks amazing. There aren’t a lot of special features, but there are a few nice additions. There’s a Sketchbook of Tottes’ character designs and a gallery of the miniseries’ variant covers. There is also a lovely little Easter egg for any readers who take a peek under the dust jacket, as it hides a book cover cleverly designed to look like a VHS videotape. The back cover and spine are also part of this design, giving it a three-dimensional feel.

Negatives

I have no complaints about this story or this hardcover presentation of it. The writing was fantastic and the artwork is also beyond reproach. I did wonder where Otis and Miss Tessmacher were, though.

Verdict

In Superman ’78, Venditti manages to walk the fine line between nostalgia and innovation. He pays due tribute to the classic movie series while expanding the mythos. The homages to Donner’s films or the franchise as a whole don’t end with Superman, as we get cameos from Gus Gorman (as played by Richard Pryor in Superman III), and even the Goonies! I would love to see Venditti follow this up with more tales featuring Christopher Reeve’s Superman.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment. Penguin Random House ISBN: 978-1-77951-265-9

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