This review is for all of the fans who e-mailed us and begged for more Jimmy. We haven’t been podcasting often enough to satisfy his public, so Jimmy has put away his cape and switched back into reporter mode. I give you, unedited, Jimmy’s review of the new Superman Batman Public Enemies DVD.
The main question that I had during the movie is, which one was the sidekick? Batman or Supes?
First of all, my favorite comic heroine, Power Girl, was portrayed horribly. Power Girl in this movie doesn’t match her comic book personality at all. I know she is only a support character in this movie and the main reason for the PG-13 rating, but her portrayal sucked.
I’m waiting for Ray, Rick or Dr. Lou to tell me who Magpie is?
Supes–”Why is it that good villians never die?”
Bats– “Clark, what the hell are good villians?”
Back to talking about Power Girl, her height is never represented accurately, or in a stable manner so you can’t reconcile her height with Bats &/or Supes through the movie. The comic books always portray her as tall, example is her recently getting “Banged” in floppy #4.
Sorry, SPOILER ALERT!
Lex Luthor as President? Yeah, and I’m sorry but COME ON?! A Lex Luthor statue in the fountain at the White House, even the Messiah, Barry Obama hasn’t got a statue of him yet, give me a break!
So, the BIG, PG-13 question is, throughout the movie are Power Girl’s boobs big enough, well, just ask Toyman(13 year old boy in this movie).
The reference to Star Labs, is that Power Girl’s company?
Just in case you wanted to know, unlike Wolverine & Cyclops just being used to being carried/flown around by the flying X-Men, Bats prefers using his wire/cable over Supes fly/carrying him, Bats HATES being carried, actually.
I guess if you wanted it to be a surprise, special guest appearances, don’t read further.
Ban Shee
Ice chick? I don’t know her name.
Mr./Dr. Freeze
Ice guy, with hood and mask, he may be an enemy from the Superfriends/Legion of Doom, I obviously don’t know his name. [I just found out who it is, Captain Cold]
Is Mongul, Dark Seid? Chest heat beam or ray.
Solomon Grundy
Who is Shiva?
Nightshade, I have no clue who she is.
Gorilla Grodd
Bane
Walking shark, Sharkman????
Manta
Giant lady wearing tiger/leopard print bikini, Ha, ha, ha, obviously those ARE bigger than Power Girls, LMAO!
The scene where all these villians show up is basically a gang bang, Legion of Doom reunion, minus President Luther.
Come on?! Smallville idea in an animated movie?! Barry Bonds-Luthor, Luthor Bane! Come on?! Steroids with liquid kryptonite?!
Toyman is actually a 13 year old boy, good guy? WTFrak? Toyboy is an additional reason for the PG-13 rating, make way for the “boobliners” and X-ray glasses.
Toyman–”Does Power Girl have big–?”
So for Jimmy to finish up, THIS MOVIE WAS BETTER THAN Superman Returns!!
Jimmy only likes Superman 1&2 anyways, the others are blasphemy.
Hopefully, the Garden Guys will be back in the studio soon for another audio episode.
Jimmy out!
“Locked-out of the Batcave but still in the fight!”
This issue opens up with the start of a new storyline. It seems that with Arkham Asylum destroyed, that it will be up to the Outsiders to track down the escaped criminals and lunatics. There assignment, to recapture three of the worst escapees: Killer Croc, Clayface and Mr. Freeze, is presented to them outside the now off-limits Batcave by their contact Alfred Pennyworth. With all the upheaval in the Batman universe, the team is going to have to temporary operate without a base of operations. The team then proceeds to break into smaller units to pursue their own individual targets.
Though we get to see a page a piece of the teams looking for Croc and Clayface, the second half of the book is dedicated to Owlman and Black Lightning going after Mr. Freeze. Now I rather enjoyed this team-up and I’ll have to say that watching Owlman and Lightning driving across the Arctic Circle reminded me a little of Watchmen. The action and resolution to this story was good and I was very entertained by it.
Over all It was a good, solid read in an entertaining book. I have to say that I’m happy with the over-all quality of this book and I hope it has a good long run in the future. This book could have easily collapse by the lose of Batman in it but it has continued to entertain the audience and even improve.
4 out of 5
Batman, Robin and Red Robin prepare to defend Gotham against the Black Ring wearing undead hordes.
The battle tactics of Gotham’s defenders fall into the cheesy clichés of any zombie story. I was hoping that Blackest Night would steer clear of this pitfall, but no luck. The predictable return of Dick and Tim’s parents as Black Ring Corps members adds a little of emotional tension, but for the most part it falls flat. Tomasi’s dialogue between Dick and Damien is fun and appropriately real for the characters. I found his witty banter to be the star of this issue.
Ardian Syaf’s art is magnificent. He achieves a fluid dynamism pulling t reader from panel to panel. His polished skills make this series feel like it’s important in the big scheme of all things Blackest Night. We will have to wait and see if that’s true.
3.5 out of 5
“Justice!!!!!”
The second issue of this seven issue series opens up with Green Arrow and Green Lantern in Gotham reminiscing about the “thought to be deceased” Batman. (Everyone out there knows he’s still alive, right?) From there it proceeds to a fight between two more of our heroes on Blackhawk Island and then a conference with Jason Bard with the Green Team. The Atom and the Golden-Age Flash are surveying the destruction at the Flash Museum. With the arrival of Supergirl and Captain Marvel, most of the team is present. All of which is a set-up for whatever the main story will be.
I love James Robinson. He is a very skilled storyteller and has a great deal of comic book knowledge that shows in his writing. He respects what past writers have done and builds upon it. But, I have to say that after two issues of build-up, I hope we are in for a real blow-up next issue. I think this book will suffer if it has another issue of set-ups.
I really enjoy Mauro Cascioli’s Art and how realistic it makes the characters look. It is definitely a welcome change from the norm. It has a real world feel to it. I also enjoy the back-up origin of The Atom and a look at his publishing history.
In conclusion, I like the issue; I like the heroes involved in the story; and I like the creative team. I hope my expectations are continued to be met and, hopefully, exceeded in the future issues.
3.5 out of 5
All of the Bat titles are struggling to find their footing in a world without Bruce Wayne and this title seems to be more lost than the others.
Writer Judd Winick is just not hitting a stride with this storyline. There are pieces that never come together nor hold our attention. War is raging between Two-Face and the Penguin and the greatest causality is us, the reader who bought this crap. Dick Grayson’s internal monologues are ridiculously monotonous. The plot is not much better.
Mark Bagley’s pencils are as inconsonant as the plotting. The hyper action panels fail to provide subtle details to refine the characters. Batman looks like he’s jacked up on Botox, incapable of cracking a frown or smile.
This issue ends with yet another “Batman” demanding of Grayson “Where’s the real Batman?” I am wondering that myself because this Batman is a bore.
1.5 out of 5
“Blackest Night invades Gotham”
Blackest Night: Batman #1 is the first issue of three issues. This is the first of the mini-series brought out by D.C. to supplement the Blackest Night on-going storylines. The story starts with the new Batman and Robin investigating the desecration of Bruce Wayne’s grave by the Black Hand. It seems that the Blackest Night is going to greatly affect the denizens of Gotham but also another of the D.C. Universes heroes: Deadman. We also get to see several of Batman’s deceased villains return from the grave to cause their own brand of havoc.
I’ll have to say that I can get very leary of books that are brought out to support the big event titles, in this case Blackest Night. Many times in the past, these books and series fall far short from the quality and interest generated by the main books. But, I found this issue interesting and having the potential of adding to Blackest Night, instead of diluting it.
This is a solid book that I hope continues to entertain.
4 out of 5
Building off of the momentum of the Blackest Night series, Green Lantern flawlessly dives into the rise of the Black Lanterns. Hal Jordan and Barry Allen face off against the newest Black Lantern, their once friend and Justice League ally, the Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz. The zombie-ish J’onzz attacks the duo as they explore Bruce Wayne’s grave. Why did someone steal Batman’s skull? Well, our heroes will have to find out later because the Martian Manhunter has risen from his grave and wants to kill them.
Author Geoff Johns writes a decent installment in the Blackest Night saga. The dialogue between Hal and Barry is spot on. Johns has many nice moments in this issue, subtle scenes that weave together a great and exciting world of mystery and danger. Honestly, I was expecting more from the initial throw down between Hal, Barry and J’onzz. Considering the buildup for the black ring bearers, the battle was a little lackluster. The scene with the Guardians was powerful and advanced the story very well.
Artist Doug Mahnke shows off some skills. His smaller panels display a flare for details and sharp images. Some of his figures in mid- sized panels are awkwardly proportioned.
Overall, it’s a nice gearing up for the action to be continued in the Blackest Night mini.
3.5 out of 5
DC’s much-hyped retro newspaper styled comics section hit the stands today. Boasting a gallery of popular and some more obscure titles, Wednesday Comics is a blast from the past. As I opened the paper (folded into fourths on newspaper stock paper), I felt like a kid grabbing “the comic section” on Sunday morning before my sister got her nasty little hands on them.
This is a bonanza of DC talent, showcasing 14 different titles, authors, and artists. The layout is fun and unique with nostalgia. Of particular interest were Batman, Superman, and Hawkman. With only a full page devoted to each run, you really don’t get much here. I did appreciate the varying artistic styles – some of these panels are gorgeous.
After reading, I’m wasn’t too sure why DC made sure a big deal out of this in its prepublication. However, with the greedy bastards charging $3.99 for newspaper print, I am beginning to understand. Taking it for what it is, it was a fun read. I am disappointed that they couldn’t come down on the price, but paying too much for comics is part of collecting.
2.5 out of 5
Blackest Night is just around the corner and Geoff Johns gives us our final preparation with this prologue. Both Lantern titles have been preparing for this major DC event, but this origin story of William Hand, the embodiment of the Black Lantern Corps, is the strongest of all preludes.
Geoff Johns, writing at the top of his game, creates an eerie tale that is richly diabolical. William Hand was a young boy obsessed with death. His dad’s profession of mortician was an early fascination for William; so were dead animals. Johns traces William’s history from his first incarnation as the Black Hand, a laughable B-list villain, to his dark rebirth as the leader of the soon-to-be-established Black Lanterns. The plot is artfully paced and tightly woven from scene to scene. Each moment captures the emotions necessary and makes its point well, without filler or gaps. The foreshadowing for Blackest Night, who will raise and who are those that cheated death, makes you jump out of your seat! Bring on the fight.
Doug Mahnke matches John’s fantastic story with some fancy penciling. His character’s powerfully emotive faces drive home the horror of this story and the impact of Hand’s decent into darkness. Mahnke makes commanding use of perspectives, allowing the reader to see events through William Hand’s eyes, i.e. Hand cowering by a tombstone the Green Lanterns battle Atrocitus. The close-ups of Hand are downright scary; his bloodshot eyes and blank stare are entrancing. The panels of Hand’s suicide are boldly detailed and surprising for a mainstream DC comic. Overall, the art is superb.
After reading this, I felt like I just saw a preview for the most kickass movie of the summer. I can’t wait for the night to turn black!
5 out of 5
With Grant Morrison taking the new flagship of “Batman and Robin,” writer Judd Winick fills in some gaps with this issue. Focusing more on the new Batman, Winick gives us his take on the Dick Grayson’s growing pains.
I found the dialogue to be adolescent and trite. How many more times is Dick going to complain about having to wear a cape? Dick and Alfred going on about the cape’s weight being too heavy and it not being conducive to Dick’s fighting style was putting me to sleep; since when was Grayson such a bitch? I really wish Alfred slapped him- bitch slapped him.
This issue jumps around to fill in some Gotham gaps. The war between Penguin and Two-Face is finally getting some attention, although it wasn’t very exciting. As Batman changes, so does Commissioner Gordon, trying to adjust to this new crime-fighting pal. There were some nice little character moments throughout the issue, but nothing stellar.
Mark Bagley is drawing some dazzling pages. The opening page’s battle-wounded Batman is masterful and rich. I am particularly impressed that you can actually see Dick Grayson’s feature under the cowl. The pages of Commissioner Gordon are subtle and refined, a combination of strong inking and smart coloring. Batman’s muscular physic was a little overkill for my taste, but still nicely drawn.
Bagley’s art helps to save this issue’s bland story. Nothing of real consequence happens; “Batman” is definitely playing second fiddle to “Batman and Robin.”
2.5 out of 5
