Megatron: Cybertron’s worst masseuse and chiropractor.
The Transformers #57
Marvel (October, 1989)
“The Resurrection Gambit!” WRITER: Simon Furman PENCILER: José Delbo INKER: Dave Hunt COLORIST; Nel Yomtov LETTERER: Jim Massara EDITOR: Don Daley
Superman…is watching you sunbathe. And wondering why you’re doing it at night.
I’ve made it quite clear that I really don’t care for the New 52 version of…almost everybody, really, but especially…the early Firestorm. After that, though, is Superman. The first storyline had some good ideas storywise but it had Clark complaining about the Daily Planet being taken over and joining the online and TV age and then we had the story with Hellspont that at least got Superman right. The arcs by Keith Giffen (odd considering my major issues with his He-Man & The Masters Of The Universe run) and Dan Jurgens (the man who knows Superman better than any other writer currently at DC Comics outside of a few Adventures Of Superman guest writers) were more in line with the Superman I know and love. Clark hanging out with his co-workers, lighthearted or touching moments, Superman being inspirational and caring, great action–these are the things I look for in a Superman story.
I also haven’t been a fan of Geoff “supervillains are more interesting” Johns lately. He might be a nice guy but that hasn’t stopped me from complaining about DiDio or Jim Lee, has it? Justice League lost me on the first issue and I haven’t been to kind to either Blackest Night, his take on Captain Marvel/Shazam, or Forever Evil, despite someone bringing up JSA or other works that he indeed did give a lighter, fun tone. Then came this interview with Comic Book Resources managing editor Albert Chang, two issues into his run with legendary Marvel artist John Romita, Jr, and inker Klaus Janson. (No love for the colorist. These are color comics after all. Letterers are also left behind but baby steps and all that.) Does it make me immediately excited? I still have trust issues, but it does sound a bit more like what I want out of Superman.
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“This is why I wanted shoulder-mounted missile launchers.”
Godzilla: Rulers Of Earth #14
IDW (July, 2014)
STORY: Chris Mowry & Matt Frank WRITER: Chris Mowry ARTIST: Matt Frank INK ASSIST: Mostafa Moussa COLORIST: Priscilla Tramontano SELECTED COVER COLORIST: Josh Perez LETTERER: Shawn Lee EDITOR: Bobby CurnowTell others about the Spotlight:
There’s a thought that comic movies will convince comic fans to check out the source material. However the movie is usually based on the character’s early life and not where they are now, or the writer, director, or producer added what they thought was better than the source or the necessary changes between mediums. This leads the editors to insist some of these changes be put into the comic, even if the changes have a negative effect on the character. Avi Green of Four Color Media Monitor examines a story by Screen Crush about those changes and dissects their mistakes.
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“I think you’ve got a cavity.”
Godzilla #16
Marvel Comics (November, 1978)
“The Great Godzilla Round-Up!” WRITER: Doug Moench PENCILER: Herb Trimpe INKER: Dan Green COLORIST: Francois Mouly LETTERER: Jean Simek EDITOR: Bob HallTell others about the Spotlight:
Oh, this is going to end poorly.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly the cast of the in-production Ant-Man movie let a few spoilers slip (probably the approved ones) about the story. In place were Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Evangeline Lilly (Hope, no last name given by IMDB), Corey Stall (Darren Cross, who will also assume the name Yellowjacket at some point according to IMDB), and Paul Rudd (Scott Lang, who will be your Ant-Man for the movie). There are fans who are not happy about some of the revelations, which should surprise nobody at this point because we are a fickle lot. That’s not to say the revelations are chasing people away. I hear more rambling about the loss of Edgar Wright as director in favor of Peyton Reed. It could also be that this is a good movie since Marvel Studios has an impressive track record, with the current release, Guardians Of The Galaxy kicking butt at the box office. Then again, no studio stays perfect forever, but it’s really too soon to tell since the movie won’t be coming out until 2015.
Last night’s installment of Trope Shark looked at the concept of “fridging”. Well, that comes to light here as we asked what the term really meant in general and tonight we discuss Janet Van Dyne/Pym specifically since she isn’t going to be in this movie. Actually, there are a lot of other thoughts I have about the movie but that’s the one that, in light of the treatment of female versus male superheroes in both the comics definitely and the movies perception-wise. Again, these complaint do not necessarily mean this will be a bad movie but they ARE decisions that will ruffle fans feathers based at least in part on what we wanted from the Marvel Movieverse. Be warned, however: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS HERE!
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When I first saw the cover I thought of an Iron Giant joke, but it turned out to be right on the nose. The sign of a good cover.
Adventures Of Superman #15
DC Comics (September, 2014)
“Only Child” WRITER: Ron Marz ARTIST: Even “Doc” Shaner COLORIST: Matthew Wilson LETTERER: Wes Abbott EDITOR: Alex Antone
