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| Superman: The Animated Series Vol 1 : 4 of 5 | |
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4.02.2008
11:09 AM | Link |
 I decided I couldn't collect the Batman Animated Series DVD sets without also getting the fantastic Superman series by the same talented creators, and watching this actually had some nice synchronicity with seeing Space Ghost, since Alex Toth and Bruce Timm ended up in a huge fight over Superman's design! I've always loved the look of this show, keeping the same feel as Batman, but adding a much brighter, science fiction palette, and every character looks great (except for Jimmy Olsen, with his mini-mullet!). The series had the guts to begin with a three-part retelling of Superman's origin called The Last Son of Krypton, and they really did an incredible job of making the classic tale fresh and exciting. I especially enjoyed the Jack Kirby influences in the design of Krypton, as well as in the episode The Prometheon, which features a huge monster right out of Kirby's brain. Superman's regular villains are nicely done, such as Brainiac and Parasite (even though they aren't as cool as Batman's bad guys), along with new characters like Lex Luthor's S&M bodyguard Mercy. There are a few nice commentaries on this set, as well as two 10-minute documentaries, which should be much longer of course! I've been a huge fan of this series for a long time, and it was great to watch these episodes again and remember my favorite moments. I'll never forget when I first saw Lois looking at Superman's photo and exclaiming "Nice S!" - one of the boldest lines in Saturday morning cartoon history! It's going to be fun collecting the next DVD sets of this series.
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| Superman/Batman / Supergirl : 3 of 5 | |
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12.11.2007
7:55 AM | Link |
 I like reading a good graphic novel every now and then, but this was an unexpected purchase! Since I kind of forced my pals to buy this as part of a scavenger hunt for my Christmas video (it's a long story...), I bought it from them and finally took the time to read it. This is a collection of several issues of the Superman/Batman comic series, telling the story of Supergirl's "re-introduction" to the DC Universe (I really didn't know about her part in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but the introduction filled me in). The story is really well-told, using some interesting dual narration via the thoughts of both Superman and Batman - this is a great device that really added a lot of insight into these characters, which is tough to do with icons that everyone knows so well. Wonder Woman is thrown in as well (since Kara needs some Amazonian training), and the big villian is Darkseid, meaning a good deal of the action takes place in Apokolips. Unfortunately, the transition from a story about trust and family to an action tale is way too rushed - I kept flipping back in the book to see if I had missed a page! Still, there's some good action, and plenty of cool Batman moments, as well as "Superman gets really mad" (which always has to happen in epic stories like this), but ultimately it seems like it was too easy to defeat Darkseid. The artwork is really nice, even though I wasn't too thrilled with Superman's ultra-square jaw (it looks good on Batman, but not on Clark!). I'm not really complaining, though - I enjoyed reading this book, and it makes me think I should pick up graphic novels like this more often!
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| Superman Returns : 4 of 5 | |
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7.08.2006
8:13 AM | Link |
 I'm a big fan of the original Superman movies, so I was thrilled to see Superman Returns, mainly because this film is designed to continue that series! It takes place after Superman II (which means we can forget the terrible III and IV), and really keeps the spirit of those films! The opening credits sequence uses the same flying words, the same incredible theme music plays, and even the acting (for the most part) seems to pay tribute to the original actors. Even though they have their own style, Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey both kind of do impressions of Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman, and they are great. I wasn't really thrilled with Kate Bosworth, but she was just fine. The plot is interesting, and smartly makes use of the Fortress of Solitude (which Lex saw in Superman II) and Lex's desire for real estate (which was the same scheme in Superman I). The idea of Superman being off in space for five years is a little weird, but they had to give Lois time to have a child somehow! The special effects are well-done without taking over the movie, so the characters have some room to act, but unfortunately there were never really any moments that generated real emotion. I was mostly excited by all the references to the previous movies and comic books - details like the Kryptonite from Addis Ababa and Superman's Action Comics pose make geeks like me happy. Overall I was really impressed - it's always nice to see a superhero movie that doesn't mess everything up!
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| Superman's voice | |
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2.28.2002
11:13 PM | Link |
Don't worry, there will be plenty of WEBmikey updates soon - I just don't know exactly when. Since this was my first evening free in a while, I had a great hour and a half DDR session (I'm very close to scoring A's on all songs on Trick), and then watched a DVD.
I'm finally getting used to the new voice of Superman on Justice League - I was so accustomed to hearing Tim Daly on the Superman animated series, so it was a little shocking to hear some one "impersonating" Superman. Oh well, he seems to be getting better. Labels: superman |
| Superman: The Movie : 5 of 5 | |
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7.21.2001
12:46 PM | Link |
 A fantastic movie that sucks me in everytime, Superman is even better after watching the second DVD in this set, full of excellent documentary and screen tests (can you imaging Stockard Channing as Lois?). It's amazing how simplistic the effects actually were, considering they still look great today, and all of them were accomplished with only an optical printer. Wow! I really think they did a great job with their version of the origin and characterization, too. In fact, nothing is really bad about this movie at all (well, OK, the Hoover Dam miniatures really suck).
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| Kingdom Come / Mark Waid/Alex Ross : 4 of 5 | |
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6.02.2001
12:17 AM | Link |
 A fantastic graphic novel (loaned to me by Shelly) illustrated by Alex Ross - each page is a work of art. The story is stunning as well, weaving apocalyptic themes with a huge battle between factions of superheroes - just about everyone you can think of is in this book. Set in an alternate future, we get to see our heroes as older men and women - Superman with gray temples, Batman propped up with an exoskeleton, and Wonder Woman bitchy as ever. The epilogue is precious, with the big three eating at a "Planet Krypton" and ordering from waiters dressed as their own alter-egos. Brilliant!
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