The Saddest Superman Pet Story ever

Caught this one on Imgur this morning and I just wanted to share this just for the sake of letting you realize that Superman is supposedly written as a man that cares. And he loves cats too. 

Oh and I'm still trying to figure out if this came from the Superman: Earth One GNs or from a Straczynski penned issue of Superman. But I'm going with Superman: Earth One. 

Dammit, it's starting to get dusty here in my area. How's your's?

I'm taking a risk and say this is definitely SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE by JMS and Shane Davis. Get your copy from Amazon:






I also remember seeing a copy of Volume 2 last time I visited Comicx Hub.

Hot Toys Man of Steel Jor-El Preview

A quick preview of Hot Toys' latest creation, Jor-El from Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel".

Here's what Hot Toys had to say:

has finally hit the theatres in many countries worldwide and has a successful box office record. Every story has a beginning, and Man of Steel unfolds it by showing the audience the origin of Superman. Foreseeing the inevitable doom of Krypton, Jor-El sends his new-born son to Earth to preserve the Kryptonian race. A caring father even after death, Jor-El’s artificial consciousness guides Clark Kent to bring hopes to mankind and leads to the rise of the iconic superhero.

The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of the Academy Award winner, Russell Crowe, as Jor-El in the movie which features a meticulously-made costume and accessories with great details.


























No specific release date for this one but this totally rocks. I love the design and the intricacies on both the head sculpt as well as the clothes; heck even the blaster looks so realistic.

Batman-Superman # 1 Spoiler Filled Review

Batman/Superman # 1 spoilers. Book was written by Greg Pak with art by Jae Lee and Ben Oliver. Review done in partnership with Comicx Hub.

I like Jae Lee's work. There's something about his art style that conveys darkness and at the same time the lines he uses are always fine. When he draws 'dark' characters like Batman, you can also see that he's trying his hardest to show everything humanly possible for the panel/page while sticking to his guns. You can even say that he tries to show off some 'inner light' from his characters. That's art. And that's also the reason why I picked Batman/Superman # 1.

Greg Pak also writes a pretty mean story here. I mean, yeah, it's a given that this is the first ever team up between the Caped Crusader and the big blue boyscout but it's the time away from their respective costumes that shines the most. There's one scene in the book where the core virtues of each character appears. In the scene, a very drunken looking Bruce Wayne looks on as a little Muslim boy gets bullied by some Gotham city punks for the sole reason of being a follower of the Islam religion. The boy is getting ready to fight back but before anything happens, Clark Kent shows up and breaks it off. 

Wayne is irritated and states that the bullying will never stop; in fact tomorrow, the beating the boy gets just might be twice as harsh as what he's supposed to receive today. Clark Kent doesn't believe in that however. We never get to see how this ends as trouble stirs (although I'm keen to think that by the time the arc is done, we'll have a look at this situation once again). 

There's a mysterious villain working behind the scenes which is a nice touch to the first ever formal team up between the twp iconic series. That's also a pretty excuse to have Catwoman make an appearance in the book. That appearance is short and sweet and before we even get a deeper understanding of that one, the two heroes are teleported to Earth 2. 


I think this could've worked without the inclusion of the Earth 2 elements. It's nice to make the two see what good they could accomplish together without having to go "deus ex machina" on them. Pak could've stuck to the formulaic team-up these two did back in the silver age. Plus it's less hokey.

Yes, here's a better look at that Earth 2 crossover...

While this might feel like the most epic fight, I can assure you it's not. Just get the book and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Verdict: 8/10

Get your copies of Batman-Superman # 1 from Comicx Hub or from Castle Geek.

New 52 Superman Agrees with Me. Professional Blogging Isn't About the Money

Being a blogger is great and all but there's really little money involved here. If you're in it for the money, my pragmatic answer to you is drop it. Blogging is an art form, not a way of making money. Just look at what's happening to poor New 52 Clark Kent who left his job at the Daily Planet to start a blog with Kat Grant (AFAIK anyway).

Blog if you're following an ideal, or looking to share the truth. Blog if you're passionate about. Blog if you have an advocacy or a mission to fight for; blog if you have to raise awareness. Blog, blog, blog. More importantly, and this is what I learned recently, NEVER LOSE TRACK OF YOUR VISION. 

And yes, don't go on an "F-na-F" vibe that you're a journalist just because you own a blog. 

Scanned panel appears courtesy of Bleedingcool (and yes even Rich Johnston agrees on it as well).

Superman Unchained # 1 Review

Comicx Hub and Castle Geek presents this review of Superman Unchained # 1written by Scott Snyder with art by Jim Lee.

Check out the spoiler-ific review after the break:

Man of Steel Breaks Record with P69.52-M Opening Returns

MANILA, June 13, 2013 – The new, origin film of Superman flew off to a blockbuster start yesterday as “Man of Steel” surpassed the industry's all-time opening day record with a nationwide gross of a monumental P69.52-M.

“Man of Steel's” phenomenal debut bested the opening day record previously established only last April by “Iron Man 3” at P62.9-million.

This was announced today by Francis Soliven, general manager of Warner Bros. (F.E.), Inc. which distributed the film. “This is a day of reckoning for Superman,” added Soliven. “He's a larger-than-life character beloved by millions of Filipinos, and this was proven today. Fans and families welcomed him back overwhelmingly as evidenced by the long lines, the ubiquitous Superman shirts everywhere, and the cheers at the end of screenings.”

Lois Gives New 52 Superman a Super Friendzone in Action Comics # 21

More reasons for the Lois Lane hatred for the New 52 is the fact that she constantly friendzones her one-time husband. Take this week's Action Comics issue.

Read that particular page after the cut.

Non-Spoiler Man of Steel Review

Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan brings us THE ultimate Superman movie which is worthy of following the footsteps of Richard Donner's original Superman movie in MAN OF STEEL.

If there's anything that sets the movie apart from it's predecessors is the cool visual effects, something that Snyder brings into the table. The movie never skips a beat in telling us the origins of Superman from his parents' sacrifice to send the infant Kal-El to Earth all the way to the climatic and slam-bang finale where we see Superman unleash his full anger on a not-so-helpless General Zod (Michael Shannon).

Thanks to the great writing done by writer David S. Goyer,we're treated not just to a really satisfying Superman movie but also a movie that tackles topics such as alienation and isolation and destiny and family.

I advice you to catch MAN OF STEEL on IMAX as it fully does justice to the movie. As an artform, the film is exceptional in terms of pacing and eye popping visuals. You might want to keep your eyes peeled for awesome moments in the movie such as the Kryptonian battle scene at the beginning, the Smallville fight and the big key scene where everything just crumbles apart.

While Snyder took his sweet time in developing a really likeable Superman/ Clark Kent, it was all worth it as it provides us with a grounding and likeability for the Clark persona. Those earlier scenes of Superman's childhood also gives us a chance to see Kevin Costner as Clark's father Jonathan Kent, the man who made a huge impact in the young Superman's life. During these moments, I can't just help but think about the already-ended SMALLVILLE TV series starring Tom Welling.

Other cast members also held up their roles fine. Laurence Fishburne's Perry White is smart and smug and looks wiser for his years. Russell Crowe also OWNED his role as Superman's biological father; it's as if he's already asking for forgiveness for his take as Javert in Les Miserables [although I never disliked his take on the classic villain].He also kicks ass as never before, betcha Marlon Brando's Jor-El wouldn't have fought the way he did.

After seeing the movie, I'm still not sure whether or not I like Amy Adams as Lois Lane. There's like a half dozen actresses who played Lois Lane in both TV and movie adaptations but it's still Margot Kidder who's doing running in my head as the definitive Lois Lane. But Adams is definitely part of the upper bracket. She's lacking on sass department but she is spunky once in awhile. She's also an active participant and a source of a couple of quips.

The villains were also impeccable. Antje Traue is a beautiful, cold, hard bitch as Faora. She's merciless and full of hatred but at the drop of the hat she turns into this loyal fanatic in General Zod's insane quest. The armor design for Zod and the rest of his crew is also something to behold. It's also got a lot of nods to Nolan's last foray into the DC Universe [The Dark Knight trilogy].

If you're paying to see Superman fly, crash, punch, kick and heat vision his opponents, then you'll definitely go home with a smile plastered in your face as Snyder made it possible to do so. There's a lot of scenes in the film that showcases just how powerful the Man of Steel really is and it's done in a variety of ways. In costume, off costume, with his shirt on and with his shirt off. That in itself is worth the admission for the ladies in the audience.

Keep your eyes peeled for a couple of easter eggs here and there. It's not really much at the moment but you'll be pleased with all the stuff that's hidden and tucked away neatly behind, in front or even above the characters.Then there's also the fabulous world of Krpyton where there are a lot of fantastic beasts roaming around. 

Snyder took a couple of liberties in delivering the story, I really don't want to spoil what they are but I can predict that you'll go from, 'what the' to 'ohhhh good one'. 

I'll probably cut this review short in order to pave the way for a more spoilerific review. If you want my rating for this one, here's the verdict:

10/10

Special thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines for the invitation by the way. MAN OF STEEL opens June 12, 2013. 

P.S. i find it cool that I got to watch a Superman movie with Batman and Catwoman sans costume beside me and a very inquisitive Pam on the other side. 



 

Man of Steel Trailer 1 Now Streaming

Here's the first teaser trailer for Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill as the Superman and Clark Kent.