Comic Spotlight: Batman Inc.

Tag: Stephanie Brown

6 Characters Who Could Appear on Arrow

May. 08 Comic Books, Editor's Pick, Television 6 comments

About two months ago at PaleyFest, Arrow executive producer Andrew Kreisberg was asked which characters from DC Comics’ roster of heroes he’d like to see on the show. Almost immediately, Kreisberg answered:

“Dick Grayson and Nightwing were always my favorite. I doubt we’ll ever get to that point. The bat-universe will never coincide with ours, but Nightwing would be my fantasy.” (Source: Comic Book Resources)

The mention of Dick Grayson/Nightwing is interesting considering how heavily Arrow borrows from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy in terms of its tone and aesthetic. The show is essentially the closest the CW will ever get to Batman without having Batman. That being said, it seems that most of the major players in the Bat-universe are off the table for Arrow because of licensing issues and restrictions on characters with possible ties to a movie deal. That doesn’t mean Arrow hasn’t done its damnedest to use characters and drop names within the DC Universe. Last week’s episode, “The Undertaking,” took us to Blüdhaven while Ted Kord, Ray Palmer, and Jean Loring were all mentioned within the flashback sequences. Actually makes you wonder why Ray hasn’t dropped by at this point since he and Ollie seemed to be friends five years ago.

Though Nightwing will sadly not be appearing in Season 2 of Arrow, even though Dick would completely make sense as an ally of Ollie’s within the universe of the show, there are still a fair amount of potential heroes and villains that could – and some that should – appear on the show. Here are some of those possibilities.

Ted Grant (a.k.a. Wildcat)

Of all the DC heroes who have the most potential to appear on Arrow, Ted Grant is, by far, the most likely! Pre-reboot in the comics, Ted was a former boxer turned vigilante who eventually became one of the most sought after trainers for new and experienced heroes within the DCU. The creators of Arrow wouldn’t even have to tweak him all that much since his back story actually ties into Ollie’s world perfectly through Laurel. In the comics, depending on the continuity, Ted trained Dinah before she took over the mantle of Black Canary from her mother who was a former colleague of Ted’s in the Justice Society of America (JSA). Arrow has been heavily hinting at Laurel’s heroic destiny, so it would completely make sense for Laurel to begin going to a gym owned by Ted Grant and start training under him. It would also give Laurel a father-figure to look to since I’m pretty sure Quentin Lance is not long for this world.

Ted could eventually be a guiding father-figure for Ollie as well. His relationship/partnership with Diggle is more brotherly with the two operating as equals in the field more than anything else. Ted could provide another avenue of storytelling with the seasoned veteran guiding the next generation, which could also be a way for Ted to make amends for past sins (Tom Bronson, anyone?). It would also be an interesting juxtaposition with Ted providing advice for Ollie when he eventually takes on Roy as a sidekick. Don’t act like you don’t know what’s happening!

Victor Sage or Renee Montoya (a.k.a. The Question)

Even Arrow co-creator Marc Guggenheim thinks Vic Sage would fit in perfectly on Arrow and I’m inclined to agree. Never mind the cosmic mumbo-jumbo going on in the New 52, The Question is a faceless P.I. searching for answers. Vic Sage’s original origin story was a brilliant actor turned vigilante using an experimental artificial skin called Psuedoderm to cover up his face while he hunted criminals. Dennis O’Neil later revamped his backstory a bit in the 80s, making Vic an investigative journalist for a television station who used the faceless mask to go places and find clues where his well-known visage could not. Like Ollie, he was also a ruthless vigilante and often opted to not save criminals should they find themselves in dire straits. Vic also has a clear intro point to the series through Helena Bertinelli (a.k.a. The Huntress) since the two were quasi-romantically involved in the comics (and Justice League: Unlimited) when Vic spent some time in Gotham City, so you could easily bring both of them in for a two-parter since we’ve already established Helena’s presence in Ollie’s life. Can you say “drama”?

Another possibility is Renee Montoya who Vic trained to replace him when he found out he had lung cancer. Though she is part of Batman’s universe of law enforcement allies, Renee really came into her own as The Question, so you could always have her arrive in Starling City as a disgraced or disillusioned cop looking for a fresh start as she follows the remnants of The Undertaking’s conspiracy. It also diversifies the cast on several levels.

Stephanie Brown (a.k.a. Spoiler)

Oh, Stephanie Brown, you’ll never go away, will you? NOPE! I’ve already spoken about how I think Steph should be the new Robin in the comics, so I’ll keep this one brief. When you think about it, Spoiler is like the female version of Nightwing. She’s light-hearted, but serious when she needs to be, skilled, but tends to overreach, and she has mob connections! Win-win, really. You could argue that Huntress and Felicity Smoak make up most of what distinguishes Stephanie as a character, but I’d argue that it’s Steph’s personality that sets her apart. Though Felicity has the awkward-ish nerd thing, Stephanie can bring tons of bravado and fun to being a vigilante in contrast to Ollie’s super seriousness. Watching them work together with Stephanie all pumped to do some crime-fighting could do wonders for bringing out Ollie’s lighter side.

King Faraday

Why the hell not? DC’s answer to Nick Fury (minus the eye patch), King is one of those agents that fits into whatever organization you need him to. Arrow has already introduced A.R.G.U.S., so why not throw King into the mix of Diggle’s former colleagues? Once The Undertaking has been taken care of, I imagine there might be some recruiting going on from various agencies looking to use “The Vigilante” or “The Hood” as a pawn in their own games across the DCU. In the comics, Ollie has been pulled into many an organization to carry out a mission or two, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for Checkmate or the C.B.I. to come a callin’ with King Faraday as their primary recruiter.

Sandra Wu-San (a.k.a. Lady Shiva)

I hesitate to suggest yet another female assassin since Arrow already has China White and Shado will more than likely make an appearance in the present at some point. Plus, there’s always the possibility that Cheshire will show up since we now have Roy Harper in the mix. But screw it, Lady Shiva is awesome! The most respected and feared master of martial arts, Shiva is an assassin-for-hire who can be both friend and foe to Green Arrow. Like Ted Grant, Shiva was mentor to many heroes pre-reboot, training Black Canary, Robin, The Question, and even Batman after Bane broke his back. If Arrow continues with the Triad subplot, I could imagine Shiva showing up as another hired assassin to replace China White (in the most brutal way possible) or as an operator higher than the Triad who inspires fear even at the mention of her very name. To change things up, maybe she figures out that “The Hood” has to have some money in order to have all of those custom arrows, so she lets him make a counter-offer so she won’t kill him so long as she’s compensated. They form a tentative alliance/friendship and she shows up whenever some international flair is needed for the plot.

Hugo Strange

Yet another character that seems like a no-brainer, Hugo Strange, while a Batman villain, is still the foremost expert in criminal psychology since he is, in fact, a criminal who specializes in psychological warfare. Being a vigilante and living a double life has to take its toll on Ollie at some point and wouldn’t it just be fitting for world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Strange to be visiting Starling City? His visit also happens to coincide with a string of crimes from people who otherwise would never commit such acts, so Ollie sees Strange under the guise of the billionaire playboy with problems, but then has the tables turned on him by Strange. Episode practically writes itself!

Obviously these are only a few possibilities, but I think you could make a case for all of them making at least a guest appearance at some point down the line. That’s what I like the most about Arrow. The show provides an avenue for lesser known villains and heroes to at least step out of the long shadows cast by Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman and give viewers other characters to get to know that may just grab a new reader or two for the comics.

Did I miss someone? Probably. Let me know if there are any heroes or villains you think could show up on Arrow. Go a little deeper and tell me how!

Tags: Andrew Kreisberg, Arrow, Batman, Dick Grayson, dinah lance, Dinah Laurel Lance, Green Arrow, Hugo Strange, King Faraday, Lady Shiva, laurel lance, Marc Guggenheim, Nightwing, Oliver Queen, PaleyFest, Renee Montoya, Sam, spoiler, Stephanie Brown, Ted Grant, The CW, the question, Victor Sage, Wildcat

Why Stephanie Brown Should Be The Next Robin

Apr. 25 Comic Books, Nerd's Perspective no comments

Oh yeah, we’re gonna talk about Stephanie Brown…again. Not unlike Wally West, Stephanie Brown has been one of the many characters left out of the New 52 that fans have been asking about since the reboot vanished her from existence. Her absence led fans to cry foul on DC for leaving out a prominent and popular female character for the express purposes of returning the mantle of Batgirl (which Stephanie inherited from Cassandra Cain, another character-not-appearing-in-this-universe) to Barbara Gordon since she was the most “iconic” version even though Babs had been Oracle in the comics for roughly two decades by this point. Some fans went so far as to protest Stephanie’s disappearance by having a “Waffles for Stephanie” campaign to mail waffles to DC’s New York HQ back in August of 2012 in honor of the former Batgirl’s favorite food. Whether or not the campaign was successful, it shows that Stephanie was not a character so easily swept aside and forgotten.

A character who experienced a tremendous amount of growth within the DCU pre-52, Stephanie Brown was originally introduced as the vigilante Spoiler who constantly interfered or “spoiled” the plans of her father The Cluemaster, a low-level Gotham City villain. As Spoiler, Stephanie was brought in as part of Tim Drake’s Robin solo book where the two experienced an on again/off again romance that spilled over into various books as the two continued to grow up. And when Tim Drake gave up being Robin at the behest of his father, Stephanie took on the role as Batman’s sidekick, making her the first in-continuity female Robin. Her tenure, however, would prove to be a short one since she was “killed” in the line of duty. Actually, it was more like unnecessarily tortured and then withheld medical treatment to teach Batman and the youth of Gotham a lesson, but that’s neither here nor there since it was all a lie anyway. Stephanie, with the help of Dr. Leslie Thompkins, faked her own death. Returning as Spoiler during The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul, Stephanie eventually took on the mantle of Batgirl when Cassandra Cain gave it up following the “death” of Batman in Final Crisis.

Story wise, Stephanie is no stranger to controversy. Not only was she used as the poster child for teen pregnancy back in her Spoiler days, but as Robin there seemed to be quite a few head scratches surrounding her brief stint in the role. Brutally tortured by those trying to get after Batman, her supposed death never appeared to be worth honoring by the Caped Crusader himself despite his reassurances on her deathbed that she’d lived up to the title of Robin. It seems her greatest contribution to the DCU was as Batgirl where Stephanie’s bubbly, yet humorous personality and a constant desire to prove herself set her apart from a lot of the dour and depressing characters populating most of Gotham City. So, of course, that would be taken away when the reboot happened.

I’m telling you this because there’s currently a vacancy in the role of Robin what with the unfortunate and (in my opinion) ill-conceived death of Damian Wayne. Without a Robin to complete the dynamic duo in their own book, fans continue to speculate as to who will don the red, green, and yellow. Some believe it might be Scott Snyder’s original character Harper Row. Though she’s only appeared in issues bridging Snyder’s major story arcs, Harper – and her brother Cullen, for that matter – has made an impression on fans who believe Snyder introduced her so that she could eventually become Robin. A move that took on more weight after Damian died. I’d say she has a good shot, but Batman #18 left her presence in Batman’s life somewhat ambiguous. Plus, Year Zero will be starting up soon, so who knows how that arc will be structured and whether or not Harper will be part of it.

A second contender, however, has come to us in the form of Carrie Kelley. For the time being, writer Peter J. Tomasi will be plugging in different characters in Batman and Robin while Bats continues to go through the varying stages of grief. I must’ve glossed over the stage that includes kidnapping and dissecting a monster to find out the secrets of reanimation and resurrection. Anyway, Carrie Kelley, most well-known as the Robin of Frank Miller’s groundbreaking The Dark Knight Returns, has now been introduced into the New 52 via Batman and Red Robin as Damian’s tutor. Unaware that her student has died, Carrie drops off his next assignment at Wayne Manor and asks for her payment. When Bruce goes to see her as a means of being around someone who was a part of Damian’s life outside of the cape and cowl, he’s greeted by Carrie dressed in the classic Robin outfit for a costume party. This is immediately supposed to invoke Carrie’s past depiction as Robin in The Dark Knight Returns as well as hint at the possibility that Carrie might become the next Robin. Though her introduction was brief, Tomasi does intend to keep Carrie around. In a recent interview with Newsarama, Tomasi doesn’t confirm that Carrie will be the new Robin, but neither does he leave out the possibility:

Nrama: I know you guys aren’t confirming that Carrie is the next Robin, but in general terms, is Bruce in a hurry to get a new sidekick? What are his feelings on that idea?

Tomasi: Bruce is psychologically nowhere near letting anyone take over the role of Robin and rushing into that situation again — but I’d be remiss in saying that sometimes a situation presents itself that can change your mind. (Source: Newsarama)

While I agree that it’s too soon to assign a new Robin officially, I can’t say that I’m all that on board with Carrie being the new Robin. I’m also not that on board with her being introduced into the New 52. The Dark Knight Returns was its own thing, a standalone story – practically an Elseworlds book – that looked at an elderly Bruce Wayne taking one last go at the criminal element of Gotham City. It showed that, for Bruce, his mission as Batman would never be over because Gotham always needs Batman, whether the people know it or not. Carrie was the perfect juxtaposition, an enthusiastic ball of energy ready to do good who was reminiscent of Dick Grayson, which is why Bruce makes frequent allusions to him within the book. Tomasi admits the same of Carrie in Miller’s work:

“I definitely loved the fact that she was a redheaded livewire and I really enjoyed the way Frank Miller juxtaposed her youth and vitality against Bruce’s world-weary age as he built up the relationship between them so that they trusted each other implicitly.” (Source: Newsarama)

Based on this description, I understand Carrie’s appeal to Tomasi. She’s a firecracker, for sure, but Carrie served a specific purpose in The Dark Knight Returns. She was an encouraging character, enabling Batman and his mission because she believed in it just as much as he did having grown up in a future Gotham riddled even more so with crime in the absence of Batman. When Carrie encourages and cheers Batman on from the sidelines, there’s weight and purpose behind those words. She wants him to succeed because he has to, if not for Gotham then for Carrie. Granted, Carrie’s presence in Batman and Red Robin is brief, so there’s no way of knowing where Tomasi plans to take her, but I can’t imagine Carrie having the same impact on a younger Bruce in the wake of Damian’s death vs. an older, world-weary Batman. Carrie’s appearance actually makes the Bat-Universe feel more complicated – and not in a good way. That’s why I find it surprising that Stephanie has, one again, been overlooked or, possibly, deemed forbidden by editorial. Your choice on that one. Unlike Harper or Carrie, Stephanie comes with the perfect back-story you’d think would assure her reintroduction.

Hear me out: Batman’s brutality continues to be a problem until another masked vigilante in a cape and hood starts showing up to “spoil” his nightly outings by keeping him from going too far. Or, Batman starts investigating the dealings of a small-time hoodlum who happens to be Stephanie’s father and observes Spoiler doing her thing. They continue to run into each other until one day she’s discovered as Spoiler either by her father or another gang of crooks ready to squeal. In order to keep her safe, Batman takes her in, forbidding her to go out as Spoiler anymore. But since no one ever listens to Batman when confined to quarters, Stephanie crafts a crude Robin costume and goes out anyway, possibly saving Batman, or an innocent bystander in the process. Hesitant to take on another Robin, Batman realizes that telling her to stay put just isn’t going to work, so he makes her the new Robin if only to keep an eye on her. Stephanie eventually wins him over because she loves a challenge and there’s no one more challenging than Batman.

Now this is entirely speculative and – in all likelihood – a pipe dream. It’s not helped by the fact that Stephanie is essentially who you’d get if you combined Harper and Carrie. Harper has the angsty background while Carrie has the personality. Neither really has the training, though Harper’s making a good go at it currently. If you wanted to cut down on the amount of training Batman would have to put into the next Robin, thus making the transition easier and less time-consuming, then Stephanie would be preferable if she already came with her Spoiler persona. But, again, it’s probably not gonna happen, which is unfortunate because DC had a real opportunity to bring a popular character back in a way that would organically make sense. Instead, Tomasi brought in a character who fans remember fondly but never went beyond Frank Miller’s two graphic novels. That doesn’t mean Carrie isn’t worth expanding upon (Tomasi’s already put her in college and promises other changes will be revealed as well), but it seems like there was a clear opening to bring Stephanie back and they just passed it by.

Then again, maybe it’s because Carrie has so little back-story that Tomasi feels there’s more to explore compared to a character like Stephanie who has a lot of baggage attached to her should she eventually show up. Although, plenty of characters within the DCU have a wealth of back-story that hasn’t prevented writers from utilizing them and making them interesting all over again.

All I know is the next Robin is probably going to be a girl, which I am absolutely on board with. Whoever it is, hopefully she’s worthy of the mantle.

Tags: Batgirl, Batman and Red Robin, Batman and Robin, Carrie Kelley, Damian Wayne, DC Comics, Harper Row, Robin, Sam, spoiler, Stephanie Brown, tim drake

The Death of Damian Wayne…Some Thoughts

Mar. 06 Comic Books, Nerd's Perspective 7 comments

Understand one thing, DC Comics: I’m not angry. I’m disappointed. Do I really need to link Max Landis’s video about “The Death and Return of Superman” to this article? Because I’ll do it. Don’t believe me? There! Done and done! Ya wanna know why I did that? Because everyone knows that death is meaningless in comics. It’s a stone cold fact. The only deaths that have ever, in the history of comics, remained fixed points in time are the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne and Ben Parker. Why? Because they are necessary for the creation of Batman and Spider-Man. That’s the only reason why deaths even occur anymore. It’s a means of creation, a motivation that drives heroes to fight for justice or pushes villains over the edge. But as a storyline, as an event to shake up the universe (even though it just gets us back to the status quo), death is the laziest plot point in comics. It serves no purpose other than to sell books. So, yes, well done. You’ve made a lot of money at the expense of a character who was showing tremendous growth and had nothing but potential.

Damian Wayne was one of the best things to happen to the world of Batman in a long time. He monumentally shook up the status quo of the Bat-family in the best ways possible because he was so different from what we’d seen before. His motivations were different, his upbringing was different, and his personality—a snotty, bratty, entitled, and elitist sociopath—made him the perfect foil for everyone in the Bat universe. But he was also the heir to two warring dynasties, which gave him a fantastic starting point from which to begin his journey. For Damian, everything was about family. He craved Bruce’s love and respect, despite his aloofness, and he begrudgingly began to respect and accept his surrogate brothers (even Tim). War of the Robins was one of the best mini-arcs in Batman and Robin because it solidified the relationships between Batman’s many sidekicks while reinforcing the importance of the Robin legacy. Damian sought to prove himself the best Robin because he saw the title as one deserving of respect and the next step towards donning the cape and cowl as Batman, a mantle he believed himself heir to as well.

Oh, wait, I forgot! Silly Sam! This is DC Comics! You guys hate legacy even though you have the longest and richest history of characters in comic books! God forbid that seven years worth of stories matter to a character or seventy plus years (condensed into five) of history affect the relationships amongst your heroes. Nope, we can’t have a kid hanging around who could potentially grow up the way his predecessors have. That would be ridiculous! Oh, look, he’s growing as a person, he’s changing under the guidance of his family… better kill him before he becomes even more interesting!

And the worst part of it is that Damian’s death is extra meaningless because the death of a Robin has already been done. Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown both “died” while wearing the red R and both of them eventually came back from the dead. In fact, Jason’s death still defines him in the New 52, the one thing that separates him from Dick and Tim other than his prickly personality, which is a trait he also shared with Damian. Re-treading old ground with the loss of not only a partner but a son for Batman is actually a bit mean-spirited when you consider the progress Damian’s made since his introduction in Batman & Son (2006). However most people feel about Grant Morrison’s run on Batman, Batman and Robin, and Batman, Inc., his greatest contribution was, and always will be Damian as well as the partnership between Damian and Dick during Batman and Robin. That being said, Morrison doesn’t own Damian, and by giving him the go-ahead to kill him off in a book that was only eight issues in—compared to the year-and-a-half worth of stories post-reboot—shows you really don’t know your readers very well.

And with all respect to Mr. Morrison, your explanations for why Damian had to die are complete bullshit!

“He saves the world. He does his job as Robin. He dies an absolute hero.” (Source: The New York Post)

“In many ways this has been Damian’s story as much as it has been the story of Bruce Wayne, and it’s a story that had its end planned a long time ago – for what son could ever hope to replace a father like Batman, who never dies?” (Source: DC Comics)

Really? I’m pretty sure Dick, Jason, Tim, and Stephanie all saved the world at one point or another. They did their jobs, so why does that mean Damian has to die? How does taking down your own genetically enhanced clone become a prelude to death? And that whole bit about the futility of replacing a seemingly immortal father? Hmmm, let’s see… Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin… pretty sure all of Bruce’s sons have found a way to do that! Ya know what? I think you just had it planned out, and when Damian became popular, you just said “fuck all!” and kept your story going the way you wanted without bothering to account for what other writers like Scott Snyder and Peter J. Tomasi were doing with Damian.

That’s another thing, DC. If your whole schtick about the New 52 was to get new and younger readers, why the hell would you let the only Robin they’ve known die? And in the pages of the lowest selling book amongst the Bat-titles that’s so far out of sync with the others that it might as well be its own universe? Why does Morrison get to dictate the shape of Batman’s world when he’s had nothing to do with it since the reboot? Damian will be back, we all know it, we all anticipate the “event” that will resurrect him, but going this far to finish one man’s story and shake the foundations of the already crumbling Bat-family is just low.

Damian deserved better.

Tags: Batman, Batman and Robin, Batman Inc, Damian Wayne, DC Comics, Dick Grayson, Grant Morrison, jason todd, Nightwing, peter j. tomasi, Red Hood, Red Robin, Robin, Sam, Scott Snyder, Stephanie Brown, tim drake

DC Confidential – Episode 18

Dec. 18 Podcasts no comments

This week Jack stays up late into the UK night to join JP and Sam in DC pontificating. The crew dives further into the Batman event “Death of the Family” and discusses the validity of the Justice League film. They also give their positives and negatives on the surprisingly popular Arrow.

Tags: amazon, Arrow, Batgirl, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, DC Comics, DC Confidential, Dick Grayson, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Oliver Queen, Stephanie Brown, Superman, Wonder Woman

DC Confidential – Episode 17

Nov. 30 Podcasts no comments

In this episode JP and Sam attack Death of the Family and how viable the Joker will be going forward. They also get into who may be lost in the aftermath and ponder whether it will lead to the return of Stephanie Brown. Don’t miss this episode of the ever popular DC Confidential!

Tags: Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Batman, Bruce Wayne, DC Comics, Dick Grayson, Joker, nerd, Nightwing, podcast, Red Robin, Robin, Stephanie Brown, Word of the Nerd

The Week in New York Comic-Con: 10/11/12 – 10/14/12

Oct. 14 Comic Books no comments

New York Comic-Con was the highlight of the week, and attention-getting announcements came aplenty.

Highlights from the Big Two include:

Marvel

January’s new Superior Spider-Man series WON’T feature Peter Parker, but whoever’s going to wear that mask is locking lips with a startled Mary Jane in a cover for issue #2. This new Spidey is supposed to be darker and more aggressive, which hasn’t sat well with a lot of folks on the Comic Book Movie comments board
A new Secret Avengers #1 comic is due February, by writer Nick Spencer and artist Luke Ross. This team of undercover Avengers has parallels with the movie version. Members include Hawkeye and Black Widow, and Agent Coulson and a very Sam Jackson-looking Nick Fury will appear
Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven are relaunching a new Guardians of the Galaxy series in February, with Iron Man as a member
Black Widow’s past comes back to haunt her in Avengers Assemble #12 & #13 in November

The next turning points in the “Rise of the Third Army” Green Lantern storyline sees Guy Gardner teaming up with new Lantern Simon Baz, who seemed well-received by the con audience
Scott Snyder and Jim Lee will launch a new Superman book next year
Artist Paul Pelletier will begin penciling Aquaman with February’s issue #15
In New 52 news, fans clamoring for the returns of Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown were urged to “keep reading”
The upcoming Justice League of America series will make Martian Manhunter the most dangerous DC superhero, according to series writer Geoff Johns

Tags: Agent Coulson, Aquaman, avengers, Avengers Assemble, Black Widow, Brian Michael Bendis, Cassandra Cain, dc, DC Comics, dc entertainment, dc universe, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, guardians of the galaxy, Guy Gardner, Hawkeye, Hilton Collins, Jerry Siegel, Jim Lee, Justice League, justice league of america, laura siegel larson, luke ross, Martian Manhunter, Marvel, Marvel Comics, marvel entertainment, marvel universe, mary jane, New 52, new spider man, New York Comic Con, Nick Fury, Nick Spencer, NYCC, paul pelletier, Peter Parker, rise of the third army, sam jackson, Scott Snyder, secret avengers, SHIELD, Simon Baz, Spider-Man, Stephanie Brown, steve mcniven, superior spider man, Superman, Warner Bros

(POLL) The Nerd Smackdown: Who’s your favorite Robin?

Oct. 10 Comic Books, The Nerd Smackdown 4 comments

Batman’s a busy guy, so busy that he needs a tough errand boy, or girl, to help him whup supervillain booty. These feisty sidekicks are the Robins, young people with the ninja skills to hang with the bat in style. ‘Ole Bats has been at this for years, so there’ve been quite a few people who’ve interned, so to speak, for the Dark Knight.

So here they are:

1. Dick Grayson – The first Robin, and arguably the most famous. He’s his own hero as Nightwing now, but before that, he earned his stripes as the ORIGINAL boy wonder.

2. Jason Todd – He’s the Red Hood now, and he’s bounced back onto comic book pages after fans disliked him enough to VOTE FOR HIS DEMISE. (Yikes!) He’s hot-headed, but he proves that even death can’t keep a good Robin down.

3. Tim Drake – Arguably the brainiest Robin, Tim’s a science whiz and natural detective who was smart enough to figure out Batman’s real identity. He also leads the Teen Titans right now, proving that he’s got the leadership chops his mentor has as well.

4. Damian Wayne – This most recent Robin, Batman’s biological son, was trained from birth to be a deadly assassin by his mother, so he was a one-man army by the time he was like, nine. And he’s also been taught to be an expert in tons of academic and artistic subjects, and he hasn’t even hit puberty yet.

5. Stephanie Brown – She’s fought crime as Batgirl and Robin, so this crimefighter’s dipped her toe in TWO superheroic legacies, and before that, she was her own hero, the Spoiler. She’s also the daughter of a supervillain, Cluemaster, so she’s got hardcore stuff in her blood.

BUT… who’s your favorite of the five? VOTE and make your voice heard!

Writer’s note: I know there was another Robin, Carrie Kelly, in the Dark Knight Returns, but I’m restricting this to Robins from the regular, Earth 1 universe that’s not an alternate future.

Tags: Batgirl, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Carrie Kelly, Damian Wayne, Dark Knight Returns, Dick Grayson, Hilton Collins, jason todd, Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, Stephanie Brown, Teen Titans, the boy wonder, the spoiler, tim drake

Batgirl: Spoiled!

Aug. 11 News, Press Release, Previews, Web Series no comments

OMIGOD! OMIGOD! OMIGOD!!

I am SO frakking excited about what my husband found and then shared with me that I just had to share it with all of you!

Now, if you recall from one of my earlier posts, Stephanie Brown is my favorite Batgirl despite how much I love Barbara Gordon, and that the reboot of the Batgirl comic book in the New 52 was a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand, I was very happy that Barbara Gordon was restored to her former glory, but on the other hand, I was very sad to see Stephanie Brown disappear. Imagine then my excitement and joy when I saw the dazzling little gem below…

Not only is it a preview for what looks like an utterly awesome web series revolving around Batgirl, but Batgirl: Spoiled is a web series revolving around my favorite Batgirl! Now, my excitement not only stems from the fact that my favorite Batgirl is the star of this series, but also because those responsible for creating the web series obviously did their homework. They didn’t just stick some blond in a generic Batgirl costume (as I have seen done with a few cosplayers), but rather they actually recreated Stephanie Brown’s costume with the kind of great, painstaking accuracy that could only be wielded by geeks.

Then, there’s the fact that even though Stephanie doesn’t utter a word throughout the entire course of the trailer, her snark still manages to shine through, so a great deal of character research has obviously been done. Aside from all of that, Stephanie and all the other notable characters that appeared (however briefly) on the screen near the end of the trailer looked as though they quite literallywalked out of the pages of the comic books. All of that being said, a great deal of effort was obviously put into not only the casting of the players, but also into their costumes and makeup…and considering that this series is being done for the sole purpose of entertainment and not for profit, that is saying a great deal.

Suffice to say, I will be waiting anxiously for the episodes to start airing.

And who could blame me?

With the amount of attention to detail that has quite obviously been applied to this project, it can only mean that the series as a whole will be extremely well done and more than worth the watch whether or not you’re a fan of Stephanie Brown.

Especially since this series is being done by fans for fans.

What does that mean?

It means that geeks are in control of the reins and will thereby stay true to the characters as they were written and not throw unnecessary curve balls into the works…unlike some people…

*cough, cough* Michael Bay *cough, cough*

Tags: Aida Jacobs, Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Girly Geek, Stephanie Brown, Web Series

April Fools’: The Five Best

Apr. 01 Editorials no comments

Once again April Fools’ Day has come around and I’ve had no chance to pull any pranks on people. Luckily though, around the internet there have been some very clever lies told. Some have been played seriously, while others are just downright hilarious.

There is everything from tech, to film, to comics. It’s been fun. Just so you don’t get sucked in, and can have as big a laugh as I’ve had, here are my top five for the day.

Stephanie Brown Returns

Bleeding Cool put out a piece about a new kick-starter project by DC. According to the article the third wave of DC’s The New 52 would all be kick-starter projects, one of which would included Stephanie Brown returning as Spoiler, and that people should get bidding. To begin with it all seemed a little believable, they way the author said Marvel were soon to copy and the fact that one of editors wanted us to follow it up. Sadly, Stephanie Brown will not be returning any time soon.

Prometheus Review

Prometheus is still a long way off but Total Film managed to have a few people over when they claimed the review was up on their site and had been for quite some time. Clicking through it gave the film only two stars. My heart sank a little. Then I noticed it was for a play and not the up-coming film, thank God.

Donatello to be a woman

The turtles relaunch couldn’t piss off more fans that it already has, but Comicbooked claimed it had gone a step further. They put up a nice little piece about how Donatello would be portrayed as a woman in the film relaunch of the series. Michael Bay would have to be completely off his rocker to go that far, but Comicbooked made it work due to the recent outcry by fans.

Google 8-bit

Google are one of the biggest driving forces when it comes to technology, but it seems even they need to take a step back at some point. Google were so proud of this little prank and the quite nice video that they couldn’t even wait until today to post it, with Google Maps 8-bit hitting the web yesterday. Yes, that’s right, all you retro gamers out there still kicking it with a Nes will now be able to run Google Maps through it…

Lynx App Spray

Lynx are always taking a fun approach when it comes to their products and adverts, this one being no different. This year they launched a new phone app, allowing you to select from all the sprays available and grab that special woman, no matter what the situation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lynx try really hard to make this a reality.

Tags: 8-bit, comicbooked, DC Comics, editor, Google+, Liam Corcoran, lynx, maps, Marvel Comics, Michael Bay, Ninja, prometheus, review, Stephanie Brown, total film, Turtles, woman

Reflections on Batgirl

Feb. 26 Comic Books 7 comments

For those of you who know me (or who read my blog), you will know that DC’s decision to reboot Batgirl with Barbara Gordon taking up the cowl once more was a double-edged sword for me. You can go ahead and put away your torches and pitchforks because this is neither a rant nor an article filled with snide remarks over DC’s decision. It’s not that I don’t like Barbara Gordon as Batgirl (far from it, actually), after all…she was the one to originate the role for all those who came after her.

So, why is this reboot a double-edged sword for me? You might think my reasoning is silly, but I’m going to say it anyway.

My reason for my mixed feelings about this reboot is as much as I love Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, I absolutely adored her as Oracle (her role after Joker’s brutal attack on her in The Killing Joke).

In that particular role, she proved that being in a wheelchair doesn’t mean that you can’t still be a badass. As Oracle, she may not have been swinging and jumping from rooftop to rooftop like she did when she wore the cowl, but she was far from helpless. Rather, she was more of an omnipresent force of nature.

As Oracle, she was connected to everything by way of cyberspace (and seriously…what better way is there to bamboozle someone than to upload a nasty computer virus or to turn their own technology against them?). Nothing could hide from her. She had eyes and ears everywhere which allowed her to quite literally “strike hard and fade away” (yes, even in a non-TMNT related article, my fangirl colors still show), and as such she could very easily be more dangerous than Black Canary or even Huntress. She was my favorite character in the Birds of Prey series (even in the short-lived television series, Dina Meyer was Barbara Gordon personified, and she brought her to life in the most awesome of ways), and I was very sad to see her go.

I have one more reason for having the reboot be a double-edged sword for me, and that is that I had grown rather attached to Stephanie Brown (she was the Batgirl before the New 52 reboot, for those of you who didn’t read her arc). She was funny, brave, quick-witted, had awesome ‘toys’ (seriously…check out her Batarangs as well as her Batmobile, a purple Mini Coop by day and awesome tech station on wheels by night, towards the end of her arc), as well as the perfect amount of snark, and I absolutely LOVED her Batgirl costume. Of course, since my favorite color is purple, I will admit that maybe I’m a little biased in that regard…

However, all of my misgivings aside in my going into the reboot, I have to say that I am absolutely loving what the writers are doing with it.

For those of you who haven’t picked up the New 52 reboot, I won’t give too much away, but I will say that the way the writers handled the occurrence in The Killing Joke is very well done. Instead of the writers ignoring it completely and starting the reboot completely from scratch, they kept it as part of the cannon lore (and it’s often referred to throughout the course of the reboot), and instead created a solution to the incident’s outcome. However, because the solution itself was experimental, the chance of once again returning to a wheelchair is constantly looming over Barbara’s head.

This only serves to add to the drama that ensues, and believe me there is a great deal of drama. It not only centers around Barbara’s demons from the residual trauma of The Killing Joke, but it also centers around matters of a more familial nature (again…not going to go into too much detail for those of you who haven’t read the new comic books).

But drama isn’t the only thing to be found within the pages of these rebooted comic books. There’s plenty of action to be had as well as humor.

While I went into the reading of the Batgirl reboot with trepidation, I nevertheless instantly found myself completely pulled in and chomping at the bit for new issues with the same voraciousness that I usually reserve for my TMNT comic books. The bottom line is that I’m so very glad that I went ahead and ignored my original misgivings and gave the Batgirl reboot a shot. While Stephanie Brown will always have a special place in my heart (along with Oracle and Power Girl), there can be no denying that it’s good to have Barbara Gordon taking up the mantle once more.

Have you hugged your nerd today?

Have you checked out the Kickstarter page for “A CON-voluted Story”? Our very own Word of the Nerd team is involved with this awesome project! Show them some love!

Tags: Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Black Canary, Dina Meyer, Girly Geek, Huntress, New 52, Oracle, Power Girl, Stephanie Brown, The Killing Joke, TMNT

Comic Spotlight: Batman Inc.

Jan. 20 Comic Books, Features 1 comment

Batman, Inc.

In may 2012, the new DC universe will expand with six new ongoing series being launched, one of those titles is Batman Incorporated. Grant Morrison is set for return to the bat family with a new Batman Inc. series, the previous series of this title only lasted 8 issues and was left untouched and without a definitive ending to the series until the release of “Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1″ in December of last year, which was a one-shot containing what was meant to be issues nine and ten of Batman, inc.

Batmenoftheglobe

In the last series, The Batman Inc. team consisted of heroes based in various countries around the globe, some of them had been featured in Batman stories before such as Blackbat or Cassandra Cain as you may know her. She was a former Batgirl before being replaced by Stephanie Brown. Others, such as El Gaucho, Dark Ranger (formerly “the ranger”) and Nightrunner (formerly “the musketeer”) appeared first in Detective Comics volume 1, issue 215 as “The Batmen of All Nations”.

Well known characters such as Red Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman and Knight and Squire also play apart in the team, they’re seen as the leaders almost within the team. We all know about the long time running bat family members, but here’s a list of Batman Inc. members that aren’t so well know and the territories they occupy:

The Hood – England
El Gaucho – Argentina
Nightrunner – France
Batwing – Democratic Republic of Congo
Blackbat – Hong Kong
Mr. Unknown – Japan
Dark Ranger – Australia
Batman of Moscow (Ravil) – Moscow, Russia

The last one I mentioned there, Ravil the Batman of Moscow, never actually appeared in the Batman Inc. series, but is said to have been a part of the team. He was created by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason for the first issue of Batman and Robin volume 2, where he is killed pretty much immediately after being introduced… Batwing was the only new Bat family character to survive the relaunch, he got his own book! Not too shabby for him it would seem…

I’m going to take a wild guess here and say Grant Morrison will definitely expand the batman Inc. members quite a bit more over the next series, maybe even have Bruce Wayne make up with Jason Todd, and bring him into the team.

Not too much is known about the new Batman, Inc. series at this point in time, but from one article I read on USA today, and from the final page of the one-shot, it looks like Morrison’s first story arc will have Talia al Ghul facing off against Batman and his band of bat-branded heroes, with their son, Damian (the current Robin) in the middle of it all. Morrison is quoted as saying,

“It’s like Kramer vs. Kramer, but they’ve got thermonuclear capability.”

What's Next for Batman, Inc.?
It’s great that this book is making a come back, but I do have a few worries concerning the relaunch of Batman Incorporated. The first series seemed to be plagued by an inability to meet deadlines not long after it started coming out. This may have been due to Morrison’s intense work load or maybe it’s the fact he strives for perfection in everything he puts his pen to. I remember missing a couple of issues of the last series and having to hunt them down later for well over the cover price, simply because the release dates for certain issues chopped and changed frequently, making it hard to keep up… Hopefully things will run a bit smoother for Grant Morrison (and I assume Cameron Stewart and Fraser Irving will continue from last series on art duties) this time around. I’m really looking forward to picking up this title in May, I think it’s a good chance for Grant Morrison to redeem himself after the cancellation of the first series after only eight issues. The reboot didn’t really help either. Maybe this time he’ll get it right (and out on time…) let’s just hope Action Comics doesn’t suffer for it… Not that I think it will. Grant Morrison is the man!