Smallville Returns, Less than Spectacular Support

Yes, yes. Smallville has returned for a groundbreaking ninth season (isn't Tom Welling a little too old to be pre-Superman now?). Sadly, the show has had a schedule change, to 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. Central on Fridays (pretty much the dead end zone of all that is television).

Even us here at Haphazard Heroines missed the first two episodes because, well, we were out doing something else! We're not Perez Hilton, you know :D

SPOILER AHEAD!

The first episode this season, Savior, takes place three weeks from the end of season eight. Now, remember, Lois had transported herself via flight ring to the future, Jimmy is dead, Clark had turned his back on humanity, Chloe is barely living, Green Arrow and the others have dropped off the radar, Tess Mercer was hunting down Kryptonians, and the world was saved from Doomsday.

Okay, now that we're all caught up...

The first episode shows Clark, now only Kal-El, in his new uniform, black trench coat and black shirt with the family crest on it (the infamous 'S'!). He is very, very distracted from his previously uninterrupted work with Jor-El due to the mysterious reappearance of Lois Lane, whom he admits to enjoy talking to (Chloe seems hurt). He saves her, she doesn't realize she's been gone and still likes the Blur way more than she should. She meets John Corben (to all you DC fans, the name should be a tip off, dontcha think?), who ends up taking Clark Kent's spot at the Daily Planet (Clark is "visiting family indefinitely"). He's a tool.

So, now we have a distracted Clark, an even more curious Lois (possible? unsure...), a slightly annoying John Corben, a sad and a little disappointed Chloe, and...other characters.

Now, Tess Mercer has been chilling with the Kryptonians who pretty much vanish into thin air after crowning Zod their leader once again (some had strayed from the path!). She, being Tess, has to know what's going on (bring back Lex! We all know he's not dead!)

Blah, blah, blah. Lois hunts down Green Arrow and deems him a loser, blah, blah, blah...wait, what? I do loves me some Justin Hartley.

Oh, and there's an assassin hunting Clark. He kills her though (supposedly).

End of the episode - Chloe asks for Clark to go back in time and save Jimmy. He states that he can't, that he's seen what happens when he tampers with time (ummmmm his father dies?), so he says no. Chloe bites back that there is nothing human left in him before leaving the Kent barn, where the fight between the assassin and Clark went down. Lois dreams that night of things that we must assume happened in the future. Including sex with Clark. Yowza!

Second episode - called Metallo. Hmmmmm :D

Long story short, Corben becomes the infamous Metallo, beats the living crap out of both Lois and Clark (who can't get near him - kryptonite battery), Chloe starts up the Watchtower again, and Clark admits that he can't protect society if he isn't one of them.

He restarts his career as Clark Kent, Daily Planet Reporter (future husband of Lois Lane?).

Oh, and Tess gives Lois's job back to her, though she's spying on her. Eep!

I really enjoyed this part.

Enjoy, all of my little Smallville addicts. I am one of you!

Superman Being Taken Away From DC?

I do NOT believe this!

Time to revolt? Yes, yes, yes!

If I am wrong in any of this, please let me know.

Supes - In GL Too?

Today is the day Superman might get a real comeback by forcing himself upon everyone who loves comics.

See here to learn all about the incredibly juicy information on the lawsuit with DC and Warner Brothers against the heirs of Jerry Siegel. Here's a bit to whet your Superman-loving appetite.

"The judge, who conducted a 10-day bench trial, also noted that Warner Bros. chairman Alan Horn had testified that he hopes to make another “Superman" movie but added that the property wasn’t under development at the studio, that no script had been written and that the earliest another “Superman” pic could be released would be in 2012."

Have at it!

Yes, it is True. Superman Gets Another Movie!

Stupid, stupid, stupid. The last, like, three didn't do too well in the DC Comics viewer demographics.

This is the official plot synopsis that has since been removed from Slashfilm,

“Ramping up the action of its esteemed predecessor, the sequel to ‘Superman Returns’ promises to raise the stakes and take the audience to heights of action that no other superhero movie can achieve.”

Now, Bryan Singer may or may not be included in the reboot, but a while ago, the Wall Street Journal announced that there will be asequel in the near future.

Warner Bros. also put on hold plans for another movie starring multiple superheroes — known as “Batman vs. Superman” — after the $215 million “Superman Returns,” which had disappointing box-office returns, didn’t please executives. “‘Superman’ didn’t quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to,” says Mr. Robinov. “It didn’t position the character the way he needed to be positioned.” “Had ‘Superman’ worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009,” he adds. “But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all.”

Oh, and Kevin Spacey is confirmed for the movie (good or bad news? I'm sick of Luthor by now).

For now, let us see how the production goes...

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

As everyone is well aware (I hope), there is a new DC movie coming out, starring Batman and Superman, entitled Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (didn't I read a comic called the same thing? Oh, yes, I did).

The movie focuses on the same thing in the comic: a kryptonite meteor is heading straight for Earth, following Superman, so President Lex Luthor orders Superman to turn himself in. Instead, he goes to Batman. They are attacked by villains (Mongol, Solomon Grundy, Silver Banshee and Lady Shiva being among them) and then heroes (Captian Atom, Major Force, Starfire, Black Lightning, etc.). So, Batman and Superman have to team up.

Actually in the movie, the kryptonite meteor "drives Superman mad, leading him to commit murder".

And, via Batman on Film.com, we have stills from the upcoming animated movie. Hopefully, you can name them yourself, as I am too lazy to.











This movie will have the voice of Kevin Conroy for Batman, Tim Daly as Superman, and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. Others include: John McGinely (Metallo), LeVar Burton (Black Lightning), Xander Berkley (Captain Atom), Allison Mack (Power Girl), Ricardo Chiavera (Major Force), CCH Pounder (Amanda Waller), and a bunch of others.

Bruce Timm (Batman Animated Series, Superman Animated Series) is the executive producer, while Alan Burnett is editing the already amazing script.

Screenwriter Stan Berkowitz has worked on a lot of DC Animated movies. He's doing this one as well, and was interviewed about the movie. On the topic of why he decided to pen this particular movie, he stated:

"In the comic book...it was assumed that everyone knew the backstory to how Luthor got elected President. But we needed...to show an audience, who might not be familiar with the comics, exactly what would have to happen for Luthor to be elected. I sort of envisioned Luthor ascending to the Presidency somewhere around 2012...I figured that something bad would happen, and then Democrats would be elected in 2008, they wouldn’t be able to solve the problem and, in 2012, a tough, Ross Perot-style third party bid would be the one who’d be elected."

When asked about how he felt adapting a well known story, he said,

"For Public Enemies, there was also the issue of credibility. We were concerned that if a person who vaguely knows Superman and Batman grabs this off the shelf and sees Lex Luthor as President, he might think, “hey, what’s going on here?” It might just put them off, or make them think this was an alternate world story. And that’s not how it’s advertised. The other credibility issue is that in the comic, Luthor believes that the meteor is coming to Earth because of Superman. As a reader, I could not get past the fact that the public buys Luthor’s explanation. I didn’t believe an audience watching this as an animated production would buy Luthor’s explanation. So Alan (Burnett) and Bruce (Timm) and I had to figure out an alternate way for Luthor to frame Superman. I think it worked very well."

He also, when the interviewer wonders what it is like writing Batman and Superman together, says:

"Well, Batman and Superman are opposites. Superman has always been presented as the character from the light, the daytime; Batman from the nighttime. They have decidedly different outlooks. Superman is the ultimate kid from Kansas, who had a real healthy upbringing. Batman is the tormented orphan. In a way, Superman’s outlook is too sunny, and Batman’s is too dark. The two of them work against each other, trying to temper each other’s attitude.

Superman wants to cheer up Batman to a certain extent, and Batman wants to make Superman aware that there is a darker world under what Superman normally sees. It’s fun to create banter between them. It was also fun to adapt the banter that was in the graphic novel, and we used a lot of it. Jeph’s words were so good, we just pulled dialogue directly from the pages of the novel."

The DVD drops on September 29, so be ready, it's only a month (less!) away.

If you want more information:

The Full Interview with Stan

Extra Information

For the DVD Version on Amazon, click here.

For the Blu-Ray edition, click here.

For the 2-Disc Special Edition, click here.

Guy Ritchie to Direct Lobo

Wow. Madonna's ex, Guy Richie, is going to direct a live-action version of Lobo. For everyone who knows nothing about Lobo, he's an alien bounty hunter that pretty much hates everyone, but really dislikes Supes.

This better be good.

In the film, instead of pale while and leathered up, he will be an everlasting, blue-skinned, 7-foot-tall, muscular antihero who drives an eccentric motorcycle and visits our planet looking for four fugitives bent on making trouble.

This has the potential to be either great or super sucky. Which do you think it will be?

And how will this work with the several other superhero movies coming out in the near future?

Can't Wait!

The Amazing Spider-Man #601 should be good.

It's come out on the 5th, as you should know.

I'm not usually into Spider Man, but it's going to have the return of Mary Jane and some pretty good art.

Plus, the only other thing I have to read is Blackest Night.

I have kinda missed Mary Jane for a while, even if she is a bit of a Mary Sue (and so is Superman in my opinion, but they keep writing stories about him...why not Mary Jane?).

My Mind Exploded Due to Trinity.

I love Trinity. I really do.

But the further it gets in the series, the more difficult it becomes to follow.

Take issue #42. I got it.

Cheetah vs. Black Adam - check!

The godlike Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman - check!

Hey! Wait!

Yeah, that's where I got confused too. Thankfully, looking back on the Trinity title, I understand now.

It involves a dream, Morgaine Le Fey, and the multiverse.

That's where I stopped.

I just get too freaking confused when the multiple Earths thing happens.

So, so very confused.

Le Fey is trying to destroy the Trinity (Batsy, Supes, and WW), along with Despero. I got that far.

I really do like what Wikipedia has to say about Morgaine trying to understand "why them?"

"As she studies their targets, Morgaine realizes why each third of the Trinity holds his or her share of the power: Batman is the pinnacle of human achievements, physical and mental; Superman is the ultimate freedom fighter, with an absolute will; and Wonder Woman's message inspires all around her to do what is right to the end."

I think I'm gonna try re-reading it.

You should too.

Final Crisis - The End of Batman?

Finally got my hands on a copy of FINAL CRISIS. I was lucky; It was somehow just sitting on a table in Barnes and Noble when I went in there last week so, of course, I had to have it.

I didn't like it.

At all.

And not just the fact that BATMAN FREAKING DIES.

No.

It was kind of boring and I didn't understand some of it. No me gusta.

The drawing was great though and I always love reading Grant Morrison. Not so much this time, though.

Read this if you want what I'm sure will be a more enlightening and interesting review: FINAL CRISIS REVIEW

My hat's tipped to you, Bat-guano, for sacrificing yourself. May Superman fall in your presence when you return (because why the hell wouldn't they bring Batman back? He's the best of them all!)