Madame Xanadu (previously the sorceress that enchanted Merlin) has another volume coming out.
It's called Disenchanted, and it sounds pretty good.
"The fast pace [is] instantly immersive, as is Amy Reeder Hadley's finely detailed, complicated art, which is almost shockingly pretty. B+" - The Onion
"The book looks lovely and reads well." - Variety
It's about her origin, apparently.
"Thrown into worlds of war and men, she encounters a dark stranger who knows both her past and future. This debut volume reveals Madame Xanadu's centuries spanning origin from Camelot to the court of Kubla Khan to 1940s New York City and beyond..."
I've know this for a while, but I haven't had my computer for a while.
So, Batman isn't dead.
SPOILER!
Darkseid's Omega Sanction didn't kill him after ole' Batsy shot the radion bullet at him (I can't get over the use of a gun). The Omega Sanction is described as the "life that is death" and just sent his consciousness into a parallel universe. He was sent to the distant past (just his mind, not his body - but how can someone have their mind exist separately from their body?) and he is able to watch the passing of Anthro.
Wow. That's a lot to take in.
Thankfully, executive editor at DC Comics, Dan DiDio had this to say:
"He's not dead, though he'll definitely be gone for a while. Batman and Bruce Wayne have been here long before me and they'll be around long after me."
Well, we kind of knew that already. Why kill of one of their biggest moneymakers? Well, it allowed them to have Battle for the Cowl, which was pretty darn depressing.
Grant Morrison, writer of some of the most amazing comics (Killing Joke, Final Crisis, a whole bunch of others), has said that he is giving a "fate worse than death" that "no one would expect." Well, you got that right, Grant. No one expected you to kill off Bruce.
Now be a good adolescent-minded writer and bring him back.
I'm sorry, DC Comics, my one true love, but you don't have anyone quite as funny as Deadpool, though I like the (purposeful?) relationship between Deathstroke and Deadpool. Wade Wilson and Slade Wilson. It even kinda rhymes.
Here are a collection of funny Deadpool images from comics that make me smile. ^ yeah, above.
The Dark Knight was a blockbuster hit, raking in millions of dollars for Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, and Christopher Nolan. Now, rumors about a third Batman movie are surfacing.
Villains in the Batman movies are always highly anticipated. Ever since the horrendous Riddler (Jim Carrey) and the idiotic Two-Face (Val Kilmer), fans of Batman, both the shows and the comics, have been waiting for true villains to be in a Bat-flick. Well, so far we've had the amazing Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson), the Joker (Heath Ledger), and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy); all of which were played perfectly. Now, the third Batman movie (rumors, remember?) have suspected villains. Many believe that Angelina Jolie will be playing the feline fatale Catwoman (previously played by Michelle Pfeiffer), but Hollywood Newsroom is claiming that these rumors are exactly that...rumors. They say that Maggie Gyllenhaal, who was killed off during The Dark Knight is going to be playing Batman's long time love interest in the comic books. Says Hollywood Newsroom,
"Our source close to Maggie Gyllenhaal confirmed that she’s excited about the next movie, why else would she, or Katie Holmes for that matter, take on the thankless roll of Rachel Dawson? After Katie left the roll, they could’ve create a new character. But that wasn’t part of Nolan’s plan. This is the trajectory he’s planned for Rachel since the first movie. Not only is Maggie contractually obligated, but she’s already getting in shape for Batman 3.”
Yes, we know that Rachel Dawes is DEAD, but there are some ways around that (Lazarus Pits, she never really died, etc.), but Nolan has been very careful about keeping away from the unbelievable.
According to The Mirror, though, Catwoman is to be played by 62-year old singer Cher, who is said to be Nolan's first choice if her were to use Catwoman. He wants her like a "vamp in her twilight years", according to the same source, and Nolan wants her to be "the complete opposite" of the previous incarnations of Catwoman. If this is true, though, then Nolan is going way off character by not sticking to the comics like he previously has.
Another villain considered by many is the Riddler, whom people believe would be played by Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd, Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Sissorhands, the upcoming Alice in Wonderland). Hecklerspray.com is saying that these rumors are completely true.
"That’s a stone cold fact. Why are we so sure that Johnny Depp will play The Riddler in Batman 3? Because Johnny Depp recently briefly mumbled something desperately ambiguous about it possibly being quite fun to maybe play The Riddler during a local radio interview with his band."
David Goyer, the screenwriter of the Batman movies, has said this in response to the Catwoman and Riddler rumors:
"Batman has been published for 70 years. In the first movie, we used Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow, who had not been in the movies before, and had not been in the '60s TV show before... There are dozens if not hundreds of other characters that fit that bill. Everyone says it's got to be the Penguin or Catwoman [in the next film]... well I completely disagree."
Next, it is said that the Penguin, rumored to be played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, will be in the Batman 3 move. Apparently, when Michael Caine (Alfred) was interviewed on MTV News, he was asked who he would like to be in the next installment of the saga. He said, and I quote:
"It’s Johnny Depp as The Riddler. And The Penguin is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I read it in the paper."
You may not believe this, but he also said, "
“When Christopher [Nolan] said we were going to do ‘The Dark Knight’ next, I didn’t know what that meant in Batman terms. I said, ‘What’s the story?’ and he said 'The Joker'. I said, ‘Oh, s–t! How are you going to top Jack [Nicholson]?’ He said, ‘Well, I’ve cast Heath Ledger. And I went ‘Ha! I couldn’t top Jack, but if anyone could, maybe Heath could.’ And he did. “I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘S–t, they’ve done it again!’” [Laughs]
The Warner Brother execs could have been joking, or changed their minds, but I find it unlikely that Nolan will let them bring back anyone who has been previously used (Joker is a special case as he is the Caped Crusader's biggest nemesis).
A final rumor is that Aaron Eckhart (who played the DA gone bad, Harvey Dent) will be coming back, but Eckhart confirmed it himself that his character (Dent) is dead.
"He is dead as a door nail. He ain’t coming back baby! I asked Chris [Nolan] that question and he goes, “You’re dead” before I could even get the question out of my mouth. “Hey Chris, am I...?” “You’re dead!” Alright, cool."
As there are so many rumors, Warner Brothers must have a lot of difficulty squashing untrue facts. But that isn't their biggest problem. Christian Bale, who plays the titular Dark Knight, and only reluctantly signed onto another movie, is reportedly bailing on the third movie. He said in an interview that he "didn't even want to think about it [the movie]."
The release schedule for the third Bat-flick is unknown, but several of the crew are saying that winter 2009 is the time to look for it. This is unlikely, as that is only two movie seasons away and it took Nolan two years to make The Dark Knight.
Oh, and Gary Oldman (Harry Potter, Batman Begins) had better be in this one, because he was just made Commissioner and he's my favorite character.
Who knows what the next movie will hold, but no matter what it is, I'm sure it will be another stunning production from Christopher Nolan.
The Doom Patrol (created in the 1960s by Arnold Drake) is apparently going to be back with their fifth series in August 2009.
This series, which will be written by Keith Griffen, should be different than the last few, and hopefully not in a bad way.
Says writer Kieth Griffen:
"The Doom Patrol are heroes in spite of themselves. They're heroes who gained their powers through tragic circumstances. They do not look at themselves as superheroes. They view themselves as freaks and outcasts. They're the ultimate superhero dysfunctional family. They didn't make the leap from, OK, I've got these powers so I'm going to be a superhero. They were kind of forced into making that leap. One of the hardest things for me is always to make that jump from, OK, Tim you've got superpowers and you can fly, so now you're going to spend all your time fighting crime. I wouldn't be out there fighting crime if I could fly. I'd be making millions, making personal appearances around the country. I'd do the Spider-Man route, or I might stop the burglar, but then I'd soak in the limelight."
To read more on the new Doom Patrol series, click here.
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!)
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