Hey U Guys caught up with the actor at the Critics Circle Awards in London. After chatting up all Jones has on his plate right now, they asked the big question. You can check it out around the 3:50 mark, but Jones said he will be coming back to Captain America. He seemed very happy about it which is always a good sign. Of course at this stage there are no details on whether it will be in flashbacks or we’ll be seeing his robotic form that was teased in The First Avenger. Whenever more info hits we’ll have it for you. What do you think about Jones’ return? Do you hope he’s more than a scientist this time around?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Toby Jones Set To Play Arnim Zola Again In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

What I bring to you today is the first in a series that examines the baddies and rogues that are consistently passed over for more recognizable characters. We have seen a total of seven films based on the Batman comics and within those films, we saw four villains that were duplicates. Take a look at Superman as well, with Lex Luthor filling the villainous role in nearly all of those films. It’s not just DC Comics that is at fault here as films based on Marvel characters are also guilty of this, with Magneto acting as a villain (in some fashion) in all four films based on the mutant team. My point is that there are so many untapped rogues that writers can look to in order to provide a formidable and unique foe. With “The Neglected Nemeses” series, I hope to bring you baddies that you hadn’t thought of and show that because they are less popular, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t as menacing and potentially profitable as the more known characters.

The first rogue I’d like to highlight could provide a an interesting antagonist for a potential Flash film. We all know that The Flash does not have the most impressive list of foes, but with a bit of imagination and some killer CGI, the Shade could turn out to be a formidable opponent.. Add to that a bit of a martial arts element and the cool factor of this guy just went up considerably. I’ll admit that at first glance, Shade may not be your first choice for Flash to take on; in fact, most people would rather see Reverse Flash in the possible upcoming film. I first became aware of this character while watching the Justice League animated series and when I caught a glimpse of him, I couldn’t help but think of how awesome it’s be to see what they could do with him in a live-action film. Some would say that his ability to manipulate the shadows is similar to Green Lantern power ring abilities, I think this could be handled in a much better and less cheesy fashion.

The Shade, also known as Richard Swift, was first introduced in 1942 as a rogue for Flash and went on to take on the Flash from both the Golden Age and Silver Age of comics and eventually becomes a mentor for Jack Knight, the son of Starman, one of the heroes that Shade had previously battled. When first introduced, Shade was portrayed as a thief who utilized a cane to manipulate shadows. In 1994, the character was re-invented as a Victorian era immortal who gained the ability to control the shadows and his immortality from an unknown mystical event. Back in 2009, Shade was given the honor as being ranked number 89 on IGN’s list of the Greatest Comic Book Villains of all Time.

Shade is at present one of the best, if not the ultimate, channeler of the power of the Darklands, a quasi-sentient, extra-dimensional mass of malleable darkness which he can channel to various effects, both as an absence of light and a solid substance: he can summon and control “demons” from there, summon and dispel shields and areas of complete darkness, create all kinds of constructs out of shadows (in a similar manner to a Green Lantern, with the exception of the color of the constructs), transport himself and others through it over massive distances, and can, if necessary, use it as a last-ditch prison dimension.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty bad-ass to me. Shade has been part of several versions on the Injustice Society and has worked closely with other baddies such as Wizard and the Fiddler. He has made several cameo appearances in several series including Green Arrow and JSA and has also recently been linked with Felix Faust and Circe. During the “Infinite Crisis” run, Shade was seen using his powers to shield many shield Opal City citizens from falling buildings. Instead of admitting he was helping people, the villains stated that he was simply “saving the architecture.” He also played a major role in the battle against Prometheus during the “Justice League: Cry For Justice” series. here, Shade is found waiting in the home of his former rival Jay Garrick to inform him that  the super villain Prometheus had put out an order for a series of attacks on various heroes including Batwoman, Barry Allen Crimson Avenger and Stargirl in order to distract them from a larger, more menacing plan. Shade is accompanied by Jay to the Watchtower where they arrived just as Prometheus showed up, who had defeated the entire League. Jay is quickly defeated, but because Swift is not a “hero,” Prometheus didn’t have the knowledge of how to defeat him. After a severe beat-down, Prometheus is saved from death from Donna Troy. Shade then creates a portal giving Green Arrow access to Prometheus’ otherworldly lair where the hero kills Prometheus.

This wouldn’t be the last time that Shade has assisted the League or shown  a bit of heart. After David Knight, reanimated as a Black Lantern, threatens to kill his lover, Shade uses the power of his own heart , which was pulled from his chest by Knight, to entrap the Black Lantern in the Shadowlands, claiming he had “no light of his own.” Shade also plays a big part in the Brightest Day storyline, where Atom and Starman are sent into Shade’s body to fight of a brainwashing that Eclipso had placed onto him. Having just barely freed him, Shade joins the fight against the villain.

As I mentioned previously, with the Shade’s ability to manipulate shadows and darkness, it could provide for some really cool visuals on the big screen. Add that to the visuals needed to make the Flash…the Flash, and you have yourself some potentially epic fight scenes. Toss in a bit of some hard-core martial arts to the character and holy crap! The potential in huge! If the folks behind the potential film use a character like Reverse Flash, I worry that it will be too much of the same thing throughout the film and using a character like Shade would offer up something we haven’t seen in a comic book movie yet.

It will take a certain type of actor to make a character like this work. Not just Shade, but Flash as well. While the debate for who should play the Flash, and which version we see (Barry Allen, Wally West, etc), I don’t think there is a better person to fill the role of Shade than the always impressive Vincent Cassel. Most known for his darker films like Brotherhood of the Wolf and Eastern Promises, Cassell has had some parts in some fairly successful films; most recently starring opposite Natalie Portman in Darren Aronofsky’s The Black Swan. He also played the acrobatic thief in the two Ocean’s Eleven sequels. It was his role in these films that make me think he’d be perfect for Richard Swift. He has the ability to come off as elegant and suave, while being deceiving and evil at the same time.And let’s face it, the guy is an amazing actor and would be an amazing addition to any film.

So what are your thoughts? Is this someone you’d like to see take on the Flash in a potential film? What other actors would you suggest for the part? Sound off below!

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, The Neglected Nemeses: The Shade

The game out for Xbox, PS3, and the Wii is from the makers of the Mortal Kombat franchise. IGN has unveiled nearly 15 minutes of game footage. Featured is a fight between Superman and The Flash as well as Batman and Solomon Grundy. The graphics look great and the Flash around the world punch is spectacular, but some may be upset about the new costume designs. These aren’t the 52 redesigned costumes, but they look somewhat similar. The game comes out in 2013. Announced characters as of now are Batman, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Gameplay From DC’s Injustice Gods Among Us

Gangster Squad writer Will Beal is writing the JL movie. Beall hasn’t turned in a script for JL just yet, he is a busy man with Warner Brothers. He is working on a Lethal Weapon reboot and a remake of Logan’s Run.

You may remember there was a failed attempt at a Justice League movie several years ago, but this one seems to be more of a sure thing.

At the end of the report, there were some updates on things we thought WB was working on but hadn’t heard a lot about- Wonder Woman, Flash, and Lobo. Green Lantern screen writers Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green are writing The Flash. One of the other GL writers, Michael Goldenber, has been hired to write Wonder Woman. Brad Peyton, who we reported is working on Lobo, is finishing up a new draft.

This is fantastic news for DC fans. A Justice League movie has been in the works on and off for years, and to finally have more concrete news of it being back on track is exciting. Man of Steel may well be a stepping stone to a larger DC Universe. With all that is reported to be lined up for DC on the movie front, Marvel may have a run for their money.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Warner Brothers Is Moving Ahead With Justice League And Wonder Woman Movies

What if our greatest heroes became our greatest threat? Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Injustice: Gods Among Us, an all-new game in development by award-winning NetherRealm Studios, creators of the definitive fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat. The game is scheduled for release in 2013 for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and the Wii U(TM) system from Nintendo.

Injustice: Gods Among Us debuts as a bold new fighting game franchise that introduces a deep, original story featuring a large cast of favorite DC Comics icons such as Batman, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and many others. Set in a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred, players will experience heroes and villains engaging in epic battles on a massive scale.

“With Injustice: Gods Among Us, we are creating an all-new franchise with incredible battles set in the DC Comics Universe,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “NetherRealm Studios is the extremely talented team behind the latest Mortal Kombat hit and it is developing a game unlike any other in the fighting genre.”

“We can’t wait to reveal Injustice: Gods Among Us because it will give our fans and gamers an epic experience as they battle like gods as their favorite DC Comics villains and heroes,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “Our team is excited to make a fighting game that is filled with fast-paced action, incredible story-telling and iconic DC Comics characters.”

For more information, visit www.injustice.com .

About DC Entertainment DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes–a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes–to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About NetherRealm Studios NetherRealm Studios is a leader in the development of interactive entertainment, and the creator of the billion dollar Mortal Kombat franchise. Mortal Kombat has spawned two theatrical films, multiple television series, and has sold over 28 million games to date. Located in Chicago, Illinois the award-winning NetherRealm team has been working and creating games together since 1992. Additional information about NetherRealm Studios can be found at www.netherrealm.com .

INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US (C) 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by NetherRealm Studios. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo.

DC LOGO, and all characters, their distinctive likenesses, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics (C) 2012. NETHERREALM STUDIOS LOGO, WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: (TM) & (C) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12)

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, DC And NetherRealm Unveils New Fighting Game Injustice: Gods Among Us

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato continue their Flash epic, delving even more into the nature of Speed Force, and how tied into Barry Allen it really is.  Sadly Barry Allen takes a back seat in his own book this month.

Manapul and Buccellato have done a lot of interesting things with the Speed Force.  Before the reboot, it use to be this continuity monster that sucked down any story that tried to touch upon it.  But these two have not only made it accessible, but a very interesting part of who the Flash is.  They continue with that showing how tied in the Speed Force is to Barry.  It’s great stuff to read.  The best part about every new Speed Force revelation is how simple they are.  They make sense to the ongoing story, and can be easily referenced without the reader trying to figure out how fickle the Speed Force is with this writer.  With these two on the book for the foreseeable future, the Speed Force will no doubt grow in it’s origin.  Reading their interpretation of the Speed Force, it makes a reader wonder why other writers never thought to writ the Speed Force in this way.

But the issue isn’t all about the Speed Force, as Turbine is introduced as well.  He’s an interesting character, and one that should be around more in the future.  His plight makes the reader sympathetic towards him.  So when Barry ultimately has to hurt Turbine, the reader feels bad for both sides.  Those are the best villains in comics. But the issue spends way to much time focusing on Turbine and his story.  With the issue having to balance between him, Barry, Iris and the lost people, the Speed Force, King Grood, and Patty, it’s a very packed issue.  Don’t think for a second that this book isn’t entertaining, but the writing team could have focused more on Barry and what he thinks about everything that is going on.  Forgetting Patty and Iris would have been a good idea for pacing reasons.  The King Grood scenes could have been trimmed down by a page, but that might be a stylistic choice.  Manapul and Buccellato balance the book out well for being new writers, and no doubt they will work out the kinks.

Issues #1-#3, signed by Francis Manapul

The Flash has always been a beautiful book, with Barry Allen speeding around everywhere.  But in this issue, with Barry only walking around, Manapul and Buccellato bring us a beautiful world.  The transparent faces and scenes behind them are simply gorgeous on every level.  It’s easy to get lost in this book each and every month.  Much like the Flash, Turbine’s powers look great.  Readers can see and feel the speed that Turbine is cranking out.  The quick shots of King Grood and his world are great as well.  Manapul packs a great amount of detail into them; with the reader being able to see every hair on their body.  Seeing issues like this can make one nervous that Manapul or Buccellato would have to take a month off to achieve this level of detail.

The Flash #8 gets 3.5/5.

MrComicBook, The Flash #8 Review

Kevin Conroy, the one and only voice for animated versions of Batman, was talking with the Comic Book Club when he let slip a very interesting bit of information. Apparently, he did a little work for a new DC feature. Conroy works on all the direct-to-DVD animated releases for DC, but this one is going to be based on Flashpoint. That story being the lead-up to the new 52 universe. The basics- “Barry Allen wakes up to discover he is in an altered timeline in which Citizen Cold is Central City’s greatest hero; his mother is alive; his father died of a heart attack three years ago; and that the Flash, the Justice League, and Superman do not exist.” The conclusion resulted in the DC, Vertigo, and Wildstorm timelines converging.

What Conroy said is all we know, but expect an official announcement soon. The full video is below, for the Flashpoint part skip to around the 5:20 mark.

Oh I just, just last night, I recording a new animated movie…that features The Flash, it’s more about The Flash, but Batman is in it as well. It’s a Flash…Flashpoint! Flashpoint? I think it’s Flashpoint.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, DC Animation Working On A Flashpoint Feature According To Kevin Conroy

Justice League Doom the Bluray cover. It will no doubt have extra features that the regular dvd edition will not

Justice League Doom is perhaps the very best Justice League movie made to date. With Kevin Conroy voicing Batman and Tim Daly voicing Superman you have a solid core for this flick which is based on the JLA story from the late 90′s. This may have also been the last project written by Dwayne McDuffie, a man who brought a lot of the DC Universe to the forefront with the work he did on the JLU series and the work he did with Static Shock. I am “friends” with Dwayne on facebook, and it’s something I cherish. Even though I have never met him, and sadly never will, he has a legacy and a fanbase that loves everything he has done. And this animated movie is going to be included in that list of great accomplishments.

The JLA, with a conspicuously absent Batman

The world is a harsh mistress. Especially when you’re a member of the single most powerful superhero team EVER! And when a group of the DC Universe’s B Team villains unite to take out the heroes they loathe, things get freaking ugly, and I’m not talking about Mirror Master’s outfit. So, let’s get down to the players in this little dance. On the Justice League you have Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Flash (Barry Allen) and seconded by Cyborg. Fighting on the side of the Legion of Doom, which was totally awesome in and of itself, cause of how they worked the story were led by Vandal Savage (the man with the plan), Cheetah, Metallo, Bane, Ma’alefa’ak, Star Saphire (Carol Ferris) and the Mirror Master. The plan, flawless. The action, some of the best in the animated library of DC Comics.

The story was amazing, and again kudos to Dwayne for his writing on this movie. The choice of rogues used in this flick was great. There is nothing that didn’t make this movie awesome. Even the art style, which I was not a fan of when the flick started, grew on me. And being first and foremost an artist, visuals are immensely important to me. And when the movie started, I was underwhelmed. But as the seconds ticked off the timer, I became extremely excited to see what was next. Although, Bane’s S&M costume was kinda weird and made me feel somewhat uncomfortable, his mask was seriously cool. But it was no less revealing than Star Saphire’s, and that is what is peculiar about the comic book industry. A male character’s revealing outfit is thought about a lot less than a female character’s outfit, no matter how much or little flesh it shows.

Wonder Woman versus Cheetah screen capture from the movie

There is little else I can say about Justice League Doom that wouldn’t give major spoilers. But think about one of the single greatest Justice League stories you’ve ever read, and you may not even be prepared for Justice League: Doom, the newest feature length animated movie to join the ranks of DC Universe’s ever growing library.

This flick ranks up there with some of the best animated super hero movies in history. And to be honest, I sometimes wonder if I’m going to run out of grades for the growing list of projects I review. But I’ll do my best to keep with my system. This time, Justice League Doom rates one of the best Royal Rumbles ever to have taken place. The year was 1991 and a recent edition to the then WWF roster was then World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair, who had recently left rival wrestling promotion WCW with their top title belt in tow.

Flair came into the WWF with the help of the single greatest manager in wrestling history, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and proclaimed himself the only World Champion. The WWF title had recently been vacated and in the interest of restoring order to the WWF, the 1991 Royal Rumble would winner would become the undisputed WWF Champion. Flair entered at number 3, at the time no one had won the 30 man over the top rope war at such a low entry. Heenan’s color commentary was amazing as some how, Flair outlasted future Hall of Famers and legendary performers such as The Understaker, Mr. Perfect, The British Bulldog, Hulk Hogan, Sid Justice, Jake Roberts and more. It was a great time. And an amazing match. So good, that it was included in the first WWE produced “Best of” Ric Flair dvd sets. Of which there could be hundreds. But with the help of Hulk Hogan holding Sid’s arm, Flair tossed the behemoth over the top rope and became the undisputed World Wrestling Federation Champion.

John Chihak, The Hardcore Review: Doom Comes To The Swamps… AGAIN! YAY!

One of the greatest things about the Amazing Con is that it is very intimate and you actually have time to interact with your favorite artists, creators, writers etc. Well this was the case with Brian Buccellato, who is currently coloring and co-writing DC Comics New 52 The Flash.  Even though I love what he is doing with Flash, I am here to talk to you guys about Eddie. Huh?  Yeah, Eddie Foster is the main protagonist of Buccellato’s newest independent comic book called “FOSTER”.

I was lucky enough to grab a copy at the con, since it debuted there and it was limited to 500 units. As many of you know me and the boys here at Comic Book Therapy, love indie comics and independent artists and we do anything we can to spread the gospel of the fine arts of comic books.

Well I read Foster today. I read it, I loved it and I demand more! I will try my best to not spoil the story, because honestly you need to be surprised. I didn’t know anything about the book until I read it and boy was I glad.

Foster is set  on  the late 60′s  early 70′s era in the fictional”VINTAGE CITY”.

Agent Burgos, Review: Brian Buccellato’s FOSTER

Justice League: Doom finds Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Batman on their heels when a team of super villains discover and implement the Dark Knight’s “contingency plans” for stopping any rogue Justice League member. The story is inspired by Mark Waid’s much-heralded “JLA: Tower of Babel.”

Primetime television stars Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Tim Daly (Private Practice), the reigning voices of Green Lantern and Superman, respectively, join a group of eight actors reprising their famed Justice League cartoon roles. Fillion made his debut as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan in the recent Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, and took his initial DC Universe movie bow as the voice of Steve Trevor in the 2008 hit Wonder Woman. Daly originated his role as Superman’s voice in the landmark cartoon, Superman: The Animated Series. He has reprised the role in two DC Universe films: the 2009 extravaganza Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and the 2010 thriller Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

The grand reunion of actors who provided the voices of the Justice League for the cartoon of the same name and its follow-up, Justice League Unlimited, includes Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman, Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Breaking In) as Flash, Susan Eisenberg (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) as Wonder Woman and Carl Lumbly (Alias) as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter. Bumper Robinson (A Different World, Transformers: Animated) joins the cast as Cyborg.

The Justice League faces two sets of villainous teams in the film – The Royal Flush Gang and a sextet of notable evildoers. The latter group includes three voice acting alumni of the Justice League animated series: Phil Morris (Smallville, Seinfeld) as Vandal Savage, Olivia d’Abo (The Wonder Years) as Star Sapphire, and Alexis Denisof (Angel) as Mirror Master. Also opposing our heroes are Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911) as Bane, Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) as Metallo, and Claudia Black (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) as Cheetah.

David Kaufman (Danny Phantom) also reprises his Justice League role of Jimmy Olsen.

The film is executive produced by Bruce Timm (Batman: Year One), and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Batman: Year One), who is also credited as producer alongside Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series). Justice League: Doom is the final DC Universe film script from the late Dwayne McDuffie (All-Star Superman, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths), who passed away in February 2011. Casting and dialogue direction is once again in the capable hands of Andrea Romano (Batman: Year One, Justice League).

“Justice League: Doom has all the classic ingredients of a great super hero film – a cavalcade of dynamic villains, internal strife amongst our heroes, treacherous twists and turns, and a cast that brings together some of today’s popular primetime television actors with many of the fans’ favorite voices from the original series,”

said Hersin Magante, Warner Home Video Marketing Director, Family & Animation.

“I think fans will embrace Dwayne’s McDuffie’s final DCU script, particularly as it has been nuanced by Bruce Timm and the Warner Bros. Animation team. Warner Home Video is proud to distribute Justice League: Doom as the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie.”

Justice League: Doom Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack has 3 hours of exciting content, including:
• Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
• UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy,
• Sneak Peak at Superman vs. The Elite, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie
• Featurette – “A Legion of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story” – The skilled writer penned some of the best stories which consistently entertained fans. From his early writing career to adapting the popular work of All-Star Superman, this is the story of Dwayne McDuffie, as told by his family and friends.
• Featurette – “Guarding the Balance: Batman and the JLA” – Everyone has a weakness and so do superheroes, yet when they go rogue, their power can topple more than a few egos, they can shatter worlds. The Justice League is the most powerful organization of superheroes on the planet, but what if the Justice League went rogue, and decided to use their power for harm?
• Mini-featurette – “Their Time Has Come: Cyborg and the DC Universe’s New Diversity” – 2011 will go down in DC Comics storied history as a year when a rich diversity of characters were re-introduced into the spotlight alongside Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. One of the most celebrated of the re-imagined characters is Cyborg, who became the new Man of Steel in Geoff Johns’ altered universe storyline, Flashpoint.
• Creative team commentary
• Two bonus episodes from the Justice League animated series handpicked by Bruce Timm: Wild Cards, Part 1 and 2, written by Stan Berkowitz and Dwayne McDuffie
• Digital Comic

wolverinept, “Justice League: Doom” Officially Announced; Blu-Ray Combo Pack Details Released!

Why would DC comics play where’s Waldo with its comic readers? Well this might be a cool little treat for the long term DC readers that many felt DC was locking out with their entire universe relaunch. Is it a hint of what is to come?–Again I am yelling “CRISIS“!!!! But if you haven’t spotted it yet a mysterious purple hooded gal has made a cameo appearance in every new DC book starting with Justice League #1. But we still don’t know who this mysterious gal is. I say it’s Stephanie Brown dressed up in her old Spoiler costume P$*@*$! off cause she is no longer Batgirl.

Dust off your old where’s Waldo finding skills and spot the purple hood.

Exhibit 1:  Justice League #1 during Vic Stone‘s Ball Game.

Exhibit 2: BatWing

 Exhibit 3: Detective Comics- Batman atop a car.

Exhibit 4: Justice League International. 

Exhibit 5: Static Shock– The Purple Hood is a peeping tom.

Exhibit 6: Hawk and Dove.– I see no pouches on the Purple Hood but who knows.

 Exhibit 7: Batgirl. — This one was actually a little hard to spot, but check the reflection.

Exhibit 8: Action Comics. — This one was somewhat obvious but just in case you missed it.

Exhibit 9: Animal Man.– They need a doctor Purple Hood, don’t just stand there.

Exhibit 10: Green Arrow.–Hey Party people how did you not spot her there?

Exhibit 11: Swamp Thing.

So whoever this mysterious purple hooded lady is, I am sure that she will be popping up in the upcoming new DC titles. Obviously she has a tie to the Multiverse and is most likely the same mysterious female figure that spoke to Barry Allen, The Flash in the last Flashpoint issue. A new type of Monitor ? Who knows? But it’s kind of cool and as a long term DC reader it is getting me kind of excited.

So Doc, I’m not crazy am I? You see her too don’t you? Keep an eye out and we’ll talk about it next session.

Tell us if you spot the Purple Hood Lady via Twitter– @Valvictory & @ComicBTherapy.

Val Victory, Dc Comics Mistery: The Purple Hood STRIKES!

I for one was against the re-launch. But why was I against the reboot? Was it that I felt that the reboot was a desperate commercial grab by DC to just gain quick sales? Was it that I felt that icky feeling of the 90’s decade of comics creeping back from my childhood?  Was it my basic human instinct to simply resist and reject change?  No the issue was far deeper and it finally struck me as to why after reading Flashpoint #5 and JLA #1. Time for a session.

My insight came via a simple tweet from a fellow comic book fan, which got my gears turning. It read as follows:  “@J2Metal: So the Flash is a blubbering mama’s boy that destroyed a good universe and replaced it with a 90s Image universe? Oy vey…”  At first I laughed at this but the more I thought about this the more I realized that DC has basically killed the superhero.   A mighty bold statement, no? But let’s analyze this a bit here … If we look at the end of Flashpoint and the above statement we can see that DC has done a great disservice to one of the greatest noblest heroes in the DCU.  Let’s recall that Barry Allen the Flash made the greatest sacrifice that a Hero can make a selfless sacrifice of his own life to help defeat the Anti-Monitor in the very first Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Barry Allen died and was remembered for years after as one of the greatest heroes ever.  He had made the sacrifice that all superheroes are ready to make, to give their own lives for the greater good. It was Noble. It was Iconic. It was sad but understood as the ultimate good.  Now to bring Barry back as a selfish crying child that put the lives of millions at risk just to see his dead mother again, this to me sort of insults the noble place that he had taken among the DCU and its readers. I mean he has the Peter Parker syndrome, of not letting Aunt May go?  They brought Barry Allen back only to kill him again. But rather have killed his noble and self-sacrificing character.  

And really in the past few years DC has really been a disservice to Flash fans and readers. By continually resetting the Flash title. Not since the Wally West run has there really been a continuing Flash title.  There was the quick run of Bart Allen as The Flash that made it to issue #13. Then a small reboot with Wally West and family. Then another Reboot with Barry Allen from the Flash Rebirth mini-series that of course has ended with issue #12 and this week’s Flashpoint.

I can see and agree that DC wanted to reboot for whatever reasons. But rather than turning Barry Allen The Flash into a crying Mama’s boy could they not have respectfully restored him to his noble stature among the halls of the DCU? To end Flashpoint Barry could have once again sacrificed himself once more to set Time back into place, and Wally West could have stepped back in reset in time without the Family that readers did not seem to like.  But that’s just me idea.

But how else did DC kill the superheroes?  With the new 52 they have and will do this in other ways. The Changes are bigger than simple wardrobe switch ups.  In reading JLA #1 yesterday I found myself not liking my most Favorite of Heroes Green Lantern. Why? Well the new Green Lantern that we got here is a cocky arrogant rookie almost.  They have killed the Hal Jordon that has through the years become humble, noble, and a true hero. Over the years we have watched Green Lantern and Hal Jordon the Man evolve from that cocky arrogant test pilot to a great Green Lantern, a Villain called Parallax that killed everyone and everything that Hero and the Green Lantern Corps stood for. We saw Hal Jordon seek redemption in Rebirth not only from Parallax, The GLC, but from his friends in the Justice League.  We saw him become a humbler but wiser Green Lantern as the Corps was rebuilt, and saw him defeat the emotional spectrum with true willpower.  (Side Note: One wonders why Geoff Johns who helped to build such deep and rich mythos for both The Flash and Green Lantern is instrumental in erasing them and rebooting?) Instead we get a cocky Hal Jordon that thinks he can handle anything, with just the ring. We get the stupid rookie Green Lantern that does not use his brain.

Other Changes Superman and Lois Lane are no longer married. Barbra Gordon returns to Batgirl and is no longer disabled and fighting crime as Oracle.  Babs was Batgirl once, broken by one of the vilest villains- the Joker, but she said no I am a fighter. I am a solider. I’m still kicking ass wheelchair and all!! Thus Oracle was born.

So to me this is how DC has killed the Superheroes.  They have stripped away everything that makes these heroes deep and rich characters. It goes to the understanding that people are the sum total of their experiences. If you remove memories and experiences from a person’s life the sum of that person will in theory be changed. They will be altered as a person to be something different than they were originally.  This is what DC has done to some of our most Iconic Superheroes.  They have stripped away what made them Heroes. It’s not always the costumes or the powers it’s the Character of the Hero. The sacrifices, experiences, and journey of the hero that makes that character a Superhero.  Now depending on how you look at it you can say that in their place we have gotten empty hollow  redesigned heroes whom we don’t recognize, and no longer stand for anything because their history has been erased. It is almost a dumbed down version of the heroes.  Batman is Bad Ass and Cool, Green Lantern is cocky and dumb. Superman is naive, smirking and sure of himself. It’s the movie versions that we read. But I don’t like to think of myself as a dumb reader, so why are you selling me a dumbed down version for $3.99.

This may ultimately be why the DCnU does not sit well with long time readers. Some of the most beloved characters have been put up on the shelf as relics of an older bygone age.  Or you can look at it as yeah all those old stories were great. But now we have a new clean canvas on which to create new stories, new worlds and new characters.

But really in the end you know there will be another reboot down the road. We have “52” new titles, 3 separate timelines shown at the end of Flashpoint folded into one new timeline. A mysterious god-like woman character that mentions an “Impending arrival”.  Heroes re-set in time both in age and background.  So I say read the new DCU.  Enjoy it while it’s here, because I see it as short lived.  I smell a CRISIS down the road and thus ultimately another reboot setting time back to where we once were????

Ahh look at the clock that’s all the time we have for this week’s session. Good therapy done today.

Val Victory, Flashpoint #5 and the DCnU Justice League #1—Did DC Kill The Superheroes?