‘The Flash’: Five Things I Liked about the Movie

It’s about time I wrote this review, and it’s a bit late just like Barry Allen usually is (See what I did there?). The story of ‘The Flash’ was based loosely on FLASHPOINT penned by Geoff Johns which was a huge crossover event over at DC when it first came out. By now a lot of things have been said about how ‘The Flash’ has done badly at the box office. I saw it before the box office returns, and I had an enjoyable experience watching it. So, this review will focus on the parts that I like about the film. If you are up to that, then read on.

Batman in Cruise Control

The first story element that I like from ‘The Flash’ is the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. For those of you who are unaware of it, Keaton last played the roll of Batman in 1992 with ‘Batman Returns’. He hasn’t really lost a step when it comes to playing the Dark Knight, and had some familiar lines reminiscent of his time wearing the cowl in the 90s. He’s a sight for longtime DC fans, and his appearance there adds a lot of nostalgia to a modern superhero film.

The Flash

I also enjoyed the use of the Speed Force in the film. The Flash is the fastest man alive, and using the Speed Force to explain his time traveling abilities is very apt. Even though Mark Waid wasn’t mentioned in the credits for the movie, the Speed Force is an integral part of Flash lore. It’s also the reason why he needs to eat a lot to recover his lost energy (though this is something that is more taken up with Wally West’s version of The Flash). And, yes, the Speed Force allows to do some crazy things with his speed including time travel.

Batman, Flash, and Supergirl

There is also some ‘farewell’ appearances from the Snyderverse Justice League. There are a lot of arguments for, and against Zack Snyder’s iteration of the league. Personally, there are a few films that I like with his handling including his four hour cut of ‘Justice League’. This is probably the last time we’ll be seeing these iterations of Batman, Wonder Woman, and even Alfred together. If you’re a fan of these characters (for me it’s Wonder Woman), then this the chance to send them off to comic book movie history.

Batman, The Flash, and Supergirl

Fourthly, I loved seeing the DC Multiverse through the Speed Force. There’s a lot of nostalgia there from old DC properties including one iteration by Nicolas Cage of Superman that never came to be. What these glimpses of alternate versions do is stress that these iterations of iconic DC superheroes are around somewhere in a multiverse of timelines. Where will the multiverse take us next? I suppose that’s up to the regime of James Gunn, and company.

The Flash, Supergirl, and The Alternate Flash

Finally, and this is probably the only element taken from the Flashpoint comic book, there is Barry’s going back in time to change history. Barry decides to save his mother from murder. By doing so, he hopes not only to save his mother, but to also save his father from imprisonment. As he does that, the timestream starts to unravel the multiverse, and Barry doesn’t really get the outcome he wanted. It was not executed as grandly as it did in the comics (which led to the New 52), but it has a valid point that hits home to many who can relate. By movie’s end, Barry realizes that there are parts of your past that define you, and if changed will affect who you are: good, and bad. It’s such a nice message to move forward in spite of past tragedies to build a better version of yourself. Barry learns that the hard way.

These are my thoughts on the ‘The Flash’. Agree with me? Disagree with me? Let me know in the comments. ‘The Flash’ is now showing in theatres.

Titans Together? Titans Forever!

I have been a long time Titans fan ever since they made their debut in DC Comics with the seminal ‘The New Teen Titans’ run by Marv Wolfman, and George Perez. So, when I found out that Tom Taylor, and Nicola Scott were creating a new TITANS book with the original line-up envisioned by Marv, and George in 1980, I was smiling ear to ear with anticipation. It made me look back at my journey with these group of heroes growing up, even though I discovered them a bit later when they first came out. It also made me look forward to the good things that lie ahead.

The Titans of the DC Universe

The original members of ‘The New Teen Titans’ were Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), Changeling (Beast Boy), Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire. They first came out as a team in the pages of DC Comics Presents #26 before they had their own team comic debut in the pages of The New Teen Titans #1. Truth be told, I had only discovered this iteration of the Titans when I had picked up an issue of The New Teen Titans #39 entitled, ‘Crossroads’.

Panel from The New Teen Titans #39

This was the book that introduced me to George Perez’s art. This was the book that introduced me to Marv Wolfman’s writing. Needless to say, I fell in love with the series as soon as I saw the above two page spread, and I’ve been a fan of these Titans ever since. To me, these were my Titans. This was the group that I grew up with reading. This was the group that I’ve been following ever since this team’s inception. Nowadays, these former teen heroes are now younger than me, and I have comicbook aging to thank for that. I followed this superhero team through many of its different compositions, but these seven are the ones that hold a special place in my heart. In fact, I hunted down the original run of Wolfman, and Perez on ‘The New Teen Titans’ until I had all of them.

‘The New Teen Titans #1′(1980) and ‘Titans #1’ (2023)

Fast forward to this year, 2023, when the creative team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Nicola Scott are tasked with telling stories about this same team of superheroes who have all grown up into their respective legacies. This is not the first time that this particular line-up were the core of the group. However, I’m more excited to see this group together under these new creators with all due respect to Judd Winick, and the rest of the creative team at the time. This had a lot to do with my knowledge of Tom Taylor’s writing, and Nicola Scott’s artwork.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, Nightwing, and Flash

I first encountered Tom Taylor’s writing in the pages of ‘DCeased’, that alternative DC universe storyline wherein the Anti-Life Equation created a zombie apocalypse. This was groundbreaking material that he couldn’t do in the mainstream DC Universe. He had an entire universe of his own to play with, and he pulled a lot of surprises in the process. I’m sad to see his writing on that alternate universe ending (for now?) since it has been one of those collections of mini-series that I enjoyed reading. I also read his work on a brief Suicide Squad run that also pulled a lot of surprises. One in particular was with the death of one of my favorite characters, Deadshot. Clearly with those two books, Tom Taylor was willing to think outside the traditional wirter’s box to tell great stories. But, it was his run on Nightwing which led him to his writing responsibilities on TITANS. And, one of the best moves he has done even before writing the TITANS was placing their base of operations in Bludhaven. It’s a brilliant move, and I’m scratching my head as to why no one else ever even thought about that before now. In any case, Taylor’s Nightwing run set the stage for the beginning of this new incarnation of the TITANS.

Raven, Starfire, and Donna Troy

On the other hand, I’ve known of Nicola Scott’s artwork since her run on ‘Birds of Prey‘ with Gail Simone as writer. However, it was during her run on ‘Earth 2’ also from DC that she really got my attention. This prompted me to check out her work in ‘Secret Six’ with Gail Simone again, and then later ‘Teen Titans’ with J.T. Krul. I’d also read her work on ‘Black Magick’ for Image Comics with Greg Rucka. With her doing the artwork, and Tom Taylor doing the writing, I see a very bright future for my beloved TITANS.

Titans art by Nicola Scott

To spoil the first story arc a bit, Tom Taylor is up to his nasty storytelling again by starting with a mystery involving Wally West’s apparent death. It’s a shocker of a first arc, but something tells me that Flash/Wally won’t remain dead for long. How do I know? Call it a Nightwing hunch. Of course, I’ll find out soon enough as I read the return of TITANS in the DC Universe. With that, I’m happy to see my Titans together again. I’m a fan of these TITANS, and this new creative team will surely guide these heroes to new heights. TITANS FOREVER!

‘Peacemaker’ Made Good Use of Its Ef@@@g Chance

There were people who saw the ‘Peacemaker’ series as a laughable concept when news of it first came out. I suppose there are fewer people laughing now as the HBO Max series has become a certified hit, and used its ef@@@g chance quite well. Already renewed for season two , let’s take a look back at what made ‘Peacemaker’ one of the best series of this young year. Warning THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. If that bothers you, why don’t you take out Judo Master for some chips?

Peacemaker and Adabayo Opening Dance Sequence

There’s no question now that the opening dance sequence for ‘Peacemaker’ is a major draw to the series. It’s quirky, hilarious, and downright in-your-face. It makes me giddy in aticipation to what James Gunn has planned for season two. Note that being part of the opening credits doesn’t assure you’ll survive season one. In fact, A LOT of the characters in that dance sequence die by season’s end. Though, that opening musical scene is partly what makes ‘Peacemaker’ entertaining from beginning to end credtis.

(From top left moving right, and down) Harcourt, Eagly, Economos, Vigilante, Murn, and Adebayo

Part of what makes ‘Peacemaker’ so special is the solid supporting cast from Vigilante to Eagly. Each has their own unique personality quirks that make them very relatable. If we’re talking about flaws, these characters wear them on their sleeves like badges of honor. All these mundane imperfections create a very rich core of character background, and development. Too bad that Murn bites the dust in this season. As for the other characters in Christopher Smith’s team, I expect to see more character development moving on to season two.

Peacemaker’s Father: The White Dragon

One of the more well-written,and most important characters in ‘Peacemaker’ is his father: Auggie Smith aka the White Dragon. Yes, he’s dead by the end of season one, but that doesn’t mean that the character will leave the show. He appears to be haunting Christopher Smith’s mind much like what is done in the comics. The comic books show that Peacemaker regularly converses with his dead father, and it looks like James Gunn is incorporating this in his story moving forward. This just solidifies Peacemaker as full-blown crazy with daddy issues. This is bad for Chris, but good for ‘Peacemaker’ in general since it just provides more layers of storytelling.

Christopher Smith with ‘microphone’ half-naked

Chris’s relationship with his father goes to the core as to why ‘Peacemaker’ is so appealing : Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker is the underdog we can empathize. His morals are questionable, but his intentions are pure. But aren’t we all like that sometimes? Wanting to do the right thing by doing the wrong thing, or worse ending up doing the wrong thing? Chris also brings super heroes from DC lore down to earth with all of his supposed inside information, some of which are proven actually true (like that Aquaman snipe). Granted, these slights mask his insecurties. Then again, that just makes Peacemaker more relatable, and lovable. People love rooting for the underdog especially when they see themselves in the character. In this case, Chris is relatable on so many levels to so many people.

Vigilante and Peacemaker Having a Chat in Peacemaker’s Home

The story flow of ‘Peacemaker’ itself is a great balance of action, violence, sex, comedy, and emotional storytelling. The comedy reflects on the characters themselves, and is balanced out by the emotional beats that each main character is given in the story. Yes, even Emilia Harcourt has her soft, and mushy side too. The effect is that ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t fall into the trap of being one long overextended comedy skit, and balances excellent storytelling with character development. ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t get tied down by DC lore like another HBO Max show I love. Instead, it adds to the lore, and uses existing lore to its advantage. In particular, there’s this little bit of DC Cinematic Universe lore that it uses quite well.

Peacemaker meets the Justice League

With the last episode, ‘Peacemaker’ has established that it exists in the same DC Universe as the Justice League, with particular cameos of both Aquaman, and the Flash. More importantly, the Justice League’s appearance late in the story solidifies the importance of Peacemaker in this common universe. The Justice League can’t always be around, and someone has to do the dirty work. This helps in establishing Chris’s place in the super hero order now that the Suicide Squad, and its operations have been outed to world at large.

Adebayo and Peacemaker Avoid an Explosion

All in all, ‘Peacemaker’ is a breath of fresh air in a live action genre that has become formulaic for the most part. What ‘Peacemaker’ provides is an alternative storytelling pattern that caters to a much different audience than what has been established by many. The series is not for children, and that’s a good thing. ‘Peacemaker’ can be crass, and offensive to the socio-culturally sensitive. That too is a good thing. In spite of all these, ‘Peacemaker’ expands the boundary on what CAN BE DONE with super hero adaptations. The series dances to its own beat right from the onset, and it works to the benefit of the comic book genre as a whole.

Peacemaker outsid of his trailer park home

So, if you’re willing to give ‘Peacemaker’ a chance, you’ll be feasting on a storytelling style that is fresh in its damaged goods. ‘Peacemaker’ is now streaming on HBO Max.

DC Fandome 2021: My Top Five Major Takeaways

It came and went like a Flash of Shazam! Yeah I’ve been waiting to say that. Long enough to give you loads of information. Short enough to keep you wanting for more. DC Fandome gave us a glimpse of what is to come for all things DC. And yet, with all the news and fan service, there are some news that are better than others. I’m sure there will be some people who would question my list. However, note that this is MY LIST. So, if you disagree with it or highly agree with it, check mine out. Here are my TOP FIVE takeaways from DC Fandome.

At number five, we have ‘Catwoman: Hunted’. In celebration of Catwoman’s 80th anniversary, DC has decided to give her a film all her own. Selina Kyle has been one of DC Comics’s longest anti-heros, and has appeared in many media. It’s fitting that she gets her own animated film for the first time. Why is this so groundbreaking for me? Normally you get material spearheaded by the DC Trinity. In this case, you have a female character (not Wonder Woman OR Harley) heading this film. It comes as a surprise for me, and I am glad for it. Gives me hope that one day we’ll have a Zatanna project in the works (MAKE IT HAPPEN!).

At number four, we have the Peacemaker series on HBO MAX. I’ll be honest, I really don’t like Peacemaker for the Suicide Squad. That film was awesome mind you, but I’ve always seen Peacemaker as a solo operator or at the very least a member of Checkmate (look it up DC Fans). So, seeing this series come into fruition just shows how Warner Brothers is allowing other DC characters to spread their wings. Though, it helps that you have geek fans of the property in the form of John Cena and James Gunn heading the reigns of this series. Also, you have Vigilante here as a supporting character who appears pretty comic book accurate. Time to give ‘peace a fuc@ing chance. Speaking of fans…

At number three, we have ‘Black Adam’. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnshon has been pushing for this movie since time immemorial. You can see the passion in his eyes when he talks about the ‘man in black’. We’ve seen very little of the film so far. That is not the case for Fandome. We got a visual feast with a reveal of Black Adam in his costume AS PART OF a clip for the upcoming movie next year. I’m hyped more than ever with this news and video.

At number two, we have ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths (2?). In the build-up to DC Fandome, visual artist god, Jim Lee, has been revealing pieces to a puzzle that were completed at DC Fandome. Combined we see an homage cover to the seminal Crisis on Infinite Earths cover by George Perez. In the image above you notice that the frames are not the same, but depict similar concepts. Also, during the interview with Jim Lee most of the dalogue was censored teasing what the image actually means. I’m going to give a shot at this as to what this all means. Quite recently, Darkseid has returned to his villanous ways, and stories across the comics have been hinting on an incoming ‘crisis’ Also, this year marks the 35th anniversary of ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’. Could this be the next major storyline for DC Comics? One can only hope, and if the image given above is any indication it will be EPIC. This was actually a very sneaky bit of news mostly lost in the shuffle of all the other media shown. However, let’s remember that everything DC springs from the comic books. This story, if it happens, will just give more material for other related media. This news would be in fact number one if not for my choice for number one on this list.

At number one, we have ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. It’s here! The fourth season of Young Justice has made an appearance in DC Fandome. I’m not kidding. DC Fandome gave us the FIRST EPISODE of ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. While all other things DC gave us sneak peeks, behind the scenes updates, and trailers; ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’ gave us the first episode to watch ahead of the season. This is the animated series with layered storytelling, and in-depth chaaracter development. It’s focus is on the legacy characters without alienating fans of the comic books while providing new material for followers of the series alone to not be alienated as well. You have a rich source of DC comic book lore all fabricated by some of the most brilliant minds in DC’s creative pool. Of course, it helps that the animation is drop-dead gorgeous, and the voice actors knock it out of the ballpark. How else could I not put this at the top of my list?

And, that’s all for DC Fandome. Agree with me or disagree? Let me know in the comments below.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A League of His Own

Maybe this will teach the Warner Brother’s movie higher ups to allow their creators to create with trust and confidence. Maybe this will erase the memory of a messy and inconsistent film that reflected its patchwork pieces to come up with a pedestrian interpretation of a better film. Maybe this will open the door to a far different and more adult way of interpreting super hero films that might not be for every age, but becomes ageless. Enough of the maybes, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ does all of the above.

Breaking away from what is expected of super hero movies nowadays, ‘Zack Snyder’s Jusctice League’ provides a super hero film consistent with the original vision started with ‘Man of Steel’. It is dark, it is gloomy, but it is hopeful. I liken this film to the gothic stories of old wherein you have characters set in a situation that is near hopeless with that rare light at the end of the tunnel driving them to their destinations. For truly, wasn’t the reason Dante Alighieri’s Inferno came before Paradiso to make people face their own darkness first to better appreciate the light? That was the case for this film.

• 

The story takes place directly after the events of ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and you can see from the onset that this was a completely different film from the previous ‘Justice League’. Zack Snyder’s vision came to light with his setup of character buildiing of new heroes such as Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash while balancing it with previous character staples in Batman, Wonder Woman and even Alfred. The dramatic build up to the impending doom was just what the film needed to justify the gambit of reviving Superman from his eternal slumber. Never mind Steppenwolf. He’s small fry. When you’re going up against a threat like Darkseid, you truly need the hope that Superman gives on your side.

True, the film does not pit our Justice League directly against Darkseid himself. But, that’s more the case that they were able to prevent his coming in the first place, and not because they weren’t set to face him. For in all DC Comics lore, there are few greater threats than the Lord of Apokolips and his cronnies, Steppenwolf being just one among them. This raised the stakes to a worldly threat to an existential one. With Darkseid’s presence in ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, we get to appreciate more the value of Superman to this story.

Let there be no mistake, this is a different film from ‘Justice League’ that came before it. Aside from the length, the treatment of the setting, characters and storytelling provide a better basis for the DC films that came after it. The vision is clearly set, and even sets the narrative up moving forward with what hopefully will be a proper continuation of this revived superhero franchise. Even the appearance of Martian Manhunter provides something to look forward to in future installmens of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ as they move towards the power seven that is Justice League minus Green Lantern. However, elements of the film suggest that we might have a ring slinger making an appearance in the DC Extended Universe’s future. If not in this film, then maybe somewhere else.

All in all, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ is a redemption film that reflects the true vision of the director. True, one might argue that the reshoots could be an afterthought of what worked in the previous film, and removing what didn’t work. However, that’s just pure cynical and insidious thinking. Zack Snyder loves these characters, and this story. Given a chance to show what he wanted, he would do so, and did so. What ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ provides us is an alternative way of telling super hero stories. Rather than be a super hero story, this film is a story about super heroes, and the difference can be seen in the end product.

‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ not only heralds the return, and highligths the importance of Superman. It also serves as a reminder of what happens when a creative genius is left to his own devices. Impending doom is averted, and hope in the future is restored.