Childhood memories: The Return of Batman Beyond. Written by Adam Beechen

Remember Batman Beyond? Yeah, we know it was a while ago. In 2010, our teenage years were returned to us. DC Comics and Adam Beechen, current writer of Batman Beyond, returned Terry McGinnis to his beloved fans. The last two years of comics have answered questions that many Batman Beyond fans have been waiting for. Besides Batman Beyond, Adam Beechen has written for plenty of fan favorite shows and comics. He's done cartoons such as Teen Titans, Ben 10, X-Men: Evolution and The Batman. In comics, he has written for Teen Titans, Robin and Countdown. In 2012, fanboys can't stop talking about Avengers vs X-Men and Batman's The Court of Owls. Add Batman Beyond to your list of must-reads in 2012.

After the success of the “New 52” did DC Comics ever consider rebooting Batman Beyond?

Not to my knowledge.  Our book and our characters don't have the decades of mainstream comics continuity to the point where rebooting us would be any kind of noteworthy event.  We'd only put out 8 issues of the monthly series...We'd just "booted!" 

How closely is Batman Beyond tied to the New DCU’s Batman continuity?

Not terribly, which I think is good for us.  Our timeline is a possible future for Batman, not necessarily the set-in-stone, this-is-how-it's-gonna-be continuity, so that allows us to take elements from Batman's comics history through the present day DCU and pick and choose the things we want to incorporate.  We've even gotten a little cheeky and thrown in things from Christopher Nolan's Batman movies.  Really, the only continuity we're beholden to is that of the Batman Beyond animated series.  After that, as long as we don't directly contradict something that's part of the Batman mythos, we've got a lot of room to play.

In the Batman Beyond miniseries of 2010, the reader was introduced to an older Dick Grayson. In Dick’s flashback, Bruce seemed rather cold towards him. In the New DCU, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Why did you characterize their relationship as such?

In the flashback, we saw that Bruce was responsible for Dick becoming gravely injured to the point where he decided to stop being a super-hero.  In my mind, that made Bruce feel incredibly guilty, probably even more so than when Jason died, because Bruce is a lot closer to Dick than he ever was to Jason.  I think when a character like Bruce feels guilty, rather than deal with it and express it, he'd shut down emotionally and just plow forward with "the mission."  Bruce has lived his entire life compartmentalizing his emotions, and he can't function as Batman if he's going to be sentimental and second-guess himself.  So he just stayed "same old Bruce" to Dick after the incident and, given what had happened, that seemed like he was being cold.  It cost him Dick's friendship and love.  I think that mindset cost Bruce a lot of relationships as he got older, and we see some of that in the book now.

In Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond fans are shocked when they learned that Terry McGinnis is actually Bruce Wayne’s clone. Will that be explored further in Batman Beyond?

I won't rule it out, but we're more concerned with exploring the time between the end of the Batman Beyond animated series and the Justice League Unlimited episode you mention.  There's a lot of stories to be told in there, and we can use that time to set the stage for the revelations delivered to Terry in JLU.  We've already established, in the miniseries, that Amanda Waller is determined to see that there's always a Batman.  We can drop even more hints as we go along.

Will we see any flashbacks that focus on Bruce's relationship with Alfred Pennyworth?

 You know, I have some vague ideas about that, but they haven't really jelled into a story yet.  But yes, at some point I want to incorporate Alfred into the book, whether it's explaining what became of him, or flashing back to a story that involves him.  He's a great character, and theirs is a fascinating relationship.




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Scott Lobdell: The Man, The Legend

Scott Lobdell has written for some of the most beloved characters in comics, including: Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Iron-Man and is perhaps best known for his fantastic work on Uncanny X-Men and Alpha Flight. Currently, he is writing the brilliantly written and always entertaining Red Hood and the Outlaws for DC's New 52. He's also responsible for introducing several new members to the current Teen Titans, for giving Superboy a kick-ass new origin (both also for DC's New 52) and outing Northstar (one of the first openly gay superheroes). He was kind enough to answer a few questions for the Illumi-Nerdi.

Dear Mr. Lobdell, Thanks so much for giving us this opportunity. We hope these question are a little different than what you're used to. Enjoy!

I am giving you the opportunity to kill any comic book character. Who would it be and why?

Hmmm... not big on killing, though I've certainly done it before. I'd say THE PUNISHER -- I think he's reached his limit of murders.

Looking back, which single issue that you’ve written are you most disappointed by?

X-MEN UNLIMITED 4. The Perfect Storm of a bad story -- too many masters to serve. & guess what?! No waterfalls in the missippi river!

What is your weirdest moment with a fan?

It wasn't wierd as much as it was awesome. If I recall her name was Cheryl, Washington DC, 1994-ish?

Now that you are 5 issues in for all 3 new DC titles, is there anything you wanted to put into it that didn’t make the final product?

If there is I can't recall -- I am a very fluid plotter. So whenever I am faced with making a change I quickly let go of the old stuff.

On your deathbed, what would you want your last words to be?

 "Already?! I just got here!"

Thank you Scott for this interview and thank you to the fans for supporting Scott, the Illumi-Nerdi and the Comic community (and if "Cheryl" from Washington D.C is reading this, please, we'd love to hear more about your "awesome" run in with Scott).

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Preview: Action Comics #6

What happened to the Brainiac story arc?

What are you doing next?? You should probably go vote on our poll. You can find it here ---->

Justice League #5: Stale and Sour

Justice League #5: Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Jim Lee. 

Justice League #5 hit the comic stands a week late, which had me more excited than usual when I bought it. Rumors were spreading that it was because of Jim Lee's art. I opened the book and I was actually disappointed by Jim Lee. Did anyone else notice the sloppy art? Let's start with page 4: the first two panels. The Flash looks decent but Superman looks awful. He has a Jay Leno chin. Also, Superman's look reminded me a lot of Bizarro. Now, take a glimpse at page 10. The first two panels are meh. I just don't think Lee is that great at drawing scenes that look out from the distance. Aquaman looks a paint splat. I know for a fact that Lee's art was much better when he drew the Batman: Hush storyline.

Let's take a look at the story, which was really disappointing. Since Issue 1, all of the characters have been standing around looking at each other and questioning the situation they're in. Four issues later, it's still happening. It was interesting watching Green Lantern lead the team, but the others were way too comfortable with him leading. Just two issues before, Aquaman said he wanted to lead and suddenly he agrees to take orders from a surface dweller. By the way, Cyborg suddenly joins the team and decides not to ask any questions. Come on Johns, you are better than this. However, the touching scene between Batman and Green Lantern was enjoyable. We are so used to them arguing back and forth. It was fun to have Batman convince Green Lantern that he needs to step up and lead their depleted team. I hope for Issue six, we get a rare glimpse of Green Lantern in a J.L leadership role

Rating: 5.5/10

P.S. After you read this, check out our new poll!!! 

The New DC Logo

Here is a short history of DC's Logos 

This was my favorite: The Logo of the 90s. 

The New Logo

Thoughts??


By the way, check out our new poll on the right: What is the Worst Big Budget Superhero Movie?

Darkseid Arrives. Logan's a Decent Teacher. Starfire is now Human?

Justice League #4: Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Jim Lee

This issue was the best one yet. The story is moving along and the dialogue is fantastic. The scene where the team is debating on who should lead them was classic. Johns' writes each character perfectly and its fun watching Hal be the "class clown". The back and forth banter between Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman was quite enjoyable. Watching these characters quarrel, reminds me how much I missed these characters in JLA pre52. I have one problem with the issue, the art seemed sloppy. Did anyone else notice that?  Did you notice page eight? Wonder Woman and Aquaman both looked odd. However, I do applaud Lee, when he has the sharks jump out of the ocean to eat the Parademons. That was a cool scene. By the way, the introduction of Darkseid sent chills down my spine. I love the new costume design. In the final scene, he raises his hands, the ground shakes and all the heroes fell to their knees.  That was a lot of fun to read.

Rate 8/10

Wolverine and the X-Men #3: Written by Jason Aaron and Art by Chris Bachalo

After reading this issue, I have decided that I am Team Wolverine. I'll say it now, I am not a fan of the art but I think it fits this story arc. Jason Aaron's first arc is a lot of fun. I'm still not happy with the New Hellfire Club. Jason Aaron hasn't done enough to convince the reader why they exist.  I LOVE Quentin Quire. He's this annoying punk who is trying too hard to be "cool".  I'm really excited to watch him become an omega level character. My favorite part of the comic is the supporting cast. The Brod Kid, Idie and Kid Gladiator are so much fun to read. The best scene was the back and forth banter between those three and Quire. Quire was devastated that none of these new students knew about his juvenile record when he attended Xavier’s school. The focus on the characters is something missing in Uncanny X-men and in this series, it helps the story grow.

Rate 8.5/10

Red Hood and the Outlaws #4: Written by Scott Lodbell and Kenneth Rocafort.

I'm going to be honest with you, I wasn't a fan of the art at first but it's really grown on me. First, Rocafort does a tremendous with the face expressions. Take a glance at the bar scene, everyone has a different expression. You know what that means? The artist isn't lazy and works hard to give each character a personality. The first Starfire seen was artistically beautiful. Last issue ended with an emotional bang and this issue started slow but it improved along the way. In the first three issues, Lodbell slowly introduces the mindset of each character. In this issue, he gave us a lot. For example, Starfire and Roy explain why they are teaming up with the Red Hood in the first place. It’s fun to watch these characters become actual good friends. Finally, we get the first appearance of the villain. Oh but wait....the villain isn’t the villain. It seems as if Red Hood's detective skills failed and he's been tricked. By the way, I think Starfire lost her powers and is now human...maybe???

Rate 7/10

Robin in The Dark Knight Rises????

Do you the notice the R?

There is more.....




The actor who played Robin in the 60s was Burt Ward.

Yes, I know that Hines Ward is in the movie but Nolan is a genius. You think its a coincidence?

Thoughts??

Our Pull List for 12/21/11

10. D.C Universe Presents #4
9. Xenoholics #3

8. Red Hood and the Outlaws #4

7. Invincible #86
6. Ultimate Spider-Man #5
5. Fables #112
4. Uncanny X-Force #19
3. Justice League #4
2. Incredible Hulk #3
1. Batman #4

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

The trailer that we've all been wating for.

Are you ready????

The Six Minute Prologue

A New Ray! A traitor among the X-Men?

The Ray  #1 (DC Comics, Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Art by Rich Perrotta)

A majority of the first issues of 52 have been decent. Others have been awesome, even some were meh. However, The Ray #1 was fun, exciting and different. Right away, I fell in love with all the characters. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiott’s The Ray was well-written for an origin story. If you ever see them on the street, I think you need to give them a high-five or buy them a round of drinks. My problem with origins stories is this: Hero gets powers, hides them from their family and questions whether or not they can be a hero. Within the first few pages, Lucien’s parents, best friend and girlfriend learn of his powers. My only problem, they all seemed too cool about it. None of them really freaked out.  The Ray’s supporting case brings in an element that not a lot comic books have now a days. Support casts are usually small and useless. That is not the case with this book. His parents are hippies and Lucien has himself a sugar mama.  Unlike many heroes in the beginning, Lucien is excited about all the possibilities that his powers will bring him. By the way, the final scene was unexpected. As a reader, you will be worried for Lucien.

Rate 10/10

Ultimate X-Men #1 (Marvel, Written by Nick Spencer, Art by Paco Medina

When I was in high school, one of my favorite comic books was Ultimate X-Men. Everything in the Ultimate Universe was unique and I loved it. However, my love for the U.U ended after Ultimatum. I’ve been a fan of Jeph Loeb’s work over the years but I think Ultimatum failed miserably. Post-Ultimatum stories were stale and boring. When I learned that Nick Spencer, writer of Morning Glories, would be writing Ultimate X-men, my prayers were answered. I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to produce. Four issues in and I’m disappointed. The conversation between Quicksilver, the President and Ms. Cooper needs to done already. It’s been going on since issue 1 and the reader wants the story to move. Is anyone else annoyed with Kitty? She is annoying, super emo and blah. My favorite scene in this issue was when Johnny Storm confronted Kitty. She keeps giving lectures to Bobby and Drake. Unlike those two, she wasn’t fighting along aside Peter Parker as he was dying. The biggest surprise so far, Rogue being a possible traitor.

Rate 6/10

The Year-end Review of the New 52.

In 2011, the biggest thing to hit the comic book world was the New 52. The announcement of 52 new titles from DC (some of them reboots of age old series, some being new origins, some new series altogether) was unquestionably awesome. Some big things happened in the new 52: Barbara Gordon is out of her wheel chair, Superman’s red undies are now presumably beneath the tights, Sinestro is fighting against his own Corps, Barry Allen is no longer married to Iris (oh, and Where’s Wally?), Cyborg has finally made it into the Justice League, Superboy got a new origin, and somehow Geoff Johns made Aquaman cool again. But, as expected, the New 52 has been met with mixed reviews. When you publish that many new titles, you’re bound to have some hits and some misses. Most critics agree that Animal-Man, Action Comics, O.M.A.C, Swamp Thing and Aquaman got the job done. However, a lot of the new releases haven’t been quite as well received. Hawk and Dove, DC Universe Presents: Deadman, Red Hood and the Outlaws (wired.com) and The Fury of Firestorm (MTV Geek) all got sub-par ratings from critics.

The New 52 was undoubtedly a truly inspired marketing move. Whether you hated the idea or loved it, you bought some of these comics, just so that you could voice your opinion on how they did with their reboot. Starting fresh is always an appealing move. It makes die-hard fans buy the comics so they can say how they feel about it and it also lures in new fans because it makes the titles approachable and easy to start with.

Just as the critic’s opinions vary about how well DC did on their reboot so do we here at The Illumi-Nerdi:

Snapper Carr:  First of all, thank you 52. Since 1993, I have been a fan of comic books. I felt alone in loving comics. But after the new 52 came out, I was no longer alone. Now, two of my friends are huge fans of comic books just because of DC’s reboot. Out of all the new 52, I read 33. I love some of the titles and others bore me. My favorite comic so far is Action Comics. Superman is young and an amateur. He is not that powerful and his marriage to Lois has been made void. The most underrated comic book of the new 52 is Red Hood and the Outlaws. Yes, Starfire isn’t the one from the Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans but she is much of a badass as her counterparts.  When Connor Kent died I was sad and when he returned I was so excited for comic books again. After reading the first issue, I can’t wait to see the development of an emotionless new Superboy. I was soooo excited for Grifter but by the end I found his origin to be mundane. It simply lacked excitement. For the last 30 years, there have been so many Supergirls. Some origins have been interesting, others have sucked. The new 52 Supergirl is boring and lame. The first two issues were an entire fight scene. I expected a fresh origin story but what I got just made me fall asleep. My least favorite comic was Stormwatch. I felt so thrown into a conflict that I was unfamiliar with. Also, I was disappointed with Martin Manhunter being on the team. He is the soul of the Justice League and he is on a team with known murderers. What a bummer…

 

Gabriel Partridge: My favorite new title is All-Star Western. I got this on a whim at the last minute when it came out and was instantly, pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect all of the awesome references to Gotham. Seeing Arkham, hearing about the Waynes and Mayor Cobblepot, were pretty cool little references. Plus, it has been a pretty damn cool murder mystery with Jonah Hex, a pretty underrated character. I also loved Detective Comics. It hasn’t quite been universally well received but I think it’s fantastic. The Dollmaker is a freaking awesome original villain. He has the chaos of the Joker but the brilliant planning of Lex Luthor. Tony Daniel weaves a genuinely well done mystery yarn with the world’s greatest detective. I thought Deadman was also underappreciated. First of all, it’s a pretty cool concept, but that’s nothing new. Second of all, I really like what they’re doing with him. Boston Brand going against the god, Rama and trying to take a little more control of his own destiny is pretty damn cool. In keeping with the Justice League Dark theme, Hellblazer seemed to be an influence here, and that’s a pretty damn good lead to follow. 

So far, I’ve really liked Justice League also. It’s a completely new origin story, with genuinely likable characters. I’ve never been the biggest Green Lantern fan but Hal was pretty funny in the first few issues. I also love that Cyborg has finally been included in JLA. I like the hint at the metamorphosis of Victor Stone into Cyborg in the most recent issue. That being said, I’ve been pretty disappointed in most of the Superman titles. Action Comics has been a complete let down to me. I guess I just found the story really uninteresting and unexciting. It really didn’t do it for me. Superboy was also a really boring story. Half of issue one, Superboy was in a tank, the other half didn’t even actually happen.

            In keeping with the “52” theme, our combined score of the reboot is a 37 out of a possible 52. Even though we at The Illumi-Nerdi disagree on many of the titles, we’re definitely happy the New 52 happened. It has revitalized comics in a way that we can only hope Marvel can follow in 2012. Check out our post next week when we argue the validity and need for Marvel to reestablish itself in 2012. 

Our Pull List: 12/14/11

1. Green Lantern #4
2. Avengers X-Sanction #1
3. Witchblade #150
4. Severed #5
5. The Shade #3
6. American Vampire #21                                                
7. Batman and Robin #4
8. Witch Doctor Volume 1. Under the Knife
9. Magneto: Not a Hero # 2
10. Avengers Academy #23

Comic Reviews

Action Comics #4

This was a fun read. Usually, I have problems with a comic book if the entire issue is a fight scene but I didn’t this time around. I was thrilled to see the introduction of John Henry. It looks like this New 52 John Henry is the same as the original, which I believe everyone will be happy about. It was fun watching Brainiac create little robot monsters. What is up with these back portraits of the main villains? They did with it Darkseid and now they are doing it with the brand new Brianiac. I love the new take on Brianiac because he doesn't have human features. He’s small and looks like a bug. It's fun watching a villain who looks weak yet wields so much power. More and more, I am loving Morrison’s and Rags Morales' take on Superman. He’s young and such an amateur. I think my one disappointment is Lex Luthor. He’s weak and that isn’t the Lex Luthor that I want to read.

Rating- 8/10

Swamp Thing #4

I am brand new to Swamp Thing. I never read Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. I saw the movie when I was twelve and I don’t a remember it. Since issue one, it’s interesting to watch Alec Holland being confused, shocked and just completely lost. He's an interesting character. He wants nothing to do with Swamp Thing's legacy but at the same time he has nothing else to live for. By the way, when the hell are we going to see Swamp-Thing? It's four issues in and we’ve been teased with him but that’s it. It would be sort of cool if Alec could transform from human form to Swamp form. My guess is that diehard Swamp fans won’t be happy about that. By the way, the villain is not even ten years old and he gives me the creeps. 

Rating- 7.5/10 

The Magzine Cover of 2011????

Did the Bane cover win????

http://www.empireonline.com/rises/

When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world!

Q: How do you describe a superhero?

A: Someone with an ability who uses it, but not for personal gain. Instead, he or she uses it to make a difference in the world.

That certainly might not be the case for one of my favorite superheroes, The Red Hood (Jason Todd). I see him as a realistic hero because he is very far from perfect.  Scott Lobdell writes Todd’s characterization perfectly. He
writes Todd as a smartass, a troublemaker and a punk. Yes, he is the Shawn Hunter of DC Comics.

In 1988, DC Comics realized that Todd was very unpopular among their fans and they decided to kill him. The fans were given the opportunity to vote whether or not to kill him. The final verdict: 5,343 votes put Jason Todd in a casket. But thanks to Lobdell, the fans of the “New 52” are embracing Jason Todd and all the baggage that comes with him.

 

 Let’s discuss issue three of the series. It might be my favorite so far. We have character development, interesting art and tease of their past. The bulk of this issue is Jason, Roy and Starfire looking for the main villain of the story arc (Btw, the reader really has no idea who the villain is. We only know its name). To get closer to finding the main baddie, the trio enters “The Chamber of All”. But that comes with some consequences. They must give up their most cherished memory. The scenes in which we get to examine their most cherished memories are a lot fun. Let’s start with Starfire.  There is this tremendous scene in which Starfire as a young child blows up her prison guard. Starfire is a badass and I can’t wait to see what happens next with her. If some readers are still upset with Lobdell’s characterization of Starfire, it's time to get over it! Sorry! In the Roy memory scene, we get an opportunity to watch Killer Croc beat the hell out of Roy.

Lobdell not only makes Roy pathetic, but the reader actually feels bad for him. Roy has nothing to live for and since he didn’t have the balls to kill himself, he attempted to die in battle. By the end of the issue, the gang of three does not find their villain, which was kind of lame. Even though I was disappointed in that, the last scene does a great job capturing the human side of Jason Todd. After the last scene, I think every reader will finally understand why Jason Todd hates Bruce Wayne. If your father let your murderer get away, you would feel betrayed too.  His most cherished memory was staying home sick from patrol. Bruce surprisingly decided not to go on patrol and watch TV with the young Jason Todd. This was a rare moment in Bruce and Jason’s relationship. At the end of the issue, Todd didn’t ask for his memory back. This issue was a gem.

I only have two problems with this issue; the art and the villain. Who the hell is the villain or villains? We know they are called “The Untitled” but it’s simply not enough. I would have enjoyed a nice teaser of the villain. For example, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee teased us with a side and back portrait of Darkseid in this week’s Justice League. Even though I do enjoy the art, it seemed a little sloppy when certain scenes were placed in the background of the panel.

I give Red Hood and the Outlaws #3, 8.5 out of 10.