My reaction to the just announced Superman/Batman movie

Photo by Jeffrey Velasquez

San Diego Comic Con 2013 just came and brought shock waves to the public when Zack Snyder announced that there would be a new Superman movie and Batman would be joining him. My initial reaction was that of disbelief. I can't believe that DC is bringing in Batman too early in the game. True that I was initially excited at the prospect of having a Superman/Batman movie going up against the Avengers movie sequel but deep inside my heart, as a Superman fan, this is an insult to Superman. I really wanted to enjoy a stand alone Superman movie before any involvement from Batman or the Justice League. Superman deserves that. At least for respect as a character in the sense that Superman can carry his own movie without any help from other superheroes. But this move by Warner reeks of as a business decision more than anything else. And I hate them for not giving Superman his due. They shouldn't rush things at this point because so far they have been doing great with their Man of Steel movie. This move leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And using a quote from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns elseworlds story does not help as I believe this will only excite Batman fans because that story was the reason why Superman as a comic book character lost it's appeal. That story killed Superman's popularity and standing as DC Comics' number one Superhero.  But looking on the flip side of things, Batman had always played an essential role in Superman's life. And John Byrne's Modern Age Superman origin story even included Batman in one of the issues of that mini-series. So it's safe to say that Snyder and company stayed true to the course.

That said, here's a couple of Superman/Batman stories that they can draw inspiration from.

Man of Steel no. 3

The Man of Steel Mini Series
In John Byrne's Modern Age Superman reboot, he devotes an issue where Superman first met Batman and both had a feeling of distrust towards each other. They were pitted against a petty criminal named Magpie. Though Superman disagrees with Batman's methods, he readily accepts Batman's intentions despite his reservations. This establishes the relationship dynamics between Superman and Batman. You can check out my entry for Byrne's Superman here.

Will this work for the proposed movie?
The Man of Steel Mini-series basically rewrote Superman's origin story. And what made this one of the best origin stories out there is how they were able to present brief but concise events in Superman's life as they prepared him for his modern adventures. In the 6 part mini-series, they were able to touch upon Krypton, Smallville, Batman, Metropolis, Luthor, Bizarro, and Superman's Kryptonian heritage. The Man of Steel movie had already basically covered Krypton, Smallville, and Superman's Kryptonian heritage. Bringing in Batman for the sequel treads faithfully with Byrne's origin story. And Batman's appearance wasn't that significant besides establishing an early encounter with Superman. Luthor still remained the main villain in this mini-series. DC should stick with this or if they can't, they should initially put Batman as Luthor's ally and give us a Superman/Batman showdown to whet the fanboys' appetite. Batman as a Villain and as an ally towards the end sounds exciting. But they should not forget that this still is a Superman movie.

Dark Knight over Metropolis trilogy

Dark Knight over Metropolis
Superman and Batman's friendship went on to the next level when Superman finally entrusted his life to Batman. In the Dark Knight over Metropolis story arc, Superman teams up with Batman to solve the mystery of who was out to discover Superman's secret identity. The story concludes with Superman entrusting Batman Luthor's Kryptonite ring, telling him that he is the only person he could trust. And knows that Batman would do the right thing when a situation calls for Batman to use the ring. You can read the rest of the story here.

Will this work for the proposed movie?
This story arc can fit perfectly well as a part of a whole. The producers can choose key elements in this story where they can use it for the movie's best interest. In the movie Man of Steel, we have seen Superman go out of control and snapped Zod's neck, killing him instantly. This scene is a very good tool for the sequel where Luthor can utilize to his advantage, by making the people fear the alien Superman's unstoppable powers. Naturally Wayne Enterprise and Lex Corp should do something about this alien invasion. So a Batman/Luthor team up to combat Superman should be an interesting story direction. And what better way to end it by having Superman and Batman start a friendship once they unmask Luthor's evil plans.

Superman Batman Public Enemies

Superman/Batman Public Enemies
This story arc gives us a Superman and Batman who have already been friends for years. They team up against Lex Luthor who frames Superman for an impending Kryptonite meteor shower that is headed towards Earth.  Superman and Batman also went up against an assortment of Superheroes that Luthor organized to bring Superman and Batman in. This story arc to this day is still considered as one of (if not) the best Superman/Batman team up stories out there. You can read the full story here.

Will this work for the proposed movie?
As a whole, no. Superman and Batman's friendship had already been established by the time this story was written. So a complete adaptation will look awkward. Besides there was already an animated movie based on this story line. However, they can very much adopt some elements in this mini-series, especially Luthor's ingenious plot of framing Superman. Superman's dangerous nature was already established in the first movie. So it's going to be so easy to substitute the Kryptonite Meteor with that of the footage where Superman snaps General Zod's neck.

Superman v.s. Batman all over again?

There are actually more stories to choose from, but those that I mentioned above can be written all in together in a way to come up with a new storyline. But there is only one direction moving forward. There is no way that this is going to be a Superman film with Batman on it. Because for sure the direction that they would be taking would be a team up movie. My only hope is that DC rectify things. They owe it to all the Superman fans that they had just screwed with this decision. And how do they do it? Personally DC should correct things once and for all by establishing a Superman v.s. Batman showdown where Superman wins. They can't do a Dark Knight Returns inspired movie and not risk of destroying Superman forever. They have to bring that respect back. And with this announced team up movie, they have the opportunity to do just that. As stated in the few posts above, they should establish Batman as a villain, as Luthor's partner in going up against Superman. Superman should beat Batman but refrains from killing him, showing the humans that he has complete control of his powers and has a moral code to live by. By not killing Batman, this gives the people hope that Superman is not to be feared upon. And Superman entrusting Batman a piece of Kryptonite should speak volumes about how Superman trusts the human race through Batman. But really, despite thinking about the opportunity for this to become a very good action packed movie (imagine the potential of seeing one of the greatest Superhero fights ever), I'm still saddened by the fact that Superman won't be having a stand alone movie as a sequel. And if Warner/DC does put it in a way that Superman or Batman is superior to the other, they are going to lose fans. They will certainly alienate the fan bases of both characters. By doing this, they are writing themselves to a corner. It is still too early in the game for Warner to release a team up movie. I'm still hoping that they change their mind and bring in Batman in a cameo role. Or else, this could probably spell the death of their planned DC Cinematic Universe 

Spotted: Bootleg Mattel Movie Masters Man of Steel

I did not see this coming, but with the recent craze over Man of Steel, it was likely a sure shot that bootlegged toys of the Man of Steel action figures would hit the flea markets. When Marvel's Avengers became a big hit, bootlegged toys of the Avengers flooded the Market. I purchased a set of that just to see the workmanship of the bootlegged toys. My entry about that can be viewed here. When Iron Man 3 was released, there were also tons of bootlegged action figures based from the molds of the Iron Man 3 toy line. I skipped that though. As for Man of Steel, all I have now are stock photos of the bootlegged figures courtesy of Jeffrey Velasquez. But I will be doing a proper review of these once I get my hands on them.

Bootlegged Movie Masters Man of Steel Superman

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The Authentic Movie Masters Man of Steel Superman

The photos of the Bootlegged Superman figure gives us brighter colors of the Man of Steel Superman costume. Personally, they look good as they closely resemble the comic book colors of Superman's costume. But I highly doubt if those colors would fit with the Man of Steel movie's direction. Man of Steel gave us a Superman in a much darker world, the movie's costume's color tone complemented that world nicely. I believe the bootlegged Superman figure also comes with lesser points of articulation. Recent bootlegged toys like that of the Avengers featured almost an exact mold of the original figure they patterned it from but lesser in articulation. As seen from the photo above, the bootlegged one does not feature ankle joints. And I highly suspect that the shoulders and hips articulation would be moved sideways. Bootleggers usually replaces them with a more traditional swivel articulation. I also think that the bootlegged one won't be having any swivel wrists, swivel biceps, and swivel thighs. I would be doing a more proper review of the figures once I get my hands on them though. Most probably side by side with the originals. As for my Action Figure review of the Original Movie Masters Man of Steel Superman, you can view it here.    

 Bootlegged Movie Masters Man of Steel Black Suit Superman

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Press photo of the Black Suit Superman

In the Man of Steel Movie, there was a dream sequence where Superman wore an almost similar black suit with that of General Zod as Zod was trying to convince Superman to join him in recreating Krypton on Earth. Mattel initially had denied that there was a variant Movie Masters Man of Steel Superman action figure featuring Superman in a black suit with red heat vision eyes. But just recently, Mattel made this variant available through their website. But of course the bootleggers beat them to it by releasing their own version as pictured above. Whoever was the brains behind these bootlegged Man of Steel figures, I've got to commend them for their creativity in milking the potential for repaints (something that Mattel is also giving us as a fourth variation of the figure) Mattel has already released four variation of the Superman figure, with the first two differentiating on the accessories department (the second release came with a Kryptonian Command Key), while the third one came as an SDCC exclusive as a two pack with Zod and featured a cloth cape and a light up heat vision. The fourth (and I hope the final variation) is a straight repaint of the original figure but comes with a new head sculpt. If I'm not mistaken, the head sculpt features an evil look and red eyes. The bootlegged one on the other hand reuses the same head sculpt of that of the original one and gave him red eyes. I have an inkling that the bootlegged one would have a light up eyes gimmick as bootlegged toys always had this trademark light up gimmick. I could be wrong though but the bootleggers better not mess up the potential of this bootlegged version of the black suit Superman.          

Bootlegged Movie Masters Man of Steel General Zod

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Press Photo of the Movie Masters General Zod

I skipped on getting the Movie Masters Man of Steel Non-Armored General Zod when I found out that there would be an Armored General Zod action figure up for release in Wave 2. To this day, I still held on my pockets and not purchase one because I think the figure is too bland for it's price. And like Superman, Zod also came in four variants with the first one being the blandest. The second variant came with a shackles accessory and featured a scar on Zod's face. The third one was the armored version (reviewed here) and the final one being the one in the SDCC two pack that featured the armored Zod's head sculpt on the armor less body. The bootlegged one on the other hand is a fail as it uses Superman's body bearing Zod's head. The bootleggers must have missed Zod's insignia and thought that since the bodies are made of the same mold, they must have been one and the same. So it ends up being brilliant in a crazy kind of way as this bootlegged Zod would mean that he is a part of Jor El and Superman's family because of the House of El symbol on his chest. Also, upon closer look at the head sculpt, the bootleggers also might have made use of the head sculpt that had a scar. I'll try to verify this once I get may hands on these figures. I believe these bootlegged figures will be a great fodder for customizers. There were remarks from Marvel fans that the Movie Masters Superman action figure's head sculpt (Superman star Henry Cavill) had an uncanny resemblance to Mark Ruffalo, who played Dr Bruce Banner/Hulk in the Avengers Movie. So it's safe to expect that Bruce Banner customs will come aplenty once these bootlegged Superman action figures hits the flea markets.          

My Movie Masters Man of Steel collection thus far

Nothing still beats the originals though. But these bootleg action figures are a quirky way to explore how far a popularity of a toy line gets you.

DC Collectibles: New 52 Superman

DC Collectibles New 52 Superman

Since the Man of Steel had hit theaters, a lot of mainstream audiences where quite at a lost as to why Superman had ditched his red trunks. Well, since the latter part of 2011, DC rebooted their universe and a new Superman emerged, younger, brasher, and without the classic Red Trunks. Read on for more of this development

New 52 Superman

In the latter part of 2011, DC Comics decided to reboot their universe and give it's heroes a fresh take. Fans were divided in reaction to DC's bold move. DC also stated that Batman and Green Lantern (the top selling comic books they had at that time) were not part of the reboot, and would just have their story continue to the new universe. Unfortunately, Superman became a casualty with this move as DC decided it was time to reboot Superman for the new generation. At that time, DC was also in a legal battle against the heirs of Superman's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for the rights of the Superman character. Many Superman fans took the reboot as a reaction to that pending legal rights case, with DC crafting their own new Superman origin and even coming up with their own Action Comics no. 1. This New 52 Superman (along with the other major Justice League members) would have a new First Appearance in their character bios, stating that they all first appeared in Justice League No. 1. The Superman books (Action Comics and Superman) would also get new creative teams, with Grant Morrison and Rags Morales on Action Comics (more on this later), and George Perez on Superman, with both books being labeled as first issues. This move broke my heart as MY Superman (Modern Age, Byrne to the last Pre New 52 Superman story) bowed out from the main DC Universe continuity. I vowed then not to purchase the New 52 books until DC give proper respect to MY Superman by giving him a proper send off ala Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow (The Bronze Age send off for Superman, giving way to the Modern Age Superman). Almost two years forward, I finally broke that vow by purchasing the second story arc of the Superman book only because Dan Jurgens was taking over the title. Jurgens as I've stated before is my favorite Superman writer/artist as I got into Superman comics because of him. I will be tackling more on that Dan Jurgens run in a future entry. For this particular Superman action figure however, DC Collectibles based this action figure from the art of Jim Lee.    

Justice League We can be heroes Box Set Superman

The Action Figure: I already did a previous review of this action figure when I reviewed him together with the other Justice League members that he came along with in the We Can Be Heroes Box Set. For this entry, I will however share a review of the DC Collectibles New 52 Superman single pack done by fellow Superman Homepage contributor Chris Meaux. His review can be viewed in this link http://www.supermanhomepage.com/other/action-figure-reviews/action-figure-reviews.php?topic=new52sup. I would like to highlight however that the box set Superman and the singles Superman does not share the same head sculpt, making this Box set a variant of the singles one that was released. This action figure is supposed to have been based on the art of Jim Lee but I can't quite figure out which of the two got Jim Lee's Superman facial art. I don't know what seems to be the problem with DC Direct/Collectibles sculptors as they can't seem to perfect their Jim Lee head sculpt. The last Jim Lee action figure that we had also suffered the same problem. Take a peek of that in this link. I skipped on the singles one as I've decided to only hold on to one DC Collectibles Superman action figure and instead spend for Mattel's New 52 Superman. Maybe down the line I might also get that singles released one. But for now I'm still kinda holding back on getting more New 52 Superman action figures and multiply it's numbers on my Superman toy collections. I don't want them to outnumber the classic costumed ones. To this day this Superman figure from DC Direct still stands as the centerpiece of my Superman collection. But as they say, never say never.

Jim Lee?

Back view with the Black S Shield

Wildstorm's Helspont makes an appearance in Dan Jurgen's book

Superman v.s. Helspont

New 52 Batman and Superman

Action Comic Volume 1

Defining comic book in my collection featuring this figure: Though this Superman figure was based from Jim Lee's Justice League Superman art, the so called first appearance of Superman. I did say that I wanted no part of this New 52 reboot. So I skipped Justice League No.1 and the rest of its issues. I however picked up Action Comics no.1 for the sake of "collectability". And also, I always had this love-hate relationship with Grant Morrison's works. I don't know why I'm always seemed drawn to his works despite the fact that his writing style are just too weird for my tastes. I patiently completed his entire New X-Men run, labored on his DC One Million experiment, got my brains twist and turned in his Final Crisis epic, and despite being impressed by his All-Star Superman run, I had mixed emotions on that, as for me it was one of the most inspirational and at the same time one of the most saddest Superman stories ever told. That said, I was planning on getting the Hardcover compilation of Morrison's first story arc, and as I was contemplating on getting the book, my sister in law gifted me one for my birthday. So I guess I was still able to keep my promise of not purchasing a New 52 book (wink wink). But joking aside, I'm driven to complete Morrison's entire run as I remember Morrison once said that all of his Superman works features the same character and continuity. So this New 52 Superman of his, which is set during the New 52 Superman's early years and first public appearance, can be a good supplement to his All-Star Superman. And if I may say, All-Star Superman's origin story. Action Comics Vol. 1 is an origin story that explores Superman's first appearance to the public and how the public reacted to this powerful alien life form. It also deals with Superman's first public battles against the super powered kind, like Metallo and Brainiac. It also briefly touches about the Planet Krypton's origins as well as Superman's early life in Smallville. Morrison's Superman created an uproar among the fans as Morrison wrote him to be more brasher, unpolished, and wild. Which actually harkens back to Superman's first appearance in the original Action Comics no. 1. Morrison made this so because Superman at this stage is younger, and alone. No Ma and Pa Kent to guide him at this stage in this new incarnation. So basically, Superman deals all of his problems and superheroing alone. Superman also no longer wears the red trunks, as we only see him in the initial few issues sporting a Superman T-Shirt and jeans. In the latter part of the book however, Superman finally dons his New 52 costume. The infamous no more red trunks costume. Thus the New 52 Superman's adventure begins.      

New 52 Superman, is he here to stay?

Well that's my thoughts on the New 52 Superman. So far I still have one more New 52 Superman figure on hand up for review, the Mattel DC Comics Unlimited New 52 Superman. But I might be skipping him for the next review since I still haven't taken enough photos of him as he is still somewhere stuck in one of the containers for my house moving. But before I end this entry, I feel the need to write a parting shot for DC Comics. I mean, I can accept this New 52 Superman. Really. But DC has to give the Modern Age Superman a better ending if they indeed have finally decided to shut him down. No, Reign of Doomsday does not cut it. Nor was Grounded. Those stories felt rush. And it lacked the drama and a powerful story of the Modern Age Superman's last days. Though DC is kinda reviving the Modern Age Superman with their digital first comics entitled The Adventures of Superman. But I still would prefer if they just instead give us a "The Last Modern Age Superman Story" and give that Modern Age Superman a proper send off in order not to confuse people. I don't care if they utilize The Adventures of Superman for that. DC can't always try to please both fan base. They eventually have to choose one. And if they are going with this New 52 version, then they better give the Modern Age Superman a proper ending. So what are my thoughts on a possible ending? Well Superman has to die. Superman has to fulfill that promise that the Earth people will be able to rally themselves and become a better race. Or, how about DC doing a Crisis on Infinite Earths style DC Universe spanning event. Not the lame Flashpoint excuse. I would very much like to see the DC Superheroes going up against an evil threat, fighting for their lives, and on the last panel they go through a white light, erasing the old universe and there emerge the New 52 Universe. Yeah, something like that. If DC could only grant me this simple request, then welcoming the New 52 Universe with open arms would have been easier to do.