Chris Braak's Blog, page 35
July 1, 2011
When The Old DC Dies, Robin Might Smile
So apparently there are enough people upset about the upcoming DC relaunch that they are actually going to stage a protest at this year's San Diego Comic Con. Now, sure, this can be viewed as stupid. For one thing, they're boycotting something they still don't really know anything about, on the grounds that it's throwing [...]
June 27, 2011
SuperFact No. 4: You Kinda Have to Love Luthor
I've been on a bit of a Superman walkabout. Mostly, I've been trying to find the essential components – precisely what makes a Superman story feel "right." The brilliance of Lex as Superman's opposite number isn't that he's as EVIL as Superman is GOOD (the dichotomy that makes, say, Captain America vs. Red Skull great): [...]
June 16, 2011
On Trailers (Or: Monkey Pandemonium and Karen O)
This has been noted elsewhere, but the trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes is both an absolutely brilliant 2-minute movie, and an utter failure as an advertisement for a movie. It's one thing to see the X-Men: First Class trailer and think, "Oh, well I know all the major story beats there, [...]
June 14, 2011
Summer Movie A-Go-Go: 'X-Men: First Class'
Spoilers are in effect here, but I'll let you know when the serious shit goes down in case you're planning on going in totally blind. First off, let me say that I really did like it. It's stylish as all hell – it takes its 60's aesthetic seriously, from the use of the Hellfire Club [...]
June 8, 2011
DC Comics Priorities for the 21st Century
What is DC Comics up to these days? Perhaps this helpful screencap from the DC Comics TV show will clear things up. Filed under: Braak, comic books
The New DC, Day 4: Pop some Ace of Base into the tape deck and let's get Xtreme
I am starting to wonder if DC's announcements aren't following some play on the timeline of DC Comics itself: Day 1: Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Flash…lot of old-timers. Day 2: Batman. (Technically he came first, but you get the drift.) Day 3: All the characters who went dark and Vertigo in the 80s. And now, Day [...]
June 7, 2011
The New DC, Round 3: And Now You Have My Attention
After the first lump of underwhelming announcements – "More Green Lantern books by the same Green Lantern writers" – followed by a second lump of Bat-family announcements – "Here's a metric ton of Batman comics, we hear the kids like that guy" – I was beginning to wonder when the "exciting" part of DC's "exciting [...]
The New DC – Hey now, redesigns
While it's been tough trying to figure out what will work and what won't about the DC restart, one thing that's made it easier has been the cover previews, most of which have prominently displayed the series artists rendering Jim Lee's not-always-friendly costume revamps. Finally, something we can unequivocally judge! And occasionally laugh at! But [...]
The New DC: More News, More Thoughts
The more information that comes out, the more even my general ideas about what matters and what doesn't have to be revised. Let's take the one that current fans seemed most worried about: All their favorite stories and characters going away and being replaced by Ultimate-style, continuity-free books and younger versions that readers might not [...]
June 6, 2011
Calm, Reasonable Thoughts on the New DC
I wanted to wait a little while to comment on the Big News From DC Comics, because information has been coming out at a trickle and it seems silly to make an informed judgment until all the cards have been laid down. But DC's plans could have a huge impact on the state of the [...]
