January 1, 2012: Happy New Year! Sort of. Join my Superhero Movie of the Week Club!

Sigh.  Only a day and a half away from boarding that flight back to Vancouver.  Less than 30 hours away from a visit free and clear of family drama and wholesale awkwardness.  Sooooooooooo close.  But, alas, it was not to be.  Now I'm left to count down the agonizing minutes until we're on our way.

Hey, you know what I was thinking?  Liar!  You can't know what I was thinking.  I was actually thinking about doing a super-film marathon, sitting through every major superhero-themed movie produced, one a week, and then writing up (or having resident film critic, Cookie Monster, write up) a short review.  It would be fun.  Not so much for me but for you, and it would also serve as a warning to those foolhardy enough to follow in my footsteps and screen, say, Daredevil or Catwoman.  I'm thinking I can even keep am easy-to-click-and-link rundown on this blog's right sidebar.

Anyway, my exhaustive research (typing "superhero films" into the wikipedia search bar) turned up the following contendors:

1951
Superman and the Mole Men


1966
Batman


1978
Superman


1980
Superman II


1981
Condorman


1983
Superman III


1984
Supergirl


1987
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace


1989
Batman


1989
The Punisher


1990
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles


1990
Dick Tracy


1990
Darkman


1990
Captain America


1991
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze


1991
The Rocketeer


1992
Batman Returns


1993
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III


1993
The Meteor Man


1994
The Fantastic Four


1994
The Shadow


1994
The Mask


1995
Batman Forever


1995
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie


1995
Darkman II: The Return of Durant


1996
The Phantom


1996
Darkman III: Die, Darkman, Die


1997
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie


1997
Batman & Robin


1997
Spawn


1997
Steel


1998
Blade


1999
Mystery Men


2000
X-Men


2000
The Specials


2000
Unbreakable


2002
Blade II


2002
Spider-Man


2003
Daredevil


2003
X2: X-Men United


2003
Hulk


2003
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen


2004
Hellboy


2004
The Punisher


2004
Spider-Man 2


2004
Catwoman

2004

Blade: Trinity


2005
Elektra


2005
Son of the Mask


2005
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D


2005
Batman Begins


2005
Fantastic Four


2005
Sky High


2006
X-Men: The Last Stand


2006
Superman Returns


2006
My Super Ex-Girlfriend


2006
Lightspeed


2006
Zoom


2007
Ghost Rider


2007
Spider-Man 3


2007
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer


2007
Underdog


2008
Superhero Movie


2008
Iron Man


2008
The Incredible Hulk


2008
Hancock


2008
Hellboy II: The Golden Army


2008
The Dark Knight


2008
Punisher: War Zone


2008
The Spirit


2009
Watchmen


2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine


2010
Kick-Ass


2010
Iron Man 2


2010
Jonah Hex


2011
The Green Hornet


2011
Thor


2011
X-Men: First Class


2011
Green Lantern


2011
Captain America: The First Avenger


2012
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance


2012
The Avengers


2012
The Amazing Spider-Man


2012
The Dark Knight Rises


2013
Man of Steel

With the exception of the campy 1966 Batman, it looks like mighty rough sledding up until 1988′s Blade.  What do you all think?  Maybe you can all watch along with me.  Any favorites in the list?  Any, uh, non-favorites?

Hmmm.  Looks like I might have to do two a week.  Who's up for the Elektra/Son of Mask double feature?

Need a little convincing?   Well how about THIS trailer for Superman and the Mole Men?

Yeah!  I knew that would do it.  Grab it from Netflix and screen it by same time next week (January 8th) to take part in the discussion.

Oh, and while I'm reminding you about things to do, don't forget to read Batgirl: Batgirl Rising by January 16th.  And have your questions ready for writer Bryan Q. Miller!

Mom's dogs sleep off the New Year's Eve cheer.

It's the final day of the NFL regular season.  Teams are battling for their playoff lives and yet it all feels, well, anticlimactic.  After all, the real superbowl – the one that really matters – was played last week.  And my Snow Monkeys finally got their trophy…

Beautiful, aint it?  Anyway, I'm considering getting t-shirts made to commemorate the championship.  Who wants?