For The Love of Comics

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I’ve tried several times over the last few days to write something explaining how awesome the recent “Escape From Bizarro World” arc in Action Comics was, but I couldn’t quite get it right. I think it has something to do with normally not liking Superman very much.

But then, as I was net surfing and trying to avoid doing any actual work, I came across the review that I wish I had written over at Again With The Comics and thought to myself “perfect”, although I will add my favorite moment from issue 857…

tag: batman, Bizarro, comics, DC, Flash, jla, Review, Superman

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I’ve read the latest Batman rumor on Rich Johnston’s Lying In The Gutters column, on Fortress of Fortitude (Both blogs/columns I trust pretty much completely), and several other places that I can’t remember.

For those who haven’t heard, the rumor is :

In June/July, DC are killing off Batman. Or rather, Bruce Wayne. Robin will inherit the Batman cowl. One of the Robins anyway. Tim Drake. Jason Todd. Or possibly Red Hood. Hey, maybe Jean-Paul Valley, it has been ten years since Azrael.

Either way, the book will relaunch with a nice shiny #1.

The blinking yellow light at Lying in the Gutters indicates their skepticism, The Fortress of Solitude outright states their skepticism, and I’m skeptic as hell.

I just can’t bring myself to believe that DC would be stupid enough to kill off one of their marquee characters at roughly the same time that a major motion picture focusing on that marquee character is being released. It just does not make any sense.

The only thing that even remotely makes sense is that they’re positioning a new Batman for the JLA movie, since Christian Bale will not be in that movie’s cast.

That would still be incredibly stupid, though.

Comic fans, what say ye?

tag: batman, comics, DC, jla, justice league, stupidity, The Dark Knight

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In an update to the Gordon Lee case that I wrote about earlier today, the Rome News-Tribune reports that the District Attorney’s office plans to retry the case:

“We hope to get this on the next available misdemeanor trial calendar,” said District Attorney Leigh Patterson. “I don’t know exactly when that is, but I gather it’ll be after the first of the year.”

Just how many “do overs” does the prosecution get?

tag: CBLDF, comics, Gordon Lee, Mistrial, Picasso Wang, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Update

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Kellvin Chavez of LatinoReview.com has a scoop on the Joker’s first scene in The Dark Knight, apparently from having “dinner with an executive high up on the Warner Bros. food chain.”

According to Chavez and his anonymous source, Joker will rob the bank holding all of the Gotham City underworld types’ money, holding the money “for ransom”. Joker tells all of the crooks that if they help him take down Batman, he’ll give the money back. If they refuse, he’ll burn the money. This is where Joker gets his army to go against Batman.

There is speculation, uncomfirmed by this anonymous source, that this is also where Joker utter the line “Starting tonight, people will die. I’m a man of my word.” heard in the teaser trailer seen here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfJeREVj95E]

In other The Dark Knight news, Batz over at the Super Hero Hype forums has scanned an excerpt of Eric Roberts’ (Boss Maroni) interview with FHM magazine wherein he discusses his character’s role in creating Two-Face and ultimate fate. Click here for the post.

tag: batman, Boss Maroni, comics, DC, Eric Roberts, Harvey Dent, Joker, spoilers, The Dark Knight, Two-Face

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For a history of comic store owner Gordon Lee’s case as well as some context to the prosecution’s misconduct, you can view the CBLDF’s summary here.

What follows is the official press release from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF):

The case against Gordon Lee took another in an ongoing series of bizarre turns this afternoon when statements made by State prosecutor John Tully during opening arguments led to a mistrial.

Lee and his legal team, paid for by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, appeared in court this morning for jury selection and returned in the afternoon to begin the actual trial. Before the jury was brought in to begin the trial, lead counsel Alan Begner argued an oral motion in limine asking the judge to instruct prosecutors that they could not admit statements from their witnesses alluding to Lee’s character and previous legal actions Lee has been party to. Prosecutors assured the court that they had instructed their witnesses not to address Lee’s previous conviction for selling adult comics to an adult. Then during opening statements in front of the jury, prosecutor Tully said witnesses will testify that Gordon was defensive and that Gordon had told police, “I’ve been through this before,” a clear reversal of his earlier statement to the judge that prosecutors would not be entering such statements into the record.

When Tully made his statement, defense counsel stared at each other in disbelief before Begner leapt up to demand a mistrial. Judge Larry Salmon put his head in his hands and called a 15 minute recess.

Upon returning to the courtroom, as a result of Tully’s statement, Salmon declared a mistrial, because the statements alluding to the prior incident contaminated the jury beyond repair for a fair trial.

“This is a victory, but we wish it was over,” said CBLDF lead counsel Alan Begner. “We believe that prosecutors induced this mistrial on purpose, because we had a jury that looked more defense oriented. We’re prepared to quickly file a motion to argue that no new trial should be scheduled because this mistrial was intentional and constitutes prosecutorial misconduct.”

Begner adds, “Time and again we’ve been here and have been told to go home because of the prosecutors’ actions. Meanwhile, it’s Gordon who suffers. It’s been three years since this case began, and for three years Gordon has had this hanging over his head. Today his good name is still not cleared.”

Lee’s trial comes after three years of legal action arising from the Halloween 2004 distribution of Alternative Comics #2, a Free Comic Book Day sampler which featured an excerpt from the critically acclaimed graphic novel The Salon that depicted Pablo Picasso in the nude, and was allegedly handed to a minor. The CBLDF has spent over $80,000 on Lee’s defense since taking the case in early 2005, and expects costs to reach six figures by the end of the trial. The case has been ready for trial three times – the first, in April of 2006, when prosecutors dismissed and re-filed the charges because their facts were wrong; the second last August when the judge’s illness led to a rescheduling; and today when statements made by the prosecutor led to a mistrial. To date the Fund has spent over $80,000 on the defense.

“Never in the Fund’s history have we seen prosecutorial conduct of this nature,” says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein. “We’re dumbfounded by prosecutors assuring the court that they weren’t going to do something, and then doing exactly that thing five minutes later. Every step of the way they have been adding further expense to Lee’s defense, first by changing their facts, then by entering new indictment after new indictment, and today by contaminating the jury. Nobody, especially a small retailer, can bear this kind of expense on their own. Today’s action is clear evidence of why the Fund needs to be around to protect comics.”

The next step for the case is uncertain, but could see trial again in 2008.

And thus you have the reason that the CBLDF exists.

Join now, Donate often.

tag: CBLDF, comics, Gordon Lee, Mistrial, Prosecutorial Misconduct

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I shouldn’t have been browsing blogs during commercial breaks from Heroes, but I did it anyway.

My punishment was reading this spoiler from Tball’s TVGuide regarding the identity of Adam Monroe and the ending to tonight’s episode.

Oh well, I’m still enjoying the episode and should have seen this twist coming, anyway.

tag: Adam Monroe, heroes, spoilers, TV

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Image from Wikipedia

I suck.

I had this reasonably good review of Powers #26 written up. I had a nice breakdown about the story so far, why it was necessary to have a recap because of the months between issues, and all that. I was smart, witty, concise… I was awesome, people.

And then I somehow deleted it. Then I cried. Then I decided I did not have the energy to do it again, so now you just get my argument for why Hulk is totally justified in killing the entire Illuminati. I hope you’ll survive the disappointment.

Iron Man and his cronies decide that, through accidents and collateral damage, The Hulk is responsible for far too many deaths. They then formulate a plan to trick the Hulk into getting into a spacecraft and then sending him, against his will, to another planet.

Transporting a person against their will is known as kidnapping, by the way.

When the Hulk arrives on the - admittedly wrong - planet, he is beaten, enslaved, and forced to engage in fights to the death. Through skill, cunning, and exemplary leadership, the Hulk escapes his slavery and leads an army of former slaves to overthrow a tyrannical dictatorship and unite an entire planet in peace.

At the moment Hulk has finally attained the peace that he has sought his entire existence, the ship that the Illuminati used to abduct him explodes, not only killing his wife and unborn child, not only the residents of the city around him, but killing the ENTIRE PLANET.

Let me repeat that. They didn’t blow up a town the size of… I don’t know, let’s say Stamford, CT. They ANNHILATED AN ENTIRE PLANET!

The Hulk may have been responsible for alot of deaths, but I’m fairly certain he never destroyed an entire planet.

That’s not mass genocide, people. There’s not even a word for the scale of massacre for which Tony Stark is responsible.

Considering what was done to the Hulk because of the deaths he caused, considering the regulations that have been put on the entire superhuman community as a result of Stamford, is it even possible to go “too far” to punish the people that have done this to the Hulk and his people?

I’ve heard the argument that the Illuminati didn’t intend for the Hulk to end up on that planet or for the ship to blow up. The Hulk didn’t intend the deaths he caused. Robbie Baldwin and the New Warriors didn’t intend for the children in Stamford to die.

In fact, let me give you a scenario here. A bank robber is leaving the scene of a crime and hits a woman and her baby, killing both. Is that bank robber responsible for those deaths? I think we’d all agree that he is. So why would the Illuminati be any less responsible for the deaths caused by their kidnapping of the Hulk?

They’re not.

The Hulk may be unreasonable, he may even be a monster, but he admits that.

Tony Stark is an even bigger monster who tries to hide behind “The Public Good.”

Just another Lex Luthor who needs a beat down.

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Happy Guy Fawkes Day; may I suggest you celebrate with an explosion or two?

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The official website for Hellboy II: The Golden Army has some new concept art up, including character designs, props, and locations. Check out Hellboy’s new gun, Big Baby:

To see the rest of the art, either click the image above or go to hellboymovie.com

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Would someone please put Frank Miller out of his goddamn misery and get him off of All Star Batman?

Batman, Comics, Frank Miller, suckitude

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Popularity: 12% [?]