Man of Steel trailer un-breakdown

Warner Bros. gave us a taste of Man of Steel with the first full-length trailer. I was actually very impressed with the trailer. I think the movie looks solid...a kind of Batman Begins vibe for the Man of Steel.

Check out the whole thing here:



I had a few thoughts during the trailer that I wanted to share--a frame-by-frame breakdown of what I glimpsed.

Opening: That song from Gladiator (except it's not)

Arms outstretched, bearded Jesus Superman doesn't remind me of Superman Returns at all.

Overcome by sensory overload, young Clark Kent struggles with New Wave music.

Against the advice of his father, Clark pushes a bus off a bridge just to see what happens.

He has second thoughts and saves everyone.

Pa Kent: Do you want to have catch?

This bus...it haunts me.

Wait...did you just say I should let an entire bus full of children plunge into the water without saving anyone?

Clark wanders onto the set of Prometheus in an effort to untangle the plot. Not even his keen Kryptonian intellect is up to the task.

A super Pez dispenser.

Meanwhile, in a different movie, Superman visits Ice Planet Hoth. Many tauntauns die.

Clark after biting into a York Peppermint Patty.

Up, up, and away.

Presented without comment.

The aliens from Independence Day return along with the tanker truck from Twister. Alternative theory: Unicron is back and he's pissed.

Jor-El promises he'll find a good home for his son. His wife doesn't realize his "plan" involves sending their child to a distant planet in the off chance he won't land in water.

Henry Cavill really wanted to play the Human Torch. This was a concession.

General Zod appears. Instead of demanding that Superman kneel before him, he asks nicely.

The result. Well, nicely is a relative term.

Stuff blows up...you know, because Hayden Christensen watches from faraway Mustafar.

Superman leads an elite team of...wait a second...he's in handcuffs.

"Hey, Dad. Remember that time you won the science fair for me?" Clark recalls wistfully. "Why didn't I have that catch?"

Pam from "The Office" makes an appearance, tells Clark to stop mugging at the camera every five seconds.*

*I realize that Amy Adams isn't Pam from "The Office"

Green Lantern & Superman on the Avengers

Had a second viewing of The Avengers this afternoon, and my buddy lamented the Justice League movie that could've been.

I thought it best for Green Lantern and Superman to discuss it.

I, Crimsonstreak: Comic Influences

I, Crimsonstreak wouldn't be anything without the comic book creators who came before it. References and influences are intertwined throughout the novel. Here are a few worth pointing out.

Batman: Batman looms like a shadow over the criminal elements of Gotham City, and is a giant in the world of superheroes. References include excessively goofy gadgets (the Adam West Batman), a reliable British servant (Michael Gough's Alfred), a secret lair (the Batcave), and the sense of a brooding, serious, professional hero (pick any post-1980 Bat-era for that one). The Crusading Comet and trusty butler Morty are steeped in Batman-ness.

Superman: Superman stands for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." He's the quintessential "tights and flights" superhero gifted with a wide array of impressive powers (flight, X-ray vision, freezing breath, super-strength, etc.). Colonel Chaos and Miss Lightspeed share many similarities with the Man of Tomorrow, although no one character in particular is intended to be a Superman clone or parody.

The Flash: Chris Fairborne is Crimsonstreak. He's not intended to be a parody of the Flash, but the character definitely has an influence on the protagonist. Super-speed, red color...it's impossible to miss the Flash's influence. If anything, Crimsonstreak is a tribute to the Flash, although the two are quite different.

Spider-Man: Spider-Man is a hero grounded in the mundane nature of life. While he's trying to stop his impressive rogue's gallery from destroying New York/the World, he's also dealing with common problems like romantic entanglements and financial difficulties. Crimsonstreak is cut from a similar mold, although his problems are a bit less common. Spider-Man brings an everyman sensibility to the comics, something that influenced Chris Fairborne's character.

The Shadow: No character in particular directly references the Shadow in the main narrative of the book. However, I love the pulpy feel of the character, and have few nods in the bonus material that definitely echo Shadow lore. The original Crusading Comet's outfit, for example, is a callback to the Shadow's flowing trenchcoat and wide-brimmed fedora.

The Tick: The book has a goofy sense of playfulness to it as far as superheroes are concerned. The Tick is a major influence on how I see the world of comics. My love for the character comes primarily through the TV show from the nineties, and I loved every minute of it. The Crusading Comet was nearly Die Fledermaus reborn before he evolved into a different type of character.

The Phantom: "The Ghost Who Walks" is another pulp hero sometimes forgotten like the Shadow. The 1996 movie with Billy Zane ("Slam Evil!" was the tagline) remains a guilty pleasure. The Phantom's legacy--sons/family members succeed previous Phantoms in an unbroken line--is exactly how the Kensington family has decided to operate.

BACK TO CRIMSONSTREAK CENTRAL!

Superhero ABCs: Letter V

V is for Villains.

Newton's Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

You may as well call that the First Law of Comic Books.

Heroes must have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is fairly vague (stop crime). Most of the time that purpose is a little more specific (stop the Joker's bomb). Heroes and Villains are two sides of the same coin. How close to the edge does Batman come to being a villain? Under different circumstances, couldn't the Joker have chosen to turn his misfortune into something positive? (a stretch, that one, but you get my point)

Superheroes usually have an arch-nemesis...someone who mirrors them in some way (the movie Unbreakable has a nice deconstruction of this). A hero without a villain isn't very interesting (see the Green Lantern movie...who was the bad guy? Why should we care? Oh...what was that? You didn't?). Batman and the Joker embody a great hero-villain dynamic. Near the end of The Dark Knight, the Joker remarks:

You just couldn’t let me go could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.

The Joker is an agent of chaos, the force Batman is fighting. In X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr have diametrically opposed views on the relationship between humans and mutants. Their philosophical differences create a rift that turns one into a hero (Professor X) and the other into a villain (Magneto). Superman stands for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" while Lex Luthor is willing to get his way through subterfuge, greed, and graft.

Let's admit one thing: Heroes can be bland. Their devotion to virtue and saving the day can become tiresome. Thus, we see the need for colorful villains to drive the story and give the hero tangible goals.

Tomorrow: Snikt!

Previous Entries:

U is for Uniform
T is for The Tick
S is for Spider-Man
R is for Robin
Q is for The Question
P is for The Punisher
O is for Origin Story
N is for Nite Owl
M is for Metropolis
L is for Lois Lane
K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter O

O is for Origin Story.

Every journey has a beginning, they say, and superheroes are no different. We want to know how heroes got where they are, what compelled them to wage war on crime, and the circumstances leading to their incredible powers. All these little threads weave together to create an interesting hero (or at least we hope so).

The origin story has become such an integral part of comic book adaptations that nearly every comic book movie includes the origin story. Superman did it. Batman (1989) did it (and Bats did it again with Batman Begins). Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Fantastic Four, and Captain America were also origin stories.

There's a reason for this, of course. Part of it is because studios feel that audiences who aren't familiar with a certain character need to find out how that hero came to be. The other reason is that superheroes have some great origin stories.

-bitten by a radioactive spider
-doused by gamma rays
-sent from an alien planet to Earth
-gifted with a magical power ring
-inspired by the death of a parent

Tomorrow: An antihero still looking for a credible movie adaptation.

Previous Entries:

N is for Nite Owl
M is for Metropolis
L is for Lois Lane
K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter M

M is for Metropolis.

Metropolis wraps up a completely unintentional "mini-streak" of Superman entries.

I don't really know much about the city itself other than it's the home of Superman and the Daily Planet. It's on this list to talk about one of the essential elements of superherodom.

Superman has Metropolis. Batman has Gotham City. Spider-Man has New York (So does Daredevil. And the Punisher. And the Fantastic Four. And Iron Man...). Green Lantern has Coast City. The Flash has Keystone City (or Central City, if you're talking about Barry Allen). The Tick has The City.

Superheroes often exist in heavily urban areas. This makes sense for a multitude of reasons. A lot happens in cities. Important media markets are in larger cities. Large cities have large populations, lots of real estate to protect, and high crime rates. It works. I get it, you get it. If a superhero patrolled the streets of my small Midwestern hometown, he or she wouldn't have much to do. Many Midwestern cities lack the "draw" of bigger cities for heroes. Heck, Superman left Smallville to go to Metropolis.

In many cases, cities become synonymous with different heroes. Gotham, for example, is a decaying, crumbling analogue for New York. Like Batman, it is dark and foreboding; twisted and complex. Metropolis is a "cleaner" vision of the city, a shining jewel that seems more hopeful, like the character of Superman himself. Of course, in world of The Tick, The City is simply a fairly nondescript location full of generic buildings and businesses. Considering there's not much going on upstairs for Big Blue, that fits just about right.

Tomorrow: There are two of him. Both are washed up heroes, but one is still young enough to try to save the day.

Previous Entries:

L is for Lois Lane
K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter L

L is for Lois Lane.

This list is mostly devoid of female characters, but that's the way it goes in the male-dominated world of comic books. That, thankfully, is starting to change a bit.

Lois Lane isn't a superhero, but she has an important role in the superhero world. Lois represents the archetypical comic book love interest; a point of reference for any comic writer.

Lois is often put in situations where she's the "damsel in distress," but the truth is she's one of the strongest, toughest characters in comics, a true intellectual equal for the Man of Steel. She's willful, sometimes brash, quick-witted, and stubborn, traits that both complement and conflict with Superman.

Like Superman, Lois has been portrayed in different ways and by different actresses over the years, but the character remains a constant in the Superman mythology, be it as a love interest or reporting rival to Clark Kent.

Tomorrow: In many ways, it's the opposite of Gotham City.

Previous Entries:

K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter K

K is for Kal-El.

Casual fans know him better by his earth names, Superman/Clark Kent. Kal-El is the Kryptonian birth name of the Man of Steel. Really, I'm cheating on this one, using "K" for Superman to accommodate some other heroes on this list.

Superman is one of the highest-profile superheroes in my Superhero ABC's; his creation ushered in a new breed of comics and heroes. Often imitated but seldom topped, he's the embodiment of the "flights and tights" school of superherodom, a 1930s creation who has endured into the 21st century with the ideals of "truth, justice, and the American way." He embodies virtue and goodness, and can be a bit of a Boy Scout. Thanks to his upbringing in Kansas by his adoptive parents, he also brings a dose of Midwestern common sense.

Superman has given us one of the first truly great comic book movies (Richard Donner's iconic Superman from 1978) and a truly memorable "event" storyline (the Death of Superman saga from 1993).

The hero possesses numerous abilities, ranging from flight to super-strength, X-ray vision, and (in most cases) invulnerability. He is susceptible to magic attacks, but his biggest weakness is to Kryptonite, crystalline debris left over from the destruction of his home planet.

Tomorrow: Damsel in distress by default. Feisty by nature.

Previous Entries:

J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Coming Soon...

Coming Soon to the blog...

ACTION!

ADVENTURE!

ROMANCE!

ER...BROMANCE!

Green Lantern and Superman (Pez dispensers) shake the city of Springfield, Illinois, to its very core with a bold road trip packed with derring-do, superheroics, and a little history!