RE: WHY SO SERIOUS? (My review of the movie THE DARK KNIGHT)

Hi Readers,

I agree with my colleague, Ray. Batman, the Dark Knight was a STELLAR movie! Christopher Dolan did an incredible job with the script for this movie. Dolan did a great job of expressing Gotham City as another character within the story. He showed that there is a heart and soul underneath all the crime and corruption within the city.
I know this may sound morbid, but Heath Ledger picked the best legacy to leave behind, after passing away. He completely changed my view of the Joker. I come from the generation that watched “Batman: The Animated Series” where the Joker was more of a comical common thug. I will admit, I was skeptical about how Ledger was going to portray this iconic character. This was the best and most inventive recreation of a comic book villain EVER!! This Joker was always three steps ahead of the competition. He was cold and calculating, but best of all… brilliant! Throughout the entire movie, I had to continuously remind myself that Ledger was playing the Joker. His mannerism, posture, voice... @#$% it... HIS EVERYTHING WAS THE JOKER, BUT TAKEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL! I barely recognized him. This was acting at its best in my opinion.
Even though this movie was great, I will say that it will be a while before I watch it again... this movie is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long for my short attention span... even though it was a great movie!

@~~~~}~~~~~~~Devin Peacock

WHY SO SERIOUS? (My review of the movie THE DARK KNIGHT)

Alright, so it wasn’t my most original title, but it was too perfect to pass up. Just like this movie. I have seen it twice already and will most likely see it a few more times before it leaves theatres. It is on pace to set every box office record and it is well deserved as it is the GREATEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!! I know. That is quite a bold statement, but it is accurate. I did not believe it could surpass the hype, but it did.

Let’s start by looking at the acting. Everyone involved should get an Oscar, never mind just Heath Ledger (who WILL win Best Actor, you heard it here first). Christian Bale did a stellar job reprising the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He has an air about him in this movie that shows that the character has evolved and become more comfortable with his dual life, while still struggling with it at times over his love of childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes. Speaking of Rachel, a superb job done by Maggie Gyllenhaal; she made you completely forget about…umm…what’s her face. Aaron Eckhart was amazing as Two-Face and I hope he comes back for the third movie as the main villain since we saw so little of his villainous side develop in this one. And, as I said above, Heath Ledger deserves the Oscar. He made you believe that he was the Joker. He showed no remorse. He was cold, calculating, and hysterical. It was the perfect blend of actors playing an amazing assortment of characters.

Part of the credit for Heath Ledger’s performance should go to Christopher Dolan, though, for writing an amazing script. It was a scheme worthy of the Joker and bringing to the forefront his relationship with Batman very early was brilliant. Kudos goes to Dolan for not beating around the bush. I do not want to spoil the movie, but every move the characters made was both realistic, which Dolan harps on, and true to the form of what the characters should be. And if you have seen the movie and doubt this, all I have to say to you is that we should start with a magic trick. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Sorry. I’m good. I’ve calmed down. I promise. There is really very little to criticize in this movie. It might have been a little long for people with weak bladders. That’s about it.

Before I wrap up, I would like to say that I hope that we see more of Two-Face in the third movie since the rise and fall of Harvey Dent was wonderful, but Batman has always been driven by his Rouge’s Gallery so to only have Two-Face in action for a short portion of the movie was like giving a starving man the T-Bone, but not the actual steak. You get a taste to whet your appetite, but you need MORE. And just like the tease at the end of the first movie, hopefully they will flesh it out beautifully in the next one. After all, this movie really was driven more by the Joker than anything else, but Two-Face as the main villain for the third would be a great follow up. Although Dolan might want to explain how his left eye works without tear ducts and an eye lid. For someone who strives on realism like Dolan, that detail did bother me a little.

Overall, there was nothing bad about this movie. Everyone gave a great performance and the story was something ripped straight from the comics. Loose ends from the first movie were wrapped up beautifully and the door is wide open for the third movie. Only another three years before Batman 3. The Dark Knight gets 5 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

THE DEATH OF A LEGEND? (My Review of the DC Universe’s Final Crisis: Requiem)

It has been a while since I’ve written anything about a single comic book issue, but I felt an event as significant as this is enough to be noteworthy. Months ago, while the Countdown series was in full stride, DC began printing two two-page spreads of an apocalyptic Earth with the heroes defeated on one spread and the villains looking triumphant on the other. Then the catch phrase “All heroes must die, but legends will live forever,” began being attached to these images. It was evident rather early that a major player in the DCU was going to be killed in the Final Crisis. Many rumored it was going to be Batman at the end of Batman R.I.P. with some sort of tie-in to Crisis. Warner Bros. nixed that rumor early since they feared it would be bad for business if one of the greatest characters in comic book history were to be killed before the new Warner Bros. movie based on this character came out. So instead of the Dark Knight finally being swallowed by the shadows he fought for so long, DC killed the Martian Manhunter.

Who? The green guy? Green Lantern? No? The one with super-strength and flight? Superman?! No? He was the last of his kind from an alien planet with super-strength and super-flight and not Superman? Instead of heat vision and ice breath though, he was a shape-shifter and telepathic. Oh! The rip-off dude!

Martian Manhunter was not a legend, and I believe that DC thought the same thing since they changed the promotional catch phrase from “All heroes must die, but legends will live forever,” to “Where were you when the Martian Manhunter died?” It has a more regal feel to it and does not imply as much as the other phrase did. It seems most people did not consider the Manhunter a legend by any means. And after all the buildup, with other DC Comics referencing the death of the Martian, they finally released the issue showing how it was done. This issue showed that until the end, just like all great heroes, the Martian fought till his last breath. The fight itself was not what made this comic so interesting though. It was that with his last breath, the Martian Manhunter telepathically imprinted his memory/history into the brains of several key Justice League members to be written in both English and his native Martian language to insure his people will not be forgotten.

I thought it was a fitting tribute to the Martian Manhunter. However, he was not a legend: he was a green Superman and although will be missed by some, will be forgotten by many.

Before I wrap this up, I just want to answer DC’s question as to where I was when the Manhunter died. I was taking a crap on my toilet; the same place I read all my comics. It was a fine crap that day. And, thanks to the the Martian Manhunter, it was a crap I’ll never forget.

-Ray Carsillo

I AM THE KNIGHT (My review of Batman: Gotham Knight)

I AM THE NIGHT.

I AM VENGENCE.

I AM BATMAN!

These words were uttered in one of the more memorable scenes of Batman: The Animated Series (Episode 4: Nothing to Fear) way back in 1992 when I was but a wee lad. For a generation of Batman fans, only one voice was the voice of the Dark Knight when it came to animated features and cartoons and that was Kevin Conroy. He would reprise this role over the years even after the series long ended, but continued with full-length animated features. It was a revolutionary series in terms of animation style and the graphic nature of the program was unheard of for a Saturday morning cartoon at the time.

Now the genii behind that series have come out with another full-length animated feature that is supposed to connect Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. When I first heard of the release of another Batman cartoon, I admit that I almost wept with joy. Unfortunately, my joy was misplaced.

Trying to continue their revolutionary ways, the producers of Gotham Knight decided to go with almost an Animatrix style of many different stories that relate to the main subject, all done by a different director/animator. The Gotham Knight crew created six stories, each animated and directed by a different person, but the difference between this and the Animatrix is that these stories all directly interlock in some way with each other as well as the story subject and help tie up those pesky loose end questions that don’t always get referenced.

Voice acting was solid, but not as good as expected. When I first heard Kevin Conroy coming back to play Batman, I was ecstatic. With the drawings of Batman making him look more like Christian Bale and his real-life Batman though, for the first time in 15 years, I thought Conroy’s voice did not suit Gotham’s Guardian. I appreciate the loyalty from the producers and animators since they used many voice actors from the original Batman: The Animated Series and the newer The Batman, but for anyone who has seen these series and has a decent ear, you are thrown back to the voice actors’ other characters and have difficulty hearing them in this new setting.

In terms of animation, I felt that each progressive story was better and better. The first story was a more revolutionary style that allows for more emphasis on the backgrounds and less on the characters, which I do not like because the driving force behind Batman is the characters. The last story was the most conventional anime style and much more to my liking because it combined both a well painted Gotham City with very well detailed characters.

The plot was jumpy, but that is what this style calls for. The little details that interconnect each segment were wonderful if you caught onto them; they show everything the Batman does or doesn’t do has an effect on his Gotham in some way or another. Whether it is the policemen that do not trust him, the Mafioso that fear him, or the super-villains that plot against him, the Batman is always an influencing force.

If you were a fan of Batman Begins then you will enjoy this more in-depth look into that world and the loose ends this ties up, such as what happens to the Scarecrow or what happened to the Narrows after being flooded with fear gas. If you are a purist, then you might not enjoy the liberties that were taken in this animated feature, much like the ones taken in the first movie. Still though, this was a solid romp into the new Batman mythos that successfully connects Batman Begins and The Dark Knight without directly referencing either one. Not as strong as expected, Batman: Gotham Knight still gets 3 Bat Signals out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

SUPERHEROES SAVE MORE THAN DAMSELS. THEY SAVE THE ECONOMY.

What the f***?! That was the first thought that popped into my head after reading an article last week by Beth Fitzgerald, business writer for the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s main newspaper. Ms. Fitzgerald’s article takes a look at the booming comic book industry and how the movies are not only helping box office numbers, but helping comic book sales as well. The article attempts to link recent profit increases in local comic book stores to the release of comic book movies in the theatres. The problem with this article, though, is that it credits the movies too much and the comics too little.

The reason why there has been a recent increase in comic book sales is not because the major two (Marvel and DC) have been releasing new movies this summer, but because they have launched some of the largest comic book story arcs in comic book history. There may be a small increase in foot traffic due to the movies, but according to Ms. Fitzgerald’s article, some comic book store owners are citing a 5-10% increase in sales, but only seeing maybe 10-15 new faces consistently. Now, just because they may not recognize new faces does not mean they aren’t there, but since most comic store owners are at their store during all hours of operation, it is hard to put someone new past them or their profits were pretty poor to begin with.

No. The reason for the increase in comic sales is not solely because of the movies, but largely because of the comics themselves. As someone who buys comics on a weekly basis, I purchase them according to what titles interest me and how they are written. If a title starts to lack quality, I will stop picking it up. Black Panther, Fantastic Four, Punisher, Flash, and Amazing Spider-Man are no longer part of my weekly routine because they lack the punch that initially drew me to their pages. Alternatively, the Final Crisis, Secret Invasion, and Batman R.I.P. story arcs have drawn me into other titles that I would not normally pick up. These new story arcs have stepped up my weekly comic total once again and I have reason to believe I am not alone. If you compare the timing of the beginning of these story arcs with when the comics’ sales spike began, then you would see they nearly coincide. Therefore, the recent spike in sales cannot be fully attributed to the movies, but attributed to what draws most of us to the comics in the first place: fantastic artwork and stellar writing.

I commend Ms. Fitzgerald for her attempt at trying to shed light on an interesting subject, but because of her lack of familiarity with it, she was reaching for straws and I call her out on it. Shenanigans! Shenanigans, I say! You can see her unfamiliarity with the subject when she relies on quotes from men like Steve Conte, the owner of Funnybooks in Lake Hiawatha, NJ. “Comics are doing well because they are awesome…” That was the best person you could find to get a quote from? Ms. Fitzgerald seems lost in her own article. She quotes the cheesy one-liners from The Incredible Hulk that gives it away as a comic book movie. It was billed as a comic book movie! No more explanation needed! Even if you have no clue what the Hulk is, if I tell you a movie is based on a comic book, then it is based on a comic book! There is no need to look any further into that statement! I would leave comic critiquing to us professionals. Pathetic! Shenanigans! What the f***?!

-Ray Carsillo

The Trinity Issues 1-5

Hi Readers,

Let me start off by stating the obvious... Mark Bagley is an AWESOME artist!!!I was first hooked onto his art when he illustrated for the early issues of the THUNDERBOLTS. His art was so impressive, I read Thunderbolts religiously throughout most of the first volume. Bagley's artwork is not only impressive, but he does a great job of using the surrounding scenery to show how destructive the fights are.
Ok... back to business. This book focuses on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman mostly. The comradery between these three characters has withstood the test of time and each have become archetypal characters in their own right. Even though I love these three heroes battling evil along side one another, I will admit, this story drags significantly. It took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long for the battle to be concluded between Konvikt, Graak and the JLA. The fight started in issue 2 and last until issue 5 of this series, and that is too long to have a simple slug fest between comic book characters. Even though Bagley's art is amazing, I know that this fight could have concluded within 1 or 2 issues. This reminded me of Dragon Ball Z, where Piccolo, Gohan and Goku can use an entire season of the show to fight just one villain. Ridiculous!
On a side note, I noticed a detail while reading, that I have never seen before with the Justice League of America's roster. There are FOUR Black members of the JLA currently! When I realized that Vixen, Black Lightning, Green Lantern and Firestorm were all members, I was actually a tiny bit surprised and excited due to there never being this high of a ratio in the JLA. Looks like the times might be changing!
While reading these issues, three questions sprang to mind:
1. What's really going on between Morgan Le Fey and Enigma? They didn't know each other before hand, but what is the grand scheme that they are piecing together to use against the trinity?
2. Who is Enigma? I never heard of this character before... is he related to Riddler (A.K.A. E. Nigma)? I know... bad joke!
3. Is there such a thing as both a successful and formidable JLA without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman? The reason I ask is because I can't really remember a time where these three characters weren't members and the book was both seen as a formidable team and successful franchise. In my experience, it was one or the other.
As of right now, I'm on the fence about this series... but I will admit Bagley's art is definitely a plus for the book!


@~~~~}~~~~~~~~~ Devin Peacock

DOES MR. FOURTH OF JULY DELIEVER AGAIN? (My review of HANCOCK)

I started my Fourth of July weekend a little early by going to see Will Smith’s new movie, Hancock, the day it came out. It had been a pretty good day as I headed for the theatre. I had an early lunch with a good friend of mine and I hit the comic store just as it opened so I know I didn’t miss any titles that week. It was a pretty full day up to that point and when I got to the theatre, I forgot that I was early enough for the matinee price (still $8 though, what a rip off) and there was even a free credit on one of the arcade machines. Things were definitely going my way. Unfortunately, the universe has a way of balancing things out. Hancock sucked; plain and simple.

The premise of the movie is that John Hancock (Will Smith) is the only one of his kind. He is a living, breathing superhero. He can fly. He has super strength. He is bulletproof. He is everything we want to be and yet he is the most miserable man in the world. In a constant drunken stupor, Hancock does what he wants, when he wants, and does not care what people think or how much destruction his “good deeds” cost the city of Los Angeles. Time moves on when average public relations “guru” Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) gets stuck on railroad tracks due to one of L.A.’s famous traffic jams. Enter the oncoming freight train. Ray tries to run from his car, but is too slow and his screams attract Hancock, who promptly throws the car out of the way as the train smashes into him, destroying the train, but saving Ray. Ray wishes to repay Hancock by changing his image. He wants to make Hancock into someone people will love. The story continues as Hancock begins his rehab, thanks to Ray and his hot wife Mary (Charlize Theron), and Hancock finds out that there is more to himself, and Ray’s wife Mary, than meets the eye.

This was such an awful experience overall. The first half hour was great. Will Smith was great as the drunken anti-hero the previews portrayed him as. Jason Bateman was great in the role he seems type-cast in nowadays (curse you Arrested Development!), the bumbling suit with a heart of gold. Charlize Theron was hot. You would think they had something going here, but the last hour of the movie was absolute rubbish. There was no super villain. There was no amazing over the top fight scene (there were a couple of decent fight scenes, but nothing spectacular). The twist in the plot line was such an overused comic book cliché that I almost was able to recite the last 30 minutes of the movie just from my years of comic book reading. This was the movie studio executives thinking they could give the people what they want with once again having no idea what we want.

One of those executives was… (Insert suspenseful comic book music here) Will Smith! That’s right; Will was one of the producers of this movie. Therefore, in the end it came down to Will Smith wanting to play a superhero, however, the problem with that glorious plan is we already saw this six months ago with I am Legend so it was really more like Will Smith wanted to play a superhero, again. And, again, said superhero character ends up being a messiah figure that sacrifices himself to save the world, but in this movie Will takes it a few steps further as he magically rises after what (for the movie-goer) feels like three days. We get it Will. You think you are a god. Newsflash: YOU DO NOT HAVE SUPERPOWERS. YOU ARE NOT A SUPERHERO. YOU PLAY ONE IN THE MOVIES. YOU ARE RICH AND YOU ARE FAMOUS, BE SATISFIED!

Overall there was not much to salvage from this movie. The special effects they used were solid, but nothing spectacular and they were nothing we haven’t seen in previous comic book movies. The acting was alright, but, then again, you had a high quality of actors and actresses. You tell Charlize Theron to cry and she is going to cry. The plot was weak, at best. It started off strong, and the premise of the anti-hero is still a great one, but it makes you wonder how much better it could have been if they had stayed with the original R-rated cut instead of feeding us this watered down PG-13 version. The only real positive I could take from this was that a regular dude named Ray ended up with super hot Charlize Theron and that gives this real-life Ray a little bit of hope. Then again, it is only a movie and a pretty bad one at that. Hancock gets an uninspired, watered down, 1 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

P.S.: Listen to the show “Metro Line” on 1050 AM, ESPN Radio in NY at 5 AM on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, to hear me talk about comics, movies, and other stuff I talk about in this blog. If not, I will try to get it up on the page at some point. Thanks!