Grant Morrison Leaving Action Comics And Batman Incorporated To Focus On Other Works

In a recent interview with Comic Book Resources, Grant Morrison revealed that he is going to step away from any superhero work for the forseeable future. Morrison explains,

"I'm coming to the end of long runs and stories I've had planned in my notebooks for years and the stuff I'm developing now is quite different.

The "Action Comics" run concludes with issue #16, "Batman Incorporated" wraps up my take with issue #12, and after that I don't have any plans for monthly superhero books for a while. "Multiversity" is eight issues and I'm 30-odd pages into a Wonder Woman project but those are finite stories.

I'm not saying that I'll never write superheroes again. It's just that my relationship to them has changed especially after finishing the book and I'm not sure if I want to maintain the same kind of relentless level of production."

Morrison will take his time away from superheroes to focus on his upcoming Image series, Happy!, his four-issue series with Darick Robertson.

There has not yet been any announcement from DC Entertainment as to who will be taking over the writing duties from Morrison on either book.

Batman Inc #3 Delayed Due To Aurora, Colo. Shooting

DC Entertainment today had announced that it will be delaying the release of "Batman Inc #3" for one month in light of the recent shooting in Aurora, Colo. The delay is due to fact that some of the content in the new issue may be perceived as insensitive in nature due to recent events.

"Out of respect for the victims and families in Aurora, Colo., DC Entertainment has made the decision to postpone the release of "Batman Inc. #3" for one month because the comic contains content that may be perceived as insensitive in light of recent events," DC Entertainment said in a statement.

Twelve people were killed and 58 were left injured in a shooting that occured last Friday at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises".

While DC did not give any specifics of the exact nature of the "insensitive" content of the issue, Chris Burnham, the illustrator of the series, posted on Twitter that the delay was "due some grim imagery that would seem wholly inappropriate given the Aurora killings."

The new release date for the issue will be Aug 22.

THE JUSTICE LEAGUE RETURNS TO PREVENT EARTH’S “DOOM”

The Paley Center in Beverly Hills hosted the Justice League: Doom, Los Angeles premiere this week. Directors Lauren Montgomery and Andrea Romano joined LA Times Hero Complex’s Geoff Boucher and some of the cast to discuss the making of the film as well. The thirteenth animated film from DC Comics and Warner Home Video features the return of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and arrival of new Justice League member, Cyborg. The film gives fans (of all ages) large doses of action, humor, and suspense.

filmaffinity.com

The Dark Knight Rises - BATMAN film UPDATES 5/20/2011

News on the new Batman film, the third in the series, has been breaking all week. Warner Bros. put out the official release that production has started and that Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine will return to their roles and be joined by Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, among others. The production has already been spotted filming in India and England.

R.I.P. Michael Gough, original Batman movie actor passes away

Michael Gough, most commonly known for his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in the original films has passed away at the age of 94. Gough's career spanned several decades and involved much more than aiding the Caped Crusader.

According to the International Movie Database, he had roles in Phantom of the Opera, The Avengers tv show, and several voice over parts - most recently a return to DC Comics in All Star Superman. Gough was one of only 2 actors who acted in all four of the original Batman movies - Pat Hingle, also starred in all four films as Commissioner Gordon, he passed away in 2009.

Michael Keaton and Michael Gough from Batman (1988) courtesy of movies.yahoo.com

While I thought the films got a little cartoony, I always found Gough to be a great Alfred! I often think back to the scenes of Alfred carrying a plate of freshly prepared food that Batman, or Robin in the last 2 films, turns down on their way out to save Gotham - reminds me all the time of the healthy food my parents used to push when I was running out the door for school or other adventures.

Martin Bright, 3.17.2011

Batman: Arkham City UPDATES 3/16/2011

from ign.com

3/15/2011:  The trailer for the Batman: Arkham City game posted on IGN.com today. Check it out here and stay tuned to Fanboy Headquarters for future updates.

Knight & Squire #1 - DC Comics

DC Comics brings Fanboys a take on a british (and somewhat funny) version of the Dark Knight and his universe. Knight and Squire look like medieval versions of Batman and Robin. This first issue introduces several characters into this storyline - Jarvis Poker, The Double Entendre, the Milkman, and more. Also there is an appearance by a known DC Comics hero, Wildcat.



In this opening story, it seems the reader is introduced to the characters that will make up the adventures of this series. Gathered in a pub, Good and Evil alike talk shop and reminisce about the days of fighting each other, all thanks to the Truce Magic (a spell on the pub that prevents conflict, weapons, bad mouthing, etc.). The Squire gives the history of everyone in the bar to a new costumed man that hasn't figured out if he is good or evil. After we are given the snapshot of what's going on, the spell is suddenly broken and the Knight must regain order.

The artwork is great. The Knight reminds me of a cross between Batman's look and RoboCop's armor. Jarvis Poker, the British Joker, pays homage to his American counterpart's look. There are some fun British culture references, complete with a key to the references at the end of the book. The writing did not build much suspense or curiosity, but I am hoping now that introductions are over, we'll see some action in issue #2.

Check out Brightboy Adventures next month for continued coverage on the Knight & Squire.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse World Premiere

Brightboy Adventures was lucky enough to get into the World Premiere of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse at the Paley Center for the Media in Beverly Hills. UGO.com, Warner Home Video, and DC Entertainment hosted the evening for the cast and fans to take the first official glimpse of the next DVD in the DC Animation films. The film did not disappoint and included a lot of “new shticks” (as Executive Producer Bruce Timm called them) from our favorite DC superheroes.

The film is based on Superman Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner’s original work in Superman/Batman: Supergirl and the film material stayed pretty close to the original work. Naturally the transition from graphic novel to DVD does call for some changes, the production was able to stick close with artwork and storyline. This time around the Big Blue Boy Scout and the Caped Crusader have changed a little in this “semi-sequel” to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Batman still doesn’t see the good in people and has suspicions in the sudden appearance of Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl for the layman. Superman is looking thinner and is very overprotective of his newly arrived cousin, the only family and fellow Kryptonian he has. Kara is having issues controlling her powers and finding her place in the world. She wants to be a normal Earth girl, but Superman’s friends believe she is a big liability - Wonder Woman comes to take Kara (initially against her will) to Paradise Island to help her learn to control her abilities and Batman agrees. Superman eventually falls in line with his fellow heroes and Kara comes to terms with it and takes on the training. Darkseid is in search for a new leader for his Female Furies and he sets his Omega Effect eyes on Supergirl! The film also includes cameos by Granny Goodness (perfectly voiced by Ed Asner), Artemis, the Harbinger, Kryto, Doomsday, and Big Barda. There are intense battle scenes, “kryptonese” dialogue and some occasional laughs (some major comedic relief is provided by Batman!!).

During the Q&A session, Director Lauren Montgomery alluded to the title of the movie and why it was changed to Apocalypse from Supergirl; mentioning that their Wonder Woman film did not have great sales stats and so movies with women as the main character won’t get to go far (getting Supergirl on the cover was even a battle). And though female characters don’t sell DVDs well, this film is full of stong-willed and well balanced (albeit scantily clad) women. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Artemis, Lyla/Harbinger, Granny Goodness, the Female Furies, Big Barda and an army of Amazons dominated scenes and held their own with Superman, Batman and Darkseid. The look of Supergirl was spot-on with her graphic novel appearance. It’s unfortunate that the opinion of female driven stories is so negative, but Bruce Timm and Lauren Montgomery have done a great job of still making the female hero a strong character and hopefully the marketing will draw in the female fanbase.

After the screening of the film there was a short Q&A with Bruce Timm, Lauren Montgomery, Andrea Romano (Casting Director/voice of Stompa), Tab Murphy (Screenplay), Tim Daly (voice of Superman), Susan Eisenberg (voice of Wonder Woman), and Rachel Quaintance (voice of Lyla/Harbinger and Artemis). Tim Daly discussed his personal likeness to Batman and how much he noticed Superman had cut back on the “carbs” this time around. Susan Eisenberg talked about how much stronger Wonder Woman has gotten over the years that she has voiced the character. The entire panel recognized how tremendous of a job Andrea Romano does casting the voice talent and how great a person she is to work for. Andrea Romano said that getting Andre Braugher to voice Darkseid was a wish come true and Ed Asner was so great to work with. The biggest news of the Q&A came from Bruce Timm though. He announced the next three films in the DC Animated DVD series. The first two, All-Star Superman and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights were announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2010. Timm commented that All-Star Superman is “already in the can” and just awaiting release in 2011. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights will be similar to the previously released Batman: Gotham Knight with several different stories told over a linking story arc. There will be approximately six stories told about different members of the Lantern corps., including Kilowag, Sinestro, and Abin Sur. The 3^rd film got its “official” confirmation from Bruce Timm last night, Batman: Year One. Timm said that the film will stick very closely to the Frank Miller graphic novel; Batman will not have all the gadgets and muscles that he is known for in modern storylines and films. All three films should be great additions to the DC DVD library.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will be released September 28^th on Blu-ray and DVD. Every fanboy (and girl) should check it out. A special thanks to UGO.com for the opportunity to see the premiere and meet the cast and crew.

Brightboy Adventures w/ Tim Daly

Brightboy Adventures w/ Bruce Timm

"Superman/Batman: Apocalypse" Red Carpet Event

In anticipation of the release of "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse,"the next movie in the series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies, Warner Home Video, Ugo.com, and The Paley Center for Media will present the bi-coastal World Premiers on September 21 in Los Angeles and September 23 in New York.

The event will be attended by both Filmmakers and members of the voice cast. After the screening, there will be a discussion and Q&A panel. BBA will be at the screening and participate in the post-screening discussion. Check back for our report on the Premier.

"Superman/Batman: Apocalypse," is coming to DVD and Combo Blu-Ray on September 28, 2010

Batman: the Brave and the Bold the Videogame

The animated series has come to the video game world.
I spent a total of 24 hours playing as Batman and some of his various superhuman colleagues across dozens of levels that made up 4 episodes of the hit series. If you're looking for a challenging game with deep dialogue, then you're playing the wrong game. If you want some funny adventures with some of the rarer heroes of DC Comics then suit up fanboy, this game is for you. Those who have seen the animated series know that this Batman show is cheesy and campy; the video game is no different.

There are 4 different episodes  and each has many levels. Every episode centers on a specific set of bad guys (and gals) and each episode teams the caped crusader up with a different hero. Also along the way additional heroes can be unlocked to "step in" and provide their powers as aid in bigger battles. The stand-ins are Black Canary, Booster Gold, Black Lightning, Red Tornado, Barry Allen, Captain Marvel, Hal Jordan, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Plastic Man... With every team up, that hero's gadgets become available as well as Batman's arsenal that includes Batarangs, flash bombs, explosives, a stun gun, lock-pick set, brass knuckles, and a laser sword. Throughout the levels you collect coins to upgrade your gadgets and those of your fellow heroes. Have a friend play the second hero or let the computer be your sidekick along the way.

 Episode 1 is in Gotham City, including Wayne Manor fighting Catwoman and Catman with Robin. Episode 2 takes you to Science Island to face Gorilla Grodd and his monkeys...err...apes with Blue Beetle. Episode 3 goes to London's streets and underground to face Gentleman Ghost with Hawkman. Finally, Episode 4 brings Batman to Planet Oa and neighboring planets to face off against Starro and Mongul with the help of Guy Gardner. Throughout the many levels catch cameos of other DC characters like Alan Scott, Joker's Red Hood and Bat-mite.

The game is fun if you're not out for serious gaming. I laughed alot at the banter between all the superheroes. The graphics were pretty good and the various landscapes were cool to see. Overall the game was awesome for some light button pushing.

I would have liked to have seen a Batmobile or Batwing challenge and to have more time in the Batcave doing training or using the Batcomputer. The fights were fun but there were tons of button-combos to push to utilize the Bat's and friends' various powers, punches and projectiles. Maybe in the sequel...

Superman/Batman #75 Review

So far this year, DC Comics seems to have many anniversary issues in the pipeline. After Superman #700, Batman #700, and Wonder Woman #600, we are graced with Superman/Batman #75. Anniversary issues seem to generally gather some of the most prolific writers and artists in the company and put together a super-sized issue with many stories and art pages highlighting certain characters. The issues don't seem to follow the
current story arc.

The issue starts off with a story by Paul Levitz featuring the Legion of Superheroes teaming up with Batman. The art is by Jerry Ordway and is some of his best art in quite some time. After that, there are quite a few two page spreads by comic notables such as Azzarello, Finch, Manapul, and Bermejo. One of the many little strips that I found quite entertaining was the work by Azzarello and Bermejo. It features Superman and Batman's greatest foes, Lex Luthor and the Joker. What makes this strip stand out is that it is done in the style of Calvin and Hobbes. Another strip that that is quite interesting is one that features Conner Kent and Damian Wayne. Set in the future, Conner has taken on the role of Superman and Damian is now Batman. They meet in front of a statue dedicated to the Man of Steel and The Dark Knight.

Superman/Batman #75 is a great milestone for the series. Many great artists and writers were called together to assemble an issue that pays homage to all aspects of Superman and Batman. The issue is definitely worth taking a look at.