We have teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring you some prizes in celebration of DC Comics' 75th anniversary. In celebration of this event Warner Bros. has made tons of movies and TV shows based off of DC Comic's characters available for download and On Demand.
Celebrate 75 years of DC Comics with films and TV series inspired by some of the most popular SUPER HEROES including BATMAN, SUPERMAN and other iconic DC Comics characters. To celebrate this milestone, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is highlighting dozens of movies and shows that are available For Download on iTunes, WBshop.com and more; and via (cable) On Demand on Comcast, Time Warner Cable and others.
With On Demand and Download fans can watch their DC favorites virtually anytime, anywhere. Highlights include the blockbuster film THE DARK KNIGHT with Extras on iTunes, all SUPERMAN movies, and full length DC Universe animated original movies including GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, BATMAN UNDER THE RED HOOD, SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY and more. Individual episodes and complete seasons of fan favorite DC inspired TV series are also available for download in HD including the complete series of SMALLVILLE, HUMAN TARGET and BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD.
All you have to do to win the prize is send us an email to contest@thebatmanuniverse.net telling us what DC Comics character you want to see be made into a film or TV series. It does not have to be a character within The Batman Universe. It could someone considered unpopular like The Ten-Eyed Man. Send your responses to us no later than August 15. The most creative responses will be picked. We will pick two winners and Warner Bros. will send you one of the two prizes we have shown below. Also keep in mind that we may use your ideas to post on the site and that your name will be linked to the idea.
Posted by Dustin
Alright, after our brief excursion into a possible DCU future, we return to our regularly scheduled Superman/Batman programming (same Supe/Bat-time…) with # 73 and again with Levitz and Ordway as your creative team.
We start exactly where we left off in # 72 with Lois Lane about to be sacrificed by a Cult of Kal-El (its Superman in the story, but I like how Kal rolls off the tongue after the word cult) because she spurned Superman to marry a human. Well, this is not the Silver Age so the damsel in distress is able to work her way out of said distress, and pretty much has this in hand as Batman comes in to scare off all but one of the cultists. That one being taken down by Lois using maneuvers apparently taught by Batman!
We then cut to the subplot with Luthor trying to reach out to this planet that we saw in # 72 where the inhabitants are angry at Superman for wrecking a few buildings, despite rebuilding them. My guess is it must have been a religious shrine considering how angry they were and all the religious imagery and themes throughout this story. Luthor even comes right out and calls it Lexor, which is a Silver/Bronze Age planet with inhabitants who worshiped Lex Luthor. As far as I can tell, it has not been mentioned since its destruction in 1983, though the reboot of Lex Luthor from evil mad scientist to evil billionaire industrialist could have something to do with getting rid of a lot of Luthor’s sci-fi Golden, Silver and Bronze Age attributes. In any event, Luthor is scheming to send a “care package” of sorts to this planet, making contact and ensuring that they worship him. The greatest land grabber of our time!
So we go back to Batman trying his luck at interrogating the cultist, but Superman swoops in to play the bad cop, well the only way he can by dangling the poor guy over the Metropolis skyline with heat vision red eyes a’ glowing! Its found out that a thing called The Visionary told them to sacrifice Lois Lane in order to show their devotion to Superman, to quote the Man of Steel himself, “possible the most backward idea I’ve heard from anyone this side of Bizzaro!”
We then see Superman, Batman and even Lois conduct investigations on this cult and how to take them down. Which is followed by another scene of Luthor readying a capsule to the planet; and we go back to the main plot with a nice shot of Lois & Clar…err Superman having a domestic argument while both are “on the job” heading to where the next meeting of the Superman cult is. They meet up with Batman, and they crash the meeting, the globe where the “Visionary” was emanating explodes, turning into a giant fire creature that Superman easily takes care of with his super breath and the cultists are all rounded up.
The coda of the issue is Luthor, revealing to be the “man behind the curtain” of the cultists that Lois wonders about at the end of the previous scene, getting ready to become a God to this planet of Superman haters.
This was a thoroughly entertaining story to be sure. Had none of the things that made me slightly trepidations about the first part of the arc (preachy religious connotations, and rehashing sillier elements of Silver Age Superman and Batman stories) and even threw in several nice Easter Eggs for fans of various incarnations of the Superman and Batman mythos. For example, Smallville fans will note a headline of an article in Lois’ cubicle “’Red-Blue Blur’ Gets A Name” as well as a shout out to Bibbo, a long time cast member of the Superman titles. Ordway’s art is also impressive as well. While this is mostly a Superman-centric story, Batman does get in some good moments, especially doing some detective work, and it was nice to see nods to what Lois Lane does, something that appears to have been missing in the Man of Steel’s titles as of late, but this isn’t TheSupermanUniverse.net, so no need to rant about how DC is handling the Clark Kent side of Superman.
I’m looking forward to the final chapter of this story next month.
Superman/Batman #73:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Smallville, the series many thought wouldn't last, has just been renewed for a tenth season. It's move to Friday nights has been a good ratings move for the CW network.
This year has had some memorable moments, including the highly anticipated "Absolute Justice" special which featured the Justice Society. The series has had many high profile DC characters appear throughout it's run. We've had Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, Zatanna, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter.
There is one very notable name missing from that list. Batman.
This isn't due to any reluctance of part of Smallville's creative team. Actually, they've reportedly ask Warner Brothers every year for permission to include Bruce Wayne. Every year they are denied. Why? It's called the Bat-Embargo.
The Bat-Embargo is a mandate from Warner Brothers not to include Batman or various Batman characters in other DC media for fear of diluting the franchise and confusing the public from Chris Nolan's film series. It started around the production of "Batman Begins", although Smallville had already been attempting to get Bruce Wayne for a while.
This problem affected the Justice League cartoon series. They had wanted to include Batgirl for an episode but were forced to substitute her for Huntress (ironically another Batman character). Tim Drake and Cassandra Cain did appear, but were reduced to nameless cameos.
The Bat-Embargo has gotten more relaxed as time has gone by, yet Smallville still hasn't been given the green light. We already have a Batman in the movies and one on the "Brave and the Bold" cartoon series. We even almost had a "young Dick Grayson" live action drama before that was thankfully vetoed. Would a guest shot in Smallville by Bruce Wayne really hurt?
Interestingly enough, Smallville was very close to becoming a "young Bruce Wayne" type series. You can see the full evolution of that project here, but needless to say it eventually evolved into "Batman Begins" and "Smallville". Season three also introduced a character name Adam Knight who many thought was Bruce Wayne in disguise. I recall being a viewer during those episodes and the speculation and guessing that even had me fooled. The creative team said Knight was never intended to be Bruce Wayne, but rumors persist that it was their original plan but things changed.
Green Arrow has taken on a role similar to Bruce Wayne within the show. He even had a Kryptonite ring last year. I sometimes wonder if this could have Bruce Wayne instead of Oliver Queen had plans been different. It's a mixed blessing though, as Smallville has done a lot to revitalize the character of Green Arrow to the general public.
Season ten will most likely be Smallville's last year. It's past time they had Bruce Wayne on. If he could do a musical number with Neil Patrick Harris on Cartoon Network, then he should spar with Tom Welling on Smallville.
Posted by Josh
Synopsis: Aquaman takes the family, Mera and Jr. for a road trip vacation but not without a little side action hero’s style along the way.
The teasers reveals Batman pairing up with the World War I fighter pilot “Enemy Ace” to take on an alien monster who’s helping the enemy with the aid of a laser type cannon.
Holiday rooooooooooad. It’s Aquaman meets the Griswold’s as the family of 3 hits the road RV style for some long overdue R & R. This episode follows the family across land as they try some time away from the crime fighting life but not if Aquaman can help it. Each stop his itching for getting some bad guys grows more and more. Along the trip he encounters and aids the likes of Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, and of course the Caped Crusader all while trying to keep it hush hush with his wife Mera. In the end the king of the ocean must take on the (so to speak) flightless bird the Penguin (his first appearance in BTBTB) in the risk of his family, Batman, and his own demise! Over all a very fun episode, I would have liked to see Flash, or even Superman thrown in. They did show Smallville on the map as they were trotting around the country, so maybe the Man of Steel is in things to come? A couple observations; Aquaman in BTBTB reminds of me of Kelsey Grammar as “Frasier”, anyone see the resemblance? And I did notice one throwback to the 1983 cult classic National Lampoons Vacation “Windows up!” All in all a great episode and great quality of a story!!
BTBTB: Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure:
Reviewed by rhine1784
Blackest Night Batman vs. Blackest Night Superman
Round 2
Hopefully you’ve all had a chance to read Blackest Night Batman and Superman parts two of three. My aim here is not to recap the issues but to engage in a little friendly competition between two of DC’s greatest heroes as they tangle with the latest threat to the DC universe, the Black Lanterns! In round one of this competition I divided the battle into four parts. Cover Art, Reveals, Raw Emotional Impact and Supporting Cast and Villains. As we complete the second issue of each I’ve added, Cliffhangers, as a way of rounding out the competition.
Cover Art
The cover of Blackest Night Batman #2 by Andy Kubert and Alex Sinclair pictured here reminded me of the classic Bill Murray comedy, “Ghostbusters”. While the movie made you howl with laughter this scene is of a grimmer nature. Here we see Damian, Dick and Tim unleashing torrents of hell fire from their weapons as they are besieged by legions of demonic Black Lanterns. Our heroes’ bodies are aglow with weapons fire as they stand amidst the gathering gloom and the city topples around them. Their desperate faces grimace with fear and rage knowing that this could be their last stand.
Over on Blackest Night Superman #2, we have a cover by Eddy Barrows and Nei Ruffino. This cover too could come from some classic horror movie but perhaps of a much earlier era. Pictured here we have the standard tableau of the vulnerable heroine held in the clutches of the dastardly villain. It looks like any movie poster from a vampire flick of the 20’s or 30’s where the young and innocent female is about to be violated by a nightmarish monster. Only in this case the young lady is Kara, also known as Supergirl, and the monster is her once dead father out to kill her and destroy Kandor.
Decision=Blackest Night Batman
-While both covers depict and evince the horror of the monster movie genre I’m giving the nod to Batman. The Superman cover, while classic, has been done a million times. The Batman cover is dynamic and lends itself to famous last stand movies like the Alamo or Zulu where the odds were insurmountable.
Reveals
In this section I’m looking for clues to see how the overall Blackest Night storyline is to proceed. In Blackest Night #3, Ray Palmer, the Atom, theorized that the Black Lanterns’ power rings are made possible by some amalgamation of dark matter coupled with microscopic worm holes that channel energy. A pretty significant step, whether it is true remains to be seen. In these two books unfortunately we don’t learn too much. Zombie Lanterns are shredded and re-form in both books and the heroes realize quickly that their weapons and powers are near useless. At least Supergirl confirms what Green Lantern Kyle Rayner comes to know that their loved ones would never speak to them or acts like their current evil incarnations (Green Lantern Corps #40).
Decision=Tie
-When there isn’t much to go on from each issue I’m not going to split hairs and force a winner.
Raw Emotional Impact
Certainly there is no shortage of emotional impact in either book. In the Batman book we find Priests, Cops, Firefighters, and Civilians are being torn to shreds by the Black Lanterns. Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara are trapped together in seemingly their last moment as they try to blast their way free in utter futility. As this happens, the Black Lanterns taunt their victims with bitter memories and make a mockery of their lives and loves. Red Robin comes to the rescue with low altitude high speed pass that temporarily decimates the Black Lanterns. But the grotesque icing on the cake is when Tim and Dick are confronted by their dead parents, the Drakes and the Graysons.
Over in Blackest Night Superman Black Lantern Kal-L continues to provoke Superman into rash action while dead Earth 2 Lois holds Ma Kent hostage. Kal-L orders Lois to kill Ma Kent and this is only narrowly averted by the actions of Suberboy Conner Kent. The most obvious contrast in raw emotion between the two books comes from the manipulations of the dead Psycho Pirate. Suddenly, the citizens of Smallville are turned against each other or in one particular frame forced to kiss each other in a decidedly non heterosexual way!
Decision=Blackest Night Batman
-If only Pa Kent was resurrected as a Black Lantern! Now, that would have been horrific. I have no doubt that it would have pushed Superman right over the edge and I would have loved to see that. Unfortunately, this was an opportunity missed. That act would have only been superseded by seeing Bruce Wayne rise from the grave. (Hmmm, or maybe not?) The combination of the Drakes and the Graysons trumps Supergirl’s newly risen father since he is not a character that carries the same emotional impact in the DC universe.
Supporting Cast and Villains
Much of the characters we saw in the first issues of each series return in the second. In Batman, Red Robin takes on a larger role however briefly. The Drakes and Graysons get some speaking roles but they are regulated to the end of the issue. Deadman reanimates a paralyzed Barbara Gordon and they all pile into Red Robins jet powered flying bus.
But over in Blackest Night Superman #2 we have Psycho Pirate! This addition was a real hoot. Not only does he turn staid and sweet Smallville into a maelstrom of emotion he does it with hilarious and bold results not often seen in comics. We also get to see Connor Kent turn on Big Blue and lastly it’s the totally b**chin’ Martha Kent telling us, “it’s on!”
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
-This was a no brainer. (Hey, just like a zombie.) The addition of Black Lantern Psycho Pirate easily tipped the scales. I loved the interaction of the Gordon father daughter team but the citizens of Gotham are strangely absent. Smallville’s populace on the other hand, writhe together in an orgy of violence and lust not meant for our younger readers. Throw in the torch wielding Ma Kent and like the lady said, “it’s on!”
Cliffhanger
Speaking of that crazy lady in the cornfield, I wouldn’t put any money on her chances against the Black Lantern Lois. The lady’s got grit, but, please, someone has to bail her out and it doesn’t look like its going to be Conner Kent. (My guess would be Krypto to the rescue!) Kara also has her hands full with her malevolent father. And exactly how is Superman going to take on Earth 2 Kal-L, Psycho Pirate and Conner Kent? Oh yeah, there’s that whole orgy thing going on in the town square too.
Over in Blackest Night Batman our heroes have crash landed in a cemetery. No crazy citizenry to contend with unless we include the ones buried below and that is not out of the question. No, their battle seems to be isolated to the graveyard. Who knows what mayhem will go on in Gotham without the heroes around? The Graysons and the Drakes should take front and center here. Will Tim and Dick turn their fry-o-laters on their own parents?
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
-This was a tough call. Dick Grayson’s Batman seems to have his head screwed on right but Damian’s Robin and Tim Drake seem a little uneasy. I don’t think the Gordon’s will be too much help either. Deadman? We’ll see. It looks like the new Batman could be on his own and that will be toughest test for our hero.
Similarly, Superman is on his own unless we count Ma Kent and the recovering Krypto. As much as I like to see Batman battle it out in a rain soaked and darkened graveyard I am really jonesing to see Martha Kent “git it on.” The whole town spinning out of control with Psycho Pirate and Supes battling two super powered antagonists is too much to ignore.
So, much as we found in Blackest Night Batman #1 versus Blackest Night Superman #1 we have a tie. It looks like the third and final issue of each series will have to serve as the tie breaker. I promise you one will win over the other. (I hope!) Will anything come of these short series? Probably not, as the overall series will go on into next year. It’s been fun so far to see these two heroes deal with the Blackest Night in their own books and they will return in such incarnations as the JLA Blackest Night, Blackest Night Superman/Batman and the over arching Green Lantern-centric Blackest Night series. Until we meet in round three.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave