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Happy Birthday, Superman!

Comics, Marvel / DC, Music, Superhero, Television No Responses »

Apr 182013

This 1948 Republic Serial starred Kirk Alyn, the first actor to portray the Man
of Steel. For millions of movie-goers, his was the face and voice of Superman.

The Last Son of Krypton and Earth’s Greatest Hero is 75 years old today! It’s on this day that Action Comics #1 was released, the comic book that introduced Superman to the world. Lois Lane, the feisty reporter love of his life, was also featured in the same story.

The iconic character that would form the kernel of our modern superhero mythology was born from the minds of two comic book geeks still in high school – writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Schuster (Lois Lane was based on Jerry Siegel’s real life love interest Joanne Siegel who became his wife).

Over the years, Superman has appeared in virtually every medium, beginning with the famous radio serial and moving television, movies, video games, apps and an amazing array of pop music, much of which we play here on Krypton Radio.

Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson has declared April 18 to be Superman Day in that city. Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster were living in the Glenville area in Cleveland when they created the comic book hero in 1938.
To commemorate the event, these events are planned:

Superman flag will be raised on the steps of Cleveland City Hall with Superman in attendance
Lights on city hall and the Terminal Tower will be blue, red, and yellow
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will have cupcakes for travelers and a birthday card for the hero at its recently-installed Superman Exhibit
City’s website and social media sites will feature citizen tributes to Superman

The proclamation will take place Thursday at 1 p.m. on the front steps of Cleveland City Hall.

MTV Geek will be celebrating the birthday all day long. Such celebrations are happening all over the country, the internet is vibrating with the news. Perhaps in these dark times, we turn in our hearts to symbols of hope.

Happy Birthday, Superman. We sure need you now.

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It’s Coming – Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Comics, Marvel / DC, Superhero, Television No Responses »

Apr 172013

Justice-League-Flashpoint-Paradox-Blu-Ray

Primetime TV Stars & Justice League Alumni Fill Stellar Voice Cast

… including Justin Chambers, Kevin McKidd, Michael B. Jordan, C. Thomas Howell, Nathan Fillion, Ron Perlman, Dana Delany, Cary Elwes, Danny Huston and Kevin Conroy

Justice-League-Flashpoint-Paradox-Blu-Ray BURBANK, CA (April 17, 2013) – The world is turned upside down as one of earth’s greatest super heroes – Flash – wakes up devoid of his super powers in the all-new Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox – the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies. Produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, this all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives July 30, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP), DVD ($19.98 SRP) and Digital Download. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include UltraViolet™*.

When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline.

Primetime television stars Justin Chambers Grey’s Anatomy) and Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy), the voices of Barry Allen/Flash and Thomas Wayne/Batman, respectively, unite with numerous greats of television and film to fashion the famed animated roles. Adding to the celebrity-laden voice cast and providing thrilling additions to the Justice League< series are Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale,Friday Night Lights, Chronicle) as Cyborg, C. Thomas Howell (Southland, The Outsiders) as Thawne/Professor Zoom, Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Slade and Deathstroke, Dana Delany (Body of Proof) as Lois Lane, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) as Aquaman, Danny Huston (Magic City) as General Lane, Sam Daly (The Office, The Daly Show) as Superman, and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman.

The screenplay is by Jim Krieg, as a vision of the now legendary comic book miniseries FLASHPOINT, by Geoff Johns & Andy Kubert. Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) is director and James Tucker (Superman: Unbound) is producer.

This movie is noteworthy in one other respect: it is the first to canonize the events in Flashpoint that led up to the New 52 series currently being pressed by DC Comics.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Blu-ray™ has over three hours of exciting extra content, including:

A Flash in Time: Are there other dimensions? Can time travel get us there? And if The Flash existed, could he really travel through time? Interviews with experts in mythology, theoretical physics and top DC writers will examine the science and legacy of the storytelling behind the fiction.
My Favorite Villians! The Flash Bad Guys: Acclaimed DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and others share their favorite Flash villains in this short film that gives viewers a glimpse into the Flash’s world through the eyes of some of the nefarious characters he has encountered over the past 70 years!
A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe animated movie:. An in-depth look into the next DC Animated feature film, spotlighting the cast and crew.
From the DC Comics Vault: Bonus cartoon episodes
The Flashpoint Paradox Audio Commentary

JUSTICE LEAGUE and all related characters and elements are trademarks of ©DCComics.

DC Comics Steps Up For Equality

Business, Comics, Community, Marvel / DC No Responses »

Apr 122013

Editorial By Vagabond 'Tony' Carter

Controversial characters are nothing new to the comic book world, we’ve seen gay characters, mentally and physically handicapped characters and D.C. has added it’s first openly Transgender and bisexual character, in the form of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)’s roommate, Alysia Yeoh.

What I like best in this is Barbara’s reaction to the ‘coming out’ of her roommate it’s incredibly human and realistic. There’s no preachyness, no Jerry Springer shock, no sappy “the more you know” after-school acceptance speech . She just accepts her for who she is and embraces her for having the strength and trust to share something so personal.

This comes on the coat tails of D.C.s recent hire of Orson Scott Card, known well for his often inflammatory anti-gay statements. Perhaps D.C. decided to green-light this to offset the ire that has caused.

Batgirl writer Gail Simone had this to say about the character she created and what it means for some well entrenched barriers in the comicbook world “[A]lmost all the tent-poles we build our industry upon were created over a half century ago… at a time where the characters were almost without exception white, cis-gendered, straight, on and on,” she said. “It’s fine — it’s great that people love those characters. But if we only build around them, then we look like an episode of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ for all eternity.”

Happy 65th Birthday, José Luis Garcia-Lopez

Comics, Marvel / DC, Superhero No Responses »

Mar 262013

José Luis Garcia-Lopez, famed comic artist who defined the look of DC comics during the 80's and early 90's, is 65.

The man who pretty much defined the look of DC superheroes in the 1980′s is 65 years old today. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez has worked in the comic industry for more than 40 years, and he’s still going strong.

Born in Pontevedra of Galicia in Spain in 1948, García-López emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina with his family when he was five years-old where he discovered comics becoming a fan of newspaper comic strips such as Flash Gordon, Tarzan, Prince Valiant, and Terry and the Pirates as well as became enamored with the art of José Luis Salinas, Alberto Breccia, and Joe Kubert.

He started art school at age ten (!!) and worked profesionally at around age fourteen for small publishers using a self-taught style before refining his skill at age sixteen with a more professional art school while continuing to work for local publishers. By his late teens, he was working for Charlton Comics – that began his work in the United States. He eventually moved to New York, where he met then DC Editor Joe Orlando. To celebrate the profound influence he has had on the visual style of DC’s iconic characters, next month DC Comics is releasing Adventures of Superman: José Luis García-López, a new collection of the legendary artist’s work on the Man of Steel, the character he is perhaps most closely tied to.

The stories in the collection are all, of course, reprints. Most serious collectors already have these books in their original form. Still, there is so much great art in this new paperback trade book that you should really think about picking up a copy of it anyway. You could make a great case, though, for saying that García-López’s greatest contribution to DC was the DC Comics Style Guide. First released in 1982, it was a virtual master class in how to portray DC Comics’ iconic characters.

Presented here is a small gallery of images from this book, including a handy Pantone chart if you’re an artist and you want to get the exact colors he used.

José Luis Garcia-Lopez, famed comic artist who defined the look of DC comics during the 80′s and early 90′s, is 65.

Happy birthday, José. We’re so glad you’re a part of the world we live in.

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Holy Reboot, Batman!

Comics, Marvel / DC No Responses »

Mar 262013

by staff writer Laura Davis

Photo courtesy of DC Comics

DC Comics and Warner Brothers announced this week that they will be releasing Batman ’66, a digital-first comic series based on the 1960’s Batman TV series. The new series, due out this summer, will bring back all of the fan favorites and bring some new ones into the picture, keeping true to the campy style of the Adam West Batman. Jeff Parker is writing the new series, with cover art by Mike Allred, and the first 3 stories illustrated by Jonathan Case. The digital versions will be released in 10-page installments, followed by the release of 30-page print versions.

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Parker said of the new series, “When I write this, I hear Adam West and Burt Ward speaking. But I also have the unlimited budget of the artist’s skill, and Jonathan Case makes this look like a summer blockbuster. Batman and Robin can do insane feats that even hardened stunt men would fear. And the henchmen they fight really look like monstrous goons. If I do it right, though, you’ll hear West.”

courtesy of Mattel

In 2004, DC Comics quashed a proposed cover of Solo, which depicted Batman doing the Batusi, but with the reboot comes a new attitude, and they’re now embracing the Batusi, a dance at the pinnacle of campiness. Though it appeared in only two episodes of the 60’s series, it left an indelible mark on campy Bat-culture. At San Diego’s ComicCon 2013, Bat-fans will have the opportunity to get their hands on an exclusive Mattel “Batusi TV” toy: a 6″ figure of the Adam West Batman doing the Batusi. The awesome window box features the work of graphic artist SHAG.

Yesterday, DC and Warner Bros. also announced the upcoming release of a new PC game called Infinite Crisis. Though it shares a name with their 2005 release, it’s not directly based on the previous game. The PC-based MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) is set in the DC multiverse, and features familiar characters like Green Lantern and The Flash, and twisted variants like Nightmare Batman and Gaslight Catwoman. The game, developed by Turbine-a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment- will be free to play, and users can sign up for a chance to get in on beta at the Infinite Crisis official site.

With the revival of campy Batman, DC closes the circle of Batman fans: now there’s something for everyone. The Millennial generation grew up with The Dark Knight trilogy as its predominant Batman exposure. Will this generation warm to the campier version that Generation X grew up on? Will Boomers who enjoyed the 60’s series as young adults and Gen-Xers feel the nostalgia strongly enough to support the new material? Tune in this summer. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

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What do you think? Dark Batman or Campy Batman? We’d love to hear your opinions!

Kickstart This: Batman Documentary “Legends of the Knight”

Comics, Community, Hero Community, Kickstarter, Marvel / DC, Real Life Superheroes No Responses »

Feb 232013

Documentary film “Legends of the Knight” to explore the inspirational impact of Batman and the power of heroic storytelling.

We love superheroes. With a station name like “Krypton Radio”, that’s kind of a given. Superheroes are symbolic of our personal struggles to be better individuals. They inspire us to do better, to be better, and to make life better for our having been a part of it. The iconic heroes of comic books are an important part of our modern mythology, the stories we tell one another to help us make sense of the world around us.

We can think of few iconic heroes more important to the fabric of our culture than Batman. Producer / Director Brett Culp is in production on a documentary called Legends of the Knight which explores the impact of legends and tales of the Batman on the lives of fans around the world. And he needs YOUR HELP to finish it. It’s hard to imagine a more deserving project on Kickstarter. Go give them money. We’ll wait. Then come back and finish reading.

Back? Good.

“Batman has become contemporary mythology,” producer/director Brett Culp said. “We want to show how enduring stories like this shape us. Our goal is to inspire everyone on the planet who loves Batman to embody his spirit, engage with the world, and make a difference. Together, we are Batman.”

Culp is a life-long Batman fan. Over the past year, he and his team have filmed stories in 12 cities, recording 48 interviews. They captured the stories of individuals whose love of the Dark Knight has inspired them to overcome devastating obstacles, to motivate and encourage young people, and to contribute to their communities.

Well-known Batfans who appear in the film include:

Michael Uslan – executive producer of Batman, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises
Denny O’Neil – legendary Batman writer
Lenny B Robinson – visits children’s hospitals around the country as Batman
Jill Pantozzi (The Nerdy Bird) – Superhero journalist with the spirit of the Caped Crusader
Rabbi Cary Friedman – author, “Wisdom from the Batcave” Dr. Travis Langley – author, “Batman & Psychology”; teacher of university course in psychology called “Batman”
Gotham Chopra – co-author, “Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes”; son of best-selling author Deepak Chopra

The film’s production team is offering a unique opportunity for supporters to interact and ask questions via a free online video webcast TODAY on Saturday, February 23 at 2pm EST. The webcast will be hosted on www.WEareBATMAN.com.

“Human beings have always been stirred to greatness by the tales of heroes,” Culp said. “We connect with Batman because he is the super hero with no super powers. Just as he has committed himself to making the world better, we can dedicate ourselves to a noble cause and make a difference. This type of inspiration is a core function of storytelling in society.”

The production team for “Legends of the Knight” is now raising funds through Kickstarter to finish the film. The 30-day funding campaign gives supporters of the project the opportunity to pre-order copies of the finished film and other incentives as a way of funding this documentary project.

The campaign raised nearly $5,000 in pledges in the first 12 hours.

In the spirit of Batman, all revenues generated by the completed film that are beyond production, screening, distribution, and administrative costs will be donated to charitable organizations.

Release date will be Summer 2013.

Official website: www.WeAreBatman.com

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Gail Simone Back On ‘Batgirl’

Krypton Radio No Responses »

Dec 212012

bendis-batgirl-protest-pic-283x300 Remember the outrage and confusion that resulted from DC’s firing of Gail Simone from Batgirl? She’s the most prominent female writer for the majors, and DC had her working on Wonder Woman for the New 52. Then they moved her to Batgirl, which is somewhat less than center stage where she was originally. Then they just let her go completely as of November 9, which was a puzzlement, since she was doing very well both critically and commercially. They didn’t even have the decency to phone her. They fired her via Twitter.

Now (today, December 21, 2012) Twitter yields some good news, this time from Gail’s feed directly. Turns out DC had a change of heart. Simone just tweeted this:

Here’s a thing.Gail Simone is the new Batgirl writer.

GailSimone (@GailSimone) December 21, 2012

I am driving a snow road, cell is about to cut out, but THANK YOU DC for this privilege and THANK YOU everyone who wanted this to happen!

GailSimone (@GailSimone) December 21, 2012

Also?NOT A HOAX.

GailSimone (@GailSimone) December 21, 2012

Dudes. I KNOW. #headExplodes

GailSimone (@GailSimone) December 21, 2012

So, there you go. Rejoice!

It’s a mere coincidence that this happened on the date of the supposed Mayan apocalypse. What other wonders might this day bring?

Pass the popcorn.

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Warner Bros Retains All Rights To Superman

Comics, Marvel / DC 1 Response »

Oct 192012

LOS ANGELES — DC Comics (and its parent company, Warner Bros.) has finally won what has up till now been a never-ending battle – over the rights to what is arguably the most well known comic book character in the world: Superman. But has justice been done? U.S. District Court Judge Otis Wright II ruled Wednesday that the heirs of one of the superhero’s co-creators signed away their ability to reclaim copyrights to the Man of Steel roughly 20 years ago when they accepted annual pension payments from DC Comics. The rationale is that the new contractual arrangements superseded – and voided – any previous agreements. DC Comics, in turn, sued the Schusters in 2010 on the basis that they were interfering with DC’s ability to exercise what had become its rights to the iconic character.

The ruling means that DC Comics and its owner Warner Bros. will retain all rights to continue using the character in books, films, television and other mediums, including a the film reboot planned for next year.

Shuster’s heirs had argued that the copyright agreements could be cancelled under provisions that allowed the creators of works made before 1978 a mechanism to reclaim their rights. However, Judge Wright ruled that Shuster’s sister’s decision to accept higher annual payments created a new agreement which cancelled any previous contract.

A lawyer for the Shuster family said in a statement: “We respectfully disagree with its factual and legal conclusions, and it is surprising given that the judge appeared to emphatically agree with our position at the summary judgment hearing.”

Warner Bros declined to comment on the ruling.

Superman has generated more than $500m (£310m) for Warner Bros with five films at the US box office and billions of dollars more from television, toys and games, and comic books spanning 74 years.

The latest in the Superman dynasty of films, Man of Steel, is due for release in 2013.

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