Remember the '90s?

BeaucoupKevin's retrospective on the 90's X-Men Cartoon reminded me of all the joy that came with being a fan of Marvel Comics in the 1990's.

DC fans got Tim Burton's gleefully artistic Batman, which was sweeping and bold. More importantly, DC fans were gifted with Dini and Timm's brilliant Batman: The Animated Series and the slightly less awesome but still delightful Superman cartoon. The 1990's gave us the definitive voice of Batman (apologies to Diedrich Bader, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, et al, but man, c'mon) and a sense of whimsy, showing how wonderful, clever and interesting the DCU could be.

And what did Marvel comic book fans receive in terms of media adaptations?

Well, there was the Generation X movie . . .


I want to say something funny here but this hurt me in my soul.

The Avengers cartoon that didn't have Thor, Captain America or Iron Man in it . . .


. . . which actually wasn't the problem. If you watched an actual episode of the series, you'd know what I mean.

The Iron Man/Force Works cartoon that sadly did have Iron Man in it . . .


And I just now realized how hard it is for anybody to take an arch-enemy who shares his name with an orange seriously, no matter how powerful he may be.
Iron Man: "The Mandarin is my most powerful foe!"
Deadpool: "And let's not even talk about the implacable evil of the Anjou Pear!"

Oh, and who could ever forget the Captain America movie?


Answer: All of us who tried really, really hard, sometimes using a whole helluva lot of alcohol.

Yes, yes, I know - we also got the passable Spider-Man cartoon and unfortunate DC fans had to deal with Schumacher's Batman films. Still, I think it's an ironclad fact that DC got the lion's share of good adaptations in the '90's. Of course, all of these horrible things made the first Spider-Man movie into a jaw-dropping revelation for me, so I guess some good came out of it after all.

. . . you know what? I almost forgot the Punisher movie. Yes, it was in 1989. I don't care.

. . . so now that I think on it, suffering through all of that wasn't worth the first Spider-Man movie. Sorry. I think we gotta toss in at least Spider-Man 2 and X2 to make things square.

Look Out! Here Comes A- well, you know the rest

Good news from Blog@Newsarama!
Marvel.com is going to start showing episodes of the classic 1967 Spider-Man cartoon whose unforgettable theme song inspired the title of moi's blog. Needless to say, I'm just a tiny bit pleased to hear this news.



And you know, it's not just the famous theme song I love - it's the whole soundtrack. The slightly kitschy, insistent background soundtrack is a delight. I'm not only in this opinion, believe it or not. Check out the work of comic-book-loving, Dr. Doom-mask wearing rapper MF Doom, who tends to sample the music and dialogue from tons of 60's and 80's superhero cartoons in his work.


Not everybody's cuppa tea but I enjoy it.

None of which is to slight the always entertaining new Spider-Man cartoon, Spectacular Spider-Man. I'm always impressed by how seamlessly the writers have managed to meld so many different continuities, inserting characters from the Spider-Universe and in-jokes without it feeling shoehorned. Given that it's from the guy who brought us Gargoyles - a show with such cleverness and dark twists that I still can't believe was aired by Disney, of all people - I really don't know why I'm so surprised. Plus, while I obviously love the classics, I gotta say that new theme song's got serious moxie.
(Mind you, no recent cartoon theme song can compare to Puffy AmiYumi and Guitar Wolf's Teen Titans theme song, but hell, no other recent cartoon serious has Guitar Wolf on it. I mean, c'mon guys - Guitar Wolf!)

Men at Watch

So, given that none of you live in a cave, I'm sure you all know that there's a really big movie coming out this week today based off of a graphic novel. Yes, Wonder Woman finally has her own animated DVD! I don't know about you, but I'm very excited.

Also, I guess there's a movie called "The Watchmen" out too. I guess it's been in the works for a while now. If it's anything like the animated series, this "The Watchmen" will be yet another silly kid's movie.



C'mon, guys, get it together! I don't think Neil Gaiman would appreciate you butchering his masterpiece like this.

Honestly, why must everybody still think comic books are for kids? It just breaks my heart. Why, things like this could drive a man to drink.

BONUS VIDEO CONTENT:

Ripples and Aftershocks from New York City ComicCon

So, a few of my fellow comics bloggers were lucky enough to attend New York City ComicCon this weekend. Indeed, they got to enjoy a gala full of nerdy celebrities, living legends and many more, along with folks just chockfulla spoilerly joy. Sadly, both of these otherwise fine Bloggers have missed the most important, earth-shattering news items to slide down the Avalanche of Comic Book Awesome. Luckily, The LookOut is here from his birds-eye perch in Colorado to catch you up on all the Items they were too dazzled by stardust to catch! For instance . . .

ITEM! Holy crap guys, it's Speedball's cat Niels!


LOCKJAW AND THE SUPER PETS!

Yes, this is real.

Yes, they are coming. COMING FOR YOU.

No, they don't include Kirby the Coyote, Old Lace the dinosaur, Cosmo the telepathic Russian space dog or Tippy-Toe the Squirrel. YET. Nerds.

Yes, they could totally kick the Super-Pets asses. That Frog has Thor's Hammer, son, and we all know that Kryptonian horses, monkeys, cats and dogs are weak against magic. Yes, I'm clearly a self-loathing hypocrite.

ITEM! Greg Rucka writing two new comic books for DC!



Yeah, that's pretty much the whole news Item! right there. There's a return to Detective Comics featuring Batwoman and Action Comics featuring Nightwing and Flamebird. It's nice that DC's taken all that press and attention Batwoman got two years ago and used it wisely by starting a series after all the buzz has completely vanished. Way to go, DC. Still, say what you will about the dismissal of Oracle, the Birds of Prey and Cassandra Cain to make room for the new Batlady on the block, I'm still totally there. And I don't even freakin' read any Superman comics, so this "Nightwing/Flamebird" thing is going to be a bit of headache. Oh, well.

I may be Greg Rucka's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.


ITEM! The fate of Agent 24!



Additionally, there's some animated show or another that's going to feature the voices of Seth Green and Kevin Conroy next season. Y'know, if you're into that whole "watching awesome cartoons" scene.

ITEM! People enjoying a digest story other than Scott Pilgrim!


Yes, folks, some extremely obscure manga series about a green-haired girl has gotten a new owner and will therefore have a Brand New 6th volume released in September. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm really looking forward to Happy Happy Tiny Super Child She-Hulk Adventure Time.

That's all for now, faithful readers. The LookOut will continue to keep you all informed on the latest comic book news later - From The Outside!

Two movie trailers - now with added Deadpool!

Blink and you'll miss the ever-hilarious Merc With A Mouth popping in the following previews. Oh, yeah, and this Wolverine guy and some big green dude shows up a lot in them too.



Emma Frost is there too? What the hell? Okay, random.



"Flamin' idiot." Hee hee hee. Claremontisms are funny when spoken aloud, bub.

Merry Christmas With The Batman And Red Tornado

Some of the kooky folks over at Scans_Daily have collected three YouTube videos featuring A Very Special Christmas Episode of The Brave and The Bold. If you haven't started watching that show, you should start. It's charming as all hell and full of win.

This X-Mas episode is so cool that you can watch it and see the following:

- Red Tornado tries to learn the spirit of Christmas.
- Blue Beetle punches some guys and argues with his suit.
- And oh, yes - Batman beats up flying saucers and rides a freakin' reindeer.

And I still haven't even scratched the surface of how wonderful it is. I think it may have even surpassed Christmas With The Joker* as my favorite animated Batman Christmas story and that is saying something, my friends.

Incidentally, my dear friend Kay, whom I have mentioned in passing on this blog, still has never seen It's A Wonderful Life for the exact same reasons Batman cites in that episode. She has no soul.

Lookin' Wonderful

So, if you're interested, you can see the trailer for the new animated Wonder Woman DVD here. I liked it but that last line caused a bit of a disconnect. WTF? I mean, on Paradise Island, I thought that "hitting a lady" - i.e. Amazonian combat training and friendly scrapping - would be #2 on the number things done daily.
With #1 being the daily worship of the Goddesses of the Greek Pantheon, of course. What were you thinking was #1? Perverts.

In any case, I'm sure it's just one line taken out of context and therefore no reason to freak out and slam the film. Unlike some fans out there, I am actually capable of not overreacting hysterically to something like one line of dialogue in a minute long preview. Plus, I hear that Gail Simone herself wrote the script and in Gail we trust. Anybody else giddy about the new Secret Six series coming out? I'm gonna miss Knockout and Scandal's relationship - I just got used to and liked the "Klingon-y" version of Knockout, instead of the double-entendre spewing version from early Superboy issues, when they went and killed her off for a crap crossover - but I'm very hopeful that the "A-list BatVillain" in the upcoming series will be Catwoman. A Simone-Catwoman with Catman would be pretty damn interesting, no?

But hey! Back to the subject at hand. Check out this awesome as all hell featurette featuring Keri Russel, Nathan Fillion and Rosario Dawson (aw, Waitress reunion!):



If that doesn't pacify any worries, I don't know what will. I think this looks excessively kick-ass and I LOVE that explanation of the star-spangled bustier.

Your thoughts, gang?

A few quick thoughts

If this map is accurate, Smallville was/is in the state of The Flash. This amuses me greatly because that means that, when Supes goes home, everybody's a rabid Flash fan instead of being geeks for Superman. I don't know why that tickles me so much.

Also, check out the new animated Batman team-up series, The Brave and The Bold - now with extra-Blue Beetle!



(In other animated news, the surprisingly awesome Spectacular Spider-Man show is also coming back for a 2nd Season, which pleases me.)


And if you're reading Helen Killer (which of course, you should be already), you might be pleased to know that the fellow behind it is going to take over the writing duties on Black Canary/Green Arrow. I've resisted picking up this title for a long time - mostly because I felt like Black Canary and GA were more interesting and natural-feeling as an on-again/off-again relationship (and also, Ollie annoys me) - but dang it if this doesn't force me to start reading the book.

And in other news, there's some sorta comic book convention going on in San Diego right now. Who knew?

Emma Frost and The X-Men, Part 2

Comp's still dying an ugly death but I seem to have figured out a way to jury-rig it to work for more than a few minutes at a time. Sadly, my Tech Head friend Jim is too SARS-infected for me to come near him and ask for help getting a copy of Linux to install. Do send him positive vibes, folks. Or money. I think he'd actually prefer money.

Still, screwed up as this comp is, I can't let something this awesome go unmentioned - ANIMATED EMMA FROST!

Which is to say, new Wolverine and The X-Men Trailer!



I know I already went kinda gaga about this a while back but that was when I thought A) this was just going to be some sort of Movie/X-Men: Evolution mash-up without knowing B) how much Emma Frost was going to be used. Clearly, I was wrong about a lot of things.

Dust! Mojo! Days of Freakin' Future Past, people! I don't even know who that goatee guy in the final X-Men group shot is and I DON'T CARE. This is an expansive, interesting take that's got my attention.

QUICK NOTES ON THINGS THAT WERE AWESOME:

- Emma's voice? Quite nicely done. Plus, the Astonishing uniform AND the diamond mutation? I'm in heaven. Plus, this whole new Rebound Scott/Unimpressed Emma interplay makes me smirk.

- Beast also sounds exactly like Beast should - which is to say, Kelsey Grammar-esque.

- MOJO! He and Arcade are honestly my favorite X-Men villains, simply because they guarantee a lot of hilarity and face-kicking.

- Days of Future Past used as Terminator-style motivation for Wolvie to lead the X-Men? Okay, I admit it - I'm in. I wasn't sold on the concept until just now but this? This intrigues me.

- HULK SMASH PUNY WOLVERINE!


QUICK NOTES ON THINGS THAT WERE NOT SO AWESOME:

- Teen Rogue. I don't like Teen Rogue. I've never liked Teen Rogue, no matter how awesome a job Anna Paquin did portraying her in the X-Films. Just - no thank you. The tragedy of Rogue having to have lived for so long without touching anybody loses something if she's just an whiny, emo teen. More importantly, I miss the big, badass Mississippi Marauder who loves flying around and punching people in the face a lot, cracking wise and calling people "Sugah" all the time-
. . . Yes, my 90's roots are showing.

- Teen Iceman. I don't like Teen . . . Fiiiiiiiine. *sighs* Bobby Drake is a teenager's name anyways. Let's be honest - it is kinda pathetic to go by Bobby once you get any older than 18.

- Evil Madrox army? Booooooooooo. Madrox should be snarky and fun, dammit.

- From what I can tell from this and the other promo that got taken down, Domino is now a villain and unusually . . . healthy. Neither of these, ah, developments please me.

- Avalanche's facial hair reminds me rather hilariously of Lawrence from Office Space. Makes me think that Blob will sound exactly like Milton and subsequently imagine a Magneto that sounds like Bill Lumbergh.
. . . God, now that I think about it, this actually belongs in the THINGS THAT ARE AWESOME column.

Your thoughts, gang?

Oooooh! Aaaaah!

KEVIN CONROY IS BATMAN AGAIN!
*ahem*
Sorry, had to get that out of the way first. What I meant to say is, please enjoy this expanded trailer for Batman: Gotham Knight in HD -




And in other comic book to film news, here's a whopping TWO minute preview of Robert Downey, Jr. being damned amusing as Iron Man -



. . . and in other geeky news, I just realized that I'm so much of a nerd, I can't even type the phrase/word "Aaaah!" anymore without thinking of Adam Hughes.

*shakes head ruefully*

Hughes often gets a bad rap - most notably for that infamously godawful Mary Jane statuette - but I have to say that I generally like his covers and I thought his Gen 13: Ordinary Heroes was beautiful and even a little bit poignant. It's a read worth tracking down, IMHO.



Ooh! Apparently the TP also has the great little "WHAM!" story in it, wherein Roxy actually rants at length about the body issues being Caitlin Freakin' Fairchild's sister creates. I did not know that! I might have to hunt it down now.

3 Comic Book-Related Things That Make Me Happy

So, as you may have noticed, I'm a little cranky as of late. But enough negativity, ladies and gentlemen! I started this blog to bring joy into the world, not useless bitching about things I can't change. I am all about the joy of comics, goddamn it!



So, here we go!
3 Comic Book-Related Things That Make Me Happy
(And if any of you want to list 3 Comic Book-related things that make YOU happy today on your own Blog, please do!)

1. Blue Beetle's going to be animated with Batman!



More people seeing Blue Beetle on TV = More people reading Blue Beetle.
More people reading Blue Beetle = Not having one of DC's best books get canceled!

2. The Tori Amos-inspired Comic Book Anthology Looks Like It's Going To Be 33 Flavors of Awesome!



Multiple artists! Multiple writers! The songs are all used as a take-off point for original fiction - not just hashed out visual interpretations of the songs themselves! Plus, a coffee table book-sized edition! How cool is that? Huzzah!

3. New Huntress Mini-Series To Be Written by Somebody With Respect for Rucka's Work!



Sure, I don't know anything about Ivory Madison other than what I've learned in this interview. And yes, I'm a little tetchy about her preferring her as a lawyer instead of a schoolteacher. But, c'mon! This sounds awesome. This doesn't sound like we're getting Picoulted in the slightest.

Hell, there was another interview I read with her (that I can't find) where she actually talked about calling up everyone who ever wrote a Huntress run she enjoyed to chat with them . . . and Rucka actually asked her if she wanted the notes he had made and kept around to help keep her family line and associates straight. How nifty is that? Someone with so much obvious respect for the character writing her Year One makes me very happy indeed. I could only be cheerier if it was Rucka himself or Gail Simone at the helm.

My fingers are loosely crossed but I feel this strange new emotion called . . . hope? Yes, I think that's it. Hope.

Avengers Babies! And more Iron Man!

The good folks at Blog@Newsarama have revealed something very cute. It would seem that one of the next Marvel animated films is a sequel to their Ultimate Avengers flicks . . . a very, very distant sequel.



I have to say - the little kid 'Vengers? Freakin' adorable.

And in keeping in my promise to keep the readers of this blog updated on all things "Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man", here's an interview with the man himself about the upcoming title.

And speaking of Iron Man - can May 2nd come any faster? I know it's less than two months away but I'm seriously stoked about this. Enjoy the brief brand-new TV trailer!

Iron Man TV Spot
Uploaded by Madgascar-2

Emma Frost and The X-Men! Oh, and Wolverine

So Kalinara found out from Blog@Newsarama about the upcoming Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon series.



Now I've been tracking the Wikipedia page about this out of morbid curiosity for some time now and let me tell you, I've mostly just been intrigued at the thought of somebody animating Emma Frost as an honest-to-God part of the X-Men. While I also liked the adult Nightcrawler who was in the promo pic (that has mysteriously vanished from said page), Emma Frost has always been one of my favorite characters and I'm excited about any media portrayal of her. Well, except for that Generation X TV-Movie. That hurt my soul.

Now, there's a lot of reasons to be tetchy and disinterested in this series, I admit. Wolverine? Kinda overexposed - to the point where people groan profanities on sight. I still think the new X-Force title is going to be nothing but unintentional satire. And teen villain Rogue? Double blecch. I like her as an adult heroine with pathos, thank you (even though Anna Paquin is always awesome).

And God help you if your fandom doesn't care for the X-Men films, Evolution or possibly even the Ultimate 'verse. The thought of a group of X-Men sans Jean and Professor X but with teen Iceman might not be your cup of tea. I, for one, am even more excited because this means that Emma Frost is now the only telepath left. God, if only this series was Emma Frost & The X-Men. Just imagine the possibilities! They could have made it just as grim and gritty as if Captain AngstClaws was in charge, only much more droll (or so I like to think).

Of course, I'm just speculating on one trailer and one rapidly mutating Wikipedia page, so I should probably shut my geeky mouth while I'm ahead.

Also, I'm a total hypocrite when it comes to the whole "Wolverine is overexposed BLAH" bandwagon . . . because I'm seriously looking forward to Logan by Brian "The K. stands for Kick-Ass writer" Vaughan and Eduardo "I was born to draw Wolverine" Risso.



There's maybe five writers and artists who could make me pick up a Wolverine title and these guys are in the top five. Vaughan's seriously the first writer since Whedon and Rucka to make me want to see what happens to Wolverine (I always thought Rucka's run on Wolverine was underrated, if just for the beautiful Darick Robertson art). Ever since seeing Risso's work for the first time in 100 Bullets, I've wanted to see his take on certain established Marvel Characters, with Wolverine at the top of that list.

But back to the topic at hand - Wolverine & The X-Men? I'm going to watch and see - if just for Emma Frost.

How about all of you?

BONUS VIDEO CONTENT:

Confusingly Inappropriate X-Men Theme Song!



Confusingly Japanese X-Men Theme Songs!