Category Archives: DC

In one of the more insane stories from this Joker mini-series, the Joker and Lex Luthor swap emotional states. For a story written in the late 70’s its super meta because Lex and the Joker don’t exactly swap brains, they semi-swap personalities.

This story is basically a Saturday Morning cartoon in comic book form. (Edit: Saturday Morning Cartoons don’t really exist anymore and if you missed that blessed era in history, I weep for you.)

The story starts out with The Joker sitting in a movie theater wearing a HILARIOUSLY RIDICULOUS AFRO wig (yeah hes’s still got the same pasty white face, red lips and rictus grin) watching a news reel(?) documentary of some of his past highlights.

What? Why would any theater show that? And just for posterity, I have to say it again… HE’S WEARING A GODDAMN AFRO WIG.

Lex Luthor, who also just happens to be sitting in the same theater (WHAT?) hears Joker laughing and turns just in time to see the clown rushing out of the theater. Despite the Jokers HILARIOUSLY RIDICULOUS AFRO, Lex stops him in the atrium and they start talking. Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind of our time and a mass murderer are just hanging out in a movie theater having a chat. Then they go across the parking lot and get a burger. Let that sink in.

Ok, I’m going on too long so I’ll just skip to the good stuff. Here’s the stuff you need to know quickly:

Lex tries to hatch a plan called Operation Mindbreak. The plan is to put on a stupid looking helmet (think Cerebro from the X-Men) to drain the Green Lantern of his willpower.
Green Lantern is asleep and Lex is interrupted by before launching his brain rays and is thus unaffected.
The Joker barges in Lex’s secret hideout (he scaled the building using suction cups) and grabs the other helmet and puts it on.
The machine somehow manages to force Lex and J to swap personalities.
The story is batshit crazy (pun intended) and the writers know it.

The Joker is still the Joker, except now he’s not a goddamn maniac. He has the criminal focus of Luthor. However at his core, he’s still the Joker and has the presence of mind to know that he is still in full control of his Id but it’s his ego and super-ego that has been swapped out.

Luthor on the other hand is no longer the cold, calculating, ruthless businessman/super-villain… he’s stark raving mad. He’s in in possession of Jokers ego and super-ego and has gone completely insane. He’s laughing maniacally, is just as unpredictable and what is even more terrifying, he likes it!

In an interesting back and forth, Lex states, “I don’t want to be sane again! When I was sane, I did everything because I hated Superman! Now I don’t hate anyone!”

To which the Joker responds, “You were driven by your hatred– Now you’ll be driven by your madness! You’re still in the same hell — only with different scenery!” For a story so Saturday Morning Cartoon this is surprisingly deep. But then it all goes back to schlock with more suction cup wall walking, jet boots and the Jokermoblile. Eventually Lex and Joker switch identities back, pass out in an alley (on top of each other) and get arrested.

So. Damn. Strange.

The Joker beats Robin to death. (Batman: A Death in the Family)

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Sometime in late 1987, DC Comics and Batman editor Dennis O’Neil became aware that Jason Todd had become unpopular with readers and decided to remove him from the Robin role. The question was how to do that. Seeking a new way to interact with fans, and perhaps inspired by references to a dead Jason in Frank Miller’s non-canonical future history comic book miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns, the company set up two 1-900 number 50-cent hotlines giving callers the ability to vote for or against Jason’s death. The call-in period started after publication of the issue in which Jason and his mother are trapped in the warehouse.

Over 10,000 votes were cast, with the final vote being 5,343 votes for Jason to die over 5,271 for him to live. DC published A Death in the Family to massive media attention, some of it critical. Over a decade later, in a Newsarama interview conducted alongside writer Judd Winick, O’Neil said: “I heard it was one guy, who programmed his computer to dial the thumbs down number every ninety seconds for eight hours, who made the difference.” If true, that would have amounted to over 200 votes (and 100 dollars), certainly enough to decide the count. There is no way to confirm that rumor, but it adds uncertainty to the question of whether the poll was an accurate measure of what fans wanted to happen to Jason Todd.

The issue of Jason Todd’s death was often raised over the years in the mainstream Batman stories, becoming almost as important a factor in his life as the death of his parents. It intensified Batman’s feud with the Joker, making it even more personal. In the course of the Batman: Knightfall story arc, Batman is exposed to the Scarecrow’s fear toxin, causing him to hallucinate about Jason’s death. However, instead of fear, he reacts in rage, and brutally beats the Joker while screaming Jason’s name. He often visits Jason’s gravesite and raises his death as a factor in his reluctance to take on new sidekicks, such as Tim Drake (the third Robin and current Red Robin), Stephanie Brown (the fourth Robin, and third Batgirl), Cassandra Cain (the second Batgirl), and Damian Wayne (the fifth Robin). Jason is memorialized in the Batcave; his Robin costume is preserved under glass, along with the epitaph “A Good Soldier.”

In the Hush storyline, it was hinted that Todd is alive, as a young man who strongly resembles him is standing on his desecrated grave. However, in the end, Batman finds that it was Clayface mimicking the role. In the “Under the Hood” arc, it is revealed that it was Todd whom Batman had fought, but he then switched places with the shapeshifter in collaboration with the villains Hush, Riddler, and Talia al Ghul. Todd reveals himself to Batman as the murderous vigilante, the Red Hood. Jason cripples Black Mask’s criminal organization in Gotham, and kidnaps the Joker and beats him with a crowbar in an abandoned building. During the ensuing struggle with Batman, Todd detonates the building, but he, Batman and the Joker survive.

The details of Todd’s return are revealed in Batman Annual #25 and Red Hood: The Lost Years #1-6.

From: Batman Vol.1 #427, 1988

Patty Jenkins just dropped the last Wonder Woman trailer on Twitter!

Thrilled to share the exclusive debut of our final trailer: #WonderWoman – Rise of the Warrior! 💥 ⚔ pic.twitter.com/WYhmQmTDOx

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) May 8, 2017

Looks amazing! What do you think?

Last night Warner Brothers and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, dropped a pair of trailers for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie! It looks awesome!

Here is a special #WonderWoman surprise – enjoy! pic.twitter.com/CHoJVQHhOf

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) April 28, 2017

Wonder Woman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is intended to be the fourth installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film is directed by Patty Jenkins, with a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, from a story by Heinberg & Zack Snyder and Jason Fuchs, and stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and David Thewlis. In Wonder Woman, after American pilot Steve Trevor crashes on the island of Themyscira and tells Diana Prince about World War I, Diana leaves her home to try to stop the war and becomes Wonder Woman.

Principal photography began in late November 2015 and wrapped in May 2016. Wonder Woman is scheduled to be released on June 2, 2017, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D.

It’s been a year since Prince died and i’m still a little bit in shock. I’m in shock because I still can’t really wrap my mind around the fact that he’s gone and because it already been a year! I’ve always been a big fan of Prince since I was a kid. As a kid, back in 1985 (I was 8) I remember going with my mom over to her friends house to play Scrabble every Saturday night. All of her friends had kids my age and we would play around the house while the adults sat in the dining room laughing and blasting music. Invariably it always came down to two choices of music by the end of the night. Prince or Michael? The debate was never answered or won, but it was always a source of lively discussion. The answer didn’t really matter because by the end of the night both Purple Rain and Thriller had both been played in their entirety. Those were two albums that were the soundtrack of my childhood.

A short 4 years later in 1989, Batman was released. Up until then the only live action Batman that I had seen were the old Adam West and Burt Ward serials. But as we all know now, this was NOT the same Batman from the Golden Age of comics. This was a dark and gritty (a phrase that gets thrown around WAY to often nowadays) Batman who patrolled the garbage strewn alleys and the gargoyle laden rooftops of a gruesome Gotham City. It seemed to perpetually dark and had a character all its own.

It seemed only natural that it had a soundtrack to match. The score was composed by Danny Elfman, whose “Batman Theme” is now iconic for anyone who grew up on this movie, it’s sequels and Batman: The Animated Series.

Batdance was one of two songs that made it on to the Batman soundtrack. The other being “Partyman” which was played during Joker’s parade of hot air balloons with Smilex gas canisters attached. Batdance is pretty much two different songs mixed together. The first part of the song is a crazy mix of electric guitar solos, soundbytes from the movie and and electro-synth piano/drumbeat mix. The middle of the song, the “Vicky Vale” section, features more drum beats, soundbytes and Prince adding signature vocals. The third act of the song is similar to the beginning with more craziness added in.

The video for the song, features Prince in one half Batman costume and one half Joker costume complete with white face paint and green hair.

The video also features one Vicki Vale wearing a black dress with the words “All this and brains too”, a reference to The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, in which a female news presenter wears a top with the same slogan.

Gemini is Prince’s astrological sign, and is a reference to the duality in his music. “Gemini” would also make an appearance in the “Partyman” video, but with the “Batman” half replaced by Prince’s face without makeup.

The Batman and Jokers alternate dance sections, while Prince (as both himself and Gemini) sings the lyrics. The video ends with Gemini hitting a detonator, exploding an electric chair (referenced in the song), and Prince (actually Michael Keaton’s voice) saying “Stop” as the video abruptly ends.

The video earned Prince a 1990 Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best R&B/Soul Music Video, and nomination for Best Video From a Film from the MTV Video Music Awards of the same year.

What do you think about the song? Have you heard it? Do you love it? What is your favorite Prince song? Let’s discuss below.

To watch the full Batdance video, click here!

Batman #21 (2017) ~ The Button pt. 1

Script: Tom King

Pencils & Inks: Jason Fabok

Colors: Brad Anderson

Letters: Deron Bennett

Associate Editor: Rebecca Taylor

Editor: Mark Doyle

Wonder Woman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is intended to be the fourth installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film is directed by Patty Jenkins, written by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, from a story by Heinberg and Zack Snyder, and stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Lisa Loven Kongsli and David Thewlis.

Principal photography began in late November 2015 and wrapped in May 2016. Wonder Woman is scheduled to be released on June 2, 2017, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.

Wonder. Power. Courage. #WonderWoman pic.twitter.com/oYsJNTo85G

— #WonderWoman (@WonderWomanFilm) November 3, 2016

Suicide Squad -Trailer #3 MTV Movie Awards

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Suicide Squad is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics antihero team of the same name. It is intended to be the third installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film is written and directed by David Ayer and stars an ensemble cast featuring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, and Scott Eastwood.

By February 2009, a Suicide Squad film was in development at Warner Bros. Pictures. Ayer signed on to write and direct in September 2014 and by October the casting process had begun. Principal photography began on April 13, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with additional filming in Chicago, Illinois, and ended in August that year. The film is scheduled to be released on August 5, 2016.

Superman vs. The Flash

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Batman & Green Lantern vs. Superman

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Metallo shoots Superman with a kryptonite bullet. (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Day Special Edition #1

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The creation of Themyscira and birth of Wonder Woman.

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From: The Legend of Wonder Woman #1

The Women of Themyscira!

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Picture Source: Entertainment Weekly

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (center left)

Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta (Diana’s mother, center right)

Robin Wright as General Antiope (far right)

Lisa Loven Konglisi as Menalippe (General Antiope’s lieutenant, far left)

General Antiope and her lieutenant Menalippe are in charge of preparing and training Diana on the isolated island of Themyscira. They don’t always see eye to eye with her mother Hippolyta who looks to shelter Diana as long as she can.

Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and is the origin story of young Diana Prince and how she transforms into Wonder Woman, the greatest Amazonian warrior of them all.

Wonder Woman is set for a June 23, 2017 release and also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Lucy Davis as Etta Candy and Danny Houston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Said Taghmaoui and Elena Anaya in undisclosed roles.

The Rise of the Amazonians

From: The Legend of Wonder Woman #1 (2015-2016)