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sebeth · 4 months

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All-Star Squadron #5 (Revised 1/5/24)

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

“Never Step On A Feathered Serpent!” by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler, and Jerry Ordway.

It’s been “a day or so” since the events of issues #1 – 4, so this issue takes place around December 9th, 1941.

Carter Hall (Hawkman) has decided to enlist in the United States Army. Hawkman resigns as chairman – and member – of the Justice Society. Several other Society members have decided to enlist in the various armed services. Would Charles McNider (Doctor Mid-Nite) be allowed to serve? Technically, he’s blind. Johnny Thunder will be joining the Navy.

Hawkman, Sandman, Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite and the Atom are all non-powered individuals. I suppose Kent Nelson can leave the Fate Helmet at home. Should Johnny Thunder be allowed on the front lines – he’s in control of the Thunderbolt (an extremely powerful entity) and the Squadron’s encounter with the Dragon King proved that the more powerful the entity, the faster they fall under the Spear of Destiny’s influence.

In the post-Crisis era, Ted Knight (Starman) was one of the scientists who developed the atomic bomb. It would cause Ted to have several mental breakdowns.

Johnny references Peachy Pet, his five-years-old adopted daughter. Did Peachy make any post-Crisis appearances? I can’t remember if she was mentioned in the Geoff Johns JSA run.

Hawkman, the Spectre, Doctor Fate, the Atom, Sandman, Starman, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Johnny Thunder recuse themselves from the All-Star Squadron. The Society also decides to disband for the duration of the war. Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern, and Hourman are not at the meeting.

The Justice Society’s enlistment in the armed forces is DC canon (pre-Crisis, at least) and provides an explanation for Roy Thomas focusing on non-JSA members in his All-Star series.

Wonder Woman served in the armed forces during World War II but did Batman and Superman? I could see Clark resisting as he wouldn’t want to risk discovery of his Kryptonian heritage but Bruce? Did Wayne Enterprises exist in the Golden Age – that would be an obvious reason to justify not serving in the military.

The Spectre confides in Doctor Fate that he isn’t joining the military – Jim Corrigan, his host body, is “deceased”. The Spectre decides to isolate himself from humanity rather than watch his friends die in the war.

Doctor Mid-Nite and Hawkman decide to visit Danette Reilly before they leave for the Yucatan. The Atom decides to accompany the duo. The trio are heading to the Yucatan to find Shiera Saunders.

We head to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Nazis, led by General Saukel, attempt to convince the Feathered Serpent that now is the time to strike. The Feathered Serpent disagrees as the stars won’t be in the proper position until tomorrow night.

General Saukel informs the Feathered Serpent that German naval forces attempted to attack America’s industrial northeast. Unfortunately for the Nazis, the attack was repelled by the Green Lantern. The editor’s note refers us to Green Lantern #4, published in 1942.

Roy Thomas = flawless continuity.

The Feathered Serpent, head of the cult of the Feathered Serpent, agrees to ally with the Nazis to ensure Mexico belongs to the Cult of the Feathered Serpent. The Feather Serpent needs to be more creative in establishing names and titles.

Per Wikipedia: “The Feathered Serpent was a prominent supernatural entity or deity, found in many Mesoamerican religions. It was called Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs, Kukulkan among the Yucatec Maya, and Q'uq'umatz and Tohil among the K'iche’ Maya.”

The Feather Serpent reveals that he’s captured Shiera Saunders and she will be the sacrifice for tomorrow night’s ceremony.

We head over to New York City. Johnny Quick and Robotman are racing around the city when the police ask for their aid against saboteurs at the Statue of Liberty. The duo makes quick work of the saboteurs and decide to check on Danette.

Danette’s doorman is very curious about the numerous heroes visiting her. Danette’s visitors include Johnny Quick, Robotman, Liberty Belle, the Shining Knight, Doctor Mid-Nite, the Atom, and Hawkman – all in full costume.

Danette, still running a fever, awakens later in the night. She recalls that Slugger Dunn gave her a key for a closet in Roy’s penthouse. Slugger told Danette that Rod wanted her to have the key in case something ever happened to him. Danette opens the hidden closet and discovers the uniform of the Firebrand.

The assembled heroes are in Danette’s living room discussing the pros and cons of enlisting in the military versus serving in the All-Star Squadron. The group smell smoke and barge into Danette’s bedroom. Danette, now in the Firebrand uniform, is on fire!

Danette decides to become the new Firebrand and join the All-Star Squadron. Danette must have a very frustrating time explaining her origin to others. None of the heroes remember the events of the first three issues due to Per Degaton’s time travel shenanigans. She’s left with “I went to the island…I’m not sure why…other heroes were there…again, I don’t know why…we fought bad guys that we can’t remember…at some point a volcano was involved…and now I’m on fire!”

The entire group heads to the Yucatan to search for Shiera Saunders. The entire group (minus Robotman who covers himself with a hat and a trenchcoat) leave the plane in civilian attire. So why couldn’t the heroes visit Danette in civilian attire?

Carter is told by the hotel clerk that Shiera has checked out of the hotel. Carter tells Libby that the clerk is lying: “Even before I saw that signature, I knew it couldn’t be hers. Shiera’s a great gal, and I love her very much but she’s strictly a dilettante when it comes to these archaeological forays of hers. Oh, not that she minds a little dirt under her fingernails now and then but I’ve never known her not to have a comfortable room and with a hot bath waiting when she got back.”

Look, Carter, there is nothing wrong with wanting a hot bath after a sweaty day in the field.

It takes the group less than five minutes before they’re brawling with Nazis. The new Firebrand quickly proves her worth.

The issue ends with Hawkman and the Shining Knight ambushed by the Feathered Serpent. Shiera is seconds away from being sacrificed!

The issue had two purposes:

· Explain the absence of the Justice Society while the All-Star Squadron was active. More importantly, the story explained why certain characters won’t be featured in the series.

· Establish the new Firebrand.

The issue easily fulfilled both purposes. Danette was the highlight of the issue. Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle continue their flirtation. Sir Justin continues to be an adorable knight. The Feathered Serpent is a very generic bad guy.

I love Roy Thomas’s female characters (Liberty Belle, Firebrand, Phantom Lady). They’ve been heroic, assertive go-getters. I left Wonder Woman out as she didn’t receive much panel time. I’m hoping Shiera (Hawkgirl) joins the list. I can’t think of one notable appearance of Shiera. She seems to serve as wallpaper in the background. Prove me wrong, Roy!

#all-star squadron #justice society #jsa #firebrand #danette reily #hawkman #hawkgirl #carter hall #shiera saunders #dc comics #dcu #feathered serpent

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bobbinalong · 2 years

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some artists just should not be allowed to draw small children.

#look at his fucking bobble head #dc #superman: year one #the art in this is otherwise perfectly fine #i suppose he grows into the head lol #the story is NOT perfectly fine clark joining the navy doesn't feel right #also it currenty looks like he's about to cheat on his girlfriend with a mermaid #clark kent #martha kent #panel posting

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ty-talks-comics · 5 years

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Best of DC: Week of August 21st, 2019

Best of this Week: Superman: Year One - Book Two - Frank Miller, John Romita Jr., Danny Miki, Alex Sinclair and John Workman

Superman has always stood for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

This has never been more true (arguably) than right here in Superman: Year One, where Clark Kent becomes a US Navy Sailor. I briefly touched upon it at the end of the last issue, but this one really resonated with me in a way that no comic has in a little while. Other books have made me feel feelings of fear, disgust and elation beyond compare, but this one makes me feel the bittersweet memories of my own experience.

I remembered my first haircut, carrying my seabag across the base, marching and all of the PT (physical training) that I had to endure for those grueling two months. Clark isn’t fazed by any of it. It takes a few clippers to cut his dense hair. He breezes through the PT, noting how hard it is for everyone else to do and when he has to qualify for using a pistol, he hits the mark dead center every single shot. There were a few superstars like Clark when I was in boot camp and seeing that written and excellently drawn by John Romita Jr., made me feel something of a kinship to one of my favorite heroes.

You can see the struggle in his shipmates faces as they sweat and heave with Clark monologuing in his mind that he can hear their lungs about to burst or their legs about to give out. That shit was me. Every single PT test leaving me winded, marching at a double time… I hated every second of it. But through all of it, I felt proud. I wanted to get through, to push myself harder than I ever could.

Clark doesn’t feel that. How could he? He’s an alien from another planet with abilities beyond compare and he could do anything he set his mind to. But what does he choose to instead? He answers the call of duty, he chooses to serve his country and his fellow man. It’s ridiculous, but at the same time absolutely commendable and inspiring. If I were to level criticism at the first two acts of this book, however, it would definitely be the lack of real feeling of camaraderie that Sailors feel together in Boot Camp. Never once do we see Clark interact with his shipmates in any meaningful way, aside from his Captain later on. The feeling of pride is there, but the friendships and relationships that come with it does leave a little bit of the story feeling hollow in favor of a less than great, but still good subplot later.

Another problem I have is… I don’t know how accurate print media and comics are allowed to be with military rank and titles, but Kurtzberg is supposed to be a Captain, but wears the insignia of a Petty Officer Second Class and Chief Petty Officer at two separate points. It’s a mildly irritating and nitpicky thing, but what can you do?

Of course, Clark's path diverges greatly from my own. A little bit before the pistol qualification section, he gains the attention of a Captain Kurtzberg and after his perfect scores, he's allowed to try out his skills further with an assault rifle, which he also excels at. Kurtzberg recommends him for more advanced training and soon after, he trains to become a Navy SEAL. I don’t have a singular clue as to what the SEAL lifestyle is like, but training he’s made to endure is even worse, though you wouldn’t know it from how he reacts to it all.

It’s here at SEAL training that the first seeds of the subplot, later becoming the hook of Act Three are sewn. Clark begins to hear the calling of the sea. It’s something that some deployed Sailors still feel to this day, the Siren Song or Mermaid Call that drives most men mad with how beautiful their voices are. Kurtzberg calls Clark out during one evening of PT and makes him to push ups on the shore of the beach after Clark tells him that the Captain should see how pretty “they” are. Unable to sleep during the night, Clark sneaks out of his barracks to watch the beings on the coast when Kurtzber appears next to him, warning him to not tell anyone about what they’ve seen as Kurzberg too knows of their beauty and the world of wonders that they live in.

If you’ve been reading Superman stories for a long period of time, things may start to click as what or who may be calling Clark. After our hero accidentally starts a bar fight while trying to defend the honor of a woman, he’s punished by having to use his toothbrush to clean the head (bathroom) and garbage cans. After finishing his chores way into the night, he makes a dummy in his rack (bed) and sets off to explore the sea, taking to the water like a fish since he doesn’t actually need oxygen.

He follows the sounds of the voices calling and finally see them, Mermaids, laughing at this strange human. One in particular catches his eye, Lori Lemaris, one of Superman’s original love interests from the late 1950s. He follows her as she laughs, until her voice turns to tears, seeing a submarine having crashed into their city. In one of his first of many acts of heroism, Clark lifts the sub off of the city, saves the people and helps them rebuild just before Morning Colors. Lori begs him to stay, to become her husband and King, but he tells her that the people up there need him, but that he will be back. As always, Clark is torn between two worlds, but his first thought is always to honor his commitments because he’s such a good guy.

Romita Jrs art shines best in these few pages for me. Lori is absolutely beautiful, playful and the visuals of the underside of the ocean are stunning. Everything’s a beautiful hue of blue except for the vegetation and Lori, who’s colored with yellow and purple clothing. Clark looks amazingly strong and happily curious as he saves the people of Atlantis. Romita Jrs. lines are amazingly crisp and he makes great use of only a few hatch lines to shade things. Everything is thoroughly enjoyable to look at, even the way that everything flows under the water is awesome.

Clark manages to return back to the barracks just in time as Kurtzberg watches on, knowing where Clark’s been and thinking to himself that the young SEAL better keep those memories clean and pure because he’s witnessed something amazing. He swam with the angels. There’s a three page long training montage where Clark shows just how efficient he can be in combat, embarrassing one of his shipmates so hard that he’s pulled aside and given his first assignment.

Things take a dark turn as Clark and his team are made to infiltrate a ship that’s been hijacked by pirates. During the training, as Clark thought to himself just how easy it would be to kill, he started to get a pit in his stomach. Things weren’t sitting right, especially as Kurtzberg egged him on by saying, “That there is how to kill a man good!” This stuck with Clark as he did his bet to avoid killing any of the hijackers. He saw how monstrously they murdered the crew of the ship and he felt himself getting more angry, but he still couldn’t bring himself to take a life.

Things reach a head as the team reaches the control deck and Clark still refuses to kill any of the enemies. Kurtzberg lambasts Clark and orders to give him some corpses, until one of the hijackers pulls out a grenade. Everyone starts to panic as the mission goes FUBAR, but Clark utilizes his strength to stop the grenade, subtly, making it seem like it was a dud.

While he ended up saving the lives of his fellowsailors, his reckless actions reward him with an honorable discharge. Kurtzberg advocates for him, but ultimately Clark has to pack his sea bag and say goodbye to his friends. Before he departs, he has something of a heart to heart with Kurtzberg. The Captain tells him to hone his skills, that he could do amazing things with his gifts and Clark salutes him, walking into the ocean to find his destiny.

The way this scene is framed, with the lighting indicating an early morning, makes everything seem like the future is absolutely bright for Clark. Having Kurtzberg abandon his badass attitude of authority and strength to give Clark advice while shaking his hand like a man is an amazing and heartfelt sight. For the first time, Clark doesn't have to try to lower his strength, it just comes naturally.

All of this is bittersweet. Clark Kent wanted something different than his life in Smallville. He knew that he would have to hide his abilities if he stayed, he knew that he could do so much more for the world. He chose to serve his country, one of the best things a Patriot can do, but his heart was too good for it. His skill and power raised him to a position that did not align with his own moral code. Clark would never kill, but no good deed goes unpunished.

The third and final act of this book comes with Clark returning to Atlantis, seeking out his new love, Lori. She reacts happily once she sees him again, calling him the love of her life and saying that he should meet her family. Then they… frolic in their special hiding place until the next day. She tells him to wear his best as he is to finally meet her father, Lord Poseidon. He emerges from the shadows in his iconic red and blue with fish swimming all around him and the flora lighting up in his presence.

Poseidon isn't amused, seeing Clark as a little standing frog and proceeds to put Clark through impossible tasks to win his daughters hand. Clark begins to find the true scope of his powers as he concentrates and releases his heat vision on one of the enemies. It's a stellar display of power and control as Clark monologues that this fire inside of him was his and his alone. Alex Sinclair did an amazing job of portraying the ability and powerful it is with intense and vibrant reds.

Poseidon pulls out every stop that he can to try and crush Superman. He sends his best warriors, but Clark doesn't even acknowledge them trying to crush him. Stone automatons fall to his might. A giant squid swallows him whole and vomits him back up, unfettered by the stomach acid. Becoming increasingly enraged, Poseidon summons the Kraken and uses the fabled beast to try and crush Superman to death.

As the tentacle lifts and Lori cries, thinking her one true love has died, Clark stands right back up with a smile. Lori jumps for joy, the people are stunned and in a silent rage, Poseidon calls off the Kraken and plots revenge on the frog that he couldn't crush.

Throughout this entire act, Poseidon monologues to himself about the bug that wouldn't be crushed or burned or destroyed in any way. Clark just smiled, snickered and mocked Poseidon the entire time. There was no malice in his smirk, just the boyish exuberance of love and youth. Poseidon though Clark wanted his crown, but really he just wanted Lori, a place to finally be himself and a peace of mind that he's never truly had.

Superman: Year One has been amazing thus far. While it's only a few peoples take on what would happen if Superman joined the military, I feel like it's a great and accurate one in line with who Superman would be as a man. Given the lessons that he'd learned from Pa Kent, how could we expect him to be ready to kill at any moment? Instead, we see his compassion for humanity shine through as he's even willing to preserve the lives of absolute monsters.

John Romita Jr. captures the apathy of an effortless Clark in his early career, the wonder when hears the beautiful call of love from the sea and the conflict of a man caught between duty and morality. To say that this is some of his best art in years would be an understatement when it concerns this entire story. While the last issue focused heavily on the vast normality of the midwestern United States, this issue feels more tight and focused on the inner turmoil of Superman. The locales feel more linear, allowing us to explore more of Clark's own inner thought processes. He is surrounded by other strong men, but he is in a league of his own until he meets Lori.

Superman: Year One is a great journey of self-discovery. Other Superman stories have tried similar themes with varying degrees of success. Superman: Earth One went in the hard direction of Superman being an apathetic douche that knows he's a God and lowers himself to the level of men until someone bigger makes him want to protect the citizens of Earth. Superman: American Alien grounded Superman near as much as this book does, but what makes them different is the journey Clark takes to find himself.

This book warmed my heart something fierce with it's incredible storytelling and art. With issue two being this good, I can only hope that the next one will be nearly as amazing. Given that the preview of the next one shows Superman holding up the Daily Planet globe, we are absolutely going to be in for a treat.

Highest of recommends.

#comics #dc #dc comics #dc black label #frank miller #john romita jr.#superman year one #superman #clark kent #lori lemaris #poseidon #us navy

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helreigns · 5 years

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tag dump #2

#( CN ) JOHNNY BRAVO. – NAVI #( TDI ) DUNCAN. – NAVI #( TDI ) DEVON JOSEPH. – NAVI #( CASTLEVANIA ) TREVOR BELMOND. – NAVI #( DARKEST DUNGEON ) VICTOR HAMLET. – NAVI #( DC ) GARFIELD LOGAN | BEASTBOY. – NAVI #( DC ) HAL JORDEN | GREEN LANTERN. – NAVI #( DC ) KONNER KENT | SUPERBOY. – NAVI #( DC ) WALLY WEST | THE FLASH & KID FLASH. – NAVI #( DC ) CLARK KENT | SUPERMAN. – NAVI #( DEADMAN WONDERLAND ) SENJI KIYOMASA | CROW. – NAVI #( DMC REBOOT ) MUNDUS THE LORD BELOW. – NAVI #( DMC REBOOT ) DANTE THE DEMON KILLER. – NAVI #( DMC REBOOT ) VERGIL THE SOVEREIGN. – NAVI #( DMC CLASSIC ) DANTE THE DEVIL SLAYER. – NAVI

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hibiscera · 2 years

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Shazam First impression!!

BABY BOY BABY

First impression

Okay I think the first time I really noticed his existence was... When the movie was coming out, so when I saw the trailer in theaters? I think that was my first exposure to Shazam.

I remember my first thoughts being "hey this superhero movie actually seems fun?" and trust me when I say I have NEVER regretted anything as much as I regret not seeing Shazam in theaters.

When Shazam 3 comes out and Mr. Mind comes onscreen I am GOING to cry in the theater. but this isn't about him right now.

Impression now

SON BOY YOU ARE MY BABY BOY MY ANGEL MY SON!!!

I love Billy "Shazam" Batson so much. He is my son. He is such a good boy and I love him. Power of Shazam is probably my favorite incarnation and the biggest inspiration for my version of him in my personal DC verse. (:

I have a soft spot for the newer version too even if he's rougher around the edges. U_U He is my son boy no matter what.

Favorite moment

Something that really stuck out to me in Power of Shazam is how he was mad at his parents at first for everything, not knowing the truth of what happened. It's a small thing, but it's a detail I like and stuck with me.

Also obligatory mention of the scene from the 7 magiclands when Mr. Mind is giving Billy the "we're not so different you and I" speech because Billy's involvement in that is CRITICAL to making it one of the best scenes ever.

Idea for a story

INHALES. Okay so like, aside from me wanting to write my epic of Billy's first big encounter with Mr. Mind, which I have a WHOOOOLE THING FOR.

I very specifically have been thinking lately about wanting to write this one particular scene. Where Mr. Mind takes Billy into his mindscape and shows Billy the remains of Venus. And gives him the we're not so different you and I speech.

A big part of this is, Mr. Mind is like... for a while here, Billy's "video game companion character" like Navi or Fi, before he reveals his true role and intentions.

But for me, a very important thing about the characters is that they DO parallel each other in a way, so Mr. Mind is being very genuine when he extends a... claw to Billy, telling him they could work together because he understands him.

Of course, he does not TRULY understand Billy because Billy, while frustrated like Mr. Mind is about the hand he was dealt in life and being stepped over, he's also like... normal about it instead of world domination.

Anyways I just want to write out that scene.

Unpopular opinion

None that I can think of at the moment....

Favorite relationship

Okay so I hope everything I just said up there about parallels with Billy and Mr. Mind up there makes it clear that I love them as enemies so much, and how they can mirror each other. I love even more Mr. Mind eventually getting a villain decay arc and becoming Billy's weird uncle who is still kind of evil but at least he is not trying to destroy the city every other week.

But also Billy and Clark. 🥺 Always thinking about the one comic where Superman is going to end the wizard's life for putting the burden he has upon a child. Clark basically adopting him and looking after him always makes me so happy...

AND ALSO since Billy is news reporter, I do think it would be very cute if he looked up to Clark Kent's journalism. 😭

Also of course BILLY AND FREDDY!!! BROTHERS!!! AND MARY!!!!! TWINS!!!!

Honestly, when it comes to Billy and Relationships, I could go on and on because for me that's such a big part of his character, I put a lot of emphasis on it with my version of him and the huge found family he ends up building.

Also specific shout out to Dudley in Power of Shazam being a school janitor who's looking out for him, I think that version is so sweet. 😭

Favorite headcanon

See usually this is where I would talk about the gender and sexuality headcanon but? I don't have any solid ones for Billy except I just know he is a boy. My son boy, in fact.

However you KNOW I made this boy an autistic adhd legend!!!

#mir answers #dc hc tag #anon #billy batson #long post

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gainaxvel3o · 3 years

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The Imaginary Love Lives of Superman #3: Lori Lemaris

Clark Kent expected any number of things when his girlfriend Lori Lemaris asked him to come alone to the beach on a friday night. He expected a discussion about their latest assignment. Perhaps a picnic or some fun in the waters to take his mind off of things. He expected a quiet evening alone.

He did not expect Lori's legs to suddenly transform into a scaly green fish tail, nor did he expect Lori to dive into the water, asking him to join her.

Clark had seen many weird things as Superboy, but a mermaid was a new one. Still, he wasn't one to turn down an invitation. Definitely not from a lady. After Clark changed into his Superboy costume, Lori took his hand and brought him into the sea. The light of the sun filtered through the ocean's navy blue colors brought to life the vibrant breeds of fish and the coral reefs.

As they passed by a flock of jellyfish, Clark let himself be taken by the scenery. He was used to seeing the world from the skies, the green, the blue and the grey of the Earth and the cities was a vision he was used to. He never once considered what was in the sea. Because of that, he was truly mesmerized by the beauty that lied upon the ocean floor. Every so often he turned to Lori who smiled. He decided to trust her. She would not be leading him here if it wasn't something important.

'We're supposed to be back in class any minute now.' Superboy thought to himself. 'My super breath can keep me here for hours at a time so I won't drown, but still.'

Clark wondered when he became such a square. Back in Smallville he'd relish the chance to break away from life to fly across Kansas or go on adventures with the Legion. Why was this any different? The weight of experience seemed to burden his every step. The worry of a super menace, of failing his duty, how his parents passed away just before he graduated, they were chipping at him bit by bit. Maybe a nice distraction will do.

At last, Lori brought him to a cave. To Clark's shock, he discovered a group of mermaids and mermen waving at the two of them. Some of them were holding instruments. They were most likely Lori's friends judging from the way Lori's face lit up when she saw them.

She swam towards her friends, discussing something that Clark couldn't understand. He didn't speak mermen language after all. Lori pointed at him, then at the instruments, seeming to be beg with puppy dog eyes for something while her friends were either giving her attention or staring at him, in both awe and fear.

Trying to make friends, Superboy politely waved at them. They did not return the gesture.

Eventually, Lori appeared to have won the argument. The merfolk took their positions, picking up guitars, bass, flutes and harps, made of stone and seaweed. Lori picked up a set of drums, handing them over to Clark. He pointed at himself, asking if she wanted him to play them. Lori nodded.

Clark was still incredibly weirded out by these events but he decided to give it a shot. He took the drums, using a rock as a seat to get ready. He looked around to find everyone staring at him.

'They don't trust me.' Superboy noted sadly. 'Maybe this could change their minds.'

Dum-ba-badump-ba-badump!

His hands tapped the drums, forming wordless lyrics to the sea. His eyes were shut as he let himself go, letting the vibrations carry the flow. His hands kept beating the drums, his ears hearing whispers and murmurs of a language Clark couldn't understand yet.

When he was done, Superboy looked around again. The mermen were grinning, applauding him for his good work. Lori looked especially pleased. She swam over to lay a kiss on his cheek. Then she picked up a small violin, waving to the rest. Everyone got their own instruments ready.

'A band recital.' Superboy put together. 'So that's what this is. Cool!'

He would thank Lori for this later. For now, he tried to play the drums to the beat everyone else was playing. He stumbled in parts but Lori and the merfolk were welcoming and accepting. Maybe for now, this was enough.

Author’s Notes:

Lori Lemaris is so underrated. She’s a notable Superman love interest and a mermaid girlfriend! Lots of a cool things you can do with her, the fact that DC doesn’t use her more often is a crime that must be brought to justice. It’s interesting that she managed to stick around even after Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted everything and threw out most of the Silver Age elements for Superman. Maybe the tragic nature of the relationship kept it canon? I dunno, we should have more Silver Age stuff for Superman.

#The Imaginary Love Lives of Superman #Superman #Clark Kent #Lori Lemaris #Ocean #Band #Mermaids #Mermen #Fanfiction #Fanfic #My writing #Superboy

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jlaclassified · 4 years

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So I’m halfway through Superman Year One. It’s a DC Black Label book so I checked it out just to goof on it, but it turns out I kind of love it?

What can this Superman origin tell us that Birthright, Secret Origin, Earth One, Superman for All Seasons, Man of Steel, and ten seasons of Smallville couldn’t?

How about Clark Kent’s time in the Navy?

Or his courtship of the mermaid Lori Lemaris in Atlantis?

Or the time he killed the Kraken by being swallowed whole and then flying out through its stomach???

This is Romita Jr. at his weirdest and Frank Miller at his kookiest and I can’t say a bad word about it. Earth-Miller is one of the stranger planets in the DC Multiverse.

Highly recommended.

#superman #superboy #frank miller #john romita jr #dc comics #dc black label #smallville #man of steel #birthright #secret origin #danny miki

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tessatechaitea · 4 years

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Superman: Year One: Book Two

John Romita Jr finally giving up and sending this cover as finished: "Maybe all the fucking teeth will distract from Superman's leg."

No razor made by humans can cut Superman's hair! I bet he had to will his hair to fall out as they attempted to cut it.

The Navy officers pick Clark to train as a sniper because Clark doesn't know how to not be perfect at everything he does. I guess when Pa told him not to show off or to stand out, Clark wasn't really listening. But now that he's in the Navy, I guess he's contractually obligated to kill loads and loads of non-Americans with his super abilities. I don't get this whole "Clark Kent joins the Navy" story arc. At first, I thought it was a way for Clark to meet Aquaman. Now I just think it's a way for Miller to showcase his weird sea-fucking kink.

If you've ever been to the ocean with Frank Miller, you've swam in his jizz.

I could never find the ocean sexy. The most terrifying experience I've ever had was getting caught on a boogie board out past the breakers of the Pacific after the sun went down. I had to constantly stop myself considering what might be lurking under the black mirrored surface of the ocean as I tried to keep calm and paddle back towards the lights of Santa Cruz. I was out there with my buddy Larry who killed himself earlier this year. My theory is that he never could get that nightmare experience out of his head. Or maybe it was depression. Sure, you're probably putting your money on depression. That's exactly something somebody who never floated on the ocean in the darkness of night would do. Clark notices mermaids swimming out in the ocean and one of his officers is all, "Yeah, boy. Mermaids! Sometimes guys try to fuck 'em but then they drown and we report them lost at sea and nobody asks no questions. You got me?!" And Clark is all, "Yes, sir! Don't try to fuck the mermaids, sir!" Clark decides that since he isn't allowed to fuck the mermaids, he should head into town and start a bar brawl. Clark meets a woman who's working on publishing a story about Navy guys who hang out in bars and defend women from civilians who get too handsy with female reporters. Clark once again finds himself overwhelmingly horny. Oh, not for the woman! But for the idea of being a reporter! He's just too young to realize that he's not into woman; he's into bylines and columns and exposés. But before he can fuck a newspaper, Clark blocks a punch some jerk throws at him, breaking the guy's arm (just like that fight he got in high school! Is this good writing where we see echoes of the character's past history or bad writing where the writer just can't think of new plot points? Who can tell?!), and starting an all out brawl. He walks the reporter home afterward, dreaming about that black ink coming off on his cock and balls. The next day, the training officer threatens to shoot him for causing trouble. Seems like an appropriate response. I guess Clark is learning that the military doesn't keep anybody safe. It's just a violent place where young people with no real hope of succeeding in civilian life go to gain instant meaning and heroic praise from others. That's like the opposite of journalism where young people with lofty ideals about changing the world by exposing truth and justice go to never actually do that and instead just parrot the lies told them by politicians because they don't understand the difference between being impartial and simply being a loudspeaker for misinformation. I don't know what I'm talking about anymore. Frank Miller has me so confused. I mean, Clark Kent is in the Navy! What the fuck is going on in Superman's First Year?! Wait. This is all happening in just one year? It's because Superman grows super fast under a yellow sun, right? After being treated like shit by his commanding officer, Clark decides to go fuck some mermaids. That'll show him!

Just another reason why Aquaman is a redundant piece of Justice League shit.

Why did DC decide to call this comic book "Superman: Year One"? I would have called it "Frank Miller's Stupid Version of Superman by Frank Miller." Underwater, Clark Kent meets Lori Lemaris. She leads him back to Atlantis where an experimental submarine has crashed into the city. Also, I don't know if this will soon be an important plot point but Clark Kent is suddenly wearing a huge watch on his left wrist. Up until the moment he dives in the ocean, Clark has never worn a watch in this series. How else is he going to be dealing with Atlantis's problems when he'll suddenly look at his wrist and say, "Jeezly crow! I've got to get back to base! I'll be back tomorrow night to fuck more mermaids! And help rebuild if I'm not too sleepy afterward"?

"The smell of fish poontang washes across Clark's senses, threatening to remove him from Atlantis and plop him down in Boner City."

What kind of an editor takes a look at the previous panel and doesn't ask, "Why, out of nowhere, are you discussing Clark's ability to stifle his sense of smell to keep from being distracted in a panel that depicts Lori Lemaris's ass?" It's a fair question. Clark looks at his watch and thinks, "Jeezly Crow! I've only got a few hours before bugle! I guess I can help rebuild Atlantis before then!" Once again, Clark's reward for saving a woman in trouble is sex with that woman. This might be a problematic message. Clark saves Lana from violent men. Clark bangs Lana. Clark saves the reporter from violent men. Clark bangs the reporter. Clark saves Lori Lemaris's ruined city from violent men and their submarines. Clark bangs Lori. I always suspected that sex was an expected reward for acting chivalrous! Thanks, Frank Miller, for justifying all the times I called a woman a bitch because she wouldn't sleep with me after I saved her by beating up a guy that had just called her a bitch! This is the Internet so I should probably explain that the previous sentence was a satirical critique of Miller's problematic message. I mean, sure, impressing a potential sexual partner is a good way to get that person interested in becoming your sexual partner! So the Lori Lemaris plea for Clark to fuck her hard after he helps isn't the worst depiction of a relationship. But having two other women saved by Clark from brutes who are threatening non-consensual sex reward Clark with sex is the worst depiction of a relationship. Also, the story doesn't explicitly state that Clark and the journalist from the bar have sex. But I can read between the panel breaks! A critical review aside: Frank Miller's narration in this series is confusing. Sometimes it's in third person and then it flips over to first person without the current narrative thought changing at all. It reads as sloppy, probably because it is sloppy. Clark and his fellow Navy SEAL recruits go on an emergency mission to kill some pirates. Clark watches a bunch of pirates get shot in the head but he doesn't pull the trigger so nobody can accuse him of having killed a man. In fact, he saves a bunch of men by holding a grenade in his hands as it blows. But because he refused to kill on command, he's discharged from the Navy. I guess the American military doesn't have time for people who won't follow an order to murder. Before Clark leaves the Navy, his commanding officer decides to give him some good advice about using his talents to help put fires out instead of causing more. Odd advice coming from a guy so hell bent on threatening to kill Clark and screaming at Clark to kill everybody he meets. I guess he's a complex character! After Clark leaves the Navy, he walks into the ocean to battle Poseidon for the hand of his daughter, Lori. Poseidon doesn't want Clark fucking his daughter because he wants to fuck his daughter. That's not something I made up the way I make up so many other things. Frank Miller made that bit up. I don't know why. Couldn't Poseidon have just not wanted his daughter marrying a non-Atlantean instead of making it about Poseidon wanting to be the only person fucking his daughter? Luckily Clark defeats Poseidon's Krakens so no father fucks their own daughter in this series, no matter how much I bet Frank Miller's original script read, "Poseidon fucks his daughter. A lot. Over and over. Oh boy! What a hit this comic is going to be!" In the end, Poseidon leaves the throne to pout and plot his revenge against Clark and the entire surface world. Clark and Lori settle down to rule Atlantis for as long as it takes me to read the third and final issue where, I'm certain, Clark will leave Lori to pursue his true love: writing opinion pieces about Superman for the Daily Planet. Superman: Year One: Book Two Rating: The first issue wasn't so bad that I didn't not want to read the second issue. But this issue was so terrible that I'm not sure I'll have the patience to write about the third issue. If I never post a review of the Book Three, it's because I just couldn't bare to think more than superficially about Frank Miller's writing. Also I might have simply thrown myself off of a building because John Romita Jr's art was so fucking terrible.

#Superman #Year One #John Romita Jr #Frank Miller #Black Label #DC Comics #dc black label

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twiststreet · 5 years

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Saw this page from a 3/10 review of some $8 (!!!) Frank Miller - John Romita Jr. Superman comic. Apparently that’s what those guys are doing now-- they’re retelling Superman’s origin? Oooof.

Looks like they still got it, though! Haha... Oooof. This page! Ooooooof.

Do you make comics? Are you really hard on yourself about the comics you’re making not hitting some level of quality you imagine is called for? Check out this page, and feel that sweet gush of liberation from self-doubt!

Eight dollars!

They probably got paid pretty good to make that page, or making some boring-ass Superman’s origin comic, though. Money’s nice, I guess-- you guys like money? I enjoy money, personally-- heck, I wouldn’t say no to any, usually-- I like using it to purchase goods and/or services, especially-- that’s my jam. Romita Jr. is 62, and according to Google, Frank Miller is 62 (though based on recent photos, I suspect that he made a wish at one of those Zoltar machines from the movie Big to be in the body of someone 30 years older... Josh Baskin done fucked up this time ...). So I mean, they had their good years-- probably nobody’s waiting around for 62 year olds to really blow the lid off the joint. It’s not like you can go “Oh they could be doing so much better stuff creatively with their time” cause... nah, that probably isn’t so.

So...If they can get somebody to hand them a bunch of money at 62 to be the 9 billionth people to retell Superman’s origin, get that money. Frank Miller’s got hats to buy. And you know... Hopefully it’s making them feel young again, like a Cocoon-type scenario where Romita Jr. is like Don Ameche and Frank Miller is like Wilford Brimley’s meth dealer...

Sounds like a typical DC Comic, though: "Clark saves Lana Lang from what’s framed in the art as an attempted gang rape/assault”. Cooooooool stuff, cool publisher, cool audience, cool cool cool. Romita Jr. looks like he doesn’t have anything left in the tank on any of the pages they’re showing off. And in Frank Miller’s version of Superman’s origin, Superman joins the Navy (???), and uh... Is this real life? I still read comics but I don’t read any DC Comics, on account of having morality, so I didn’t know this was a thing until tonight. It feels like an elaborate practical joke.

Eight dollars! *Bangs hand on table*

More importantly: Has Frank Miller used this comic as an excuse to give any more of those sweet interviews about how young people need to all murder the evil browns, like the Greatest Generation would’ve done? Inject it into my veins! Rememer when Frank Miller tried to rebrand himself as like “comics’s answer to the question of what if Glen Beck looked like a decomposing corpse” but then when that didn’t make him money, he like tried to mount a completely half-assed rebranding where he got Neal Adams to blame booze for the years Miller spent painstakingly making a racist comic and conveying to journalists his opinions about how people protesting Wall Street were all “rapists”-- because sure, sure I don’t know how many times I’ve woken up super-hungover, and there’s been a carefully-inked 120-page racist hardcover graphic novel lying next to me. (Here’s the Guardian article about all that-- such disingenuous fucking bullshit). Anyways, after all that, he pivoted to telling people about how Superman would probably enjoy being a sailor. Ooooof. Oooooooof!

"Martha Kent greets that husband of hers and that son of hers politely. She asks polite questions. None of their answers are acceptable. She asks more polite questions." Oooooof. This all reminds me of something Superman once said...

#Worst Hobby or Worstest Hobby?

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savoryspidey · 6 years

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Masks (Introduction)

Imagine: You and Henry Cavill hate each other but it’s actually just sexual tension. Can you two learn to get along? Or possibly... more?

Words: 1,175

Warnings: Language

A/N: I’M BACK! But I’m feeling I would like to branch out on my creativity. For some reason I’m being pulled to Henry Cavill as of recently and now I’ve watched every single movie and show he was in. It’ll get good I promise. Let me know your thoughts!

Part 1

For as long as you’ve been working for Warner Bros. Pictures, you’ve always been assigned to work on DC Films as a makeup artist. It’s a job you love, mingling with celebrities, working behind the scenes for a big production with an enormous team effort. You’re very proud of your job and you love every second of it. You are a hard worker, full of diligence and productivity. You work well with others. Most of the people who work here are friendly, and love their jobs as well.

But there is just one person who you absolutely loathe. Every time you hear his name, you cringe. Whenever you have to see his face, a little part of you dies inside. That person, is The Henry Cavill. The smug bastard thinks he’s so great.

It all started when you began doing his makeup for Batman V Superman. You were excited to start a new movie, and meet the new Clark Kent. It was 5am and it was the first day of filming. You were excited to start this journey and meet the well known actor. He shows up the first day as jet lagged as ever.

Unbeknownst to you, you end up staring at him. His bright blue eyes and deep brown hair set so well with his face. Oh that face… His hair is slightly curly and a bit tousled. It’s perfectly imperfect. His muscular build certainly shows in that tight white button up shirt he’s wearing paired with dark navy blue pants and tan oxfords. Wow okay he’s even prettier in person.

He strolls into the studio with a cup of coffee and a deep set of bags under his eyes. You feel a little bad for the actor, being so tired and all, but you know, that’s the job. He speaks with the director momentarily until he points to you. You’re caught staring at the two and immediately switch your eyes somewhere else before turning around completely.

Shit. Of course now he thinks I’m a weirdo who was gawking at him. You feel a shiver of embarrassment run down your spine and you mentally face palm yourself. You don’t even hear him call for you several times. “Um, Miss?” Henry says. You swiftly turn around and knock the coffee from his hand. In the blink of an eye it spills all over him.

He stands there in shock, definitely awake now, and just stares at you. “Oh my gosh! Mr. Cavill I am so so sorry!” You reach for the nearest tissues and start dabbing his shirt. Yeah this isn't coming out… He holds his hands up like he’s being told to ‘freeze’ and just sighs with what you detect, a slight tone of annoyance. You realize the coffee is just warm, it isn’t searing hot. “I’m so sorry again let me get you another coffee!” You hysterically say. “Good thing the coffee wasn’t scalding.” He says shaking his head.

“Haha…” You fake laugh, forcing a rather painful smile. He begins unbuttoning his shirt and that's when you can’t help but look. You try to look away, but you’re too focused on his built chest and arms as he starts to strip off the dress shirt. You mindlessly wipe the spilled coffee on the floor as you gape at him.

“Yes?” He questions you, eyebrows raised. Well damn. You turn a slight shade of red from embarrassment. You quickly stand up, throwing the tissues away and rushing to get another coffee from the refreshments table. You pour the cup of joe in a disposable cub and rush over to him. “Here you go, Mr. Cavill.” You say, handing him the cup, with large eyes full of fear. Oh my goodness he’s gonna get me fired isn't he? “Thanks… And it’s Henry. You have me feeling like I’m in the Headmasters office.” He mumbles in a more than aggravated tone. Your eyebrows knit together in confusion and slight anger, but nonetheless, you have a job to do.

As you setup your supplies on the vanity, you glance up in the mirror to see him sighing and tapping his foot. He’s probably had a bad night, be considerate… You see your friend and fellow crew member approach you. Chelsea works in the costume department and you often chat during the day and get drinks after work. “Good morning, Y/N!” she says with a spring in her step. “Hey, Chelsea!” You say.

“And good morning to you too, Mr. Cavill.” Chelsea greets. He briefly glances up from his phone and gives her a tight lipped smile, saying blandly, “Morning.” Then returns to phone. Chelsea gives you wide eyes that tell you ‘Wow, he’s chipper.’ You raise your eyebrows to tell her ‘Yeah tell me about it.’

You both glance over to him, seeing that he seems too wrapped up in his phone to notice anything else. “He’s a piece of work… and it’s the first day.” You whisper. “I accidently downed coffee on him and he’s been peeved ever since.” You say in a hushed tone. “Well I guess some people take the fame too far and develop a complex.” You whisper. “You do realize he’s literally sitting right there.” Chelsea giggles. “Eh, probably too wrapped up in himself to notice there’s other people around.” You chuckle and roll your eyes.

“I heard that.” Henry says glancing up from his phone staring at you and Chelsea. You purse your lips together. Shit. Of course he heard. Your face gets hot but you don’t regret what you said. Although he has barely said anything, his smug attitude and the way he carries himself, it just throws you off.

Chelsea covers her mouth to keep from laughing and you just stand there in shock looking at him, his piercing blue eyes attacking you. Oh those eyes... “Well, I’d love to stay and chat but those costumes aren’t going to fit themselves! Good luck, Y/N.” Chelsea says before quickly leaving.

You stand in front of the man you just insulted and rub the back of your neck. He looks at you, eyebrows raised awaiting an explanation. “Listen, I-” You begin, but Henry cuts you off with a raise of his hand. A little degrading… I’m not some sort of servant. “Look, Y/N is it?” He begins. You nod. “Y/N, we all have a job here to do, so whatever grievance you have against me, I’m afraid you’ll have to ignore it for the time being. Okay?” He finishes with a conceited smile.

What a rude awakening. You had heard such nice things about the actor, but here he is, making you feel inferior and humiliated. To be fair you did spill coffee on his shirt and insulted him behind his back, literally. But that doesn’t excuse rude behavior. This wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t such a haughty person.

You huff and grab some powder dabbing his face a little harshly with the brush. What an ass… This is going to be a long 7 months…

MASTERLIST

#henry cavill #henry #cavill #henry cavill imagine #imagine #batman v superman #clark kent #superman #s stands for hope

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steves-on-a-plane · 6 years

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Strike Three, Kent. (Pt 2)

Part One / Part Three / Part Four Words: 814 Superman/NCIS Crossover Clark Kent x Reader (Agent Gibbs x Daughter!Reader) Part 2 was requested by both @acuteninja & @evyiione. :) Hope you both like it, and maybe we’ll have a part 3 to close things out.

Your head lolled on your shoulders as you slowly gained consciousness. Something told you not to open your eyes. You took a few seconds to gauge your situation. Your hands where bound behind you, you could tell that much from the strained feeling in your upper arms. The itching sensation by your wrists told you that your hands were held together with rope. Mostly likely with a serious of granny knots that would take a knife to cut out of.

You were sitting on something and based on the context of other evidence, assumed it was a chair. It was cold and metallic, probably an aluminum folding chair. That was good. Something like that was unstable. You could easily flip it over and get away if your legs weren’t tied together too. With a general idea of what had happened to you, you now had to figure out why.

It was obvious to you that you’d been kidnapped. There was no other explanation as to how you ended up tied to a chair with scrapes, and probably bruises, all over your body. The how didn’t exactly matter to you. The fact of the matter was that you were in the situation now, and you needed to know why to calculate your chances of getting out alive. You didn’t have any enemies to speak of. Even if you did, you were certain no one you knew had the resources to kidnap and hold you against your will.

Your father was a federal agent. He was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, head of a team of special agents within the Navy Criminal Investigative Service. He was bound to have his own long list of people who would want to see him suffer. It wasn’t like you were entitled to know the names of any of these people, though.

“Don’t worry about that, Sweetheart.” He’d always promise you with a firm kiss on the forehead. “No one’s going to hurt you. They’d have to get through me first.”

“They’d have to get through the whole lot of us, [Y/N].” Your father’s fellow agent and friend to you, Tony Dinozzo would always chime in if he were around.

“But you’re not here now, are you, Tony?” You thought to yourself in the same sarcastic tone you would have used if he were there with you right now. Now that you were thinking of it, you’d been conscious for a while. Sure you hadn’t opened your eyes yet but it didn’t sound like anyone else was in the room with you. Of course sounds could be deceiving. You’d have to open your eyes to be sure. You weren’t ready to do that just yet, because there was one other target your kidnapper could be trying to get to through you.

On the surface there wasn’t anything extraordinary about your boyfriend. Clark Kent was a generally well liked reporter for The Daily Planet. You’d met when he’d been sent from Metropolis to Washington, DC on an assignment. You bumped into him at a coffee shop; literally. You’d heard from Tony that the team’s current case was putting a strain on everyone. So you took it upon yourself to order everyone’s favorite caffeinated concoctions and were about to race them over to NCIS when a man with shoulders of a quarterback bumped into you. The drinks went flying and so did you. You suddenly found yourself on the floor covered in four coffees of varying temperature.

“I’m so sorry!” He apologized immediately and crouched down to your lower than usual level. “Are you alright? Let me help you up, please.” You were so taken back by his courteous rambling that you couldn’t even be mad about him barreling into you.

“Well, I guess that’s one way of getting my daily dose of caffeine in.” You laughed getting to your feet.

That was the version of Clark Kent that the rest of the world saw. The well-mannered, usually level headed, sometimes clumsy, but always lovable reporter. There were very few people who saw the other side of Clark and, for their safety, he liked to keep that list as short as possible. Clark Kent was the secret identity of Metropolis’ super powered hero, Superman. If anyone had found out that you were Superman’s girlfriend? Well, his catalog of villains was definitely compare to your father’s.

You’d had lunch that afternoon with both Clark and your father. Either one of them could very easily be the mark in this set up. You allowed yourself to sigh audibly. The only way you were going to be able to find out who was behind this was to meet with them or their possible accomplices face to face. That would mean letting them know that you’d woken up. Mustering whatever courage you could scrape together, you decided to peel your eyes open and take a look.

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thearabkhaleesi · 6 years

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JUSTICE LEAGUE: EASTER EGGS, TRIVIA, AND THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

Disclaimer: I did not find all of these easter eggs myself. I watched many Youtube videos and read many articles and gathered the best easter eggs or references I could find and I compiled them into one organized post. Also, this post will definitely contain spoilers from the movie. Enjoy!

GREEN LANTERN

Green Lantern is one of the founding members of the Justice League in the comics, and it was widely speculated that he would have a cameo in the film or in the post-credits scenes (especially since there’s a planned film in the DCEU called Green Lantern Corps); even though we didn’t get that in the film, when Diana was explaining to Bruce about Steppenwolf’s origins and the Mother Boxes, we see a Green Lantern get killed in battle. The Green Lantern we see fighting Steppenwolf also wears a cape, which could be an homage to Alan Scott, the first Green lantern in the comics. This easter egg officially confirms the existence of the Green Lanterns in the DCEU films and foreshadows Green Lantern Corps (2020).

STEPPENWOLF AND DARKSEID’S RELATIONSHIP

The villain of Justice League was Steppenwolf, who is minion to the villain Darkseid. In the comics, Steppenwolf is Darkseid’s uncle, wheras in the movie, it’s revealed that Steppenwolf is Darkseid’s nephew.

CLARK AND JONATHAN KENT’S GRAVES

When The Flash and Cyborg are digging up Superman's coffin you can see the tombstone next to his reads Kent, referencing that he was buried next to his father who died in the Man of Steel movie.

JOHN WESLEY SHIPP

When attempting to break into the Kryptonian ship, Barry’s fake credentials show the name Wesley Shipp, which is a reference to John Wesley Shipp, who played the Flash in the tv show from the 1990s.

DO YOU BLEED?

One of the many callbacks to Batman v Superman is the line “Do you bleed?”. In BvS, Batman says it to Superman during their first encounter, and now in Justice League, Superman says it back to Batman during their fight.

AQUAMAN AND SUPERMAN HAVE MET BEFORE

Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman has revealed that in the DCEU, Aquaman and Superman have crossed paths before; in Man of Steel, there’s a scene where Clark almost drowns after saving people from the exploding oil rig, and apparently Aquaman pushed him back to the surface.

RED SKY

In the final battle against Steppenwolf, the Mother Boxes are united and the sky turns red; in the DC Comics universe, a red sky symbolizes a time of crisis - this first happened in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” in 1985.

SCENES STRAIGHT FROM THE COMICS

The plot of the movie draws inspiration from DC’s New 52 Comics, with scenes in the movie taken right from the comics and put into the movie such as “Aquaman talking to fish” and Batman’s first fight with the parademon, which was from the comic story arc “Origin” written by Geoff Johns, who is also the co-head of DC Films.

GAME OF THRONES CONNECTIONS

3 actors from Game of Thrones are in Justice League:

Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) plays Aquaman

Ciaran Hinds (Mance Rayder) played Steppenwolf through motion capture

Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton) plays an unnamed criminal fighting against Wonder Woman

BLACK MASK

During the same fight against the parademon, there’s a rooftop with the company name “Janus” on it, which is the name of the company run by the villain Black Mask.

ARES AND ZEUS

The “gods” in Wonder Woman’s storyline and backstory are seen in the flashback battle - including Ares (played by David Thewlis) and Zeus, who zapped the Mother Boxes apart.

THE PENGUIN

During a conversation between Bruce and Alfred, Alfred says he misses the days when their biggest threats were “exploding, wind-up penguins”, which is a reference to the famous Batman villain, the Penguin.

THE SPECTRE

At the Gotham City Police Department, Alfred talks to Crispus Allen, who in the comics goes on to become the cosmic entity “The Spectre”.

ACE CHEMICALS

When Batman talks to Commissioner Gordon on the rooftop, in the background you can spot a sign for “ACE Chemicals” which is where the Joker fell into a vat of chemicals that bleached his skin (in Suicide Squad we see a clip of Harley and Joker in ACE Chemicals).

DOOMSDAY CLOCK

Bruce makes a comment about the “Doomsday clock having a snooze button”, which is a reference to the Watchmen, and “Doomsday Clock” is the title to the sequel of Watchmen, written by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.

WAYNE MANOR / HALL OF JUSTICE

At the end of the movie, Bruce Wayne returns to his family home, Wayne Manor, and tells Alfred they’ll be needing a table and six chairs around it (or maybe more..) alluding to the fact that it could be the “Hall of Justice” aka the Justice League headquarters.

BARRY & HENRY ALLEN

At the end of the movie, Barry gets a job as a forensic scientist, motivated by the desire to clear his father’s name (when Barry was a child, his mother Nora was murdered and his father Henry was charged with the crime). Henry Allen is held at “Iron Heights Penitentiary”, which is where most of the Flash’s enemies end up in the comics such as Captain Cold and Weather Wizard.

Bonus fact: In Justice League, Henry Allen is played by Billy Crudup, who played Dr. Manhattan in the Watchmen movie, a DC Comics film also directed by Zack Snyder (though not a part of the DCEU).

BARRY’S HOME - BLACKPINK AND RICK AND MORTY

When Bruce goes to recruit Barry to join the League, the song “As If It’s Your Last” by K-POP band BlackPink can be heard, and an episode of Rick and Morty can be seen playing in the background (season 1 episode 9); the scene shows Rick & Summer defeating the Devil, which mirrors the actions of the League in this film, as Steppenwolf is considered an allegory for Lucifer.

GORILLA GRODD

In the same scene, Barry says he known “gorilla sign language” which is a reference to the Flash villain “Gorilla Grodd”, who is an extremely intelligent gorilla with psychic powers.

PRINCE AND DAVID BOWIE

A newspaper article can be seen remembering the deaths of Prince and David Bowie alongside Superman.

THE KRYPTONIAN SHIP

The Kryptonian ship which plays a big role in the film, is the same one that General Zod arrives in in Man of Steel, Lex Luthor created Doomsday in Batman v. Superman; we also understand from the movie that the ship has been taken from LexCorp by STAR Labs.

VICTOR AND GOTHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

Victor got his powers after suffering an accident while he was a student and football player at Gotham City University. A scene was cut from the movie that showed him in a GCU jacket and his days as a football player. Bonus Fact: In Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition, we see a scene of a football game between Gotham City University and Metropolis, with GCU losing 58-0, and they’re doing so badly because Victor isn’t on their team anymore due to his accident.

BOOYAH

After the fight with Steppenwolf, Cyborg says “Booyah!”, which is his signature catchphrase in the Teen Titans animated series.

JOHN WILLIAMS SCORE

Danny Elfman used a bit of Superman’s classic score by John Williams but “gave it a darker twist” in the film right before Superman fights the League at his monument.

16TH ANNIVERSARY OF ANIMATED SERIES

This film was released in the US on November 17th, the same day the animated series Justice League (2001) first aired sixteen years earlier.

1978 JIMMY OLSEN CAMEO

Marc McClure, who plays Jimmy Olsen in the 1978 Superman movie has a cameo in the movie as the police guard in the jail when Barry visits his dad.

SUPERMAN V. THE FLASH - 1ST POST CREDITS SCENE

The first mid-credits scene shows Superman racing against The Flash to see who is faster; this has been a subject of many comic book stories with the answer never being truly resolved and always being “up in the air”.

LEGION OF DOOM - 2ND POST CREDITS SCENE

The second post credits scene shows Lex Luthor to have broken out of Arkham Asylum and aboard a yacht with Deathstoke (aka Slade Wilson), with Lex telling Slade they should form “a league of their own”. This is a reference to the “Legion of Doom” or the “Injustice League” , a group of supervillains from DC Comics including Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, Riddler, Braniac, Solomon Grundy, Sinestro, Scarecrow, and more. Bonus Fact: Lex Luthor’s look in this scene is more true to how he looks in the comics as opposed to how he looked in Batman v Superman.

CLARK’S FUNERAL OUTFIT

We see that Clark was buried in a navy blue suit, white shirt, and red tie - this is one of Clark’s iconic outfits from the early comics.

THE ICONIC SUPERMAN POSE

Another iconic Clark Kent outfit is the tan trenchcoat, glasses, and hat, and at the very end of the film, the first time in the DCEU, we see Clark wear this outfit and pull open his shirt to reveal his Superman outfit - an iconic Superman scene.

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Yes, Superman Has Sex With a Mermaid in His New Origin

Warning: SPOILERS for Superman: Year One #2

Superman fans knew that Frank Miller's Superman: Year One would bring something new to the Man of Steel's origin story, but a sexual relationship with a mermaid princess is not what anyone expected. Especially when his love of undersea "spooning" wins him the throne of Atlantis, too.

Comic book fans are always going to have different reactions when DC writers remind us that Superman has sex, whether it's with his wife Lois or a trip back to Clark Kent's farmboy adolescence. While it may not be the origin story Superman fans had in mind, Miller made a point of telling the story of Clark and his high school girlfriend Lana Lang losing their virginity--a completely normal, typical, and unsurprising detail usually left out of the narrative. But after leaving Smallville for training as a Navy SEAL, a one-way ticket into a mermaid's bed sure is a heck of a twist. But the weirdest part of Superman's new sexual conquest is that it isn't Miller's invention... he's just reminding readers that it's already part of DC Comics canon.

RELATED: Batman & Superman Meet DC's Nightmare DARK SHAZAM

Regardless of whether or not Superman's soft spot for amphibious women is known by most fans, Miller's work on Batman: Year One did set a somewhat different expectation. But as one of the first books announced for the mature, prestige DC Black Label, Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.'s Superman: Year One is most certainly making the most of the creative freedom. That includes Clark being lured to sea from his San Diego naval base by the siren call of mermaids on the horizon... only to find their homeland in crisis, and that he is the epitome of an Atlantean sexual icon.

Readers will be most surprised to learn that the mermaid princess who catches Clark's eye (and whose eye is equally caught by this strange, water-breathing surface dweller) is nothing new to DC canon. Her name is eventually revealed to be 'Lori Lemaris,' a re-imagined version of Clark's college girlfriend first appearing in Superman #129 (May 1959). In Superman's original canon, he actually proposed to Lori before discovering they were fated to live above and below the surface. Which means a romantic relationship, while far more provocative and scandalous in Superman: Year One, shouldn't actually come as a shock.

While Clark and Lori are never actually SHOWN to make love (leaving several questions permanently unanswered) the narration leaves little doubt that Clark Kent may be from Krypton, but he has the same Earthly desires as anyone:

As alluded to above, this second part of Miller and Romita's origin story concludes with Superman and Lori engaging in a 'celebratory' kiss, having been handed the throne of Atlantis as a couple. That's expected to change, but DC fans will need to wait for the final chapter to see what last bombshells are still on the way. Readers can check out the full solicitation details and the plot synopsis for Superman: Year One below:

SUPERMAN YEAR ONE #2

Story by: Frank Miller, John Romita Jr.

Art by: John Romita Jr., Danny Miki, Alex Sinclair

Cover by: john Romita Jr.

Clark Kent’s journey of self-discovery continues in the second installment of Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.’s remarkable reimagining of Superman’s origin story. This chapter takes young Clark to the Pacific coast and beyond, as he discovers a place as sensational as he is: Atlantis! There he meets new people, finds love, clashes with gargantuan beasts and discovers the man he’s meant to be.

From the burning world of Krypton to the bucolic fields of Kansas, the first chapter of SUPERMAN YEAR ONE tracks Clark Kent’s youth in Kansas, as he comes to terms with his strange powers and struggles to find his place in our world. DC BLACK LABEL is proud to present the definitive origin of Superman as rendered by the legendary comics creators Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.!

Superman: Year One #2 is available now from your local comic book shop, or direct from DC Comics.

MORE: The Death of Superman is About to Get Even Darker

source https://screenrant.com/superman-comic-sex-mermaid-year-one/

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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The Secret Origin of Superman: Year One

https://ift.tt/2HmyXv8

John Romita Jr. takes us inside his creative collaboration with Frank Miller and the secrets of DC's Superman: Year One.

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Superman: Year One, an oversized three issue limited series from DC is a new exploration of the Man of Steel's origin story from Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr. The book has grabbed headlines for its unconventional approach to Clark Kent's early days. We sat down with Mr. Romita for an in-depth look at how the project came to be, the creative partnership between the two legendary comic book greats, and the classic elements that went into Superman's "new" costume. He even gave us some interesting hints about this version of Superman's past...and potential future.

Den of Geek: Superman: Year One is a big project and you're working with another big name in Frank Miller. How did this come about, how were you approached to do this?

John Romita, Jr.: At some point, Dan Didio had proposed an idea in the infancy of this and had discussed it with Frank, and they talked about possibly expanding Frank's Year One format to Superman. But ironically, I think they felt that fans thought Frank didn't like Superman, because of the way he treated him in the Batman format. And Frank says, "I love the character."

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So they mentioned to me, "If Frank is interested, would you be interested?" I said, "Yeah, of course," as soon as I heard Frank was going to be a part of it because he and I work so well together. We've worked together in the past, and we came up in the industry together at the same time, working from plots. He knows what he likes, he knows what I like to do, and he just threw me a vague synopsis and let me run with it. And 200 pages later, we're here.

Wow, so were you working Marvel style on this?

Don't like to call it Marvel style.

I know. We can't say that when we're talking about Superman!

Frank likes to call it Stan Lee/Jack Kirby format, which is apt. Yeah, I do like working this way, and it's the point where I can get one line, one sentence, out of Frank and turn it into 25 pages. Just because knowing going in what it's going to be and how I would like to see it done and what I'd like to see done, I can play with it, and he can write the dialogue according to it.

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Fortunately, what I did was accepted and DC liked it and Frank liked it, but I would discuss it. I would thumbnail out the whole plot first to make sure it fits the 64 pages across three issues. And then I would call the editors and Frank, and tell them what I was going to do with those little vignettes, the scenes, what I was adding, and what I was going to do with it. They loved it and they accepted it. It was great.

That first issue is so Smallville focused, which has a really earthy feel to it, and then the second issue is Atlantis. So is there this elemental breakdown of each of these issues, where each one is going to have such a different feel to it?

I guess you could say that, but it wasn't intended to be that way. It broke into that format, the enlisting in the Navy at the end of the first issue, and then expanding on the Navy into the SEALS in the second issue, and then the ocean plays a big part in that.

I just think we hit our stride in the second issue. The first one was Smallville, so it was more mundane in that he lands as the baby in the beginning. The first 10 or 12 pages are from the baby's eyes. In other words, you don't see the baby until well into the issue in the reflection of the glass of the rocket. It's watching his world blow up, watching his parents disintegrate, then out in space, then arriving at the planet that his father had told him about, crash landing, and then opening up, and there's Pa Kent standing there waiting for him. All from his eyes. That is the only thing familiar with the story in the first one.

We played with everything a human goes through in adolescence all the way up to adulthood. All the little things you go through, bullies, dealing with school, football, sports, dealing with women (or dealing with men). Everything that a normal human goes through is applied to Superman as a super being.

What happens? You get bullied in a bar, you get bullied at school, and you're a super being knowing you're a super being. How do you not break somebody's neck accidentally? Of course, if I was a super being, I'd go back and get everybody that deserved to get hit and get them.

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But that is interesting is what’s applied to him by his Earth parents. They could have very easily been screwballs to begin with and he could have been an axe murderer. But the fact that they told him, "Don't hurt anybody, don't get hurt." It's from his mother, "Be a sweetheart." And his father says, "Yeah, you be a sweetheart, but if anybody lays a hand on you or your family, you have to take care of business." And he can't. He deals with bullies at school, because his friends get bullied. They can't touch him, so to speak. Then they bully his first love, Lana Lang, and he has to deal with them gently but firmly.

Then he goes through adulthood. He runs into a bully in a bar and accidentally starts a brawl while he's in the Navy. How do you deal with something like that? I think the way we did it, it was a little bit charming, but it was serious, and it was important. I loved the way we handle it, especially the barroom scenes, which of course, I know a lot about.

One of my favorite things about this is that new Superman costume design, where you've taken elements of the Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoons. This is the second time that you've gotten to put a new coat of paint on the Superman costume. I love that you chose the smaller “S” logo, with the black field and things like that. Can you talk about your influences on and did you and Frank collaborate on that? How did this work?

We both, almost simultaneously, admitted our love the Max Fleischer cartoons, and that was pretty much it. I think that having seen those animated shorts is what made us want to do that. It's as simple as that. Frank loved it and I loved it. I thought the animation was fantastic and I just loved the way the costume looked. So we tried to have an air of it, and that's why we changed the logo the way we did. But that was pretty much where it ended, as far as the costume similarities. And then the shorts were back, so we were back to the old costume. Actually, the neckline is a little bit lower.

Even his build is reminiscent of the Fleischer cartoons…

I wanted him to look like a leaner teen, so to speak, and then I immediately got taken to task online. "You have a geek, a skinny Superman? What's the matter with you, Romita?" I said, "Ma, come on."

Frank is known for Year One stories, and he took some heat because of All-Star Batman and Robin, and things like that, and that feeds the perception that he's not a Superman fan. But I think that first issue especially is pretty reverent to the spirit of the character, and issue two is something completely new that we've never seen. I know Frank always says that his Batman stories all take place in one corner of the universe. Is this the Superman of those Batman stories as well?

We'll have to find out.

Oh, really?

I can't say any more. I just gave it away, but you have to ask Frank if he had that intention going in, or if he has that intention after what we just finished. I don't want to say the word “finished,” let's just put it that way.

So, Superman: Year Two is a possibility?

Oh, no, I don't know what you're talking about.

Frank can be a bit of a lightning rod with this kind of stuff, but you have your own history with the character. And obviously, there's tremendous love for the character, and I think it does come through on the page, but what do you guys think, or what do you think, is the heart of Superman that just has to be in every story?

That's hard to describe. Other than the fact that he's a Boy Scout and he's an intergalactic super being, everything has to be through that lens. He's on Earth, so anything earthly has to be through that lens. He doesn't like bullies. He feels compelled to save the planet from itself. So much can be filtered through that lens. Anything from a common mugging to a supervillain coming from a different planet applies to him. That being said, we can twist it the way we like to make it good for the comics, so to speak. But I honestly feel that anybody that deals with fantasies about being a super being can apply their stories to this, especially us. I've always wanted to be a superman for one day and take care of everybody that's an asshole. Sorry about that.

It's okay.

To all you assholes, I'm sorry.

Don't apologize to them! What do you think of the format? It's not quite a treasury edition, but it's different. Did you draw this with that format in mind?

From the get-go, it was a large size. I don't know if Frank told them he wanted it in large format, or they applied that to us. All I know is that at first, it looked like I was working on a wall. It filled up my drafting table, and I could have wallpapered my house with the pages that we used. They were gigantic. As I got used to it over the course of 200 pages, the pages got smaller. I went back to another issue of the normal size paper. It was like working on a postage stamp.

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I love the larger size, because it's cinematic. The storyboard format panels, which I love, comes from my father saying, "Everything is a peripheral vision, like a movie screen." I like to work that way. I don't like to do any strange shaped panels. Vertical panels bother me, unless something is required to be shooting straight vertical. I love the wide lens. So this, with these pages, these gigantic pages, it was cinematic, it was fun.

Of course, I'm a moron for adding all the backgrounds that way, I tend to do that to myself, but I loved everything about the large format after I started. First, I cursed a little bit, then I loved everything about it halfway through it. Maybe.

Is this the first time you've had to work in that larger format?

Frank says when we started, we worked on pages that size, back in the 1920s, whatever that was. I don't remember working on paper that large, but he said the Daredevil: Man Without Fear that we worked on together was large paper. I don't know if it was this size, but this is the largest.

Was that Daredevil book done done Lee/Kirby style as well?

It was. It came from a movie treatment that Frank tried to get passed, and it didn't make it, so in his anger, he said, "We need to turn this into a movie." I approached him about doing a Wolverine graphic novel. He said, "Everybody's doing Wolverine. Let's do this." And he handed me the treatment and let me run with it. Then he called me a couple of weeks later and said, "I have an addendum to put in between page 17 and 18. I'll send it to you." He sent me a sort of synopsis and that addendum ended up being 88 pages. That's working with Frank. That's what happens. He said it was my fault, but anything Frank gives you, you can play with it. It's like getting a piece of clay and turning it into a statue, it's great.

What are you most excited for people to see in these next two issues?

There's a couple of scenes in the second issue. I absolutely loved the boot camp and the BUD/S training in the second issue, because I got to reference these heroes. I’m a big fan of the military, and I got a chance to draw San Diego in it. But there's a scene at the end of the third issue that I get a chance to draw a couple of characters with Superman that is one of the better moments in my career. It's great, and the choreography of the action is fun, of course. But doing things that I've never done before, like boot camp and SEAL training, and the BUD/S training, and playing with that, that these guys don't know this man's a super being, except for his drill sergeant, who has an idea there's something different about this guy. That's fun to me.