so....

I suck at blogging. The last time I blogged, school wasn't even a serious matter.
Now, though...
I have to do my summer homework. And I haven't blogged all summer.

End of blog.

If you can't already tell, I'm not a very regular blogger.

Summer's here

Yeah, so I haven't exactly been posting on this blog. Well, now that summer's here and school's out, I can blog (more). Anyways, it's going to change from "COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS" to a normal blog. "Normal".
Summertime has been pretty good so far, aside from the odd weather. It didn't feel like summer, but now it's starting to. More sunshine and hot weather, please.
There's one thing that hasn't changed this summer: NBA Playoffs. Now that the Celtics are out, I'm supporting the Magic. If the Magic beat out the Celtics, they better win it all. Of course, with the Celtics out, I'm not motivated to watch every game played by a specific team just every game of the Finals.
I saw Up and Terminator: Salvation today. They're pretty good movies, but I have to say I liked Terminator more than Up. Maybe it's just because I'm a guy, but it seemed that much more interesting. This summer has so many good movies. Transformers 2, Harry Potter 6, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Among others, like Drag Me To Hell, which I would rather see on DVD.
I got further in Resident Evil 4, but I'm not so interested in it. The game is a bit too suspenseful for me. You can't strafe left or right, making the corners that much creepier. And of course, there's always that zombie that doesn't make any noise until it's right in front of you. Along with the zombie that won't shut up, of course. Speaking of horror, I watched bits of the A Nightmare on Elm Street films; I didn't much feel like eating afterwards. That's too bad for me, then.
I guess I'll blog once a week. Maybe. But when I go places away from home (if, more like, with the A H1N1 flu scare) I might not blog so often.

Justice League or Avengers?

The Justice League and Avengers question is almost the same as asking "DC or Marvel?". The right answer is Justice League. The Avengers are diverse, but in a very limited way (however that works out). The only extension of the Avengers is the New Avengers, whereas the Justice League has brances of the Teen Titans, and Justice League Unlimited.

The main roster of the Avengers consist of: Captain America, Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Wonder-Man. Most of the time, the Avengers do about the same thing as the Justice League. They fight off the bad guys and do the good thing. Some of them, however, are slightly rogue characters. Wolverine acts roughly, though he knows to do the right thing. Hulk is a very strange character. Sometimes, he is a hero. Other times, he is fighting one or more of the Avengers. Thor is just a strange hero. A Norse god, he seems much like Captain Marvel. Actually, he seems a bit too similar to chalk up the similarities to chance. The New Avengers are pretty much the children of the original Avengers; a "new-generation" type of group to appeal to younger audiences.

The Justice League is my favorite band of superheroes. Ever. The main League members (from the animated series) are Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, and the Green Lantern (John Stewart). The Justice League Unlimited is an expanded version of the Justice League, tying nearly all of the DC Universe heroes together. The Justice League Unlimited brings together heroes from all over the galaxy, and even some from other dimensions. Some of the bigger names in Justice League Unlimited include the Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Question, and Supergirl. Many of these heroes are acquaintances, and get along with each other very well. There are also some relationships within the League. John Stewart has been romantically linked to both Hawkgirl (Shayera) and Vixen, and Batman has been seen with Wonder Woman. Black Canary and Green Arrow are actually married.

The Avengers would never win against the Justice League. Though both teams appear to get along well, the Justice League works so smoothly and flawlessly because of Batman's plans that the Avengers cannot match up to them in teamwork. Both teams have the one guy who, while harsh and mean, always does the right thing (Batman of the Justice League, Wolverine of the Avengers). Both teams also have the flashy cover-boy that symbolizes America (Superman of the Justice League, Captain America of the Avengers). Also, both teams have the witty, comic relief character (Flash and Spider-Man). The one thing that makes the Avengers so much better is that they span over multiple planets, races and galaxies. The Avengers have no martians, only a Norse God.

The Green Arrow, or Oliver "Ollie" Queen, is a superhero who used to be an executive of his company. He sold his company for a large sum of money in order to be Green Arrow full-time, eventually training Speedy as his protegé just as Batman trained Robin. Green Arrow dresses as Robin Hood and is an expert with the bow and arrow. The Green Arrow is typically shown as a rebel, and a highly skeptical man. He has appeared in comics and television shows.
Ollie Queen sold his company for three billion dollars in order to become a full-time hero. He is a member of the Justice League, but was skeptical of the group at first. Green Arrow does not use only conventional arrows; he invents his own arrows with various functions. Among the stranger arrows he uses is the 'boxing glove arrow'. Some others include a glue arrow, net arrow, bomb arrow, and grappling arrow. He is often seen working with the Green Lantern. The most famous Green Arrow story was one in which Speedy, his red-clad sidekick, was addicted to heroin. The story was in Green Lantern #2. Green Lantern and Green Arrow fight off drug addicts and bust a drug ring.
Green Arrow has appeared in the television series Smallville as a younger man who has not yet sold his company to become a full-time hero. He has a more modern costume both in style and in technology. He becomes a trusted friend of Clark Kent's, and appears in the Justice League of Smallville. Green Arrow also has a regular appearance in the show Justice League Unlimited. His appearance follows the classic comic appearance, with the beard and the clothing. He is shown with his significant other, Black Canary. In this show, Green Arrow often acts as a voice for the public and a brave, loyal friend to all in the Justice League. Green Arrow also has an appearance in The Batman. A movie for Green Arrow/ Ollie Queen has been talked about, and a script has been written. Filming, however, has not started yet.
The Green Arrow is a character who provides comic relief when it is needed, especially in Justice League Unlimited. He does, however have slight mood swings. He is randomly rude to other heroes of the Justice League, but only apologizes after they have turned their back.
The Green Arrow is a very rebellious character. The "cool guy" of the DC Universe, he can be compared to Tony Stark of the Marvel Universe. Queen often uses crude humor, and he doesn't quite seem to care about everyone else's feelings. Queen's character is a stark contrast to Superman, who tries to please everyone. Queen appears very selfish at first, but he has a good heart and he knows he must do the right thing in the end. All in all, a pretty cool guy.

The Joker

The Joker is probably my favorite villain of all. He is Batman's most noted enemy, and he also causes trouble for the Justice League. He has no real history; his origin story is varied according to the writer. The most common origin story is that the Joker was essentially created by Batman. His name in this origin story is usually Jack Napier. Napier was a mobster, doing jobs for a large triad. Eventually, he broke away and tried to form his own gang. Napier and his gang planned to rob the Ace Chemical Plant. Their robbery was stopped by Batman. Either an accident or an attempt to escape led to Napier's fall right into a vat of chemicals. The chemicals were then flushed out into the body of water somewhere around the plant. The chemical bath bleached the Joker's skin, turned his lips red and dyed his hair green; he also became insane. Napier gave himself the name The Joker, and swore to prove his criminal genius.
The Joker has had many, many incarnations between comics, cartoons and the big screen. The most recent incarnation, played by the late Heath Ledger, shows a Joker who is a criminal genius with make-up. The make-up is applied unevenly, but his face is white, the areas around his eyes are black, he has stringy hair with green highlights and a frightening "smile". The smile is red makeup applied from one scar to another; his scars make him seem to be "smiling" all the time. This Joker is from The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster and sequel to Batman Begins. In The Dark Knight, the Joker has no real origin story. The only glimpse of an origin is his stories about his scars; however, the stories are conflicting and may both be lies. The two other big screen adaptations of the Joker are played by Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989) and Cesar Romero in Batman (1966). Jack Nicholson's Joker is more faithful to the comics, including his fall into a chemical vat and his crude jokes. Cesar Romero's Joker is not heard of much today; the movie and ensuing television series have been criticized for the excessive camp humor.
The Joker has been in a few television series. The first is the series Batman, which followed the 1966 movie. The Joker was played by Cesar Romero. The next few cartoons are seldom heard of, and follow the campy style of Batman (1966). The most popular television incarnation of the Joker is of Batman: The Animated Series. This Joker is somewhat similar to the Joker picture displayed with the article. The Joker was voiced by Mark Hamill, the actor who brought Luke Skywalker to the silver screen in the Star Wars movies. Hamill's Joker appears in the movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, a movie from Batman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a direct-to-video movie from the Batman: TAS spinoff Batman Beyond. He also appears in a few episodes of the television shows Batman Beyond, Justice League and Static Shock. Hamill's Joker voice seems to have been permanently linked to the Joker's cartoon adaptations; it is used as a comparison for all of the recent portrayals. The Joker also appears in The Batman, a series from KidsWB!, and is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. This Joker has been harshly criticized for the drastic difference in appearance; he has long hair (possibly dreadlocks), wears very different clothes, usually walks around barefoot, and has sharply honed combat skills. He seems to use his feet just as well as his hands, giving the impression that he is a monkey. The most recent cartoon adaptation of the Joker is in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This show has been praised by many for its seeming mix of Batman: The Animated Series and some of the campier elements of Batman. The Brave and Bold Joker is voiced by Jeff Bennett, and has only appeared in two episodes.
In Batman: Mask of the Phantasm as well as Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the Joker dies. In Mask of the Phantasm, however, his death is not shown, so there is a possibility he lived. In Return of the Joker, he is visibly killed and, in the animated universe created by producer Bruce Timm, finally given closure. Bruce Timm's animated universe follows a timeline, in which Mask of the Phantasm and Return of the Joker are included. Return of the Joker may be the final event. In the 1989 film Batman, the Joker is seen to be killed by dropping from an extraordinary height. His final joke is a sound recording of his laughter, which goes off when he lands and dies. In The Dark Knight, the Joker is not killed off.
The Joker is, for some reason, the classic villain of Batman. He is always going to be associated with Batman, especially after the movie The Dark Knight. The Joker of the Batman animated series and Justice League cartoons is much more lively than the silver screen adaptations. He always has a name for Batman (Guano-Man and Batsy are among the most common), and he always has a trick up his sleeve. The Joker of the 1989 Batman film is a faithful adaptation who usually has a trick up his sleeve, but does not taunt Batman as much. The Joker of The Dark Knight is a very dirty, grimy, intinimidating man. He taunts Batman not with names but with psychological tricks. He wants to prove that even the best of people can be broken, and does so by breaking Harvey Dent. He also tries to "break" Batman in the interrogation room, succeeding in infuriating Batman. This seems to be all he wants, and proceeds to mess with Batman some more in regards to the two hostages he has taken. The Joker is a very abnormal guy who has no sane explanation for his actions. His motives are widely unknown, and he is the only one who knows what he does and why.

The Flash

The Flash is my brother's favorite superhero in the Justice League. Well, him and the Martian Manhunter. There have been many incarnations of the Flash. His first incarnation is Jay Garrick, and the current incarnations are Barry Allen and Wally West. Every Flash starts out as Kid Flash, training with the Flash as his mentor.
The first Flash, Jay Garrick, is the Golden Age incarnation. He wears a tight-fitting red shirt with a lightning bolt on it and jeans. Garrick also wore a silver helmet with golden wings. Jay Garrick gained his speed by inhaling mineral-saturated water. The Flash's only power is super-speed, unlike Superman's vast array of powers. He was the very first super-fast hero, and among the first single-powered heroes.
The next Flash, Barry Allen, is the Silver Age Flash. He gained his powers when lightning-struck chemicals spilled on him. Barry allen was a forensic scientist. Barry Allen donned the sleek red-and-gold Speedster costume symbolic of the Flash.
The modern incarnations of the Flash are Bart Allen and Wally West. They were both introduced as Kid Flash, wearing a costume similar but not a mirror-image of the Flash's. The Kid Flash costume is more child-like, with a simple eye-mask instead of a mask covering the entire face. Wally West is Barry Allen's nephew through marriage, and Bart Allen's grandson. Both are impulsive, childlike Kid Flashes with a simple-minded view on superheroism.
The Flash is often portrayed as the jester of the Justice League. He is constantly bugging Batman, making mistakes at super-speed. The best thing about the Flash is also something about all superheroes: no matter how differently he acts, he will always do the right thing. He may make many mistakes trying to do the right thing, but he still means to do good. This quality is especially visible in his Justice League television show incarnation. He's usually the guy who gets made fun of, but also attracts ladies. Whiel he may not be the cover-boy of the Justice League, he is one of the most well-known. The Flash of the Justice League refers to the Speedster, not the old, Gold Age Flash of the Justice Society.
The Flash is a pretty funny guy. He draws younger audiences to the Justice League and the DC Universe because he's funny and he makes mistakes. The other superheroes seem like they never do anything wrong, especially Batman. Flash kind of blunders his way through the comic or cartoon or story, but is still seen as the hero in the end. He's also not the smartest member of the Justice League. Many people probably pay attention to the League just to see him get made fun of by villains or other members. He is much like Marvel's Spider-Man: people can (kind of) relate to him.

The Amazing Spider-Man!

Spider-Man is one the most popular and well-known comicbook heroes ever, along with Batman and Superman. Spider-Man is the most popular character among Marvel Comics. Many people like Spider-Man because of his seeming normality. Spider-Man also has a sense of humor, making his comicbook appearances more interesting. Spider-Man has appeared in a few television shows as well as a few movies.
Spider-Man is really Peter Parker, a regular teenage boy. He gets bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him superpowers. Among his superpowers are the proportionate strength of a spider and the ability to shoot webs from his wrist. Peter Parker learns his most important lesson as his uncle dies. "With great power comes great responsibility." This quote helps Parker choose to become Spider-Man. He leads a double life; student by day, superhero by night.
Spider-Man faces multiple enemies, most of them unrealistic. One of the only heroes whose story can be realistically told is Batman; most other superheroes have spectacular stories. Spider-Man's most well-known enemy is Venom, a type of "reverse" Spider-Man. Among his other enemies are Doctor Octopus, Sandman, the Lizard and the Green Goblin. My personal favorite is Venom as the anti-Spider-Man. He is everything that Spider-Man isn't, but bigger and stronger. My favorite Spider-Man costume is the black-suit Spider-Man, formed by a symbiotic alien life form's attraction to Peter Parker. The suit makes him stronger, and faster, but also more violent and careless.
Spider-Man is featured in a series of films by Sam Raimi, titled Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man, the first in the (thus far) trilogy, was a success. In my opinion, Spider-Man is the best of the films. Spider-Man 2 gets boring after a while, probably because of the lack of an origin story. Spider-Man 3 was much like Batman Forever, in which the director tried to cram too many villains into a story-less plot. Spider-Man was about Peter Parker's transformation into Spider-Man, as well as the Green Goblin. Spider-Man 2 is about the maniacal Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man 3 is about Peter Parker's struggle to find his true self while battling Sandman, Venom and the New Goblin.
Spider-Man's animated series is probably the best portrayal of him in a cartoon. The animated series I'm talking about is the 90's cartoon, the one I grew up watching. Though the voice acting is slightly corny, the overall story-telling is very good. This cartoon, along with X-Men: The Animated Series, seems to follow in the steps of Batman: The Animated Series in that the show is slightly darker than most cartoons. A spin-off series, Spider-Man Unlimited, was created about a future Spider-Man. That show didn't do so well, and the recent Spectacular Spider-Man isn't quite the greatest show on television, either. Spider-Man cartoons generally appeal to children instead of an older crowd, probably because he is funnier than most other heroes. The humor causes children to forget about the complex, over-the-top stories and focus on the action itself. Older crowds then find that the stories eventually get toned down, and they lose interest.
Spider-Man isnt' a bad hero. He just seems a little outdated now. Sure, he's been revived by Sam Raimi (for the first two films, at least), and kids still like him. Spider-Man's generation is just kind of in the past now.

Captain Marvel/ Shazam!

Captain Marvel is the hero from the comic series Shazam!. I don't even like Captain Marvel. To me, he's completely useless and boring. But, to be fair, I will publish posts about characters I like and those I don't like as much. All Captain Marvel really does is give people bear hugs so he can strike them with lightning. Captain Marvel's story is very strange and completely unbelievable, even more so than Superman's.
Billy Batson was an ordinary child working as a radio news reporter. He was given his powers by a wizard named Shazam. Any time Billy says "Shazam," he is transformed into a fully-grown superhero. As a hero, Captain Marvel has incredible abilities. Captain Marvel's abilities aren't even fair abilities, unlike Superman. Superman actually has a weakness. When Billy says "Shazam", the letters stand for his powers. S stands for the intelligence of Solomon. H stands for Hercules' power. A stands for his stamina, which matches Atlas'. Z stands for his power, which rivals Zeus'. The second A stands for Achilles' courage. M stands for Mercury's speed. Basically, Captain Marvel is a compacted version of some of the most powerful Greek gods and Solomon. Captain Marvel's most commonly seen power is his ability to throw lightning bolts and summon lightning.
Captain Marvel is often shown fighting Superman. Superman generally loses these fights because of his weakness to magic. This is definitely unfair. Captain Marvel might as well be invincible, because he has so many powers and barely a single weakness. Captain Marvel has appeared as the main character in some television shows and a minor character in other shows. Some of the more recent appearances are in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited. He fought Superman in and episode of Justice League Unlimited, but this time Superman defeated him. Superman outsmarted Captain Marvel by using his own lightning bold to transform Captain Marvel back into Billy Batson. Captain Marvel has not appeared in any live-action movies, however. The most recent Shazam! film project was canned (thankfully) when Warner Brothers asked the story to be more serious.
Aside from television and comics, Captain Marvel only really appears in one videogame, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. He is completely useless and boring to play; all you can do with him is send a couple bolts of lightning here and there. Captain Marvel can't even fly! The most useful attack is to grab the opponent in a bear hug, turn them up to the sky and have Captain Marvel yell, "Shazam!". I don't even think that Captain Marvel should have been added to the game; they should have gone with a more Justice League-ish character like the Martian Manhunter. Downloadable content has been confirmed, so hopefully I can download some other character to play instead of this completely overpowered character. It seems I've only used DC Comics characters on this blog. Maybe next week I'll use a Marvel Comics charcter.

Batman (Continued)

The art style of Batman: The Animated Series would be seen again in The Batman-Superman Adventures, an hour-long block on Cartoon Network which had a half-hour episode about Batman and a half-hour episode about Superman. Many fans complained that the newer computer-animated style seemed very cheap compared to the hand-drawn masterpieces of Batman: The Animated Series. Many details were lost in the transition from hand-drawn frames to computer-animated images. In Batman: The Animated Series, Batman's cape and cowl were a deep shade of blue. In The Batman-Superman Adventures and the future Justice League shows, Batman's cape and cowl became a flat black. This change in color scheme was probably used to make animation cheaper. In The Batman-Superman Adventures, many more characters from Batman's story were introduced. One such character is Nightwing, a former Robin.
The next Batman show was Batman Beyond, which was about Batman in the future. The show started in 1999 and ended in 2001. The story took place 30 years after the end of The Batman-Superman Adventures. Bruce Wayne quit being Batman due to health complications, shown in the pilot episode of Batman Beyond. Coincidentally, a troubled teenager, Terry McGinnis, runs to his house when chased by a gang. The two fight off the members of the gang, and Terry helps Bruce get his medication when the complications arise again. Bruce Wayne falls asleep, and Terry goes to wandering around the house. Eventually, Terry discovers who Batman really is. In time, Bruce trusts Terry lets him take up the mantle of Batman in a new suit.
There have been multiple movies about Batman. The first movie was made in 1966, which led to the television series in 1966. The next 2 movies were made by Tim Burton. The first movie, simply titled Batman, was made in 1989. It featured Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Batman, as well as Jack Nicholson as The Joker. Jack Nicholson's Joker has been described as much more faithful to the comics, as opposed to the late Heath Ledger's psychopathic Joker. Burton's second movie, Batman Returns, features Michael Keaton as Batman and Bruce Wayne, as well as Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Burton's movies are very dark and disturbing, and are probably a main source of inspiration of Batman: The Animated Series.
One main difference between Burton's Batman movies and the animated series is Batman's rougher side. This side is portrayed in The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Batman is shown as a hero who seems like a killer, threatening to harm the city's criminals if they don't give him information he wants. In an episode of Justice League Unlimited in which the Justice League is sent back in time, an older Batman sees himself in the past. He says he never thought he was so rough. The Batman that Bruce Timm made known was a meaner Batman who sometimes got a little carried away. In some episodes, he even needed to be told to calm down by Robin. Of course, Batman never really listened to Robin. Batman's tactics are usually to use fear ot get what he wants. Though he seems like he doesn't care about the criminal, he has limits that he won't pass. In The Dark Knight, he says he has one rule; this rule is taken to be that he doesn't kill. The Joker tells him that his single rule is the rule he must break to win their fight. Batman's morals are similar to Superman's but much less strict. He never kills, but he instills fear and may even maim those in his way. This does have effects on his conscience, of course. In one episode of Batman: TAS, he becomes frustrated that he isn't doing any good for the city. Batman is an essential hero. Superman is the brave, well-known and completely ethical hero, whereas Batman is the gritty, cruel hero who uses psychological tricks instead of brute force.

Batman

Batman, my favorite superhero by far, is going to get a 2-part blog. Not just because he is my favorite character, but also because there is so much to him that it can't all be fit into one blog post. Batman has been in many comics, shows and movies. The most recent movie, The Dark Knight, has been by far the most popular. This is partially due to actor Heath Ledger's unfortunate death and partially due to the widespread opinion that the movie itself is spectacular.

Batman first appeared in the year 1939, in the twenty-seventh issue of Detective Comics. Batman appears strange in his first appearance when compared to modern incarnations. His bat-ears were longer and curved, and he often killed the criminals he went after. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, a rich businessman of Gotham City. Bruce Wayne decided to become Batman after his parents were killed right in front of him. Wayne vowed to stop crime in Gotham, and eventually became the vigilante known as Batman. Dressed in a body suit with a bat emblem on his chest, a cape, and a cowl, Batman set out to stop crime in Gotham City. Batman is unlike Superman in the aspect that Batman does not have a strict moral code. Batman will harm the criminals he meets; in Batman's first few appearances, he goes as far as killing criminals. Eventually, Batman's morals were tightened and he merely harms those who he catches committing crimes. Batman's loose moral code is seen throughout many of his movie incarnations, most notabley The Dark Knight. In The Dark Knight, Batman is seen breaking limbs of those he fights with no regards to what he is doing. His limit, however, is murder. Batman will not commit murders, even if it seems like it would stop crime.

Batman has been in multiple television shows. The first show was titled Batman, and it first aired in 1966 on ABC. This television show was full of camp humor and has been criticized for not being dark enough. Batman was played by Adam West. The next show featuring Batman was Batman: The Animated Series, which is a fan favorite. The show ran for 85 episodes, spanning from 1992 to 1995. Batman TAS, as it is called by fans, used a style called Dark Deco. This style was created by putting everything against a black background. Dark Deco made all of the colors seem more realistic and added to the effect that most of Batman's adventures took place during the night time. The show reinvented the costume and look of Robin, Batman's helper. The new look made Robin seem more like an adult; the addition of pant legs made Robin look much less awkward. The villains Batman and Robin faced included some newly invented characters, as well as smaller and less important characters. The Joker was given an iconic look, one that has been noted as a classic look. Other villains, such as the Scarecrow, were brought out and made more known. One villain created by the show and has since been inducted into the DC Universe is Harley Quinn, the Joker's helper and on-and-off girlfriend. After the show ended in 1995, it seemed that the use of the character designs in Batman TAS would never be seen again.
To be continued...

Superman

This week, I'm going to talk about Superman. Superman is the classic American comic book hero. He was born on a planet called Krypton and sent to Earth when Krypton was destroyed. Raised by two Kansas farmers, he grew up as Clark Kent. He realizes he has powers as he gets older, and decides to use his powers for good. Superman's birth name is Kal-El. The Man of Steel is a hero with a strict moral code; he is called a "Boy Scout" by other heroes. His main weakness is Kryptonite, which is usually shown as a green rock.

Superman is not only a comic book hero, but a pop culture symbol representing the United States of America. Superman's role in pop culture has been huge ever since he was first shown in his red-and-blue costume. Shirts, hats, mugs, watches and even shoes have featured the iconic "S" symbol Superman wears on his chest. Children wear Superman costumes on Halloween, when they go trick-or-treating. Multiple feature films about Superman have been made, as well as a number of television shows. Videogames and action figures have been made using Superman; the most recent game to feature Superman as a playable character is Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Superman movies generally do well in the box office and recieve positive reviews from critics and fans alike. The television shows also generally do well; Smallville is currently in it's eighth season. One of the most popular television series featuring Superman, however, is the cartoon Superman: The Animated Series. Superman: The Animated Series was produced by Bruce Timm, the same producer of Batman: The Animated Series.

Superman is a character with a very complex storyline and background. His main weakness is radioactive Kryptonite, and the most commonly shown Kryptonite is green Kryptonite. Green Kryptonite will take away his powers and cause physical pain and nausea. After an extended period of exposure to green Kryptonite, Superman will die. Gold Kryptonite is one of the most dangerous kinds of Kryptonite, as it permanently removes Superman's powers. There are many other kinds of Kryptonite, but most of them are unimportant and uncommon. One major plot twist in Superman's story is presented in Infinite Crisis, a graphic novel in which the universe once existed as a multiverse with many variations on the same character. The main Earths are Earth-One and Earth-Two. The Superman of Earth-One is Kal-El, the most common Superman and Clark Kent. The Superman of Earth-Two is Kal-L, who appears as an aged Superman. In Infinite Crisis, the multiverse is restored so one of Lex Luthor's alternate-reality sons can find the "perfect Earth". Lex Luthor is Superman's main enemy, shown as the classic evil businessman. Luthor is a rich man who is constantly trying to kill Superman.

Continuation of my last blog.

My last blog was cut short because I had to leave. Sorry. Anyways, back to Resident Evil 4. The game is pretty fun, despite being gory. It's going to take a while before I get anywhere near being done, but that's okay. Occasionally, I play on the PlayStation 3. I only play once in a while because I have so much homework, and my brother and I can't seem to agree on what to play. The only game we really play often anymore is Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Normally, my brother wants to play a racing game, and I want to play NBA Live '08. Once we get off for a three-day weekend or Spring Break, however, my brother and I play the PS3 a bit more.
So I decided I would do opinionated reviews of comic book characters each week. Not just from Marvel or just DC, but miscellaneous heroes as well. I'm sure there are many heroes most people haven't heard of. Theres a ton of stuff that anybody can find out about just one superhero on Wikipedia. After reading a bit on Wikipedia, I learned that there's almost an army of Green Lanterns. And then there's some guy in the DC universe named "Captain Marvel". That guy annoys me; he seems totally useless and boring. My brother is fascinated by The Flash. To me, The Flash is alright. He's funny, which makes him a pretty interesting guy. Iron Man is kind of blah, too. He can be funny, but he turns into a very serious person after a while, destroying his sense of humor. Iron Man and Captain America of the Avengers both portray some part of Superman: Iron Man brings the lack of humor, and Captain America brings the patriotism.
So, next week I will be doing overviews of comic book characters. I'll probably be doing a lot of DC characters because they are my favorite. I used to like Marvel characters a lot because they were simpler and less "boring" to me as a kid, but the DC Universe is so much more complex and interesting. The stories behind the characters of DC are so much more believable than Marvel, mainly because Marvel is mostly mutants who are either bent on world domination or determined to be a hero.

Good afternoon.

This is my very first blog. Well, I think it is. Anyways, a little bit about me. I think I'm a pretty normal kid. I like playing basketball, playing videogames, watching superhero movies, reading comic books, and making small paper models. I got really interested in playing basketball about four years ago after playing some games on my PSP. The first basketball game I played was the NBA game for 2005, which taught me the basic rules of basketball. The next game that got me into the flashy side of basketball was NBA Street: Showdown. Much of the things that happend in the NBA Street game were impossible, but highly entertaining to watch.
Now, on to comic books and superhero movies. I read a lot of Spider-Man comics during the summer of three years ago. At that time, Marvel comics seemed more interesting to me. The best superhero movies of that time were the Spider-Man movies. This past summer, however, the Iron Man and Batman movies were very interesting. The Iron Man film, starring Robert Downey, Jr., is the first Iron Man film. The recent Batman movies, however, are not the first of their kind. The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, regenerated an interest in Batman that was hidden ever since the end of the old cartoons. As a child, I was very interested in Batman. I always watched the animated series with Batman and Robin in which Batman, voiced by Kevin Conroy, had a square jaw. Christopher Nolan has changed the Batman storyline a bit to make it more realistic. The Batman and Iron Man movies have proven to me that not all superhero movies have to be corny and CGI-happy. The Dark Knight proved that not every superhero movie must have a happy ending, and Iron Man proved that science fiction does not have to be completely fantastic.
I have always like videogames. I used to be really into racing games, but I have since lost my interest. Fighting, shooting and sports games draw my interest much more, as do games about superheroes. Recently, I've been playing Resident Evil 4. It's a pretty fun game. A bit of blood, but not enough to be entirely cliched and boring. The plot is interesting, to say the least, and gameplay is pretty suspenseful. Each turn of the corner may yield some insane zombie ready to rip your head off, but it also may lead to a treasure or a salesman. About the salesman: he's kind of creepy. The first time I saw him, I...... disposed of him. Then I found out he was the guy who sold weapons and health things. Well, I guess I have to just wait and see how the game turns out.