Catwoman: When in Rome

In Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s When in Rome, Selina Kyle takes a much-deserved vacation to Rome, but that doesn’t last for long. When Catwoman is linked to the murder of a mob don, Selina, in true femme fatale style, sets out to clear her name while searching for her own familial roots–with the Riddler and a Sicilian assassin in tow.

When in Rome’s noir mystery will probably have you guessing till the end, but it is Loeb and Sale’s characterization of Selina herself that’s more interesting than the story itself. (This is probably because there aren’t many books starring Catwoman out there, but I digress.) Selina is intelligent, independent, and strong, confident in her profession as ‘honorable thief,’ and comfortable in her sexuality. Perhaps for the first time, Loeb and Sale explore Selina’s relationship with Batman exclusively from her perspective, highlighting the mental and perhaps psychological strain from their complicated relationship.

However, Loeb and Sale still find plenty of reasons to find her in various lack of dress, in situations that add minimally to the story at large; she is often wearing only a bedsheet or lingerie. It’s noticeable even by regular comic book standards, and while it may be distracting, perhaps even offensive, to some readers, most of us have read enough comics to know it could be worse. Much, much worse.

Catwoman #1: Anodyne

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Darwyn Cooke
Page Count: 24
Publish Date: 11/28/01

We last saw Selina in Cooke’s Selina’s Big Score, when she leaves Gotham for a long-term but ultimately botched mission. Catwoman’s been gone so long she’s presumed dead, but Selina–and a few others, including Batman–know otherwise. Now Selina is back in Gotham, with not only a new suit but also a different outlook on life, and newfound  determination to discover just who she is.

I really enjoyed this first issue, leaving me with a better impression than most first issues do. Selina is witty but real, the art is fantastic, and all of the gears are set in motion for a promising series.

More favourite superhero couples!

More superhero couples, in honor of Valentine’s Day next week! These are my new favourites since last year. If you’re looking for some mushy goodness in the pages of a comic book, why not give some of these couples a try?

Huntress and Catman

Helena Bertinelli and Thomas Blake, two vigilantes caught in the gray area between hero and villain. See their first meeting in the pages of Birds of Prey (update, especially Birds of Prey #13!).

Batwoman and the Question

Kate Kane, soldier and behind the cape and cowl of Batwoman, has a passionate but complicated romance with Detective Renee Montoya, by night known as The Question. Check them out in the Detective Comics series featuring Batwoman.

Talia al Ghul and Batman

Back in the day, Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter Talia was pretty much your female stereotype–caught between her love for Bruce and her father, she wasn’t necessarily a threatening villain. But she’s certainly come into her own as the devious, brilliant and of course sexy assassin whom Bruce just can’t resist–and one late night tryst resulted in everyone’s favorite annoying brat, Damian Wayne.

Storm and Black Panther

It was Africa’s own royal wedding–their goddess of the weather united with the King of Wakanda. Check out their own special wedding issue.

Karolina and Xavin

From the pages of Runaways, this lesser known couple represents the very first superhero couple with a transgender member, that is, Xavin, who is actually a Skrull, but her tendency to switch back and forth between male and female represents a new step forward in comics. Her relationship with Karolina is both pure and sweet and came to an almost tragic end–but hopefully someday they will both be reunited.

Barda and Scott

You know you love them. They met on Apocalypse under the tyranny of Granny Goodness and the rest is history. Check them out in Jack Kirby’s series about Apocalypse and Mr Miracle, or if you want something just as good but more recent, they’re in the Justice League Unlimited episode “The Ties that Bind”. 

Jean and Wolverine

Because seriously, Scott is just so tight-laced and boring. What woman wouldn’t secretly lust after Wolverine?

Catwoman and Batman

It seems sort of silly to have two couples on here with Batman but at least this way, between this year and last year, we got ’em both out of the way. Plus, there’s a playfulness between Selina and Bruce not to mention a very long history that doesn’t exist in his other relationships. This is from the pages of one of my favorite stories with the two of them by Darwyn Cooke. (I believe it’s called “A Knight to Remember”)

Batgirl and Nightwing

I ended last year with Batgirl and Robin, it seems only fair to continue the tradition with Babs and Dick, though this time he’s grown up considerably as Nightwing. They remain equally adorable after Babs gets paralyzed, and he even proposes to her:

Of course, DC has yet to do anything about this. :(

That’s all, folks! More superhero loving will be coming your way next year, but until then, have a great Valentine’s Day.

Anne Hathaway will be Catwoman! But Bane = :(

Well, the rumors are over–we now know that Anne Hathaway will be Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), and Tom Hardy will be Bane, in the next live-action Batman movie, Dark Knight Rises, set to release next summer. (Thanks for the link, Morgan! :) ).

First of all, I really like Anne Hathaway as an actor; she’s one of the few who can pull off both comedic and serious roles.Catwoman’s origins have been reimagined over the years but I’ve always liked her best as a thief, struggling to get by and never the hero; and with the dark edge to Nolan’s Batman movies I can see Selina’s character more like this. I’m sure that Hathaway can pull off the role convincingly and with integrity. (It’s pointless to compare her to Michelle Pfeiffer, at least until we’ve seen the movie.)

But still, Nolan, I must ask: why isn’t the love interest Talia al Ghul?? You’ve stated in so many interviews that the movies will be a complete trilogy, and the third will be conclusive; why not do so by bringing in Ra’s’ daughter? (see the full rant here). Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for redeeming Catwoman, she sure needs it, and I still hope that she’ll someday have a standalone animated film. But Talia has never been seen in any live-action incarnation, show or movie, and giving the character a live-action debut, a tie-in to the first film, and an inevitable nod to the current comics (in which Talia and Bruce have a son, Damian, the the current Robin) would have been awesome.

I can totally see Anne Hathaway pulling off a Talia role, and I wish that were the case. The decision to bring in Catwoman (as much as I enjoy the character) feels recycled, old, done a million times.

And now we get to Bane. I vehemently disagree with Catwoman instead of Talia, but oh how I hate this decision.

Remember the last time we saw Bane on film?

Also known as the worst trip down Batman memory lane, ever.

Just like I said about Clayface in my Batman-rumour entry, Bane is not a smart and sophisticated villain like Ra’s, nor is he an over-the-top maniac like the Joker. He’s a thug who delivers big punches and not much else; when he plugs into the venom, he becomes a mindless fighting machine. Even worse, Bane is almost always the hired mercenary to beat up Batman; he is best known as “The Man Who Broke the Bat,” having broke Batman’s spinal cord in one story. But what I hate about Bane most is that his weakness is overwhelmingly obvious: pull the plug to his venom and he’s out. It happens every time Batman faces him, and it’s always his downfall. Bane isn’t the one I would have chosen to finish the Batman trilogy with a bang. I wanted Deadshot, or the Riddler, or even Harley Quinn–someone with actual cunning.

Will I still watch it? Sure, I’m a fan, aren’t I? I adore Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman is perfect as the Comish, and Catwoman/Batman rooftop banter is sure to be amusing. But I’m not anticipating it like Captain America, Thor and the Avengers.

Which, considering the fact that I love DC more than Marvel, is really quite ironic.

The Dark Knight Rises

This is a fanmade poster, not an official one...but it should be.

A flurry of news about Nolan’s third Batman movie has been circulating over the past several days! While you’ve probably seen it from several different sources (see most of them at IGN), here’s what we now know:

– The title will be called Dark Knight Rises.
– Tom Hardy from Inception has been cast in an unidentified role.
– The Riddler will NOT be the main villain.
– Nolan is meeting with actresses for an unidentified leading role.

Meaning, what exactly?

The title infers that the film will take place right or soon after the last movie, so we can expect to see Batman on the run from the Gotham Police. In terms of family expansion, we can’t expect to see Dick, Babs or Tim, at least not in costume.

Tom Hardy’s role could be any Bats villain except those already portrayed (Ra’s, Two Face, Joker, Scarecrow); nor Mr. Freeze or the Riddler. Right now my money’s on Deadshot, as you probably guessed from the fan poster I chose–he’s a kickass assassin and a tough opponent for Batman, since Bruce refuses to use guns. Hardy (right) fits the part, in terms of age and physique. And if the audience likes Deadshot enough he may get a spinoff–can you say Secret Six movie? But I digress!

The leading lady could be any villainness from Batman’s rouges gallery. The top two candidates are  Talia, the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul and one of Batman’s more significant love interests; and Selina Kyle, by night known as the thief Catwoman, and probably Batman’s second biggest love interest.

Talia and Bats from the animated series.

We also know from previous interviews that this film will not only round out the trilogy but will also be the conclusion to the films, and will be Nolan’s last. So the real question is, not only how these villains will take this film to new places, but also help conclude the trilogy as a whole?

This leads me to believe that the leading lady will be Talia to tie back into the first film; she can be both the villain and Batman’s love interest; and Ra’s might even come back. As much as I love Selina, this just makes more sense as a complete trilogy; plus, the more the third movie is like Batman Begins and the less it’s like The Dark Knight, the more I’ll like it. And I’m convinced that Deadshot will be the second villain, not only for the reasons listed above: if we’re going to carry on the Ra’s theme, Deadshot could be in Ra’s’ League of Assassins! How freakin’ awesome would that be?!

Of course, there are lots of possibilities here, and hopefully Nolan will do what I want make the best decisions for the trilogy.

Who do you think Batman will face in the third and final Nolan movie?

Bat-pumpkins for Halloween

Happy Halloween!

(Since I couldn’t reach Scarecrow at the Asylum for an interview, we’ll have to settle for some favorite Bat-pumpkins from the Web.)

My Picks: DC Animated Films

Let’s face it: DC’s live action movies are leaving much to be desired. Their releases are going at a snail’s pace compared to Marvel, and the possibility of a Justice League movie seems dimmer than ever. But with that weakness comes one great big strength: their animated movies. Bruce Timm and his crew has been churning out high-quality animated films that continually set a higher precedent than the last. From extremely dark films like Under the Red Hood to traditional origin stories like Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, to more experimental films like Batman: Gotham Knight, the animated universe is taking DC to exciting places.

So what’s next for the DC films of 2011? According to IMDb, we’ve got a lot to be excited about. We’ll see an All-Star Superman adaptation, a Green Lantern Corps origin film called Emerald Knights, and an adaptation of Frank Miller’s phenomenal Batman: Year One.

I won’t complain here; All-Star Superman is one of my favorite Superman graphic novels, and Batman: Year One is sure to be brilliant, as long as Kevin Conroy returns as Batman. But you’ve got to admit: all of the films include Superman and Batman, aside from the GL Corps one.

And to be fair, Supes and Bats are the most well-known DC superheroes; it’s probably safe to say that they not only have the most amount of material from which to make great movies, but they’ll also make the most money. But DC has such a wide range of heroes who don’t normally make the spotlight! Remember when the Justice League show was revamped to JL Unlimited, and we were introduced to the entire arsenal of DC heroes? That’s what I’d like to see in the overall DC animated film world; we don’t have to discard Superman and Batman completely, but some B or even C-list heroes should start nabbing the spotlight, if only because a) their characters are too much fun to miss out on, and b) they won’t get a live-action film in the near future.

So for 2012, I’d like to see some different heroes in the spotlight. There are far too many great heroes to choose from, but here are my top picks:

Update–I’ll extend this to the Showcase animated shorts as well; I’d rather see them in a twenty minute adventure than none at all, like the Green Arrow short. (And, note: there have been no shorts thus far featuring female heroes. What’s up with that?)

Green Arrow and Black Canary

The special edition of Apocalypse will have a short Green Arrow film, but Ollie’s too aweome for that; he and Black Canary deserve their own movie! Green Arrow has no superpowers, but his arsenal of trick arrows speak for themselves, while Dinah is an expert combat fighter with one knock-out voice. Not only are they a great couple (especially in the JL show), but it would give DC a chance to get out of Gotham and Metropolis. DC can adapt Dennis O’Neil’s Green Arrow: Year One with China White as the main villain, or move ahead and bring in Speedy. And if they want to go down a darker road like Under the Red Hood, Ollie or Roy’s drug addictions will definitely make it an adult film.

Catwoman

This should be self-explanatory: Halle Berry shredded all hope of a great live-action Catwoman movie, and we probably won’t see another one for a very, very long time. With that being said, it’s up to DC’s animation crew to redeem her legacy. Selina’s a morally ambiguous thief and that’s what makes her so much fun, though sometimes she’ll fight with the heroes, if Batman asks nicely enough. While this kind of movie will probably stick to Gotham, it could give the DC crew an opportunity to look at a different major villain (probably a crimelord, like Black Mask) or even some of the supporting members of the Bat-family, like Nightwing. And even though I wasn’t crazy about the New Frontier movie, I still think Darwyn Cooke’s art should be an influence here, or at least his story Selina’s Big Score, which is probably one of her defining origin stories. Oh yeah, and Adrienne Barbeau (the voice of Catwoman from B:TAS) should definitely reprise her role!

Aquaman

Before I start singing from The Little Mermaid, this is one of the more popular choices for DC’s next animated film. Aquaman has always been part of the Justice League (since their very first issue), but he’s also always been a secondary character. This is usually because the main JL plots take place on the surface, and rarely under it. Aquaman’s a lot like Green Arrow in that they’re both underappreciated, and all the more reason to give him his own movie. While I haven’t read a lot of Aquaman comics, I’d appreciate an origin story that includes the loss of his right hand (he usually has a hook) and some breathtaking introduction to the city of Atlantis. I’d probably prefer it if it doesn’t have Aqualad (unless he’s voiced by Wil Wheaton!), and my top pick for villain would be Black Manta (especially if he’s voiced by Michael Dorn).

Zatanna

I love the magical side of DC; it’s one of the reasons I prefer it over Marvel, and I’d love to see the crew have fun with a Zatanna film. Z is a unique character in that, like Dr. Fate, she isn’t really a traditional superhero; she’s a sorceress. Plus, she’s one of the few heroines who stands completely on her own, without a male counterpart (ie Hawkgirl or Batgirl) or even an immediate pairing (ie Black Canary or Barda). Even though Batman is the obvious choice to co-star, I think Dr. Fate would make a perfect counterpart to round out the two major players of the magicians in DC. And from a thematic point of view, would be great to see a DC film that isn’t challenging because of its dark themes, but is more mind-bending and perhaps introduces more philosophical elements, particularly if Z has to deal with demons or gods.

The Flash

My last pick shouldn’t surprise anyone; The Flash is one of the main DC heroes who has yet to see his own film, and boy does he deserve one! A Flash movie would be a great opportunity to get into Central City and the Flash’s own rogue gallery–but obviously the biggest question here is, which Flash do you choose? There’s the original Barry Allen, or the modern age’s Wally West. Personally, I would pick Wally; his wisecracking personality on Justice League made him a favorite hero of mine, and this could work well as a lighter film–until the Flash needs to get serious and save the city! I also love how the Flash has all sorts of creative and usually humorous ways of dealing with problems using his speed, but his power is also one of the most dangerous. Speaking of which, instead of one major villain, I think the movie would benefit most from several minor villains, like Mirror Master, Nightshade and Captain Boomerang.

There are so many more great heroes that I’d love to see in the spotlight: Hawkgirl and Hawkman, Red Tornado, Huntress, Mr. Miracle and Barda…there are too many to choose from! Regardless, the future of the animated DC world looks bright, and hopefully some of these heroes will bask in the limelight sooner rather than later.

Who would you like to see in their own animated film?