Tag: justice league

Justice League Canada 2014: Doomed From the Start

Justice League Canada will be coming to store shelves next year. As someone with Canadian heritage, I can understand how those living in the land of my ancestors would be proud to have Justice League Canada…until they realize what they are getting.

Justice league Canada is coming

Justice league Canada is coming

What’s Going On?

According to Jeff Lemire, during Toronto Fan Expo, the Justice League Canada team will be comprised of a few A-Listers, some lesser-known heroes, and a new Canadian hero. The team will come together due to the changes happening in the days following the Trinity War and Forever Evil.

Who Will Be on the Team?

While the lineup of Justice League Canada has not officially been announced yet, I have some speculations about the makeup.  The team will most likely not have Batman or Superman as there would be too much upheaval in the DC Universe and fan base if Batman were taken out of Gotham and Superman was taken out of Metropolis. Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow, though, are not locked into U.S. locations, so they are all fair game.

Likely to Move?

I would not be surprised by Katana and Vibe heading to the Great White North. Personally, I would be offended if I lived in Canada and was supposed to get excited about Vibe. Oh, wait….I live outside of Detroit and am supposed to get excited about Vibe. Back to the drawing board people.

I could also see Simon Baz heading there as well. Wait, whatever possessed DC Comics to put something that looks like a ski mask on a black character? I digress.

What I Foresee

I can see Justice League Canada having a push in Canada just like the Justice League of America had here. We will see variant covers with the flags of each Province and territory. I am sure everyone is going to clamber over Nunavut and Manitoba. The title will last six to twelve months and then disappear.

This is Mamma Yamma

This is Mamma Yamma

The Canadian Push

Lemire (who is Canadian) will write the comic, and they are already pushing his Canadian upbringing. They are going to push that this is the best thing to happen to Canadian comics since Wolverine and Alpha Flight. There will be a new special Canadian character created for the series. My vote goes to Mamma Yamma, the talking sweet potato on Kids’ CBC.

The Article Linked Above

The article I linked above on TheStar.com about Justice League Canada points out a limited number of Canadian superheroes and makes it sound like Captain Canuck, Wolverine, and Alpha Flight are Canada’s only claim to fame in the comic book character world. What about Northstar? Did they not know that Sabertooth came from Canada? How about Scott Pilgrim? Hell, what about Deadpool? Sorry, I digress again.

Whoever is added to the lineup for Justice League Canada, the title is doomed from the start. Just think about what Lemire stated in the article when he was asked where the idea came from. He said it was totally Dan DiDio who came up with the idea. Sorry Canada.

Justice League #22 is My Pick of the Week!

This is a strong week for comics, but Justice League #22 easily pulled away with the victory. Honorable mentions need to go to titles such as Batman, Uncanny X-Men, and Superman Unchained (yes, I am actually reading Superman Unchained. I surprises me too) for having strong showings. Justice League #22 is not my Pick of the Week just because it starts out the Trinity War. It is my Pick of the Week because it was a great issue which should be noted.

Justice League #22

Justice League #22

Still Hope for Those Who Have Not Read Justice League #22 Spoilers

Yes, there are many sites which have leaked certain aspects of the story told in Justice League #22. Even those sites which have given the most spoilers have not been able to touch on the entire scope of what is going on in the issue. Let’s explore without major spoilers.

Justice League #22 is Packed

I have to commend Geoff Johns on Justice League #22. There are not very many writers who could have pulled off such a packed story. There were no filler pages or panels in this story as the reader is sped from one location to another to give as many levels of the story as possible. The spoilers have only covered a few aspects of this issue which are of note, but someone who has been following the story leading into the Trinity War will have dozens of bits to talk about in Justice League #22.

The Means

There is a quick conversation between Superman and Wonder Woman which delves into their means for dealing with villains. The conversation might get lost by some readers as it is only a few panels long, but within those handfuls of words, Johns is able to point out a major difference between the two characters. There are other points in Justice League #22 which also show how different the players in this war really are.

Superman, Wonder Woman, and Pandora

Another short conversation which needs to be paid attention to happens between Superman, Wonder Woman, and Pandora. The crossing of lines between mythology, psychology, and “reality” is interesting to see between these three characters. Conversations such as this, and the one mentioned previously, are often forgotten about by writers, but should not be. These explorations into the character’s minds help to define them.

The WTF? Moments

Yes, Justice League #22 has a good handful of WTF? moments. A few are still leaving me scratching my head and waiting for the next issue in the Trinity War series. There are enough questions left in people’s minds which will keep them around for at least one more comic in the Trinity War run.

A Concern Addressed?

One of my biggest concerns about the Trinity War was that it was not going to have many grabbing moments to keep the reader’s attention. I have been worried that it was simply going to be a battle series and nothing more. If the rest of the Trinity War is able to deliver like Justice League #22, it will be a wild ride many of us will remember for years. The bar has been set by Geoff Johns’ writing and amazing art by Ivan Reis. We have to wait until next week to see if the story can continue at this current level.

Justice League Movie: Too Many Hurdles for DC Comics

We have been hearing about the possibility of a Justice League movie for many years, but with the continued success of the Marvel movies, DC Comics is getting a fire lit “down below” to produce a Justice League movie for the fans and for investors. There are interesting hurdles the company will face with this project which makes for a huge uphill battle which could have been avoided if DC Comics had come out with a Justice League movie four or five years ago.

Will we ever see a Justice League movie?

Will we ever see a Justice League movie?

Coming From Behind

First off, DC Comics has to play catch-up with Marvel since the Marvel movies are consistently becoming the best at the box office when they come out. Movies like those in the Iron Man Series and The Avengers have set records which have raised the bar to such an amazing height that DC Comics would be David against Marvel’s goliath with a Justice League movie.

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern

DC Comics has hurdles to overcome with four of the characters which would be expected for a Justice League movie. They are going to have to recast the best Batman and recoup the damages after a horrid Green Lantern. Man of Steel looks much better than the first new Superman move, so that character might have been redeemed (as long as the movie is as good as the preview).

A big hurdle for a Justice League movie comes when you look at Wonder Woman. The first recent attempt at creating a new Wonder Woman show was a complete disaster and the second is not putting hope in people’s minds.

The Rumor

I have heard people refer to a rumor that DC Comics will officially announce a Justice League movie in San Diego this summer. If they do not announce a movie, fans will become discouraged and mistake the rumor for being a rumor and take the non-announcement as a broken promise.

The Failing Market Share

I have discussed in other articles about the DC Comics loss of market share in the comic book industry. DC Comics needs a movie, or an actual hit TV show (Arrow is not a hit), to help restore market share. If they cannot deliver on either, I do not see the company having a chance to regain the top spot any time soon.

Note how all of these hurdles could have been avoided if DC Comics had not allowed Marvel such a lead and if they had tried to make a Justice League movie before all of the hurdles got into place.

Trinity War Triptych – True Meaning

The Trinity War triptych has everyone talking, but I am realizing that most comic book websites are missing key points in the picture. Too many people are reading into the action in the Trinity War triptych and not reading into the messages hidden inside.

The Trinity War triptych

The Trinity War triptych

What is Being Reported on the Trinity War Triptych?

Yes, it is interesting how Wonder Woman has her lasso around Constantine. Yes, it is interesting how the three factions of the Justice League (proper, Dark, and America) are fighting. These points, though, do not the key points of the collaborative picture at all. Am I the only one who sees the actual message?

Who Fights the Trinity War?

The original thoughts about the Trinity War pointed to a war between Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Since the three factions of the Justice League are seen fighting in the triptych, many websites are discussing the “trinity” in the war being the Justice League factions. Why are they disregarding the idea of the Phantom Stranger, The Question, and Pandora being listed as the Trinity of Sin? Anyways, the picture clearly points to the three main players in the war.

Trinity War triptych focus

Trinity War triptych focus

Read the Picture

The Phantom Stranger and The Question are shown in clowdy form above the fighting. I read this as them not simply being watching the battle, but directing it as if the members of the Justice League factions are simply pawns in a greater battle. Where are they directing the battle?

If you were to draw a line from the Phantom Stranger’s eyes and from The Question’s eyes, you will note that they are both looking directly at the skull in Pandora’s clutches. If you were to draw a line from the Phantom Stranger to The Question, you will note that the shape created is an equilateral triangle. The equilateral triangle is a major symbol in Christianity since it symbolizes the equality of the Holy Trinity. Turn that and we have a triangle symbolizing the Trinity of Sin.

Reading Deeper

What is Pandora doing in the picture? As the world is fighting around her, she is protecting what appears to be a jeweled skull. It should be inferred that the Trinity War is centered on this skull. With Pandora’s own title coming out shortly, we should find out what the skull means within weeks.

I guess the amount of action in the picture has distracted most people from the true message of the Trinity War triptych. At least we appear to have an answer to the question about the Trinity War affecting more titles than just those in the DC Comics Dark Universe. The Trinity War will be fought the the Trinity of Sin with the factions of the Justice League being their pawns.