Superman

Superman – Stolen Memories

  • Title: Superman: The Animated Series – Stolen Memories
  • tv.com: link

Superman - Stolen Memories

With a new Superman in now in theaters every now and then I’ll continue to take a look back at the hero’s more memorable moments on both the big and small screen. After being introduced in the show’s Pilot, Brainiac (Corey Burton) finally makes it to Earth in “Feeding Time” when the knowledge-seeking artificial lifeform makes contact with Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) and agrees to trade technology and innovation in exchange for the full knowledge of Earth. Brainiac also makes Superman (Tim Daly) an offer to share his knowledge of Krypton with the Man of Steel in exchange for Superman leaving Earth with Braniac and venturing out into the larger universe.

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Batman/Superman #1

Batman/Superman #1Um, what? Writer Gre Pak’s Batman/Superman #1 is a confusing tale that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere in DC’s current New 52 storyline. It’s presented, at least initially as the first meeting between both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, and later between Batman and Superman. Okay, this part of the comic works fine (although Bruce Wayne’s undercover slumming isn’t well-explained).

Here’s the problem: We know that Justice League #1 is the first time the characters met, so is DC already retconning the New 52? Much more troubling is the turn the issue takes halfway through where it appears Batman and Superman have known each other for some time and Batman is confused while Superman is wearing jeans rather than his regular costume. Yeah, I’m confused too (with everything that’s happening)!

The story also involves some kind of entity that takes over its host and gets off on pain and power. The character is never properly introduced nor are his powers defined. This is a clusterfuck of a first issue that makes less sense the more you read it. Pass.

[DC, $3.99]

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Superman – Feeding Time

  • Title: Superman: The Animated Series – Feeding Time
  • tv.com: link

Superman - Feeding Time

With a new Superman in now in theaters every now and then I’ll continue to take a look back at the hero’s more memorable moments on both the big and small screen. Making his first appearance in comics way back in 1966, the Parasite has been a classic Superman villain for nearly 50 years. “Feeding Time” reintroduced the character as a small time thief and janitor for S.T.A.R. Labs whose exposure to an experimental chemical turns him into the Parasite (Brion James) and sets him on a path of revenge against the member of the crew (Robert Patrick) who roped him into the robbery and whose recklessness caused Rudy to be exposed to the experimental chemicals which left him transformed and with the ability to temporarily steal energy and knowledge from anyone he comes into contact with.

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Not Exactly Super

  • Title: Man of Steel
  • IMDb: link

Man of SteelWith the box office disappointment of last year’s Green Lantern, the end of Christopher Nolan‘s Batman series, and most of the specifics of 2015’s Justice League still to be determined, DC Comics and Warner Bros. have put all their support behind a new Superman franchise helmed by 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder. The result is an often puzzling piece of filmmaking that breaks away from both decades of comic history and the ghost of Richard Donner‘s Superman to create a New 52-ish take on the character (i.e. grittier and largely absent of joy or wonder) that, despite its preponderance of extended action scenes, is one of the most boring super-hero films ever made.

Much like Green Lantern (which is in every measurable way a superior film), Man of Steel decides to redesign its leading man for the silver screen. The muted palette and organic earthy feel of Snyder’s version of Superman’s homeworld of Krypton (where the film’s first 25 minutes takes place) may remind you of Green Lantern‘s version of Oa, but it’s just one of many steps in distancing the character from his rich comic history.

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Lois & Clark – I’ve Got a Crush on You

  • Title: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – I’ve Got a Crush on You
  • tv.com: link

Lois & Clark - I've Got a Crush on You

With a new Superman ready to fly into theaters this week every now and then I’ll continue to take a look back at the hero’s more memorable moments on both the big and small screen. “I’ve Got a Crush on You” gives us both Lois (Teri Hatcher) and Clark (Dean Cain) undercover at a nightclub which is a front for the head of the Metro Gang. Both reporters are trying to uncover who is setting fire to buildings in the West River neighborhood. The full truth, which neither will fully discover, is that the is gang financed by Lex Luthor (John Shea) who has plans to buy up real estate cheap and reinvent the waterfront as Lex Harbor.

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