Tag: Scott Lobdell

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Happy Death Day

by MCDave

The horror genre meets Groundhog Day in Christopher Landon’s engaging new effort, Happy Death Day. We’ve seen this repetitious formula filter into the sci-fi/action genre with 2014’s The Edge of Tomorrow, and it feels like such a natural fit for scary movies, making Happy Death Day‘s premise on odd combination of both familiar and original storytelling. But despite the film’s creative foundation, the manner in which everything pieces together is less that satisfying.

When sorority queen Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes up on her birthday in the dorm room of an underclassman named Carter (Israel Broussard), she instantly regrets all of her previous night’s decisions. Yet, little does Tree know that Carter may be the only person on campus she can actually trust. As Tree continues on with the rest of her day, it ends in a grisly murder at the hands of a determined killer sporting a mask of the university’s mascot. And when she awakes to the same morning routine in Carter’s dorm room, she quickly finds herself forced to relive the day over and over again until she can correctly identify her killer.

Happy Death Day is short on scares and gore, evident by its limiting PG-13 rating. For an idea as clever and death-filled as this one, the film is sorely mishandled with its tame and subdued demeanor. Instead, Christopher Landon and writer and Scott Lobdell deliver a more teen-centric and fun endeavor than a truly horrific one. And as Tree falls victim to her mysterious killer over and over again, she gains a newfound perspective on life that helps transform a once cruel and superficial sorority sister into a more grounded and introspective young woman. This nice and pretty little bow that’s tied to Happy Death Day‘s main character is certainly gratifying, yet a head-scratching journey to unlocking Tree’s killer is riddled with red herrings and plot holes. While some of the story’s misdirection works well in the moment, the most notable twist is in many ways unforgivably bad. Happy Death Day proves to be another immature horror effort that squanders an otherwise creative premise. Thankfully, a brisk pace and likable main characters allow Christopher Landon’s latest to be, at worst, a tolerable experience.

GRADE: 3/5

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Superman #13: Quitting The Daily Planet And The Misuse Of Clark Kent

by Molly Mahan

Earlier last week, when I read that Clark Kent was going to quit his job at The Daily Planet, I was pretty excited. I caught the panel of the deed on Wednesday from a little forum known as Scans_Daily, and immediately I was pumped. Mild mannered reporter Clark Kent was taking a stand, and it was going to be awesome. Not to mention the newspaper industry is a dying beast, so it had the possibility of being a relevant and interesting update.

Then I picked up and read the rest of the comic. Immediately, I was disappointed and heartbroken because it became very clear to me that writer Scott Lobdell and DC editorial had made a huge mistake, and one that did not lack in irony (be it intentional or by happenstance).

In the book—Superman #13—Kent says that he reports on the news, he does not “make it”. However, as Superman, all he does is make news. Additionally, the method in which he quits—that is, a sudden decision with little to no build up—makes it look like all DC wanted to do was make a headline, rather than tell a story. This isn’t too surprising given DC’s media whoring the last couple of years (a few choice examples: Batwoman’s back and a lesbian, but it’ll take half a decade before they finally utilize her! Rebooting the universe left and right! Not to mention that Wonder Woman and Superman are now a “power couple”, etc.).

Stop bitching and write an editorial, Kent!

It’d be far more interesting if Clark actually used his position as a reporter to supplement his heroics, and not just maintain it as a lame-duck identity. If he’s only working for a paycheck, then why not be a waiter or a mechanic, something a little less public? There’s a reason he was a reporter and DC seems to have lost track of why and hence ignored that aspect of his character for some time. Even a mild-mannered reporter can rattle cages and investigate! If Superman really does stand for Truth and Justice, then he should be out there on the streets seeking those things, even when not battling aliens and evil geniuses with his fists. He would have a better and more effective time at it as a reporter than a fireman or accountant. Perhaps finally reveal Lex Luthor as an evil genius to world, rather than keeping it a secret. Remember when Lex became President? Yeah, probably wouldn’t have happened so easily if Kal El had utilized his position more effectively at The Daily Planet (you know, done his job). Granted, that part of DC’s history is no longer continuity, yet it still speaks to the illness that is present in a lot of superhero comics. And that is, not supplementing the alter-ego to aide in the character’s main goal (i.e., saving the world).

But, maybe, that’s the American Way aspect? All this information and hording it for himself as a 1%er of knowledge (though doesn’t Batman already have that kind of douchebaggery covered?). After all, he doesn’t owe us anything, and neither does DC. It’s completely selfish of me as a reader to suspect otherwise. Nevertheless, as a former, zealous reader of DC Comics, it is disappointing that they went after it from this angle. It feels like a cop out and not one with any real merit.

It may very well be interesting to see where Lobdell goes with this. How will he justify the transition; can he? Or will we see Clark back at The Planet or some other news-based gig in a couple months (after all, that’s all his resume is built for). Whatever the next step for Clark Kent is, I urge creative and editorial that his identity will supplement the character and his mission, rather than just be an ad hoc identity that serves no real purpose. After all, unless the secret identity has a purpose, why bother with it? The X-Men certainly don’t (no one in the Marvel Universe really seems to, aside from Spider-Man). The Fortress of Solitude is always available for living quarters, and surely someone would be willing to pay Superman copious amounts of money to be a part-time body guard, motivational speaker, etc.

Though maybe he meant the speech he gave, and the future of Clark Kent as investigative blogger for The Metropolitan Post (or whatever) could potentially be worth reading. We’ll see. After all, I’m not against change, I just hope it means something. Adds something. But in the past year, there doesn’t seem to be enough Blue Lanterns in the New 52 to justify my hopes.

One last thing: Lois Lane had always been the character Lobdell is trying to make Kent into in this issue. She was the tough-as-nails reporter who cared about the news and getting the information out to the people. In this issue, she cares about sales, credibility be damned. That’s a ‘fridging of character if I ever saw one. But another article for another time.

Superman#13 is written by Scott Lobdell, with art by Kenneth Rocafort. It is on sale NOW.

How DC Comics Can Save The Teen Titans Franchise

by Eric Diaz

As an Old School DC Comics fanboy, I will admit that the whole “New 52” reboot was a hard sell for me. However, this isn’t going to be one of those articles where I slam DC’s New 52 initiative wholesale; obviously the initiative has worked, at least in terms of sales. And some of the books are downright great; the Batman family of titles are strong and cohesive, and Scott Snyder’s Batman is already one of the best runs on that book ever. Geoff Johns continues to kick ass on Green Lantern and his Aquaman is one of the best comics they have. Then there is Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Action Comics, the list goes on. Having said that, I think almost a year into this New 52 though, we can now officially count the reboot version of the Teen Titans at the very least as a disappointment. The title is selling decently enough, certainly well enough to get a spin-off in the form of Ravagers, but the book gets tons of online hate from fans and the Ravagers spin off is already tanking two issues in. Scott Lobdell’s writing and (especially) Brett Booth’s art makes the whole thing look like it was an Image or Wildstorm title circa 1996. Teen Titans is a cornerstone DC title that deserves better than it is getting.

According to DC Comics Editor In Chief Dan Didio, one of the main goals of the New 52 was to return the more classic incarnations of these characters to the forefront. In other words, they want whoever is wearing the costumes in the comics to be the characters most widely recognized by the mainstream non comic book reading audience. This is why Barbara Gordon is Batgirl instead of Stephanie Brown, why Barry Allen is the Flash in place of Wally West, and for similar reasons why Clark Kent and Lois Lane aren’t married, as to most average Joe Six Packs, Clark, Lois, and Superman are still in a love triangle.

Based on this logic, it is strange that the Teen Titans books are such a hot mess right now. For a company that is all about “corporate synergy” between itself and parent company Warner Brothers, there hasn’t been much in regards to this book.  If you were to ask a kid on the street, or even a casual comic book fan, who made up the membership of the Teen Titans, chances are they would tell you the characters who made up the highly successful animated version: Robin (the Dick Grayson version) Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy. Those of course, are the same characters who made up the bulk of the team in the 1980’s New Teen Titans series, which for most of that decade was DC’s #1 selling title and helped keep the company afloat. If there is an “iconic” Teen Titans team, then those characters are it.

The two most successful versions of the Teen Titans have featured these characters; if there is an “iconic” version of the team, these guys are it.

Meanwhile, Young Justice on Cartoon Network currently features Robin (Tim Drake) Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark, Kid Flash Bart Allen and Superboy as the core group. But these are the characters who in the current comics go by the name Teen Titans, not Young Justice. Someone dropped the ball. It also doesn’t help that Teen Titans Go premieres next year on Cartoon Network, once again with the classic line-up. It all feels like DC’s right hand doesn’t know what their left hand is doing.

The current cast of Young Justice has more in common with the comic book cast of Teen Titans. So much for corporate synergy.

So here is how you fix this DC; cancel both the current Teen Titans and Ravagers comics, Ravagers being that cheesy 90’s style spin off series that no one seems to like. It has been established that in the New 52 DC Universe, this current team is the first group of teenagers to go by the name Teen Titans in the five year old new DC universe. So reconfigure the current version of the group currently going by the name Teen Titans into a new version of Young Justice instead. There has not been an in continuity Young Justice team in almost a decade at DC, and with an animated series on the air, now would be the time to do it. Have the current members of the Titans now training under the auspices of the Justice League, and doing secret missions for them much like in the animated series.

The starts of Ravagers, the Teen Titans spin off no one asked for. Hey Ravagers…1990’s Wildstorm called, and they want their look back.

Meanwhile, re-launch Teen Titans with the characters most people associate with that team. DC has stated that being Batman’s sidekick is more like an internship now, as a way to explain away how there have been four different Robins in a five year old DCU. Which means that Dick Grayson as Nightwing could still be as young as 19 for all we know. Get that weird blow up sex doll version of Starfire out of Red Hood and the Outlaws and put her back on the Titans, and correct any weird personality changes done to her along the way. Bring in Beast Boy, Raven, and have Cyborg as their “older” mentor figure (I say older as he is only 21 at best in the Justice League title) This line up of characters is what both younger and older fans recognize as the Teen Titans most, so DC should capitalize on this fact. I’d also throw in Donna Troy, as she’s a beloved Titans character and missing from the reboot, to much fanboy unhappiness. While I hate that the new DCU has erased the now classic New Teen Titans series from continuity, at least it has freed them up to all meet again for the first time, and introduce a new generation of readers to that iconic team.

Maybe the version of Starfire shown in Red Hood and the Outlaws is like, an evil clone or something.

As for who is going to be the creative teams, well…there are a ton of talented people to choose from, it isn’t a short list. But I don’t think writer Scott Lobdell’s sensibities have really worked for most of his Titans run so far, and certainly not for Starfire over in Red Hood and the Outlaws. I’d get someone like James Robinson, who is doing a great job on Earth-2 right now. Robinson wrote the previous versions of Dick Grayson and Donna Troy in the last incarnation of JLA before the New 52 reboot, and has stated that he’d love to work on Donna again in some capacity. Well, this would be the perfect chance. There are lots of great artists working at DC right now who would be perfect, but of course my #1 vote would go to Phil Jimenez who is currently working on Fables spin off Fairest for Vertigo. Whoever they get, it’ll be better than what they’ve got going on right now.

So there you have it DC, my free advice on how to fix on of your most valuable properties before it eventually gets cancelled due to fan apathy. Teen Titans was once one of your cornerstone books DC, you can make it great again.

Geekscape Comics: ‘Superman’ Gets New Creative Team. ‘Green Lantern’…Gets A Gun?

by Shawn Madden

Over the past week a flood of the covers of DC’s “zero issues” have hit the web. Some good. Some bad. Well here we have an example of both.

The good.

The Huffington Post is reporting that ‘Superman’ will be getting a new creative team in the form of writer Scott Lobdell (‘Teen Titans’) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (‘Red Hood And The Outlaws’). While I don’t read ‘Superman’ myself.. this is definite good news for this book. However bad news for my love of ‘Red Hood And The Outlaws’. Once again DC…you’ve done me wrong.

The bad.

Well, now I don’t even know what to say here. Why would a character that can create anything from his imagination (including a gun) be carrying a gun? This ‘Green Lantern’ number zero cover features a new GL rocking some form of s&m/ ‘Kick Ass’/wrestler fusion type outfit and holding…well, a gun.

He also has a very noticable tattoo on his forearm. Bleeding Cool has translated the tattoo. It reads: “Courage, Bravery, Valor, Guts, Prowess and Spunk”.

Uh…what? Okay DC. You have me lost on this one even.