The comic book discussion thread.

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**Ahtman**

Kanluwen wrote:
So we got some casting announcements today for DC's "Suicide Squad" film...

Saw that earlier and not sure how to feel about it.

**gorgon**

So it's finally official! That's a terrific cast. Margot Robbie is an up-and-comer. Leto as the Joker will probably spark some conversation, but from what I read he and his agent really pushed hard for the role. He has an Oscar under his belt...I'm sure he'll make it his own. Truth be told, there's a lot of room "between" Nicholson's clown and Ledger's psychopath, if that makes sense.

For the people wanting to see more "fun" from DC, this looks to be it. Edgy, but fun. I think WB is going to nail it with this one.

Edit: Rumors are circulating that WB wants Oprah Winfrey to play Amanda Waller. Oh, and there are also rumors that Eisenberg (Luthor) may make an appearance.

**timetowaste85**

"You get a bomb in your neck! And YOU get a bomb in your neck!! Everyone gets a bomb in their necks!!!"

Oprah would make a great Waller. I'd prefer the new, young/hot Waller over the fat old woman Waller though. I understand many people prefer the original look, but I started reading DC with the new 52, plus random Batman collections. Only real experience with Waller was in digital media, and I prefer the hot version.

**KamikazeCanuck**

I wonder if a movie called "Suicide Squad" will cause some "controversy" in the mainstream.

**Alpharius**

I'm sure it will.

But it will be largely ignored.

Carry on!

**gorgon**

KamikazeCanuck wrote:
I wonder if a movie called "Suicide Squad" will cause some "controversy" in the mainstream.

Well, you're talking about a "mainstream" that protested The Two Towers because they felt New Line was exploiting the World Trade Center disaster somehow.

Sure, someone will be outraged. Someone is *ALWAYS* outraged, particularly in the U.S. of A. It wouldn't be America without our outrage and lawsuits.

**reds8n**

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/01/29/batman-38-a-new-kind-of-joker-spoilers/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

. so .. uh ... yeah.

..... I'm alright with that.

.. be changed in a few years anyway right ?

**Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl**

I am confused about how, in this article, there is a strange gimmick linking the s and the t.

**Alpharius**

reds8n wrote:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/01/29/batman-38-a-new-kind-of-joker-spoilers/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

. so .. uh ... yeah.

..... I'm alright with that.

.. be changed in a few years anyway right ?

Even if true - probably sooner than that!

Aren't both DC and Marvel heading towards yet another reboot with CONVERGENCE and SECRET WAR?

**gorgon**

Regarding the events in Batman...

Spoiler:

And regarding reboots, my impression is that Marvel is headed for a mild reboot, and DC isn't (Convergence being more about nostalgically revisiting the pre-Crisis and post-Crisis universes). I could be wrong, however.

**timetowaste85**

And in regards to Batman and a new Joker...didn't he "die" in Death of the Family? Sorry, but not spoilering something that happened 2 years ago. I haven't seen Joker since, so...this could be someone picking up a mantle, so to speak? Not gonna spoil myself with it, gonna be surprised by choice.

**gorgon**

Well, he fell into water...which has killed very few villains in the history of literature. I don't think anyone actually thought he was supposed to be dead after reading it.

Also note that the Joker also has a thing for falling into liquid, disappearing, and returning. It's happened many, many times in the character's history (including his "origin"), and I think that Snyder intentionally "offed" him again that way.

Remember that Snyder has been playing off of Morrison's notion of the Joker as experiencing a kind of supersanity, allowing him to be a prank-pulling clown at times and a murderous psychopath at others. And we've clearly seen the Joker behave differently this time than he did in Death of the Family.

With this new storyline, I think Snyder is tying some of these threads together.

Spoiler:

**KamikazeCanuck**

I'm pretty annoyed with Marvel right now. New Avengers has been one storyline since it rebooted a couple years ago. Ambitious, but its just fallen apart lately. I don't know what the hell is going on from issue to issue anymore. It seems like a lot of stuff is happening in other titles that I don't collect.

Anyways, yes seems like there's some kind of reset coming up soon with some kind of "secret wars" thingamabob.

**Alpharius**

KamikazeCanuck wrote:
I'm pretty annoyed with Marvel right now. New Avengers has been one storyline since it rebooted a couple years ago. Ambitious, but its just fallen apart lately. I don't know what the hell is going on from issue to issue anymore. It seems like a lot of stuff is happening in other titles that I don't collect.

I think I might see the problem...

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

Anyways, yes seems like there's some kind of reset coming up soon with some kind of "secret wars" thingamabob.

All kidding aside, yes, and they've taken too long in getting wherever it is they're going!

**KamikazeCanuck**

Alpharius wrote:
KamikazeCanuck wrote:
I'm pretty annoyed with Marvel right now. New Avengers has been one storyline since it rebooted a couple years ago. Ambitious, but its just fallen apart lately. I don't know what the hell is going on from issue to issue anymore. It seems like a lot of stuff is happening in other titles that I don't collect.

I think I might see the problem...

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

Anyways, yes seems like there's some kind of reset coming up soon with some kind of "secret wars" thingamabob.

All kidding aside, yes, and they've taken too long in getting wherever it is they're going!

Well for the first two years it was fine. You could only read New Avengers and follow the storyline. Then after Doom told Namor to screw off everything started to go all crazy. Anyway, I've picked up Avengers now to try and figure it out but I don't want to start collecting a half dozen Avengers titles.

**gorgon**

I used to read more Marvel books, but once the Avengers started to fragment into so many books, I started losing interest. It also didn't help that they had some creative team changes on books I liked. Kind of a perfect storm for me, I guess. Now I don't read a single Marvel book regularly. I've never been a X-Men or Spidey fan, so those books didn't keep me in the Marvel fold either. Honestly, the X-Men history has always seemed ridiculously jumbled and convoluted to me, and it's a definite factor in keeping me away from those books. A reboot -- even if a mild one -- might help me read more Marvel again.

The New 52 definitely got me reading more DC books. It seems like they really wanted to get the "trinity" right, and the Batman and WW books (at least WW under Azzarello) were great stuff. Unfortunately, the Superman books have been very inconsistent IMO, with some of the best Superman stuff they've done in years mixed in with "meh." It seems like they've been through a lot of creative teams on those books, and I guess it shows compared to what they've had on Batman and WW.

**KamikazeCanuck**

So I was reading some internets to try and figure out what to follow Avengers-wise. Word on the street is it seems that the Avengers/Illuminati will eventually fail to save the Earth and it will be the Ultimate Universe that smashes into the 616; kind of destroying them both. This will somehow let them keep the parts of both universes they want.

I think I'm ok with that. The Ultimate universe has been dying a slow death sales-wise and I think Marvel wants to put it out of its misery but they don't want to completely throw out some characters like Miles Morales. This way they can save him and discard the rest.

**reds8n**

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2015/02/fan-has-nose-cut-off-face-tattooed-so-hell-look-like-red-skull/

errmmmm ...

no.

**KamikazeCanuck**

Yeesh, that's disturbing.

**plastictrees**

The "Daddy is having most of his nose removed" conversation is always tough as a parent.

**KamikazeCanuck**

As people on that page have pointed out he doesn't even look like the Red Skull because he has hair. He just not that committed.

**Ahtman**

Super-Source

Well DC is ending the New 52 and starting over again. Yee-ha.

**KamikazeCanuck**

Ahtman wrote:
Super-Source

Well DC is ending the New 52 and starting over again. Yee-ha.

So... this is a good thing?

**Alpharius**

Funny how Marvel's doing the same thing, at almost the same time!

**gorgon**

The article said that it's not a reboot, it's just about what titles they'll be selling:

DC Comics is ending its New 52 imprint this June, the company announced via press release today.

Starting June 3, the publishing line will feature 24 new comics and 25 ongoing comics. Despite the New 52 coming to an end, DC Comics confirms this is not another reboot, and it is not returning to a pre-New 52 universe.

"This heralds in a new era for the DC Universe which will allow us to publish something for everyone, be more expansive and modern in our approach and tell stories that better reflect the society around us," said DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio in a press release. "Whether you've been a DC fan your whole life, or whether you are new to comics - there will be a book for you beginning in June."

The relaunch will begin following the Convergence event this spring, which will see different universes from DC brought together by Brainiac.

In the wake of the Convergence event, DC will also be offering a Free Comic Book Day called DC Comics: Divergence. This is going to be made free at participating stores starting May 2 and feature three eight-page previews for the upcoming June releases of Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Justice League by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok and Superman by Gene Luen Yang and John Romita, Jr.

The New 52 is a revamp and relaunch of the entire DC Comics line. In September 2011, DC Comics cancelled its then-existing titles and debuted 52 new series.
SOURCE DC Comics (Business Wire)

**KamikazeCanuck**

Alpharius wrote:
Funny how Marvel's doing the same thing, at almost the same time!

It's probably just a coincidence. Pick any random month and there's like a 1 in 2 chance some title in Marvel is rebooting.

**Ahtman**

I didn't say it the new thing was a reboot, just that they were ending New 52, which actually was supposed to be a reboot.

**Alpharius**

DC is absolutely 'rebooting' their worlds - but they won't say that because 'reboot' is a sales killer in terms of 'old fans', maybe?

Anyway, we'll be getting a world where 'continuity' is a bad word too!

**Ahtman**

Alpharius wrote:
DC is absolutely 'rebooting' their worlds - but they won't say that because 'reboot' is a sales killer in terms of 'old fans', maybe?

Oh I agree that it is a reboot in all but name. If they used the term so close to another reboot then people might be upset.

**gorgon**

I guess it depends on what you call a reboot. It's not a narrative reboot of their universe, like the Crisis events. In the books that they're keeping, many of the creatives are continuing on, the storylines will continue, and they're continuing with the numbering started in the New 52. And a few of the "new" books -- Earth 2, Justice League 3001, etc. -- just look like extensions of current books.

It's really more of a reboot of of their lineup...and since they won't have 52 books anymore, they aren't calling it the New 52. It does seems that some of this is about better aligning the books and content with their TV and movie properties. I think we saw some of that this week with the changes to Superman's costume...which now seems midway between the New 52 armor and the Man of Steel suit. This is all completely understandable and savvy, but I'm going to miss the days when the comics steered the boat.

It was interesting that Supergirl got canned, considering the upcoming TV show. But then they're probably looking at a relaunch at the time of or shortly thereafter the show starts up.

In other news, Superman also gained a new power this week. I was expecting something cheesier, but it feels like a logical (in comic book terms) extension of his abilities.