Far From Neutral Notions - Philippine politics, culture and stuff

Warning: Some Spoilers Ahead

Imagine, if you will, being a Superman fan. In the Age of Anime.

It doesn’t paint a pretty picture, no matter how you tilt the frame. And things haven’t been good for the Man of Steel in decades.

It probably began with the Denny O’Neal - Neil Adams run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow in the 70’s, pushing social consciousness to the mainstream comics industry. Then came the grim and gritty icons like Wolverine, and the now-classic Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller) and Watchmen (Alan Moore), giving mainstream comic books an edgier, more “adult” feel. Fast forward to now, with the Anime/Manga invasion - in the span of a few years, Superman went from being the world’s greatest superhero to being the world’s greatest boy scout.

Subsequent years saw Superman taking more of a backseat to newer, “tougher” characters. It is perhaps a tribute to this state of affairs that Mark Waid wrote Kingdom Come: a groundbreaking mini-series with art painted by Alex Ross, that illustrated Superman’s increasing irrelevance to how the world works, making the Man of Tomorrow a relic of the past.

And ever increasingly, Superman stories matured. Gone are the wacky villains and even wackier sidekicks. No longer were Superman stories about cosmic disasters and natural cataclysms and the next big unstoppable villain (excepting Doomsday). They were now short morality plays, almost - exploring his psyche, his personality, his… humanity. And mostly asking the question why, despite being able to do most anything he has a mind to do, why be a boy scout, still? Come on! He’s Super-effin-Man! Why not take over? Why not get rich? Why not be a little selfish, here and there? What keeps him good, fighting the good fight? What makes Superman, a super man?

Well, because he’s Superman, and that’s the way he is, that’s the way he chose to be. He’s become one of those people that define themselves, in a cyclic manner. It’s like, why is Samuel L. Jackson such a cool bad ass mofo? Aside from the wallet, it’s because he’s Samuel L. Jackson. Superman is awsome because he is Superman, and he fights for all that is good and decent, truth and justice, because he is Superman. He wouldn’t be Superman otherwise.

He belives in good. He sees evil, and fights against it, because he knows good. Being (up until recently) the last survivor of a dead planet, he reaches out to the denizens of his adopted home and protects them from harm, because it’s all he’s got. He’s not merely good, he represents it. Personifies it. Becomes it.

And that’s awsome.

And that’s how it feels to be a Superman fan. And that’s why I so desperately wanted the new movie to touch the non-fans the way I, a fan, am touched. To spread the awesomeness. Because Superman’s is a beautiful story of somebody trying to do good in a world that’s lost faith.

Imagine my disappointment in this Brian Singer film, then.

This is a movie that started out with so much promise. A world that lost Superman. Can you even begin to imagine how that must be like? Can you imagine living on a planet that was home to one of the most powerful beings in existence, and almost daily depending on him for help, and then one day he’s not there? Yup, neither can Brian Singer. Because we’re introduced to the world that, while not totally unimpressed by him, treats the Man of Steel like any other guy in tights. How can his leaving be relegated to a shrug? I know it took Lois Lane almost five years to write him off (and win a Pulitzer for it), but did it seem like five years? The potential in exploring those five years that he wasn’t around was limitless, and could really have gone a long way in establishing what the character meant to the people, but it was glazed over. The title’s Superman Returns, for crying out loud; would it have killed them to emphasize the importance of said return? There are moments when I know they wanted to make Superman more iconic, more relevant: the messianic poses, the standing ovation when he saved the shuttle, his declaration that the people call to him for help… but there’s no follow through. The way the film treated him, he was nothing more than a popular Spiderman, and that’s just wrong.

Another grave injustice was done to Kevin Spacey, and to a greater extent, Lex Luthor. His version was little better than Gene Hackman’s, and still with the obsession on land! Still surrounding himself with idiots for accomplices. Still with the megalomania. It’s a good thing they didn’t get Eddie Murphy (or worse, Chris Tucker/Will Smith) to reprise Richard Pryor’s role. I hate to say this, but the Smallville TV series at least treated Lex with respect. Has Brian Singer even read a Superman comic in the last 20 years? I don’t mind him taking liberties with the story, but he could have at least gotten some clues as to characterization.

And another thing: Singer killed off Jonthan Kent!? And Martha wasn’t even significant after the first ten or so minutes. These are the people that made Superman who he is, who taught him to be good and just. These are his human connections. They are what made Superman super humane, and the utter lack of storytime they got is just disappointing.

One thing that would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so… off… was Lois Lane having Superman’s kid. I’m not sure if this is a swipe at Kevin Smith - who was supposed to do the script for the movie, who directed Mall Rats, wherein they discussed the impossibility of a Superman-Lois Lane baby because, among other things, Superman would “blow his load like a shotgun” right through Lois’ back.

By the way, am I the only one who thinks that the reason for Superman’s departure was just a wee bit forced? He just up and leaves? Superman? Sure, I’d understand him wanting to check out Krypton, but just like that? Poof, gone? Brian Singer knows Superman like he knows the X-Men. As in, not at all.

What I DO Like

Having said the negative stuff, I’m glad it wasn’t Tim Burton doing the movie, as was originally planned. Although I’m still curious as to what Kevin Smith’s take would have been, had Burton not canned his script.

Brandon Routh is the spitting image of Christopher Reeve. The flight scenes are awsome, very good CGI and camerawork. He can certainly strike a pose, I’ll give him that. Very iconic, very majestic. Even his Clark Kent is like Reeve’s. Yep, same old Clark.

Lois definitely got an upgrade in the looks department. It’s Kate Bosworth, what can I say? Rowr? :p

The camerawork was superb, the lighting and sets were good.

And not much else.

I give this movie a C.

[EDIT]

Ok. I watched the movie again. Better the second time around, I’d say. I still stand by my Bryan Singer comments, but the rest of the movie… well, it’s a Superman flick, I’m a Superman fan.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. Below is the third page of a 12-page dry run we’ve been doing.

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

Here we see Damien in pursuit of the ‘Alpha Male’, who leads him to a forested area, away from the valley. I’m not sure how efficiently we’ve been able to convey his sense of paranoia, but suffice it to say that at this point, Damien is very jumpy.

• Page 1
• Page 2
• Page 3

Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 4% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. Below is the third page of a 12-page dry run we’ve been doing.

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

This battle scene was the biggest sacrifice we had to make, since we were constrained by our 12-page limit. The original concept called for at least a two-page spread featuring tons of carnage and gore. Yes, I am a boy I’m still not comfortable with the decision to cut it short, considering that the battle plays a huge role in Damien’s decision to leave his wife. I guess this is the best time to mention this, though: the battle had to take place at a certain time, given that Damien’s adversaries possessed certain… advantages… that were nullified by a certain phase of their moon, which, of course, doesn’t occur very often.

There’s a lot that happens between the panels; after Karl gives the order to ready their weapons, they are ambushed at the rear, and chaos ensues. Damien decides to go after the ‘Alpha Male’ alone, ordering Karl to take charge.

Because of the changes to this scene, panels 1,2, 4 and 5 weren’t pencilled in, and I had to draw them myself, which explains why the art’s a bit different. This was also the page where I didn’t have my Intuos 3 with me, so I think I consumed an entire bottle of liquid paper for this one.

Please note the Beauty and the Beast reference… “This [the] beast is mine!” I fought long and hard to get that one in. It was supposed to be: “Take whatever booty you can find, but this beast is mine!” but saner heads prevailed and I agreed to compromise. My undying gratitude to the person who spots the next Beauty and the Beast reference.

• Page 1
• Page 2
• Page 4

Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 2% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. Below is the second page of a 12-page dry run we’ve been doing.

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

Here Adam, a mysterious sage/advisor, informs Damien of the possibility that his wife may not survive childbirth, as the baby is “breached”, or feet first. This causes Damien to snap at Adam with a veiled threat should Adam fail. Looking somber, Damien steps out and orders the attack.

This also marks the first appearance of Karl, Damien’s second-in-command. His is an interesting background in that he was never meant to be a major part of the story - just someone for Damien to relay his orders to. But I liked how I inked his hair, which reminded me a lot of Robert Ludlum’s Sonnenkinder theories - perfect aryan children born of perfect aryan parents - so he became this Swiss-German blonde ubermensh marksman (because I always imagine Swiss-Germans to be the best snipers in the world - thank you very much Combat Missions), but since he lives in a world where sniper rifles are very scarce and high caliber bullets are non-existent, he lugs around a shotgun instead (not shown).

Also note Karl’s earpiece; in this world, most people are born with certain mutations that, for the most part, serve only to disfigure. Karl is an ‘elf’, those born with mutated ears or a heightened sense of hearing. It’s not a radio, it’s just a covering. Damien’s mutation is in his right arm extending to his shoulder, so he wears a special armor to cover it up.

• Page 1
• Page 3

Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 2% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. It’s been in the back of his brainpan for the better part of a decade, but it’s only recently that he decided to start working on it. The image below is the first page of a 12-page dry-run that we hope to publish or have published real soon

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

Here, Damien, the protagonist, is about to lead an attack against their enemies, the outcome of which may be very crucial to their goals. They’ve planned this for a long time: certain strategic elements had to be evaluated in choosing the place and time for the battle. Unfortunately, the attack also coincides with the time his wife is about to go into labor, and Damien had to make a very painful decision.

• Page 2
• Page 3

Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 3% [?]