Green Arrow: Year One –Review

The rise in profile of the Green Arrow DC Entertainment superhero brought about by the CW “Arrow” TV series inevitably raises interest in the source material.  And the natural starting point for those new to the Green Arrow in comics is the most recent telling of the origin story, “Green Arrow: Year One,” (2007) written by Andy Diggle and illustrated by Jock.

The title “Year One” immediately draws direct comparisons to Frank Miller’s popular “Batman: Year One” graphic novel and assumes the responsibilities to compare with it as a definitive beginning for the character.  While Millar’s story told the first 365 days of the Dark Knight dawning his cape and cowl in Gotham City, the Green Arrow’s “Year One” ends at the hero’s beginning of vigilantism in Star City.  Instead, the entire length of the novel takes place before and during Oliver Queen’s time as a castaway on a nameless Pacific island.  While he gradually becomes the Green Arrow on the island, a more accurate title for the book would have been “Year Zero.”

In the graphic novel, Oliver Queen is a wild, thrill-seeking, rich orphan who has had everything handed to him in life with nobody to tell him “no,” and he knows it too.  After being betrayed by greedy insiders and thrown out of his yacht, he finds himself washed up on an island alongside village ruins.  Finding the drug runners responsible for both his isolation and the native people’s destruction, Oliver dawns a green hood and a makeshift bow and arrow –which he has an inherit talent for.  His transformation into the activist we know as the Green Arrow is plausible and overall very satisfying.  The story somewhat explains his use of a bow instead of guns when he dismisses guns he has at his disposal saying that he has no use for them, that he would be less accurate and wants to earn what he gets with use of a more difficult to use weapon.  It does lead to one problem where the island fits his needs all too well with one fortunate coincidence after another.  There is, however, a reason for this.  While beforehand he used his windfalls for inward thinking, and now he utilizes all his resources for the benefit others.  Despite this, such writing still comes off as lazy.

Illustrator Jock’s cover and cinematic images are instantly attention getting, and that seems to be the novel’s overall strategy as stated in Brian K. Vaughan’s introduction.  The story moves along with quick pacing, and the dialog feeds the reader a breadth of information in order to rush through the background and get to the plot immediately.  This novel has the same problem as so many comics do when it makes no use of subtlety and hand feeds the reader everything they’re supposed to get out of reading it.  In addition, the overall story is not as complex as it should be and is overly predictable.  The graphic novel plays it safe and unfortunately sparsely gives those familiar with the Green Arrow something new.

At Comic-Con International this year, the panel of the “Arrow” stated that the series will borrow heavily from “Year One.”  Despite gripes with the graphic novel, it is definitely reason for excitement.  China White or “Chien Na-Wei,” a foxy Asian lady dressed in white, is the main villain/drug runner of “Year One” and will appear in “Arrow.”  Weather she will appear in island flashback, Starling City, or both is yet to be seen.  The Deathstroke character’s mask appearing in the pilot also means that the backstory is likely more complex than its graphic novel counterpart, yet will maintain the interesting transformation that “Year One” does so well.

“Green Arrow: Year One” is made for the casual reader and is certainly worth a read especially for those excited about the “Arrow” television series.  Readers should not be expecting a match for “Batman: Year One” or a highlight in comic history.  While it plays it safe, it is a solid entry in the DC Universe library.

VERDICT: 3/5

Check out my review of the “Arrow” Pilot direct from Comic-Con International

The Dark Knight Rises Inspiration

The Graphic Novels that Inspired the Dark Knight Rises & How

“The Dark Knight Rises” teaches one big lesson when making good movies of comic book characters: Know the source material. From plot elements to character determinism to themes, inspirations from Batman’s graphic novels are profusely evident in “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Christopher Nolan and David Goyer have constructed back to back masterpieces in their Batman trilogy. It ends the legend with tact and finesse while calling back to the first two movies seamlessly. While “Batman Begins” & “The Dark Knight” borrowed immensely from DC’s comics, the finale is the best example of this practice. Thanks in part to respecting the comics, DC’s characters were properly represented and skillfully portrayed by Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, and more. “The Dark Knight Rises” leaves a lasting impact and a shining example of how to adapt superheroes from graphic novels to a financially successful and cinematically brilliant movie franchise.

This is not a review, as there are many others that do this movie justice.

Followers of my blog already know I hold “The Dark Knight” in high esteem and what Batman graphic novels I regard as the best from my Ten Best Batman Stories article. Here I bring you what books inspired “The Dark Knight Rises” and in what way. I cannot say for sure that Christopher Nolan and David Goyer read them all, but the impact of these novels is surely felt.

Ten Best Batman Stories

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD

LAST CHANCE!  SPOILERS AHEAD!

Year One)

While “Year One” was the major influence to “Batman Begins,” its effect reverberates through the latter two Batman movies. It characterizes James Gordon extremely well with how he goes about fighting a futile struggle against corruption and his relationship with the Caped Crusader. Selina Kyle also makes an appearance and the novel grounds her in reality. While the movie used a more familiar Batman: The Animated Series/ Arkham Asylum (video game) characterization of Catwoman, this novel was the best revamp of the character up to the point at which “Year One” was published.

The Dark Knight Returns)

Bruce Wayne’s retiring as Batman and returning after years of depression is ripped straight from the pages of “The Dark Knight Returns.” While the specifics differ, he retires due to tragedy and lives out his days in shame growing out his beard and being recluse. His return is due to necessity, despite his broken body and aging spirit, though he was always waiting and wanting to return.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?)

This graphic novel was the definitive story for the end of Batman. The unique set of circumstances of Christopher Nolan’s Batman, however, makes him a different character having never fought the endless battles that the Dark Knight has in Detective Comics. He has never met Superman, joined the Justice League, recruited Robin, or battled dozens of enemies from his rouge’s gallery. So while “The Dark Knight Rises” may not be the definitive story of Batman’s end that Neil Gaiman’s novel is, it is the conclusive story of Christopher Nolan’s Batman. In “What Happened to the Caped Crusader,” one of the ways that Batman died was with him saving the city from a bomb in similar fashion to how he supposedly met his end in “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Kingdom Come)

“Kingdom Come” is not on my “Ten Best Batman Stories” article because it does not star Batman any more than it stars Superman. One of the most critically acclaimed works in the entire medium, this apocalyptic graphic novel takes place in the heroes’ twilight years with Batman in a neck brace. It characterizes Batman’s obsession and includes the one-liner “So that’s what that feels like” when Superman disappears in the middle of conversation (Catwoman in the movie).

Vengeance of Bane)

“Vengeance of Bane” tells Bane’s origin story of how he was born and raised in a prison. The movie led audiences to believe this was Bane’s origin when it was changed into Talia’s, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul.

Son of the Demon)

Talia al Ghul was the character with which the most liberties were taken in “Rises.” She is the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul but also in love with Bruce Wayne. In the movie, they become lovers briefly, but Talia ends up having no attachment to him. “Son of the Demon” is the most acclaimed graphic novel in which Talia al Ghul has a large role.

Knightfall)

Bane is often referred to as the man who “broke the bat.” In “Knightfall,” Bane systematically assaults Batman physically and mentally and breaks his back. In addition, the events of “Knightfall” lead to Alfred Pennyworth’s resignation as Bruce Wayne’s butler.

R.I.P.)

In “R.I.P.” the organization known as the “Black Glove” makes an assault against Batman and Bruce Wayne’s mind. The theme of Wayne’s metal instability, break, and eventual rise resonates with many sequences within the movie as well as its title.

The Long Halloween)

“I believe in Harvey Dent,” is the final line of this major influence for “The Dark Knight.” It details Harvey Dent’s descent into madness and his becoming of the crime lord “Two-Face.” One of the novel’s major themes is that once Batman clears the streets of most of its sane organized crime lords such as Falcone and Maroni, insane ones take their place. It raises the question as to how much of the rise of Gotham’s criminally insane is Batman’s fault, and how Gotham is a symbolic representation of Batman. In “Rises,” the streets are cleaned, the insane go berserk, and Gotham is Batman.

Legacy)

Bane and Ra’s al Ghul have teamed up in the comics during the “Legacy” story arc. Together, they seek to destroy Gotham City.

The Cult)

“Batman: The Cult” has the Dark Knight facing off against a large group of enemies who take control of the city in much of the same way as Bane and the freed criminals of Blackgate Prison do in “Rises.”  This extremely controversial and graphic book leaves the Batman temporarily broken, and he must come back to wage war on the Cult and their leader with his tank-like batmobile and other resources.

The Ten Best Batman Stories

Batman is one of the most celebrated characters in fiction, having starred in 10 live action films, 9 animated features, 28 video games, and countless comics and novels. With the upcoming release of the anticipated Dark Knight Rises movie, I decided to pile together my top ten Batman stories across all media. I can’t say that I’ve scoured the endless volumes of Batman tales that are continuously churned out, but I have ordered my personal favorites in having been an avid Batman fan since I was 3 years old.

All of the movies since Adam West’s campy rendition of the character in 1966 have been considered as well as the most widely acclaimed graphic novels. All works with Batman in less than a starring role or where he shares it with another hero were excluded as well all television series such as Batman: the Animated Series and Batman Beyond. All stories were measured by their standalone merit.

Disclaimer: This is not an evolving list and only includes stories released before July 2012 when this article was first posted.

Honorable Mention) Year One –by Frank Miller (Graphic Novel)

In 1986, writer Frank Miller was charged to bring back Batman as the dark figure of the night he was before the censorship of the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s. In addition to his “The Dark Knight Returns,” he wrote the hugely successful “Year One,” recounting the first year of Bruce Wayne’s dawning of his alternate persona. Batman lore owes a debt of gratitude to Miller, having rebuilt him as a brutal vigilante against street crime and corruption with all of the dark mentality that came with being one. It was the major inspiration for the movie “Batman Begins,” though it was not a direct adaptation. However, it does not make the top ten because it’s unable to stand on its own despite its lasting impression on future comics. Needing to recreate Gotham City’s image holds this story back, not being able to take the gritty environment readers know today for granted. This is the giant whose shoulders other stories stand on and come become even greater.

10) Arkham Asylum –by Paul Dini (Video Game)

In the dwellings of the psychotic criminals he put away, Batman faces trials from many high profile villains after they take control of Arkham Asylum in this sandbox style video game. Few other stories go as deep into how Batman always finds a way to win. While it adds little to the Batman legend, this is the perfect introduction to any incoming fan to learn about the tales of his supporting cast and his past triumphs. The classic voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are brilliant as Batman and the Joker respectively and add another level of legitimacy to the game. Its sequel, Arkham City, is similar in function and quality of story, so I’m putting them into the nine spot together. In this game, you feel like you are Batman.

9) Gotham Knight –by David Goyer, Josh Olson, and Alan Burnett (Animated)

The producers and writers of “Batman Begins” collaborated with six revered anime directors to create six chapters chronicling the time between the events of “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.” The result is a deep, dark, introspective look at the detective, urban legend, and man that is Batman. It is certainly one of the most creative pieces for the Caped Crusader. It is best enjoyed by fans of anime art styles rather than mainstream audiences who expect a seamless full length story.

8) Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth –by Grant Morrison (Graphic Novel)

 

In “A Serious House on Serious Earth,” the inmates of Arkham Asylum, led by the Joker, take over the crazy-house similar to the way it was done in the “Arkham Asylum” video game, albeit predating the game. Batman submits himself willingly to test his own sanity within the asylum’s walls, curious himself to see if his mind can withstand the scrutiny. The nature of madness is explored as is the feasibility of rehabilitating the criminally insane during the scenes telling the infamous hospital’s backstory through founder Amadeus Arkham, which run parallel to Batman’s introspection. The painting of Dave McKean is a strong, essential part of the narrative, contributing more to the story-telling than any other graphic novel’s artwork in memory. The bizarre and symbolic imagery warrants multiple reads and makes a case for surpassing a major inspiration, “Alice in Wonderland,” in story quality. However, the story is hindered by a lack of a strong plot and stakes. While the theme is strong, it seems to end too soon – just when it was reaching an apex of its thesis. It leaves the reader wanting, which is a mark of a good story that is not quite complete. If Grant Morrison’s novel was somehow combined with Paul Dini’s “Arkham Asylum,” it would be unsurpassable.

7)The Killing Joke –by Alan Moore (Comic book)

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: “There were these two guys in a lunatic asylum…” Arguably the best Joker comic, it has gained notoriety as having expounded the limits of the Joker’s mad nature and for having paralyzed Barbara Gordon (previously known as Batgirl) with a bullet in her spine and taking naked photographs of her in pain. In following comics, Barbara was reimagined as Oracle, Batman’s wheel chair ridden go-to computer genius. In this story, Joker tells one of his many accounts of his origins and an inspirational one for the 1989 movie “Batman.” Joker’s goal: to drive Commissioner James Gordon insane from one bad day like both he and Batman have had.

6) The Dark Knight Returns –by Frank Miller (Graphic Novel)

It has been ten years since the death of Robin Jason Todd and the subsequent retirement of the Dark Knight. Society crumbled without the presence of Batman –even with the Joker in a catatonic state with no Batman to complete him. Bruce Wayne now seemingly seeks a good death in reprising his role as the caped crusader and ends up taking in a girl as the new Robin. While there are many highlights including the Joker, Two Face, and gang members, the moment with the longest impression is the end of the novel when Batman goes head-to-head with Superman, the “boy scout” who has become more or less a puppet of Ronald Reagan. Miller attempts to dive into the morality of Batman’s existence as a vigilante, however not as well as other stories in the countdown. “The Dark Knight Returns” is action packed enjoyment.

5) Mask of the Phantasm –by Alan Burnett (Animated)

This derivative of the Batman Animated Series revisits the past of the Dark Knight when recent events collide with old memories of Bruce Wayne’s love interest. It brings forth the best of the tone, music, voice acting, and animation style that made the Emmy winning Animated Series so revered and outstanding. This is the single best story concerning Batman’s vow to his murdered parents to extinguish the evil that took them and his sacrifices to fulfill that promise.

 

 

4) Death Mask –by Yoshinori Natsume (Graphic Novel)

Too little delved into is Bruce Wayne’s training before he returned to Gotham to assume the role as the Dark Knight. In this manga style graphic novel, Batman’s old ghosts from his training in Japan come back to haunt him when the detective finds that a murderer is stealing faces. This often overlooked novel tackles the symbolism of Batman dressed as a somewhat demonic looking being to incur fear. It is a fresh and riveting mystery where Batman battles an embodiment of an inner demon.

 

 

3) Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? –by Neil Gaiman (Graphic Novel)

Deriving its title from Alan Moore’s tale of Superman’s end, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow,” writer Neil Gaiman correctly observes that Batman’s legend could never end like Superman’s with a wink and a smile. Batman would never stop his crusade or his obsession to rid Gotham of crime, an impossible feat, not until he was dead. One of the biggest difficulties in writing such a story is that fans would not be satisfied with Batman’s death, thinking that it should have happened in a different way. However, the brilliant structure of the novel has both enemies and friends of Batman recounting their own versions of his death at his surrealistic funeral from Selina Kyle to the Joker, from Alfred Pennyworth to Superman. All versions strongly describe a different characteristic of Batman from obsession to fear mongering to selflessness. Many seek a definitive volume detailing how the legends of the various superheroes end. For Batman, “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” is that volume.

2) Under the Red Hood –by Judd Winick (Animated)

The unpopular character reprising the role of Batman’s Robin sidekick, Jason Todd, was voted by readers to be killed by the Joker by calling a 900 number. The result was the graphic novel “A Death in the Family,” on which the animated “Under the Red Hood” is based off of in addition to the graphic novel “Under the Hood.” This unexpected masterpiece comes out during a time of mediocre Batman animated features without the classic voice actors of the Dark Knight and the Joker but still excels with John DiMaggio and Bruce Greenwood in their roles. It ambitiously tackles Batman’s struggle to not kill and cross the line between vigilante and criminal with the Red Hood, a mysterious figure who does just that. In showcasing many characteristics that make Batman uniquely him, “Under the Red Hood” does it best with the most superb dialogue existing in Batman lore.

1) The Dark Knight –by David S. Goyer & Christopher Nolan (Live Action)

There is little I can say to add to the evaluation of Christopher Nolan’s indisputable cinematic masterpiece. The “Dark Knight” movie’s high entertainment value and the Oscar winning performance of Heath Ledger is the take-away for most viewers, but to those who understand Batman, it is so much more. It, in fact, changed the Academy Awards indefinitely by not being nominated for best picture and sparking outrage among audiences and critics, prompting an expansion in the number of films that could be nominated in the following years. This sequel to “Batman Begins” philosophically challenges the essence of Batman with his counter point, the anarchistic madman known as the Joker. In this story, the Dark Knight himself is a parable of guardians and protectors in all forms from government to police to vigilantes. His imperfect yet incorruptible design transcends heroism. In the end, this story makes a case for the justification of Batman’s very existence.

So here’s to hoping that “The Dark Knight Rises” will join this list…

Other Honorable Mentions:
The Long Halloween (Graphic Novel), Subzero (Animated), Batman Begins (Live Action)

All projects are collaborative and take the dedicated work of many to complete. For simplicity’s sake, I only named the writers of the works in my top ten Batman story countdown.

For more information on the top graphic novels, I recommend visiting IGN at http://comics.ign.com/articles/624/624619p1.html

The Amazing Spider-man Movie Review

Review and Analysis. No spoilers.

“The Amazing Spider-man” has the distinction of being the third best Spider-man movie ever made. While this movie had a lot of things going for it, the reboot is crushed under the weight of Sam Rami’s original. Had this been the first Spider-man film, it could be considered a much better movie. The needed separation from the original meant that they could not simply retell the death of Uncle Ben in the same way, and the movie definitely suffers for it. Once the decision was made to redo this part of Spider-man’s story, it was a no-win situation for everyone involved in making the movie.

 
Marvel should have learned a lesson from the “Incredible Hulk” movie that a franchise could be successfully rebooted without going over an origin story audiences are already well rehearsed in. Instead, the nature of the film suffered despite its great acting and direction. The movie it did try to learn from was “Batman Begins,” trying to directly apply a darker, realistic feel. While the sciences of Spider-man’s and the Lizard’s transformations are well thought out, the darker tone falls flat. It is visually darker with almost all of Spider-man’s scenes playing out at night, out of norm for the red and blue suited web-crawler. It also loses the sense of New York City, Spider-man’s invariable home, in favor of a more Gotham City feel. The overall art direction did not work for Spider-man and is simply trying to take another character’s tone and sticking it where it does not belong.

 
There are, however, certain things that this movie does better than the original. You won’t be seeing any cheesy moments with extras that show the age of Sam Rami’s trilogy. The overall acting is better, and Gwen Stacy is a much more enjoyable love interest to follow than that of Mary-Jane Watson in the movies. The Lizard is a more compelling character than the Green Goblin, but is somewhat a recycling of him –being created by testing an unready serum and having another personality corrupting the mind of the serum’s recipient. The Lizard weaved in well with Spider-man’s origin of the spider bite and did not feel inserted as an afterthought (as some comic book villains do) in the slightest.

 
The trailers and talk from producers are misleading at best. Lines from the trailer suggesting that Peter Parker’s spider bite was not an accident and that there was more than meets the eye about his parents’ death are completely absent in the film. It is certainly for the best that they did not take this route and expecting it takes away from the enjoyment of it. There was more angst with Peter Park, which was well deserved, but his character development revolving around the story changes surrounding Uncle Ben’s death was too far flung from that of the Spider-man character. It deserved more introspection and self-blame that Peter Parker is known for and less of the “Batman Begins” treatment.

 
“The Amazing Spider-man” is a decent movie that is held back by a number of flaws. A potential sequel could very well surpass all predecessors as it would have nothing holding it back like the original Spider-man movie did in this case. This reboot will be well liked by casual movie goers but judged as “so-so” by any hardcore fans. It will ultimately be placed between “Thor” and “Iron Man” in terms of Marvel movie going experience.

VERDICT: 3/5