Should we call it "The Scarab Gambit" now?

As you, dear readers, are no doubt aware by now, I'm very much obsessed with Disney's Gargoyles. Likewise, astute followers of my blog will notice I've taken a shine to Alex Ross's Project Superpowers series. But did you realize that both have more in common than my adoration?

It came to my attention that both series share similarities in regards to certain characters. In Gargoyles, you have the character of David Xanatos. He's the suave, wealthy pseudo-antagonist of the Manhattan Clan. In P:SP, you have Amon Khadul, aka The Scarab, the suave, wealthy pseudo-ally of the returned Golden Age heroes.

These two characters share many traits; so much so that it's quite possible they're really the same character. Observe the evidence!

1) Both are wealthy, handsome businessmen of Mediterranean descent- Xanatos is Greek, Khadul is Middle Eastern, quite possibly Egyptian.

2) Xanatos made his fortune by selling a rare coin that he came across, then using the proceeds and his natural genius to parlay that into a multi-billion dollar empire. Khadul made his fortune by selling a rare scarab amulet he found, then using the proceeds and his natural genius to parlay that into a multi-billion dollar empire.

"Intriguing. Go on..."

3) Both have incredible aptitude in science, specifically electronics.

4) Both have developed incredibly advanced suits of battle armor that overcome their lack of superpowers.

Though the Scarab's armor is a bit more sleek.

5) Xanatos is a member of the Illuminati, a secret group that secretly controls the world. In secret. Khadul is a member of the Supremacy, a clandestine group that... uh... clandestinely controls the world.

6) You're never sure which side either one is really on.

7) Xanatos hangs out with Goliath, a large, intimidating gargoyle named after an Old Testament strong man. Khadul hangs out with Samson, a large, intimidating superhero who might actually BE an Old Testament strong man.

Now, you're probably saying that these are highly coincedental. That happens in comic-booky type stuff. After all, the X-Men are basically just the Doom Patrol with more popularity and fewer deformities. Well, I've saved the most telling proof for last. Prepare to have your mind blown.

8) The name of the firm which manufactures all of Xanatos's high-tech equipment is called SCARAB ROBOTICS!!!

My mind has been blown!!!

Now, I'm not accusing Alex Ross or any of his collaborators of plagiarism. What I am suggesting is that perhaps he should make a donation to Greg Weisman or any of the other creators of Gargoyles. He can mail the check out to me, I'll make sure they get it. Oh, and make it out to "Cash". Mwa-ha-haaa! (Now why did I type that last part out?)

Also, this is my 96th post. We are drawing ever closer to my epic, 100th post extravaganza. I promise you I will have a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! What could it be? Can you stand the suspense?!?

Five Stages

In this era of media proliferation, it's easy to miss news. After all, when all you hear is hubbub about whether or not Christine O'Donnell is a witch (she says she's not, but really, isn't that EXACTLY what a witch would say if caught?), you tend to enter a fugue state.

So, perhaps it's absolutely reasonable then that I missed some sad news. The third season of Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be it's last.

Here is what I went through upon learning this news. By posting it, I hope you readers will be able to cope easier than I did.

Denial: "What? Why? It's a successful, critically acclaimed show! People love it! I love it! Why would they do it?!?"

Anger: "Because Warner Brothers are jerks, that's why! I'll give them a piece of my mind!!!"

Bargaining: "Better yet, I'll see what I can do to spread awareness of the show! I'll post links on my blog, drive up sales... There's no way WB will let it die then!"

Despair: "Except, that really didn't work with Gargoyles, did it? I'm STILL waiting for Disney to release Season 2 Volume 2! WB will probably pull the same kind of nonsense, meaning I'll never see 'Mayhem of the Music Meister' on DVD!"

Acceptance: "Hmmm... When's the Young Justice cartoon start?"

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Zack Snyder!

Since you're reading this, it's most likely you have internet access. That means you've probably heard that Christopher Nolan, the man who brought us good Batman movies, has tapped Zack Snyder to direct his new Superman movie.

Hopefully, this will wash the bad taste of Superman Returns out. Oh, and I was so happy back then, when I heard that Bryan Singer, the man who made X-Men movies, would helm the film about the Man of Steel! Of course, what wound up happening is that both Superman and X-Men suffered as TWO crap movies were the result of his decision. There's a fine line between homage and plagiarism, and Singer crossed it repeatedly with Superman Returns.

Now, Zack Snyder seems like a good choice. I liked 300, because I am a man, and I liked Watchmen, which I thought was one of the finest comic movies I've seen (call me a heretic, but I think I'd rank it above Nolan's Bat-films). I remain cautiously optimistic.

However, I won't get too excited until actual production begins. I remember the 90's, when there was talk of a Superman movie. First, Tim Burton was going to do it. Then Kevin Smith was going to do it and even wrote a script. Matrix-esque costumes were discussed. Then, at some point, Nic Cage was involved.

It's almost as unitentionally hilarious as The Wicker Man. Almost.

So, while everyone's buzzing, let's tone it down a scosh. Remember, at one time Joss Whedon was going to bring us Wonder Woman, and now that task has fallen into the hands of the man who brought us Ally McBeal, an award-winning comedy that wasn't terribly funny. So, perspective is what I'm asking for.

Sweet Christmas!

So, apparently Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice Guy, wants to play Luke Cage. Assuming, that is, that Marvel hurries up and gets the long rumored Luke Cage movie anywhere resembling production.

As far as casting decisions, do I think Mustafa would make a good Hero for Hire? Let me put it this way: there are good ideas, and there are great ideas. This is so far beyond a great idea that it could warp the space-time continuum.

First, Mustafa's commercials are arguably the best Old Spice commercials; I say "arguably" because let's not forget those OS commercials featuring Bruce Campbell. Hungry Like the Wolf indeed.

Second, Mustafa was on NBC's Chuck last week, and he was absolutely magnificent. If he can bring the same kind of presence to a Luke Cage movie, then, at the risk of invoking hyperbole, that movie would be better than Citizen Kane and The Godfather COMBINED.

Now, I'm not gay, but if I were, I wouldn't say no....

Now, obviously, Mustafa would be most suited to the Seventies, smooth cat version of Cage. Still, I'd take my Power Man anyway I can get it. Jive turkeys beware.

Luke Cage, moments after listening to Glenn Beck's radio program.

Seniority

So, a recent study has shown that old people read comics. And not old like me, even though in my day comics were good stuff, when heroes didn't look ridiculous, no sir! They had pony tails, and scruffy beards, and pouched belts over their thighs!

Where was I? Oh, right. Though some may think me old, this article is regarding those over the age of 65. My first thought was "How can I capitalize on this?" I mean, if old people are reading comics, then there's a good chance that old people read comics blogs as well, provided their grandkids showed them how to work the computer.

So, for the better part of the day, I've been brainstorming as to how I could make my blog more accessible to the Silver Foxes. Here are the fruits of my labor.

Senior specific ads- As you can see to the left, I've provided a link for Metamucil, which is necessary for seniors who want fiber regularity combined with great taste. Future blogs will feature adds for Centrum Silver, Fixodent, and Depends Undergarments.

Larger Print- Sometimes, the default font size of my blog might be a strain on the eyes of my more elderly readers. To address this, I will periodically switch to a larger font, especially when the topic is of interest to an older demographic. Observe...

How about those Archie comics? Jughead should watch his diet, or else he's at a greater risk for heart disease and diabetes!

Topics Old People Like- This might be the hardest thing to accomplish, as the article didn't really go into detail as to what kinds of comics old people were buying. Still, I have an inkling about seniors' tastes, so let's get started!

An EVENTFUL post....

Last week, I commented on the pilot episode of NBC's The Event. I was brief, but critical; I felt it left a lot to be desired. It was slowly paced, and the numerous flashbacks seemed obtrusive and poorly integrated into the plot. With that in mind, I watched this week's episode, expecting to be disappointed again.

What happened was that my expectation of disappointment was itself disappointed, as this week's installment was a marked improvement over last week. The pacing was up, secrets were actually revealed which lead to more questions (whereas last week, the only question arising was, "What the **** was that?"), and overall, it felt like things HAPPENED; the plot felt like it had achieved substantially more advancement than it had last week. The flashbacks were still there, but, for the most part, they seemed more essential to this week's narrative. There are still some rough spots, to be sure, but it seemed like the producers of The Event got their act together in a very short amount of time.

Of course, the big thing about this week's episode is the reveal in the middle. Now, many internet users have already leaked it weeks before the show's debut, so don't read what's in these parentheses if you haven't watched any of it yet and would like to (Those people in the prison camp? They're ALIENS! Dun-dun-DUNNN!!!).

Anyway, I knew that reveal would come, but I'm frankly surprised they unveiled it so soon; judging from last week's episode, I had thought they'd drag it out a LOT longer. Now, there are still more questions that need to be answered, and I do wonder how long they can maintain the premise before it runs out of steam, but overall, if The Event can continually deliver like they did tonight, I think NBC has a solid addition to it's Monday Night Line-up.

As an aside, this post marks the beginning of my blog's Hundredth Post Countdown Spectacular. Only nine posts left until I reach triple digits!

Brave and the Bold Wishlist

So, this musical clip from an upcoming episode of Batman: The Brave & the Bold has been making the rounds. This clip only proves that B&B is the best Batman take in YEARS.

However, it caused me to wonder: the past two seasons have been so great, what could they do to top it if (God willing) they get a third season. Many of the characters that I've wanted to see have made it into the show already. Captain Marvel? Check. Woozy Winks? Check. Detective Chimp? CHECK.

Still, while they've put in many, MANY characters, there are still some guest stars I'd like to see. What follows is my list of Top Ten Characters I'd Like to See in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

10) The Batmen of Many Nations- These guys are somewhat obscure, but it'd be cool. Basically, the Batmen are costumed crimefighters from other countries that admire Batman. DC's Knight and Squire are the most obvious, but there are guys from Russia, Japan, and China, too. I'd like to see a little international flair come to Batman.

9) The Wonder Twins- If you have to ask about this one, then you clearly haven't read my blog enough. It should come as no surprise that I ADORE Zan and Jayna. I once wrote a philosophy paper where I use the Wonder Twins to illustrate a certain principal of Hindu thought.

Granted, Alex Ross can make anything look cool.

8) Captain Atom- But only if they get Greg Weisman to write the episode.

7) Swamp Thing- It used to be that Swamp Thing had quite a high media profile. He had a movie, a live-action tv series, and an animated series. But in the past few years, Swamp Thing has all but vanished from mass media. Now, when kids think of an ambulatory mass of vegetable detritus, they'll think of Man-Thing which, considering the SyFy original movie made of him, is unfortunate. Let's have Swamp Thing return to television, before it's too late. This message brought to you by the Swamp Thing Awareness Foundation.

6) Batman Beyond- Terry McGinnis kicks ass. Plus, he'd be a natural lead-in for the next group...

5) Legion of Super-Heroes- Brave & The Bold takes many cues from the Silver Age of Comics, and few comics reflect the sensibilites of that time period more than the Legion. Have Batman travel in time (perhaps with Booster Gold) and meet Karate Kid (not the Ralph Macchio one).

Not this one, either.

4) Dial H for Hero- Another very Silver Agey character. For those who don't know, the basic premise is that a young kid has this alien doohickey that looks like an old rotary phone dial. By dialing HERO, said youngster is turned into a random superhero. Now, it's similar to Captain Marvel/ Billy Batson, but I think the writing staff could come up with a way to work it in.

3) Mr. Terrific II- He's very similar to Batman, but he's more sociable. Also, he's awesome.

2) Wonder Woman- I honestly don't think there's really been a good Batman/ WW story. True, some writers, like Joe Kelly and Bruce Timm's staff, have toyed with them dating, but that always struck me as lazy. I'd like to see a well thought out story that shows the differences and similarities in personality without falling into the romance cliche.

1) Superman- They need to do at least one team-up with the Man of Steel. Or, if that's overplayed, have one of Superman's supporting cast show up so you can still touch on the Superman/ Batman dynamic in a new way. Jimmy Olsen or Steel are two characters that come to mind. At the very least, I want to see a Mxyzptlk/ Batmite or an Ace the Bathound/ Krypto team-up.