DC/WB, Why Not Make a Wonder Woman Movie?

I just finished watching Wonder Woman, the DCU animated movie.  I'm kind of upset that it has taken me this long to watch it.  I'm more disappointed that DC and Warner Brothers have decided to push Wonder Woman to TV instead of a live action film.  You can read my earlier comments about the TV show here.  I've read that no one can come up with a good script for it, but this animated version throws that argument out the window.  Sure, some things would have to be changed.  Amazons, undead Amazons, and Ares' army all fighting on the National Mall might be more than a non-comic audience can handle.

Pip's Pick Ups - 23 February 2011

Kind of a slow week for comics. Just three new books yesterday. After reading some reviews, I regret not buying the new Deadpool. Anyway, here's what I picked up:

Captain America #615
Detective Comics #874
Uncanny X-Men #533

Key Issues - The Warlord Volume 1

Warlord #11, Mike Grell

A few months ago I found a copy of The Warlord #11 at a local shop.  I had never read a Warlord comic, but the awesome cover immediately grabbed my attention.  After researching this volume, I'm really surprised that this hasn't been optioned for a movie or TV show.  Now that sword and sorcery/fantasy fiction is coming back to film and TV (Conan the Barbarian, Game of Thrones) maybe some smart Hollywood exec will read this and obtain the rights to it.  It has everything to reach the male-of-any-age demographic:  scantily clad women, sword fighting, and DINOSAURS!  Don't take my word for it.  Take a look at the great breakdown over at tvtropes.org.  Anyway, I came up with a list of key issues for volume 1 of The Warlord.  For much more info on The Warlord take a look at these two fantastic sites, www.thewarlord.ca, which has great interviews with creator Mike Grell and www.fanzing.com/mag/fanzingzero/feature1.shtml (this dude is a serious fan of The Warlord).  Here's the list I came up with:

Warlord #34, Mike Grell

1st Issue Special #8:  1st appearance of Travis Morgan, 1st appearance of Tara, 1st appearance of Deimos
The Warlord #2:  1st appearance of Machiste
The Warlord #6:  1st appearance of Mariah Romanova
The Warlord #15:  1st appearance of  Joshua Morgan (Tinder)
The Warlord #21:  Travis Morgan forced to fight his son Travis (well, a clone of his son, but Travis doesn't know that)
The Warlord #25:  1st appearance of Aram Al Ashir
The Warlord #32:  1st appearance of Shakira
The Warlord #34:  Travis acquires the sword, Hellfire, that must draw blood every time it is drawn even if it is Travis' own blood.
The Warlord #35:  Mike Grell and his editor, Jack C. Harris, appear in the comic and play a D&D style game to craft the issue.

Warlord #63, Mike Grell

The Warlord #38:  1st appearance of Jennifer Morgan
The Warlord #47:  1st appearance of Mikola Rostov
The Warlord #48:  1st appearance of Arak, Son of Thunder in 15 page preview.
The Warlord #55:  1st appearance of Arion, Lord of Atlantis in back up feature.
The Warlord #63:  Begin Dan Jurgens art.  Jurgens first professional work in comics.
The Warlord #72:  1st appearance of Scarhart
The Warlord #75:  1st appearance of Lord Sabre-Tooth
The Warlord #83-85:  Travis becomes President of the United States in the year 2303 of an alternate timeline
The Warlord Annual #2:  1st appearance of Krystovar


I included 1st Issue Special #8 as it really should be part of this volume.  In fact, it's reprinted in The Warlord #11.  I found a great quote while researching The Warlord.  It comes from the Trivia section of the 1st Issue Special #8 entry over at dc.wikia.com.  There it states:

Travis Morgan is not actually called Warlord in this issue, nor will he be until several issues into his self-titled series. Actually, they never really go into it that deeply. It's just implied that he's that badass. 

Columbia Comic and Toy Convention Recap

I mentioned this convention here several weeks ago. I got back from it yesterday afternoon and was all set to post something about it. Unfortunately, my laptop sucks and it looks like the only solution maybe reinstallation of the OS. In the meantime, I'm blogging from my phone which is never ideal.

The convention was pretty small and around a 50/50 split between comics and toys. I still managed to spend about three hours and $80. I picked up some books I had wanted for a while: Wonder Woman #233, Detective Comics #452, Black Panther #1, Jungle Action #5, and V For Vendetta #1.

One Quick Review, One Not So Quick Review

Wonder Woman #607

Cover, Don Kramer

Let me start by saying thank you to Phil Hester.  Since he took over last issue I finally feel like I'm reading a Wonder Woman comic again.  I really like the contrast between this issue and the last.  In #606 we see Diana in a situation where it was kill or be killed and in #607 we get to see her merciful side.   I also really enjoyed the new imaginings of the old villains who are to say the least, ruthless.  My only complaint and I'm sure this was plotted well in advance of Hester taking the reigns is the length of the story arc.  Ten issues is way too long in my opinion even for an origin/evolution to superhero story.






Twilight Guardian #2

Cover, John Tyler Christopher

I didn't review TG #1 because I considered it a set up issue that would introduce or reintroduce people to the Twilight Guardian.  If you're not familiar, TG is a Real Life Superhero (RLSH) with some OCD and possibly other mental issues who patrols a nine block radius around her home every night.  During the first issue we see her reading old comics to prep for her patrol, and then walking around her neighborhood throughout the night.  She notes potential dangers like possible faulty wiring that are laughable because of how seriously she takes them.  However there are hints of other dangers: a villain named Dusk Devil, her missing boyfriend, and her father's mysterious past.  All in all it was a good setup issue.  Some people I talked to mentioned that it was rather wordy, though I thought it was a nice touch that emphasized her OCD.

Pip's Pick Ups - 16 February 2011

Picked up five books this week. I'll do some quick reviews in a day or two. Here's what I bought:

Generation Hope #4
Twilight Guardian #2
Uncanny X-Force #5
What If Venom Possessed Deadpool?
Wonder Woman #607

Key Issues - The New Mutants Volume 1

Cover by Bob McLeod

Cover, John Byrne

My entry into comic books was through the X-Men, primarily through X-Force.  Those characters will always hold a special place in my heart.  I felt a kinship with Sam Guthrie aka Canonball in that we were both from Kentucky.  Though I must admit Sam is from a little deeper in the hollow than I was.  It was nice to see a Kentucky boy who appeared to be destined for much greater things.  This is where Sam and his fellow students got their start.  While compiling this list I was amazed at how many new characters Claremont created in just a few years.  Without further ado, here's the list for key issues of The New Mutants Volume 1:

The New Mutants #1:  Origin of Karma
The New Mutants #8:  1st appearance of Amara Aquilla
The New Mutants #9:  1st appearance of Selene
The New Mutants #10:  Amara Aquilla becomes Magma after Selene pushes her into a volcano.
The New Mutants #13:  1st appearance of Doug Ramsay (Cypher)
The New Mutants #16:  1st appearance of The Hellions, 1st appearance of James Proudstar as Thunderbird (later Warpath)

Cover, Rob Liefeld

The New Mutants #18:  1st appearance of Warlock
The New Mutants #21:  Origin of Warlock
The New Mutants #25:  1st appearance of Legion (cameo)
The New Mutants #26:  1st appearance of Legion (full)
The New Mutants #29:  1st appearance of Guido (Strong Guy)
The New Mutants #35:  Magneto becomes headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
The New Mutants #38:  Frog Thor visits Dani Moonstar
The New Mutants #60:  Death of Cypher
The New Mutants #75:  Magneto battles Sebastian Shaw. John Byrne pencils. Bob McLeod inks.
The New Mutants #86:  1st appearance of Cable (cameo)
The New Mutants #87:  1st appearance of Cable (full)
The New Mutants #95:  Death of Warlock
The New Mutants #98:  1st appearance of Deadpool, 1st appearance of Gideon, 1st appearance of Copycat (posing as Domino)
The New Mutants #100:  1st appearance of X-Force
The New Mutants Annual #1:  1st appearance of Lila Cheney
The New Mutants Annual #2:  1st US appearance of Psylocke
The New Mutants Annual #6:  1st appearance of Shatterstar
The New Mutants Special Edition:  1st appearance of Brightwind (Dani Moonstar's horse from Asgard)

Though not technically from volume 1, Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants kicked off the entire series.  Here you'll find 1st appearances for Canonball, Dani Moonstar, Sunspot, and Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane).

X-Men: First Class Trailer

In case you haven't seen it, here's the trailer for X-Men: First Class.



I think that it looks pretty effing awesome.  Lots of people will talk trash about this movie saying it's not true to the comics.  I don't really care if it's true to the comics.  Why?  Because it's not a comic.  It's a movie.  They can take all of the liberties they want with the characters as long as it kicks ass.  Just in the trailer I saw three reasons to see it.

Pip's Pick Ups - Feb 9, 2011

I only picked up three new books today.  I stood in my LCS for a while deciding whether or not to pick up Black Panther #515.  As much as I love the Panther, I can't justify the money for such a bad idea.  Here's what I did get:

Heroes For Hire #3
Superman #708
X-Factor #215

I'm pretty sure at least one of these will be worth a review.  Stay tuned.

Key Issues - Black Widow (Natalia "Natasha" Romanoff)

One of my favorite covers by George Perez

Cover by John Romita Sr.

So this blog has been around for a couple of months now and I get a few hits each week from various search engines.  At least once a week, there's a hit from people searching for a list of key issues for Detective Comics.  Well, I'm not quite ready to tackle a volume that contains 870 plus issues.  However, a few weeks ago someone made their way to this blog by searching for key issues for Black Widow.  It was then that I realized that all the lists I've put together have been for various X-books.  I'm a big X-Men fan.  Without the X-Men I probably wouldn't be collecting comic books, but I don't want to rename the blog Key X-Men Issue Comics so I'm finally branching out.  Here's a list I put together of Black Widow key issues:

Tales of Suspense #52:  1st Appearance
Tales of Suspense #64:  1st Appearance in costume
Avengers #43:  Alexi Shostakov (Red Guardian) is Natasha's ex-husband.  1st appearance of Red Guardian.
Avengers #44:  Alexi Shostakov sacrifices himself to save Natasha.

Cover by Gil Kane

Amazing Spider-Man #86:  Her skintight costume appears.  Fights Spider-Man.
Amazing Adventures  Vol. 2 #1:  1st solo Black Widow
Daredevil #81:  1st appearance in Daredevil
Avengers #111:  Black Widow becomes a member of the Avengers
Marvel Fanfare #10 - 13:  "Web of Intrigue"  Macchio/Perez craft the tale that was later reprinted in Black Widow: Web of Intrigue (1999) and hardcover (2010)
Uncanny X-Men #268:  "Madripoor Knights" More history of Natasha during WWII.
Black Widow (1999) #1 -3:  Natasha vs. Yelena Belova (1st appearance was Inhumans Vol 2 #5)
Black Widow (2004) #1- 6:  "Homecoming" Natasha returns to Russia and discovers secrets about her training.
Black Widow: Deadly Origin: #1 -4:  Marvel tries to clean up Natasha's origins.

The Sqweasel: Mascot for the Key Issue Comics Blog

I've been trying to come up with an idea for some type of logo for this blog.  My thought process started out fairly generic.  It's called Key Issue Comics so maybe some type of key imagery.  That's pretty boring.  I need something that will sell T-shirts.  As Yogurt said in one of the greatest movies of my generation:

Moichandising! Moichandising! Where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs: the T-shirt, Spaceballs: the Coloring Book, Spaceballs: the Lunchbox, Spaceballs: the Breakfast Cereal! Spaceballs: the Flame Thrower!!

I thought, "Well, maybe I could have a large generic monster doing something with a key.  Opening a lock, eating a bowl of keys, using a key shaped gun to blow away issue numbers from a comics want list."  Well, I went round and round with some ideas and started to go down a few rabbit holes (I'll post more about one of those later).  Finally, I decided how hard can it be.  I'll just start drawing.

I dug through a storage closet and found a sketchpad and some art supplies that were collecting dust and sketched it out and finally moved to MS Paint (why pay for Illustrator when I have this free crappy software).  The result is The Sqweasel.  Eventually, I'll create an origin story for him but for now here he is:

Pip's Pick Ups - 2-2-11

There weren't that many titles this week that interested me so I picked up one from this week and one from last week. I wanted to get Memoir #1 but it was already sold from my LCS. Here's what I got:

Twilight Guardian #1
Weird Worlds #2