Art of the Day: Superman

Artwork: Adventures of Superman #15 cover by Evan 'Doc' Shaner

Book Review: Superman: Daily Planet

Book: Superman: Daily Planet by various writers and artists

Edition: Trade Paperback

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

There is a reason why the Daily Planet is one of the most respected newspapers in the world of DC Comics and that is due to the hard working staff of the Daily Planet. For these characters, journalism is a way of life, they are focused on finding the truth and chasing down stories. And in these 16 stories (which were published from 1952-1999) they range from fun and goofy to deep and concerning.

I really enjoyed reading Superman: Daily Planet there was a good balance of stories that focused on Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and the Daily Planet staff. I loved reading these stories, especially the older ones because they were fun and sometimes a little wacky for instance in one story Supergirl in her secret identity as Linda Danvers got a job at the Daily Planet to save Jimmy Olsen. From a glimpse into the future she thought she saw Jimmy's death and she was trying to keep that from happening.

In another story, Jimmy was the Editor-in-Chief for a day and had assigned Perry all types of strenuous stories. It seemed like Jimmy was on a power trip but his reason for being so tough on Perry was explained at the end. In another story, Lois was teaching a class on how to be a good reporter and unbeknownst to her two crooks had attended her class in order to kill her. But Lois is certainly not clueless and somehow figured out what those guys were up to.

In another story, Jimmy went undercover disguised as a young woman to find out where a jewel thief had hidden the stolen jewels. Jimmy made a very convincing lady that the thief had become very smitten with him. And then there was one where Clark using his x-ray vision found a file in the Daily Planet archive room that showed that he's Superman. He really wanted to find out who knew his secret identity.

I found in many of the older stories a humorous element that you just don't find in a lot of current stories. There were also several stories where the Daily Planet was either being closed down or taken over by new ownership and the last two stories in the book (which were published in 1998 and 1999) showed the cruelty of Lex Luthor after he bought the newspaper and immediately started firing the staff and implementing other changes.

Even though I wish there had been more than 16 stories in this book, I was surprised there were no stories from the 80s in this, I'm sure there were some that centered around the Daily Planet. Maybe whoever compiled this book didn't feel like looking for any. Anyway, this was still a good read, it had a great group of stories, some made me laugh, others were a bit dramatic while the ones near the end (the ones with Lex taking over the Daily Planet) made me mad.

If you feel like reading a few interesting stories about the staff of the Daily Planet you might want to consider giving this a read.

Currently Reading: Superman: Daily Planet

I know Superman stories feature tons of sci-fi adventures but what I enjoy the most is when Lois and Clark or any other member of the Daily Planet staff are hot on the trail of a hard hitting story.

I can't wait to get started reading this because to me Superman comics and journalism pretty much go hand in hand and this Superman: Daily Planet trade features 16 stories that center around the staff of the legendary newspaper. I'm interested to see which issues were included in this book.

Book: Superman: Daily Planet by various writers and artists

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

The Daily Planet is Metropolis' leading newspaper, and home to two of the most famous reporters in the world: LOIS LANE and CLARK KENT. Along with Editor-in-Chief PERRY WHITE, photographer JIMMY OLSEN and the rest of the staff, the Daily Planet is legendary for breaking the most important news stories of the past century -- including the debut of SUPERMAN!

Now you can read the thrilling escapades of the Planet's staff as they do almost anything to achieve the next great scoop!

This collection of sixteen stories features the best-known Superman writers and artists creating headlines.

The CW Network Should Give Superman A TV Series

The first season of Supergirl which originally aired on CBS mentioned Superman/Clark Kent so much that it's no wonder they eventually brought him in for the second season which aired on the CW network.

Tyler Hoechlin starred as the Man of Steel for several episodes and did such a spectacular job that fans have been wondering if the CW network will give Superman his own series. I think it would be fantastic because then viewers could finally see Lois Lane and maybe even Perry White. And since the Supegirl series doesn't seem to know what to do with Jimmy Olsen (played by Mehcad Brooks) then maybe he could be moved over to Superman.

A Superman series would be a dream come true for fans and with a growing interest in Hoechlin's Superman it's hard to believe that the executives at the CW network would not want to capitalize on it. They should give him a show because I want to see The Daily Planet trio of Lane, Kent and Olsen out there investigating stories in the face of danger as well as Superman fighting crime, stopping villains and saving the day. I would also like to see how the show would explore Lois and Clark's relationship.

A question I have seen asked is, if Hoechlin can carry a series? I believe he can, he's a very good actor but he would certainly need a good supporting cast to round out the show. Smallville was the last time Superman had a show on TV which came to an end in 2011. It focused on a young Clark Kent growing up and finding his way to becoming his future alter ego Superman. The new show, if developed would not have to focus too much on his past because this is a Clark Kent/Superman who is already established in Metropolis and the world.

With that said, will the CW give Superman a series? I hope so, season two of Supergirl left fans wanting more.

Art of the Day: The Daily Planet Staff

Artwork: Daily Planet Staff by Brittney L. Williams

From Left to Right: Jimmy Olsen, Ron Troupe, Perry White, Cat Grant, Steve Lombard, Lois Lane and Clark Kent

Must See TV: Adventures of Superman Marathon on the Decades Channel

Can't find anything on TV to watch, the Decades Channel is having an all weekend marathon of Adventures of Superman. It started today at 1:00 pm EST and it ends on Monday morning at 7:00 am EST.

The marathon will feature not only Clark Kent/Superman (George Reeves) but also both Lois Lanes (Phyllis Coates during the first season and Noel Neill for the remainder of the series), Perry White (John Hamilton) and Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson). This is a fun and classic series, if you have never watched Adventures of Superman, here's your chance with the Decades Channel marathon.

Art of the Day: Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen

Artwork: Lois and Jimmy by Darwyn Cooke

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #77: Superman Adventures vol #1

The 1990s were good for Superman, there were two very popular shows on during that time: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997) and Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000).

Over the years, I was able to collect 17 various issues of the Superman Adventures comic book series. However, now that it's in the trade edition, it will be nice to read the series from the first issue on.

Book: Superman Adventures volume #1 (issues #1-10) by Paul Dini and Scott McCloud with illustrations by Rick Burchett

Description:

Based on the beloved animated series—Superman takes flight!

Superman: The Animated Series was an instant classic, developed by the same team behind the beloved Batman: The Animated Series and featuring some of the greatest Superman adventures ever committed to film. Dive back into the world of Superman: The Animated Series with this collection of comics, featuring the iconic cast and some legendary creators!

Art of the Day: Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent

Artwork: Daily Planet Trio by Brittney L. Williams (The-Orange-One)

TV Round Up: Supergirl ep #2

Episode #2: Stronger Together (watched On Demand)

Rating: 2 stars

I had such high hopes for this second episode but it was boring, the writing was awful and the acting was not the best either. Most of the time Kara appears very dumb, whiny and weak.

In this episode, Kara was down because after making a costly mistake in trying to prevent a fire near an oil tanker, she instead caused an oil spill. After that National City news reports were starting to call her a menace and leading the call was business mogul Maxwell Lord. The DEO also doesn't have any confidence in her being able to handle any situation she finds herself in.

To make an effort to become more competent, Kara asked Cat Grant for advice about what Supergirl should do to be a more effective superhero. Then taking that advice she enlist both Jimmy and Winn's help in becoming a better superhero. I don't mind Kara getting advice because she definitely needs it, but it would have been better if she did everything else herself. Everything that both Jimmy and Winn were telling her she could have easily figured out for herself.

There was another alien on the lose, this time it's an insect man who after killing a man is now being forced by Kara's evil aunt Astra, who is another Phantom Zone escapee to lure Supergirl into a trap. At this point, Kara was still unaware that she even had an aunt let alone one that was the leader of all the escapees. 

Also in this episode, Cat Grant wants an interview with Supergirl and she wants to make sure from now on they scoop the Daily Planet on anything Supergirl related. I take back what I said about Cat Grant in my last review, I really don't like her and the way she's written doesn't leave any room for likeability. I get the feeling that she only hired Jimmy for his connection to Superman and not for being a first rate photojournalist. Cat giving a thinly veiled ultimatum to Jimmy to get her that interview with Supergirl was a very slimy business move.

The DEO was trying to capture the alien insect man by setting a trap but Kara's sister Alex ended up being captured and taken to Kara's evil aunt Astra. Kara of course got upset that the DEO didn't involve her in their plan, she then went to go find her sister. She found Alex but was then ambushed by her aunt where they met then proceeded to fight. On a side note, that fight scene in the air looked almost amateurish, it looked like both Kara and Astra were dangling on a string as they fought. They really need to work on improving that. Back to the fight, her aunt got away but not because Supergirl defeated her, no it's because Hank Henshaw stepped in with a kryptonite blade. Supergirl didn't even stop the insect guy, Alex did. So that makes her 0 for 3 in stopping the villains (for the series so far). Not that it matters but her aunt is putting her evil plans to take over National City on hold since she didn't expect humans to have weapons (i.e. kryptonite) that could stop them and that Kara was much stronger than she anticipated. Which to me just seems like bad writing since Kara was losing the fight between the two of them.

Something that annoyed me about this episode, besides the lackluster writing, was near the end. Alex took Kara to a sort of Fortress of Solitude at the DEO that Alex and Hank created for Kara. First Winn made her a costume, now Alex and the DEO give her a secret base. What's next, a guide book on how to use her powers?

The only thing I liked about this episode was the ending. It had Cat Grant sitting in her car pretty much threating Jimmy about getting that interview while she was unaware that Supergirl had picked up her car and flew away with it. Supergirl landed the car and then told Cat she was granting her that exclusive interview. She only gave the interview to keep Jimmy from being fired which showed that she cares about her friends. At this point, I don't understand why Jimmy doesn't quit and find a better job since Cat is only interested in taking advantage of his connection to Superman (and now Supergirl).

This show is starting to lose me as a fan and if the third episode continues in this fashion then I'm going to be dropping this real soon. I'm really starting to get tired of Kara's self-esteem issues. She shouldn't constantly need so many pep talks as well as the need for other's approval.

For a show that is supposed to be about Supergirl, why are there so many references to Superman? This show should be able to stand on its own but the weak and lazy writing leans too heavily on the Superman references. Well, I guess this situation doesn't get any better in further episodes since that is a large complaint from many viewers. It certainly doesn't seem as if it's going to improve especially since according to the latest news the show is already looking to cast a young Clark Kent/Kal-El for future episodes. Why can't they just focus on Supergirl?

Another thing they need to lay off on, is all the Girl Power and Feminism. I'm all for girl power but it was so heavy handed in this episode (and not to mention the Pilot). Why not just show a confident, intelligent young woman who is learning and growing with each heroics she attempts instead of constantly telling viewers the trials, tribulations and hardships of being a woman and a female superhero. From what I hear this also doesn't improve in further episodes either.

This show needs some comic book writers to come in and make some much needed improvements to the writing. I will be watching the third episode but my enthusiasm is just not there.

TV Round Up: Supergirl ep 1

Episode #1: Pilot (watched On Demand)

Rating: 3 stars

I finally decided to watch the first episode of Supergirl and guess what, I thought it was good.

I figured I would start with the things that I liked first such as: the show was light-hearted, had good pacing and good action scenes. So far I get a Smallville, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt sort of vibe from it. Out of all the characters that were in this episode there were only three that I liked: Kara Danvers, Cat Grant and James Olsen.

I like Kara Danvers. Despite having a very similar dorky personality to Barry Allen on The Flash and Felicity Smoak on Arrow, I found that out of the three, she's the only one that I find likeable. I don't think it will take me too long to get use to her personality, well at least I didn't find her annoying. I do wish she was more confident and would stand up for herself. Case in point, I wish Kara would have stood up more to her sister. In the scene after Kara saved the plane, she had been so happy but her sister Alex showed up and squashed her enthusiasm. Alex would not be alive had Kara not rushed out and saved that plane so instead of Alex being happy for her or even grateful towards her, she was very callous.

I heard a lot of bad things about this version of Cat Grant (and that trailer certainly didn't help) but I didn't find her as jarring as I thought she would be. Yes, she's a clone of Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada but she isn't truly unlikeable. The writers have chosen to make her a sterotypical high-powered cold business person whose only drive is to succeed at any cost. I wonder how the character would have been if she was given Cat's signature ditzy personality.

Now as for James "don't call me Jimmy" Olsen I've been hearing a lot of complaints about him but surprisingly I like him. From a first glance, he doesn't have the traditional dorky personality mostly associated with Jimmy Olsen but I don't get a sense that he's as cool as many of the complaints have stated. He kind of reminds me of the Jimmy from Smallville who also wasn't extremely dorky. I just see a guy who has moved away from Metropolis to build a new career in another city. I do wish he had not given Kara credit for taking the photo of Supergirl, he's Jimmy Olsen, a world class photographer. He should have taken the credit for it. All the so called complaints makes me wonder if most of them have more to do with the actor's ethnicity than anything else. It's certainly not the portrayal.

Good things aside, there were a few things that I didn't like such as:

- The public believing that aliens don't exist thing. So what do they consider Superman then? How can Superman have existed all this time and no one believes in aliens. Are there no other aliens or heroes for that matter operating throughout the world?

- The constant comparisons to Superman.

- Too many people on this show know that Kara is Supergirl.

- Kara's overbearing sister Alex. Besides being a liar, she works for the DEO which is an organization that goes after aliens. Her sister is an alien why would she work for them? I really wish she wasn't on the show. I don't like how she treats Kara as if she were a child. Kara's an adult and can do whatever she wants.

- The Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO). I don't understand why they would go after Kara just to tell her to stop trying to be a hero. She doesn't need their permission if she wanted to go after the Phantom Zone escapees, she would just do it. Side Note: Wasn't there a similar Phantom Zone escapees storyline already featured on Smallville?

- Potential villain-to-be as a comrade: Hank Henshaw. Will he eventually become a villain or stay a military man?

- The villains are lame.

- Kara's fighting skills are awful. The thing about most Supers is they do have awful fighting skills but since they are so powerful they don't need to be great fighters. However they can normally easily take down lame villains like Vartox in no time. It was embarrassing that Supergirl was saved by the DEO from the villain in her first fight against him. She is one of the most powerful beings on the planet (or make that the universe) and she couldn't stop Vartox. Even in her second fight with him, she really didn't stop him either. He ended up killing himself, so she didn't even get the victory of stopping him.

- The annoying Winslow "Winn" Schott, Jr.. This is another character that I really don't like and I still can't fathom why Kara would even tell him her secret. That guy is a jerk and not to mention is the son of one of Superman's villains (I wonder if that will be focused on in this series). I feel like she didn't need any help from him (or her sister for that matter) to figure out the whole superhero thing. I can't believe he helped her figure out her costume which is something that she could have easily figured out and that would have been a great learning experience for her.

- Kara working as the lowly assistant to Cat Grant. It would have been so cool if Kara had been a freelance writer or did anything else other than working at Catco. Kara really doesn't have a lot of ambition or confidence. When did being "normal" mean settling for anything mediocre. Why didn't she ask Cat for more responsibility or even a chance to write an article. Why does she just put up with Cat's treatment towards her?

- Although this is a minor issue, I do wished that Clark had taken Kara to his parents Martha and Jonathan Kent to be raised in Smallville. Because then the Kents could show up from time to time. It also would have at least made it seemed as though Clark actually cared about her and didn't just drop her off with strangers then took off. She has had zero contact with her cousin since she has been with the Danvers and why relay messages through Jimmy, that doesn't speak too highly of Clark.

- The Pep Talks. Kara shouldn't need that many pep talks to go out there and do what she has to do. She has too many people influencing her.


Despite all the problems, I did enjoy watching the first episode and I will be watching the second one. I do hope the show will get better and not worse.

Art of the Day: Superman, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen

Artwork: Superman Interview by Benjaminjuan

Book Review: Superman vol #1 (New 52)

Book: Superman volume #1: What Price Tomorrow? (issues #1-6) by George Perez 

Illustrations by Jesus Merino (issues #1-2, #4) and Nicola Scott (issues #3, #5-6)

Color by Brian Buccellato (issues #1-4), Brett Smith (issues #3-6) and Blond (issue #3)


Edition: Single Print Issues

Description:

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics - The New 52 event of September 2011, comics legend George Perez and artist Jesus Merino present the new adventures of the Man of Steel!

Metropolis fears him. The Daily Planet agrees. This new volume of SUPERMAN finds our hero with a startling new status quo. As Superman finds ways to dodge the scrutiny placed upon him by the public and media, he must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis - one that he somehow is the cause of! The next chapter in the legendary history of the Man of Steel is built here!


Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I know, that high rating is a tad shocking for anything Superman New 52 related (especially if you visit my blog quite regularly) but the first volume was actually good then the series started to go downhill at a steady rate. And the current DC You take on the Superman series really makes the New 52 version seem down right impressive.

The first issue gives readers a look at the new world of Superman, first with Lois Lane receiving a promotion from reporter to the new Executive Producer of the Planet Global Network (P.G.N.)'s nightly news division and Executive Vice-President of New Media. That a great title but it pretty much equates to getting Lois out of the way. Those are not the only changes, the Daily Planet was bought out by Morgan Edge and is now folded into his media conglomerate Galaxy Communications. The old Daily Planet building has been torn down while a newer updated version is in a new location in the city.

Lois may be in charge of the TV news, however Perry White is still in charge of the print division. Meanwhile, Jimmy who is still a photojournalist was mostly shown working with fellow Daily Planet photojournalist Miko Ogawa.

So, now where does that leave Clark Kent, well...he doesn't seem to be handling all the changes in good stride. He's mad that Lois and Perry have sold out their journalist integrity by working with Edge who if he had no opposition would turn the paper into another tabloid rag. But mind you Clark is also still working for the Planet but I guess that's not considered being a sellout that only pertains to just Lois and Perry. Prior to the New 52 Lois and Perry were the epitome of journalist integrity but that's a post for another day.

Anyway, while Clark was off flying around moping, as Superman he attempted to stop a couple of crooks who had stolen a tanker filled with hazardous chemicals but before he could end the situation a huge fire erupted from a nearby building and a huge fire ball took out the crooks.

The fire came from a strange creature that seemed to be made from fire and was actually giving Superman quite a bit of trouble in stopping. The creature appeared to be speaking some sort of language but the only word he could understand was Krypton. Lois although tucked away in the shiny new Daily Planet was able to get the story on air but without putting her staff in danger.

A surprise to the print staff was Clark getting the lead story especially since no one saw him in the area. But there was a surprise in store for him when he visited Lois and met her "friend" Jonathan Carroll.

Issue #2 finds Superman dealing with yet another mysterious creature speaking the same language as the first and this time, he was unable to see it. But thanks to quick thinking from Lois who was able to get Jimmy to keep the camera on Superman it finally allowed Clark to see what he was fighting. Meanwhile in a subplot it appears a homeless man and a hospitalized guard (who got caught in the fire from the first issue) may have a connection to the strange incidents plaguing both Superman and Metropolis.

Issue #3 finds yet another mysterious creature made of ice attacking the city, the creature was also speaking the same strange language. There is a connection with the creature and fellow Planet reporter Heather Kelley, the guard and the homeless man. This issue also focused on Clark's recently strange and uncharacteristic behavior that had him being very unreliable and moody.

Issues #4-6 had Superman being questioned by police about missing reporter Heather Kelley but also as Clark being questioned about his strange behavior by Lois. Superman also found himself ambushed by the three strange creatures but the after effects from the fight seemed to have caused a personality change. No longer was Superman there to protect the city he was now taking extreme measure to "save" it. All of this was culminating into a huge fight between Supergirl and the Man of Steel and not to mention the military possibly getting involved. But something wasn't right? This couldn't possibly be Superman. I don't want to ruin the ending because it's very interesting. But I will say that the Supergirl shown in issue #6 was better written than the one shown in the second volume in her own series.

I don't know why it's taken me so long to finally write up my review for this, perhaps on some level I don't want to write up the rest of the series when the quality dropped. Despite Lois getting the Rapunzel treatment of being "locked" away in the Daily Planet at least she wasn't too poorly written (I'm still not sure she would be working for Morgan Edge) and was actually shown a lot as opposed to how she was barely shown and very poorly written later on in the series. I loved the chemistry between Lois and Clark no matter if they're mad or angry with each other you can see how much they care for each other even if it is only as friendship.

There is this part of the New 52 that I never fully grasped which is why DC Comics wanted to create a world where people fear and hate superheroes? Anyway, this was a good read, I wish I could say that for the rest of the series.

In Remembrance: Jack Larson

It was sad to hear the news about the death of actor and playwriter Jack Larson. According to reports, at the age of 87, Larson died Sunday, September 20, 2015 peacefully in his sleep with his loyal dog by his side in his home in Brentwood, CA. 

Although, he was best known for playing Jimmy Olsen on the 1950s Superman series "Adventures of Superman" he made a career from writing and producing.

Adventures of Superman is a show that I recently started watching about 2 years ago when I purchased all six seasons of the show. I thought his version of Jimmy Olsen was great, because he brought to the screen the perfect amount of dorkiness. Jimmy was never cool and this series showed it, which is why I adore Larson's Olsen.  He was a complete dork but he also possessed all the other good qualities that Jimmy had.

I always saw Jimmy Olsen as a geek who enjoyed life and Larson's portrayal was simply spot on.

Art of the Day: The Daily Planet Trio: Jimmy, Clark and Lois

Artwork: Press Event by The-Orange-One (Brittney L. Williams)

Trailers for Fall TV Shows: Supergirl and Angel From Hell

Supergirl   Scheduled to air Mondays on CBS at 8 PM EST


This Supergirl trailer is really being hyped up but all I can see when I look at this is a bad parody of The Devil Wears Prada. I am so disappointed with this trailer because I was hoping this show was going to be something truly out the box amazing instead it's more like that SNL Black Widow parody movie.

This feels like a joke but not in a funny way. Well, at least I have Agent Carter to look forward to in the Fall. I had held off from talking about this show until it was actually picked up. I was really excited when they announced that Supergirl was going to be turned into a TV series. However, this trailer just makes the show look cheesy.

I hope the show is better than this trailer but I don't think I will be watching.


A show I do plan on watching is Angel From Hell.

Angel From Hell  Scheduled to air Thursdays on CBS at 9:30 PM EST

This show looks really funny and interesting and I'm really looking forward to watching it. Something different, can't wait. I like how it makes you wonder if she really is her guardian angel.

Illustration of the Day: Lois and Clark's First Meeting

Illustration: Superman: Secret Origin

Notice, how even Jimmy can see the chemistry between these two.

Illustration of the Day: Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen (New 52)

Illustration: Superman: Lois Lane #1 (one-shot)

This scene with Lois and Jimmy were one of the best things about that special Lois Lane issue.

Illustration of the Day: Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen (New 52)

Illustration: Superman: Lois Lane #1 (one-shot)

Tales of Metropolis: Jimmy Olsen Short

Poor Clark, he probably never thought Superman was considered such an annoyance for Jimmy.