1867 - Man of Steel

I like Superman, despite his limitations as a character.  In a conversation today a good friend brought up a really strong point about the different between DC and Marvel characters.  With Marvel it's about the person and their flaws and who they are, and then the hero gets added.  At DC it's all about the hero, and the real person is an after-thought or non-existent.  

Before I get too far in, I enjoyed the film for the most part, it was a ride.  But I just had some weird issues with it.  First - what's the obsession with seeing massive destruction of cities?  I spent most of the battle sequences wondering just how good of a job was Superman really doing given that he was tearing the shit up of Metropolis and everywhere else?!  I get that we want to see the brute strength - but we get it.  He's strong, so is Zod.  I'm going to get into spolery things here, so bare with me.  I like that Lois knows his real identity.  I like the little nods to Smallville and LexCorp.  I don't buy for a second that he's spending time on an oil rig.  Also - and this is a big one - the whole plot of the film revolved around the idea of Superman wanting to save earth - but why?  Outside of his parents everyone was pretty shitty to him.  What was so redeeming about humanity outside of his adoptive parents?  I didn't get a sense of that from him.  I love Amy Adams, but Lois felt out of place, like they tried to wedge her into the action.  My list of nit-picks is a little bit longer, but I really don't want to focus on that.  Is it a good Superman film?  Shit yes.  Is it a great film in general?  It's fine.  So there's that.  If you're going to see it, do it on the big scene - that much I'll say.  But oh!  The wonderful Julian Richings had a little part in the beginning of the film, which was a lot of fun to see!  Woot woot!

The Dark Knight Returns

I picked this up a very long time ago and decided to give it a go since the newest instalment in the Nolan Batman series is upon us.  For those who don't know, this one has us visiting Batman ten years after he has retired.  He's 55 and his body isn't quite what it used to, and Gotham, and the world, are worse than ever.  It's enough to make an old man question what difference he's made, if any, to his world.  And just as Batman steps out of the woodwork and back into the spotlight, so do his enemies of old including Two-Face, The Joker, and even Superman when they realize that the world isn't big enough for the two heroes with different perspectives on what the world needs.
Written by comic heavy-weight Frank Miller this is a really great Batman story.  It really gets to the core of the character and redefines him in a smart and clever way, using his age as a way of really being sharp about what it means to be Bruce Wayne, to know what he knows, and how to deal with that.  The thing is full of some really great stuff.  I assume that most fans of the Bat have probably already delved into this (almost 20 year old) mini-series.  I'll aim to pick up the sequel, The Dark Night Strikes Back at some point when I'm out comic-shopping.  It's a nice little read, especially when gearing up for The Dark Night Rises.