THE FLASH & THE REVERSE FLASH!

The CW is firing on all cylinders with their Flash and Arrow shows.  Over in Starling City the big mystery is surrounding Who Killed Sara? (My guess - it was Tommy Merlyn, but we shall leave that for another entry), and Central City’s central plot revolves around Who Killed Barry Allen’s Mother?  Now fans of the DC Comics Flash already know that Reverse Flash has existed in numerous roles and caused far too many problems in the lives of all the heroes who have worn the scarlet colors of the Flash.

I am not shocking anyone by my predictions in this blog that the Reverse Flash is going to end up being Officer Eddie Thawne of the Central City Police Force!  BUT, and here’s the hook, it’s not the Eddie Thawne of 2014 but some future version of the character.

To help my theory,

TIME TRAVEL – Fans of the Flash already know that his super speed will eventually allow him to travel so fast that he will go backwards (and forwards) in time.  In the pilot episode Barry’s mother was killed while surrounded in a spiral windstorm of yellow AND red.  Thus both Flashes will battle through the time stream.  There are tachyon particles, future technology, and plenty of hints that both the past and present will be coming into play shortly.

DR. WELLS – Dr. Wells is either from the future (he may be Eobald Thawne, a future relative to Eddie Thawne) or he has knowledge of future events.  He has the technology and obviously he also has a Reverse-Flash uniform.  His tachyon device was attached to the Reverse-Flash suit to empower the suit with special time travel abilities.  But, Dr. Wells is NOT the version of Reverse Flash currently causing all the problems on the show.

Squint just right and you will see Eddie Thawne of 2024!

EDDIE THAWNE OF THE FUTURE – In the comics Eobald Thawne, from the future, is the Reverse Flash but here I believe we’re dealing with a 5-10 year in the future version of Eddie who clearly does not like Barry Allen.  Both men love Iris (and Barry will probably be the winner in that triangle).  Eddie won’t be a fan of Barry’s when he discovers Barry is the Flash and when he gains access to powers (or that empowered suit) he will go back in time to create all sorts of problems to make Barry’s life as miserable as his own must become. 

      Clearly this Reverse-Flash does not want to harm Eddie or Joe.  In Episode 9 he is given the chance to kill both men, but instead he kills a bunch of S.W.A.T. troopers, ignores Joe, saves Eddie from an errant bullet, and then pummels Dr. Wells.

BARRY’S MOTHER – When time travel comes into play will the Reverse Flash indeed be the killer of Barry’s mother?  The Flash (and his red streaking) is obviously in the room too.  If Barry’s mother is saved doesn’t that change the timeline so drastically that there can never be a Flash?  We know Dr. Wells won’t settle for that.  Reverse Flash never states that he killed Barry’s mother but instead chooses to goad him into a chase before ruthlessly beating up the Flash.  What is Reverse Flash’s hatred and motivation?

Many viewers seem to be focused on WHO is wearing the Reverse Flash costume?, but the true mystery here is WHY is there a Reverse Flash and WHAT is his true motivation?

I guess we all need to be satisfied with going along for the ride (or run as it were) and hope that the creative team behind The Flash keep firing faster than the speed of light because so far it’s been a hell of a fun run!

For fans of the Flash who have not read any of the best DC storylines
with Flash & Reverse Flash, check out many of the collections written by
Geoff Johns, all are well worth the read as his handling of the character is stellar!

STATUE COLLECTING!

Being a lifelong comic book fan, for the past decade+ I have been an avid collector of Randy Bowen's line of statues and busts.  These are great (albeit expensive at times) pieces of sculpted artwork that really add a nice element to my home.  I have a curio cabinet filled with close to 100 pieces dedicated to the Marvel Universe of superheroes.  My wife doesn't even mind the collection and she lovingly refers to it as my "Barbie Cabinet".

Anyways, the cabinet is full and sadly for all these years there was never a solid product for the superheroes of the DC Universe.  Lately that is starting to change as the company Kotobukiya (sounds like a porn term) has been releasing a high quality line of 8" DC statues.  These statues have a great metallic shine to them and are remarkably lightweight.  They are also awesomely priced falling between the $35-$50 range (and plenty of good deals to be had on ebay).

In the past six months I've added Flash, Batman, Captain "SHAZAM!" Marvel, Black Adam, and Aquaman to my collection and they're residing on shelves in my computer room.  Any time people see them they always get compliments because the product speaks for itself.  At this point the only statue I do not own is Superman and that is solely because I am not a fan of the New 52 DC take that Superman must look younger than the rest of the heroes.  Nope, not to my liking...but the work of the statue itself looks solid.

I don't often plug products but if you're a fan of superheroes and the DC Universe, then adding one or several of these statues to your home, office, or collection is a great idea.  They're excellent eye-candy for an exceptional price.

Give them a look HERE.

Revisiting Batman (1989) & Batman Returns (1992)!

With all the hype about The Dark Knight Rises this summer, and the fact that I have been toiling away determing my Top 10 superhero movies of all time, it seemed like an appropriate time to revisit the first two entries into the Batman franchise.  Aside from brief glimpses on TV, I haven't seen Batman or Batman Returns in at least 10-15 years.  To help put this in perspective, when I went looking for both movies I didn't even have them on DVD.  Down in the basement in a dusty old VHS cabinet is where both movies were residing.  I promptly placed Batman into my VCR and was instantly greeted with a Diet Coke commerical.  Talk about a flashback to the 90's!  Mind you this was NOT a bootleg copy.  I purchased my VHS tape from Suncoast for $19.95 or so when it was released and part of that low cost at the time was helped by Coke putting a commercial at the start of the movie.  Grrrr!  I hate commercials which is why (unlike Mrs. Jumper) I never watch movies on commercial TV.  Thankfully Batman Returns didn't repeat this blunder although the movie was a blunder unto itself.  In watching both movies I was thankful for technology and the advent of DVD and HDTV because VHS images stink!  I had to stop Batman 15 minutes into the movie and move my TV to run a new cord hooking up my VCR in a better manner to try and milk just a slightly better picture quality.

I have no intentions of providing any form of story synopsis for either movie.  If you haven't seen them, stop reading and earn your "genre-enthusiast credentials" and go watch them...and then return.

During the summer of 1989 I worked at a movie theatre and had the pleasure of seeing Batman some thirty or more times.  In fact the joys of being a theatre employee meant I saw the movie a day before the masses.  The added bonus was my good friend was the projectionist so he hooked the movie up so that both he and I had an entire theatre to watch it alone (kind of like a giant living room) while the rest of the employees were all drunk and rowdy somewhere else.  Batman did it's job.  It returned respect and greatness to the superhero franchise, something that had been utterly destroyed because of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.  Audiences and expecatations were sky high for Batman and the movie solidly delivered.  Even today watching it on my lousy VHS copy, I was entertained.

Batman gets alot right.  The look of Gotham City is solid.  Keaton's Batman is great (one of the best to date...and to think how the fanboys were up-in-arms about his casting).  Nicholson's Joker is stellar (and although I prefer the creep factor of Ledger's) and it feels like he's come directly from the comic books.  The Joker is spooky and yet funny.  I had forgotten some of his solid lines so even in 2012 they managed to coax and smile or guffaw out of me.  The joy-buzzer scorching of rival mobster Torreli has always been a treat.  The origin stories for both Batman and Joker are well delivered.  Batman is allowed to do action, use detective skills, show off technology, and basically be a cool hero in a cool movie.  My grade for Batman back in 1989 was a solid "A+".  Today I'd rank it a solid "A-" (but it's still not cracking my Top 10 Hero Flicks of all time).

The only real issues I have with 1989's Batman are the characters of Alexander Knox and Vicki Vale.  Knox (or more appropriately Robery Wuhl) is just annoying.  Nothing made me happier than when he was written out of any sequels.  Vicki Vale is shallow, goes immediately for millionaire Bruce Wayne and spend far too much time screaming or "oohing"...I lost count around twenty times!  My other main issue with the movie is the sets.  Clearly Gotham City is on a soundstage.  No matter how scenes are filmed...it feels tight.  The Batmobile drives by the same locales too often and there are times where I felt clautrophobia.  There's something to be said about taking the time to film scenes outside...it adds dimension.  Finally, even though Batman looks cool...watching it today you can see how heavy and clunky that costume is.  No way is anyone fighting crime wearing that cumbersome outfit.

In 1992 Batman Returns hit theatres.  The posters hyping the movie were awful but the previews helped build up excitement.  By this time I was a paying customer so no more free rides or multiple viewings.  I hated the movie!  Even after numerous rewatches the film should really be called BATMAN: FIGHTS FOR SCREEN TIME.  The movie is a mess with far too many villains and none with any form of coherent plans.  The Penguin looks decent but his storyline is a muddled mess.  The character of Max Schreck takes up far too much of the story and truly only exists to combine the plotlines of Penguin and Catwoman.  As much as people still swoon over Michelle Pffeifer's portrayal as Selina Kyle and Catwoman...I don't get it.  The costume is silly, her lines are atrocious...OK she can swing a mean whip...but that's about it.

The only real plus with Batman Returns is that Tim Burton progressed as a director.  The camera is more fluid which makes all of the action sequences more interesting.  Batman is allowed to do more in his fights/chases as well...and the suit seems a bit more mobile (sorta).

Of course with the one plus out of the way, the rest is all negative.  The sets issues are still present as Gotham City feels more confined than ever and we don't even get one or two landscape shots to show us what the place looks like as a whole.  The lines that the characters delivers are horrible!  Everyone is fighting to have a funny quip, even Batman - "Eat floor!  High fiber!"  It gets exhausting to listen to, much like reading a Dan Slott comic book where the only motivation for every character is to be funnier than the previous character.  When this happens there is no gravity to the plot or world that the characters engage in.  An hour into watching Batman Returns I felt my patience dying off...by the end I was thankful when the credits rolled.  And before I'm labeled a "hater" let me say that I wanted to like this movie!  Every time I see it and Keaton first stands up in front of the Bat-Signal, I'm ready to be taken on a thrill ride...unfortunately much like the Penguin's self-built Batmobile Ride, this ride only makes me sick to my stomach.  My grade for Batman Returns back in 1992 was a "C-".  Today I would rank this movie an "F"...but since I know Batman & Robin is still around the corner I'll push it up to a "D".