O Hai Batffleck!

Zack Snyder has given us our first (albeit dark) look at Ben Affleck donning the very Dark Knight Returns-ish Cape and Cowl and standing next to a very sleek new Batmobile.

This should serve to quell some doubts in the fans, including me, about the fate of this movie. I will say I've been very skeptical about this project and whether or not it will be any good. I am liking this little tease though. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and see what else Snyder and Co. have to show off in the coming weeks/months.

What do you think?

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Action Figure Review: DC Comics Designer Series - Talon

Since the Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman storyline, The Court of Owls, I’ve been looking forward to the release of a Talon action figure. That day has finally come and I couldn’t be more excited!

Part of DC Collectibles’ new DC Comics Designer Series, Talon is the second release in the first wave dedicated completely to Capullo’s Batman designs. This figure looks like it was pulled directly from the pages of Batman.

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DVD Review: Beware the Batman Season 1, Part 1

Coming off the cancellation of Cartoon Network's entire DC Nation block (i.e. Green Lantern and Young Justice), Beware the Batman premiered in July of 2013 alongside Teen Titans Go!. Only 11 episodes aired, but all 13 are now available on this 2 DVD set.

Click RAWR to read more after the jump!

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Bat Vs Supes Gets Lex and Alfred

Warner Bros. have officially announced the casting of Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred, and Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor.

If you listen closely you can hear the nerd rage building.  Not so much over Alfred but over Lex Luthor.  The rumors were pretty strong that Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston was a sure thing for the role.  That has proven to be wildly untrue and on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

For the sake of spoilers and for those who do not want to know, I'll drop this under a cut.  Click the RAWR to find out who got the roles!

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Is Batman Vs Superman In Danger?

DC and WB don't want to tread ground already walked by Marvel so they're shoehorning an entire universe into a sequel to a movie that was barely a success (financially and creatively).  Rather than allowing the Superman universe to grow into something strong enough to support an Avengers-like franchise, they're turning Man of Steel 2 into a Justice League movie without calling it a Justice League movie even though they're also pushing a Justice League movie through as well.

Now it's delayed a year.  That's the first signal.

The second?  Ben Affleck's "injury."

Now, the folks over at cinematallica.com have posted a rather interesting article regarding Ben Affleck threatening to walk off the project due to "scheduling" and script problems.  I think it sounds like Ben Affleck thinking he knows more than David Goyer problems.

This movie is a bad idea from the ground up.  Why would you want to create a Justice League that features an old worn out Batman?  We had a worn out Batman in The Dark Knight Rises and guess what?  It didn't work.  

DC is trying to get a franchise going without actually building the world.  They want to fast track it and get it done because Marvel is killing them in this regard.  The thing is that Marvel did the work.  They laid the ground work and built a cohesive film world for their characters.  WB doesn't want to do that and because of that it's probably going to blow up in their faces.

I'm going to agree 100% with the gang at cinematallica that this MoS sequel will change to a straight up Superman sequel and the whole Batman vs. Superman angle will be dropped.  We can only hope at least.

We still have Arrow though so that's good.

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Action Figure Review: DC Collectibles New 52 The Joker

You can't spell Slaughter without laughter, and who knows that better than the Joker!

Straight out of Scott Snyder's New 52 storyline "Death of the Family," the Joker is back and deadlier than ever.

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Before Watchmen Hardcovers Review: Part 2

DC's controversial prequel, Before Watchmen, was originally met with skepticism because its source material is the best selling graphic novel of all time, Watchmen. Despite the initial outrage, Before Watchmen was pretty great and really paid homage to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' epic tale.

DC is releasing four hardcovers consolidating the titles. The first two, Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre  and  Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair were released on June 26th. (Check out my review of them here.)

The last two hardcovers, Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach and Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan are being released on July 10th.

When Before Watchmen: Comedian was first announced, I thought 6 issues was too many to focus on the infamous icon. In some ways it's too many, but in some ways it's not enough to tell the complicated tale of the Comedian. Brian Azzarello (Joker, 100 Bullets) does a good job putting the reader into Eddie Blake's shoes and really makes us feel for this ruthless character. 

However, I do think the Comedian story is weak compared to the other Before Watchmen titles. The Comedian is such a rich character in the Watchmen universe that I expected more out of his story. Also, the artwork by J.G. Jones (Final Crisis) doesn't really capture the Comedian's grittiness. For me, the artwork is too simple for the title's story.

Before Watchmen: Rorschach is also by Azzarello. This title is extremely dark. It perfectly captures Rorschach and the circles he runs around in. The city's gritty underbelly is perfectly captured in Lee Bermejo's (Joker) artwork. Also, one of the four issues has one of the best cover's I've ever seen!

Like the other Deluxe Edition hardcovers, this includes the alternate covers and sketches at the end.

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl is written by J. Michael Straczynski (Superman: Earth One) focuses on Nite Owl II and his partnership with Rorschach as they track down a deadly killer. Andy Kubert's (Flashpoint) artwork is a little bit on the generic side, but his cityscapes and action scenes really shine. 

I really like the story because it is dark, but it has that buddy cop dynamic between Nite Owl II and Rorschach. It's the perfect tone of dark and funny that makes for an entertaining and great story!

Of all the Before Watchmen titles, Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan is the one that most captures the themes of the character from the original. Straczynski's writing incorporates mixed timelines, scientific facts, and even quotes like the original Watchmen. It's unbelievable how similar it is.

In addition to the writing, artist Adam Hughes (Justice League of America) shines a unique, yet familiar (blue) light onto the eerie god-like character. Using reoccurring themes such as watches, symmetry, and circles, Hughes does an outstanding job recreating Dr. Manhattan. Also, the last few pages are actually drawn upside down to create an awesome effect that really works with the story.

Lastly, this Deluxe Edition hardcover also includes Moloch. This two issue mini written by Straczynski and illustrated by Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets) delves into the sad origin of the Minutemen's foe Moloch the Mystic.

It's a shame that DC cancelled the Before Watchmen: Epilogue story because I would have liked to have seen that one shot. I had kind of hoped they would include it in one of these collections, but they did not. Perhaps will see it when DC makes a Before Watchmen Absolute Edition.

These titles are great expansions of the already rich universe that Alan Moore created. I'm very pleased at how they all turned out. The writers and artists did a phenomenal job at capturing the tone and look of each character in the Watchmen universe. These Deluxe Edition Hardcovers look great together next Watchmen on my shelf.

Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach & Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan are both a 10 out of 10 Doomsday Clocks!

Be sure to pick up Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach & Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan on July 10th.

Also, look for Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre & Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair available now!

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Before Watchmen Hardcovers Review: Part 1

Before Watchmen was DC's prequel to the best-selling graphic novel of all time, Watchmen. The fans (myself included) were very skeptical about the title. However, most of the comics were pretty great and really stuck to the source material.

DC is releasing four hardcovers consolidating the titles. The first two, Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre  and  Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair are being released on June 26th.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen was the title I was looking forward to the most in the Before Watchmen Series. The six issues are written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier), Minutemen perfectly captures the mood and time period during the formation of the original team. Also, he's managed to use several familiar motifs Dave Gibbons used (such as clocks) to visually tie into the Watchmen story.

It follows Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl, as he is writing his tell-all Under the Hood. It tells his origin and chronicles his alliance and troubles with the Minutemen. Cooke has created a brilliantly dark and entertaining story line exposing the corruption within the Minutemen through the eyes of a hero cop turned hero.

Also written by Darwyn Cooke, is the four issue Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre. The artwork by Amanda Conner (Powergirl) has that Archie Comics / Mary Jane Watson feel to it. Silk Spectre focuses on the early years of Silk Spectre II, Laurie. It delves into the strained relationship between her and her mother, Sally. She runs away from home, but doesn't shirk her superhero duties because she kicks ass all the way.

This hardcover has a really great artwork section featuring Darwyn Cooke's drawings of each Minutemen member, as well as every cover for both titles.

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias is written by Len Wein (Swamp Thing), who was the editor for the original Watchmen story. Wein's writing is great, but it is truly brought alive by Jae Lee's (The Dark Tower) stunning visuals. Featuring the World's Smartest Man, this six issue arc tells of the character's upbringing and unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Similar to how Minutemen's artwork pays homage to Gibbons' originals, Jae Lee uses a lot of circular and symmetrical panel layout in Ozymandias. DC seemed to do a great job of picking writer/artist teams that could really capture and do justice to such an iconic title.

Before Watchman: The Crimson Corsair was featured as the back-up chapters for most of the Before Watchmen titles. Based upon The Black Freighter story in Watchmen, this Len Wein and John Higgins (the colorist for Watchmen) joint effort is like a dark Pirates of the Caribbean / The Walking Dead.

Additionally, this hardcover also features the one-shot, Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill written by Len Wein and drawn by Steve Rude (Nexus). This tells the story of Dollar  Bill, originally hired as a bank mascot he gets more than he bargained for after stopping some thieves.

All of these titles really expand the Watchmen Universe without ruining the original. The Deluxe Edition Hardcovers are very nice and look great on the shelf! Tonally, they are both darker than your average superhero comic, which speaks volumes about the world Alan Moore created.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre & Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair are both a 10 out of 10 Smiley Faces!

Be sure to pick up Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre & Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair  on June 26th.

Also, look for Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach & Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan on July 10th.

RAWR(for more)

Roundup: DC Comics Springtime Products

It's less than one month until the highly anticipated Man of Steel flies into a theater near you! If you're like me and you can't wait, maybe these recently released DC properties will hold you over.

Superman Unbound is the latest film from DC Animated. It's based upon Geoff Johns' 2008 storyarc "Superman Brainiac." Together, Supergirl and Superman must defeat the evil Brainiac, save Earth, and uncover secrets about their homeworld, Krypton. From the first minute to the last, Superman Unbound is action packed and the animation looks great!

For the kids, you might want to check out the all-new Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Superheroes Unite!  Lego-fied versions of Batman, Robin, Superman, Cyborg, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern team up to prevent Lex Luthor and the Joker from destroying the Lego world!Based on the best-selling Lego Batman 2 - DC Superheroes Unite video game, this movie mixes action, humor, and the magic of Legos into a fun ride for the whole family.

For those of you with summer reading lists, you might want to add a few of these DC titles.

Cool off this summer with Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others! This perfect beach book continues Aquaman and Mera's adventures from the New 52 as they battle Black Manta and other deadly foes.

Also, check out both Batman Beyond: 10,000 Clowns and Justice League Beyond: Konstriction. Set in the futuristic Beyond universe both of these titles bring back the action and characters from the Batman Beyond animated series.

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PCB Game Night: DC Deck Building Game (PLUS YOU CAN WIN IT!)

Fans of deck building games like Dominion (reviewed here) and fans of DC Comics range of excellent heroes might just have their days made with this game from Cryptozoic Entertainment.

DC Comics Deck-Building Game is a super fun, rather easy to learn game where you construct a deck from available cards and fight to defeat the super-villains (and earn the victory points) to win against your opponents.

Let's let Cryptozoic (a keep your eye on them game company for sure!) tell you all about it:

In the DC Comics Deck-building Game, you take on the role of Batman™,Superman™, or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of Super-Villainy! While you begin armed only with basic combat maneuvers, you will add new, more powerful cards to your deck as you go, with the goal of defeating as many of the DC Comics Super-Villains as you can. In the end, the player who has accumulated the most Victory Points from the cards in his or her deck wins the game!  

 Collect heroes, defeat villains, beat your friends, and win the game.

This is the perfect entry into deck building games.  It's a fast game (generally around 30 - 45 minutes) plus it has all the characters you love (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more).

2-5 players means you might have some friends sitting out if you have more than that over.  Hopefully, much like Dominion, this can be resolved with a future expansion.   Geek parents can totally use this game to introduce their kids to this style of gaming.  They will be excited by the characters and it is a great launching pad into the more expansive deck building game world.

There are plenty of combos to learn, fun abilities, and flat out gorgeous artwork on every card.  The game is also compatible with other games based on the Cerberus (Heroes) card engine, which I can't say much about as I haven't tried mixing or playing the other games in this engine just yet.  I'll mention that in any other reviews we do with games of that engine.

One complaint for me is that the cards can get a little repetitive.  This can be expected for the first version of the game and is certain to be a non issue once expansions start rolling out.

I'm gonna keep the review part of this short because, honestly, I love the game.

DC Deck-Building Game

9 out of 10 Teen Titans!

So here we go.  Do you want to win a copy of the DC Deck Building Game courtesy of our awesome friends and Cryptozoic?  How about if I throw in a rare exclusive promo MARTIAN MANHUNTER character card?

Send us an email to contest@popculturebeast.com with your name. Put DC DECK BUILDING CONTEST in the subject line.  We'll pick two winners at random.  The first wins a copy of the entire game + the promo card.  The second winner gets a promo card!

Winners will be contacted on May 15!

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Free Comic Book Day: May 4th, 2013

Tomorrow marks the annual "Nerd Christmas," known as Free Comic Book Day. Comic shops around the world open their doors with heaps of free comics to show appreciation for their customers and to introduce new readers to comics.

Started in 2002, Free Comic Book Day has grown into a crazy, and successful venture! In past years, Heroclix, Green Lantern Rings, key chains, and posters have been given away for free as well. Local comic shops often have drawings and contests making Free Comic Book Day, an all day affair.

What comics can you be expecting to snag for free tomorrow? Let me break down a few of the titles available.

Inifinity - This is a short lead-up into Marvel's next big comic crossover event this August. The Avengers have traveled across the universe to aid Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy in their fight against the Builders. Meanwhile, Thanos has come to attack Earth and it's up to the New Avengers to stop him.

The Walking Dead - The hit comic turned hit AMC TV series offers an exclusive look at both Michonne and the Governor's origins.

Superman: Special Edition - Gear up for this summer's Man of Steel by reading an excerpt from Geoff Johns and Richard Donner's 2008-2009 storyline Superman: The Last Son of Krypton. Also, there is a sneak peek at Scott Snyder and Jim Lee's anticipated Superman: Unchained.




For those of you with kids, there are some great comics available!




Kaboom! Summer Blast - Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Regular Show, Ice Age, Bravest Warriors, and Peanuts.










Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures - Join Leo, Raph, Donny, and Mikey as they fight the Kraang and Foot Clan in this comic based on the new Nickelodeon show.








DC Nation Super Sampler #1 - Check out the comics and games featured in this preview for the upcoming DC Nation shows, Teen Titans Go! and Beware the Batman.









Avengers Assemble/Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. #1 - The forthcoming Marvel cartoons get sneak previews in this comic!






Looking for these and other awesome titles (includeing The Tick and Judge Dredd) on Free Comic Book Day at your local Comic shop!

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU... ON FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

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ARROW: PALEYFEST 2013 by Marco Elorreaga

Arrow PaleyFest 2013 panel, March 9, 2013 at 7 pm

He has a list (be careful NBC) and he's checking it twice, making sure who's naughty or nice...no, I don't mean Old Saint Nick, I'm talking about Arrow, Green Arrow. The new CW sensation Arrow made it's mark on PaleyFest on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills among teeming fans of comics and Stephen Amell's abs alike. And it was a bullseye.

Definitely one of the smaller panels in the PaleyFest lineup, it was still rich with laughs, secrets, and geeking out.  The stars descended into the press tent, showered in flash photography, and quickly made their rounds, answering questions ranging from Stephen Amell's own stunt work to what other DC character cameos to expect.  

Cast looking stunning for the press

For the most part, most of the stars and producers were hush-hush about the remaining episodes of the season, saying that the next batch, which return on March 20, are like the third act of a movie.  Don't expect the story or action to slow down.  

Stars Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy looked stunning in their outfits as they discussed a lot of what has happened so far in the first season with their characters, Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance, respectively.  While Amell got a lot of questions concerning his chiseled anatomy, Executive Producer Greg Berlanti adamantly defends that he had no idea what his body looked like until after they casted him as the titular character.  As he reiterated in the panel, "we did not see him without his shirt in any audition process, he's just a great actor.  That's why he got the job.  He got the job because he was an incredible actor and we felt really lucky."

Cast and executive producers of Arrow posing for the cameras

A fan favorite and one of many characters on the show who does not come from the DC canon, was John Diggle, played by David Ramsey, and he took the time to even pose with his Samsung phone to show his support for one of his favorite brands.

David Ramsey posing with his Samsung phone

He explain how his character has developed as the the "moral voice" of the show, saying he's "cool, reasonable, and he's just a fantastic character."

"I think Diggle, ultimately, becomes the solid partner for Oliver," when asked on where he wants Diggle to be at the end of the season, "he is a partner for Oliver/Arrow, but there is contention.  There's a contentious nature between them because I think Oliver is developing and I think ultimately we see the value of Diggle in a way that he becomes invaluable to the team.  So, ultimately he becomes irreplaceable.  I think that's what I want, irreplaceability. You can't kill Diggle."

Ramsey continued his crusade during the actual panel to make sure he isn't killed off any time soon, stating, "every time I look at script, I look at the end of the script to see if I die."  When panel moderator, Geoff Johns, from DC entertainment and comic book writer, asked the audience if they want more Diggle, the crowd exploded in support, prompting creators and executive producers, Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg to make a quick joke about rewriting the episodes.

Even though there was no full episode shown, the sizzle reel promised more action on the island and in Starling City.  Things seem to be coming to a head on the island as Arrow seems to confront a team of mercenaries.  At the same time, Guggenheim teased that the Slade and Oliver relationship will continue to develop on the island like a "proto Butch and Sundance."  Lastly, it looks like the Huntress (Jessica DeGouw) gives up Arrow's identity to Det. Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne).  

Secrets were tight-lipped with supposed physical harm to come to the producers if spoken aloud, so very little hints were dropped on what was to come in the remaining episodes of season one.  The producers were able to confirm that Arrow would be visiting other DC universe cities, such as Blood Haven, although they said not to expect Arrow to visit two notable ones (most likely Gotham City and Metropolis).  They also were able to confirm that a very recognizable icon of a popular genre show will make a guest star appearance that will provide full geek-out moments.  Vague, but intriguing.  What other star on top of John Barrowman, also known as Captain Jack Harkness to many Dr. Who and Torchwood fans, can genre show fans geek out on even more? 

That's not the only thing fans can look forward to when the show returns.  With Colin Donnell's Tommy Merlyn now knowing the truth, the veil of secrecy becomes thinner for the Queen and Arrow persona.  The producers said that Tommy might not be as forthcoming and accepting of Queen's newfound hobby and Amell said that "it changes everything about the friendship."  Can we see a potential villain with Tommy's character in the near future?  

In addition, Cassidy teased that the arrival of Laurel's estranged mother (Alex Kingston) will provide some confrontation with her Blackthorne's Detective Quentin Lance as we see more of that family dynamic in addition to the bomb she dropped on Laurel, stating that her sister Sarah could still be alive.

Also, whether Oliver/Arrow will regret saving Malcolm aka The Dark Archer's life, the producers and cast all agreed in very regretful "yeahhhh."  Already picked up for a second season, it's a good time to start watching as the story becomes richer and producers say they will burn through story until the network fires them.

What not to expect is to see superpowers any time soon with the producers saying that "for right now, no. We want to tell something grounded," explaining how Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy influenced them heavily, "it allows for a much wider audience."  Also, don't expect Amell to appear on NBC's Ninja Warrior also when answering the last audience question of the night.  

Amell spouting probably the best line of the night in response, "I don't know, Ninja Warrior is on NBC and NBC is on the list." Make sure to catch Arrow when it returns to the CW on March 20th or you might end up on the list, too.

Special thanks to Samsung Smart TV for sponsoring my coverage of PaleyFest 2013. Make sure to like Samsung TV USA on Facebook for an insider look at red carpet photos, video highlights, recaps from the day's events and more. Also, don’t forget to follow @PopCultureBeast on Twitter for live updates during the screenings and panels.

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Empire Magazine release new Man of Steel images!

Henry Cavill will grace this week's cover of Empire Magazine as Superman. The new photos feature Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Michael Shannon as General Zod. Man of Steel hits theaters in 3D, 2D and IMAX on June 14!

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