WHO'S MISSING FROM THE LEGION OF DOOM?

Well it's finally happening! We are getting a live action version of the Legion of Doom! As announced at last week's San Diego Comic Con the Legion of Doom will be the primary antagonists of DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 2. Given the revelation that the Justice Society of America would feature in the new season it really shouldn't come as a surprise. Especially since the past four years of DC CW series have built up a hell of rogues gallery in and of themselves. From Arrow, the Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and even Supergirl there are have been many adversaries to choose from, some are even pictured above.

So far the LoD is confirmed to have Damien Darhk, Malcolm Merlyn, Captain Cold and the Reverse Flash.

Not much room for diversity in the Legion of Doom is there?

Over on Gotham, it seems like the villains are teaming up all the time or at least that happened quite a few times during season 2. Having a whole slew of baddies on the CW to fight their burgeoning Justice Society is definitely exciting. However, one can't help but wonder, is that it? Will we get to see more Legionnaires? Oh wait . . . That's a different thing . . . But you know what I mean! Who else might we get to see this year torture and fight our beloved Legends? Well, I have a wish list I'd like to share . . . 

 GORILLA GRODD

I think it's pretty safe to say that Grodd was a surprise inclusion during season 1 of The Flash. Even more surprising was his return in season 2 where he got a lot of screen time. That's no small feat for a character that basically demands to be 100% CGI, i.e. he's very expensive to use especially for a cable TV series. We left him last about to discover Gorilla City in another dimension. Given Grodd's rising intellect it's safe to say he will find a way back to Central City to cause trouble for our beloved Scarlet Speedster. But what if before he makes it back to Central City, he's recruited by the Legion of Doom? He's been an LoD mainstay for a long time. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that the LoD will need some serious muscle, not to mention a psychic powered muscle, to help them carry out their evil schemes. The only issue I can foresee is that Grodd would be very expensive to animate for multiple episodes, given the fact that most of the main heroes require a good deal of animation to begin with. But then again, ya never know! The producers of the DC CW shows have surprised us before!

DEATHSTROKE

While he's never been a member of the Legion of Doom in the comic books, as far as I know, he was a very important and arguably the best villain that Arrow has had so far. Fans have practically been begging for his return since he was left on Lian Yu at the end of season 2. True, he came back for an episode in season 3 but does that really count? We didn't get to see him dawn his bad ass armor again and really cut loose! So why not do that? Let's bring back Oliver's worst enemy and have him really wreak havoc on the Legends! It's not so crazy when you think about it. Sara Lance is also one of his most hated enemies and she's got a front row seat on the Waverider. All Merlyn would have to do is say Sara's name and Slade would be more than happy to jump at the chance for revenge. It's what that crazy bastard lives for!

SOLOMON GRUNDY

Grundy is kind of a no brainer. I mean literally, the dude doesn't have much intelligence. But he likes stealing things and apparantly he's a zombie that will never die. He's basically the muscle of the Legion of Doom. I mean, someone has to be stupid enough to start a fight with Superman for crying out loud! During season 2 of Arrow, Grundy's alter ego Cyrus Gold was used. He was infused with Mirakuru and gave the Arrow some trouble before he was finally put down. While that character was a cool nod to Grundy, back when Arrow was still skirting around having actual superpowers in the show, it would be nice to see that character come back as the walking undead thief we all know and love(ish). His inclusion this season is unlikely though given that Gotham is set to include their own version of Grundy sometime during their new season. Still . . . it would be great to see him brought to life and make trouble for the Legends. 

BIZARRO

Another mainstay of the Legion of Doom is Superman's backwards doppelganger, Bizarro. In the comics he is from a cube shaped Earth and is the opposite of Superman. In some stories he speaks in opposites, like Hi means Good Bye, etc. In other stories his powers are the reverse of Superman. For example he has Ice Vision and Fire Breath in contrast to Superman's Arctic Breath and Heat Vision. Not long ago, Supergirl got her own version of Bizarro in the comic books. When the producers adapted Supergirl into a live action TV Series they loosely adapted this story. Bizarro Supergirl is the reverse of Supergirl, she's monstrous, Ice Vision, Fire Breath, and destroys instead of saving. She's created by Maxwell Lord as a counterpoint to Supergirl, but as these things go, she goes off the reservation and well . . . there's fighting and such . . . Anyway! She would make a great addition to the CW's Legion of Doom, assuming of course that Supergirl is established on their Earth as opposed to being in a different part of the Multiverse (I really hope that's corrected). Like with Grundy, since the majority of the confirmed LoD members are just regular dudes, minus Reverse Flash, it's a good idea to have some serious muscle on the team to throw off the team's ability to stop whatever evil scheme they are hatching. Cuz in the end, we wanna see handsome men like Brandon Routh punching ugly people like Bizarro am I right? Haha! . . . No . . . Yeesh . . . Anyway!

TOYMAN

Another mainstay of the Legion of Doom! In the comics, Winslow Schott AKA the Toyman was a disgruntled toy maker hell bent on getting revenge on those who wronged him. For the most part, that origin remains intact for his various appearances on Smallville, Superman: the Animated Series, and of course Supergirl. It seems like his motivation for joining the Legion of Doom is nothing more than having a group of like minded people that love taking their aggression out on superheroes in creative ways. And let's face it, what's wrong with that? I think the Supergirl version of the character would fit in perfectly next to Damien Darhk, Merlyn, Cold, and Reverse Flash. He's a creepy enough guy with a penchant for making crazy robot things for the heroes to fight. It's why he's always been included in almost every version of the Legion of Doom thus far, why should Legends of Tomorrow be any different? I think he'd fit it in well and would be a great foil to the other characters. Or maybe just have him show up in the crossover episode and screw with Green Arrow and the Flash. 

 They have EXPLOSIVE personalities! Haha . . . get it?

While those are just a small number of characters that I think would fit into the Legion of Doom, I think they are all good choices. Whether it's their history with the organization from Challenge of the Super Friends or the comic books or just the characters' histories within the CW-verse, they are all good choices. I can't wait to see what happens with these villains and how the heroes will deal with them. Especially Captain Cold. Didn't he die? . . . Stupid time travel . . . 

Till Next Time!

JJ - The Comic Junkie!

THE OTHER INFAMOUS MARK HAMILL COMIC BOOK ROLES

If you are reading this it's probably safe to say that when you think of Mark Hamill you think of Luke Skywalker. The names go together like Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. What you may not realize is that Hamill is actually much more than the last Jedi. Yes of course there is a certain Clown Prince of Crime that most people identify him with but did you know that he's also the voice behind many other famous comic book characters? Well . . . let's take a look!

SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - THE HOBGOBLIN

In the comic books, The Green Goblin is to Spider-Man is like the Joker to Batman. They are locked into an eternal battle for all eternity. However, in the animated series from the early 90s, Hobgoblin was the first Goblin that Spidey fought. He was an extremely dangerous opponent that could fight Spider-Man in the skies of New York. He played the Kingpin and Norman Osborn like cheap fiddles, even battling the Green Goblin in a later episode. And guess what? He sounded an awful lot like the Joker from Batman: the Animated Series. I remember watching those episodes and really loving the character but being bothered by his voice sounding like the Joker. Even as a kid I knew it was the same actor, even if I was in denial that it was the same actor playing Luke Skywalker (boy did that come as a shock to me). Hobgoblin was my favorite Spider-Man villain in the show. He was the only one that seemed like a genuine threat to Spider-Man. Maybe one day he'll show up in a Spider-Man film. Until then . . . I'll always remember that Mark Hamill made me afraid of this dude like no other Spidey rogue could. 

THE BATMAN - TONY ZUCCO

While The Batman might be seen to some as a subpar version of Batman: the Animated Series, truthfully, it's probably more or less what the show should have been. LET ME EXPLAIN! It was a kid-friendly version of Batman's adventures while B:TAS was probably much more, shall we say, mature than the folks at Warner Bros Animation were expecting. For my money, it doesn't get any better than B:TAS but The Batman was a good successor. Kids need awesome Batman stories that they can get excited about. Something that's usually done behind the scenes with these shows is casting former Bat-actors to play significant roles in the current series. Adam West played the Grey Ghost in a wonderful episode of B:TAS. When The Batman finally introduced Robin they brought the two heaviest hitters for significant parts. Kevin Conroy, famously the voice of Batman, played John Grayson, Robin's father and Mark Hamill played Tony Zucco, the man who killed Robin's parents, essentially creating Robin. If you were to watch the episode, you'd probably recognize Conroy's voice, but I'm willing to bet you will never recognize Hamill's voice. As a fan of acting and actors that can play multiple roles I must say that I love his performance here. He sounds nothing like Mark Hamill and better yet, he sounds nothing like the Joker. He takes on this role and gives it the weight that it needs. Zucco is a bad guy that's doing terrible things and kinda loves it. Whether it's getting his way with the circus or torturing Batman, he gets off on the evil acts he performs. Huh . . . I guess it is kinda like the Joker . . . But he sounds nothing like him. So there's that!

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - THE SPECTRE

Truth be told, this is probably my favorite DC Comics Mark Hamill role (post-Joker I mean). The Spectre is a character that doesn't make a lot of sense in the DC Universe. I mean, his whole goal is to exact vengeance on the guilty, but the Joker is untouched? Sinestro? Ugh . . . the list goes on. But still, the concept of the character is really cool. In the Batman: Brave and the Bold episode, "Chill of the Night" Bruce is one step closer to catching the man who killed his parents. The Phantom Stranger, played by Kevin Conroy, who is awesome, and the Spectre make a wager on Batman's soul. Stranger believes that Bruce will serve justice and spare his life while the Spectre believes Bruce will serve vengeance and kill him. In the end, Batman lets Joe Chill live only to have the Stranger insinuate that Spectre killed Chill himself. Like with Zucco, Hamill gives yet another stellar performance. Like his other voiceover roles, Hamill lets himself embody the character and let the audience never wonder who plays the character. Instead they are so captivated by the performance and taken in by the story that you never wonder who voices who because you're thinking, "Holy crap! That was a great episode!" I kind of secretly love the Spectre, even though the character makes no sense. Hamill adds to that making me excited to see this guy because I know only bad things will follow. 

JUSTICE LEAGUE - SOLOMON GRUNDY 

In one of the best episodes of season one of Justice League, Lex Luthor assembles the Injustice League. It's a play on the old Challenge of the Super Friends TV series. It's a lot of fun and one of the best aspects of the episode is that it reaffirms the importance of Batman to the team. The Joker makes a memorable entrance and kicks lots of Justice League ass, as only the Joker can do, and of course he is voiced by none other than the irreplaceable Mark Hamill, but Hamill also voices the Injustice Gang's resident strong man, Solomon Grundy.  While the Injustice episode didn't go too much into his backstory, that was saved for a later episode in season 2 where his origins were explained and he even helped the Justice League fight off an invasion by Ichthultu. Hamill proves his talent by giving another stellar performance. While at first, Grundy may just seem like a mindless monster that loves destruction and gold. By the end of the episode we learn that all Grundy wants is his soul back and a chance to fight for it just like Superman and the Justice League fight for it. Wonderful storytelling and brought to life by a wonderful actor, even when he's voicing a monster. 

THE FLASH - JESSE JAMES/THE TRICKSTER

Other than the Joker and Luke Skywalker, this is probably Hamill's most famous role. Technically speaking, no one else has ever played the role of the Trickster, Jesse James, on film. He played the character in the short lived live action TV series of the early 90s, voiced the character in an episode of Justice League Unlimited, and reprised the role during the recent successful CW series The Flash. While most younger viewers will watch the new series and think he's channeling his Joker persona, and they're not entirely wrong, really he was playing The Trickster long before he was the Joker. They are similar characters, crazy, murderous, see the fun side of villainy, etc. But the best part is that most of us hear how Hamill is as the Joker, the Trickster is the way for us to SEE it. And juxtaposed next to Barry Allen's sense of justice and honesty, it's a truly fun experience as a fan to see him mess with the Flash as only a truly diabolical villain like the Trickster can. Plus, as an audience, it gives them the chance to see Mark Hamill as the truly talented actor that I know he is. He's a wonderfully evil villain just as much as he is the earnest hero in the Star Wars films. 

THE JOKER 

Outside of Luke Skywalker, The Joker is definitely Mark Hamill's most iconic role. To an entire generation, including myself, he IS the Joker. Over the various cartoons, films, video games, etc that he has played the character, he has given us every facet of the Joker that is available in the comic books. He's been playful, evil, murderous, unpredictable, loving, hating, funny, and any other adjective you can think of. What is there really to say that hasn't already been said? He's played the character longer and definitely better than any other actor. Not only that, but he's openly supported other actors that have played the part after him like John DiMaggio (Batman: Under the Red Hood), Kevin Michael Richardson (The Batman), and Jeff Bennett (Batman: the Brave and the Bold). But for all of us that are true fans of Batman: the Animated Series, there will never be another Mark Hamill. He gave the Joker life and continues to astonish and amaze as the character with recent turns in the Batman: Arkham video games and of course his dream project of Batman: the Killing Joke. Here's hoping that we get to see more of Hamill as the Joker because nobody does it better.

While Mark Hamill has made a name for himself as a famous movie star willing to poke fun at himself and his role as Luke Skywalker, he's known to fans all around the world as the definitive Joker. As you can see, and if you do your own research on the topic, he's also made a name for himself in the world of voice acting, which is also a tough business to get into. Luckily, Hamill has more than proved himself capable of kicking ass as a wonderful actor behind cartoon voices beloved by many fans around the world.

But let's face it . . . His Joker is top notch right? HAHAHA!!

Till Next Time!




JJ - the Comic Junkie! 

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: ULTIMATE EDITION REVIEW - GUEST POST

What's up guys? It's Mikey AKA Mr. McBlam and welcome to today's fix of nerd talk. I want to give special thanks to my friend JJ for letting me contribute to the blog today, I hope to be contributing much more! Thanks JJ!

So what is on my mind today? Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition has been released on DVD/Blu Ray. Many saw it in a limited theater release, most people, like myself, saw it on Digital Download. The question is - Does it live up to the hype? From my perspective, and those I've forced to watch it with me, the answer is a resounding YES! 

The film was enjoyable in theaters, tingling each of our nerd senses that had us giggling like school girls. Comic panels come to life in a way that each of us as the readers imagined them. You can argue that certain things only work in comics, but you have to admit your inner comic junkie squealed at the sight of Superman standing in mid-air as his cape flapped in the wind, Batman clinging to the side of a building a la Frank Miller style, and Wonder Woman lunging forward into battle, sword drawn, with a war cry that made you just want to pump your fist in the air. 

Squeal!

However, despite the awesome visuals, the film's story left me wanting a lot more than what was given. The extra thirty minutes definitely gives me what I want. The film flows better, scenes and plot points make more sense and the movie, as a whole, definitely improves. 

Some points about the extended edition that I love is that we get to see Clark Kent more. We see his struggle, understand him as a person more and, arguably, we relate to him more for the first time on film. This is a character that has never truly been relatable because we all see him as this symbol, but this new, extended version of the film, as well as Man of Steel, shows that to be this "Super-Man" doesn't just happen overnight, and doing what is right and what is wrong isn't always laid out in black and white. 

Batman is still awesome. The extended version doesn't add a whole lot more to him, but I don't think it needed to. For the first time we see Batman from the perspective of everyone else. We see the reason he is terrifying; we have more of a reason to question his methods. In the other films, we would blindly follow Bats, not thinking about the things he actually does and how horrible he is because he appeals to the inner vigilante in all of us. We all in some way, no matter how good, want to see people get what they deserve. This movie brings those things to light and better yet, focuses on them and shows us that it's not as simple as good and bad and yes, people should reap what they sew, but is it the right of a single person to do the reaping? 

I can't go into other topics without spoiling it, but I definitely give my recommendation to everyone to watch it. Is it a perfect movie? By no means, but what movie truly is? There are issues that come up in every movie, but the extended edition of Batman v Superman is definitely a great experience. I only wish I could have seen this version in theaters. Hey, we still have Justice League to look forward to! In the words of the great Terrence Howard in Iron Man, "Next time, baby!" 

I mean . . . Not for you . . . hahaha!

Thank you everyone for reading! 

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Mikey McBlam!!!!

What’s up guys it’s Mikey AKA Mr. McBlam and welcome to today’s fix of nerd talk for

comic junkies. I want to give special thanks to my friend JJ for letting m!