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Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?
The Deluxe Edition
Written by
Neil Gaiman
Andy Kubert
DC Comics
Available at Kinokuniya
$32.88
Published July 2009.
The Plot
Batman’s dead. And master graphic novel storyteller from Sandman, Neil Gaiman weaves a fantasy setting of Batman’s funeral being attended by admirers, friends and villains alike.
The story is presented in the form of the eulogies or last words from those attending Batman’s funeral. As the tales are told, different faces behind the bat mask are revealed, and we learn of how the man, the batman, has impacted the lives of many.
As the ‘last’ of the Batman series, the book never once strays from the spirit of Batman, which means, contrary to expectations, there are no fancy comebacks, no marvelous action, just the somber reality and fragility of life through stories on the caped crusader and his lover, Gotham City.
In a shocking revelation in the chapter “The Gentleman’s Gentleman’s Tale”, it is ‘revealed’ that butler Alfred is actually the Joker and that all the villains from the Penguin to the Riddler were actually hired actors to keep ‘Master Wayne’s’ obsession entertained and contained”. This only makes this tale sadder and sweeter, the wonderful storytelling, fitting for a batman story.
Artwork
The cover, itself a stunning panel, when held in your hands, makes for a very fine addition to your library. The lighting and the moody colours fit a very depressing Gotham, but it’s also perhaps intentionally painful that the subjects in each panel are detailed in colour and clash with the background.
That said, each panel is an exquisite work of art in itself. We’d take the time to lovingly linger on each panel, but the story tugs at us to move along.
In the foreword, artist Andy Kubert was said to have drawn the comic with the make believe impression that the previous Batman artists were actually copying his style. So readers can expect to catch a familiar style of drawing on certain pages.
The Good and The Bad
The story is sad, but worthy of a fitting end to an icon. That said, anyone coming to the novel expecting action and dramatic finishes, would find this a disappointing read. Still, the innocence in the ending when Batman, as the narrator embraces his death in a manner similar to when he was young and saying ‘Good night’ to his life and Gotham as he would to the characters in a storybook, was endearing.
The book has its fill of memorable exchanges that once again reflect the dark knight’s obsessive dedication to his city, say for example a remembrance by Superman of an exchange between him and Batman. In it, Superman worries about Batman being a target of all villains in Gotham, and so he said, “He (Batman) smiled that scary smile. He said, ‘and while they’re trying to kill me, they aren’t killing innocents. Now take me home.’”
Besides the main plot, there are 4 bonus plots in this deluxe edition that are quite enjoyable, although again void of action, one humourous bonus story in particular was ‘A Black and White World’, which was an original work by Neil Gaiman. It explores Batman and The Joker as actors and present a quirky conversation. At one point, The Joker says to Batman, “Hey, that splash panel where you came through the window, that was just the coolest. I never get panels like that.” To which Batman replies, “So? You get to make speeches. I don’t get to make speeches.”
In an identical manner of The Sandman, Neil Gaiman sends the same true message that some things never truly die and will continue to live on beyond their physical death. Batman fans would not be complaining with the legendary writer helming the story and illustration wizard artist Andy Kubert working the colours.
The Conclusion
This is a fine book to enjoy on a slow day, as the pace is similarly languid. Even so, you’ll enjoy being transported into another world where one man’s love for his city has impacted the life of many others- both in novel, and in reality.
Trailer:
Since 1984, mother and machine have battled over the survival of future resistance leader John Connor in The Terminator, a modest-budget sci-fi flick which went on to gross US$38 million, almost 6 times production costs just in America alone. More than 2 decades since, and with 3 sequels, TV series and games inspired by the original, and finally with Terminator Salvation, this same John Connor owes followers of the franchise a huge debt of action and drama for making them wait till May 28, 2009 to catch a glimpse of the android uproar over the prophetic savior of mankind from total machine domination.
Sounds good? Well, unfortunately, this debt must be put off for yet a later sequel. A word of advice, potential viewers of this movie should read up on previous installments for faster orientation, as much knowledge is assumed, and come leaving any expectations of breath-taking action sequences at home.
Christian Bale as John Connor, the passionate and unyielding leader of the human resistance forces plays his part professionally as a war-hardened and charismatic protagonist. But again, just as it was in The Dark Knight, a co-actor steals the limelight – this time, by Aussie Sam Worthington.
Sam Worthington plays Marcus Wright, a convict who is revived as a human-cyborg hybrid stricken by his conscience and filled with anguish at losing his physical humanity. This drama of emotions is stirring at points throughout the movie like when Marcus and John are staring at each other face to face, and Connor asks, “What are you?” The contrast between a machine with emotions and an impassive, battle-hardened protagonist is satisfying.
While the terminator franchise has so far been built around the survival of John Connor, this film goes the other way, centering around Marcus’ life instead. Action scenes are mediocre and don’t meet standards expected of a sci-fi film of this pedigree. However, due praise should be given for a scene where Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) and Marcus flee from the resistance base and have to evade heavy gunfire and shelling. That particular scene draws dramatic attention to the fragility and vulnerability of human life – illustrated by the many times cyborg and human have to run through the open, side by side and we cringe as they (well, mainly for Blair Williams) come under a hail of gunfire or as a rocket shrieks toward them.
Technical aspects – Sound is acceptable, saying so because after being desensitized by Iron Man and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there’s nothing in this movie that is distinctive or worth special mentioning.
We can appreciate the presence of child-actress Jadagrace Berry‘s Star – a mute and demure girl who has her moments in the film that usually center on simple acts of, say, passing a gun, or offering a plaster. These light touches to the film really induce an “awww” and lightens the mood for this ‘end-of-the-world’ themed film.
Director McG, who headed films Charlie’s Angels and its Full Throttle sequel, will be returning to direct the next sequel in the Terminator franchise and promises the involvement of time-travel and the shape-melding T-1000 terminator.
For a film seeking to revive the franchise, Terminator Salvation desperately needs more visuals that stun and action that grip one to their seats. Compared to the likes of Transformers, this movie is sub-par and is disappointing for a franchise that previously made it big for its intense action and futuristic vision.
Rating: 3/5, if only for Sam Worthington
Release Date: 28 May
Rating: PG
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Sci-Fi
Running Time: 130 minutes
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard
Director: McG
Come May 18, Ronan Keating will be releasing his moving new single “This Is Your Song“, as a download available only on iTunes. The song, which was given a new breath of life specially for his latest album, Songs For My Mother, has been a fan favourite since it first appeared in his 1999 single When You Say Nothing At All.
But before you download it off iTunes, you can check out the music video right here:
Now, Songs For My Mother was recorded by Ronan Keating as a tribute to his late mother. It topped the charts in Australia on Mother’s Day, as well as the Irish Albums Chart after its second week of release.
The album is a compilation of songs that the Irish pop singer remembers hearing his mother listen to during his childhood years, and for most of the part, the songs are earnest in their heartfelt lyrics like that of those in the song, ‘Mama’s Arms‘, a poignant ballad one can imagine as coming closest to Ronan Keating’s memories on how life was like growing up motherless.
Excerpt from ‘Mama’s Arms‘:
“And there you are in your Sunday best,
The way your Mama would have had you dressed
And you realize it doesn’t matter anymore
’cause all you want is Mama’s arms.”
The song is really touching, and points to silent self-reflection and appreciation for one’s parents, definitely one of the more affecting songs in the album.
That said, I can’t help but feel that this album could have done without tracks like ’Suspicious Minds‘ , ‘Vincent‘ and ‘I Believe I Can Fly‘; which, if left out, could have made for a tighter and more heartfelt album of love and loss.
Out of the list of timeless singles, my favourite song in the album is perhaps ‘Time After Time‘, a version of Cyndi Lauper’s hit single from the 1980s. The ballad has probably the most uplifting beat in the entire album, and is perhaps the most comforting with its reminders on how a loved one can never be truly lost in the hearts of those who remember.
“if you’re lost you can look, and you will find me
time after time ”
Ultimately, while Ronan Keating’s latest offering makes for a touching (if slightly belated) gift to one’s mother, it can never rise beyond previous albums and singles like ‘When You Say Nothing At All‘, ‘Life Is A Roller Coaster‘ and ‘Father And Son‘. Indeed, while it is a touching tribute, from a critical perspective, it comes off as only an above-average act.
I’d say 3.2/5
Tracklist:
- Time After Time
- Make You Feel My Love
- Both Sides Now
- Vincent
- Carrickfergus
- I Believe I Can Fly
- Mama’s Arms
- The Wild Mountain Thyme
- Suspicious Minds
- This Is Your Song
“Unleash your utmost creativity”
I’ve never shivered as much since I read the famous words: “You and your Mac were made for each other”
Behold (The ‘Whattup’)
Restless, doodling comrades, it’s time to make your designs professional with Adobe’s latest offering, the Creative Suite 4 (CS4). With all the hype surrounding this release, I’m sure many of us have been frantically searching up for some torre- uh, sorry, means to lay our hands on the program.
Now there’s actually a legal and (very) cost-saving way of laying your hands on the program.
- Be a student who’s studying higher education
- Be the parent of a student who’s doing their higher education
- Bribe a student studying in higher education for their help
Why? Well, especially just for students of tertiary institutions , Adobe is offering a special student package featured in the picture below,
And would only set you back by $165. I know what you’re thinking… ‘That’s impossible!’, ‘Someone photoshopped off the ‘0′ to $1650*! Well, no, and yes, compared to the original $939* this is really a steal. Which made me reconsider why life as a student might not be so bad after all… isn’t it?
But first to Adobe, then to school! Ouh wait, check out the details first, as certain conditions do apply.
The Origin: What you need to know
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the prequel to the X-Men movie series as well as the 4th in this Marvel movie franchise. Scenes from Wolverine’s past are revisited, from his messed-up childhood and experiences fighting at the front lines of three major wars, (American Civil War, WWI, Vietnam War), to his past dealings with Team X, a secret operations CIA team, as well as the events leading up to his mysterious memory loss.
How we feel…
While the movie’s plot is essentially about revenge, it doesn’t descend into predictability thanks to eventual twists in the story which, when coupled with the engaging action sequences, (like the jumper-styled fight scene between Wolverine, Sabretooth and Deadpool on the top of a nuclear reactor), makes watching this show one worth the time and money.
This movie keeps you in your seat. It’s entertaining, and though the plot is average, the action makes up for everything. Especially considering Wolverine and Sabretooth’s regenerative capabilities, the fight choreography has its fill of lethal moves
You can definitely count on this spin-off trashing previous instalments of the series like X-men 3: The Last Stand. I would say that this movie delivers on a level comparable in performance to that of comic contemporary Spider-Man 3 but it still loses out in terms of level of suspense and emotional depth to The Dark Knight.
The Good
The numerous fight sequences are definitely a visual treat such as the stylish storming out of an African hideout by Team X.
The thrilling and dramatic opening scenes which featured half-brothers Logan and Victor (aka Wolverine and Sabretooth) can’t fail to impress. This is the part of the movie where you’ll witness them doing their rendition of Korea’s Brotherhood: Taegukgi. It was touching, adrenalin and testosterone pumping, giving you a high comparable to watching Rocky and listening to The Contender theme song at the same time.
Watching them made me want to sign up for national service immediately.
The movie also has its share of humour. Audiences will be treated to the sight of a butt-naked Hugh Jackman streaking across the countryside, drawing much giggling from the female audience. For the record, this UrbanWire reviewer felt more awkward than amused.
A plus side to this instalment is its deeper characterisation of its characters as compared to earlier films in the series, which had too many mutants and too little focus. The premiere of other characters not shown in the original X-Men movie series, including Agent Zero, Deadpool and John Wraith, Fred Dukes and Gambit, was also a plus point, making the movie that much more exciting.
Audio was decent, the sound effects and music in the background felt cleaner and more polished than that found in The Incredible Hulk, which was more ‘crish crash bam ka-bluey!’
But wait, this isn’t to say that X-men Origins: Wolverine is soft and safe like a nice little tea party. No.
There are satisfyingly loud explosions, the reverberating thump of flesh against metal. There was the familiar clattering of bricks piling into a heap. Indeed, the sound effects do convey the impact to the devastating hits taken by each character, and shaped the ambience in the film. Meaningless noise had no place in this movie.
The Bad
Just as things always go wrong in the life of superheroes, a movie made about them is no exception.
Jackman, who was also the movie’s producer, and Schreiber shared chemistry good enough to carry the film through. But, perhaps because of the genre, their repertoire of acting skills couldn’t be fully showcased. And personally, the show could have done with a better William Stryker, who was just too ‘cardboardy’, or how about a more expressive Emma Frost? Come to think of it, maybe even Lynn Collins could have done better in her role as Logan’s wife, Kayla Silver Fox, who just has perpetually ’stoned out’ expressions.
And I know I’m being picky but with the way Gambit was dressed, I was expecting him to break into some Willy Wonka-esque tap dance routine at some point in the show. But, then again, it’s an action flick, and who cares what’s being said when all you want is to see is something exploding?
However, what truly disappointed me was the poorly executed, CSI-styled explanation when it was revealed that Logan had been blindsided. It made the show feel cheap and half-hearted that instant.
While the plot is tied up pretty alright, I had to work my brains a little to settle the ‘who’s-in-it-for-what’ bit (I can see why Wolverine was shaking his head). The plot explanation left me feeling cheated, as if I just witnessed an epic journey that could’ve been resolved by a tiny on/off button.
The Conclusion
Enjoyable, but not particularly memorable
Rating: 7.2/ 10
Release Date: 29 Apr
Rating: PG
Genre/Type: Action/Adventure; Comic Book Adaptation
Running Time: 108 minutes
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston
Director: Gavin Hood (Rendition (2007))
Do remember to stay for the ‘post-credit ending’, as well as a ‘secret’ final scene after the final credits.
