As you may or may not have heard, DC Comics recently made the bold decision to relaunch their comic book universe. Dubbed “The New 52″, the rebooted universe is an effort by the comic publisher to make their superheroes and stories more “modern and accessible”. The controversial relaunch will offer a fresh start for iconic superheroes and lesser known characters alike with all 52 titles being renumbered to #1.

Actor/comedian Nug Nahrgang and writer/director Andrew Cymek (Dark Rising) will be hitting The Silver Snail in Toronto every week to review “The New 52″. The pair plans to review EVERY single issue of “The New 52″ through their first story arcs.

Check back every week for more reviews from Nug & Cymek. Also be sure to follow @Nug13, @AndrewCymek and @SilverSnailTO on Twitter.

September 21st, 2011

Part 1 – Captain Atom #1, Nightwing #1, Legion of Super Heroes #1, DC Universe Presents #1, Catwoman #1 and Supergirl #1

Part 2 – Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, Green Lantern Corps #1, Blue Beetle #1, Birds of Prey #1, Wonder Woman #1 and Batman #1

Rocksteady Studios showed off a preview build of Batman: Arkham City at Microsoft’s X-11 event last week, and we had a chance to romp through a wrecked of Gotham’s biggest prison yard ever. Unsurprisingly, we left as excited as the previews and trailers have been making us over the past year, and then some.

Batman is on his way to the court house we’ve seen in previous trailers, following the trail of Catwoman. Environmental design shines here; angular hallways are filled with portraits of judges in silly white wigs and dour expressions, their eyes seemingly judging your every move. Climbing the stairs to the upper level, Batman crosses a tightrope above Two-Face and about two dozen thugs. The player can initiate the inevitable chaos any number of ways. Throwing an errant Batarang into the crowd doesn’t really give you any advantages, so instead we use the new dive-bomb mechanic to land right on top of one poor, unfortunate soul and send half a dozen others flying in a move that’s more Bruce Banner than Bruce Wayne.

Half the thugs flee in terror while a sizable group stays behind to beat to a pulp. Some of them mirror their head Rogue, clad in split white and black clothing and equally eerie half-white, half-black paint. The fighting mechanics in Arkham City shine here, expanding on Arkham Asylum‘s foundation. Batman weaves between the foes, countering attacks with the Y button, occasionally smacking two thugs into each other for a double-K.O. One enemy throws a wooden chair at the player, but a quick counter (denoted by the same “Spider Sense” symbol as a thug’s regular hits) allows you to catch it and hurl it back at the enemy, both chair and face exploding into splinters, eliciting one of many OOOHH’s from the crowd watching the screen.

“Try holding the left trigger and pressing A for the last guy,” the Rocksteady rep suggests. Batman shoots out his grappling hook at the last enemy, pulling him in Mortal Kombat Scorpion-style, then levels him with a scintillating clothesline.

Soon after, Batman and a newly-freed Catwoman are shot at by a sniping Joker from several blocks away. In order to determine the trajectory of the bullet, we have to set up a crime scene using the revamped Detective Mode. Two bullet holes are highlighted in fluorescent yellow, allowing the player to scan them in a very Metroid Prime-esque fashion. We then get a short cutscene that follows the trajectory to a bell tower a few blocks away. It’s off to the next objective.

On the way to the tower we get a sense of just how big Arkham City is. Rocksteady claims it’s about five times larger than Arkham Asylum before it, but that hasn’t stopped the developers and design team from cramming it full of detail and character. Car wrecks belch out small fires in defiance of the dark and damp weather. Whole districts are barricaded off due to neglect or structural damage, and a small area designated for “political prisoners” is a slum within a slum, filled with despondent criminals standing next to flickering bonfires to keep warm. Snowflakes fall convincingly, even settling on your cape and cowl before melting away.

The mix of gameplay and procedural narrative really shined once we got to the bell tower – which wasn’t difficult, even in the gigantic prison playground, thanks to an unobtrusive compass-like indicator at the top of the screen. Walking straight through the front door, you’re faced with a group of Joker-branded thugs. From behind them comes a cartwheel-ing Harley Quinn, and within seconds you’re prompted to counter her attacks. A successful evade by the player throws Quinn to the ground, and initiates a short conversation between the two in a seamless transition.

Everything we’ve seen of Batman: Arkham City has proven just as fun and exciting as Arkham Asylum was, fulfilling the promises of the deluge of trailers and then some. Dork Shelf will certainly be there on release date Bat-time: October 18, Bat-Channels: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Click to enlarge.

The first shot of Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises surfaced today. Played by Anne Hathaway, the cat burglar (real name Selina Kyle) wears leather and a high-tech visor of some sort, while riding a bike that looks an awful lot like the one Christian Bale’s Batman has been known to use. Maybe the pod-racer-with-huge-wheels look is just really popular in Gotham these days.

It’s the first confirmation that Catwoman, and not simply Selina Kyle, will appear in the film. The lack of cat ears and/or whips suggests that this may not be the only look she’ll sport throughout the course of the movie, but anyone with the memories of Halle Berry’s 2004 performance as the character (or half the character, to pick nits) may consider this an improvement.

The Superficial also has some shots of Hathaway (or a stunt double thereof) on-set surrounded by film crew here.

Which upcoming Catwoman appearance are you more excited for: The Dark Knight Rises, or as a playable character in Batman: Arkham City?

The first theatrical teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises has debuted online. Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception) has a great track record with very non-descript but thoroughly engaging teasers for each one of his films, usually accompanied by an equally gripping poster to build anticipation. A poster for the third installment in the Batman franchise appeared online earlier last week and we think it looks spectacular.

As for the content of the trailer, while majority of it seemed recycled from the previous films, we are presented with new footage of a bedridden Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) speaking to someone off screen (presumably Bruce Wayne). The money shot lies in the last few seconds: a battle wary Batman slowly stumbling back from Bane in what one can only hope is a semi-reenactment of the famous “Knightfall” storyline fight. I still can’t figure out the design for Bane’s mask, but have total faith in Nolan to make it work/be relevant.

The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Joseph-Gorden Levitt, and is set to hit theatres on July 12, 2012.

An in-depth preview of the game can be found on Gamespot’s site, but here are the key points regarding our new character: At some points in the game’s storyline, you’ll switch over to Catwoman for a select number of missions – about ten percent of the total game. She has her own tools and abilities, as well as a progression path of her own that will let the player upgrade her skills and tools. Since she doesn’t have Batman’s cape or grappling hook, Selina will have to use her own set of skills to traverse Arkham City.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The new trailer showcased Catwoman’s skills, including some wall- and ceiling-crawling that continue to make the Arkham games the envy of a certain other wall-crawler. Her acrobatic moves pummel the guards with a bit more grace and flare than Batman’s, but are no less effective.

Other than taking advantage of the chaos of Arkham City to loot some sweet treasures, there isn’t much more explanation of just what Catwoman’s angle over the course of the game will be – including the nature of her relationship with Batman in Rocksteady’s interpretation of the mythos. However Arkham City is shaping up to more and more exciting with every sassy reveal.

Note: Music choice for these trailers continues its hot streak, this time introducing Catwoman to the tune of “Get Some” by someone named Lykke Li.

Batman: Arkham City is currently scheduled for release on October 18 2011 on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Thankfully that all changes with issue #4. Switching between Batman fighting for survival in the present, and the ‘true’ back story of the original Batwoman – Katherine Kane – this issue reminds one just how talented Morrison is. Between the fantastic reinvention of Batwoman’s past, and new artist Chris Burnham’s stunning artwork, issue #4 bears almost no resemblance to the three previous ones.

This comic is truly Grant Morrison’s love letter to all the 1950’s Bat-wackiness that he is known to enjoy. From a Robin who spends his time lamenting Kane’s relationship with Wayne, to the page featuring Ace, the Bat-Hound, this issue both honours and pokes fun at the strange Batman of fifty years ago. And in the present, Bruce finds himself in yet another death-trap, being forced to fight Gaucho, the potential Argentinean Batman. In this case, it is not the trap itself, but rather, the revelation that Gaucho was involved in Batwoman’s disappearance, that creates the tension and drama in the story. If all of this sounds bizarre and labyrinthine, it certainly is! But this is also Grant Morrison at his best!

Chris Burnham’s art moves perfectly from a sinister J.H. Williams III style for the present events, to an exaggerated Karl Kerschl-esque effect for the flashbacks (his faces are too fantastic), and Batman Incorporated #4 is worth reading for his art alone. Where the past issues of this series were too campy – the entire premise feeling too much like a DC marketing campaign – issue #4 has me eagerly awaiting next month’s installment.

Over a year after the then-unnamed sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum was announced to a chorus of applause, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developer Rocksteady have finally released a trailer for the sequel Arkham City that includes sweet, sweet gameplay for fans to devour and analyse.

Batman’s moves from Arkham Asylum appear mostly intact, along with some phenomenally-presented additions. Wailing on goons looks as fun as ever, including some fun sneaking head-bashes and an area-of-effect smash executed from jumping off the top of the building. Is Bruce Wayne taking notes from Bruce Banner?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Batman swings from rooftop to rooftop (and between streams of gunfire) with astonishing grace, and at one point glides away from a large clock tower as it erupts into flames. The Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood vibes are more apparent than just the game’s scope, it would seem.

But the gameplay is just one half of the trailer, with some great appearances by Two-Face, Hugo Strange, a very Halle Berry-esque Catwoman and Mark Hamill’s peerless Joker. The direction and song accompaniment makes for a very Watchmen-inspired trailer, but for a game with a dark and sometimes self-aware setting like this, it seems appropriate.

Batman: Arkham City is currently scheduled for release on ]October 18 2011 on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Click to enlarge.

Style over substance. That is the typical first reaction when someone mentions the Power Girl title. Or, thoughts of cheesecake art that hangs on skeleton thin plotlines. This is not the case though.

From the start of the current series, creators Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner brought a smart, sassy take on Karen Starr aka Power Girl. Yes, it had stunningly cheesy art that easily caught a reader’s attention, but part of what makes this character so much fun, (and funny) is Karen, like many an attractive women, is aware of her presence and plays to this strength as much as using her heat vision or super speed. The current creative team of Judd Winick and Sami Basri continue the excellent mix of eye-grabbing art and interesting character driven plotlines.

Power Girl #21 ties into the current Brightest Day mini-series Justice League: Generation Lost. Sound confusing? Here are the quick hits: Maxwell Lord, who can control people’s minds, is back from the dead. Before he became an uber-villain by killing Ted Kord (the Blue Beetle) and unleashed an army of OMACs ( Omni Mind And Community), he used to run the Justice League International. Power Girl and Blue Beetle were members during this iteration of the team. Oh, and right now, almost no one remembers who Maxwell Lord is, or what he did before being killed by Wonder Woman. Power Girl is trying to change this and avenge her friend’s death.

Power Girl’s sleek art styling could easily trick the most comic savvy reader into dismissing this title as style over substance, but they would be missing out on an engaging, character driven title. Power Girl doesn’t skimp on the action either, delivering massive smack down battles that rival any Superman monthly title. Power Girl has both style and substance.

Spinning out of the events of Battle for the Cowl, is the debut of the new Dynamic Duo of Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne. I thoroughly enjoyed the new Batman and Robin series at first, but found my interest waning during the second story arc. By issue #13, I had dropped the title from my buy list, in part from sheer Bat burn-out as the Return of Bruce Wayne and its tie-ins flooded the new arrivals rack. Also, while this series seemed to offer unique clues to the mystery of Bruce’s return, the plot just did not deliver. So, other than a quick browse to glean what I needed to know about the main event, I was finished with this title.

That is, until I saw the previews for the latest issue tucked at the end of all the major DC comics this week. With a new creative team on board – Green Lantern Corps’ Peter J. Tomasi, and Patrick Gleason, the few pages shown are a great hook. An angel fallen to earth, lying shattered and bleeding at the feet of an astonished crowd. I bought the book, and I am definitely into the three issue Dark Knight, White Knight arc.

Tomasi really draws out the best possible elements of this title. I often enjoy Damien (unlike some others), but only when he is being written right. Damien works best when he can play off another more ‘straight-laced’ and humouring character. This is what makes him the perfect foil for Dick Grayson’s Batman. If Robin is usually meant to be the bright, comic foil for the grim Dark Knight, Damien showcases just how Grayson isn’t the same Batman that Bruce was.

A visually stunning comic, with a riveting new mystery, equals a Batman book I will definitely be buying again!

Hero Complex today ended one of the biggest bits of casting speculation in recent memory: Anne Hathaway (Get Smart, Alice in Wonderland) is set to play Catwoman and Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception) will play Bane in the third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman cycle, The Dark Knight Rises. They join returning cast members Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman.

Nolan is quoted in the press release as saying “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.” With regards to Hardy: “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.”

Raj: There you have it. Rumours of Killer Croc and Doctor Hugo Strange can finally be put to rest. Personally, I’m really glad to see the Bane character get another crack at the big screen, as the Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin butchered the masterminding brute, turning him into a glorified henchman. If anyone can give a fresh and exciting take to such a villain, it’s Nolan. As for Catwoman, I think she is a given in any Batman series, and Hathaway should make a suitable Selina Kyle.

Ian: The announcement that Hardy will play the villanous steroid-infused mastermind ends weeks of speculation that placed him in the role of Hugo Strange (perhaps rumours of the script being influenced by the early 90′s Prey storyline were just crossover confusion from the upcoming Arkham City video game). Hathaway’s announcement, on the other hand, ends months of rumours that Nolan was considering everyone from Natalie Portman to Rachel Weisz to Jessica Biel (wait, Jessica Biel. Really?)

Frankly, I would trust Nolan with power of attorney over my grandmother at this point, based on The Dark Knight alone. I personally am excited to see a Gotham City at war with itself – the police in a martial law showdown with the remenants of the mobs, emerging crazies, and the Batman. I picture Bane stepping in to fill the power void that the mobs’ bosses and the Joker leave behind, bringing the calculating ruthlessness needed to unite Gotham’s underwold (and the physique to give us some awesome fight scenes). Add in the Catwoman operating as a free agent amidst the anarchy… okay… I need to lie down.

The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release on July 20, 2012.

Tim Burton at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (Photo by Chandra Menard/BlogTO)

From 7 p.m. on Friday, November 26 to some ungodly hour on the morning of Sunday, November 28th, Torontonians were invited to TIFF Bell Lightbox to screen the entirety of Tim Burton’s filmography (excluding the two shorts Frankenweenie and Vincent). This was in celebration of the Burton exhibit coming to town, which was first curated by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. For some, myself included, the prospect of sitting through sixteen feature films by Burton was intriguing — a Burton Blitz of sorts. Others might call it “Hell on Earth”.

You can read part one of Tim Burton Takes Toronto here.

Batman (1989)

It’s Batman, people. You all know the drill. Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) witnesses his parents’ brutal murder after having to attend an opera at the tender age of eight. (What’s the deal with them bringing him there, anyway?) He grows up under the careful eye of the family manservant, holding onto the memory of his parents’ murder “like a fat kid holding a pie,” as Jeffrey likes to say, and becomes the vigilante crime fighter we all know and love — The Batman or, if you will, The Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight, The World’s Greatest Detective, etc. Take your pick.

Even though I have quite a lot of affection for Tim Burton’s Batman, it is very difficult to watch the film after adopting Christopher Nolan’s films as the height of Caped Crusader storytelling. Let’s take the Joker, for example: In Burton’s Batman, The Joker (Jack Nicholson) is a “legitimate” businessman named Jack who gets involved in shady deals and during a break-in ends up being accidentally knocked into a vat of chemicals by Batman. His vendetta against Batman, therefore, is somewhat plausible and, for that reason, not so terrifying. In contrast, Christopher Nolan’s Joker (Heath Ledger) destroys the city of Gotham and the sanity of Batman just for kicks — and that in and of itself is blood-curdling.

I know it’s an old habit by now to compare the Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan eras of Batman, but it’s difficult not to. When you see Batman’s backstory so well-written and -acted — as we did in Batman Begins — you feel kind of jilted watching Batman when his origin story is told in thirty seconds as an off-hand comment by a secondary character. (Yes, I think Christian Bale is the perfect Batman. What of it, nerds?) Also, having the Joker be the murderer of Bruce Wayne’s parents is a little too clean-cut for my liking and sort of ruins the relationship between the Joker and Batman.

But I need to share something hilarious with you before I forget: When Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger) is brought to the Batcave for the first time, there is a suggestion that Batman has his way with her. You need to watch this scene again with this possibility in mind. Batman says that “he wants something” from Vicky and then there’s a sweep of the frame with his cape. Vicky Vale then wakes up in her apartment and grasps her breast in a way that suggests Batman removed her bra while taking the 1990s-version of a USB key. The rest of the film’s depiction of their relationship can completely be skewered toward a post-rape situation, where Vicky Vale was dosed with roofies and doesn’t remember a thing.

Oh, and the non-Elfman soundtrack was horrifying in its excessive use of Prince and the presence of boom-boxes. May the 90s never resurface — except for (maybe) the hideous outfits in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They are hilariously awesome.

For all three of my readers who still give a shit about Lost, [slight spoilers] something dawned on me during this screening of Batman. You know the scene on the beach when Locke and Ben talk about killing Jacob, and Benjamin says, “I’m a Pisces”? That was hilarious, yes, but it actually has origins in Batman that I didn’t know of until last week. In the film, someone asks the Joker, “Are you insane?” and he replies with “I thought I was a Pisces.”

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Edward Scissorhands is the most “Burtonesque” of all Tim Burton’s original scripts — a disfigured and misunderstood outsider named Edward (Johnny Depp, in his first Tim Burton film) is brought into the suffocatingly-normal world of suburbia, and things end tragically in a beautifully snow-filled monochrome. Oh, and Edward has scissors instead of hands. Did I forget to mention that?

It is a pretty reliable indication of an delightful film when, in its first scene, the Avon lady comes a-calling to the gigantic, Gothic mansion on the top of an mountain in a small town of otherwise suburban pastels and gossipy housewives. Much like in Beetlejuice, this is a story of the “suburban nightmare” — but this time it’s taken to the extremes that only Mr. Burton can achieve.

It occurred to me during Edward Scissorhands that, even though I’ve seen the film numerous times, I never once asked why they didn’t just weld off the scissors from Edward’s hands. This defeats the purpose of the story, yes, but it was surprising and telling that I’ve never thought of this possibility before. My complete ignorance of reality during each screening is an exemplary signifier of the film’s strength as a fairy-tale — and a well-conceived, emotionally-realistic one at that. The exaggerated juxtaposition of the bizarre and the routine is used to extraordinary ends, making Edward Scissorhands, in my personal opinion, Tim Burton’s most-successful original script.

Unfortunately, I had to skip out on the last twenty minutes of the film so that I could reacquint myself with some semblance of light. I already spent six or seven hours in the theatre and was turning into something of a vampire. But I was able to catch one of my favourite moments before I ducked outside to grab a chocolate bar. When Edward and the group of teenagers rob Jim’s (the almost-unrecognizable Anthony Michael Hall) house, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of out-right innocence is gut-wrenching as you watch Jim take advantage of him. Edward asks, “Did this person steal from you?” to which Jim responds in the affirmative. In his quietly-charming way, Edward then inquires, “Why don’t you go to his parents to give it back?” I think my heart just broke.

Batman Returns (1992)

It’s the second Tim Burton Batman film. Yes, Batman was a enjoyable reevaluation of the legendary tale of the Caped Crusader, even if it does have its flaws. So, it isn’t a stretch to expect a little more out of its sequel, with Burton given more creative control, is it? Well, you may be sorely disappointed.

It is not a firmly-guarded secret that I somewhat loathe Batman Returns. When the word “Batman” is in your film’s title, you shouldn’t let forty minutes of the film go by before Bruce Wayne even gets a line of dialogue. I am serious. There are only two cuts to Batman/Bruce in the film’s first forty minutes, and he doesn’t speak until the second one. The lack of emphasis on Batman/Bruce — that is so beautifully realized in the Christopher Nolan franchise — is the first sign of a lamentable script.

Well, that and the story. There is almost no plot development beyond the premise of Batman Returns. Basically, a corrupt businessman (Christopher Walken) and a deformed penguin-man (Danny DeVito) band together to “take over the city” by running for mayor. Batman here is little more than an inconvenience. There is also a woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) who becomes possessed by a feline demeanor — how in the hell, no one knows — and she’s apparently good but Batman thinks she’s bad and, well, vice-versa.

That’s an alright start for a film, Tim, but you could have made something happen besides a couple chases through Gotham (with vehicles and without) and lot of sexual innuendo. And what about character development? Michelle Pfeiffer’s turn as Catwoman is completely dependent on female stereotypes and, most often, these are negative and sexist stereotypes.

What does occur in Batman Returns would probably be enough for most comic adaptations but, people, this is the Batman — with an incredible wealth of engaging story-lines and the most terrifying rogues gallery of them all. So, it’s not quite the source material’s fault for the piss-poor narrative, is it?

To add fuel to the fire, Danny Elfman’s score is overbearing and hugely reminisent of the soon-to-come score of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Thankfully, however, there is a distinct lack of Prince pop songs and, for that, I am incredibly thankful.

Next time on Tim Burton Takes Toronto…

The last leg of the Burton Blitz for Sasha is the “animation detour” that is James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare before Christmas She would have watched a couple more films, but then a few people probably would have died in the process.

Want to read more from Sasha?

Well, she’s got a website called The Final Girl Project and has a Twitter account to which she is addicted. Also, she and Jeff are organizing a special director-focused series that will be published on Dork Shelf in the near future.

Batman: Arkham City (Click to enlarge)

The first in-game stills from Rocksteady Studio’s sequel to the award winning Batman: Arkham Asylum were mysteriously leaked onto the internet today. Besides the enigmatic teaser trailer, this is our first real look at the game. Nothing official has been announced about the Batman: Arkham City to this point, other than its title. We know that the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) will be returning along with Harley Quinn, and that the two will be accompanied by many new additions from Batman’s rogues gallery. The screenshots confirm the longstanding rumours that Catwoman and Two-Face will also be appearing in the game.

Two-Face appears in Batman: Arkham City (Click to enlarge)

Needless to say, the shots look amazing and are sure to get any fan of the first game itching to see more; especially any new cinematic or gameplay footage. It’s clear that Rocksteady isn’t recycling too much from the first game, as Batman himself looks a bit different and the environments look suitably more urban.

Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City (Click to enlarge)

Batman: Arkham City is due out Fall 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Via Joystiq