A New Gay Hero in DC Comics - Who is it?

Before you read, let me put this disclaimer in now:  I am a straight, married man, so I may not be able to properly represent the GLBT community.
However, I have gay family members, gay friends, and I love them all dearly.  So going forward and reading the following comments/arguments, if I have offended you, please let me know.  All comments are welcome, and I encourage you to comment on facebook.com/asvengersassemble with your perspective, or to privately message me with any concerns or comments.  I am doing my best to be respectful of everyone in this article.  Other times, unfortunately, I feel I may be realistic, which may contradict some views.  This may oppose your view, but my intent isn't to offend anyone.  That said [deep breath], here we go....

In September 2011, DC Comics made a bold move: to "soft-boot" the DC Universe, and start from scratch under the moniker The New 52, reflecting the new 52 titles published.

The idea of retroactive continuity, or "retcon," isn't new.  Both Marvel and DC have done this move many times, with many characters, usually updating an origin story or changing some aspect of a character's life (ie did Batman catch Joe Chill, the criminal that killed his parents, or did he even solve who the murderer was?).  While these aspects changed, the core elements (Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered) remains the same, yet new plot points can be derived from either scenario.

But last September, DC decided to start from scratch, and take away years and years of continuity.

This move was considered both good and bad.  For lifelong fans (and fanboys) of the characters, it became a little more critical.  Elements and past storylines no longer existed, so what you read six months back may no longer carry any bearing in the character you enjoy reading.  Imagine reading the last Harry Potter book, and by then the first five books of Harry's time at Hogwarts were completely irrelevant and didn't happen.

For many fans, including those that are casual readers or those that are completely new, it was an opportunity to buy comics and get on board.  Who are these guys?  Why do they hate each other?  Without having to know about some epic battle that took place in 1987 between Superman and Lex Luthor, things were fresh.  And for the fanboy that was strict on continuity, if a new story contradicted said epic battle from 1987, fanboys would go to the Internet and freak out.

With new beginnings and still in the early stages, DC made a new announcement this week:  One of their prominent heroes will be gay.

Initially, DC announced that it was going to feature a gay character in comics.  This idea isn't new.  There have been numerous gay & lesbian characters in comics.  Obsidian (Todd Rice), son of the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott), came out in the early-2000s.  In 2006, DC introduced the new Batwoman, Kate Kane, as a lesbian, and her and the new Question, Renee Montoya, were described as having a past relationship.  Maggie Sawyer of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) is currently dating Kate Kane, unaware of her secret identity.  And currently in the DC Universe, heroes Apollo and Midnighter, themselves obvious parallels of Superman and Batman (Apollo derives his power from the sun, Midnighter a street-fighter of sorts), are openly gay heroes and eventually got married (though I believe the marriage was retconned in The New 52).

To see a more detailed list of gay & lesbian characters published by DC Comics, follow this link.

Follow the link and you will see, well, not many characters you recognize.  In fact, even I, your window into the comic book world, have a tough time recognizing many characters after the first page.

Perhaps that is the point of this move - to take an already well-established character and have him/her represent gay people, as opposed to introducing a new character and hoping the character gains popularity.

Can This Work?


Gay & lesbian characters in comics haven't really yet ascended into the "A-List" characters, in either DC or Marvel comics.  I'm not saying they can't, or shouldn't, they just haven't yet.  But discussing why a gay character can't become an A-list hero is like discussing why Blue Beetle or Tempest aren't A-List heroes; it is a manner of public opinion, personal likability, and comic book sales that will ultimately determine a book's introduction or cancellation, or whether or not they make a movie about the character.

So maybe it is just easier to take an already established character and make them gay instead of, as mentioned, begin with a new character and hope the character takes off, in order to have a high-profile gay hero in your franchise.

Also, is there a distinct list?  Here are some of the major names a non- to mild-comic book reader may recognize:

• Batman
• Robin
• Superman
• Wonder Woman
• Aquaman
• Flash
• Green Lantern
• Catwoman

But how much bigger can the list be?  There are other major characters in comics, but outside of the average reader, do many people know Nightwing?  Martian Manhunter?  Cyborg?  Speedy?  Even Green Arrow?

Will This Work?


It's a bold move, to say the least.  I read an argument already (this news was just announced Monday) that said that making someone like Wonder Woman a lesbian will be less of a point in the right direction, but more readily establish fanboy male fantasies.  I may have to agree on that one.  That being said, maybe a lesbian woman would see the most prominent female superheroine of them all, and be proud to have Diana, princess of Themyscira, represent lesbian women everywhere.

Also, but believe it or not, there are homophobic people out there.  Will making Superman gay empower the gay community, or will it cause a fallout?  God forbid somebody does something stupid if this is the case, but I'm willing to bet there's some sort of online protest or even picketing.  At the very least, a drop in sales may not be surprising depending on the readers' level of acceptance.


Is This Necessary?


I understand that gay people and the gay community are underrepresented in comic books.  In 2010, Archie Comics introduced gay character Kevin Keller to Riverdale, to much praise.  He got married in an "adult" version of the comic in 2012 (not adult as in R-rating, but adult as in future version).

However, as I stated above, I can't readily think of any A-List superheroes in comic books.

Unfortunately, some see this as a publicity stunt - and more unfortunate, they're likely right.  DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan Didio stated his opinion has evolved, much like Barack Obama's on gay marriage.

More so, Marvel Comics character Northstar of Alpha Flight (the Canadian super-team Wolverine is sometimes associated with), who came out as a gay superhero back in 1992, will be getting married in Astonishing X-Men #51 this June - coincidentally, the same month DC will "out" their hero.

Who Will It Be?



Whether or not you agree with the notion of DC Comics changing one of their hero's sexual orientation, it's going to happen.  So who will it be?

• Wonder Woman?  An icon, arguably the biggest superheroine of them all, coming from an island populated only by women.... But no, it's not her.  In fact, not any woman.  In an interview with ABC News, Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainment's senior vice president of publicity, said, "One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June."  Emphasis on "he."  At this point, no further reason to speculate any of the other female leads in the DC Universe.
  
• Superman?  The New 52 rebooted Superman as well, and dissolved his relationship with Lois Lane (they aren't divorced - they haven't started dating yet).  Will Clark be interested in Jimmy Olsen instead?  This is possible, but with Apollo (mentioned above) also in the DC Universe, it may be redundant.
  
• Flash (Barry Allen) married Iris West Allen.  DC just brought Barry back from the dead, so did he come back gay?  It seems unlikely here, as Barry is the grandfather of Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash II/Flash IV, and unless they did some clever maneuvering, making Barry gay would eliminate Bart from continuity altogether.  Bart is Kid Flash in the new continuity.
  
  Flash III/Kid Flash I (Wally West) was shown to get married and have twin children - both with superpowers - before the retcon.  Wally's current status?  He's been benched for now, and not part of The New 52.  Will he reappear gay?
  
• Green Lantern (Hal Jordan - Ryan Reynold's character from the Green Lantern movie) has a longtime relationship with Carol Ferris (Blake Lively's character).  When not with Carol, Hal Jordan has been shown many times over finding girlfriends and alien girlfriends - think of him like DC's Captain James Tiberius Kirk.  There's no particular reason why he couldn't be gay, but I doubt Warner Bros will allow it considering there's already an established movie, and having a gay Green Lantern in comics and a straight one in the movies will, in their likely opinion, cause fan's minds to explode.  To read my rant on Warner Bros and their media divisions and why I dislike them, read my earlier article.
  However, besides Hal Jordan, Earth has three other Green Lanterns protecting the space sector, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner, and any of these three could be depicted as gay in the comics and featured in the upcoming movie(s).
  
• Aquaman was reintroduced in The New 52 with his wife, Mera, so it seems unlikely here.  He did, however, give up his throne to be a superhero, only to find the world finds him irrelevant and thinks his powers are useless.  But they're not, and you can read about how awesome Aquaman is here.
  
• Batman?  Well, this one actually has a lot of possibility.  Despite his previous girlfriends and flirtations like Catwoman or Vicki Vale, Batman never settles down with a woman.  His reasoning for this, however, has always been believable and sound: If a criminal were to discover his secret identity, than the love of his life will be the first target.  Sure, Superman worried of the same thing and married Lois Lane, but he's invulnerable and faster than a speeding bullet, so she doesn't have much to worry about.  Also, like I mentioned regarding Superman/Apollo, having Batman/Midnighter as gay superheroes with similar abilities may be redundant.
  The only real problem I have with a gay Batman is it will affirm Fredric Wertham's ideas in Seduction of the Innocent, that Batman & Robin are gay.
  Wertham being right about this aspect isn't problematic on its own, but Seduction of the Innocent really put comic books on the decline, and the Comics Code Authority was created to restrict what was printed, limiting creative expression.
  Wertham also suggested  comic books also made kids aggressive and violent (much like how TV and video games are the culprits of today), Wonder Woman was a lesbian because of her strength and independence, and that Superman was un-American and a fascist.  There are plenty of things I disagree with that Wertham posited, so if he ends up being right about this, it's personally a loss for me.
  
• Robin - which one?  Dick Grayson (yes, Dick, grow-up) was the original Robin, who has grown up to be a hero on his own, Nightwing.  Jason Todd was Robin II, who died at the hands of the Joker.  He has returned from the grave (of course, it's comics), but is now an anti-hero.  Robin III, Tim Drake, now acts independently as Batman's ally, Red Robin.  Robin V, the current Robin, is Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne's biological son with Talia al Ghul.
  
  Nightwing/Dick Grayson - Possible, but making Dick gay.... Well, how can I finish that without snickering myself?  But seriously, making Dick Grayson gay puts another win in the Wertham column in my opinion, as he was the Robin in question during Wertham's publication of Seduction of the Innocent.
  
  Red Hood/Jason Todd - This one seems unlikely, as in The New 52 it has been established that Jason has had relations with Starfire, one of DC's primary eye-candy characters (Starfire was also at one point almost the wife of Dick Grayson).  Making Jason Todd gay at this point makes him either one who experiments, or bisexual.
  
  Red Robin/Tim Drake - Again, possible.  Tim had a few girlfriends, notably Stephanie Brown, aka Robin IV/Spoiler/Batgirl, but a list can be seen here.  In Tim's case, however, I don't think it has yet been established if he's gay or straight in this new universe.
  
  Robin IV/Damian Wayne - The current Robin, this one is also possible.  Damian, however, is only 10 years old, so perhaps it's too early to designate his orientation.  For that reason, Damian has not really been designated any sexual orientation in previous stories (at least none I'm aware of at this moment).
  
• It has to be said, but what if it's not a superhero?  Well, this will make this whole article and most of its points moot, but it's possible.  Even the statement above Courtney Simmons said, "...major iconic DC character....", so this could include Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon, or other supportive cast.

Final Thoughts


I will agree that GLBT people are under-represented in comic books.


However, what makes these characters superheroes isn't their sexual orientation.  In fact, I read a comment somewhere that a particular reader always viewed heroes as asexual; the superhero fights evil, and isn't on patrol for men/women.

Eliminating factors like this will make storytelling one-dimensional, I'll concede that, and a romantic interest here and there helps to keep storytelling interesting.  But you shouldn't be picking up the newest issue of Action Comics and be looking for a comic primarily focused on the character's love life, straight or gay.


For this reason, I do not believe that taking a long-established character and making them suddenly gay is necessarily the best tactic to insert gay people into the comic book community.  In fact, taking somebody popular and making them now gay seems like a gimmick, in my opinion.  If they weren't going for gimmick, let me ask you this:  If DC Comics is so interested in inserting minority characters, why would they take Barbara Gordon, one of the few disabled superheroes as Oracle, and retcon her to be able to walk again as Batgirl in The New 52?

If you design a character and make them interesting enough on their own accord, and they happen to be gay, I would read the comic book.  But by taking an established character and now having them come out runs the risk of what happened to the Ellen TV show - not just indicating the lead character is gay, but beating you over the head with it every week thereafter (the view that Chastity Bono, GLAAD media director, carried).  Eventually what elements that made the comic (or show) enjoyable begin to disappear altogether, and the focus is completely shifted.

Would it be any more relevant to make James Bond gay in the next few movies, just to bring a prominent gay character to the big screen (James Bond in... Cock of the Walk)?  Or what about a gay Tarzan movie?  Gay Sherlock Holmes?  I don't see how sexual orientation necessarily improves on any of these story aspects, it just changes them.  If I were gay, I think I'd be more inherently proud of a gay character, like Marvel's Northstar (mentioned above), instead of DC's new version of a character, which for all we know will be retconned again next year as straight.

Whatever hero decides to come out, just know this: I'm here for you, buddy, and I love you all the same.

The History of Comics Pt I: The Golden Age of Comics, where it all began....

In the beginning...


Comic strips ran in weekly newspapers, with characters like Little Orphan Annie (1924), Popeye (1929), and other characters.  Comic strips eventually evolved into comic books, bringing along these characters, and ushering in new creations.  Whether or not comic strips and these early comic books are included in The Golden Age is best left argued by historians.

So let it be written...

Although comic books didn't start with super heroes, many tend to agree that The Golden Age began (or, at the very least, began its popularity) with the introduction of the first super hero of them all: Superman in Action Comics #1.

I want one... Somebody lend me $1.5 million?

"Super" heroes all began with "Super"-man... While you may not have considered this, yes, it seems fairly obvious when you think about it.  Regardless if you knew this before, I bet you won't forget it now!

After the introduction of Superman, the idea of the superhero fighting crime and evildoers boomed, and superheroes soon dominated the comic book industry.  DC characters like Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (see my write-up of Aquaman here), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), the Flash (Jay Garrick), The Atom (Al Pratt), Dr. Fate, the Spectre, Black Canary (Dinah Drake), Hourman, and Hawkman all made their first appearances, while Timely Comics (which would later evolve into today's Marvel Comics) introduced characters like Captain America and Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, and the android Human Torch (not Johnny Storm, the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four).  Other publications of the era introduced characters such as Quality Comics' Plastic Man, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, (both characters now belong to DC), and the Spirit.  The Golden Age also saw the first team-up, the Justice Society of America, as various DC heroes banded together to stop villainy on epic scales.

The 1930s, historically, saw gangsters taking to the streets, so in comics heroes were there to stop these menaces and show them the error of their ways.  But by the late-30's and early-40's, the world was changing: the world was going to war, for the second time.  This battle was not about land or money, despite the initial arguments made.  This war was about evil and atrocities on a scale the world had never seen before.

Grow a real moustache, wimp.

Heroes fight villains, and good conquers over evil.  No grey areas.  Superheroes went to war.

The comic book, at this point, sold millions.  Cheap and portable, comic books often found their way overseas, comforting soldiers as they read about the superheroes, too, taking the fight to the Axis.

Can I help you, ladies?

Furthermore, comic books helped to spread war propaganda, as seen on this cover:

"Hey Kid, put the down the comic and grab your gun!"

With the dropping of the atomic bomb, the word "atomic" became the buzzword of the time, and many characters and storylines began to deal with radiation and its effects.  Even Superman felt the effects of radiation in the form of kryptonite. 

...So let it be done.

As the war came to an end and real-life heroes came home, the fascination with superheroes began to fade.  Comic books of war, westerns, crime, horror, science fiction, and romance hit the market and overshadowed the superhero comics.  Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman remained profitable, and thus continued printing.  Many other titles, however, were cancelled, and other titles changed their primary focus altogether.  All-Star Comics #57, the comic book home of the Justice Society, changed to All-Star Western #58 the next issue.

The Golden Age of Comics saw the best of times, and the blurst worst of times.  Heroes began to vanish altogether....

And then, with the flash of lightning, the Silver Age began....

[Stay Tuned for my entry on The Silver Age of Comics!]

Hero of the Week: Aquaman

Going forward, I'm going to try to educate you, dear reader, about a hero, villain, or a lesser-known albeit important comic book character (Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, Jarvis) hopefully each and every week.  Sure, you may know the character... or at least think you know the character.  But the point is to make the character identifiable, and why I think you should know who the individual is.  These are meant to be fun, candid, and insightful... while all in the realm of comics and essentially useless in your daily lives.

Following one of my initial posts about the future possibility of a Justice League movie and its characters, some people argued that perhaps not all of the DC superheroes need to make an appearance in an upcoming JL movie - more specifically, the Dweller-in-the-Depths, Aquaman.

In order to bring the brightly clad hero some justice (pun intended), I intend on offering you some insight into the character.  Firstly, let me ask you a few questions:

• Do you like magic?
• Do you like stories about royalty and monarchies?
• Do you like pirates that have a hook for a hand?
• Do you like swimming?

If you answered "yes" to all of these, read on!  If not, well, go jump in the lake (idioms and puns, yikes).

Who is Aquaman?


I have to get a little generic here; Aquaman has been revamped a handful of times.  I'll try to stick to the most current and up-to-date, and the one I'm most familiar with.

Atlantis, itself, existed well before Plato's accounts of the city; it was a place of wonder, a place of sorcery and magic.  This magic both cursed the city into sinking, and saved it after it sank.  Prince Orin was born directly into royalty, unto the sovereign nation of Atlantis, hidden from society in the depths of the ocean.

Though accounts differ, essentially Orin is deserted  or shipwrecked, and was saved and raised by a fisherman, Arthur Curry, which Orin then adopted as his own name.

King Arthur went back to Atlantis to rule as king, and defends the ocean from pollution, magic, evil-doers, and the odd extraterrestrial that decides Aquaman is a chum-p (what's wrong with these puns today).

Why is he Important?


As king of Atlantis, Aquaman has a series of responsibilities.  He protects his people.  He represents his people as diplomat in the United Nations.  He makes sure people aren't excessively polluting the ocean (BP, I'm looking in your direction).

Also, he was one of the founding members of the first incarnation of the Justice League, before both A-List heroes Superman and Batman.
This probably was because he was used to being in leagues - like, 20,000 leagues under the sea (last one, I promise).  But the fact remains that he was an integral member of the Justice League from the beginning.

What can he do?


Can't he only breath underwater, and talk with fish???

If you think that's all he can do, well, "You damn fool, you're more useless than Aquaman!!"

Aquaman - Super Friends

Aquaman - Golden Age

The days of this guy are gone.  No more sitting on the sidelines waiting for an undersea adventure.

Yes, Aquaman can talk with the fishes.  But instead of mere telepathy, he has psionic domination of marine life.  It's not, "Hey, shark, wanna do me a favour?" but more along the lines of "Get over here and bite this guy, NOW!"

And yes, he can leave the ocean, even for an extended period of time (this was initially limited to approximately an hour, but has almost become indefinite).  In extreme heat he will dehydrate and require fluids, but, well, so will you.  He just requires them a little faster.

Aquaman's skin is hardened from the depths of the ocean.  He has a healing factor, which goes into high gear once he submerses himself in water.  He can resist extreme cold due to dwelling in the deep.

He has enhanced senses including excellent vision (able to see in the depths of the ocean, void of any sunlight), increased speed, agility, strength and reflexes.

He has access to the magic of Atlantis, and all of their advanced gadgetry.  He can form objects into "hard water," and use them as projectiles (without yelling, "KAMEHAMEHA!!")

Aquaman loses his hand to a villain, and comes to don a pirate-like hook.  Through the advances of Atlantean technology, the hook can be fired and retracted much like Batman's grapple hooks.

Eventually, Aquaman replaces the hook with a hard water magic replacement; this hard-water hand can function as a normal hand, but can be converted into objects like a sword or mace, or fire upon an enemy Megaman-style.

Why do I like him?

With time, Aquaman got harder with each retelling of his story.  Read this description from Wikipedia:

In the 1990s Modern Age, Aquaman's character became more serious than in most previous interpretations, with storylines depicting the weight of his role as king of Atlantis.^[2] Later accounts reconciled both facets of the character, casting Aquaman as serious and broody, saddled with an ill reputation and struggling to find a true role and purpose beyond his public side as a deposed king and a fallen hero.^[3]

The single-most reason why I like Aquaman and want to see him make a movie debut: once again, television (if you guessed this, good, you have been paying attention).

Aquaman - Superman: The Animated Series

My first real exposure to Aquaman was in STAS.  When Lex Luthor crossed the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman blows up his ship and leaves everyone to drown, to a bewildered Superman.  Their first meeting wasn't exactly a good one, nor did they become super friends.

Later, when Superman & Batman formed the Justice League, they crossed paths with Aquaman.  He now had his modern look of beard, long hair, and an even harder attitude to go with it - kind of a "Conan-underwater" motif.

Aquaman - Justice League

Tough guy, eh?  Just because you're a jerk, doesn't make you Wolverine.  So why bother giving this guy a second notice?

Because he has heart.  In his premiere Justice League debut, he is trapped by his brother, Orm (who is attempting to usurp the throne), and Arthur, along with his son, are chained to a rock and left to die.  Starve?  Nope.  The rock is sliding into an underwater pool of magma deep within the recesses of the earth.

Aquaman & Son Going Down, Down, Down to the Burning Ring of Fire

Aquaman is able to free his right arm from the rock, but try as he might, he cannot free his left arm, and from his son's cries, he knows they're out of time.  Removing the "A" insignia from his belt, Arthur draws back his right hand, and....

As King, you have to make the Difficult Decisions

...cuts off his left hand to escape the chains, and save his son's life.

It's Time to Stop Orm

Yes, his next appearance he's sporting the hook.  And yes, all of the Justice League think he's insane for removing his hand - until Arthur's good wife, Mera, asks them if it's insane to love your family.

And that's what it's all about, folks.  Sacrifices.  Any good, well-respected hero has to know when to make sacrifices, even the ultimate one if need be.  Aquaman fits this quota, and then some.  Superman is inherently good from the mid-west values Ma & Pa Kent instilled in him.  Batman lost his parents as a child.  Aquaman is the king of a nation, a husband, and a father.  He knows his motivation, and if you threaten any aspect of it, he will make sure the tide runs red with you and your regret.

Can Aquaman translate to the big screen?

I believe that if you tell his story and introduce him the way they did on Justice League, his story will not only be relevant, but one that will be memorable and respected.  Surely they will go ahead and play the Thor aspect, one of arrogance from his royal beginnings, where he loses the throne and has to fight to regain it.  But it could be a story worth telling, and one to branch into a Justice League movie.

Final Thoughts

If you're still thinking of the campy Super Friends Aquaman, you may need to watch this compilation video I found of some of Aquaman's appearances in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

Still not convinced?  Well, go ahead.  Bring your army to Atlantis, threaten the throne.  Or equally as offensive, dump your waste into the ocean, or poach his marine life.  But I warn you...

"Hail to the King, Baby."

My Proposal...Or, What DC Can Learn from Marvel and "The Avengers"

I have always been a fan of DC Comics.


In the realm of movies, however, it can readily be argued that Marvel is doing a superior job marketing their properties.

Why?  Why is there such an issue in DC pumping out movies based upon their comic book properties?  Let's have a look....

Marvel Comics, initially, outsourced their movies.  Basically, they created Marvel Entertainment, and rented/sold their product to the highest bidder:

New Line Cinema - Blade, Blade II, Blade: Trinity

Fox - X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Universal - Hulk

Lionsgate - The Punisher

Sony - Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3

Surely I'm missing some movies in there, but you get the point.  Marvel Entertainment, however, tried to maintain a say in the movies produced.  To further this point, Marvel Studios became more bold and confident, and started to produce their own movies, giving companies distribution rights instead.  This started with the more-modern era of Marvel comic movies:

Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger

and ultimately culminated in Disney taking notice, buying Marvel Entertainment, and releasing this year's box office smash, The Avengers.  For a more in-depth explanation and history of Marvel Studios, follow this link.

So, what started with Marvel "selling out" its properties resulted in a unification under one corporate head (for the most part, Sony still has rights to Spider-Man, hence Sony's reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man).

What about DC?  Where's their gusto, their go-get attitude?

Well, DC Comics has been under Warner Bros for an insanely long time.  Superman from 1978, for a leading example, was a Warner Bros production.

So, what's the deal?  Sure, not all of the Marvel films have been particularly spectacular - even Marvel has acknowledged this - but they took a swing at the ball.  And for every Marvel bomb, like Ang Lee's Hulk, most fans can still quip, "At least it's not Catwoman" - a DC property.  I know the obvious intent is to not lose money, but with "hero" comic movies at an all-time high, you'd think they would quit dragging their feet.  Maybe they feel they don't have to jump into the game, I mean, look at The Dark Knight.  Well, even for uber-successful DC films like The Dark Knight, you have films like Marvel's The Avengers.


"If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?"

Go ahead, call me on it.  I may not have all the answers, but I do recall reading something about how Warner Bros was so wrapped up in the Harry Potter franchise, that now that they've exhausted a good eight movies, they will be putting their attention into their comic book properties.  Let's see if that comes to fruition.

But until then, here's my proposal...

Christian Bale is done with the Batman franchise.  While the final movie of this trilogy hasn't been released yet, even if it's unlikable, this trilogy has garnered enough buzz that it will likely do well in the box office.  Spider-Man 3 did well in the box office, though it's well-accepted it's the worst of the three.

So now what?  Reboot Batman?  No.  It's done.  I know it sounds like blasphemy, especially from a dear fan of the protector of Gotham City.  But it's unnecessary to reboot.  Just move on, and pump up your other franchises.  Release next year's Superman film, Man of Steel.  Make Green Lantern 2.  Flash.  Wonder Woman.  Green Arrow.  Aquaman (with or without Vincent Chase).

You want to bridge these movies?  Find yourself a new actor to play Batman if Bale is definitely out, and have him fulfill the role of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, recruiting the heroes for a global threat under the title of the Justice League.

Wow.  Seems pretty simple, right?  Once more:

1. Get some actors willing to sign 5 to 9 movie contracts (sounds extensive, yet Marvel is able to do it with high profile actors).
2. Introduce the characters with modern retellings of their origin stories.
3. Have Batman, a now properly established character with an origin story already firmly in place, bring the characters together to stop some sort of intergalactic force Wayne Industries detected - Darkseid, or perhaps Batman has already received a tip from J'onn J'onzz that the White Martians are ready to invade, whatever).

Warner Bros should have the chops to pull this off - they just seem to continuously shoot themselves in the foot with their own legal mumbo jumbo.  "We can't do this because Warner TV is doing that."  "We can't do this because the comics are doing that."  It's this short-sightedness that's leaving DC Comics any chance at franchising their properties always a few steps behind their competitor.  And now with Marvel having Disney's big bucks behind them, well, only Thanos himself could stop them now....

Oh, and kudos to anyone who noticed If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich is the title of an episode of BTAS - the first appearance of The Riddler, to be exact.