The CCD Podcast: Episode #93 - B v S v CCD: The Definitive Batman v Superman Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has finally arrived, and as one could imagine it has fueled lots of talk... some good, some bad. Some up, some down. But one thing is certain: A hell of a lot of folks turned out to see it! 470 Million dollars on its worldwide release. Man... that is some windfall! But when a film that was 3 years in the making and is poised to be the foundation of the future DC Comic Movie Universe is finally released... well, you are going to hear some mixed reviews! And that was the case here at CCD as well. For our take (or take down, depending who you ask over here..) Jedi Rob brought in two hardcore DC fans to chime in: Anthony Marino from Brooklyn One Productions and Mike D are on the show chopping it up, talking about what they liked, hated, loved and loathe about BvS...

This may very well be the most divisive and argumentative podcast we have done so far... the lovefest for everything we discuss is OVER!  Enjoy the podcast after the jump....
And if you like what you hear, please head over to Itunes and leave us a comment/review as well as subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a thing!



Follow the CCD Podcast Instagram & Facebook... it's tons of nerdy fun!!!

The CCD Podcast: Episode #63 - Upcoming Comic Movies Through 2020 or "What? 2020 ?!? I Barely Remember Where I Saw Avengers 2 A Few Months Ago!"

We are living in the golden age of comic book movies... that is one thing that can be said with a certainty. On top of the big dogs like Marvel & DC getting their properties green lit to the silver screen, we are noticing a bunch of indy titles also getting adaptions into movies. I never thought I would be alive to see a great Spider Man or Avengers movie in my life.... I certainly didn't ever think we would see indy titles like Kick Ass, Scott Pilgrim, and The Losers made into a full length feature. There are even a whole bunch of movies made in the last 10 years that ARE actual adaptions of comics that most viewers have NO IDEA were originally COMICS! (From Hell, Road To Perdition, A History of Violence just to name a few) So with recent announcements for the upcoming slate of comic movies getting more and more crowded, the CCD gang decided to jump into the mix and discuss some of our thoughts and expectations for all of these films. We are looking toward the future... and man, does the future of comic book movies look bright!

 




Follow the CCD Podcast Instagram & Facebook... it's tons of nerdy fun!!!

The CCD Podcast: Episode #62 - The Current State of DC or "What Took These Guys So Long To Get This Universe Started"

DC Comics is poised to make some noise in some of the other venues that the other comics companies have had success in (movies, TV, etc) and we here at the CCD Podcast thought we should discuss it. So we brought our good friend Anthony Marino from Brooklyn One to join in with Jedi Rob & Mike D and discuss the current state of the DC Universe. We touch on upcoming movies, the shows already on TV and ones to come, and even a bit of comics. DC is definitely on the rise. We got a lot to say.... so jump on in and join us!!!!

 


Follow the CCD Podcast Instagram & Facebook... it's tons of nerdy fun!!!

Even Batgirl Is Becoming A Hipster.... Ugggghhhhhh!

OK, let me start by saying that I do not HATE the new Batgirl character redesign, nor do I HATE the backstory the book is about to take at issue #35. There is a new creative team being put into place (written by Cameron Stewart & Brenden Fletcher, art by Babs Tarr) and they have decided to take the character of Barbara Gordon into a different direction. Now that she has lost everything due to a terrible fire, Babara gets a chance to relocate... so she chooses the hip suburb of Gotham, called Burnside (aka the Williamsburg of the DC Universe). And of course, she needs to update her wardrobe. So gone are the spandex and high heeled boots. Now we get a more practical (albeit hipster-ish) look, complete with practical Doc Martin-esque yellow boots, a snap away cape and glove set, and leather motorcycle jacket. We also get Barbara's version of a utility belt, which looks really cool when it is incorporated with the one leg holster pouch. The cover of issue #35 features Batgirl in full costume of her new local dive bar taking a selfie.... of course! I really am a fan of Babs Tarr's art, and this could be the type of 'forward motion storytelling' that the new 52 DC Universe needs. The first issue featuring the re-design hits stores October 8th. You can check an interview with the creative team over at MTV's website by cliicking here, and also check out the cover & some art as well by clicking after the jump...

Character Re-design

Cover Shot

Action Shot

   

Marvel Characters and Their DC Countreparts Get The Team-Up Treatment From Darren Rawlings

Everyone knows that although they are two completely different companies that are highly successful in the comic industry, Marvel and DC share a lot of similarities. It may be the fact that a lot of the creative talents through the years have bounced between both companies. It may also be due to the fact that when the lion share of the characters were conceived back in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s there was not Internet for people to call out creators for being copycats... imagine if you tried to put out a comic today featuring a band of survivors of a zombie attack lead by a rural sheriff? You would be crucified as a Walking Dead thief, and your comic would never get off the ground. But it was a-ok for Marvel to launch Dedapool in 1991 even though Deathstroke was around since 1980? I mean, forget their powers... even their real names are copies! Wade Wilson isn't a direct copy of Slade Wilson? What... huh???? Anyway, artist Darren Rawlings decided to highlight some of these comparable characters in his Little Friends series. Some are obvious (like Deadpool and Deathstroke above), but others require a bit of background knowledge of the characters to see the comparison. Either way, the characters are all cool and you gotta love the way they all co-exist in our little comic book nerd world! You can find a ton of them by clicking here and checking out his Deviant Art gallery, or you can see my personal faves after the jump...

 

The Ladies Of DC Comics Take A Trip Back To The 1940s Thanks To Ant Lucia

Ant Lucia is an accomplished artist that has a dope website and very unique style to his pieces. He gets the 'pin up' feel to everything he draws, and the realism in his work is balanced out by the fun nature of the characters poses and surroundings. It is not so serious, which makes all that he does really dope. Case in point: Check out his new series of DC Heroines and Villains with a 1940s feel. These are perfect, and the setting and background that each character is placed into fit wonderfully. And the ladies... well the ladies are looking pretty spectacular themselves. And the coolest part is the website QxM is offering these prints in a huge 18 x 24 format for a mere $ 14.95 !!! That is really cheap considering how big that print is. There are 10 all together, but some are available for purchase now and some are just available for pre-order to be shipped down the road. Either way, you can't go wrong for 15 bucks.... you can click here to check out the specific page on QxM to order Lucia's DC Bombshells, and you can view them all after the jump....

It All Comes Around For The "Original" TV Flash....

I make no apologize for the fact that Warner Brothers has made a complete mess of the fact that they own the rights to all of the DC characters. They have owned them for years, and aside from a handful of successful Batman films and a 10 + season run on Smallville (of which only 2 were really "good") they have little to show for it. But one of the best things that they have done, aside from Batman, is a little television show by the name of Arrow. Yup, I can't exactly figure it out either... but it is baffling to me that a TV show featuring a minor DC character such as Green Arrow on a shit network like the CW is the only thing DC seems to be doing right. But boy are they doing it right... and they have no signs of slowing down. They are parlaying that success of Arrow into another show, this one featuring the Scarlet Speedster himself, Flash! Flash, or should I say his alter ego Barry Allen, appeared on a few episodes of Arrow and suffered an explosion that apparently turned him into the Flash. Next season CW will give him his own show, and the cast is shaping up to be pretty great. Grant Gustin will continue his Barry Allen/Flash role that he started on Arrow, Jesse L Williams will play lawman James West, and the lovely Danielle Panabaker will be on board to bring some sex appeal to the show. But further proof that the guys in charge, the same gang that is responsible for Arrow, is all about getting it right comes in the small details. Case in point: They are casting John Wesley Shipp, aka the original Flash from the 1990-91 TV series, to a role....

Check out more after the jump...





Now it isn't exactly clear who Shipp will be playing, and whether or not he will be a series regular or just a guest star in the pilot, but the fact that he is even there is proof that they understand certain nuances that can make or break a production. For those of you who don't know, the 90s Flash show was outstanding... the show was well done, the effects were good, and the suit that Stan Winston designed was way ahead of its time. But that was the problem. The show was too early... people weren't ready for the Superhero invasion that would dominate TV & Movies in the coming decade. That show would work perfect today... so lets hope that this casting of Shipp will help this version of the show do its thing. Considering WB's track record, I expect nothing. But considering the Arrow pedigree that the show is coming from, lets just hope they figure it all out.

Here is a clip of someone else I hope they bring back: Mark Hammil as The Trixter! Another perfect part of the 90s Flash show.

'Batman: The Deal' - The Greatest Indy Fan Fic Batman Story I Have Ever Read!!!!

Batman has always been my favorite character to read when it comes to comics. It is not even close. While I am very protective over my favorite character and how he is portrayed in the pages of his books, I am always open to seeing a different spin on the Dark Knight... especially if they can add something new to the mythos. Writer Gerardo Preciado and artist Daniel Bayliss have decided to do just that with Batman: The Deal. A Batman work that comes WITHOUT permission of DC Comics and obviously does not take place within typical DC Comics canon, this story delves deep into the dark, twisted relationship between Batman and the Joker. Since this is an un-authorized book, it allows Preciado & Bayless license to take the characters and stories to dark places... the darkest places I have ever seen the World's Greatest Detective go. I was floored by the visuals and the story got my blood pumping in a way that hasn't happened in a long, long time. I hope this opens the eyes of the brass over at DC Comics in relation to the talent of these guys... and if not them, then how about some of the other companies like Image & Marvel take a shot on these fellas? I want to see way more from them. You need to go over to the Blogspot page they set up and show your support, but you can find the whole comic after the jump in full. I really love this story. Check it out for yourself....