Supergirl (Volume 5) #47
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Matt Camp

Supergirl bring Reactron to New Krypton and the trial doesn’t go so well. A lynch mob comes after him and in the fight Reactron is killed. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy and I was correct. Alura and Gor conspired to have him taken away and tortured for information about earth in secret. Alura feels horrible about what she is doing but sees it as necessary, but she knows her late husband or her daughter wouldn’t approve. This was a decent issue. I liked the insight into the character of Alura and her hardened exterior and it was great to see the flashbacks with her and Zor-El. I wish this was more of a Supergirl focused issue but that is okay. I am sure we will get to see more of her next issue.

Si en nuestra primera anotación os descubrimos el programa del Discovery Channel, Time Warp (A cámara superlenta), hoy os dejamos con otro similar, Brainiac, en el que también se realizó durante varios programas una sección dedicada a la cámara superlenta y a sus apasionantes efectos e imágenes imposibles de captar a simple vista. Éste, pero, es tomada de objetos más cotidianos como un Spaghetti o un globo de agua golpéandole a un “Brainiac” en la cara. Sin más, aquí está:

Nota: Brainiac también es emitido en el Discovery. Para más información click aquí.

Written by Robert Goodman
Directed by Curt Geda
Original Airdate: October 10, 1998
DVD: Superman TAS Season 3

Summary: Superman’s visit to Gotham City takes an unexpected turn when he is forced to fill in for a mysteriously absent Batman.

Arc Note: Third episode to feature Brainiac as a villain, second meeting of Superman and Batman.

Background:

A lot of the appeal of this episode largely lies in the full slate of cameo appearances from some of the less famous – or at least less utilised – Batman villains, so we might as well start there.

When I was mentioning the diminishing returns of Livewire in terms of female villains created specifically for the animated series, the downward progression hit its nadir in the form of one Roxy Rocket, whose gimmick was that she rode a phallic rocket and appeared to be getting very… excited… while, um riding it. Suffice it to say that while she’s an inexplicable favourite of certain fans (well, somewhat explicable), she didn’t really merit too many appearances outside her debut episode, “The Ultimate Thrill.” She appears at the start of this episode seemingly only to emphasize that while some villain gimmicks are well-suited to a Batman villain, just being able to fly around the city isn’t much help against Superman.

The other three villains here are much better known, but all shared the same fate in the DCAU, specifically that they weren’t as heavily utilised as their pop cultural presence would suggest. Heck, two of them even made it to the silver screen… admittedly, to Joel Schumacher’s version, but points for showing up, right?

Bane was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Graham Nolan (the three men responsible, with editor Denny O’Neil, for the direction of the Batman books for about ten years) in 1993, and is considered the most recent “A-list” member of the Batman rogues gallery. Bane’s reputation is largely built on both an excellent origin – a young child born in prison who ultimately worked his way to the top of the power structure, then was experimented on by corrupt scientists – and his very strong introductory story, which saw him outthink Batman and then, after wearing him down, breaking his back. This storyline, Knightfall, was incredibly successful, largely because unlike most of Batman’s antagonists, Bane is perfectly sane and more than capable of giving him a fight in the intellectual arena. Bane has rarely been used since, which has maintained an aura about him, and has recently become something of an antihero in Gail Simone’s excellent Secret Six series. The animated Bane is almost identical to his comic counterpart, but due to coming to prominence after the first batch of BTAS epsiodes were in full production, his appearances were limited, although his debut was heavily hyped back in the day. Bane has also made a brief cameo in Batman Beyond, one of only four classic Batman villains to do so.

The second member of the trio is the Riddler, whom you’re likely familiar with. While he does share Bane’s more cultured approach to villainy, he is a bit more of an Arkham client than the strongman. This has recently been turned on its head in the comics, with the result being that a seemingly reformed Riddler has apparently gone straight and is operating in Gotham as a consulting detective. The animated series version was slightly tweaked from the classic straight criminal origins, as in the DCAU Riddler is tormented technological genius who sought vengeance on the people that stole his creations. Riddler’s obviously popular in other media, and I believe Frank Gorshin’s portrayal in the 1960s, which earned him an Emmy nomination, was, prior to Heath Ledger, the only acting role in a Batman live-action production to earn a major award nomination. Thanks to Gorshin, Riddler actually was elevated into the lead villain on the 60s show, although he hasn’t really been as prominent since.

The final member of the trio is the Mad Hatter, who was another significant change when brought to the DCAU. We saw the modern version version of the Hatter when talking about the Haunted Knight collection a couple of weeks ago, but the DCAU version is creepier in a way, a disturbed individual with a talent for robotics and mind control as well as a serious fixation on Alice in Wonderland. This is a rare bad guy that I actually like more in his 60s Batman incarnation, as the portrayal on the TV series was the first episode I watched. Sure, a fixation on hats isn’t as creepy as the DCAU’s psychosis… but, c’mon, he had a hat that shot mind control beams from a pair of eyes!

Of course, none of these guys is the real villain of the episode, but, well, we’ve talked about him enough already, right?

Thoughts on the Episode:

This is another episode that shows the strengths of crossing over two outwardly different characters in Batman and Superman. In this case, the central hook of the episode is Superman actually trying to be Batman, which leads to both comedy and a decently dramatic plot.

As I think I’ve said before, I like the idea of a younger Robin with Batman, which is a line of thought that I share with Bruce Timm:

I think that version of the the Robin character, by splitting him up into two characters – one younger and one older – is much more interesting than the Robin we did in the original Batman: The Animated Series. I always felt like the original Robin… was neither fish nor fowl.

Bruce Timm, Modern Masters, p. 60

In this case, the writers took an idea that was very common in the modern DC universe, specifically that while Batman doesn’t fully trust Superman, Robin has no such issues with the Man of Steel, and probably has genuine admiration for him. So when Superman shows up looking for Batman, Robin is quick to pal up with him, and then along comes the idea that makes up the remainder of the episode – that Superman should pose as Batman. Tim’s both enthusiastic and gets in some good one-liners (“…he’s smiling!” – a line that’s amusingly called back later when Clark grins at the Hatter and the Hatter is horrified at having to face a smiling Batman), and this episode’s as much about establishing him as competent as it is about the central conceit of Clark’s imitation. Superman gives Robin his nod of approval at the end of the episode, which is a really nice touch.

It’s hard to imagine this being pulled off any better. The bit with Gordon obviously knowing that something is wrong but being unable to put his finger on it is great – Superman does look slightly different in the costume, and his attempts to make his chin look like Bruce’s are hilarious. That scene also starts the gag with Robin having to fill in Superman on various parts of the imitation that Clark doesn’t already know. This episode is easily the only time that Super-ventriloquism actually works. The fight against the trio of villains is especially funny, as Superman takes all their best shots before mopping the floor with Bane, which is expected but still fun to see happening. The way it’s structured, it’s easy to forget that this is a Superman episode… easy, that is, until the final sequence, when suddenly Superman is battling Brainiac’s pocket Kryptonian warship. This is easily the best Superman / Brainiac solo fight, as it lasts a decent amount of time and ends with the slightly disturbing shot of a badly-damaged Brainiac trying and failing to escape from the burning ship.

In terms of overall continuity, this is something of a “lost story” in the Superman / Brainiac saga, as the destruction of Brainiac here obviously doesn’t take, and Brainiac’s next appearance in opposition to Superman references “Ghost in the Machine” and not this episode. It’s easy enough to imagine that this is another one of Brainiac’s alternate versions floating around so it’s not an error, but it’s got enough of the overall story to merit watching if you’re just watching episodes that are essential to the broader stories.

Grade: A-. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age with this run of As, but this is another really fun episode with a ton of nice cameos from bad guys that never got much play.

Random Thoughts:

• I like how Brainiac was apparently thorough enough to plant evidence that would draw Dick and Babs away to look for Ra’s. Now, kids, don’t speculate on what the two of them would be doing together on an extended vacation in sunny Romania….
• Robin hanging Riddler by the cage is actually a frequently-used form of torture.
• “Brainiac leaves a little something of himself behind” would prove to be very prophetic.
• Even though animated Tim Drake is based heavily on comic Jason Todd, Tim wasn’t included in Jason’s finest moment as Robin, the adaptation of Alan Moore’s famed story “For the Man who has Everything.” Superman’s approval of Tim’s performance in this episode is about as close as he’d get.
• Superman uses the underwater exit from the Batcave, which echoes how he comes and goes from the Fortress of Solitude. It’s a nice touch.

Line of the Episode: “Kal-El. This development was highly improbable.” Brainiac is quite the deadpan comic when he needs to be.

Next Justice League: A very… weird JLU episode, introducing another semi-classic DC hero.

Next Time: a slightly earlier Superman episode – a two-parter, in this case – as we delve into one of the heaviest episodes in DCAU history, via Apokolips… Now!

This is how I teach myself Illustrator.

She's hatin' on Apache Chief like Andrew Jackson.

Zombie's as cartoon villian is underrated.

Did anyone just assume he was Mr. Freeze when we were kids?

Gayest shirt in the Legion.

.

Obwohl dieser Trade über 500 Seiten umfasst, wird diese Review nicht besonders lang werden. Der Grund dafür ist, dass dieser Showcase Band der mit Abstand enttäuschendste ist, den ich bisher gelesen habe. Die Essentials von Marvel inklusive…

Das beginnt schon mal damit, dass dieses Heft – obwohl Volume 1 getauft – nicht wirklich am chronologischen Anfang von Supermans Historie beginnt. Die Explosion von Krypton, Supermans Landung auf der Erde und ähnliche wichtige Stationen im Lebenslauf des Man of Steel sieht man nur in Recap-Stories. Natürlich gibt es ein paar wenige First Appearances zu bestaunen, doch der größte Teil des Trades ist einfach nur belangloses Zeug, dessen Inhalte sich auch immer etwas ähneln.

In 80% der ca. 50 Geschichten geht es eigentlich nur ums Tarnen und Täuschen. Superman täuscht vor, dass er verletzt worden ist, unter Trance steht, freiwillig mit Verbrechern zusammenarbeitet o.ä. nur um am Ende der Story zu gestehen, dass das Alles nur Teil seines gewieften Planes gewesen ist um die Verbrecher aus ihren Verstecken zu locken. Das hat nur selten einen logischen Hintergrund und ist auch erbärmlich da es sich bei den Gegnern die er auf diese Art hervorlockt, meist nur um gewöhnliche Ganoven handelt. Ich will Superman gegen gigantische Gegner oder kriminelle Superhirne kämpfen sehen und nicht gegen ein paar Typen die Aussehen wie aus einem schlechten James Cagney Film.

Das Ganze geht aber auch umgekehrt, so bedienen sich auch die Schurken öfters (simpler) Tarnung um Superman auszutricksen. Das beste Beispiel sind wohl 2 Schauspieler die sich als die toten Jonathan und Martha Kent verkleiden und vorgeben mit einer Zeitmaschine aus der Vergangenheit in die Zukunft gereist zu sein um ihren Superboy als Superman zu sehen.

Die restlichen Episoden sind mehr oder weniger „What if…?“ Stories wie zb. Was wäre wenn Superman Präsident wäre, mit Lois verheiratet wäre, Krypton nicht explodiert wäre usw. Oder, und das finde ich noch schlimmer, Stories in denen Superman in verschiedenste Berufe schlüpft. So ist er einmal als Soldat, Feuerwehrmann, Bulle und auch Bauarbeiter zu sehen. Warum zum Teufel muss Superman einem miesen Bauunternehmer das Handwerk legen? Nochmal: Wenn ich Superman lese, will ich riesige Schlachten haben und keine Jobs wo normal ne Behörde einen Sachbearbeiter vorbeischicken würde.

Generell scheint Superman enorm viel Freizeit zu haben. Ständig stellt er sich für Vorträge, gesellschaftliche Anlässe oder sogar als lebende Zielscheibe für Army Übungen zur Verfügung. Diese Rampensau scheint einfach keinen Auftritt auszulassen. Kindergeburtstag, Faschings-Gschnas, Pensionisten-Ball? Ihr braucht ne Mitternachtseinlage? Ruft Superman!

Es bleiben vielleicht 5 Stories die ich hervorheben würde, wobei die meisten nicht durch die Klasse ihrer Story, sondern nur durch die (mittlerweile) populären Figuren hervorstechen.

Da wäre einmal der erste Auftritt von Brainiac, der durchs Weltall fliegt, Städte verkleinert und später seinen eigenen Planeten damit bevölkern will (um sie anschließend zu regieren natürlich). In einer dieser „Aufbewahrungsflaschen“ findet Superman auch Teile eine kryptonische Stadt (Kandor, die ja Jahrzehnte später wieder verwendet wird) und – so ein Zufall – sogar Verwandte von sich. Am Ende gibt’s dann noch ein aufopferndes, dramatisches Finale…

man beachte das Äffchen auf Brainiacs Schulter

Ebenfalls bestaunen darf man 2 ½ Auftritte eines Supergirls. Als erstes wünscht sich Jimmy mittels eines magischen Totems eine Freundin für Superman her was sich aber im Nachhinein (nicht nur wegen Lois) als schlechte Idee herausstellt.

Beim zweiten Mal träumt Lois selbst davon über Superkräfte zu verfügen und erst beim dritten Anlauf treffen wir dann schließlich auf das echte Supergirl (Kara bzw. Linda Lee), die hier auch ihren ersten Auftritt überhaupt feiert. Nette Ausgabe, aber da Superman sie sehr schnell in das Internat einer anderen Stadt abschiebt, bekommt man sie später nur noch in einem einsamen Panel zu sehen.

Lex Luthor bekommt ebenfalls 2 oder 3 Auftritte beschert, die aber alle an Lächerlichkeit kaum zu überbieten sind. Erwähnenswert ist sicherlich jener bei dem er ein Mittel entdeckt, das ihn Kryptonitenergie abstrahlen lässt, was Superman natürlich in Schwierigkeiten bringt.

Der Mann aus Stahl entwickelt als Antwort einen albernen Strahlenanzug der ihn aber auch nicht schützt und am Ende ist es ein wahnsinnig idiotischer Trick der ihn Luthor doch noch besiegen lässt:

Superman fliegt in die Nähe von Luthor bricht jedoch trotz der Strahlung nicht zusammen. Es stellt sich heraus das er „unsichtbare“ Schnüre an sich befestigt hat, mit denen Jimmy Olsen ihn von einem Hubschrauber aus wie eine Marionette steuert!

Lex Luthor ist daraufhin so aus dem Häuschen, dass er sofort die Flucht ergreift und da er durch das Kryptonit Mittel grün leuchtet, und ihn die Polizei so in der Nacht leicht finden könnte, beschließt er das Antidote zu nehmen, wodurch er aber seine Abstrahlung verliert, Superman wieder kräftig wird und er Luthor schließlich doch noch gefangen nehmen kann.

Zusammenfassend heißt das Alles, dass Luthor zwar ein Kryptonit-Trank plus Gegenmittel entwickeln kann (was nicht mal Superman geschafft hat) aber zu blöd ist einen, unmittelbar über ihm fliegenden Hubschrauber zu bemerken…

Ein anderer trotteliger Gegner ist Mr. Mxyzptlk, ein Gnom aus einer anderen (ich glaub die fünfte) Dimension der Superman und ganz Metropolis so lange mit albernen Späßen nervt, bis jemand ihn dazu bringt seinen eigenen Namen rückwärts auszusprechen. Passiert das, wird er für 90 Monate zurück in seine Dimension gesperrt. Durch Flashbacks werden seine vergangenen Besuche gezeigt und zusammenfassend lässt sich der Gnom wohl wirklich mit jedem noch so blöden Trick übertölpeln…

Hatten die Fantastischen Vier nicht auch mal so einen bescheuerten Gegner? Hab dessen Namen vergessen, glaub mich aber dumpf an einen solchen zu erinnern.

Cooler ist da schon ein Auftritt von Bizarro, der in einen Zweiteiler mündet, und in dem er das erste Mal seine Bizarro-Lois trifft. Kann aber auch sein, dass ich das nur deshalb cool finde, da die Anschluss-Story daran eines der ersten Comics gewesen ist die ich als Kind gelesen habe…

Was mir wirklich, wirklich gut gefallen hat, ist der erste Auftritt von Mentallo, dem menschlichen Roboter. Das ist ein wirklich guter Charakter und dass er zum Überleben Uran oder Kryptonit benötigt – also das was Superman tötet – ist zwar nicht besonders einfallsreich, aber dennoch cool.

Kryptonit ist in diesem Trade ohnehin so eine Sache. Einerseits wird stets betont wie selten es ist, andererseits scheint jeder ein Häuflein davon zu Hause zu haben. Jeder Verbrecher, jeder Forscher und jeder Zeitreisende Passant der bei Superman vorbeikommt, zieht früher oder später eine Box mit der grünen Wunderwaffe hervor. Als wäre das grüne nicht schon in Unmengen vorhanden, wird im Laufe des Trades auch noch das aus der Zukunft mitgebrachte Rote Kryptonit unter die Leute gebracht. Superman verliert hier also auch mal die Kontrolle über seine Kräfte ehe er sie für für 2 Stunden verliert. In dieser Zeit wird er übrigens als Statue in einem Museum ausgestellt…

Als hätte man durch das ständige Vorkommen von Kryptonit nicht schon genug davon, gibt es sogar noch eine Extra-Story die sich mit der Herkunft des Kryptonits und Supermans Versuche sich dagegen zu wehren befasst.

In dieser Geschichte taucht auch Krypto der Superhund auf, der eigentlich gerade „die Galaxie bereist“ (Zitat Superman), aber mal kurz auf die Erde zurückgekommen ist um sein Herr’l vor – naJa – dem Kryptonit zu retten… Ich hasse diesen Köter. Nur unerschütterliche Lassie-Fanatiker können die Kommunikation zwischen den beiden toll finden.

Gute Szenen sind auch jene in denen Superman mit den Schätzen angibt die er in seiner Fortress of Solitude hortet. Das tut er anscheinend gerne und oft. Praktisch bei jeder sich bietenden Gelegenheit… Da sind schon ein paar kuriose Sachen dabei, die mich zum Schmunzeln brachten.

Das Artwork fand ich, und das ist schon was, etwas besser als bei den anderen Showcase Ausgaben, aber im Grunde genommen ist alles aus dieser Periode ziemlich gleich.

Wenn man nicht wirklich ein ganz ein großer Superman Fan ist, würde ich vom Kauf dieses Trades wirklich abraten. Ich habe viele der Geschichten am Ende nur noch durchgeblättert da schon nach 3 Seiten klar war wie die Geschichte weitergehen wird und bis auf Mentallo gibt es auch von den Gegnern keine großen Momente von denen ich sagen würde, dass man sie unbedingt gesehen haben muss. Investiert euer Geld lieber in einen aktuelleren Superman-Trade.

1/5

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN, VOL. 1

DC COMICS, Oktober 2005

enthält Action Comics #241-257 und Superman #122-133

Adventure Comics #2
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Francis Manapul
Co-Feature by Johns and Micheal Shoemaker
Art by Clayton Henry

The main story surpassed even the first issue as we finally get to see the reuniting of lovers Superboy and Wonder Girl. And guess what, it went really well! I was expecting a break up or something annoying like that but instead they were just honest with each other and nobody acted angsty or anything. Connor was mature enough to understand why Cassie had her fling with Tim while he was “dead” and I think that’s great and a refreshing change of pace for these characters. It was good to see Brainiac and Lex Luthor again and to see Luthor’s reaction to Superboy being still alive and other events around the DCU. I especially liked how the mainstream press is aware that the Justice League is on the verge of collapse haha. It looks like Lex may have made another clone…could there be two Connor Kents flying around soon? A new Match? We will see I guess. The Legion back-up was okay I guess. This isn’t my Legion and I still need to get used to that. Lightning Lad just seemed angry the entire time.

By Geoff Johns and Michael Shoemaker (writers), Francis Manapul and Clayton Henry (artists), Brian Buccellato and Brian Reber (colorists)

The Stories: Johns opens the book on a squadron of military helicopters searching for Brainiac and Luthor, who have both just escaped. Brainiac and Luthor are in cahoots and nothing good is going to come of this. Flash forward to Conner getting ready for Cassie to come over for supper. They each have issues to struggle through. The second story is about the Legion of Superheroes. Mekt Ranzz (Lightning Lord) will tell the Legion where all the supervillain safehouses are if Lightning Lad will talk to him in prison. Seems easy, right? Wrong!

What’s Good: Johns did some very solid character work on the Superboy story. Connor  is wound up, worrying about how he looks, and he’s hopelessly transparent, yet perfectly believable. I also really like the clever use of Conner’s obsessive little lists. What did Superman do? What did Luthor do? The amount of time he spends looking at those two columns and comparing himself to them show how worried he is about who he is. Johns also did really deft work on Cassie and Conner catching up. That year apart put a lot of space between them. This character work sounds like it would be dull, but it’s exactly the opposite because both characters are so likable with their desires so obvious.

Johns and Shoemaker pulled some more fine writing out of their hats for the Legion story. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to follow the Legion, so I don’t remember Garth being so spun up, but Johns sets up the characters so even a long-absent fan like me can understand everything. The human supremacy movement was an interesting touch (not original, but interesting), as were the words that Garth and Mekt shared. I didn’t see that surprise coming.

Manapul’s art was brilliantly page-slowing for me. I’d be done with the words, but reluctant to turn the page, because I wanted to keep admiring the art. The double splash page opening the book was awesome and I loved the realism combined with the rough, almost old-school pencil lines that Manapul left for strategic shading. Brainiac sitting in his control chair, wires sprouting from his head, Luthor standing in prison browns with smears of blood on his wrists… All memorable and awesome…Also Manapul’s and Buccellato’s work on Cassie and Conner under a pink, starry sky was just great.

What’s Not So Good: I had no complaints whatsoever about the Superboy story. However, I wasn’t wowed by Clayton Henry’s pencils on the Legion back-up story, nor was it easy on my suspension of disbelief to see super-powered prisoners manacled in their cells in costume.

Conclusion: This issue is worth buying just for the Superboy story. Little action on the outside, but lots of action on the inside. Buy this book.

Rating: B

-DS Arsenault

ESPN

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore
Executive creative director/art director: Richard Copping
Creative director/copywriter: Andrew Petch
Art director: Eddie Wong

Meksykańska fala to zabawa znana ze wszystkich stadionów świata.

A ile osób potrzeba, aby ją zacząć? Na to pytanie odpowiedzieli wariaci z Brainiaca .

(Za Scary Ideas.)

More fan art today, but I just about was able to dig this up.

…Shib’s still got no camera or scanner

FAN favorite James Marsters has been cast in The Syfy Channel’s upcoming series Caprica as the dangerous terrorist leader Barnabus Greeley. Driven by moralistic and yet carnal desires, this unpredictable villain is constantly torn by his conflicting motivations.

Marsters may best be known around the world for his ever-popular cult character Spike, the punk-goth vampire he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel for seven years. After working six years on Buffy, the actor made the move to Angel for the last season that it aired. Marsters has received and been nominated for numerous awards worldwide. The actor recently had recurring roles on three TV series: Without A Trace, Smallville and the UK hit Torchwood. When he joined the cast of Smallville as Brainiac in 2005, his appearance saw the ratings rise by an estimated 50%. Initially hired for just one episode of Torchwood, the creators immediately recognized a good thing and signed him up for two more. On the big screen, Marsters was last seen as the co-lead opposite Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler in the Richard LeGravenese film P.S. I Love You, based on the best-selling novel by Cecilia Ahem, as well as this year’s Dragon Ball Evolution for 20th Century Fox opposite Emily Rossum and Justin Chatwin.

Richard Hammond kenne ich von Top Gear, aber es sieht so aus, als ob er auch einmal für Brainiac moderiert hat. Dabei enstand dieses lustige Video: Hammond jagt eine Honda Fireblade den Asphalt hinunter und versucht schneller zu sein, als eine Rakete und ein Golfball *g*.

Pues aqui seguimos con el programa Brainiac, como ya comente antes se hacen experimentos que mezclan ciencia con situaciones reales de la vida.

En este video, se trata de que una chica bien puesta elija a su principe azul solo con el olor que desprenden tres hombres elegidos al azar.

El prmiero de ellos es un profesional, pero de estos que van a un casting de feos y le rechazan por experto; el segundo un enano y el tercero un macho men en potencia.

Se hace la prueba para elegir cual es el que desprende el mejor olor y que atraiga al sexo contrario. Para ello al feo le pulverizan feromonas, unas sustancias que atraen al sexo opesto, de las cuales otro dia hablaré, al enano le echan aftershave, que es la crema que nos echamos despues de afeitarnos y al tercero le obligan a hacer ejercicio y hacer que sude, para que la tia elija.

Tras este curioso experimento, la chica, muy mona ella, decide que su chico favorito es…..  ver el video.

Hoy os traigo una nueva entrega de este fabuloso programa llamado Brainiac, donde se pne a prueba los misterios de la ciencia. Si la ciencia te gusta, este programa te encantará. Esta bien aunque esté en ingles; de todas formas se entiende casi todo.

Hoy os demuestran en este video que los metales alcalinos no son muy seguros, pero mejor ver el video. AHH y lo mas importante: esto no se puede hacer en casa, chic@s.

A man was caught drink driving after he drove his girlfriend to a police station to pick up her licence – which she lost for the same offence.

The 22-year-old man pulled up in front of the police station in Abbotsford, in Canada’s British Columbia province in his black pick-up truck with his 21-year-old companion.

Written by Rich Fogel
Directed by Curt Geda
Originally Aired: November 2, 1996 / September 29, 1997
DVD: Superman: TAS

Summary: Lex Luthor makes contact with a malevolent alien AI who has connections to Krypton – but Superman’s first defeat of Brainiac leads to more trouble later on, as it attempts to utilise LexCorp’s resources to spread its influence across the globe.

Debuting Characters: Brainiac (in this form, at least)

Other Featured Characters: Mercy Graves gets her most significant screen time of Superman: TAS in “Ghost…”

You should know: Superman, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane

Background:

The Superman origin seen in Superman: The Animated Series is very similar to John Byrne’s re-imagined Superman origin from The Man of Steel, but with one important addition: Brainiac became a Kryptonian supercomputer complicit in the destruction of Krypton. This change in the origin not only adds a personal connection between Superman and one of his key bad guys (a common criticism of Byrne’s story was that he eliminated the childhood friendship between Clark and Lex), but since the modern Superman origin also removed a lot of Superman’s knowledge of Krypton, Brainiac provides a nice way for Clark to learn about his homeworld while on his adopted planet. Brainiac’s comic origin is too convoluted for me to go into here, as he never really had as good a “hook” as his TAS counterpart did. He’s much like Mr. Freeze in that way.

The second episode of the two showcased here is notable for being a character piece for Luthor’s bodyguard and confidante, Mercy Graves. The simple way to describe Mercy is that she was created as Lex Luthor’s answer to Harley Quinn, but in truth she filled a gap that was present from day one with the post-Crisis businessman Luthor, namely that his reluctance to get physical with his opponents necessitated someone to pick up the slack for him. Mercy’s inclusion as an ultra-capable bodyguard (her comics counterpart has suggested that she’s somehow related to the Amazons) allows for a familiar character doing mundane physical tasks for Luthor, allowing him to remain in his best role, detached from the action and scheming. Mercy’s choice of a chauffeur’s outfit during her Superman days is quite appropriate, as she’s subservient to Luthor, not a companion or equal.

Thoughts on the Episodes:

“Stolen Memories” is a pretty straightforward story, riffing on Close Encounters (which is pointed out on the commentary track). Although Luthor wasn’t exactly subtle with his ambition in the early episodes – having outright tried to kill Superman using Kryptonite previously – this was the first hint in the animated series of the scale of his ambitions. Rather than limiting his side dealings to creating robots or dealing arms, Luthor is shown here conversing with a powerful alien AI as a representative of Earth without informing the government. Even a viewer unfamiliar with Luthor would begin to see that he’s not merely a corrupt businessman, but rather someone who desires to basically gain control over the entire planet.

Brainiac is introduced in his humanoid form in this episode, and while it’s not a bad design, it’s not the most threatening in the world (it’s ripe for “he looks like a (adult object)!” jokes). But the plot of this episode is a strong one, as Superman is tempted by Brainiac’s offer of increased knowledge of not just his home planet but of other worlds; Superman in this series is constantly portrayed as someone who, due to his “Last Son” status, is very much interested in exploration and other planets, which gives him a good sci-fi edge. The way Superman figures out what’s really going on with Brainiac is also nicely staged, as there’s several shots of planets being destroyed and even a few aliens killed off (as Timm notes on the commentary track, killing aliens and robots is just fine with BS&P).  Ultimately, while Superman weakens Brainiac, Luthor is the one that gets to finish him off, which is good for future plotting as it gives Brainiac a grudge against both of them and establishes a relationship that will play out in the long term.

Although Superman wasn’t serialised in the same manner as Justice League, the story plays out a bit more slowly than the very self-contained Batman:TAS, with information on the various characters being discovered over time (it’s different than, say, the Joker episodes in Batman, where you can pretty much watch them in any order and you won’t get anything more out of it). “Ghost in the Machine” is a direct sequel to “Stolen Memories”, kicking off as it does with Brainiac’s remnants emerging within the LexCorp computers. It’s a very Superman-light episode, focusing on Clark being a muckraking reporter, and Lex and Mercy, and their relationship.

The Joker / Harley relationship is obviously abusive, with Harley representing a damaged individual who hooks up with Mr. J as a result of being more than slightly unhinged (as well as boasting a healthy dose of daddy issues). Mercy is, as shown here, something else entirely – she’s a very loyal individual who chooses to be with Luthor because she rationally believes that without him, she’s just a “stray” with nothing else in the world to devote herself to. Whether the relationship developed into anything more is open to question – later dialogue in Justice League would seem to certainly indicate so – but at this point, Mercy’s loyal employee status is unshakable. She never really gets her own version of “Mad Love“, so this will have to do.

On the whole, both episodes are solid, but the character work in “Ghost…” as well as the improved fight scenes, make it the winner of these two, even with the nice alien landscape / Krypton scenes  in “Stolen Memories.”

Overall Grades: B- (Stolen Memories), B (Ghost in the Machine)

Random Thoughts:

• The commentaries have gotten me into the habit of pausing and freeze-framing every cut to white, as most of the time you’ll see some very weird things (in Stolen Memories, Krypton’s explosion is hidden in the early white flash during the Brainiac / Luthor scene).
• The scene in “Ghost…” with Superman struggling to save a train from a fallen bridge is a tremendous sequence, and shows that this type of stuff isn’t easy for the animated Superman. He still succeeds, of course, but he has to work at it – which makes his later struggles against the robots, machinery, and Brainiac himself a little more reasonable.
• The Superman / Brainiac fight in “Ghost…” is also well-coreographed, one of the better fistfights in the DCAU. There’s a nice sense of two very powerful beings going at each other, with Superman winning via smarts and a timely application of something he has on hand rather than brute force as he had in the first episode. It’s a more complex Superman than one who simply punches things to solve problems… but that’s a side of Superman that we’ll be dealing with shortly.
• For continuity purposes, this is likely the incident that Brainiac later refers to in Justice League when he explains how he corrupted LexCorp systems, as the next time he shows up in Superman, he’s attacking WayneTech.

Next Episode: Back to Justice League for “Paradise Lost,” as after the heavy sci-fi focus of the early episodes, we now deal with more mystical threats.

Next Side Story: Time to start the other big arc in Superman, with “Tools of the Trade” and “Father’s Day”, leading into the terror that is War World (in more ways than one).

(Hey, only 1200 words or so this time!)

By Geoff Johns and Michael Shoemaker (writers), Francis Manapul and Clayton Henry (artists), Brian Buccellato and Brian Reber (colorists), Elizabeth V. Gehrlein (editor)

The Story: If issue #1 was the set-up and issue #2 was the boy-finds-girl, then issue #3 is really the buddy story. Conner (Superboy) and Tim Wayne (Red Robin) are best friends who have been separated for a year. A lot of water has passed under the bridge for one of them. Conner has missed out on a lot of his friends’ troubles while he was gone, none more so that Tim. No one could use a friend more than Tim right now, but as we’ve seen in Tim’s own book (see my reviews on the excellent Red Robin series), he’s on a quixotic quest that on the face of evidence, is a little bent. They have stuff to work out. In the meantime, things turn sinister with Luthor and Brainiac planning in the background. The back-up feature is a vignette starring Sunboy and Polar Boy on the latter’s home world.

What’s Good: There’s a lot to like about the Smallville created by Johns and Manapul. It’s not saccharine-sweet, like other renditions I’ve seen recently. It feels honest. The school scene with the uber-nerd lab partner was good. The super-dog trying to please his master with gifts was brilliant, with Johns and Manapul having caught dog psychology perfectly, multiplied by Kryptonian DNA. This type of environment is a great backdrop for the kind of Lex Luthor-vs-Superman soul-searching that Conner is living.

And I can’t say enough about how well Manapul and Buccelato do in bringing Smallville to life. The art is not sepia, but it is different in feel from what you see being done in other books (and I include in that comparison the best in the field). I guess the best way I could put it is this way: sometimes you look at a book, panel by panel, and you get the impression of grit. Other times, the mood is slick and modern. The art team has made this book feel rural and mid-western.

Most importantly of all, Johns and Manapul made me feel something. They caught Red Robin’s desperation without having to show him in a panic. The quiet moments and the reluctant admissions made his pain all the more poignant. The dialogue is perfect and honest and gives Conner his opening to be Conner, not someone worried he’ll become like Lex Luthor, or even someone who has to worry about emulating Superman.

The Legion entry was a winner. I could have stayed for more of Conner and Tim, but it was fun following poor Polar Boy around, and watching Sun Boy be taken down a peg.

What’s Not So Good: The back-up Legion of Superheroes story is not yet cohesive. But, given the quality of the rest of the book and the limited amount of pages the backup has gotten so far, I’m ready to let Johns pull all his pieces together before he reveals the links.

Conclusion: Johns and Manapul are delivering great character stories while putting the pieces in place for a menace to come to Smallville. This is a slow simmer of a book and considering what Johns did with his simmering time on Green Lantern, I’m staying tuned.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

Adventure Comics #3
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Francis Manapul
Co-Feature by John and Michael Shoemaker
Art by Clayton Henry

Now this is a really great comic. For anyone who knows the history and relationship between Connor Kent and Tim Drake, this would be a lot of fun to read. I have followed them since their Young Justice days and it is great to see them working together again…it reminds me of when I hang out with my old friends and instantly there is that bonding even though we are both in completely different places (emotionally, mentally, and physically) then we were the last time we saw each other. It was very relatable for me. Johns uses continuity awesomely as usual. I wonder why he is building up the supporting cast like Lori and Simon Valentine if he is just going to be leaving this book after issue 6. Is Paul Levitz going to still be exploring these characters? Didio made it seem like that wasn’t so in interviews. Anyways, we get in the heads of both characters and they both open up to each other and were completely genuine about what they are going through and I liked that. As for the Legion co-feature, it was definitely the best part yet as we have a great team-up between Polar Boy and Sun Boy and learn that the Legion of Super-Villains have some of their members hidden in the 21st century.

Ideal para que sea el primer disco del tipo Full-On!

Base fuerte pero con muy buen ritmo…

Wicked Waio

01. Waio – Wicked Waio
02. Waio feat. Brainiac – Stronger Music
03. E-Jekt – Petroleum Base (Waio Petrobras Remix)
04. Waio feat. DJ Mikkah – Hypernatural
05. Waio – Stolishnoya
06. Waio – On Air
07. Jason Bralli – Gotik (Waio Remix)
08. BT – Paris (Waio Trance Mix)

Pass: Psylien

Om!

Lasso of Truth is your weekly guide to what’s hot and what’s not in the DC Universe.  Each week, the Red Baron goes through his comics haul to tell you what’s worth buying and what’s best left alone.

Here’s the key:

Must have – there’s no question, you should buy this great book.
Buy it – a high-quality read that won’t disappoint.
Check it out – pick it up if you have some extra cash.  May be an acquired taste.
Avoid – a disappointing read.  Save your money and steer clear.

Adventure Comics #2
Written by Geoff Johns ǀ Art by Francis Manapul
A heart-warming tale of love re-kindled, with some surprising developments on the Luthor/Brainiac front.  The best Superman book since Johns left Action.
Verdict: Must have.

Blackest Night: Batman #2
Written by Peter J. Tomasi ǀ Art by Adrian Syaf
Without a doubt the best Blackest Night tie-in on the stands.  It’s simple enough to stand on its own, and Tomasi does even more to flesh out the new Dynamic Duo.
Verdict: Buy it.

Green Lantern Corps #40
Written by Peter J. Tomasi ǀ Art by Patrick Gleason
Tomasi continues to mine the rich landscape that he himself created.  The return of the dead means the return of past plot threads, and Tomasi weaves them together beautifully.
Verdict: Buy it.

Secret Six #13
Written by Gail Simone ǀ Art by Nicola Scott
I’m really digging this “Depths” story arc.  Secret Six continues its proud tradition of anti-heroics and black humour.  If you haven’t been reading this book, you really ought to be.
Verdict: Must have.

Superman: World of New Krypton #7
Written by James Robinson & Greg Rucka ǀ Art by Pete Woods
The entire Superman line has been a real disappointment to me since Geoff Johns and Gary Frank left Action Comics.  Everything just feels so…orchestrated, contrived, storyboard-ed – so many adjectives spring to mind, few of them positive.  I expect more from James Robinson and Greg Rucka individually, but together!  This should have been the Golden Age of Super-storytelling.  Instead, the whole thing’s mired in uninteresting political posturing.  “Phantom Menace” continually springs to mind.
Verdict: Avoid.

Wednesday Comics #9 & 10
Written by Various ǀ Art by Various
Wednesday Comics just keeps getting better as it sprints towards the finish line.  There’s really only one weak story in the bunch.
Verdict: Buy it.

L’album de Dry est déjà disponible, donc on l’a déjà écouté et on l’aime déjà beaucoup.
Parce que Dry enfin en solo, c’est tout un univers à découvrir. Un univers tout à fait Wati Blavoguable.

Démon -Salut Dry, ça avance ton album ?
Dry -Ça avance bien oui, je suis épaulé par mon label, mes Wati Bon gars.
Démon -Salut les gars.
La Sexion D’Assaut -Wati Bonjour, akhi. Wati Bien ou bien, akhi ?
Démon -Euh… Bien…
Dry -Tu vas me donner ton avis sur le dernier morceau que je viens d’enregistrer. C’est une chanson d’amour.
Démon -J’ai toujours su que sous ta carapace se cachait un coeur gros comme ça qui a envie de dire je t’aime.
Dry -Là je suis allé au bout de ma sensibilité, j’explique bien qu’ils n’arriveront pas à briser mon couple. Si ils essayent je les tuerai tous.
Démon -hein ? mais qui ça ?
Dry -Ben, ceux qui veulent nous séparer, ma douce et moi. On les tuera, on prendra les armes et on les tuera tous. Les juges et les jurés, Delanoë, l’État, les Francs maçons, les américains, tous ! Ils sont partout mais ils nous font pas peur. On doit se cacher tu vois ?
Démon -Pardon ?
Dry -Pour plus de sûreté, on s’embrasse pas en pleine rue… Ils sont partout je te dis.
Démon -Tu crois vraiment que des Francs maçons veulent t’empêcher d’aimer ? c’est pas illégal d’aimer en plus…
Dry – je suis sûr que si. la preuve, on a jamais parlé de loverie sur nos cd, et on parlait de bicrave, donc ça doit être encore plus illicite. logique.

Mais Démon One n’aura pas le temps de finir sa phrase (d’ailleurs il n’a pas non plus le temps de la commencer si tu regardes bien). La porte s’ouvre, Dry plonge immédiatement derrière un canapé, l’arme au poing. C’est alors qu’entre Jay Z, il regarde à gauche puis à droite, il ne semble pas trouver ce qu’il cherche.
Jay Z -I’m looking for a guy who’s called Harry or something like that.
Lefa -Akhi ?
Jay Z -Yeah ! Harry.
Gims -On s’appelle tous akhi ici, akhi.
Jay Z -… Ok…

Finalement il s’en va. Dry réapparaît de derrière son canapé.
Dry -Tu vois ?
Démon -…
Dry -Et j’ai appelé Kayliah, c’est un peu la Rihanna Frinçaise !
Démon -En fait, je crois que je ne mesure que maintenant à quel point tu es totalement cinglé…
Rohff -Que serait Kayliah sans qui est l’exemple ? Pas reconnaissante. Si t’étais humble, girl, tu serais déjà au top 50 !
Dry -Tu emploies souvent le mot «　girl　» comme ça dans les phrases ?
Rohff -Houlàlà mais c’est quoi ça ? Déjà, que tu invites Kayliah c’est de la provocation pure et simple envers moi, tu ne trompes personne. mais ça c’était vraiment en trop ! Ikbal !!! Viens ici !!
Ikbal -Green ?
Rohff -Note ! À compter de ce jour, je quitte de nouveau la Mafia K1 Fry définitivement !
Ikbal -Mais tu l’as pas encore réintégré depuis la dernière fois Hous’…
Rohff -Alors on va virer Alain De L’Ombre !
Ikbal -C’est déjà fait Hous’…
Rohff -Pas green !

　
On retrouve Dry en studio, il va désormais enregistré un son avec ses copains de label, la Sexion D’Assaut.
Dry -Je vous préviens, la dernière fois je me suis abstenu de tout péter sur votre projet, mais là c’est mon album et je vais tout déchirer. Et pour plus de sécurité, Black M tu feras le refrain.
Black M -Wati Bien, akhi.
Gims -Ahah, akhi !
Dry -Rigole pas parce que toi aussi tu vas faire le refrain.
Gims -Akhi ? Mais je croyais que c’était Black M qui le faisait, akhi.
Dry -Et ben y aura 2 refrains pis c’est tout. Vous vous démerdez. Je peux pas prendre le risque que vous fassiez des couplets.
Maska -Et moi, akhi ? Moi aussi je fais le refrain parce que je suis trop Wati balaise, akhi ?
Dry -Non, toi tu fais juste pas de couplet mais tu fais pas de refrain non plus.
Maska -OK akhi.
Lefa -Et moi, akhi ? Je pourrais parler de l’occident qui dévergonde nos soeurs, des homos qui mènent ce monde au désastre ou du complot Israélien, akhi ?
Dry -Non. Juste tu kick pis c’est tout. Si je voulais un enculeur de mouches j’inviterais Kery james.
Maska -Mais akhi, je viens de percut, si je fais ni de couplets ni de refrains, je fais rien, akhi.
Dry -Tu te rapproches de l’idée de base, oui. Je vais aussi faire un son story telling, il me faut le meilleur du meilleur, le fin du fin, je veux des dialogues de merde mal joués entre les couplets comme dans votre street album. Il me faut les meilleurs acteurs pour faire ça, je vais faire appel au mec qui joue Piccolo, Brainiac et Spike dans Buffy, j’ai nommé James masters ! Maska trouve le moi, tu peux faire ça ? Comme ça tu participes.
Maska -Bien sûr, akhi !

à suivre, akhi.

dry et kayliah, le couple le plus dangereux de toute l’histoire de la musique
dry feat sexion d’assaut – wati bonhomme

Adventure Comics #1. Geoff Johns giveth, and he taketh away. I love his Green Lantern stuff, but whattup with that Flash: Rebirth business? I loved Johns’ Superman stuff, but why exactly am I reading about a resurrected Superboy? I’ve never been a fan of Superboy so I went in to this comic with mild interest, and was, predictably, only mildly entertained. I’m looking forward to Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s upcoming series, Superman Orgins, but I think I’ll pass on the rest of this series.

Blackest Night #2 (of 8). Blackest Night Dawg! In Sinestro Corps War, we saw all hell break loose. Here we see a horde of Black Lantern rings flying all over the universe, searching for hosts, and guess what? Almost as an afterthought, Sinestro is free, released from his Green prison as Blackest Night unfurls in the DCU. Sinestro is big trouble! And on top of that problem… who is the mastermind behind the Black Lantern Corps? Could it be…Brainiac? I sure hope so! Plus, what better way to mix things up than to resurrect…Deadman! How wild is that?

Booster Gold #23. Well, I really like the cover. As for the guts, well, I go back and forth on old Booster here; sometimes I’m really bored with this comic, but it can be good too. Unfortunately, this particular issue I find to be a little dull. Also, I wonder, what is going to happen here? Is Dan Jurgens gonna write and draw this comic forever or what? Can this story of Booster Gold: Secret Time Cop go on indefinitely? We shall see.

Green Lantern Corps #39. Peter Tomasi is the man. You may think that Tomasi is living in the shadow of the superstar DC writer Geoff Johns, but I think he has it made in the shade. While Geoff Johns may be the captain of the ship that is Blackest Night, Tomasi steps right up and gives us comics that support the overall storyline while still giving us his unique take on the event. GLC focuses mostly on Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner, while also dedicating a good amount of time to Oa, the home planet of the Green Lanterns, and to the tons of Green Lanterns running around there. Tomasi is good, I like his stuff.

Red Robin #3. A good comic by a good team. I’m glad Tim Drake wasn’t shuffled off to obscurity while the new Dynamic Duo take center stage in the Bat-Universe.

Wednesday Comics #6. What can I say that a cool scan of this week’s issue cannot?

Amazing Spider-Man #602. I picked up this comic only because I liked Mark Waid’s issue #601 so much and wanted to see what happened next, even if there was a different creative team. I was treated to a pretty good re-introduction of the Chameleon, one of Spider-Man’s cooler, if underutilized, villains. And here we see the man with a million faces done well, I’m excited to see what happens next issue. Written by Fred Van Lente with art by Barry Kitson.

Thor: Tales of Asgard #4 (of 6). This is really the best comic coming out right now, and it’s a reprint of stuff by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby from forty years ago! Sometimes you have to leave the past behind and move on with your life, but I wish Jack Kirby could draw comics forever. However, I do have to mention my mixed feeling about the new colors, done by Matt Milla, for this reprint. For the most part, the colors are okay, they stay fairly faithful to the source material and it makes sense to re-do the colors to better fit comic’s current glossy paper format. But I also can’t help but think to myself, “I really hate glossy paper.” So between my sentimentality for newsprint,  and Milla’s tendency to add in a few too many light flares and blur effects, I find the new format a little distracting. But…sometimes, when you look at it just right, the new format totally compliments Kirby’s work and really looks amazing.

X-Men Forever #5. This comic doesn’t totally blow you away with every issue, it just offers you an old school X-team with a legendary X-writer who’s a little past his prime. Nonetheless, Claremont entertains with this alternate X-Universe.

Next Week:

Blackest Night Superman #1 (of 3).

Wednesday Comics #7.

X-Factor #47.

Make yours Man-Thing,

Ronald Rosebud.