Eagerly Awaited Super Hero Movie Ra One

November 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The launch of Ra One is expected by everyone in 2011 as it is considered to be the costliest movie of India in terms of investment. This science fiction movie is probably the most ambitious of Shah Rukh Khan&#8217s all movies and is produced by Red Chillies, his home production. In this Anubhav Sinha film, Shah Rukh Khan acts opposite to Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor. For the first time King Khan portrays a super hero, G One. So as to be at par with international films, new elements have been employed in this one.

 

Recently, in a get together, the new look of Shah Rukh Khan as the superhero was revealed. Adorned with graphics, the poster looked stunning. As per reports, Shah Rukh&#8217s dress in the film costs almost $1 million, which is made of rubber silver, to face the tough stunt scenes in the movie. Shah Rukh announced that t-shirts with Ra One image printed on them will be launched in market shortly. Mr Khan&#8217s pose in the first look of the film bore a strong similarity with the one in Darde-E-Disco song from the movie Om Shanti Om.

 

The plot of Ra One revolves around a computer expert based in Miami who is obsessed with computer games. SRK enacts the character of the computer expert who designs Ra One and G One with extraordinary powers. G One (SRK) is the lead actor while Ra One (Arjun Rampal) is the bad guy in the film. Kareena will be seen once again with SRK in this film. Arjun Rampal has stated that the rapport between him and Shah Rukh in the film is going to be interesting.

 

The special effects in the film have been created by a group of professionals from Hollywood. Mr Rampal also said a few days back that physically the role was very demanding. For the same he underwent physical training for over 3 months. The film also has David Benullo, a star from the Hollywood, who has written the script, and Akon, who has lent his voice for one of the songs. Akon was congratulated for the track he sang for Ra One , which was composed by composer duo Vishal-Shekhar. In addition to that, president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev visited the film set.

 

Ever since the first look of the movie has been launched, it has been surrounded by several pre release hype. Audiences and critics are comparing Robot featuring Rajnikanth and Ra One. Robot was hugely successful the previous year. Ra One will be released in India on November 2011, which was supposed to release around mid 2011.

Author Box
Kevin Fernandezhas 1 articles online

To get information on latest Bollywood movies or to watch Don 2 trailer go to DoctorFlix.

Filed Under: Comic Book SuperHeroes Tagged With: , , , ,

Thanos

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Thanos is a fictional character that appeared in various media publications and comic books that were published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in February 1973 in Iron Man. The character was created by Jim Starlin, a writer artist. For several decades, the character has been featured in various self-titled series and other Marvel comic books. The term “Thanos” came from the word “Thanatos” which means the personification of mortality and death in Greek mythology. The character has also appeared in arcade, television series, film, trading cards, toys, and video games. It has also ranked #47 on the top one hundred comic books villains of IGN.

History
Thanos is one of the A’Lars’ last sons. His universe is Earth-616 and he was born in Titan, the Saturn’s moon. His height is 6’7” and has a weight of 448 kilograms. His skin is purple and his eyes are color red. His father was the eternal mentor named A’Lars and his mother is Sui-San. His relatives are Kronos, Daina, Zuras, Thena, Gamora, Nebula, and Rot. Kronos and Daina are his paternal relatives. Gamora was his foster daughter, while Rot was his “child” by death. He has Deviants gene and carries his Eternals’ cousin race’s physical appearance. Even though he was treated fairly, he isolated himself because of being mindful about his appearance. He only spends time playing with Eros (Starfox), his brother. He became fond of death and nihilism. He worshipped it and fell in love with Mistress Death. Thanos was often called as Mad Titan because he uses mysticism and bionics to be one of the most powerful and strongest Titan.

Powers
As one of the most powerful and strongest eternal Titans, Thanos has several abilities and powers. His powers are as follows:
• Superhuman Intelligence
The mind of this character was considered to be his dangerous ability. Thanos’ intelligence revolves around enhancing his powers and destruction of all lives in the universe. He is a genius and knows all the advancement in the field of science and technology. His intelligence surpasses the greatest minds of Earth, Doctor Doom and Reed Richards.
• Superhuman Strength
The character has high level of superhuman strength and its limits are unknown. Death was the factor that boosts his strength beyond his original superhuman strength. He is capable to lift up 100 tons without exerting too much effort. With his simple force, he destroyed the entire planets. Also, he has fought both Thing and Thor at the same time.
• Superhuman Speed
Despite of the bulky muscles of Thanos, he still has the power to run fast and move at speeds more than the fastest human athlete.
• Superhuman Durability
Before the character died, he possessed an excellent level of resistance as compared to some Eternals. After he was resurrected, this ability increased. He fought the powerful Titans without having any harm or damage into his body. This incredible resistance makes him survive and avoid getting injured.
• Superhuman Agility
Although the character has great size, his agility, bodily coordination and balance are improved to levels which are beyond from the ordinary physical limits of best human athlete. The character’s agility is equal to average Eternal.
• Immortality
Like other Eternals, this character is an immortal that is known to be immune to all infections, diseases, and aging effects. So, this means no matter how severe his injury is, he can easily recover and won’t die as he was banned by death to enter its realm. However, this ban was lifted already.
• Superhuman Reflexes
Similar to his agility, his reflexes also surpasses the average Eternal reflexes.
• Energy Control
Thanos has shown great versatility when it comes to energy usage in projection abilities.
• Telepathy
Since his mind was considered to be his most dangerous power, he can make psychic attacks easily. He can also shut down other minds and communicate with some beings through telepathy.
• Teleportation
The character has the ability to teleport himself from one distant place to another like Eternals do. But like other Eternals, he finds teleportation to be unpleasant, so he uses a technology for teleportation.
• Control and Manipulation
He can turn everything to whatever he wants. In fact, he turned Skrull into a stone.
• Regenerative Healing Factor
The character has superior durability, but this does not mean that his enemies can’t injure him. There’s a huge possibility to give him injuries. Nevertheless, he has capabilities to cure himself and regenerate tissues instantly as compared to some Eternals. Unfortunately, he can’t regenerate his missing organs.

Though he usually avoids physical combats, he prefers hand versus hand combatant. He uses a combination of his skills and abilities when fighting with other Titans. His strength level is 100 and above.

Paraphernalia
Thanos has different paraphernalia. His equipment is robotic drones that handle many functions such as manual labor, security, record-keeping, and manual labor. These robotic drones vary in sizes and shapes, which are dependent on their essence. In terms of transportation, the character has his own groups of starships which include Sanctuary, Demeter, Space Throne, and Dreadnaught-666. He also has various weapons like stasis rifle and infinity gauntlet. Stasis rifle is a weapon that is capable to generate a pure force’s cube which focuses the target. The formed cube has capabilities to hold Thor, the Thunder God. This weapon is only good for one blast. The other weapon of Thanos is infinity gauntlet. It is specially designed to carry infinity gems including mind gem, time gem, power gem, reality gem, space gem, and soul gem.
The character of Thanos is still present today like other comics characters. Although printed comic books are seldom seen in the local store or malls, many are getting hooked with comic books online. If you are one of the fans of Thanos, then don’t be sad if you can’t find a comic book that features him. All you have to do is to connect in the internet and find comic books online wherein Thanos and other fictional characters of Marvel comics are featured.

Filed Under: Comic Book SuperVillians Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Green Lantern Corps

October 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Fictional group historyGuardians

Main article: Guardians of the Universe

The Guardians of the Universe are one of several races that originated on the planet Maltus, and were among the first intelligent life forms in the universe. At this time they were tall greyish blue humanoids with black hair. They became scientists and thinkers, experimenting on the worlds around them. In a pivotal moment, billions of years ago, a Maltusian named Krona used time-bending technology to observe the beginning of the Universe. However, this experiment unleashed disaster upon all existence. Originally, the experiment splintered the Universe into the Multiverse and created the evil Anti-Matter Universe. Following the retroactive destruction of the Multiverse, it was revealed that Krona flooded the beginning of the Universe with entropy causing it &#8220to be born YOUNG”.

The male Maltusians argued about how to deal with the situation. One group decided to dedicate their eternal existences to contain evil; this group fractured into the Guardians of the Universe and the Controllers. The females, however, saw no need to involve themselves and, since the Oans were by then immortal and had no more need to reproduce, left their mates and became known as the Zamarons. Relocating to the planet Oa at &#8220the center of the Universe”, the Guardians dedicated themselves to combatting evil and create an orderly universe. During this period they slowly evolved into their current appearance.

Manhunters-”Massacre of Sector 666″

Main article: Manhunters

In their first attempt to enforce their will and guard against menaces of all sorts, about 3.5 billion years ago the Guardians created a legion of robotic sentinels called the Manhunters. At first serving faithfully to enforce order, in time the Manhunters came to resent their servitude and the moral restrictions the guardians decreed of them. They were also found to be inherently flawed due to their inability to recognize or feel emotions. They rebelled against the Guardians and fought a millennia long war that culminated with an attack on the planet Oa. The Guardians overcame their android servants, stripped them of their power, and banished them across the universe. Eventually, the surviving Manhunters formed their own robotic society and pursued their own interpretation of their original mission (which often included interfering with and foiling the plans of the Guardians).

In the Martian Manhunter series, the Guardians first get the idea for an intergalactic police force from the Martians’ own Manhunters. They offer the Martian race the opportunity to be that force. The Martians turn it down, but the Guardians take the name for the androids.

In Green Lantern: Secret Origins, it is revealed that the Manhunters suffered from a malfunction in their logic. This led them to believe that order could only be achieved by eliminating all life. They rampaged through Sector 666, massacring trillions in the process. The only survivors banded together to form the Five Inversions, swearing revenge on the Guardians for the actions of their creations.

Creation of the Corps

Chastened by the failure of the Manhunters, the Guardians decided that their newest force of soldiers for good would consist of living beings, ones who had free will and strong moral character. To arm this new legion of celestial knights, the Guardians created the Power Rings, rings of inconceivably-advanced technology that allowed their wearers to project green beams of energy with which the bearer could conjure objects of any size or shape, limited only by their imagination and willpower.

Although the connection between the Guardian Oans and the origin of the Green Lantern symbol has yet to be clarified, it has been revealed that the lantern itself has its roots in the first life in the universe. Allegedly, the first life in the galaxy emerged on an unnamed foggy world, and when they developed a police force – the first in the universe – the constabulary carried a lantern lit with a green chemical flame, hence a corps of Green Lanterns. It is intimated that this idea was adopted and spread throughout the galaxy as a symbol for law and justice and its ability to pierce confusion and uncertainty, eventually resulting in the formation of the Green Lantern Corps, with requisite Power Rings and Lantern-shaped batteries along traditional lines. Initially consisting of only a few dozen agents at a time, the Corps radically increased its numbers approximately 1000 years ago. The Guardians sought to bring order to the planet known as Apokolips. Home to Darkseid, a galactic tyrant, Apokolips was and is a stronghold of evil. Green Lantern Raker Qarrigat sought to remove Darkseid from power, only to be humbled by Darkseid’s might. Raker returned to Oa, where he convinced the Guardians that taking Apokolips would require an army. Authorized to start a massive recruitment, Raker and his fellow Lanterns inducted thousands of new members, bringing total membership up to 3600.

Crisis and aftermath

Both the Corps and the Guardians suffered casualties during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Guardians’ failure to take appropriate action during the Crisis led to their decision to depart Oa in the company of their female counterparts, the Zamarons. Left to their own devices, the Corps underwent a major reorganization. A team of Green Lanterns led by Hal Jordan was stationed on Earth, and the system of assigning one Green Lantern to a sector was temporarily abandoned. The decision of the Corps to execute Sinestro resulted in the activation of a previously unknown fail-safe that depowered the rings of every Green Lantern except for Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Gnort, and Ch’p.

The Guardians eventually returned to Oa and began the reconstruction of the Corps, assigning Guy Gardner to Earth, John Stewart to the Mosaic World, and Hal Jordan to recruit new members. Ironically, Jordan himself would eventually be responsible for destroying the incarnation of the Corps that he had helped create.

Fall of the Corps

The Green Lantern Corps patrolled the DC Universe for over three billion years. In that vast length of time, some Green Lanterns rebelled and turned against the Corps. A rogue Green Lantern, Universo, existed in the future epoch of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Two of the most important fallen Lanterns were Sinestro, the rogue Green Lantern, and Hal Jordan, who would unknowingly become possessed by Parallax, the ancient fear parasite trapped in the Battery. At the ruins of his home Coast City, Jordan was consumed by grief, which in turn allowed him to be overcome by fear… all the while not knowing that his fear was tainted by the creature Parallax. This was also being planned by Sinestro when he imprisoned in the Battery.

The Green Lantern Corps ranks were decimated by the Parallax-possessed Jordan. The Corps’ power source, the Central Power Battery, was drained by Jordan; and Oa was destroyed, removing the original power source for the rings. One Guardian, Ganthet, survived Jordan’s onslaught, and chose a young artist, Kyle Rayner, as the sole Green Lantern of the Corps. Rayner would eventually becomes Parallax’s arch-nemesis, and during their first battle, Rayner purposely triggered a chain reaction to Oa’s core, causing the planet to explode.

After the fall of the Corps, other organizations tried to fill in the power vacuum left by the Guardians. Two organizations had initial notable successes: the Darkstars and L.E.G.I.O.N. However, neither ever achieved the power and reach of the Green Lantern Corps.

The Lost Lanterns

The Lost Lanterns were a group of Green Lanterns that tried to stop Parallax from reaching Oa. Parallax defeated them in space and after Parallax destroyed the Corps, they were assumed to be dead. Instead, they were captured by the Manhunters and taken to Biot, the Manhunter homeworld in Sector 3601. They were used in various experiments to design and power new Manhunter models. They were eventually found and rescued by the resurrected Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. They rejoined the Corps, albeit with some difficult adjustment. Despite learning of Parallax’s possession of Hal Jordan, many still blame him for their captivity and cluster to themselves when summoned to Oa.

First attempt of rebuilding the Green Lantern Corps

The New Corps: Kyle Rayner, Magaan Van’n Intraktus, Hammeroon, Anya Savenlovich, Garl Rathbone, and Sool. The cover of Green Lantern: The New Corps #1 (1999). Art by Scot Eaton.

When Kyle Rayner accidentally travelled through time to ten years in the past and met a young Hal Jordan, the Guardians were able to send Rayner back to his own time by using the power from the Central Battery after Jordan and Rayner defeated Sinestro together. However, while doing so, Sinestro commanded his Qwardian ring to force Jordan to Rayner&#8217s time portal, in a bid to strand Jordan in Rayner&#8217s time period. Upon learning his future as Parallax (however not knowing that his future self&#8217s actions was the result of being possessed by a fear entity under the machination of Sinestro&#8217s future self) and awares that the future needs him to return to his own time and allow future events unravels in the way it was supposed to and must forget everything he learned from the present, young Jordan gave Rayner a copy of his ring to restart the Green Lantern Corp in a bid to undo some of the damages he knew he was going to make once he return to the past.

Rayner then gave the ring to the elder Green Lantern Alan Scott’s daughter, Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, which she becomes the first female Green Lantern of Earth and followed her father’s footsteps, after he made another copy with it. In Green Lantern: The New Corps, during his weeks long adventure in space, Rayner first recruited Magaan Van&#8217n Intraktus of the planet Van&#8217n, Hammeroon, a bounty hunter from Ilskado System, Anya Savenlovich, a lieutenant colonel from the Soviet Air Forces who was in suspended animation after participated a space mission in 1964, Garl Rathbone, a miner from the debris belt over the planet Daffith, and Sool, a judge from Daffith.

However, the group later discovered Van&#8217n Intraktus was a traitor after they discovered that he enslaved his home planet with his ring and would begin an invasion on other worlds. The Green Lanterns eventually stopped the renegade after a battle, but at the cost of one of their own: Hammeroon. This made Rayner realize that he isn’t the one who can properly choose to wear the rings, and taken all of the power rings back from the Green Lanterns until the time is right for the Corps&#8217 rebirth. After erected a memorial for Hammeroon, Rayner returned to Earth. The former Green Lanterns, despite of being stripped off their rings, decided to continue their intergalactic adventures.

Rebirth of the Corps

In an attempt to redeem himself after his actions as Parallax, Hal Jordan sacrificed his life reigniting the sun, whereupon Oa and the Central Power Battery were completely rebuilt by the physical manifestation of Jordan dying will channeled through his old friend and confidant Thomas Kalmaku. Shortly thereafter, Kyle Rayner, having imbued with the vast power of Ion after his battle with Oblivion and Alexander Nero. As Ion, Rayner funneled the remaining energy left in the sun that was once the immortal Guardians back into the Central Power Battery, which allowed them to be reborn as children of both genders. After Hayden regained her Starheart powers and becomes the superheroine Jade once more, Rayner gave the ring to John Stewart. After Oa’s returns, Kilowog would eventually be resurrected. With everything apparently is in place, Ganthet, Kilowog, Stewart, and Rayner make plans to rebuild the Corps once more.

It was later discovered that Hal Jordan had been possessed by the living embodiment of fear, an ancient parasite called Parallax. Parallax had been imprisoned within the Central Power Battery for billions of years and is the mysterious &#8220Yellow Impurity&#8221 within the Corps’ green light that leaves them vulnerable against yellow. Hal Jordan, upon learning the truth about Parallax, separated himself from it and was reborn as a Green Lantern once again. Jordan, with the help of John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, and Kilowog, reimprisoned Parallax. Upon Parallax’s return to the Central Power Battery, the Guardians continued the re-construction and expansion of the Green Lantern Corps, strengthened with its power rings now able to directly affect yellow provided that a Lantern can face and conquer his or her fear. This new Corps, under the training of Kilowog, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and other veterans, was primarily composed of new recruits. Only a handful of veteran Lanterns remained in the ranks. Each sector has two Lanterns assigned to protect it (with Hal Jordan and John Stewart assigned as the protectors of Sector 2814). Due to an ancient pact with the Spider Guild, the Vega star system is off limits to all members of the Corps.

The new Green Lantern Corps presently lacks both the manpower and the political influence it once had due to its years-long absence from many sectors. This has left the Corps currently unable to intervene in situations it might have before Parallax destroyed the old Corps, including conflicts such as the Rann-Thanagar War. The Guardians remain staunchly uninvolved in what they see as a conflict that could destabilize many sectors, but that has not stopped Kyle Rayner and Kilowog from helping refugees.

Despite these difficulties, the Corps played a key role in defeating Superboy-Prime. Several Lanterns were killed slowing the renegade Superboy&#8217s advance on Oa, a sacrifice that enabled Earth’s most powerful heroes to execute their plan to restrain him. Mogo, a sentient planet and Corps member, positioned himself to act as a final battleground between Superboy-Prime and two Supermen. Responsibility for imprisoning Superboy-Prime was undertaken by the Guardians who charged the Corps with its undertaking, incarcerating him inside a small red Sun-Eater with fifty Green Lanterns on constant guard duty. “Prime Duty&#8221 is considered one of the lowlier functions of the Corps, and Guy Gardner was sentenced to a month of such duty for one of his frequent rules infractions.

As of the “One Year Later” timeframe, the Green Lantern Corps had increased its numbers, with many former trainees now full-fledged officers. A lack of truly experienced GLs remained an issue, with Guy Gardner being called upon often to assist the rookies.

Sinestro Corps

Main article: Sinestro Corps

Rogue Green Lantern Sinestro, working with the Anti-Monitor, created his own version of the Corps. Dubbed the “Sinestro Corps”, it recruited beings capable of generating great fear. Armed with yellow Power Rings and Lanterns manufactured on Qward, the Sinestro Corps recently staged an attack on Oa, killing dozens of GLC officers, kidnapping Kyle Rayner, and freeing Superboy-Prime, Parallax, and the Cyborg Superman from the Corps&#8217 supervision.

As the Sinestro Corps’ campaign of terror spread, the Guardians, in desperation, rewrote the first Law of Ten in the Book of Oa, enabling the remaining Lanterns to use lethal force.

The Blackest Night

Main article: The Blackest Night

Hidden in the Book of Oa is the forbidden chapter of Cosmic Revelations, which contains a prophecy called the &#8220Blackest Night”. In the prophecy, seven different colored corps are at war with each other, eventually destroying one another and the universe.

Following the Sinestro Corps War, Ganthet and Sayd are banished from the Guardians. Realizing that the &#8220Blackest Night&#8221 prophecy will come to be, they create a blue ring powered by hope. The remaining Guardians create the Alpha-Lanterns and reveal new laws they&#8217ve written to the Green Lantern Corps.

During the Blackest Night, the Guardians finally realize the accuracy of the prophecy and are imprisoned by Scar a rogue Guardian who launches an attack on the Corps by reviving deceased members as Black Lanterns. Command falls to Salaak, a senior Lantern holding the rank of Clarissi.

31st Century

In the future shown in the Legion of 3 Worlds miniseries, it is revealed that Mogo has been long dead and without him, there is no way to distribute the rings and thus no Green Lantern Corps in the 31st century. Rond Vidar was the last Green Lantern until he was killed by Superboy-Prime. Sodam Yat is the last Guardian of the Universe, living on the now ruined Oa. Previews for Legion of 3 Worlds #3 show Yat taking on several rings of the fallen Lanterns with a new oath:

“In brightest day, through Blackest Night, No other corps shall spreads its light! Let those who try to stop what&#8217s right, Burn like my power&#8230Green Lantern’s light!”

After aiding the Legions in defeating Prime and his forces, Yat realizes the universe needs to fight such threats. Going back to Oa, he sends rings across the universe to recruit a new Green Lantern Corps.

In the original Legion continuity, the Green Lantern Corps were banned from Earth, thanks to the actions of the Green Lantern who became the Legion adversary, Universo. With recent alterations to this future continuity, it is unclear if this ban still exists. Similarly, the Guardians were revealed as still on Oa in the original continuity their fate in the revised continuity has yet to be revealed.

Oath

The Power ring must be recharged regularly (though apparently not at the standard 24-hour period as was originally described) by touching it to its lantern shaped power battery for a period of several seconds. When recharging their weapons, some Corps members recite an oath. This oath differs from Corps member to member, but the most popular seems to be Hal Jordan’s.

In brightest day, in blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight.

Let those who worship evil&#8217s might,

Beware my power…

Green Lanterns Light!

al Jordan / Most Green Lantern Corps

Structure

The 3600 sectors

The Corps is an organization of 7200+ Green Lanterns (the old Corps was composed of 3600) who are chosen by the ring for being able to overcome great fear, with two assigned to each sector of space that require the protection of more than one Green Lantern (Earth, home to Hal Jordan and John Stewart, is in Sector 2814). Heavily-populated Sectors like 2814 can have several Lanterns. While the primary Lanterns of Sector 2814 are Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner call Earth home, but are stationed on Oa, first as teachers, and then specially assigned to cases that are too difficult for the average GL. The official number of active Lanterns apparently does not include backup members who are kept in reserve to be called to active duty on short notice in

Author Box
gagahas 1 articles onlineI am China Bags Wholesale writer, reports some information about hellenic petroleum , fob shipping point.

Filed Under: Groups and Organizations Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Justice League: The Beginning

October 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Perhaps one of the better known Super hero teams belongs to DC Comics. DC created the Justice League of America, or the JLA. The team first appeared in The Brave and The Bold issue 28, published February 1960. Much of the concept of the comic series of JLA belongs to Gardner Fox. However, DC has made a lot of JLA spin offs. Each spin off was made by different writers in response to the reactions of the readers. The Justice League rose in popularity again because of its animated cartoon series.

Various heroes have since joined the league. However upon its creation, the league only had a handful of heroes handpicked by the creators of DC. The original lineup of superheroes that appeared in the first issue and succeeding graphic novels includes heroes of various origins.

Superman, or Clark Kent, is known as the last son of Krypton. Very few super heroes have the fan base following that he has. Dubbed as the man of steel, he is capable of fending off nearly any physical attack, though he gets hurt from magical ones. He has increased speed, flight, incredible strength, heat vision and an icy breath, which he owes to his Krypton origins.

The Martian Manhunter’s origins were unclear at first, but later Justice League issues disclosed his history as the last surviving Martian after the planet Mars was plunged into a civil war. His powers include telepathy, the ability to pass through objects and the power to change his appearance.

Batman is unlike the other heroes, having no special powers at all. However, his intellect, agility and skills have allowed him to face super villains such as Braniac, and leave unscathed. Many readers bought their comic books due to the Dark Knight being a member of the team.

Another hero is the Green Lantern or Hal Jordan. He was granted a glowing green ring by a dying Green Lantern. This ring allows him to create green energy constructs such as giant fists or hammers. The constructs could actually become anything he willed it to be. The Flash, Barry Allen, is a scientist who works for the police. An accident in the lab induced by chemicals struck by a lightning bolt leaves him with superhuman speed and reflexes.

The beautiful Wonder Woman or Diana Troy is known for her blue spangled costume, indestructible bracelets and her Lasso of Truth given by the Goddess Hestia. Because she is patterned from the legends of Amazons and Hellenistic Gods, she has Godlike powers of super strength, flight, invulnerability and great combat skills. Wonder Woman proved to be an invaluable addition to the comic book series as she was seen as a feminist icon and appealed to female readers. Male readers also favor her portrayal in comics as the most beautiful super heroine, with her blue eyes, raven dark hair and infamous costume.

Aquaman is the King of Atlantis. His powers work best in Aquatic environments. He possesses super strength and a capability to commune with animals.

The league was originally created to have only 12 members as writers of DC wanted it to symbolize the 12 Olympian Gods. However, later issues expanded the limit and various members have been added since. Know more about the Justice League of America by grabbing a copy now.

Filed Under: Groups and Organizations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Story of The Green Arrow

August 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Green Arrow is a fantastic and fictional superhero in his character, which appears in some comic books. The Green Arrow was created by George Papp and Mort Weisinger, while its publisher is the DC Comics which initially came out way back in November 1941. Oliver Queen has been the secret character of The Green Arrow who is the former mayor and a billionaire of the fictional story of Star City. Being dressed like that of Robin Hood, the Green Arrow who is an archer creates trick arrows along with different special functions like net, explosive, glue arrows, grappling, time bomb, flash, fire extinguishing, kryptonite arrow, cryonic arrows and many more. The Green Arrow has been developed originally as n archery-themed analogue by the very famous Batman character, but the writers of DC Comics created The Green Arrow to a left-wing voice as well as progressive politics which are very much different from the character of Batman, along with the supporting cast of his own.
During the first 25 years, The Green Arrow is not considered as a significant hero. However, during the late 60’s, Denny O’Neil, a writer, chose to make him a streetwise crusader that is very unique for the working class as well as for the disadvantaged. During the 1970’s, The Green Arrow has been paired with Green Lantern hero who is a law-and-order-oriented hero in a socially conscious and groundbreaking series of comic book. Since then, The Green Arrow was made to be famous among the fans of comic books while the writers took a gritty and urban approach to such character. The Green Arrow has been killed off during the 90s and was replaced with a new character, the son of Oliver who is Connor Hawke and is the 2nd Green Arrow. However, Connor Hawke was not a famous character and the character of Oliver Queen, being the original character has been resurrected last 2001 in the “Quiver” storyline. During the year 2000, the character was featured on some big storylines which focused on The Green Arrow as well as the character of Black Canary on the DC Comics event.
The character of The Green Arrow wasn’t a famous character before outside the fandom of the comic books. He appeared in one episode of an animated series, the Super Friends way back in 1973. However, the character has become a noticeable feature in an animated series, the Justice League Unlimited last 2000 which is reflective of the status of his own in the comic books of Justice League and The Batman animated series as well as in several DC original animated movies. From the 6th season of the famous Small Ville live action series, last 2006, The Green Arrow has been played by Justin Hartley, an actor who was a main member in the cast of the series. He was introduced originally in the guest run, being a substitute member for that restricted-rights Batman character. Being the primary character, Small Ville highly featured The Green Arrow’s mythos as well as the supporting characters. Also, David S. Goyer has attempted getting The Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max in the production film during the late part of the year 2000. In the fall season of 2012, The Green Arrow will be portrayed by Stephen Amell on the Arrow live action on CW.
The Origin
The story of Oliver Queen began when he was washed up along an isolated island. Since his parents died, he never brought his life back to society and he lived his life the way he wanted it to be. He made a lot of enemies and rivals. One day, his employee pushed him overboard in his boat and he was presumed dead when in fact, he was washed up in an island. Having archery talent, Oliver Queen used his initiative and was able to build a bow and he began hunting just to have something to eat. He spent several weeks in such island all by himself and as he continuously searched for his food, he found a tiny settlement that has no people in it. In that settlement, he started retrieving water from a well only to found out a dark truth behind it.
The people living in the village were killed and the remains of the dead people were thrown in the well. He got shocked into horror about what he discovered and told to himself that the dead people there must have justice. Later on, there was a plane that came towards such island and he began signaling to it the plane opened fire. However, using his built bow, Oliver Queen managed gaining an upper hand. The plane got down. He got off that island when several drug smugglers have mutinied and had a takeover on a cargo ship. Being dressed in leafy disguise, Oliver Queen made up his way along the island while he covered his eyes using a grease mask. Then, he managed capturing the mutineers while saving the crew. It was then that Oliver Queen discovered that they were those drug smugglers that killed the life of the islanders. He picked up his built bow, then started fighting back and overpowering them. Oliver Queen had his initial taste of crime fighting as soon as he handed over those drug smugglers to the cops. Then he returned to the world where a change for the good is set.
By utilizing his very big fortune, Oliver Queen started creating different trick arrows that he was about to utilize in his brand new mantle, and these include rope arrow, electric arrow, explosive arrow and many more. Oliver Queen hasn’t stopped there. Eventually, he likewise built arrow car and arrow plane. He even utilized that idea of Bat signal that will be used on his own. However, he has changed it into an arrow signal which could be used by the Star City in calling him whenever he is needed.
The Green Arrow has become a darker character right after he had his fortune lost and got much in tune along with those streets that he protects. As an ever-growing goatee which is now very popular, it was in this time when Oliver Queen got left-winged along his own political views. Also, he became much outspoken about his views.

Filed Under: Comic Book SuperHeroes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Amazing Spiderman Spins an Intriguing Web

December 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Spiderman is a Marvel Comics fictional superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The character first appeared in &#8216Amazing Fantasy’ in August 1962 when the combined efforts of Lee, a writer-editor, and Ditko, a writer-artist, signaled the start of a younger generation of superheroes. A teenager finally entering an arena previously occupied only by mature superheroes!

In the early part of the 1960s, Stan Lee, then editor or Marvel Comics, was considering introducing a new type of superhero. At that time, &#8216The Fantastic Four&#8217 was enjoying considerable success, but they were adult heroes and there was a rising demand by teenagers for comic book heroes with which they could identify. Stan Lee decided to create a character that would meet this demand.

Spiderman’s Beginnings

That is why Spiderman was conceived and eventually given “life” as the orphan Peter, cared for by Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker. The fact that he was a teenager made him immediately attractive to teenage readers of Marvel Comics. He was the typical neighborhood boy who had the normal problems of adolescence to deal with, despite his special mission as a costumed crime fighter. Teenage readers could identify with him at a basic level, and Spiderman rapidly gained in popularity among the younger generation.

Lee once explained the inspiration that led him to create this character. Around that time there was a normal human crime-fighter known as ‘The Spider’ who was a significant influence, and he was also inspired to create a character that could walk up walls just like a spider that he saw doing just that. He imagined a crime fighter that possessed the ability of a spider to travel around his environment.

It was not easy for Lee to get the consent of Martin Goodman, Marvel Comics’ publisher at that time. Eventually, Goodman agreed and Lee initially approached artist Jack Kirby to bring the character to life. He was asked to provide some drawings of what Spiderman could look like, but made the character look too ‘heroic’ rather than the ordinary teen conceived by Lee. Ultimately, Steve Ditko came up with a representation that Lee found acceptable.

Costume and Sticky Shoes

Ditko recalled how he designed the first artwork for Spiderman, particularly the costume that he considered a very important aspect of the characterization. Each design feature of the costume had to have a specific function or purpose, such as the shoes that were able to cling to any surface. Spiderman’s face also had to be hidden, so that the true person beneath could not be revealed.

That person is not the powerful gung-ho person you might imagine, but Peter Parker, a shy high school student. Most teenagers could easily identify themselves with him and with his feelings of rejection, inadequacy and loneliness. Spiderman had no mentor, but had to learn the rudiments of being a superhero by himself. He was neither like Bucky who had Captain America nor Robin who had Batman to tutor him.

Lee’s concept was actually a dangerous divergence from the mainstream superhero character, where teenagers played a secondary role to the main adult character. It was not long before Spiderman learned for himself that “with great power comes great responsibility”.

Also, just as Superman had Lex Luthor and Batman had the Riddler and the Penguin, Spiderman required an arch nemesis which came in the form of Venom. Although just one of the many villains with whom Spiderman crossed paths, Venom was the most powerful and most evil.

Spiderman: The Amazing Drugbuster!

Goodman was surprised to find that the first issue of Spiderman was one of Marvel’s highest-selling publications! Early the following year, in March 1963, the first issue was followed by a solo series with ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ as issue #1. This series surpassed all previous in terms of sales, and the character became very popular with reader, particularly with teenagers. Some college students ranked Spiderman alongside some of their favorite genuine human revolutionary heroes.

In the early 1970s, Stan Lee was asked by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to publish an anti-drugs message in Marvel&#8217s publications. He chose Spiderman as one of the top-selling titles to carry the message. At that time, the Comics Code strictly forbade the depiction of illegal drug use in any form, even negatively, and Lee’s clear anti-drug message did not receive the authority’s approval. However, he decided to publish regardless and the issues carrying the message sold very well, resulting in the Comics Code being revised.

In 1972, Spiderman was paired up with other heroes and villains in &#8216Marvel Team-Up&#8217 in his second monthly ongoing series. While the main series was still being published, a second solo series titled ‘The Spectacular Spiderman’ was launched in 1976, and a third series was launched in 1985: &#8216Web of Spiderman&#8217 that replaced ‘Marvel Team-Up&#8217. In 1990, the title Spiderman was used solo.

Marvelous Revamps

Spiderman became the flagship character of Marvel Comics and also the company mascot. He was one of the company’s most popular and commercially successful superhero characters, and has made many appearances in animated and live action TV shows, newspaper comic strips, and several movies.

Revamps of the original Spiderman stories were eventually released, and there were times when different series were running concurrently. This period was following a trend in the policy of Marvel Comics, because several other superhero character stories were also published in a revamped form.

Perhaps this was an attempt to revive the early success of the original tales, although the character has never really been out of favor. Later stories included ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ and &#8216New Avengers and the Spiderman Family.’

Tobey Maguire was the first to depict his character on screen as the friendly neighborhood hero. He has played the character in a number of movies, although there is currently a plan to use Andrew Garfield as the superhero. The 2010 Spiderman Broadway version titled &#8216Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark&#8217 featured Reeve Carney in the lead role.

A Gamble Vindicated

The Spiderman character is described by different critics in different ways, but they generally agree in describing him as having an identity problem. Peter Parker definitely has an inferiority complex, is prone to accidents, is anti-social, and is often suspected of being a clever criminal. The editor of The Daily Bugle, the company he would later be working with, has launched a campaign against the “Spiderman menace”.

Teenagers can identify with many of these character traits, which is perhaps why he has become so popular and has vindicated Stan Lee&#8217s gamble many times over. The latest Spiderman publication (November, 2011) is the &#8216Avenging Spiderman’ featuring the superhero with the Red Hulk battling the Moloids during the New York Marathon! The story was written by Zeb Wells, with some fantastic artwork by Joe Madureira. This is not the last you will see of the super-teenager Spiderman/Peter Parker.

Filed Under: Comic Book SuperHeroes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Wonder Woman: A Woman of Wonder and Love

December 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) is a superheroine, a creation of William Moulton Marston. Her first appearance was in the #8 issue of All Star Comics published in December 1941. At that time, the DC Comics superhero domain was dominated by male characters such as Superman, Batman, and the Green Lantern, and William believed there was an opportunity to grab the female market with a female superhero or superheroine!

It was his wife Elizabeth who suggested that he create a female character in the superhero genre, and what would make Wonder Woman different from the already popular heroes is that she would succeed in triumphing over the forces of evil with love, rather than by the use of fists or firepower &#8211 at least in the early stories. Elizabeth’s suggestion of making a woman superhero became fact and Wonder Woman exists to this day.

The Creation of Wonder Woman

Marston was initially hired by publisher Max Gaines as educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications. Gaines was impressed by Marston’s interview article published in Family Circle, in which he described the significant educational potential of comic books. Later, National Periodicals and All-American Publications merged to form DC Comics.

After listening Marston’s pitch for this new female superhero, Gaines gave Marston the go-ahead. Together with Elizabeth, he began fleshing out his idea, taking the approach of endowing Wonder Woman with the assets of two particular women in his life: his wife &#8211 an unconventional, liberal woman, and Olive Byrne, a family friend with the same attitude to life as her friend Elizabeth.

This was important, because the character would not have been believable had she conformed to the usual gender prejudices of the day, and it is partially because of this refusal to conform that made the character so popular with American women, and shortly after, women the world over.

Being a psychologist by profession, and also inventor of the polygraph, Marston was convinced that women were more honest and dependable than the opposite sex. He also believed them to be more efficient at work than men.

The Origins of Diana

Wonder Woman was originally presented as an Amazon champion. A U.S. Intelligence Officer, Steve Trevor, was involved in a plane crash somewhere in the interior of the Amazon basin. The Amazons entrusted Wonder Woman to return Trevor to his own world of man. Having done that, she was to remain in that world and become a crime fighter as well as stand against the evil deeds of the Nazis &#8211 the character was created before World War 2 ended.

In a later version, Wonder Woman’s origin was portrayed in a more mythological fashion. She was known as Diana, who received the bulk of her powers and abilities from Aphrodite. It was related that Aphrodite created Amazons to be superior to men and that Diana was the best among them. It was also told that Diana possessed the wisdom of Athena, the strength of Hercules and the speed of Mercury. More on this later.

Superpowers and Weapons

Depending upon who the writer was and on the needs of the storyline, the character of Wonder Woman occasionally changed as did the powers she possessed. Robert Kanigher was a writer who portrayed Wonder Woman during the latter years of the 1950s until the early part of 1960s. He depicted the character as having supreme strength in each part of her body.

Depicting her as Diana of Themyscira, he gave the superhero strength that was much greater than that of men. However, she had to take great care never to allow herself to be bound or chained by any man because that would remove her powers. This weakness was known as “Aphrodite’s law”.

The Justice League of America welcomed Wonder Woman as its first Female member. Shortly after her induction to the group, she became as popular as the male members. She was identified with special weapons, such as her bracelets and lasso of truth. The bracelets were both bulletproof and indestructible, while the lasso of truth could compel anyone to tell the truth.

Diana’s bracelets have their own story to tell. They are bulletproof, and were crafted from the remnants of the shield of Athena, known as the Aegis. The bracelets enable Wonder Woman to deflect bullets and other missiles with her forearms, and when she crashes her arms together the bracelets create an extremely powerful concussive force. In later stories, she was able to direct the lightning of Zeus through the bracelets and use that against her foes.

During 1966 and 1967, she was endowed with additional abilities. Her super breath could blow very strong winds and even generate snow from water. She was made resistant to temperature extremes, could soar through the skies on air currents and was given the power of telepathy and more. It appears as though she was given any powers the writer decided she needed to complete a particular task.

Her invisible airplane that could be controlled mentally was shown in all her three great Bronze, Silver and Golden ages, and as with more than one of her powers, two versions of its origin have been offered. One is that it was a product of ingenious Amazon technology, while the other is that it is a transformation of Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology.

Not only its origin varied, but also its appearance: initially a standard propeller aircraft, but then a jet fighter. Fair enough, because this is simply Wonder Woman and her weapons being brought into the modern era. Layer, the plane took the form of a disk, more like a flying saucer!

Origins of Wonder Woman’s Attributes

Wonder Woman’s body was designed as a combination of the attributes of six Olympian deities. Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, provided Diana with her physical strength, while the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gave her great beauty. Her intelligence, wisdom and military skills came from Pallas Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, while Artemis, the goddess of the moon, hunting and animals (the Greek version of the Roman Diana) provided her with an ability to understand animals and her enhanced senses. She was given the power to use the &#8216Fires&#8217 of Truth to force people to be truthful by the Goddess of the heart, Hestia. Finally, the only male to offer her powers was Hermes, the messenger god, who gave her the ability to fly and move with tremendous speed.

A TV series of Wonder Woman, with Lynda Carter in the leading role of Diana Prince, ran from 1975 &#8211 1979. There have also been several animated series that included the character, such as ‘Justice League&#8217 and ‘Super Friends’, while many live action movie ideas fell through. It was not until 2009, that Kurt Russell finally brought an animated movie to the big screen.

Filed Under: Comic Book SuperHeroes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Transformers: Transforming Over the Years

October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Transformers was originally a popular animated television series portraying two groups of giant robots that are at war with each other: The Autobots and the Decepticons. Each robot can transform into a different form, such as a vehicle, plane, tank and a variety of animals such as a cheetah and a scorpion. The series was written and recorded in America, and was animated in Japan and South Korea.

The Transformers series was inspired by the Japanese toy line Microman. This company released two lines of toys, Diaclone and MicroChange. Diaclone featured inch-tall humanoid figures, while MicroChange created toys that transformed into robots. During the 1983 Tokyo Toy Fair, the product developer of an American toy company known as Hasbro took interest in these interesting toys. His name was Henry Orenstein who presented a plan to George Dunsay, Hasbro’s head of R&#038D. Dunsay was enthusiastic with Orenstein&#8217s ideas and not long after that, Hasbro released Diaclone and MicroChange toys as a single toy line.

Liberalization of TV Advertising Paved the Way

The liberalization of American restrictions with respect to using toy promotions in children’s television programs eased the birth of The Transformers as a major type of toy in the U.S. Hasbro revived its previous marketing tie-up with Marvel Comics, and particularly after the success of the “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” project, Hasbro believed that another three-pronged venture would succeed.

This meant that “The Transformers” could be marketed in the triple format of a toy, a Marvel comic book and an animated TV mini-series. In 1984, Bob Prupis, Hasbro VP for marketing, finally made the decision to work with Marvel in developing a new robot series called “Transformers”.

Autobots and Decepticons: The Transformers!

The initial work began with Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter devising a concept for the initial story. He conceptualized a war between two factions of robots which he called Autobots and Decepticons. The Autobots were conceived as the ‘good guys’ and the Decepticons as the ‘bad guys.’ Shooter asked Dennis O’Neill, a veteran editor, to create names for the characters as well as sketch out profiles for the cast. Marvel, however, was not satisfied with O’Neill’s work, and the latter declined Marvel’s request to significantly revise them.

However, rather than give up at this point, Shooter presented the revision job to several other editors, but still no one accepted it. Finally, editor Bob Budiansky took on the job, revising the names and profiles to Marvel’s satisfaction. Immediately, a bi-monthly four-issue comic book miniseries and a three-part TV pilot came on-stream.

Shohei Kohara, a Japanese designer, took charge of designing the robot characters, making them more suitable for both comic and animated cartoon formats. Floro Dery later took over his position, when he simplified some designs and remained as lead designer for the series.

The leader of the Autobots was Optimus Prime, while Megatron heads the Decepticons. The original Autobots were named Brawn, Bluestreak, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Gears, Hound, Huffer, Ironhide, Jass, Mirage, Prowl, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, Windcharger, and Hauler. The Decepticons included Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Reflector, Soundwave, and Shockwave.

The Origin of the Battle

These “creatures” left the planet Cybertron when it was doomed to destruction (a common theme in many such comic book stories), and reached the earth after four million years of being stuck in the “Ark”. On Earth, the Autobots and Decepticons continued their never-ending war which was caused by Megatron going ‘rogue’ in his thirst for personal power.

The Decepticons are now trying to drain Earth of all its resources by converting these into Energon for their own use. The Autobots on the other hand are trying to prevent this and to protect the human race, which they regard as a primitive species but one that possesses unique qualities of love and justice (well, most of them!). After gaining a lead in the fight, the Decepticons tried to leave earth by building a space cruiser, but they were successfully stopped by the Autobots.

In 1986, Transformers: The Movie was released, making it a big year in the Transformers’ history. Although it did not do well in terms of box-office performance and even in reviews, the movie marked the turning point in the life of the series. Setting the “future” in the year 2005, new Autobots and Decepticons characters were introduced.

The Constructicons were featured in the Transformers second film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Basically, Constructicons are Decepticons who turn into construction vehicles and into a large robot when they combine. Each of these robots was built to carry out engineering and construction jobs for the Decepticons. Once they transformed, they merge their minds and bodies to form the gigantic robot Devastator.

Enter the Constructicons and Dinobots

Individual members of the team have their specific job function. Scrapper is a construction engineer, leader of the Constructicons, and forms the right leg of the Devastator. He transforms into a wheeled front-load shovel. Hook is a surgical engineer, forms the head and shoulders, and transforms into a crane. Bonecrusher is equipped for demolitions, forms the left arm, and transforms into a bulldozer. Scavenger is for mining and salvage, forms the right arm, and transforms into an excavator.

Long Haul is built for transport, forms the lower torso, and transforms into a dump truck. The last member is Mixmaster for materials fabrication, forms the left leg, and transforms into a concrete mixer truck. The Devastator destroys anything and everything that gets in his way, without thinking.

Another addition to the Autobots group is the Dinobots. They transform into dinosaurs or similar prehistoric animals. The team leader is Grimlock that transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Second in command is Slag that transforms into a Triceratops. The third member is Sludge that transforms into an Apatosaurus. The fourth is Snarl that transforms into a Stegosaurus. The fifth member is Swoop that transforms into a Pteranodon.

Transformers III: Battles On and Off-Screen

The third Transformers film, released in 2011, was Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. This latest of the Transformers live action was directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film’s story is set with the NASA manned mission to the moon as the backdrop. This time, the Autobots are portrayed as forces working for the NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers) military force. The Decepticons on the other hand are still struggling to save their planet, Cybertron. They plan to enslave Humanity by using the new sophisticated technology, the Pillars.

Many of the previous Transformers film stars stayed with the last movie, including those who voiced for Optimus Prime and Megatron. Megan Fox, however, left after a fall-out between her and the rest of the cast and crew. The film was finally released on June 28, 2011, and was praised for its visual content, but was criticized for its length, writing, and acting.

Perhaps part of this was connected with the change of the main female lead, but irrespective of all of this, it did well in the box office, ending up as the fourth highest-grossing film of all time and the second highest-grossing film of 2011.

Filed Under: Groups and Organizations Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The ThunderCats – Thundering Lessons to Learn

October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The American animated television series ThunderCats debuted in 1984. It was based on the characters created by Tobin “Ted” Wolf and produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. This is the same production that created notable “masterpieces” such as SilverHawks, The Comic Strip and TigerSharks. The ThunderCats characters are cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet Thundera that take on the role of superheroes.

In the series created for television, the first story related how this unique team of superheroes originated. Much like Superman’s origins, Thundera was a dying planet, and its inhabitants had to leave including the ThunderCats. A fleet of starships started its journey, but the Thunderean enemies, known as the Mutants of Plun-Darr, tried to destroy the entire fleet. The series presents several characters with a play of words in their name: see if you can recognize some, beginning with this paragraph!

The Sword of Omens

However, an artifact known as the Sword of Omens was believed to be held on one specific ship, and because this was very powerful, that starship was spared because the Sword must not be destroyed. The Sword of Omens holds the Eye of Thundera that gives power to the ThunderCats, and any other that holds it. Rather than destroy the ship and the Sword, the Mutants attempted to overtake and seize it.

They very nearly achieved this, but were driven back through the power of the Eye. Now the damaged ThunderCats ship can no longer reach its original destination, so the Third Earth was chosen as their alternate destination, even though it would take a considerably longer period of time to reach.

Jaga, the eldest among the ThunderCats, sacrificed himself for the sake of the group. He volunteered to pilot the ship while the other members slept in &#8216time suspension&#8217 capsules. Jaga he made sure that those who were left would reach their destination safely before he died of old age.

Reaching Third Earth

Finally, the flagship reached Third Earth. All other members survived, including Lion-O the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf. Lion-O discovered that he was older than he expected, because his suspension capsule only slowed down and did not suspend his aging. They immediately made friends with the Third Earth natives who helped them construct the “Cat’s Lair”. This became their new home and headquarters.

Jaga is based on the jaguar, and was once regarded as the greatest of the ThunderCats. Lion-O is based on the lion, the leader and “Lord of the ThunderCats”. The level-headed warrior Tygra is based on the tiger, the architect and scientist. Panthro is based on the panther, warrior, pilot and chief mechanic or engineer. Cheetara is based on the cheetah, having the “sixth sense” and is loving and caring. WilyKit and WilyKat have collectively been known as the “ThunderKittens”, and are the mischief makers. Of the five, Cheetara and WilyKit are the females.

“Return of the Mutants”

It did not take long for the Mutants find them on Third Earth, and they immediately headed for where the ThunderCats had been located. The arrival of the villains gave the demonic, mummified sorcerer Mumm-Ra the chance to use them for his own evil plans. He became very interested in the Eye of Thundera and persuaded the Mutants to work with him. Once he succeeded, he would destroy the ThunderCats and then take over as ruler of Third Earth.

In &#8216ThunderCats Origins: Heroes and Villains’, it was revealed that the Third Earth was actually the planet Earth, with Mumm-Ra originating from Egypt. He was obsessed with acquiring tremendous powers and knowledge of the universe, and in exchange for these attributes, he enslaved himself to the Ancient Spirits of Evil.

The ThunderCats stories are combinations of science fiction and fantasy. There is always that element of good-versus-evil, plus the effective use of allies and villains that are ingredients of all good comic book stories. Another factor of note is the presentation of futuristic technology that displays outstanding imagination.

ThunderCats and Strong Moral Values

The consistent presentation of strong moral values in solving problems is a significant message to young readers, which adds both to the power and to the lesson of each tale. These are more than just fantasy tales, and like the Superman tales, portray the importance of the principles of good conduct and justice in the face of adversity. Each episode ended with a reflection by the characters on the personal and group values that contributed to their success.

In 1986, the first ThunderCats movie was released titled “ThunderCats – Ho!” Three new Thundereans were introduced: Ben-Gali, Pumyra and Lynx-O, depicted as those who survived when the planet “died”. Ben-Gali, based on the Bengali tiger, is a proficient blacksmith. Pumyra, based on the puma, is a talented healer and medic. Lynx-O, based on the lynx, is blind but possessing superhuman senses of touch, taste, smell and hearing. In that movie, Mumm-Ra was destroyed – or so we were led to believe.

The second series began in 1987, with an episode revealing that Mumm-Ra survived. It was during this season that another group of villains, the Lunataks, was introduced. Ultimately this group dominated the remainder of the series. A new team of ThunderCats with a new headquarters and other equipment and gadgets was also introduced.

The 1988 Transformation: The ThunderCubs

The third season in 1988 transformed the ThunderCats into children who were called ThunderCubs. Mumm-Ra was able to reconstruct Thundera in the hope of retrieving the Sword of Plun-Darr and the Treasure of Thundera. As Mumm-Ra continued to search for the treasure, the adventures went on, changing locations between New Thundera and Third Earth. One highlight episode showed the Ancient Spirits of Evil giving Mumm-Ra the last chance of destroying the ThunderCats. Having failed in his “mission”, the spirits banished him to the farthest corner of the universe.

The 1989 Season 4 brings back Mumm-Ra again! In “Return to Thundera”, the ThunderCats were now back to New Thundera and were starting to restore their society. Believing that it would be effective, the ThunderCats destroyed Mumm-Ra’s pyramid before leaving Third Earth. This made the Ancient Spirits of Evil so angry that they brought Mumm-Ra back, this time putting him right on New Thundera. And so the battles and adventures continued between the ThunderCats and the villains besides Mumm-Ra.

The 2011 Theme – Good or Bad?

Warner Brothers Animation brought back the ThunderCats television series on Cartoon Network. It started in July 2011, with the animation carried out by Japan’s Studio 4oC animation production. The theme of this new series is far too much divorced from the previous series, let along the original idea that has now seemed to have been forgotten.

Here, it is made clear that the ThunderCats are already on 3rd Earth. Even the latest use of the term “Thundera” is confused whether it refers to a planet or a kingdom. In some of the promotional materials for the new series, the traditional ThunderCats members such as Lion-O, Cheetara, Panthro, and Tygra, were presented in new designs, and at the London Toy Fair, the Sword of Omens and vehicles were also redesigned.

Whether this will harm the concept of the ThunderCats or not is debatable, since much time has passed since the original animated series. What is sure is that ThunderCats 2011 is not that of 1984, but is entertaining nevertheless: let&#8217s hope that the moral message being presented is maintained and not lost in the fight for ratings.

Filed Under: Groups and Organizations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Conan the Barbarian: A Popular Comic and Movie Barbarian

August 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Conan the Barbarian is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard in 1932. A popular figure in American fantasy, Conan is probably the most well-known barbarian in fiction. Howard was a fantasy story writer who wrote a series of Conan stories for the Weird Tales magazine. It was not easy for him to sell his Conan character, but a timely break gave way for the character’s instant popularity. Conan was able to invade books, comics, TV, films, video and other games.

The creation of Conan as a new character was Howard’s answer to the growing market of pulp outlets of the early 30s. He felt that he had to introduce something new that readers would accept. Actually, Conan was conceived from a previous character, Kull of Atlantis. Howard created Conan to be a native of Cimmeria during the Hyborian Age. This is the reason why he is also known as Conan the Cimmerian.

During Howard’s vacation at Rio Grande in February 1932, he completed the characterization of his new hero, Conan. In fact, he also wrote the poem “Cimmeria” which told about Conan&#8217s homeland. By the time he returned from that vacation he already had a final idea of the story in his mind. Some scholars say that Conan was influenced by &#8220The Outline of Mythology&#8221, Thomas Bulfinch’s work in 1913.

Just after his vacation, Howard got hold of his former Kull story titled “By This Axe I Rule!&#8221. Having Conan in mind, he rewrote and re-titled it &#8220The Phoenix on The Sword”. He also wrote another story inspired by Greek mythology &#8211 the tale of Daphne, titled &#8220The Frost Giant’s Daughter&#8221. He submitted these two stories to Weird Tales magazine, hoping that either would be accepted for publication. As though it were signifying the beginning of Conan&#8217s popularity, “The Phoenix on The Sword&#8221 was accepted.

After carrying out some polishing up of &#8220The Phoenix on The Sword&#8221, it finally appeared in the December 1932 issue of Weird Tales. That was the first appearance of Conan in print. From then on, Howard became one of the members of the Weird Tale’s stable of distinguished authors.

His colleagues were H.P. Lovecraft, Tennessee Williams, Clark Ashton Smith, Seabury Quinn, Robert Bloch, and others – every one a giant in his field of literature. After Conan’s first appearance, Howard wrote an essay in which he described the details of the &#8220Hyborian Age”. This then became the basis of the settings of his succeeding Conan stories.

Immediately following “The Phoenix…”, Howard wrote &#8220The Tower of the Elephant”. This story made the readers feel at home with the Hyborian world. He successfully wove Conan’s character into this fictional world so that readers could genuinely feel part of it. Weird Tales became increasingly more popular, and Howard wrote many more Conan tales. All in all, seventeen out of his twenty one completed tales were published. He committed suicide in 1936, after which it was found that he had several more unfinished works.

Howard’s death was unfavorable to Conan’s popularity. The character’s copyright was held by several people until it landed in the laps of L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter. Through them, the character&#8217s stories were abridged, revised, and if needed, rewritten. In the almost four decades that followed, the original stories were not reprinted, although some other authors during that period were writing Conan stories. It was not until the 1980s that the original stories went back into circulation.

In Howard&#8217s original stories, Conan the Cimmerian is the son of a blacksmith. He became a warrior at age fifteen and fought for the destruction of the Aquilonian outpost of Venarium. After this, Howard created several different adventure tales in which he portrayed Conan as a wanderer &#8211 a traveling Paladin that encountered monsters, evil wizards, beautiful princesses, and tavern wenches.

He was portrayed as a thief, mercenary, outlaw, and pirate while he roamed around the Hyborian Age. Eventually, as he grew older, he became more powerful, taking command of his own group. The battles he fought and won were motivated either by his will to survive or for his own gain.

Conan has different appearances, but he is well known for his gloomy or fiery blue eyes and a black square-cut mane. In Howard&#8217s presentations, Conan would wear whatever kind of garb that suited the culture of the place he is in. In comic books, he is shown wearing a loincloth or other similar clothing. Surprisingly, Howard did not exactly describe Conan’s height and weight, but simply used qualities such as &#8216giant&#8217 and ‘massive’.

Howard’s description of a Cimmerian is someone who is a proto-Celtic, having black hair and blue or grey eyes. The Cimmerians were also described when Howard wrote his essay of The Hyborian Age. Conan was then supposedly a descendant of the Atlanteans.

Marvel Comics produced its own Conan stories in the 1970s. Writer Roy Thomas and illustrator Barry Windsor-Smith worked on &#8220Conan the Barbarian&#8221. Smith was then replaced by John Buscema, retaining Thomas as writer. Marvel employed several other Conan writers, giving birth to “Savage Sword of Conan&#8221 in 1974. Now considered as a cult classic, this was one of the most popular comic series in the 70s.

In 2003, Dark Horse Comics took a comic adaptation of the Conan stories. The work was carried out by writer Kurt Buseik and artist Cary Nord. The title was very simple – “Conan”. Most of Dark Horse’s materials were interpretations of Howard’s writings. The second series, Conan the Cimmerian, was released in 2008. In December 2010, a third series titled Conan Road of Kings was initiated.

Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed Conan in the first movie version of the character in 1982. Years before this, Edward Summer envisioned some Conan cinematic projects, but not one of his outlined six stories ever made it to the silver screen. “Conan the Barbarian” was a collaboration of Oliver Stone and John Milius. The two also got ideas from plots conceived by Howard and his successors.

The film was successful, and eventually it gave Schwarzenegger his break-through role as an actor. It was produced by Dino de Laurentiis and directed by John Milius. A sequel titled “Conan the Destroyer” was released in 1984 but it performed poorly compared to the original movie.

Filed Under: Comic Book SuperHeroes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts