About Me

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I started reading comics regularly after 'Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns'. Since then, I've become a co-host on 'The LanternCast' (a podcast dedicated to Green Lantern that's been on the air since 2008), started a new podcast covering the late 1980's DC series Action Comics Weekly (appropriately titled The Action Comics Weekly Podcast), and have been the curator of THE blog on the internet dedicated to the character of Ragman, created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert published by DC Comics starting in 1976 and currently appearing on The CW show 'Arrow' as portrayed by actor Joe Dinicol. I'm an avid fan of comics, classic rock, and speaking my mind. Welcome!

Thursday, April 2, 2015

DC TV VS the DC Cinematic Universe: Why DC Entertainment is ALREADY Getting It Wrong



Upon waking up this morning, I browsed the usual news sites of interest to me in an effort to ascertain what is REAL news in the comic community and what is just leftover April Fools Day pranks. I stumbled upon something that upset me. Yup, it's not even 8:30am over here and I'm ALREADY upset with the world. Either I got up on the wrong side of the bed (I didn't, I actually jammed out to some Pink Floyd on the way in to work today) or it's just something THAT ridiculous.

HINT: It's the latter.

I woke up to the news that, for the time being, Deadshot is "off the table" for the Arrow/Flash-Universe.

Ok, before I rant and rave, a few factoids for proper context. First, let me credit the source of the article I read. You can find it over at SCREENRANT by clicking HERE.

In response to viewers inquiring about the fate of Deadshot on 'Arrow' (played by Michael Rowe) executive producer Marc Guggenheim said, "Unfortunately, Deadshot is off the table for the nonce."

Yup that IS, in fact, ALL that was said. So, in fairness, the man didn't say "forever" or any such equivalent. But this comes on the heels, as SCREENRANT writers mention, of Green Lantern ACTUALLY being John Diggle being a debunked rumor because, "DC has other plans for that character."

Ok, so one more thing before I fly slightly off the handle into my rant...

Cheif Creative Officer of DC Comics, Geoff Johns in the past had THIS to say regarding the potential connection between the DC Cinematic Universe and the DC TV Universe, "You’ll see a lot of DC universe characters [on 'The Flash' and 'Arrow']. You won’t see Batman or Superman. We’re on production on ‘Batman v Superman’ now. So you’ll see characters like The Atom or Firestorm, but no not Batman or Superman right now [on TV]. It’s a separate universe than film so that the filmmakers can tell the story that’s best for film, while we explore something different in a different corner of the DC universe."

Now I love Geoff. I do. MOST things he writes are gold (I said MOST, 'Day of Judgment' Geoff? Whew) and the man is singlehandedly responsible for a re-newed golden age for Green Lantern, a character I hold above most all others. But when it comes to things such as this, I have to divide my adoration of Geoff into two factions, Geoff the WRITER and Geoff the CCO of DC Comics.

The following is a comment on the Geoff as a represenative of DC Comics. (in addition to just being a general blanket comment towards DC as a whole)

What in the ever loving F&*KING hell are you trying to pull?!

If you don't want your movie and TV universes to crossover, then FINE. But you CANNOT have it both ways DC. I'm being serious. If you want them separate, it's because you don't want them to AFFECT each other. Maybe you don't want Grant Gustin to play the Flash on the silver screen because you think he's a great TV actor but not a feature actor. Or maybe you don't want him to play the Flash in the movies because it'd mean that, chronologically Flash showed up before some other character which doesn't work in your cinematic plans and you don't want to be boxed in. WHATEVER YOUR REASONING you FLAT OUT SAID they are separate universes.

You know what that means? It means YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT IN THE MOVIES AND LET THEM DO WHAT THEY WANT IN THE TV SHOWS.

Another added wrinkle to this clusterf&*k? You're going to be launching 'Supergirl' soon, which is (at this point) RUMORED to be a part of the DC TV universe. It's got alot of the same people behind it, so let's say, for the sake of argument, that it IS.

You sent out a casting call request for 'Supergirl' for the following:

We are looking for BODY DOUBLE for a DC Comic Superhero –
You must be available for an interview this Thursday and if selected will work several day during March.
This is for a CBS pilot. You can be SAG or Non-Union.
You should be 5’11 or taller and be Square Jawed
and have a ripped physique.
You must send a bodyshot, shirtless, sizes, current contact info and your first five – in the subject line write SUPERMAN.

Is there ANY doubt who we're looking for here? Nope. So what's my problem with it? Well, my PROBLEM is that you're looking for a body double. Meaning you're HOPING to keep Supes in the shadows or in profile or in the distant background. So we don't SEE details of someone else and get that confused with another Superman. Why? Because Henry Cavil is Superman.

But not in the TV universe. Again, you can't have it both ways. Either Cavil is Superman in your TV universe, meaning they're the SAME universe...or CAST SOMEONE ELSE TO PLAY HIM FOR TV.

Do you see how your story is full of holes?

Stop picking and choosing what TV can and cannot do based on what you do or do not plan for your as yet unproven DC Cinematic Universe. It's ridiculous.

If you keep this up the distinction between the DC Cinematic Universe and the DC TV Universe is going to become so CONVOLUTED nobody is going to be capable of making sense of it. And do you remember what happened the last time you thought your own internal continuity was over-complicated?


Ohhhhh right! THAT.

But then again, maybe that's just what you want to happen! I mean, after all....