They fight because they both have flaming skulls for heads. Only the Atomic Skull’s flaming head is radioactive, not hellfire.
I drew this by roughing out the drawing digitally on Photoshop, then I printed out the rough drawing as non-photo blue on 11×17 paper and inked it with my Pocket Brush pen. I spotted the backs using my “Special Black” Copic marker.
I then rescanned the drawing in and the non-photo blue didn’t even show up, which was awesome. I wasn’t sure it would work as intended.
I liked doing the art this way. I don’t like inking digitally. It’s nowhere near as fun as doing it with a real brush.
UPDATE:
EB in the comments below wanted to see the rough drawing I did for this piece so I’ve added it below.
There are a lot of female spies in fiction but not very many are fantasy or sci-fi based. Today Alesha is going to share some of her favorites in these particular genres. This means Modestly Blaise is not going to be on the list.
Okay, that’s enough from me, here’s Alesha…
She will karate chop your mad scientist and out-magic your evil warlock. Science fiction and fantasy stories provide great settings for the mysterious and intriguing character of a spy. I’ve jotted down four of my favorite female spies in particular who’ve wowed me with their wit, courage, and bad-assery.
1. Agent Carter
Peggy Carter graced the pages of several Captain America comics.
She’s a skilled shooter, trained fighter, and had helped the French Resistance sabotage Nazis during WWII. I enjoyed her character in Captain America: The First Avenger.
She wasn’t a primping damsel in distress that needed Captain America to carry her away from battle. She fought the baddies alongside Captain and could match enemy combatants step-for-step.
I thought her Agent Carter One Shot (short) film was awesome and not too far off from some of the real life female spies of that era. I’ve already got my popcorn ready for her upcoming TV series, Marvel’s Agent Carter.
She’s got a team of scientists who supply her with gadgets like her Widow’s Bite bracelets (which deliver an energy blast) and her uniform’s synthetic fabric that allows her to cling to walls and ceilings.
What I find so fun about Black Widow’s character is that besides having to hold her own among superheroes, her best asset isn’t a forged weapon, but her mind.
She’s had a tough life that’s taught her to use her wits and ingenuity in order to survive (which is a must for the super-spy).
Whether it’s extracting vital information during an interrogation or obtaining secrets, Black Widow knows how to get the job done, and she does it with style!
What’s cool about Emma is that she’s a genius, awesome at chemistry, and an expert fencer. Many of us remember this character from the popular ’60s TV show.
Whether you’ve read the comics or watched the movies (I’ve seen the one with Uma Thurman as Emma), I just think there’s a part inside us girls that roots for being an accomplished woman and a super-cool spy that has to deal with mad science experiments and shady villains.
To me, Sydney is the “emotional” spy, the one who reminds us that amidst a sweaty and painful fist fight, that there’s a girl who wants to go on a date or be able to tell her closest friends what she really does for a living.
I liked the turmoil, the romance, and I especially enjoyed the fringe science/paranormal bent when the show delved into Milo Rimbaldi and his Renaissance prophecies surrounding Sydney.
If you haven’t seen ALIAS, I will come to your house and berate you, and then I’ll sit with you and watch it with you, because I am a good friend like that.
5. Isabella George
This WWII-era female spy from my fantasy series, The Gray Tower Trilogy, is like Agent Carter with dangerous magic mixed in.
Isabella George is a trained wizard, a dropout from the prestigious but aloof Gray Tower, who agrees to aid British intelligence in one last mission before retiring.
She has to bring down a rogue alchemist who has whipped up a deadly plague for a secret Nazi experiment, and the cost of failure isn’t pretty.
She’s already got to deal with her cover being blown, outsmart a vampiric warlock who’s stalking her in order to steal her powers, and uncover the secrecy within her own past.
There are of course several more amazing characters who could be added to the list (please feel free to comment below with listing your favorite sci-fi/fantasy spies). I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my picks, and I’ll leave you with the exciting new book trailer for The Gray Tower Trilogy (with the spy Isabella George).
Also, don’t forget to support The Gray Tower Trilogy’s current Thunderclap campaign! I’ve joined forces with author Devorah Fox to bring you all a special fantasy book event. Your single click of support will be added to nearly 100 supporters who’ll spread the word.
SUPERHEROES/ROLE PLAYING GAMES – Six of the Best Superhero Tabletop Role Playing Games
There’s a TON of Superhero Tabletop Role Playing Games (RPGs) out there. I own quite a few. I thought I’d point out six that are worth taking a closer look at.
These are by no means the only ones worth looking at. Just a few of the good ones.
If you’ve read my blog enough, you know I love the superhero genre and I also like tabletop RPGs.
I also, occasionally run games. When a person does this, they are usually called a “Game Master” or GM for short.
Some tabletop RPGs are “crunchier” than other. Which is to say, they have more complicated rules. Others are not so bad. Some take more effort to GM, others take less because of the rules and resources available. Some are even easy to improvise.
Some games allow a lot of versatility in character creation and gameplay. Others are more restrictive.
Champions is the granddaddy of the superhero tabletop RPG genre…well…sort of. I should say, it’s the granddaddy of the versatile, character generating, superhero Tabletop RPG genre.
ChampionsComplete is the latest 6th edition of the HERO system rules in one books.
Versatility
When it comes to character creation you can create anything you can imagine. The sky’s the limit. The HERO system is especially designed to be the most versatile rpg out there. Its deep.
As far as versatility of superhero play and how well is simulates comics, it’s good but not great. You can’t get too creative with your powers. If you want to do a crazy stunt that fudges the boundaries of your powers, you pretty much can’t do it. If you didn’t buy the ability, it’s off limits.
Crunch – Very High
This system is deep, the basics of the system is actually very simple, but it’s very granular. It can make for some slow deep fights.
The character creation can be a huge burden. Lot’s of math, lots of looking stuff up. We’re talking hours per character.
It’s best to buy the computer program that helps you generate characters, if you’re going to be using this system a lot.
GM Friendliness
As I said before, the gameplay system is deep. It will take a lot of work to really learn it so that it plays fast. Character creation is just too much work. Which means inventing characters on the fly is out. Hours of prep work will be needed.
However, the Champions source book is an encyclopedia of superhero ideas and resources worth owning even if you’re not planning to run this system.
Mutants and Masterminds (M&M) might as well be called “Son of Champions.” It’s a slightly less math intensive version of the HERO System. Although the M&M is a superhero system, only.
It’s based on a slightly streamline version of the D20 system.
Versatility
M&M is just as versatile as Champions. Any superhero and power you can think to create you can create. The sky’s the limit.
As to the versatility of play in how it captures the comic book feel, it’s quite good. Players get “Hero points” which can be spent on “stunts” that allow them an occasional, one time only, extra power or rules brake when the story or moment calls for it.
This makes the M&M game feel more superheroic .
Crunch – High
The game play system is simple in theory. However there’s a lot of small crunchy rules to keep track of.
It’s much easier to make supers in M&M. However, it’s still not fast. Character creation takes quite a bit of time and there’s still a bit of math and looking up powers involved.
GM Friendliness
Again, because of the time it takes to make characters, it’s difficult to make characters on the fly. However, the best thing about M&M is that it had the DC Universe license and you can get the DC Adventures Heroes Handbook with stats of the DC heroes in them. In fact, this is the version I own and I love it.
Source books for running different superhero genres in M&M are great too.
Like HERO System, Savage Worlds is meant to be a complete and versatile system. It’s also meant to be a faster and simpler playing game.
The Superheroes Companion is a source book for Savage Worlds that helps you play superheroes in the system.
Versatility
In order to cut down on complexity, the versatility of the types of characters and power that can be created using the Superheroes Companion isn’t as robust as in Champions and M&M. That said, it’s not bad at all.
However, it does capture the heroics of superhero play very well. Players get points called “Beanies” that are awarded to the player by the GM or other players which can be used to do superheroic stuff and break rules.
Also, the inclusion of “exploding dice” just takes it over the top. “Exploding dice” is when you roll the highest number on a die and when you do, you get to roll it again and add the extra number to the roll.
Crunch – Medium
Character creation can take about 30 minutes or less in the system. Almost no math required.
Fighting is fast, furious and fun. Everything is very straight forward. Super easy system to learn.
It’s one of my personal favorite systems.
GM Friendliness
One of the few systems, that I know of, which require almost no prep time. You can easily make characters up on the spot.
Fights are really fast. The system is super easy to learn. It’s really a great system to GM.
BASH! was especially designed for kids and for education. It was designed to be simple enough for almost anyone to pick up and play.
Versatility
It’s not quite as robust as Champions and M&M but it’s quite good. Character creation is quick and easy.
As some other games above, BASH! has what it calls a “Hero Point” which every character is given at the beginning a session. It allows rules breaking to simulate heroic action. It also includes type of “exploding dice” that occurs when doubles are rolled.
Crunch – Medium
The game play system is simple but it’s very math heavy, requiring multiplication. The reasoning for this is to teach math calculations to kids as the game is played.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. I kinda found myself looking forward to the math. It’s very helpful.
Character creation is very simple and fast.
GM Friendliness
Very easy to improvise. Characters can be created on the spot.
Resources for the game are a bit limited, but a lot of them are free.
Not as many resources in the system to help a GM come up with story ideas.
A simpler superhero game from the designer of Mutants and Masterminds. This is the pick up and play superheroes game based on the FATE system.
Versatility
This game is not meant to have a versatile character creation system. It’s simply supposed to be fast.
You randomly roll up a character, and in about fifteen minutes, you’re ready to play. There is an optional point buy system but it’s not as fun as rolling up a character. The powers here are limited.
However, the gameplay is VERY open. It’s a very versatile system in that it allows players to really play out their powers in a very limitless way.
Crunch –Lite
The game is based on the FATE system. It’s really a very lite system. Easy to pick up. Easy to understand.
GM Friendliness
This is a very easy and fun system. It’s unique and expressive. You can play this game without prep time. Characters can be created on the spot.
Resources for story and adventure creation aren’t very robust.
Still, this is a great system. Especially if you just want to get a game up and running fast.
Prowlers & Paragons (P&P) is the game I just recently became aware of. The art for the game really caught my eye. It’s the best things about the books.
That said, it’s also a pretty good system.
Versatility
Like Champions and M&M, character creation in P&P is very robust. You can make anything you can think to make and you can do it relatively quick.
This systems emphasizes, storytelling over rules. This makes it very easy to simulate superheroic situations you might find in comics.
It has a points systems called “Resolve” that is awarded to players many different ways. The “Resolve” points can be use do to, many things that play up the heroic aspects of characters in play.
It also has an “exploding dice” system, that only make the game that much cooler.
Crunch – Lite
P&P is very rules lite. It’s meant to be more about the story than the mechanics. The mechanics are there mostly to enforce creativity.
It’s easy to learn, and easy to play.
Character creation is simple. Almost no math required…almost.
GM Friendliness
When the players are inputting as much story into the game as the GM, it can only make the game easier to run. This is much more a collaborative storytelling session than it is the GM having to come up with everything.
Characters can be improvised on the fly. There’s plenty of resources and idea generators in the book to help create adventures.
Great superhero game system.
What’s Your Favorite System
Do you play superhero tabletop RPGs? What’s you’re favorite? Let me know in the comments below.
Want Me to Draw Your RPG Superhero Character?
I’m currently experimenting and I’m curious about maybe drawing some superhero characters that you may have made up. I’ll do them from free (for a limited time.) I’d just like your permission to make a video of me drawing it.
Let me know if you’re interested by commenting below.
SUPERHEROES/TV SHOWS – What to Watch if you Like the ARROW TV Show.
The TV show Arrow has introduced Green Arrow to a larger audience than the comics have. If it’s made you a fan of the character and makes you crave a bit more of him, I’ll show you where to get more.
Besides the comics, which I recommend, there are other shows Green Arrow makes an appearance in that you might be interested in. So I’ve made a list.
While picking up Black Canary at the airport, Count Vertigo and the Merlin show up and are up to no good.
If you’re curious about how different the Arrow TV show is to the Green Arrow character as he’s originally been written in the comics, this is a great way to find out.
In JLU, you will get much deeper into the character of Green Arrow than you do in the animated short above. You especially, get to see how well he interacts with other superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
He’s a very entertaining guy on his own but when he meets Black Canary in the show, it gets even more fun.
If you’re interested, here are the episodes of the shows where he is most prominently featured:
My favorite animated superhero cartoon also features Green Arrow, although, not a lot. He only make a substantial appearance in two episodes in season 2 of the show, and one is very dramatic. Those episodes are:
“Salvage”
“Satisfaction”
The thing that makes Green Arrow worth watching in the show is his relationship with Roy Harker, his protégé. Roy in Young Justice reminds me a lot of the Roy in the Arrow TV show.
I think, as a fan of Arrow, you might find this version of Roy fascinating. Especially when you discover what happens to him in season 2.
If you’re more interested in a live action version of Green Arrow, you can always give the Green Arrow of Smallville a try.
This version of the character was played by Justin Heartley and is no where near as dark and brooding as the Oliver in Arrow Still, he’s very much the antihero of the show.
That said, he’s no less interesting and heroic. He’s also quite a bit wittier and much more humorous.
Green Arrow made his appearance beginning is season 6 of Smallville and he stayed on till the show’s end. His role in the show is pretty significant .
I recommend giving this Green Arrow a try as well.
What Did I Miss?
Did I miss anything? Let me know on the comments below.
Otherwise, what do you think? Have you watched any of the things above? What do you think of my suggestions? Comment below.
If you want the best of the best, read that post. I won’t be writing about any of those movies in this list. Instead I’ll be writing about all the other movies that didn’t make that list.
The first of the DC animated movies. This one still holds up. It’s a great story, although it’s a tad predictable and Bruce Wayne seem a little out of character.
The character designs look a bit dated compared to the much more sleek designs in later movies.
The uncut version of this is pretty darn awesome. By far one of the best of the animated superhero movies. Sleek designs, a cool story with an incredible dramatic twist.
The portrayal of the Joker in this movie is one of the darkest. It’s a very intense movie and the hand drawn special effect are worth studying.
Alright, so this movie is really bad. It just isn’t very good. It’s the story of how Doomsday kills Superman.
The problem is that this story was done so much better in the Superman Animated Series. It had so much more resonance and pathos than this movie had and it was produced by the same people.
All that said, it’s a guilty pleasure because it’s got some of the best superhero fighting in an animated superhero movie.
People who think that the destruction of Metropolis in the live action Man of Steel was excessive, obviously haven’t seen this movie.
The movie looks great, and there’s some really good acting moments in it. Especially in the character of Lois Lane.
Is it worth watching?
Only if you watch it to see some great fights. Otherwise, pass.
Based on the comic by Darwin Cooke that, I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t read yet. It made me curious about how much better the comic might be.
I thought this movie was okay but it wasn’t as good I heard the comic was. Thing is, I think the movie spoiled the comic for me and I didn’t much like the story here.
Batman’s voice was weird and the story was a bit upsetting somehow.
I loved the designs and the era this movie took place in. It’s visually a fantastic movie.
Is it worth watching?
Sort of. It’s not the best thing out there but it’s neat.
Batman goes anime in this anthology. This is basically a Japanese retelling of the Batman Animated Series episode Legends of the Dark Knight.
It’s also following in the footsteps of the Animatrix animated anthology. It allows Japanese animation directors to tell their version of a Batman story.
I like anime but I wasn’t very impressed with this movie. I don’t even own a copy. I though it was interesting but I’d rather watch the animated series version. It was much more fun.
Is it worth watching?
I think so, if your a Batman fan and want to see interesting takes on the character.
I love Ed McGinnis’ artwork, however, I don’t think it translates very well into animation. At least, not in the way it was translated in this movie.
I find a lot of the characters designs in this movie not to my taste. Especially Powergirl.
All that said, this is one of the more entertaining superhero animated movies DC has put out. It’s adapted from a Superman/Batman comic written by Jeph Loeb that’s just as fun to read.
Yet another adaptation of a story from the Superman/Batman comics written by Jeph Loeb.
This time the art style was an adaptation of the late Micheal Turner’s. Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of his style.
For some reason, the first time I watched it, it really left a bad impression. I had a difficult time liking it.
However, I’ve changed my mind about it now. I really enjoy it. Especially because is has some of the best Wonder Woman fighting scenes in any animated DC product out there.
This is a Green Lantern animated anthology. It’s actually quite fun.
Nathan Fillion voices Hall Jordan and fits the part perfectly.
The character designs are fantastic, the animation is great, and the short stories are fun. However, if you’re not much of a fan of Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corp, you might not like this.
This one is an adaptation of Mark Waid’s Tower of Babel, Justice League story line. It’s one of my all time favorite Justice League stories.
When I heard they were going to do an animated version, I was thrilled. The movie even has the same character designs as my favorite animated superhero TV show, Young Justice.
However, when I actually watched the movie, it simply wasn’t the same as the comic. They changed it just enough to make the story too different from it’s comic book counterpart, for me.
Is it worth watching?
Only if you’re a completest like me. Otherwise, pass.
This movie has cured me from ever wanting to draw gigantically buff superheroes ever again. The dudes in this movie are HUGE.
It’s an interesting story. It’s a lot of fun to watch. I read the comics this movie was adapted from and they did a great job of capturing the essence of the comics.
It has, hands down, one of the most badass versions of Aquaman in any animated anything. He’s awesome and super scary.
After watching this movie, you’ll never see Aquaman the same way again. Respect the Aquaman.
This movie is a Flash movie however. And he’s a great character to watch.
Is it worth watching?
Yeah. It basically ushers in the New 52 era of animated superhero movies.
The very different designs continues with this adaptation of the New 52 Justice League comic, written by Geoff Johns.
I was disappointed with this movie.
This is also one of the worst depictions of Wonder Woman in any of the animated movies or series. She comes across a bit dopey and her costume looks awful.
This is also the movie that introduced the Batman chin piece, that just looks weird.
There where a few laughs but…this movie just didn’t do it for me.
Is it worth watching?
Pass on this one.
EDIT 01/01/2015:
I’ve recently re-watched this movie. I also had the chance to read the comic is was based on. My thoughts have changed.
I still don’t like the designs as much, and Wonder Woman still comes across dopey. Turns out that bit is actually straight out of the comics. Yet, the second time around, I ended up enjoying this movie.
For starters, compared to the comic version, this movie is fantastic.
But, the reason I ended up changing my mind after I watched it the second time, it’s a fun beat ’em up. That’s all it really is, the Justice League fighting each other and fighting bad guys. It’s mindless and fun. If you go into it wanting more, you’ll be disappointed like I was initially.
This movie should really be called “Suicide Squad” the animated movie, but no one would have bought that, so they use Batman’s name on the title.
This is basically a Oceans 11 with DC super villains.
The Suicide Squad is a group of super villains assembled by the government to do suicide mission in exchange for pardons. Bombs are implanted in their heads so they stay in line and follow orders during the mission.
The team has made an appearance in the Smallville TV show and on the Arrow TV show. Warners is also planning a live action movie.
This particular movie takes place in the “Batman: Arkham” video game universe.
I have to say, I didn’t expect much when I put it in to watch the movie but I ended up loving it. It’s a great story. A lot of fun. Very violent, so it’s not for kids.
I like the designs on most of the characters. The take on each character is great.
The protagonist of the movie is not Batman but Deadshot. He’s the lead and he’s very cool. Batman is secondary character. This is a good thing. It makes him even more mysterious.
This is definitely one of the best animated superhero movies Warners has produced in a while.
Is it worth watching?
Absolutely
Thought?
What do you think? Which movies do you like most?
Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on some of these movies.
The question is, which one of these two movies will do better that weekend?
There’s no way of knowing, of course. All we can do is speculate. That said, I’ve made a bet at work on which movie will do better.
But before I get into that let’s take a look at what each movie has going for it.
What Captain America 3 Brings to the Table
The Pros
Captain America 2 is one of best live action superhero movies ever made. It’s arguably THE best superhero movie. Captain America as a mainstream character has earned a huge reputation because of Cap 2.
The TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps you involved in the Marvel Universe while you wait for the next feature, and it ties in nicely to Cap. 2.
By the time Cap.3 comes out, Avengers 2 would have also come out. Depending on how well that movie is received, Capt 3 will have some great momentum.
Marvel has a good stuff together when it comes to their superhero movies and is building a solid brand.
The Cons
Cap. 2 was so good, it’s got a LOT to live up to. And if Avengers 2 is good, it’s even got MORE to live up to. It’s possible that if the story is good but not fantastic, it’s going to get bad word of mouth because of over hyped expectations. This is, what happened to Dark Knight Rises.
What Man of Steel 2 (Superman vs. Batman) Brings to the Table
The Pros
It’s going to have Batman in it. He’s arguably the most popular mainstream Superhero in the world.
It’s going to have Diana Prince and possibly have her dresses in her alter ego, Wonder Woman. This would be the first time she has ever been in a feature film. That’s a big deal. Who doesn’t want to see that?
The potential of this movie being a set up for a Justice League movie, gives this movie a high curiosity factor.
And if it’s story is more solid than Man of Steel‘s, it’s going to get great word of mouth.
The Cons
The first Man of Steel movie was very divisive. It had plot holes and some people didn’t like the take on Superman. Warner’s doesn’t really seem to have a solid plan with their Superhero movies. They’re hit or miss which doesn’t give people too much confidence in their movie brand. Also, many people don’t like the idea of Ben Affleck playing Batman.
My Bet
Last week I was having a conversation about the latest Superhero movies with a director friend of mine.
The conversation eventually turned to Cap 3 and the Man of Steel sequel.
We started talking about the potential pros and cons of each movie. Then my friend asked me which one of these movies would “win.”
“I think it’s going to be Superman vs. Batman,. It’s got Batman in it. Ben Affleck or no, I think more people have more invested in Batman then Cap.”
My friend thought Cap. 3 would win, because Cap 2 was so spectacularly good. So he said,
“Bet you five buck Cap. 3 wins.”
“Ha ha ha, alright, I’ll take that bet,” so we shook on it, “We’ll find out in two years who’s right.”
The winning movie is the movie that makes the most money out of the two, once it leaves most theaters. We’ll see which movie does better.
ANIMATION/SUPERHEROES – Four Reasons Young Justice is the Best Superhero Animated Series
Hands down,Young Justice is the Best Superhero Animated Series.
There are other animated superhero shows that come very close. Justice Leagueanimated andJustice League Unlimited do so, but Young Justice takes what those two shows did so well and elevates it to another level.
If you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out.
Here’s Why:
Fantastic Art
Young Justice is one of the best drawn animated series the U.S. has ever produced. It’s only rival isThe Legend of Korra .
The character designs are great and the action is fantastic.
The look of the show very much appeals to a much older audience. It captures the superhero comic book feel very well.
I love just looking at the show. It makes the heroes look so darn cool. Very well done.
Great Characters
Although this show doesn’t have nearly as many characters as a show like Justice League Unlimited, the characters that show up are really great.
From the very first episodes you get a taste of what these characters are like and how they work together.
This show is not about Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, and the rest. It’s about the young people in all these heroes’ lives.
Characters like:
Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Artemis, and a brand new original Aqualad is also introduced.
You might dismiss these characters as “lame” or “just sidekicks,” but the way they’re written makes each one very compelling. You’d think it would be odd to have Aqualad for example, but he’s one of the best characters in the series. He’s a Water Wizard and does more than just breath underwater and control fish.
The fact that they’re young and are learning to take on more and more dangerous responsibility, makes them even more compelling. In other words, these characters turn out to be VERY cool.
But the roster of characters doesn’t stop with them. The team roster eventually increases as we enter into the second season. Characters like Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Zatana, and even Nightwing make an appearance.
I also like the relationships between the young team and the older Justice Leaguers. Especially the very tense relationship between Superman and Superboy. In this show Superboy is clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. Something Superman is NOT comfortable with, at all.
He expresses this by not wanting to have anything to do with Superboy, who is in desperate need of a father figure like Superman. This really is some of the more dramatic elements of the show.
Which leads me to the other thing I love about this show. The…
Unexpected Storylines
As you can see from the unexpected reaction Superman has to Superboy, this show loves to throw Monkey Wrenches at your Superhero expectations. These storyline are the heart and soul of the show. They keep you coming back for more.
Stuff the happens in the this show often leaves you in stunned silence.
The general rule of this show is, expect the unexpected. From the first episode, characters you think will join the team, don’t. A character you think will lead the team doesn’t. Characters you don’t expect to get together, do.
There’s characters that are working for bad guys in the team. There’s backstabbing, betrayals, five year skips in time that keep you scrambling to know what happened.
There are even stories where the entire Justice League is not even on Earth for months, leaving the young team in charge of the world.
I LOVE it. The Stories are so fun. You never see them coming. There’s some truly gutsy storytelling in this show. They take elements that we’ve seen in shows like Justice League animated and Justice League Unlimited and take it to a whole other level.
All this leads to…
Fun Drama
The combination of these great characters doing unexpected things through out the show leads to some really dramatic stuff.
I really can’t convey how awesome this stuff is. It’s very hard, without spoiling it all. Needless to say, this stuff gets emotionally epic really quick.
That characters are young. They’re learning to be adults. They’re reckless and eager to prove themselves. This combined with all the twists and turns the show throws out is a recipe for very high drama.
It’s good and it’s fun.
The Best Animated Superhero TV Show
http://youtu.be/UMs6_QOV10g
The four things above individually would have made Young Justice a good show, but in unison, they make it the best animated superhero TV show.
It’s so worth watching. It works as a stand alone show to watch.
It only ran two seasons unfortunately. Mostly because the Young Justice toys weren’t selling. NOT because of anything wrong with the show. If there was one flaw the show had, it was that is wasn’t kid friendly enough.
This should tell you right away how much more mature the stories where.
The best part for anyone who has Netflix, is that it was just released on streaming, so you can watch it all whenever you like. I recommend sooner than later.
If you’ve seen this show, sound off on the comments below.
SUPERHEROES/CATHOLICISM – If Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman Were Catholic Saints…
Superheroes inspire a lot of people to go out and be good people. They often embody the ideal virtues and morals, and overcome obstacles for the greater good of others. But before superheroes, the western world used to read about and was inspired by another group of people who’s stories had a similar function, namely, Catholic Saints.
Podcast host Jerzy Drozd and guest Ben Hatke, spoke about heroes in comics in the same way that informed Catholics speak about Saints. And Jerzy, who absolutely LOVES the 80s He-Man cartoons, uses the unintentional Christian morality play that those cartoons are, as part of the basis for his moral outlook.
I find this fascinating but it’s not unusual.
Documentaries like Legend of the Knight, show how people have taken a characters like Batman and have done the same thing that Jerzy does with He-Man.
What strikes me about these things is that, as a Catholic, I do the same thing but not with Superheroes.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Superheroes, but my moral compass and the examples of good morally heroic living are not them, but Christ and His Saints. In fact, I go so far as to judge the moral virtues and faults of Superheroes next to Christ and His Saints to see if they are indeed good moral examples in the first place.
Saints, History or Legends?
Now many stories of Catholic Saints are almost as fictitious as Superhero comics. They are only legends.
For example, just about everything we know about St. George is a legend. The only thing we can say is factual about him is that he was a…
Yet, there are other Saints who we know a lot about and whose stories are NOT “just legend” but history. Though many people wouldn’t believe it, some of these people (but by no means all) showed signs of God given “super powers,” a.k.a. charisms or Charistmata.in Catholic terminology.
Superhero Archetypes vs. “Saint Archetypes”
Once upon a time, in the western world, people would read the stories of these Saints and get inspired by them. ESPECIALLY since they were historical figures. They would read about their heroic virtuous lives, and think, “If they can do it, so can I,” and follow in their footsteps.
All this thinking lead me to wonder, if superheroes have replaced Saints as inspiration, are there any similarities between some Superheroes and some Saints? Are some Superheroes, archetypes of Saints?
I was surprised to find out the answer is mostly no.
I decided not to count the legendary Saint stories and only stick to the historical ones (I’m counting biblical stories as historical even though there are some poetic liberties in them). When I did that, I discovered, that there are no “Saint Archetype” in the same way that there are Superhero archetypes.
Or perhaps I should say, the Saint Archetypes are very different and more diverse than superhero archetypes.
Fortunately I DID find that there are SOME Saints that shared similarities to some Superheroes. Which brings me, finally, to the point of this article.
Which Superhero Resembles Which Saint?
If superheroes where Catholic Saints, which ones would they be? Which Saint do some superheroes most resemble?
I came up with about eleven. Here are only three. Mostly because it took me a long time to draw these pictures.
Here’s the first three from the list, with an explanation of why they resemble each other:
Superman, strange visitor from another planet, who fights a never ending battle for truth and Justice.
St. Michael, mysterious being from the metaphysical world, who fights evil in all it’s forms for He who IS Truth, Justice, Love and being itself.
Superman and St. Michael both are “Princes” or leaders of their respective groups. Both of them fly and fight to save human kind from those who would do us harm.
They are both paragons of virtue and embodiments of what it is to fight for good.
Both are symbols of hope. Superman, with his optimism and heroic moral virtue fighting the worst of the worst. St. Michael because he is the one who will defeat the dragon and his angels at the end of time as he did at it’s beginning (Rev. 12: 7-9).
Superman fights super powered bad guys. St. Michael literally fights against Satan and all his works.
Superman is a good example of goodness and saves people from death. St. Michael rescues “the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.” – New Advent: Catholic Encyclopedia
This comparison is a tad less elegant than the one above.
Batman fights bad guys but doesn’t kill. St. Martin started his career as a Centurion who, after his conversion, refused to take a life.
Bruce Wayne traveled the world to learn the skills he needed to become Batman. After being discharged from the army, St. Martin traveled, seeking to learn from St. Hilary, how to be a better Christian.
Batman fights in a city where truth and justice are corrupt. He often comes home bruised, scarred, and injured from his adventures. St. Martin opposed the Arian heretics who taught a false Christianity through out Illyricum distorting the truth of orthodox Christianity. He opposed them with such zeal, he was publicly scourged.
Batman prefers to work alone and has a secret headquarters called the “Batcave”. St. Martin preferred to be a hermit. He had several “Martincaves,” of sorts. One on the island of Gallinaria in the Gulf of Genoa, one on a piece of land, now called Liguge, and one in a desert, enclosed by a steep cliff and tributary on the other at Marmoutier.
Batman has a “batsignal” which is lit when he’s most needed. He helps those who most need him. St. Martin was on call by all those who needed him. And helped all those he could in many parts of his world.
Batman begrudgingly became part of the Justice League. He prefers to work alone or with a very small team. St. Martin refuses to be a Bishop of the town of Tours. He was tricked into it by having someone tell him his wife was dying and they needed his help, only to find out it was a lie. The town was waiting for him to declare him Bishop.
Batman’s example has lead other heroes to imitate him, such as Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Batwing, and Huntress to name a few. St. Martin’s example lead others to imitate him. He established monasteries full of followers in all the places he settled at.
Batman does what he does to prevent the type of injustice that lead to his parent’s tragic death to happen to anyone else. Near the end of his life, St. Martin defended the lives of some Spanish Priscillianist heretics, who were threatened with bloody persecution, presumably out of both Christian mercy and because he’d been in a similar spot himself once.
If Batman was a Catholic Saint, he’d most like have been St. Martin of Tours
Wonder Woman is known for her compassion for the down trodden. St. Joan was known for her compassion for the poor.
Wonder Woman is an icon and symbol of the strength women possess. St. Joan IS the actual example of this very thing.
In many stories, Wonder Woman had to prove herself in the eyes of those who saw her as “just a woman.” St. Joan had to prove that her help and what she said was true to everyone she was trying to help.
Wonder Woman is an example of feminine virtue. St. Joan, The Maid, truly was virtuous in every way. Not only a great example for women but a great example of strength and virtue for men as well.
Wonder Woman has an origin full of the mysticism of Greek Myth. St. Joan’s journey began through her supernatural experience.
Wonder Woman has some powerful and cool looking armor which she wears over her regular costume when she goes to war. St. Joan donned armor when she went into battle.
Wonder Woman fought in wars. St. Joan did as well.
If Wonder Woman was a Catholic Saint, she’d be Joan of Arc.
There’s More
That’s all I’ve got for now. Like I wrote above, I came up with a list of eleven comparisons but the drawing above take a long time to do.
I might do another batch of comparisons at a later date.
I will say that I’ve found a match of the 80s He-Man and it’s just PERFECT. I may just do that one as a one off just for Jerzy.
What do you think? Can you come up with some good matches, or better matches? Sound off on the comments below.
If you like this sort of thing, there’s more if you sign up for my newsletter. You get a free digital book with my drawings in it too.
ANIMATED/SUPERHERO/MOVIES – Top Ten Animated Superhero Movies.
Simpsons Quote:
Rainer Wolfcastle: Up and at them. Dialogue coach: No, “Up and atom”. Rainer Wolfcastle: Up and at them. Dialogue coach: Up and *atom*. Rainer Wolfcastle: Up and at them. Dialogue coach: [frustrated] Better.
I love watching animated cartoons. And one of my all-time favorite genres is superhero animated cartoons. There are other great animated Superhero movies out there besides The Incredibles.
Today I’m going to give you my top 10 animated superhero movies.
You can watch the video below or read the post with the links. I’ve embedded a trailer to each movie below.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, thanks for your support.
The Order of the List
Today I’m going to talk to you about my top 10 superhero animated movies. I consider all of these movies good.
The order that I’m going to put them in from 10 to 1, 1 being the number 1, the highest best one, as far as replay value, as far as me sitting down and wanting to watch it over and over.
So 10 being the one that I would want to experience less of, 1 being the one that I would want to watch over and over the most.
10. Batman Dark Knight Returns (Parts 1 and 2)
Beautiful movie. Great adaptation of the Frank Miller story, too dark and brooding for me. I remember reading it as a kid. I remember loving it. It no longer resonates with me as much, but the story and the production quality and everything about it, top notch, fantastic adaptation of the comic book.
9. Batman Year One.
Again, another Frank Miller story. I love how vulnerable Batman is in this movie. I like how great the adaptation from the graphic novel it is. Once again, too dark and brooding. I kind of don’t want to live in that place all the time. That’s just me.
8. Green Lantern: First Flight.
Fantastic movie, way better than the live action movie. It moves a little bit too fast, especially with the origin and all that, but great. I love it. Fantastic, highly recommend it, a lot of fun. If you love Green Lantern, this is the movie to watch.
7. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
This one’s a fun one. Evil Justice League versus good Justice League. Ultraman versus Superman, Owlman versus Batman, fantastic. Great stuff, very nihilistic, over-the-top ending. Great, I love it.
6. Planet Hulk.
Planet Hulk is great. Basically, it’s Gladiator with the Hulk in a different planet where he just becomes this — he just gets to let lose and fight and just — it’s epic. It’s based on a really cool comic book storyline, also, which I’d also recommend you read, but the movie, great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf13JRZKspM
5. Hulk Versus.
Now this is kind of almost cheating. These are not necessarily one movie. It’s two shorts compiled into one DVD where Hulk fights Wolverine and Hulk fights Thor. Cool. I like the designs more when he fights Wolverine. The story with Thor is a little bit better, but it’s cool fights anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJd4O2blM_A
4. Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam.
I don’t own this. It’s on Netflix. Fantastic. I love the fights. The Shazam!/Superma story is part of a showcase. A lot of those shorts came out as backup stories to some of these other animated movies. Superman and Shazam fight Black Adam and it’s just epic. There’s a lot destruction. Great, great, great. I highly recommend it. Pick it up.
3. Superman vs. The Elite.
I also don’t own this. One of my all-time favorite Superman animated movies. And it’s all about how Superman is irrelevant and nobody cares about him and how he should change and be different. It’s basically saying that to Superman’s face and how he reacts. Awesome, awesome story. Great, I highly recommend it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXUu91JrpzA
2. Batman Under the Red Hood.
Incredible. This is one of the all-time best-written Batman movies ever. It’s so good. Great, fantastic climactic moment when he has to make this really hard decision. It is incredible. If you haven’t seen this, you owe it to yourself to watch it. If you’re a Batman fan, this is the movie to watch.
1. All-Star Superman.
I don’t own this because it’s on Netflix. I don’t need to own it right now. The moment it’s off Netflix I’m buying it. I’ve seen this movie so many times like six, seven, eight times. I love it. It’s great, it’s fantastic. Highly recommend it. Best animated Superman movie. The best representation of the silver age Superman you will ever see.
Honorable Mention – Fleischer Superman.
It’s an honorable mention. Why? Because it kind of doesn’t fit as a movie. It kind of does though, because this is the very first movies of Superman ever. Endlessly re-watchable. One of the best animated superhero cartoons ever made period. But they’re not like movies. They’re just shorts. And there’s a lot of them. They’re not quite TV shows. They’re not quite movies. So that’s why they’re honorable mention. I still think that you should watch them.
So that’s my top 10 animated superhero movies. Let me know what you think. If you just watch them. If you think I’m crazy with my list let me know.
I agree with this. I want different kinds of animated movies besides JUST family movies. I don’t have anything against family movies. They’re great. My kids and I can watch them together and they’re safe for us to watch, but I’d like animation to explore beyond just those types of movies.
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is an encyclopedia of superhero ideas and resources worth owning even if you’re not planning to run this system.
with stats of the DC heroes in them. In fact, this is the version I own and I love it.
has introduced Green Arrow to a larger audience than the comics have. If it’s made you a fan of the character and makes you crave a bit more of him, I’ll show you where to get more.
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The uncut version of this is pretty darn awesome. By far one of the best of the animated superhero movies. Sleek designs, a cool story with an incredible dramatic twist.
, but it’s cool.
Again, another Frank Miller story. I love how vulnerable Batman is in this movie. I like how great the adaptation from the graphic novel it is. Once again, too dark and brooding. I kind of don’t want to live in that place all the time. That’s just me.
