WARNING: This article was dipped in Heavy Spoiler Sauce before being posted. If you don’t want spoilers, stop now and come back after the series is done.
Continue reading Crisis On Infinite Earths Episode One ReviewCategory: Batman
Crisis On Infinite Earths Predictions
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We discussed in our last podcast the 1985 comic series Crisis On Infinite Earths that is being adapted for this year’s Arrowverse crossover. For simplicity’s sake, we are also putting our predictions here. And yes, we are saying who will live or die. We’ll check back after the series is over to test how we did.
Since, as of this show’s recording, the series has not aired yet, we will give our predictions for how the Arrowverse version will differ. The show is linked above if you haven’t listened to it yet.
Continue reading Crisis On Infinite Earths Predictions
Wizard World Chicago Report
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NOTE: The wrong episode was previously uploaded,
Wizard World Chicago took place on the last weekend of August, the same weekend as Disney’s D23 Expo. Several celebrities participated in panels and Q&A sessions for fans.
First up, Jeff
Kevin Conroy quotes about (what else?) voicing Batman, working with Mark Hamill, and getting in front of the camera again for Crisis On Infinite Earths.
Dean Cain answered questions about playing Superman and gives his opinion of Henry Cavill.
Teddy Sears tells about what he knew ahead of time when playing Jay Garrick in The Flash.
And finally, Matt Ryan talks about his inspirations when playing Constantine in Legends Of Tomorrow.
Kevin Conroy On Being In Crisis On Infinite Earths
It’s no secret that this year’s CW “Arrowverse” crossover event, Crisis On Infinite Earths, will feature multiple versions of iconic DC superheroes. Among them will be an older Bruce Wayne, who will be played by veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy.
Conroy took part in several panels during Wizard World Chicago. One panel, which also featured Lois and Clark actor Dean Cain, asked the inevitable question about what this Bruce Wayne will be like.
“Well, I can’t tell you anything because I don’t know anything,” Conroy began “I just know that it’s an older version of Bruce Wayne. I haven’t seen the script. I haven’t seen any sketches, so I don’t know. But I am doing it.
“I think they [the producers] are nervous about actors releasing information,” he speculated.
“Who would you tell?” joked Cain, motioning to the audience.
“They won’t let us see scripts,” Conroy continued, “I honestly don’t know what it’s going to involve.”
One member of the audience asked what it was like to finally be playing Batman in a live-action project.
“I don’t know, it’s a little intimidating,” Conroy began. “I started out in
“How’d it go?” joked one audience member, which got a laugh from the crowd.
“But I haven’t done anything on camera… anything really since the late 90s. So a little intimidating. I don’t know what it’s going to be like, to be honest with you. I’ll just approach it like I do any other character. As an acting job.”
Later, when asked about Batman Beyond, in which he voiced an aging Bruce Wayne, Conroy did mention he suspects that he’ll be playing something similar to that version.
“Again, I don’t know because I haven’t seen the script, but I kind of suspect, from what they’re talking about me doing in this, it’s going to be very much like the older Bruce Wayne that I did in Batman Beyond. I think that’s the concept of what the character is going to be, but I don’t know.”
Crisis on Infinite Earths will air on The CW this winter, beginning with the December 8th episode of Supergirl.
Geekville Radio #242: Obi-Wan Is Back!
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Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Back (0:00)
After literally YEARS of rumors, Star Wars fans have confirmation that Ewan McGregor will finally be reprising the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+. Disney will likely make its official announcement at the upcoming D23 Expo.
Other rumors persist that McGregor will not only star in the yet-untitled series, but will also direct a few episodes as well.
An Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off feature film has been rumored ever since the announcement of standalone Star Wars movies was made. However, the less than stellar performance of Solo played a factor in those projects getting put on hold.
The format change to a series could be an
In addition to the Kenobi series, McGregor will be portraying the villain in two upcoming feature films, Doctor Sleep,
Snake-Eyes Movie (18:20)
Actor Henry Golding is rumored to be portraying Snake-Eyes in a spin-off film. This casting seemingly goes against the history of the popular GI Joe Character. In the franchise lore, Snake-Eyes was the lone American student in the Arashikage Clan and did not have Asian heritage.
That said, like with so many other remakes and rebrandings, the original lore is still there. It won’t get erased from existence if a retelling of Snake-Eyes happens.
Crisis On Infinite Earths Update (34:30)
The Arrowverse crossover Crisis On Infinite Earths continues to get more epic and amazing.
Airdates will be Supergirl 12/8, Batwoman 12/9, Flash 12/10. Then Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow on 1/14. So that’s five episodes in two parts, meaning it will also double as the mid-season cliffhanger.
Here is the list of guest characters we know
- Superman – Tyler Hoechlin
- Superman – Brandon Routh (Kingdom Come rumored)
- Lex Luthor – Jon Cryer
- Lois Lane – Elizabeth Tulloch
- Black Lightning – Cress Williams
- Bruce Wayne – Kevin Conroy (likely a future Batman)
- Robin – Burt Ward
- Monitor – LaMonica Garrett
- Anti-Monitor – LaMonica Garrett
- Pariah – Tom Cavanagh
Rumors persist that another Arrowverse show may be added in the 2020/2021 season. While nothing has been confirmed, there are several rumors.
- Titans has Berlanti’s name on it but takes advantage of DC Universe’s uncensored format and has a TV-MA rating.
- Booster Gold has been rumored for years.
Catwoman Official Clip From Batman: Hush
Batman: Hush, the animated movie adaption of the fan-favorite story from Batman issues #608-619, is currently available on Digital Download and DVD/Blu-Ray. This official clip showcases Catwoman, voiced by Jennifer Morrison on Once Upon A Time fame.
Batman: Hush is part of the ongoing DC Animated Universe and will start streaming next week on DC Universe.
Morrison joins the regular DCAU cast of Jason O’Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jerry O’Connell as Clark Kent/Superman, and Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane.
Batman vs. Superman in this clip from Hush
Batman: Hush is the latest story to be adapted into the DC Animated Movie Universe. You can check out a clip below that shows Batman rumbling with a possessed Superman.
Hush was a story by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee that originally appeared in Batman #608-619. It brought a classic Batman villain to the limelight and featured one of the few in-continuity confrontations between Batman and Superman.
Like most movies in the DCAMU, it features Jason O’Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jerry O’Connell as Superman/Clarke Kent, and Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane. Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon A Time and House joins the cast as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. It is available in stores, and on the DC Universe streaming service.
Kevin Conroy To Play Bruce Wayne In Crisis On Infinite Earths
One of the longest tenured voices in DC animation is at last going to step in front of cameras to reprise the role.
Kevin Conroy, who first began providing the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series, will be portraying Bruce Wayne in CW’s hotly-anticipated Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event. This marks the first time Conroy will play the character in a live-action production.
Conroy is no stranger to onscreen acting, having had roles on various TV shows throughout the years including Tour Of Duty and Murphy Brown.
The five-part series includes an already staggering list of actors who will undoubtedly play variations on their characters from different universes (or Earths as they are called in the series). That list includes Tyler Hoechlin (Superman), Burt Ward (Robin in the 1966 Batman TV series), Brandon Routh (The Atom AND Superman), Jon Cryer (Lex Luthor), Elizabeth Tolluch (Lois Lane), as well as the regular casts from the ongoing “Arrowverse” shows.
While it has only been announced that Conroy will be Bruce Wayne, it’s hard to imagine a Bruce Wayne that doesn’t come with a Batman attached. Could we see Bruce from Batman Beyond? Dark Knight Returns? Or could we see even see a Kingdom Come counterpart to Brandon Routh’s Superman?
The five-part mini-series will begin in December. However, do not be surprised if there is a cliffhanger as the show will take a holiday break and conclude in January.
Batman/TMNT Crossover Review
Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Two franchises that have been around for decades and seen countless variations reach amazing levels of mainstream success. A meeting of the two seems like a natural step doesn’t it?
That’s just what happened in late 2015 when IDW joined forces with DC Comics to present the first official pairing. Two more crossovers followed, as well as an animated movie adaption.
I’ll still give a mild spoiler warning. I won’t give away massive plot points, but if you want to be completely spoiler-free read the comic and watch the video first.
Limited Series/Hardcover Adaption
Originally published as a six-issue crossover, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saw the Turtles brought into the DC Comics world. Ever since DC vs. Marvel, it seems every crossover has to be done with the premise of one side coming from a different world.
Veteran Batman writer James Tyrion IV handles the story, with Freddie Williams II doing the artwork. The pairing absolutely works. Batman looks just as he always has, while the Turtles still manage to have the classic Mirage Studios look without feeling out of place next to The Dark Knight.
The premise is simple. Krang sent The Turtles, along with Shredder and his Foot Clan minions, to another world so he could be evil without their interference. See, in this incarnation, Shredder and Krang aren’t besties so they’re prone to sabotaging each other’s plans.
The rest of the story, for the most part, can easily be figured out. The two groups of heroes do not initially trust each other but learn to respect one another when push comes to shove. The interaction between Batman and Raphael is particularly good, given Raph is the hothead of his family and Bats has a history of dealing with hotheaded teenagers.
Currently, the complete story is available in an awesome hardcover collection that includes artwork from all the variant covers.
And yes, Batman does fight Shredder.
Blu-Ray Home Video
The Blu-ray adapts the first mini-series. However, the subplot of alternate worlds is left out, probably for simplicity’s sake. There are also characters in the comic that do not appear in the comic and vice versa. Plus the ending is completely different as it takes place at an Ace Chemical factory instead of Arkham Asylum like the comic.
The animation almost seems like a hybrid of Cartoon Network’s The Brave And The Bold crossed with the TMNT style of the early 2000s syndicated series. If you were hoping for a return to the 90s DCAU look, you might be a little disappointed*.
As far as the voice acting, none of the past TMNT voice actors reprise any roles. Fortunately, the actors who do appear perform the roles admirably and the voicing is top-notch as always.
That said, it really would have been that extra topping on the pizza to have the known voices like Rob Paulsen, Cam Clarke, or Kevin Michael Richardson in the mix. It’s very possible there are production reasons why it didn’t happen, but it still would have been cool.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Troy Baker taking a shot as Batman. I have said before that I literally hear Kevin Conroy’s voice in my head when I read Batman comics. Baker has previously filled in for Mark Hamill as The Joker and pulled it off so well even Hamill himself was impressed. He manages the same feat here with uncanny accuracy to Conroy’s Batman.
While there is nothing shown explicitly, there is a good deal of violence in the movie. An example of this is when Shredder and Ra’s Al-Ghul infiltrate Arkham Asylum. A security guard is shown trying to stop them and you see a flash of a blade. Moments later, the guard’s severed hand is used to open the security door that leads to The Joker’s cell. Another is when Shredder kills by throwing a shuriken into the back of a head.
There is no word yet, as of this writing, whether there will be additional movies. Based on this first outing we certainly hope there will be. Each franchise still has villains that haven’t been used yet, and with two more comics stories, there are easily two more movies worth of material.
Now, how about that long overdue TMNT/Daredevil crossover?
Comic Grade: A-
Blu-Ray Grade: B+
*A separate comic, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures was produced specifically to use the DCAU Batman.
Tom Welling as Batman in the Arrowverse?
Robert Pattinson will be playing Batman in future big screen Justice League films, but another fellow teenage heartthrob may be headed to TV for the same role.
Tom Welling recently appeared on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast Inside Of You. In the interview, he stated that he would be open to playing The Caped Crusader in The CW’s family of Arrowverse shows.
Welling, who is best known for portraying a young Clark Kent/Superman in the long-running show Smallville, had communication with Arrow showrunners earlier this year. He is reportedly appearing in Arrow’s final season in some capacity.
It is worth noting there is no official confirmation on what Welling’s role is as of yet. However, the show has an October start date. Whether the Dark Knight talk was a teaser or just a throwaway statement, will be known soon. If it does happen, it would make Welling the first actor to portray both Batman and Superman in live action productions.