A new hero for a new era >>>
Friday, May 29
Aquaman swims past $1 billion at worldwide box office
The third DC Comics film to cross $1 billion >>>
MCM London adds comic creators to line-up
Meet them in the show’s Comic Village >>>
DC Comics artist David Finch is MCM Birmingham’s latest draw
MCM sends up the Bat signal >>>
Odette Annable Cast As Reign, Supergirl Season 3’s Big Bad
The DC Blog itself has just confirmed the identity of the Supergirl season 3 villain. If you’ve seen the season finale, then you know a pretty solid hint about just where the villain is from. Now we know who they are, who’s playing them and their place in the comics. All of which are pretty interesting.
The villain’s name is Reign. She’s a genetically enhanced alien who was captured and genetically enhanced by Kryptonian scientists to be used as a weapon. She and the other members of her squad, known as the Worldkillers, were placed in hibernation. When they woke up, and fund Krypton destroyed and their captors dead, they set off in search of their homeworlds. However, Reign and three others wound up on Earth where they clashed with Supergirl. This all took place in the early days of the New 52 version of Supergirl and remains a high watermark in a very good run.
This is a really interesting choice for the show for any number of reasons. The choice of a New 52 villain is a brave one and the fact Reign is a Supergirl character rather than part of the Super-family itself is a welcome vote of confidence in the character. Most interesting of all is the way the show has already differed from the DC Comics version of the character. As we saw in the finale, there’s a deliberate element to Reign’s arrival on Earth which, if we had to guess, may be tied to Kryptonian politics and the enemies of the House of El striking at them from beyond the grave. Most interesting of all though is the fact Reign is in essence a child soldier. She’s the embodiment of Krypton at its absolute worst, whereas Kara is Krypton at its best. It’s going to be heady, complex drama watching these two different ideologies clash.
The best news of all is that Odette Anable has got the role. You’ve probably seen her as Odette Yustman in Cloverfield or Doctor Jessica Adams in House. She’s got natural authority, presence and vulnerability. Perfect for a character torn by rage and damage like Reign is.
We’ll get our first look at Anable in the role when Supergirl returns in the Autumn.
Geoff Johns’ Doomsday Clock puts Superman and Doctor Manhattan on a collision course
Affecting the “literal essence of DC” >>>
The Dark Knight Rises Attack Armour Bat-Pod and The Bat: Toy Reviews
Finally the question, “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” has been answered: Mattel.
The good thing is you won’t need to be a billionaire with your own secret research division at Wayne Enterprises to get your hands on these versions.
How do they compare with their onscreen counterparts?
The Bat-Pod
Well, the Bat-Pod matches up in its simplest form and then takes a few liberties with the vehicle seen in The Dark Knight Rises.
In a case of give and take, it is missing the kind of tires that make 90-degree turns possible but it adds in an extra piece that can be clipped on.
That provides armour and a big piece of firepower and while the weapon isn’t strictly canon, it is strictly a cannon.
Once built the Bat-Pod motorcycle has a nice, easy motion as it is pushed along the ground. Decent force in the cannon should also be able to knock over any Bane figure you stand in the way.
As for the figure that comes with it, both the scowl and the cowl look pretty good for a tiny man who is going to spend most of his time hidden away like the world’s most paranoid TT racer.
The Bat
Batman’s latest toy takes the Caped Crusader to, ahem, new heights as Christopher Nolan’s crime fighter gets a much needed lift [Stop it – Ed] in his fight against Bane.
However, The Bat would have been so much more impressive if Mattel had made its two rotor blades turn using battery power rather than having them momentarily spin when given a flick.
That would have been particularly welcome when using the handle to swoop around the room and dish out justice with your two front missiles.
The figure that comes with The Bat has to do a spot of flying himself so he is not quite as detailed as the one riding the Bat-Pod. Nice winged flying action when he springs from his concealed inner compartment, though.
The Dark Knight Rises Toys from Mattel (with a little bit of licencing help from DC Comics) are available now.