The Pitch - Superman Versus The Elite

So this is how the new version of The Pitch is going to work; rather than breaking down every element of the film and even going so far as to "fan-cast" it, I'm going to be approaching this from more of a Production standpoint. How is the film going to work, what are the major plot points and what themes are we trying to translate into the film? Not only will these be quicker for me to write, but they should also be more to the point and, hopefully a more interesting read.


Superman Versus The Elite

I've written a bit about Superman films and how I believe they should work before, but part of what makes Superman Versus The Elite such an engaging story is how it challenges several questions that people often ask of the character of Superman. I think it's pretty telling when people ask "if Superman is so powerful, why doesn't he just fly the problem into the sun?" that the person asking isn't really all that familiar with Superman beyond perhaps a couple of the films. Superman is intended as a symbol of hope, which is where we want to take him over the next three films, raising him to the level of secular saint. Before we get there though, we need to shake the idea that Superman punching people is the most interesting part of the character. 

The film will pretty much follow the same basic structure as the Superman Versus The Elite animated film, with the first act introducing The Elite and having some political commentators challenge Superman's approach, the second act starting the conflict with the escalation into the final act. Because this film will be part of a series, the extra sections to bulk out the run-time to around 90mins will be world-building, introducing the new Lex Luthor, name-drops for Keystone City and Booster Gold, that sort of thing. This is a Superman film, however, so that's our focus, no cameos of characters outside his mythos, but we lay in the Fortess of Solitude, Luthor, Parasite, Metallo and the Phantom Zone to pay off in later films. They're not fully explained, just mentioned or shown briefly so that people know that they're there.

Superman Versus The Elite will be the most action-heavy of the films we're doing, with plenty of special effects and big fight scenes, especially the blow-out between Superman and Manchester Black in the last act. This is not only to put butts into seats, but the story of Superman Versus The Elite challenges the idea that Superman needs to fight to affect change, which will form the narrative through-line of the trilogy. 

Adaptation 

Naturally, some things need to change with adaptation, such is the nature of the beast and also of SWG rules. Honestly, in terms of scripting, it's not that big a deal, as the only part of the animated film that really needs to be quoted verbatim is Superman's big speech at the end, the one with the "How does it feel to be deconstructed?" bit, but maybe for fun put part of the "I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard" speech from Justice League Unlimited. Give Lois more dialogue, even if she's just talking to Supes or Jimmy, don't shoot Jimmy in the face and keep the red trunks on the costume even if it looks dumb because some traditions are important, damn it. 

The Fortress of Solitude looks like it does in the Donner films, Metropolis is retro-futuristic in a sleek 1950s style, the brief appearance of the Phantom Zone is closest to how it appears in Justice League Unlimited, but if a designer on the staff can come up with something better, that's good too. Unlike Supergirl, Manchester Black will have a full chest tattoo, not a shirt, but his race isn't super relevant. Coldcast, Menagerie and Hat need some changes, not simply to round them out to full characters, but each of them is a little not PC in their own way. Sure, Menagerie can be more sexual than Lois, but slut-shaming her has to go, as does Hat's consequence-free alcoholism and the examined slavery references around Coldcast. 

Oh, and we're doing the post-credits stuff, I don't care if it's copying Marvel Studios, it's a fun device and works for the serial storytelling of this genre. In this instance, we reveal the new Zod, who really needs to be in a Terrance Stamp style costume rather than the dumb Man of Steel power armour.

Superhero Media: Pokemon The First Movie Mewtwo Strikes Back

I want to talk about something specific with this one, but there's a few things to get out of the way first. One; I'm just going to call this Mewtwo Strikes Back to save on typing, ok? Two; don't worry, I won't be covering every single one of the several dozen Pokemon films, I just want to talk about this one and Detective Pikachu later on. Three; this film, and the (at the time of writing) upcoming remake caused quite a spectacular argument in my roleplaying group's Messenger chat. When I said the remake trailer looked interesting, but that I hoped the "shitty" ending had been changed, I received a rather personal insult in response, which I felt was unwarranted, but evidently, Mewtwo Strikes Back is a sacred cow in some circles. The people in question are 10 years younger than me, I saw the film in the cinema when I was 12, meaning they were probably 3 years old when it came out? Not sure what to make of that. I'm well aware that nostalgia doesn't really function for me, but Mewtwo Stikes Back seems a weird hill to die on. The ending is terrible though, Ash is brought back to life by magical Pokemon tears after Mewtwo turns him to stone. Garbage. 

I really didn't find much to enjoy in Mewtwo Strikes Back as an adult, even one who still enjoys Pokemon and plays the card game online. The story is basic, the characters are two-dimensional and the message of the film is muddled, with Pokemon battles being framed as a bad thing if they're not done for specific reasons. It feels like trying for an anti-violence message whilst maintaining the "monster battles" aspect of the franchise and it doesn't really land at all. The best part of Mewtwo Strikes Back is the titular antagonist who, as I've discussed before, is a great foil and anti-hero, still working through being a villain in this film. Created in a lab to be a living weapon, Mewtwo breaks free, shedding his power-focusing costume and develops a plan to conquer the world of Pokemon. Just how much time passes between his escape and the mysterious invitations being delivered to Pokemon trainers is unclear, but Metwtwo is able to build a tower, cloning machine, robot Pokeballs and a weather control machine by himself, clearly indicating himself to be the Pokemon Doctor Doom. When confronted by Mew, his "parent" Mewtwo fights until Ash is killed and revived and Mewtwo, Mew and the cloned Pokemon fly away into the sunset. 

Yeah, this isn't a good story, but I still find Mewtwo to be a compelling character in his own right, with just the right mix of Magneto and "Evil Clone" to build a good antihero narrative. Not many Pokemon, being analogous for the most part, have real personalities of which to speak, even the legendary ones, so Mewtwo is pretty special. Mewtwo is as much a character as many of the humans in the Pokemon setting, and perhaps more so than Ash, Red and the various Professors Tree, as he is driven by grief and loss he can't identify; rather than a search for something tangible, he seeks identity. For a "boss monster" from a 1990s video game about pet collection, Mewtwo is thoroughly interesting and really needs to be explored more as a character in his own right, rather than just an antagonist or foil, as in Detective Pikachu. I'm not sure what that story would be, perhaps a Pokemon take on Seven Years in Tibet and/or A Wizard of Earthsea, in which Mewtwo tries to find his identity and purpose in a world that only sees his power and threat? Food for thought.

Miniatures Finished: EDF IX

I'd kind of lost interest in painting 6mm vehicles, but then I noticed how much space they were taking up in my painting cue.

More ZIS Trucks, I actually got rid of a whole bunch, I had so many. (GHQ)

More T-34s (GHQ) and another T-72 (Eureka), the anachronistic T-72 will be used in Kaiju and Weird Wars games.

"The Black Rose" defense platform, fitted with a battery of laser cannon powerful enough to harry even the mightiest Kaiju. A smaller version of the same cannon can be seen next to it. (Spartan Games)

I'd like to say I'm just about done with my 6mm stuff, but I just got 85 new vehicles for free last night. I do promise, however, more big monsters and wacky stuff is coming in the pipe.

Superhero Media: The Incredibles

Man, another great film it took me way too long to get to. Do I really need to go over how amazing The Incredibles is? Many consider it to be the best superhero film ever made, though I disagree and would rank it number two or three, but I can't really say it's an incorrect opinion, just one I don't share. Is it any great shock though that The Incredibles is so good? I'll even defend Tomorrowland, generally regarded as Brad Bird's worst film, though I'm not a fan of the Mission Impossible series personally, as it's a valiant effort reaching for something interesting. I actually soured a little on The Incredibles for a few years after it got picked up by the Alt-Right and touted as an Objectivist piece; for longtime readers, I'm pretty damn far Left and not a big fan of Ayn Rand and the morons who worship her contradictory nonsense. Thankfully, I came across a "Renegade Cut" video on YouTube about Objectivisim in The Incredibles and how Brad Bird is clearly against that kind of thinking. Yes, the Incredible family are special people who aren't permitted to use their gifts, but those gifts are used to help other people at the personal cost of the gifted, not to profit or raise the gifted above others. 

Whilst The Incredibles centres around Robert Parr, aka Mister Incredible, it manages to be a story about almost every stage of life, with both Robert and Ellen struggling to find an identity outside of family in their middle age, as well as dealing with the physical effects of ageing and the strain of a years-long relationship showing cracks. Violet is hitting puberty like a bus into a wall and has no help to cope with it, whilst Dash is struggling to form his own identity as he stares down the end of his own childhood. Without meaning, without something tangibly better to hope for, the family is drifting apart and may soon fracture, not solely to Robert's selfishness, but certainly driven by his willful distance from his responsibilities. The great thing about Robert's character isn't that he's some "man-child" trope that needs to grow up, but instead the solution to his malaise is finding balance between his familial responsibilities and self-determination; during the montage scene, we see that getting to be a superhero again is not only good for Robert's self-esteem, but he is a better husband and father as well. 

The secondary characters are also brilliant, with Syndrome being a shockingly accurate prediction of Internet Fanboy culture and entitlement and why it's almost always a terrible idea to let the fans run the franchise. Hell, he even has an edgy '90s Image Comics name and costume elements hiding his wrists so that Liefeld doesn't have to draw them. And then there's Edna Mode, one of the greatest accidents in film history, voiced by Brad Bird himself after they couldn't find anyone else who could do the character justice; but also because they were running out of money and couldn't afford new cast members. Seriously, The Incredibles almost didn't happen and it's only because of some dodgy workarounds of the Screen Actors Guild that the voice recording was completed at all. Many of the incidental characters are voiced by crew members, not professional actors, because they didn't have to pay them. To me, that makes the whole enterprise even more amazing, even if I'm personally not a fan of bypassing Trade Unions. The Incredibles is, naturally, incredible, and always worth a watch, even if you don't like superheroes and/or animated films, it's just that good.

Sooper-Dooper Super Sayians - Part III

So, am I deliberately spelling the title of this series wrong every entry, or doing it because they're so far apart I forget how it's done? Your guess is probably as good as mine! So what happened to my Dragon Ball Super TCG gaming anyway? Well, my local group fell apart and I didn't feel like spending money on it anymore; especially seeing as I dropped nearly $100AUD on my Zamasu deck and only ever got to play it twice. Thankfully, the RetroDBZ online fandom came to my rescue with the new "FuZion" format, a blending or the Score, Retro and Panini versions of the game. Naturally, I'm annoyed that I have to disassemble my Retro decks and, in fact, my Freestyle Goku Dragon Balls and Freestyle Trunks Sword Beats are still together because I just can't bring myself to take them apart, but the advantages of smaller decks and leaving some of the idiotic Virtual cards behind are too good to ignore. I paired down my Sayian Gohan Beats deck easily, but the one I like best is Black Garlic Jr MPPV Balls. 

Man, that's a lot of jargon, let's explain a few things first. To play FuZion (or any format based on the Score build of the game), you'll need a few things; first up is a Main Personality, or MP, this is three to five cards depicting a character from the franchise, as pictured above. MPs aren't 'technically' part of the 60 card deck, and neither are a couple of other things you'll need, a Mastery and a Sensei. A Mastery dictates the "colour" of your deck, unlike Magic the Gathering or Pokemon, you have to stick to one "Martial Arts Style", my Garlic Jr deck is Black, which is pretty aggressive and focuses on discarding your opponent's cards. There's also Blue, Red, Orange, Sayian, Namekian and Freestyle. Blue and Orange are more defensive, Red is aggresive, with a few varying tricks here and there. Freestyle means that the deck can only be built with "non-styled" cards, so tend to be stronger for more popular characters like Goku and Cell. Only Sayian characters (for the most part) can use Sayain cards and the same for Nameks and Namekian, though Gohan can also use Namekian style because he was trained by Piccolo, which I always thought was neat. 

Sensei cards give your deck a little more punch and also act as a "Sideboard", giving you between 5 and 21 extra cards you can "opt-in" before a game. Because the cards taken out of your deck to make space for the Sensei cards are random, a lot of "top level" (for a game with maybe a few thousand players across the world) dislike using them unless they absolutely have to. I tend to be more flexible on it, as I'll most often use Sensei cards for Gohan, because there's no one card in that deck I "need" to win, less so for Garlic Jr, as accidentally removing one of the seven Dragon Balls can be a major issue. Then again, my player pool for this game is maybe three other people, so I never have to worry about tournament play or how "killer" my deck needs be. 

The meat of the deck is made up of 60 cards that match your Mastery and/or MP, there are Attacks, Blocks, Non-Combats, Drills, Allies, Dragon Balls, Setups, Locations and probably more things I've forgotten. Like any card game, the idea is to create synergy and win games. What I like best about FuZion is that the game has multiple win-conditions built in. The deck of 60 cards is technically called a "Life Deck", when the last card is drawn or discarded from the deck, that player is out of the game. Also, a player can win by controlling all seven Dragon Balls of the same set, or by reaching their highest level MP card and powering up to full. Deckbuilding is essentially a process of deciding which win conditions work best with your chosen MP and heading towards that. There's a few more elements to the game, like Anger Levels and the difference between Physical and Energy Attacks and Blocks and how Allies work, but I've gone on long enough this time. All that and more, next time on Dragon Ball Z!

Superhero Media: The Batman Vs Dracula

Most of the discussion I've come across of The Batman animated series is rather down on the entire programme, claiming it to be something of a sub-par take on the character. Now, I haven't seen much more than this film and a smattering of random episodes, but I strongly disagree with that statement. Sure, The Batman isn't as good as Batman the Animated Series, but by that logic, I shouldn't watch any films that aren't Citizen Kane, Seven Samurai or Breathless; The Batman is quite watchable on its own merits, and The Batman Vs Dracula is always a fun watch. The Batman Vs Dracula doesn't bother with any deep-lore diving, everyone knows who Dracula is and it doesn't matter how and why his coffin is in Gotham city, we're just here to see the Dark Knight battle the Son of the Dragon. The action ramps up pretty quick, with The Penguin being dominated into a Renfield role and helping Dracula spread his influence and track down Vicky Vale for a plot to bring Camilla, his bride, back to life. Or Undeath, rather. 

Camilla being Dracula's bride, rather than a lesbian inversion of his power dynamic, is a little odd, but I kind of don't care because Joker is now a Vampire! Kevin Michael Richardson plays Joker in this incarnation, which has more of an acrobat vibe with joke-shop gadgets, both factors diminishing his online reception, though I like Gadgeteer Joker as a contrast to all of Batman's "Wonderful Toys". Just be careful when looking up this version online, as racist rants about how Joker is "supposed to be white" are far too easy to come by. Using Joker as a guinea pig, Batman cures vampirism and sets about turning Gotham's citizenry human again with his serum and garlic-laced Baterangs. Of course, this doesn't work on Dracula himself, so Bats has to lure him towards a giant solar generator, carefully mentioned in Act One, and blast him with pure sunlight. All-in The Batman Vs Dracula runs a tight 80 minutes and is pretty satisfying, if disposable. 

One of the parts I like most about The Batman Vs Dracula (and, I suspect, the reason it's not terribly popular in the broader fandom) is that Batman is kind of out of his depth physically the entire time and has to rely on his cunning and detective skills. I mean, of course Batman can't beat up Dracula, he's freaking Dracula! In Captain Britian and MI:13, it takes Black Knight and the wielder of Excalibur to take Dracula down, of course a deranged orphan with a bat fetish can't take him down with throwing stars shaped like bats. I'm actually reminded of the big Darksied fight from the end of Justice League Unlimited, where Batman can't hurt Darksied, but is skilled enough to give him the runaround until Superman can cut loose. That's the kind of balance of responsibility in battle that makes the Justice League (and similar teams) work, I'd like to see more of it in film, including solo outings; from both DC and Marvel.

Miniatures Finished: Black Scorpion Tong

I thought I was done with my Tong for Empire of the Dead, but I picked up a few Boxer Chinese for free and decided to paint them up. Also, I was playing in a campaign and wanted to try out one of the vehicles, so needed something for that.

The model with the Jingai is a stand-in for a Death Ray when I need a bit more punch, otherwise the Boxers fit in well with my other Tong. 

 

The cart is from 4Ground and the Ox from Eureka, I tried to keep it generic enough to use for Samurai as well, but the Boxer just looks too Chinese to pass.

Superhero Media: The Avengers (2012)

Marvel Studios' The Avengers is, sad to say, far from the best Superhero film ever made, but it is certainly one of the most important achievements in superhero cinema. Put together by, what was still, an independent film studio, pre-Disney buyout, The Avengers is a tour-de-force of talented actors, ground-breaking CGI and ensemble storytelling never before seen in the genre. These days, it's easy to look back and spot the many flaws, like the overlit scenes, obvious plot and rush to the third act, but I feel that focusing on that kind of thing is really missing the point; the point being that this film is fucking awesome! I would have started reading Avengers comics when I was about twelve, and the film came out when I was twenty-two, meaning I waited for a literal decade to see this happen, and I loved it so much I saw it several times in the cinema. Much like my recent Invincible review, I'm tempted to just gush over everything that really worked in The Avengers, but I really can just settle for Loki, right? What a god damned amazing performance of a camp, preening villain, who was still chilling and threatening; right up to his scene with Hulk. 

What The Avengers is about, at its core, is family, specifically the surrogate families that we form around ourselves from friends and loved ones. Except for Hawkeye, none of the Avengers have much in the way of family, so they need to find and accept each other for who they are and what they bring to the table, even if what they bring is smashing. Speaking of Hawkeye, I'm still a little dark of his being on the wrong side for most of the film, but he makes up for it in the finale and in subsequent films. Now just get him some purple tracksuit pants and a one-eyed dog. And why not? The Avengers proves that fan-management and fan-service works when done well, like the various "Team-Up" moments in the Chitauri battle ripped straight from the Marvel Ultimate Alliance video games and Hawkeye's trick arrows, even if they are mostly 'splodie arrows at this point. We get to see why Cap is the leader even if Iron Man is technically the smartest on the team and the whole world celebrates the Avengers at the end, even if they only saved the one city. After the action finishes, boom, Thanos is coming, what an ending! 

And this is just the beginning! The Avengers introduced the idea of these characters crossing over and having relationships beyond the big team-ups and, after Iron Man 3, that became the norm, even if it was just Loki trying to make fun of Cap. The weird thing about The Avengers, even after the emotional journey reaching a climax in Endgame, this is still a damn fine film and well worth the watch. I know that some of the payoff in later films wasn't built in this far back, but retroactively developed, but damn, if it doesn't feel like there was a master plan all along; that's good film-making right there, even if Marvel or Superheroes aren't your thing. Though why are you reading this blog if that's the case? The backlash against "Cinematic Universes" and the Superhero genre has made The Avengers a popular punching bag and, I get it? I think it's a dumb thing to be mad about in terms of problems with the Hollywood film industry, but ok, you have your reasons. It doesn't stop The Avengers from being a fun film and one of the most influential blockbusters of the 2010s. Make no mistake, The Avengers is the new Star Wars.

My First Superhero Wargames Project

My first introduction to Superhero Miniatures Gaming was Heroclix, which I played for a while with my friends, but as the interest dropped and the cost increased, I let the game slip. I kept most of my collection and got into the habit of repainting them once I'd hit the age where painting miniatures started to be fun. Naturally, I needed an excuse to get more figures, and I still hadn't walked completely away from Warhammer 40,000 just yet. 

Back in 4th Edition, Grey Knights were part of the larger Daemonhunters army, which was one of the few forces a player could really go to town on as a modelling project, as it featured mostly elite units and individuals. At the time, The Ultimates was one of my favourite comics, in which the Ultimate Universe equivalent of the Avengers are put together by SHIELD in the wake of supervillain attacks and 9-11 paranoia. Essentially a military organisation, The Ultimates have enough backing to invade countries when needed and are considered unstoppable "Persons of Mass Destruction" by their critics and enemies. Naturally, these two ideas fit together nicely in my head. 

HQ 

General Nick Fury (Inquisitor Lord) 

This one was practically a gimme at the time, as not only is Ultimate Nick Fury a serious arse-kicker in his own right, but he's bristling with bleeding-edge spy-fi tech, meaning as an Inquisitor, I could load the character up with wargear that did spectacular things without pushing outside the original concept of the army. Also, Inquisitors come with a team of Henchmen, which enables a few more characters to be squeezed in. 
The Henchmen I gave General Fury where two SHIELD Agents (Sharon Carter and Jasper Sitwell), Captain Sam Wilson, plus Wasp and Scarlet Witch as "Warriors".


Captain America (Grey Knight Grand Master) 

Ultimate Cap is a bit more jingoistic and utilitarian than the versions most are familiar with, but is strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk briefly and kick over a tank. Naturally, this character is best embodied by the unstoppable might that is a Grey Knight Grand Master. A fun little combo that worked with the Daemonhunters army is that Sharon Carter had a "Teleport Homer", meaning Nick Fury could call Cap in to "Deep Strike", basically parachuting into the battle wherever he was needed; only without the parachute, because Captain America doesn't wear parachutes, he says they're for girls. 

For his team of Grey Knight Terminators, Cap is bringing The Thing, Giant Man, Hulk and Colossus, all big, tough guys who fill out the Terminator stat line nicely. True, none of these characters are known for having ranged weapons (Storm Bolters), but there have never been decent figures of the Robotmen from Ultimates 2, which was my original idea.

Elites

Wolverine (Eversor Assassin) 

This one was another easy get, with the Eversor Assassin being a clawed, living super weapon, with a mysterious past and in the 40K universe already. Back in the day, the Eversor was a bit of a buzzsaw that was great at targeting characters, which is pretty much all Wolverine did for the first few volumes of Ultimate X-Men, as he was often Fury's "go-to guy" for applied death.


Spider-man, Moon Knight and Daredevil (Death Cult Assassins) 

(I don't know what this picture is from, but it's pretty funny) 

I'm not sure if they're still around, but Death Cult Assassins were a fun little unit that came in threes but acted independently, each one being a decent close combat fighter. Given that Ultimate Daredevil ran a team including Spider-Man and Moon Knight, I found these three a pretty easy pick for both another elite unit and a way to cram more superheroes into the army.


Troops

Black Widow and Hawkeye (Stormtrooper Veterans) 

Natasha and Clint are stone-cold killer black ops agents in The Ultimates, leading teams of heavily-armed soldiers against the kind of villains and aliens that the celebrity heroes can't be seen fighting. Inquisitors are often accompanied by Stormtrooper bodyguards, so picking up a couple of squads of 2000s US Marines and plonking Clint and Natasha down in the leadership role both looked effective and made sense for the overall army.

Heavy Support 

Iron Man and Thor (Grey Knight Dreadnaughts)

This part I was never really happy with, but back in the day, there was no option for something like Armiger Titans or allied Riptides, so Dreadnaughts were the only option for the two biggest Persons of Mass Destruction. In order to make up the "volume" of the model, they were going to be surrounded by effects on big display bases but I never really got that far. 

And there we go, that was the army that never was, though some parts of it did get finished along the way to where we are now. I could probably put the army together now pretty quickly, as I'm only missing a couple of minis, but I don't see the point. I mean, I already have a superhero-themed 40k army with Kill Team Aesir, do I really need another?