Superhero Cinema News » lex luthor

Action Comics, starring…Lex Luthor?

Jefferson — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:08:07 +0000

After several years of closely connected storylines, DC’s various Superman titles are now going in different directions, and perhaps the most dramatic change is that Action Comics, the title that Superman debuted in back in 1938, will now be headlined by none other than Lex Luthor.

When I first heard about it I was intrigued by the idea. Under the right writer Luthor is a fascinating character, and Paul Cornell, a veteran of British television (including the critically acclaimed Doctor Who episodes Human Nature and The Family of Blood) should bring a fresh perspective, and Cornell’s characterization of Luthor is definitely a highlight of the book. While he occasionally lapses into the tired ruthless corporate CEO cliché that has plagued the character since the 1980s, this Luthor has a cocky sparkle to him, and Cornell’s sharp writing makes me believe two important things: that Luthor is A: a genius and B: completely insane.

The story itself is serviceable, picking up where Luthor’s involvement in the Blackest Night storyline left off. His exposure to the orange power ring has left him even more greedy for power than he was before, and so he embarks on a quest to find a way to create his own power ring. He is assisted by the usual corporate toadies, but also with what may end up being one of the more interesting characters in the series: a robot duplicate of Lois Lane, programmed to challenge Luthor, to give him, in his own words, “a viewpoint that’s not entirely about need.”

Of course Luthor follows this explanation of the robot Lois’ purpose with the following statement, which really sums up the tone of the writing: “That will be especially useful when I’m becoming a god in space.” The plot really isn’t all that important, it’s just a vehicle for Luthor’s character.

Paul Cornell seems to have a firm handle on that character, and so far he has avoided the pitfalls that usually befall villain-led books, largely by avoiding having Superman or any other heroes appear in the story at all. This is Lex Luthor’s book, and the story is told squarely from his point of view. In his mind at least, he is the hero.

– Jefferson Powers

Superhero Cinema Fan Alert

Michael — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 20:46:24 +0000

From listening to the show, you know that i’m going to Dragon Con in Atlanta next week. While I can’t guarantee it, i’m hoping to get some interviews with some of the more than 100 guests who will be there.

Here’s where you all come in, i’ve never really done celebrity interviews, so I could use some help with questions for them.

Here is a list of the Superhero Cinema-related guests and what they’ve been in:

William Katt (Star, Greatest American Hero)
John Wesley Shipp (Star, The Flash)
Feedback (Who Wants to Be a Superhero)
Major Victory (Who Wants to Be a Superhero)
Fat Mama (Who Wants to Be a Superhero)
James Marsters (Braniac, Smallville, Lex Luthor, Superman:Doomsday)
Lori Petty (Live Wire, Superman: TAS, Tank Girl)
Louis Gossett Jr (Lucius Fox, The Batman, Jake, The Punisher)
Jonathan Frakes (Tim, Lois and Clark, Xanatos, Gargoyles)
Juliet Landau (Tala, Justice League)
David Faustino (Static Shock, Zeta Project, Batman Beyond)
Marc Singer (Dr Kirk Langstrom/ManBat, Batman: TAS, The Beastmaster)
Aaron Douglas (Blade 2)

If you have anything you would like me to ask any of these guests, i’m happy to be your voice. Email your questions to podcast@superherocinema.com. If you call and leave your questions as a voicemail, I will actually play your question for the celebrity and we will include it in the show, the number to leave your voicemail is 303-800-HERO, that’s 303-800-4376.

Any help you can send my way will be appreciated.

-Michael

Podcast Issue #6 – Getting Things Wrong

Michael — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:47:12 +0000

This was intended to be uploaded before the weekend, but preparations for the live event this weekend got in the way. In the meantime we got a story wrong (along with the rest of the internet).

Week of April 17, 2007

Emails:

1. We received another Fake news story from Blake, keep ‘em coming.

Corrections and Notes from the previous show:

1.    Nova was a member of the Nova Corps. and bore a very strong resemblance to Green Lantern.
2.    The Sandman is unlikely to be a movie any time soon.
3.    Secret Wars was done as storyline in the 90s Spider-Man animated series.
4.    Thanos was used in the 90s Silver Surfer series.

News:

1.    Ed Norton cast as Bruce Banner in the Incredible Hulk.
2.    Laurence Fishburne is the voice of Galactus in FF2. (Since we recorded this, this has since been corrected, he’s actually playing the voice of Silver Surfer).
3.    Christina Ricci joins the cast of Speed Racer as Trixie.
4.    Bill Smitrovich cast in Iron Man.
5.    First picture of Iron Man in the first model “Grey Armor” has hit the web.
6.    A new screenwriter on Punisher 2.
7.    Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) talks Smallville Season 7
8.    The creator of Ghost Rider is suing Marvel, Sony and anyone else with an address.
9.    The Tribeca film festival will host the US premiere of Spider-Man 3 next month in all 5 boroughs of New York City, http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org
10.    The festival will also have two panels on Superhero Movies.
11.    A Will Eisner documentary will also debut at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Discussion Topics:

1.    Heroes is back April 23, watch it, we love it.
2.    Read the graphic novels at http://nbc.com/heroes/novels we discuss how NBC has really created an active world outside of the show with the novels and the interactive text messages.
3.    The next show will be in front of a live audience at Starfest http://www.starland.com

Issue 6