10 Best Comic Book Stories

10 Best Comic Book Stories:

Comic books usually come out monthly and though reading them from month to month gives us a really great saga of stories to look forward to, I would argue that the best stories are those that stand alone. The rules for this list aren't too specific. If it's generally sold as a trade paperback novel and well known enough to make it onto this list then it counts. In no particular order, lets get started.

PLANET HULK:
Written by Greg Pak, the premise of this Hulk story is as follows:
 Tony Stark, Reed Richards and the other smart people of the Marvel Universe send the Hulk away for his, (and everyone else's well-being). They kidnap Bruce Banner, lock him in a rocket, and send him to a deserted planet. But things go wrong (as if they weren't already), when Hulk breaks the navigation system in a rage and crash lands upon a planet where he is forced to fight other aliens gladiator style. This is great because we see a side of Hulk that we don't normally see and that is just the Hulk. Bruce doesn't make many appearances because he is Hulk all the time. Never fear, he does talk and it's actually an affecting comic. One for the shelves.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN:
Written by comic book legend Grant Morrison and analogous to the insane, All Star Batman and Robin, this story chronicles the last days of Superman. When he saves the first manned mission to the sun from a crash, he is exposed to so much solar energy that his powers are tripled, yet his body starts to deteriorate. These are the last days of Superman on the planet. This one is really affecting because Superman is no longer as "invincible" as he seems. You really get the feelings that he has for humanity, his friends and Lois Lane all in this great comic.

WATCHMEN:
Set in a universe where superheros have more or less been outlawed unless registered with the United States Government. We follow the exploits of Rorschach, Nite Owl, Dr. Manhatten, The Comedian, Ozymandius, and the Silk Spectre. These "ordinary humans who have taken the extraordinary step of becoming costumed vigilantes", (Cinefix), find out that somebody is killing off all the old Minutemen, (an old team of superheroes). They band together to find out who is killing the heroes and find a plan much bigger than they imagined. I didn't really sell this comic very well but it's truly one of the greatest. You know it's good however when it has been critically acclaimed as the best graphic novel of all time and has not gone out of print since it's release. The author, Alan Moore really did a fantastic job with this story and it is a very essential book.

THE DARK PHOENIX SAGA:
Acclaimed as one of the best X-men story-lines of all time, this story follows Jean Grey becoming exposed to a radioactive solar flare which allows her to reach full potential as a telepath. When she arrives back on earth she has becoming an ultimate being of power, one that she tries to restrain. But when The Mastermind makes her think that she is actually "Lady Grey" of the Hellfire Club she believes she is evil and it is up to the X-men to stop her, including the love of her life. Cyclops. The writer, Chris Claremont presents a unique view of the X-men's relationship with Jean Grey and how hard it is on them for her to become the entity known as the Phoenix.

THE KILLING JOKE:
Once again, Alan Moore brings something spectacular to the table. This harrowing Batman tale chronicles the events that led to the Joker becoming who he is now and the present day story of the Joker endlessly torturing Commissioner Gordon almost to the point of insanity. It's a grave tale for the Batman family and even more chilling when we find out how the Joker came to be. All of Alan Moore's work is excellent but this is a truly stellar work of art and narrative.

SECRET WAR (2005):
Not to be confused with Secret Wars, Writer Brian Michael Bendis brought us the story line of Secret War. When a bunch of B-List supervillians are superpowered and under the orders of the country of Latveria, it's up to the likes of Nick Fury, Captain America, Daredevil, Spiderman, Luke Cage, Wolverine, and Black Widow to quietly overthrow Lucia Von Bardas, the cyborg leader of Latveria. World crises ensue and it's up to the heroes to fix things.

BLACKEST NIGHT:
Geoff Johns, major DC writer introduced Green Lantern as a major principal character in the sea of Justice Leaguers. In this story we see a new type of Lantern Corps arrive in the Universe, the Black Lanterns. These lanterns deal specifically with reanimating the dead and eating all life. Not only does this story deal with those problems but it explains the rest of the Lantern's emotional spectrum from red to violet. It's fun to see so many heroes all joining together especially in a cosmic adventure as good as this.

V FOR VENDETTA:
The last of Alan Moore's comics on this list, V for Vendetta is a epic look at a dystopian 1997 in England. The government has taken the joy and freedom from the people and it becomes a truly dismal and sad state. Until a mysterious anarchist name V starts a ruckus in the civilization and what happens results in a very good story that not only comic book fans can enjoy. It really shows that people should not be afraid to speak up and their government cannot keep them stifled.

CIVIL WAR:
Soon to be adapted in movie form, this landmark event in the Marvel Universe, this story shows what would happen if every superhero were divided on their stance. A tragic accident kills many innocent people and the government steps in to ensure it never happens again. They start to register superheroes in order to know who is good or bad, vigilante or executive. The main pioneers for each cause being Ironman and Captain America. Mark Millar hits it out of the park with this stunning and shocking story that rocked the Marvel universe for years.

KINGDOM COME:
Alex Ross teams up with Mark Waid to bring yet another incredible comic. The original Justice League gives up their mantles after a hero by the name of Magog enters the public eye, who is not afraid to kill. Once Magog battles the Parasite it leaves the entire mid-west of America devastated and damaging America's food supply. Wonder Woman urges Superman to reform the Justice League in order to stop this. In these efforts there is a dichotomy between the league: Kill all those who oppose or reform the murderers. It's a cool look at all the superheroes in their old age, fighting one last battle paralleling the book of Revelations and the End of the World.

Batman v. Ironman: Dawn of Debates

Batman v. Ironman

One of the questions that I receive most is, "Who would win in a fight, Batman or Ironman?" It makes sense, they are both rich guys who have taken drastically different approaches at pursuing a life of fighting crime. This post is bound to be met with much debate and argument, but here's the thing, it's just my opinion. My opinion that is also based on hard facts. So this is how this will go, I'm going to first analyse the two, and then speculate how a fight between them would go and who would actually win. Bear in mind that comic book characters have many re-imaginings and versions to their character. So to keep this less confusing these heroes will be in their prime iteration. Also, we will stage these fights as if these two have never met each other before and they will fight accordingly, (Meaning Batman would aim to incapacitate, Ironman would go for the kill). With that said, lets get started.

Batman:

Background: Batman has traveled the world for twenty years mastering the art of man-hunting, deductive reasoning, martial arts, expert driving, archery, and a stack of others. In the DC Universe he is "The Worlds Greatest Detective" and loosely speaking he is the second best at everything else, (He is also one of the smartest, second only to Lex Luthor). He has reached peak human perfection, (without the use of a super soldier serum), he prepares for every eventuality and holds a seat on the Justice League, essentially an organization of gods.

Arsenal: Batman has personally engineered a suit capable of advanced stealth and combat functionality, a utility belt equipped with a Kryptonite Ring, a grappling gun, standard issue batarangs, propulsion grenades, (pretty much a grenade with a rocket that will propel you), a high frequency sonic emitter, explosive plastique gel, and whatever else the plot needs him to have. Not only that but he has built a suit capable of withstanding a fight with Superman, (left), and a suit capable of taking on the Justice League, (right). He has a plane, a car, a boat, and a tank, (like a really big tank). His cape allows him to glide through the air. His cowl has infrared detectors and night vision. He has smoke bombs, and all sorts of nonlethal guns that fire rubber bullets. Not only that but he engineered and built all of this for himself.

Hindrances: Bruce Wayne doesn't have many. Though nobody is without fault. He is only human, and his parents are a particular weak point, as is anybody who he has let close to him. Some may say that this isn't a bad thing but he is too driven and is too stubborn to even let anybody help him. Since he is only human, simply shooting him in that mouth gap is a big weakness, also tan lines.

Ironman:

Background: Tony Stark was captured and held in a cave where he was forced to built a metal suit in order to escape. Through this he stopped manufacturing arms for the country and started ending the conflicts around the world based upon engineering a suit that is literally a flying tank that can also punch you in the face. He is also the fifth smartest person in the Marvel Universe, which is still pretty cool considering the next four are overpowered geniuses.

Arsenal: Tony's arsenal is limited only to what he can outfit his suit with. He has multiple suits but in a battle like this he is most likely wearing whatever is standard issue, (same with Batman). His armor typically has a chest and hand repulsion, hand lasers that have been known to just cut anything in half, shoulder guns and rocket boots. He is also sometimes equipped with and EMP blast and often has missiles he can fire from his shoulders or back. He's a walking armory and he is very mobile and one punch would certainly send a man to the hospital or to the grave. 

Hindrances: As I said, no man is perfect, especially not Tony. He is a self proclaimed narcissist, an alcoholic and tends to just forget about people he even kind of likes. (Minus Jarvis and Pepper). He is kind of a daredevil and a hothead, but it's not necessarily a bad thing if he knew how to use it in combat and when the risk is not fatal.

Who Would Win?

Lets say we start these two off in an open field. They have never met each other. Batman has his usual suit, Tony has his usual suit. They perceive that one another is a threat, and they fight it out. Right off the bat I think that Tony would lift his face mask, smirk and say, "This guy is dressed like a bat? He's dressed like a bat!" then Batman would test the waters, throw a batarang right at his face. I suppose Tony would close his face mask and the batarang might perhaps shatter or bounce away letting Batman know right away how strong this suit actually is.

 Ironman flies into the air right at Batman, going straight for a punch. Batman dodges out of the way, quick and nimble as he is, Tony turns right around for a followup punch, in which Batman triggers an EMP which, (if Tony has built his suit correctly), shouldn't work against the Ironman suit. Tony laughs it off and goes for another punch, or perhaps a laser blast from his hands, Batman leaps out of the way, maybe it singes his cape.

 Tony goes for another flyby, and Batman places a propulsion grenade on Ironman's back without him knowing. The Propulsion grenade sends Tony straight into the ground, Batman dashes over and starts trying to tear away at the suit, any piece he can leverage off, he probably doesn't get very far. Ironman shakes Batman right off. Batman pulls out his high frequency sonic emitter and fries Ironman's ears, who goes down to the ground. Batman, learning from his mistakes, tethers him to the ground with the grappling gun, as Ironman tries to fly away he goes straight into the ground again. 

Batman calls in his Batplane, which bears down heavily on Ironman, (bear in mind that the Batplane can incapacitate heavy artillery vehicles). Ironman probably activates the many missiles he has in his suit to shoot the batplane down, crashing it into the field, then he probably cuts the cable. But while he was doing this, Batman places plastique on the boots of Ironman, blowing it while he's midair disabling his rocket boots and bringing him to the ground permanently. 

At this point Batman has probably pinpointed just exactly what powers the suit, that being the arc reactor in Tony's chest. Tony is enraged at this point, a seeming psychopath dressed as a bat just grounded him, he's not going to show off anymore. Repulsors and punches will with the day for Ironman, if only he could hit Batman who quickly works his way straight up to Ironman. Ironman starts to punch, Batman redirecting the hits and using Ironman's momentum against him flipping him about onto the ground. Batman reaches towards the reactor, punching the casing and twisting the reactor disabling the connection to the suit, then tears the chest plate off and replaces the arc reaction into Tony's chest, keeping him alive. Tony is now pinned to the ground in an Ironman suit without power. 

Lets say Ironman has safety precautions in case this were to happen and the suit uses backup power to launch Batman off of him and breaks off in pieces as Tony stands up in nothing but his under armor or suit or whatever he wears under the Ironman suit. Remember, Tony is just a guy, he doesn't really have any combat training, and at this point he is just another thug to Batman who proceeds to just beat the crap out of him. 

For the sake of drawing this out even longer, lets say that Tony call's in the Hulkbuster suit as seen in Age of Ultron and a bunch of other comics. Jarvis has it shipped to Tony immediatly, but it still takes a little bit and Tony is running around the field throwing whatever he has left at Batman, (which isn't a lot). The suit finally arrives.The Hulkbuster suit is equipped with adamantium tipped suppression needles and rocket propelled fists. It can also get punched really hard. Tony is now in a giant mech suit and Batman is left standing beneath this towering hunk of metal. One punch would kill Batman. To escelate this further lets say Batman call in the Batcopter carrying his Justice League defense suit (used to defend against the Justice League). While that's taking it's time to get to Batman he nimbly dodges away from Ironman, perhaps hopping on the back of the Hulkbuster suit and trying to tear out whatever wires or plating there could be, (probably in the neck region of the suit). Maybe he does some damage, but that Ironman suit is tough. 

Finally Batman's mech armor arrives, equipped with blades, ice slick, rocket propelled fists with miniature red dwarf suns in the knuckles (courtesy of Dr. Ray Palmer), Powdered magnesium carbonate foam, guns, and rocket boots. By now they are both sick of each other and they go all out throwing punches, needles, guns, rockets. But regardless I think the red sun's in the fists of Batman take out this armor exoskeleton fairly quickly. Tony is then left with just a regular Ironman suit. Batman just quickly takes that one out too, maybe they fly around for a bit before that. 

Lastly, for sake of Tony, he keeps calling in one suit after the other while slowly being tired out as the fight drags on. In the end of it all I think it just comes down to whether Batman can defend against all of Tony's suits longer than Tony can stay standing after all of the fighting. I'll let you decide that, (with the evidence presented).

Conclusion:

But really, these debates will never end. . At the end of the day it just depends on who is writing the comic book, who knows more about each character and who inevitably wants them to win. I tried to be as unbiased as possible, but as I said, there are a million people who will probably disagree, and that's fine I guess. 

In my opinion. Batman wins. It just really comes down to how well prepared Batman is for every eventuality in a fight. He has fought "ironmen" before, he has fought even the likes of Superman before. Batman has reached the peak of humanity and has trained to be the second best at everything, even metal suit making. Ironman is a formidable foe when in the suit, but when out of it there is no competition. To really understand this fight one must get to the core of each character. Strip them of their suits, their toys, their money, and their tech and Bruce win's simply because Bruce's ideals are purer, he has shown undying loyalty to his friends, (the few friends that he has), and will never give up on a fight, even if the outcome is fatal for him. Plus he's a ninja with or without the suit.

If anything, this whole debate shows that money is the best superpower.

Why Captain America, (As a Character), is Better.

Why Captain America is Correct.

Now, let me settle all the stupid Team-Cap/Team-Ironman disputes now, (by the way, quit saying Team-Ironman. Find a new name, it's not as easy to say as Team-Cap). Now, in the comic book, Civil War, the argument of whether Captain America's side of Civil War is the correct one is based on the readers views of the world more than this movie. In the book it is really more up to you regarding who is right. That being said here are some arguments based solely on the facts given and one major fact telling us who is the correct hero to follow, regardless of whether you just want to see Ironman pulp Captain America, (Which looks like you'd still be wrong. Did you see that fight in the trailer? Cap's got this).

1: Tony Stark is a bad person.
In the comic book, Tony is actually a pretty decent person. He isn't forcing anyone to sign this Superhero Registration legislation, but he figures that if people don't do it voluntarily then eventually something will happen and the government will force heroes to do it. Now I don't know Tony's motivations in the movie but from what we've seen, he is not a good person at all. What makes this whole thing really ridiculous is when Cap says, "He's my friend, Tony." and Tony says, "So was I." Let me ask you a question, did it ever occur to you that these two were friends, and not seconds from already punching each other? The answer is no, these two were always tense around each other. And even if Tony did consider him a "friend", that probably just means, "Hey I didn't forget about you like I did to literally every other person I've known."

2: Creating all the Villains:
That brings me to my next point. Tony created more world threats than Cap ever has, or ever will. To be fair, Obadiah stole the arc from Tony, but just recreated a suit that Tony made. The Russian guy in the second one, Ivan Vanko, you could argue Tony's Dad created him. However, by being a jerk, Tony created a villain out of Aldrich Killian, a seemingly nice guy at first, but turned out to be a terrorist because of how Tony forgot about him, (discount The Incredibles). And lets not forget when he created a robot A.I. which almost destroyed the earth. Not only that but he was an arms dealer for twenty years, and then when he quit that, he started another arms race centered around creating "Iron" supersuits around the world. Where is Ironman's comeuppance for that? Did he just write a check to the U.N. and they forgave him and that's how he got away with it? You know what? That's probably the correct answer.

3: Cap Hasn't Done Anything Bad:
On the flip side, Gen. Ross calls Cap a vigilante, and that he has acted against the government. That is one hundred percent bull crap! Cap, (In the movies), has only ever worked for the interest of S.H.E.I.L.D. or the government. What has Ironman done that Cap hasn't? Actually nothing. In fact Cap has done more for the government than Ironman has, see beginning of this paragraph. Cap can't just write a one billion dollar check and fix all his problems. Sure Bucky was a global threat, but he was brainwashed, and it's not like Cap isn't going to let him get away from the bad things he's done. I reckon he will work out a way for him to pay the world back for the bad things he was forced to do. Rather than let Ironman swoop in and take him out. If that is acting against the government, which Captain America technically works for, then I don't know what is.

4: This is Cap's movie:
As I've said in previous posts. This is called Captain America: Civil War not Avengers III: Civil War. So whatever happens, this is still Captain America's movie. No matter what he will presented in a good lighting and not presented as the bad guy. Even if Ironman and Cap become friends in the end and the fighting stops, it will not be shown that Cap was wrong. This is the one thing that I am more sure of. Take away all the previous points stated and you cannot deny that this is indeed Captain America's movie. He's the good guy in this. It's not Ironman's movie, he's a side character. As I've done before, it is the Dark Knight Returns of the Marvel universe in that it is about a hero who against all odds, (even that of a Red clad, more popular, superhero is presented as an obstacle), will prevail no matter what. Case and point, this is why Team-Cap is correct within the debate of the movie. Stop arguing. (And I mean, who doesn't want to see Tony get punched in the face? Face it, (literally, haha), Tony is the worst).

The Batman Family: Cassandra Cain, The Black Bat

The Batman Family:
Cassandra Cain, The Black Bat

Origins:
Just as there are many Robins in the Batman family, there are multiple Batgirls to keep note of. This post is dedicated to Cassandra Cain who is the second incarnation of the Batgirl. Cassandra Cain was raised in the League of Assassins. Her sole purpose from when she was born was to be the perfect body guard for Ra's Al Ghul. Her father, David Cain looked for the perfect mother in order to have the perfect ninja baby. He found this in Lady Shiva. From birth Cassandra was trained to be the ultimate martial artists. She wasn't even taught how to speak, but the areas in her brain responsible for speaking were trained instead to map out other opponents movements and anticipate their actions, an extra sense in place of speaking.

Oracle's Ward:
When she was 7 years old her father took her to murder a businessman in order to complete her training, though he disguised it as a game. When she killed the man she was scarred emotionally and abandoned her father realizing that it was wrong to kill after "reading" the businessman's final moments in life. She went to Gotham where she became an agent of Oracle, (the original Batgirl). When Cassandra saved Commissioner Gordon's life, Oracle and Batman contemplated letting the young girl in on their secrets. However, Batman feared she would meet the same fate as Jason Todd. He would not let her become the Batgirl until she could adequately defend herself. During this time a telepath helped her rewire her brain to understand English easier and begin to speak. She was soon ready to become Batgirl.

Batgirl:
She became Batgirl but wished that she could relearn how to read people's movements, like she had before the telepath "fixed" her. She met up with Lady Shiva in order to relearn her old talents. Lady Shiva agreed to help, only if they could duel to the death in a year. Cassandra willingly went along with it, knowing full well that she could not kill and would rather be "Perfect for a year" rather than "mediocre for a lifetime". When the fight came Cassandra was killed in minutes, Lady Shiva realized she wanted to die rather than actually fight. So Lady Shiva revived her and Cassandra found out that she was indeed her mother. She continued to be Batgirl.

Batman R.I.P:
Batman had become a father figure in Cassandra's life. When he was found out to be dead, (seemingly), she became disillusioned with her alter ego as the Batgirl and left the Wayne Manor leaving Tim Drake and Dick Grayson to run the operations in Gotham.

The Black Bat:
However, Tim Drake stayed in contact with Cassandra even after Bruce returned to create Batman Incorporated. The mantle of Batgirl had been passed on. Tim tries to persuade Cassandra to return to Gotham who had become an anonymous vigilante in Hong Kong. She refuses saying that Batgirl has moved on from her. So Tim gives Cassandra a copy of her old suit and tells her to keep the logo and join the corps of Batmen across the globe. So with that, Cassandra altered her costume and now fights crime in Hong Kong.

Star Wars Spin Offs

Star Wars Spin Offs:
With the massively successful release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens today, I have decided rather than spoil everything and talk about the movie, I would give you a post full of what may come next in the Star Wars universe regarding the very promising spin offs that have been confirmed and what we'd like to see. Now obviously we have Episode VII, and we will for sure get episodes VIII and IX. But in addition to these Disney has confirmed three spin off films in addition to the new trilogy. They have even given one of the spin offs a name. So lets talk about that.

Now you may be wondering, "Star Wars doesn't count as comics! Why are you writing about it on a comic book nerd blog?" There are Star Wars comics, and the majority of them are really good, so all this is still relevant, and I needed something topical for this week.

A Note Regarding Continuity:
So the Star Wars continuity has become a little complicated in order to make it a lot more simpler. When the original trilogy was released it wasn't long before the expanded universe began. The expanded universe is a large collection of books, comics and video games telling more stories and detailing the background of the Star Wars Universe. As it continued to grow Star Wars become exponentially more popular. However, the expanded universe is often mocked for containing too much backstory, (For instance, you can find a character bio on Wookiepedia.com for almost any alien in the Cantina scene from A New Hope). In order for Disney to wipe the slate clean they branded all the books and comics as "Legends", meaning that they are just stories, not actual canon.

So what is canon nowadays? The stories that are officially considered canon and will be recognized in the movies are:
 The prequel trilogy (despite how awful it is).
The Clone Wars TV Series.
The Rebels TV Series
and of course, The Original trilogy.

There have been some comics that have been made since they cut down the canon but all you really need to remember are the big movies. Now, on to the actual spin offs.

Rogue One:
Star Wars: Rogue One is the only officially announced Star Wars spin off at the moment. It chronicles the adventure of an X-wing fighter squadron called Rogue One. Their mission is to steal the plans to the Death Star in order for the Rebel Alliance to destroy it. It is set before A New Hope and will be released in December of 2016. This is promising because it's set alternately to the original trilogy and may give us a good look some old faces, (*cough cough, Darth Vader). Disney has also confirmed that there are two other spin offs that have not been announced, but they will show one between Episode VIII and IX and one after. So let's speculate what these other spin offs should be about.

Official Promotional Photo of Rogue One.

Obi Wan Kenobi Solo Movie:
There have been rumors floating around about this, and I'm one hundred percent on board. Just imagine this, Obi Wan Kenobi has  "killed" Anakin, he is in hiding, the Jedi order is disbanded and he's forced to live in hiding until Luke is ready to become a Jedi. We see a fairly stark contrast between Episode III Obi Wan Kenobi and the Ben Kenobi of Episode IV. He goes from a very disciplined and focused warrior to a grizzled old man who will cut your arm off when he's had enough of your crap. I want to see that transformation. I want to see what years of isolation and solo adventuring would be like for him. We could see a re-return of Darth Maul and how Obi Wan has to deal with that. Maybe he searches for other Jedi. Or maybe he literally just farms moisture on Tatooine. Regardless, I want to see it. Ewan Mcgregor has even expressed interest in reprising the role.

Boba Fett Solo Movie:
There have been rumors and I think this one is as good as confirmed. Here's why a Boba Fett movie would be cool. In the expanded universe Boba Fett is like the Batman of the Star Wars Universe. He's got a gadget for everything, a flamethrower, a sweet jetpack that he actually can control, and some really great stories revolving around him. But since everything but the movies have been retconned, he is actually just an idiotic Stormtrooper who was given a jetpack. And what would you expect a Stormtrooper to do if you gave him a jetpack? Fall into a Sarlacc pit because he didn't know how to work it. Lets see what led him from a rage filled boy who's father was decapitated to a bounty hunter who for some reason, hasn't ended up like all the other clones and knows how to aim. Lets see him either crawl out of that Sarlacc pit, or somebody else fishes his armor out of it and takes up the mantle. Do the character some justice.

Han and Lando:
There has been lots of speculation and interest towards a Han Solo film. It would most likely tell the story of him growing up, becoming a smuggler, doing something that makes Chewbacca owe him a life dept and obtaining the Millennium Falcoln from Lando. Or maybe just make a Han Solo/Lando Calrissian buddy movie. How great would that be? The Adventures of Han and Lando, with intermittent flashbacks to their childhoods. Is this a good idea? I don't know, there just so much potential for anything.

Darth Vader and the Empire:
There is a particularly good comic book called Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison. It tells of Darth Vader and his quest to save a mortally wounded Emperor Palpatine. In his plight to save him he will seek out the Ghost Prison in order to save him. This is just one story that is very promising but a movie focused around Vader and the Empire would be really cool to see. Maybe a Force Unleashed movie rendition, (The Force Unleashed being a video game about Darth Vader's secret Sith apprentice). I think there is some good material here and it isn't based in the unnecessarily convoluted prequel trilogy.

In conclusion, there are a lot of ideas to go with and honestly, I'm fine if we keep getting Star Wars movies forever. Here's how it works, if a garbage Star Wars movie is made, it will only increase the fandom's love for the originals, but if there is a new addition that is good, then hooray for everyone. But really in the end.....it's all just to sell more toys.

The 5 Smartest People in the Marvel Universe

Top 5 Smartest People in the Marvel Universe:

Due to the slight popularity of my "Top 5 Smartest People in the DC Universe" post, here is one detailing the brilliant heroes found within the Marvel Universe. Again, it takes a certain level of intelligence to become a super hero that doesn't horribly fail at everything, but these are those that stand out. So from smart to smarter here are the five outstandingly heroes in the Marvel Universe.

5.) Tony Stark
Little known fact, Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark was in fact adopted by Howard and Maria Stark. His actual biological parentage is unknown. Tony was enrolled in boarding school at the age of 6. He would grow up to be the valedictorian of his high school and majored in physics and electrical engineering, receiving masters degrees in both. When he was twenty one his parents were killed in a car crash and he was forced to inherit the company his father had built. He furthered the company into a multi-billion dollar organization that primarily supplied the U.S. with advanced weapons and munitions. Until he was supervising a field test for a weapon of his in Afghanistan. During the demonstration he tripped on a landmine, shrapnel pierced his heart and he was captured by revolutionaries in Afghanistan. To save his life, Tony built a metal suit in order to escape and keep the shrapnel out of his heart. After escaping he changed the direction of his company and upgraded his suit and continues to battle evil with his updated "Ironman" armor. He has become a philanthropist in that he betters the world with his technology and what he cannot buy he buries with his suit. Truly a nice, smart guy.

4.) Victor Von Doom

Victor Von Doom was born in a Romani camp in Latveria. His mother was killed when a bargain with Mephisto, a demon from a hellish realm, went wrong. His father fled the camp with little Victor into the cold night. His father died of the chilling weather but Victor lived on. He decided to make learning about science and magic a priority in order to better understand the deal that killed his mother and possibly save her. During his studies he received a scholarship to the State University in Hegeman, New York. There he met Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. Victor was focusing on building an inter-dimensional portal into other realms. Reed pointed out a flaw in Victor's design but Victor, thinking Reed just wanted to upstage him, went on with the experiment. The machine indeed was flawed. It exploded, scarring Victors face and he was soon expelled from the university. He blames Reed Richard for the catastrophe. So Victor left America and traveled back to Latveria in a suit of armor built by himself and overthrew the government, declaring himself King of the land. He uses the country to further his plans for world domination. He is a formidable foe of everybody from the Avengers, to the X-men to Asgard. He is a master of Techno-magic and frequently ushers destruction to the world.

3.) Bruce Banner

Robert Bruce Banner was born to Brian and Rebecca Banner. Rebecca loved Bruce but Brian hated him. Brian was an alcoholic who was very angry at Bruce for being the object of Rebecca's love. Brian, who was an atomic physicist, believed that his exposure to radiation had given him a mutant child, (remember, in this world mutants are perceived as bad). Brian abused Bruce and murdered Rebecca. Brian was then sent to a mental institution with Bruce now raised by his aunt Susan Banner. Bruce was so enraged by his cruel father but Susan taught him love and compassion as she would her own child. Bruce would grow up as a highly intellectual and withdrawn child prodigy. Bruce would graduate high school and study nuclear physics at Navapo, New Mexico. He also studied at Pennsylvania State University and Harvard. He would end his studies after obtaining a doctorate degree from the California Institute of Technology. Wanting to turn to philanthropy but not having the funds to do so, Bruce turned to the U.S. Defense department where he designed and built the G-Bomb, a bomb using gamma radiation. During it's first underground detonation a civilian wandered on sight. Bruce found the civilian but the bomb went off. Bruce threw the civilian into a safety trench but failed to shield himself. The gamma radiation did not kill Bruce, but it turned him into a large green monster later called the Hulk. From then on Bruce would turn into the mindless and bash monster when he was angry, (though he keeps his intelligence even when we turns into the Hulk, though he cannot focus it correctly). He remains a constant force for good, be it through philanthropy or smashing whatever gets in the way of what is right.

2.) Hank Pym

Henry Jonathan Pym was born to Brad and Doris Pym in Nebraska. His father being a factory foreman and his mother a librarian, they realized he was quite the smart little boy. Tested at the age of 3, the doctors found out that he was more intelligent than both of his parents. When his grandmother fell terminally ill, Hank tried to invent a contraption to save her. His grandma recognized it was her time and told Hank never to stop inventing. When she passed away, he angrily smashed his contraption on the floor. But he still went on to graduate college earning a doctorate while his friends were still undergrads. Hank then married a Hungarian immigrant named Maria. He was working on shrinking technology but could not find the funding. Maria convinced him to return to her country but when they arrived a political enemy shot her and killed her. Hank went on a rampage trying to find the killer but was sent back to America for his arrest. After this he eventually became worlds hardest working biologist but due to the lack of imaginative freedom at his current job he quit and began working on his shrink technology where he discovered a new particle that he termed "Pym Particles" These particles allowed him to shrink, grow, and fight crime with his second wife, Janet Van Dyne. Hank was the Antman/Giantman and Janet was the Wasp. He channeled his shrink technology to fight injustice and keep the world safe. Hank would also help form the Avengers and later become Yellow Jacket with the Antman suit passed onto Scott Lang. He also created Ultron, the super A.I. turned against the Avengers and the bane of their existence. During an encounter Hank confronted Ultron as a distraction for the Vision to phase into Ulton and kill him once and for all. Ultron told Hank that he had all of Hank's memories and subconscious hate for humanity. As the Vision tried to kill Ultron, the A.I. faked utter pain, Hank held the "dying" robot, but as Vision phased out, Ultron caused Hank to phase into himself. Currently Ultron possesses the consciousness of Hank Pym and is a force not to be reckoned with.

1.) Reed Richards:

Reed Richards was the only son of Nathaniel and Evelyn Richards. Evelyn died when Reed was only seven but his father guided him into using his intelligence for good and enrolling him in the courses he need to take to benefit Reed. By age fourteen he was taking college level classes. He had a natural aptitude for mathematics, mechanics, and physics. It was at the State University in Hegeman, New York where Reed met Ben Grimm and Victor Von Doom. His room mates, Victor who took an immediate dislike to Reed, moved out. Reed and Ben became best friends, Reed telling him of his plans to create interstellar travel in a spaceship. Ben jokingly told Reed he would pilot this vehicle if it ever happened. (In the early days of the Fantastic Four comics, Reed and Ben Grimm fought in World War 2 were they met Nick Fury). Three years before Reed's starship was tested, his father disappeared when his attempt to create a time machine actually transported him to an alternate universe. However, Reed's father left him left two billion dollars to him and with that Reed built his starship in Central City, California. With further funding from the federal government Reed finished his starship and tested it out with Ben as the pilot, his girlfriend Susan Storm and her brother Johnny. However, the shielding on the starship did not hold up and the cabin was blasted with cosmic radiation from a solar flare giving the gang different powers, with Reed being able to control every atom in his body and form anything, (though usually just sticks to stretching about). After this Reed, as Mister Fantastic, and the rest of the Fantastic Four would save the earth multiple times. Reed would marry Sue Storm and start a family and continue to aid the Avengers, X-men and Guardians of the Galaxy in his ultimate quest to save the universe with his wits and intelligence. He is so smart in fact, that in every dimension and alternate universe, Reed has become the smartest man, sometimes wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, sometimes an evil dictator, but always the most powerful and intellectual man in the universe.

Why Batman v. Superman is a Good Idea. (and a call-to-action).

Why Batman v. Superman is a Good Idea (in Theory).

So the latest trailer for Dawn of Justice landed this week and we got a look at some pretty sweet things: Doomsday, more Lex Luthor, fun exchanges between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, also Wonder Woman looks like she kicks butt. All fun stuff, and maybe it revealed a bit too much about the movie. We know now that Batman and Superman will fight a bit, but then they'll be friends. But this post is not even about the trailer, (though it may reference it to further my point). That point being, that this movie is doing something that comic book movies haven't done yet: give us a movie without an origin. Batman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman just turn up in this movie, with no origins. Lets talk about that.

 Here's why this is cool. It's never happened in the movies before. Think about your favorite stand alone comic books, they did not include the origin of the title hero, (Unless it's Batman: Year One). I'm saying that in this movie, we will be dropped into a universe that has all of it's heroes well established. Joker is running about, Aquaman has been King of the ocean and Wonder Woman looks as if she's been doing this for a while already. Robin has been killed. Even Batman has faded into urban obscurity. We know everyone's origin already, Batman got his parents killed, Superman is the last son of Krypton, Aquaman is half human, half Atlantean, Wonder Woman is an Amazon, now make a movie. In a sense it's easier than making an origin story we have to sit through (again) and we can cut to the good stories in the DC universe.

Why watch this movie? Let me put it this way, if I had to choose between this movie and Captain America: Civil War, I would choose Dawn of Justice. We have never seen Batman and Superman on screen in live action before. These are the two most recognizable superheroes in the history of comic books. The fact that they are in a movie together should have audiences already in the seats of the theatre. Granted, I cannot wait for Civil War , but we already know the characters in Civil War, and if you chose to miss it you would find out enough about what happened through context in the other Marvel movies. But Dawn of Justice is new, it's never been done before and it's kicking off an entire expansive universe for us to enjoy. All you Marvel Supremacists out there are saying, "But it's too late to do a movie like this." "Marvel already has a monopoly on comic book movies." "DC's TV shows are better than this movie."

To that I say, Shutup!!! Quit criticizing everything that isn't Marvel. So what if Marvel is killing it in the movies? DC sells more original comic book stories, has better animated movies, and more great TV shows than Marvel does, but that doesn't make DC fans hate Marvel, (at least I'd hope not)! And it's not like Marvel has never had a bad movie, (2003's Daredevil, Fan4stic, Hulk). All I'm saying is that this is a great time to be a fan of comic books altogether as a whole. Coexist people! You will miss out on so much other good content if you live such a close minded life of hating one. Loving one doesn't mean hating the other, that's what this blog is all about. So let's optimistically look forward to every comic book movie that is put out, be it DC, Marvel, or even an Image comic movie, (even though Spawn wasn't the best). Let the comic book movies and superheroes come, we'll be waiting, ready for something good.