Andrew_A

Then we really shouldn't be going to a character created in 1959.

Then why are the writers doing a half-@$$ed imitation of a character created in 1992?* Also, I don't believe that just because a character was created when my mom was ten, you can't do anything new with her. If I believed that, I'd never bother with anything fictional ever again. After all, fiction (especially superhero comics) deals with a lot of the same archetypes over and over again and we still find new ways to depict them, re-interpret them and see them with fresh eyes.

Besides, the Flash is three years older and his show is amazing. Green Arrow dates back to the forties and while I don't care for his show, you have to admit that it's a very fresh take on the character.

*FTR, I did like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the show, not the character). That's why I said it's a "half-@$$ed" imitation. If you're going to copy something that works use your whole @$$.

Would a nuke even stop a Kryptonian?

Depends on who's writing it.

I wasn't even thinking of Cinema Sins! Good catch.

Seriously though, is it too much to ask for a little originality?

I just realized what was going on in that scene. Most likely, "random DEO thug #42" is about to do something stupid/destructive (being a random DEO thug and all). Most likely Kara's telling him to let her handle it. He's going to give her some kind of deadline to do it her way. She does it her way and succeeds, thus proving that the plucky hero is better than the plodding by-the-book "random DEO thug".

Man! We need a cliche counter for this show.

Well, Superman could always try to stop her without a nuke...

True, but the scene didn't show Kara arguing with Clark. It showed Kara arguing with "random DEO thug #42" and he ain't Superman.

Either way, I'm going to watch it, but I'm not optimistic.

BTW, I just saw the Legends of Tomorrow trailer. Waaaay cooler. It'll probably get cancelled before the end of the first season.

Ripping things apart in the name of "realism" seems to be the new hobby of the early twenty-first century.

 

That said, when it comes to a superhero flick...if the acting of the superhero(es) is good, the story is decent/good, and the setting is consistent, most folks are going to stop bellyaching over a bright costume after the first five to ten minutes.

Please excuse me while I rephrase that:

That said, when it comes to a superhero flick...if the acting of the superhero(es) is good, the story is decent/good, and the setting is consistent, most folks are going to stop bellyaching over a dark costume after the first five to ten minutes.

 

I hope that brings clarity to the discussion.

EDIT: I "liked" your post, because smart@$$ copy/pasting aside, your points are still valid. However, I feel it cuts both ways.

Aaaaand then I saw this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm46-envrHo

Yes, I'm going to watch it, but I've seen it a million times before and it didn't interest me. (How many cliches, masquerading as characterization, can you spot?)

The part that gets me is the part where she asks the army(?) guy to "let" her help. She's Supergirl for Rao's sake! Who's going to stop her with anything less than a really powerful nuke. If you can stop Supergirl, then odds are, you don't need her help.

No dead-tree CU5E listed in the Hero store AFAICT, so can't be ordered from here; but I'm sure you're right that some are out there at various retailers.

Noble Knight has a lot of dead-tree Hero books. As of this writing they still have a few copies of CU5.

I think we all need to keep perspective. If the writing sucks, the acting sucks, and the VFX suck, then I think the costume will be the last thing anybody will be worrying about. If the reverse is true, I don't think anybody's going to care about the costume. What matters is the quality of the end product, not necessarily how it's packaged. (At least, not always)

Then again, I'm biased. I love the new costume.

I've been away from the Internet for a while. What's Imperial Throne?

DC all the way. Especially the magical periods of 1938 to 1951 and 1959 to 1969.

My problem with Marvel is that, since the 1970s, everyone writes like some variation of Stan Lee. To me, that's boring. To be honest, if everyone in the industry started writing like John Broome or Gardner Fox, I'd be a huge Marvel fan. I just don't like the idea of slavishly copying other writers.

Very simple. Precognition Fugue VPP, only skills. When he's trying to avoid terrorists? That's 33 points of Tactics. Impressing a woman? 25 points worth of Seduction with a few points left over for Martial Arts. Playing blackjack? That's an obscenely high gambling roll. And so on. And so on. To complement the VPP, he has Overall Skill Levels.

The reason I suggest a VPP with skills is that it's the simplest method that doesn't involve Precog Claresentience. The way I see it, he can simulate having various skills by running through scenarios in his head. He's not obviously superhuman. He just looks lucky or exceptionally talented and the only skills he can have are ones that involve running scenarios through his head. For example, he doesn't know anything about Nuclear Physics (SS:Nuclear Physics), but he could disarm a nuclear bomb (Demolitions) by choosing the future where he pulls the right wire.

So by this logic, if Christian Bale was the Tom Baker of Batmen, Ben Affleck will be the Paul McGann?

More like Peter Davidson. He's an established actor following someone who defined the role (at least in the eyes of some people).

Then again, I barely remember McGann's performance, so you may be right.

Are they like the JSA or the All-Star Squadron? (Please don't abbreviate the latter.)

Marika Hargitay as Maggie Sawyer?

Why not? Chris Meloni was in Man of Steel. It'd be a good excuse for a reunion.

Now who do we cast as Turpin? Dean Winters? Richard Belzer? (Please God. Not Ice-T. Let's get someone who can act.)

I don't know.  SHIELD was cool when it was the Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-Enforcement Division.

 

I wouldn't mind if DC called it something like the "World Security Agency" or "Counter Super-Villain Unit".

Metropolis had the Special Crimes Unit. (Which is too easily confused with the Special Victims Unit IMO.)

In the Silver Age villains were more focused on defeating the heroes then carrying out some evil scheme.  

 

In Adventure Comics #389 (Feb 1970) Brainiac recruits a space convict named Kim to serve as a model of a robot double.  Kim is a Con Artist serving time in an interstellar prison, and Brainiac wants to duplicate his seduction abilities to use against Supergirl.  The plan is to have her fall in love with him, then break up with her and then have the Robot destroy itself with a bomb necklace to make Supergirl think she caused him to commit suicide, forcing her to retire because she would be responsible for taking a life.  This would be using her Code Versus Killing (Common/Total) against her.

 

Supergirl realizes that Kim is trying to con her, and turns the tables on him by flying him to a Dragon shaped asteroid.  There Supergirl pretends to show him ex-lovers, all turned to stone by the astroid's strange properties.  Kim finds himself turning to stone, and Brainiac shows up.  It turns out that Kim took the place of the Robot, and Brainiac knows it.  Supergirl is deterred from capturing Brainiac because of his indestructible Force Field, which he demonstrates by firing a blast from his energy pistol against it.  Then he pulls a last minute trick by turning the pistol on Supergirl, and coating her from head to toe with adhesive liquid kryptonite.  Brainiac teleports away, and Supergirl uses the last of her Heat Vision to free the now turned to stone Kim.  His legs are still stone, and he can't help her, but Supergirl has Kim throw his necklace, and sets off the bomb with blows away the kryptonite.

 

http://blogintomystery.com/2011/09/27/super-bitch-super-ditz-super-suck-adventure-comics-389/

Sometimes, I do miss the silver age.

An Rx from your Doctor?  

That went right over my head.

You might also want to remove the "Pulling Punch" OCV penalty to encourage acting like heroes.

Making KAs rare might be a good idea too. Maybe save them for "easily escapable situations involving an overly elaborate and exotic death."

 

Red Flag

That costume needs just a touch more red.

Atom Man vs. Superman with Kirk Alyn was better.  It had Luthor both as a mad scientist and respectable businessman, the "Empty Doom" (early version of the Phantom Zone).

 

The Superman Serial did have Kryptonite and cliffhanger veteran actress Carol Forman as the Spider Lady.

 

If you want to see Cap even more out of control watch J-Men Forever on youtube.

I think I saw J-Men Forever when I was a kid. If it's on youtube I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

Radio is why Superman would say "Up Up and Away" when he started flying.  At least he didn't turn into a cartoon (Obscure Serial Reference!)

Since we're talking about obscure movies...Kirk Alyn was good as Superman, but I couldn't finish watching it. Too boring. The Adventures of Captain Marvel was much better.* BTW, did you see Superman vs. Atom Man? Was it any good?

*Despite having a homicidal Cap. :-(

If it was me, and I were running a traditional silver age campaign, I'd prefer to make something like that a bonus. Maybe the player would get an extra 5DC free at dramatically appropriate moments or an extra Action Point or a +1 to CV. I don't think I'd use it for a bronze age campaign though and I'd need to read some more golden age comics to see if it's appropriate.

I have no interest in running anything iron age, so it's a given that I wouldn't use it.

Let me give you an example of comparison between the Watchmen and mainstream comic book characters.

 

Michael Caine has been in 129 movies (some of them TV movies), and has nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two.

He has been an actor for sixty years, and was Knighted.   Yet, when he dies he will be referred to as the actor who played Alfred in the Dark Knight series.

Wishful thinking. Michael Caine was an established actor with a lot of screen credits before and after Dark Knight. You're trying to compare him to Alec Guiness and the Star Wars films. The difference is that most people can't name a single movie Guiness made after Return of the Jedi. I highly doubt that Caine will be in the same boat.

Another point: If the Dark Knight trilogy is going to be remembered, it won't be because "Batman is an awesome character." It will be because of Christopher Nolan and David Goyer's work on the series. Would you be saying the same thing about the Dark Knight trilogy if it had been directed by Zack Snyder or, worse, Michael Bay?

Green Lantern is an awesome character. How many people thought Ryan Reynolds did a good job?

Marvelman/Miracleman was a blantant Captain Marvel (Fawcett) rip off (hense the change to Miracleman).  He was updated by Alan Moore and given a cynical "Watchman" style storyline where his young ally had become a ruthless dictator. 

 

Alan Moore is a very sad man.

That's going waaay too far Cass.

I was trying to find this Tasha. Thanks. This pretty much completes my CU collection (insofar as books that I actually want).