DC TV VS the DC Cinematic Universe: Why DC Entertainment is ALREADY Getting It Wrong

Upon waking up this morning, I browsed the usual news sites of interest to me in an effort to ascertain what is REAL news in the comic community and what is just leftover April Fools Day pranks. I stumbled upon something that upset me. Yup, it's not even 8:30am over here and I'm ALREADY upset with the world. Either I got up on the wrong side of the bed (I didn't, I actually jammed out to some Pink Floyd on the way in to work today) or it's just something THAT ridiculous.

HINT: It's the latter.

I woke up to the news that, for the time being, Deadshot is "off the table" for the Arrow/Flash-Universe.

Ok, before I rant and rave, a few factoids for proper context. First, let me credit the source of the article I read. You can find it over at SCREENRANT by clicking HERE.

In response to viewers inquiring about the fate of Deadshot on 'Arrow' (played by Michael Rowe) executive producer Marc Guggenheim said, "Unfortunately, Deadshot is off the table for the nonce."

Yup that IS, in fact, ALL that was said. So, in fairness, the man didn't say "forever" or any such equivalent. But this comes on the heels, as SCREENRANT writers mention, of Green Lantern ACTUALLY being John Diggle being a debunked rumor because, "DC has other plans for that character."

Ok, so one more thing before I fly slightly off the handle into my rant...

Cheif Creative Officer of DC Comics, Geoff Johns in the past had THIS to say regarding the potential connection between the DC Cinematic Universe and the DC TV Universe, "You’ll see a lot of DC universe characters [on 'The Flash' and 'Arrow']. You won’t see Batman or Superman. We’re on production on ‘Batman v Superman’ now. So you’ll see characters like The Atom or Firestorm, but no not Batman or Superman right now [on TV]. It’s a separate universe than film so that the filmmakers can tell the story that’s best for film, while we explore something different in a different corner of the DC universe."

Now I love Geoff. I do. MOST things he writes are gold (I said MOST, 'Day of Judgment' Geoff? Whew) and the man is singlehandedly responsible for a re-newed golden age for Green Lantern, a character I hold above most all others. But when it comes to things such as this, I have to divide my adoration of Geoff into two factions, Geoff the WRITER and Geoff the CCO of DC Comics.

The following is a comment on the Geoff as a represenative of DC Comics. (in addition to just being a general blanket comment towards DC as a whole)

What in the ever loving F&*KING hell are you trying to pull?!

If you don't want your movie and TV universes to crossover, then FINE. But you CANNOT have it both ways DC. I'm being serious. If you want them separate, it's because you don't want them to AFFECT each other. Maybe you don't want Grant Gustin to play the Flash on the silver screen because you think he's a great TV actor but not a feature actor. Or maybe you don't want him to play the Flash in the movies because it'd mean that, chronologically Flash showed up before some other character which doesn't work in your cinematic plans and you don't want to be boxed in. WHATEVER YOUR REASONING you FLAT OUT SAID they are separate universes.

You know what that means? It means YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT IN THE MOVIES AND LET THEM DO WHAT THEY WANT IN THE TV SHOWS.

Another added wrinkle to this clusterf&*k? You're going to be launching 'Supergirl' soon, which is (at this point) RUMORED to be a part of the DC TV universe. It's got alot of the same people behind it, so let's say, for the sake of argument, that it IS.

You sent out a casting call request for 'Supergirl' for the following:

We are looking for BODY DOUBLE for a DC Comic Superhero –

You must be available for an interview this Thursday and if selected will work several day during March.

This is for a CBS pilot. You can be SAG or Non-Union.

You should be 5’11 or taller and be Square Jawed

and have a ripped physique.

You must send a bodyshot, shirtless, sizes, current contact info and your first five – in the subject line write SUPERMAN.

Is there ANY doubt who we're looking for here? Nope. So what's my problem with it? Well, my PROBLEM is that you're looking for a body double. Meaning you're HOPING to keep Supes in the shadows or in profile or in the distant background. So we don't SEE details of someone else and get that confused with another Superman. Why? Because Henry Cavil is Superman.

But not in the TV universe. Again, you can't have it both ways. Either Cavil is Superman in your TV universe, meaning they're the SAME universe...or CAST SOMEONE ELSE TO PLAY HIM FOR TV.

Do you see how your story is full of holes?

Stop picking and choosing what TV can and cannot do based on what you do or do not plan for your as yet unproven DC Cinematic Universe. It's ridiculous.

If you keep this up the distinction between the DC Cinematic Universe and the DC TV Universe is going to become so CONVOLUTED nobody is going to be capable of making sense of it. And do you remember what happened the last time you thought your own internal continuity was over-complicated?

Ohhhhh right! THAT.

But then again, maybe that's just what you want to happen! I mean, after all....

'The Flash' & 'Arrow': Which Lantern Should Be on Which Show?

Good day folks!

As you can probably tell, this time around there's a bit of departure from the usual going on's here on Corps Conjecture (actually, that would imply that I've posted regularly for awhile...just go with it.) Anywho, we're talking the two hit TV shows 'The Flash' and 'Arrow'.

Worry not, I don't plan on evolving this into a running commentary on the EPICNESS of these two shows. Nor do I plan on spoiling anything from the shows (ok, well maybe not HEAVILY). What we're talking is more germane to the topics usually discussed in this corner of the internet.

Green Lantern.

To get things rolling, let's give credit where credit is due.

@lanterncast If you could have #GreenLantern on TV, which one would you pick and on what show would you put him/her on?
— The Flash Podcast (@TheFlashPodcast) March 26, 2015

The Flash Podcast (one guess which of the two shows they cover) tweeted out the above earlier today. As co-host of The LanternCast, I responded. But rather than give you the play by play (you can click the twitter link and find out) I figured I'd just elaborate beyond the 140 character limit imposed on me by the Twitter regime. But here...we're going OUT of order.

First up...ARROW!

Now recently it was WIDELY speculated that the character of John Diggle would be revealed to be John Stewart. He is, after all, a member of the US military, friend of Oliver, and a black guy (actually those were really the only similarity's...who came up with this again?) Despite the internet buzz, this was recently debunked, much to the chagrin of those clamoring for a redemption of Green Lantern in live action form.

So the question on our fellow podcasters lips remains. 

My answer? Hal Jordan.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Slow your roll. I know you're all butthurt over the Ryan Reynolds debacle (let's be fair though, the things wrong with that movie WEREN'T all his fault) and you're just anxious to distance yourself from that flop. Me too. 

HOWEVER.

Hal Jordan would WORK within the Arrow-verse. Why? Because he wouldn't be INTRODUCED as Green Lantern. He'd MOSTLY be Hal. And that is perfect. Let's make him a test pilot for Ferris Air, a subsidiary of Queen Consolidated/Palmer Technology. And he's in town to help pitch the latest tech from Ferris for government contracts. But Hal is Hal. He's a flirt, he's seemingly irresponsible, he's rash. He hits on Felicity/Thea/Laurel and comes into Ollie's orbit. His rashness rubs Ollie the wrong way. But through ________ that happens in the course of the episode, him and Ollie become fast friends. Hal gets a little more structure and responsibility, Ollie learns to let loose. (Yeah I know I put a blank in there. I'm not a screenwriter. lol) But you get my point right? Hal's "aloofness" is PERFECT for 'Arrow'. I'm not saying the show can't be dark anymore, but it's getting almost TOO dark. And Ollie is TOO serious. I miss the Hal/Ollie serious-about-the-job-but-cracking-wise-while-taking-out-the-bad-guys-and-arguing-with-each-other dynamic. As we all know was made FAMOUS in....?

Now for some Flash all up in your grill!

So if Hal is introduced in 'Arrow' that means, in keeping with chronological continuity, John Stewart should be on 'The Flash' right?! RIGHT?! (actually, TECHNICALLY, Guy came before John. Sorry kiddos. Go read some more FANTASTIC Silver Age comics. Totes worth it.)

WRONG.

Just because it "needs to happen like the comics" or "we need more diversity" doesn't mean it makes a good STORY. I'm sorry. But that's just the fact. (And I haven't left John or Guy [or...sigh...Simon] out. Keep reading)

Kyle Rayner BELONGS on 'The Flash'. Oh sure, personality wise, Kyle is already alot like Barry. But I see Kyle as more of a social justice guy. A guy who tries to spread awareness and free thinking to the masses via...HIS ART! That's right. I actually envision Kyle Rayner as the Banksy of the DC TV Universe. No joke.

I see Kyle Rayner as a cartoonist/graphic designer for Central City Picture News...the same paper that Iris West works at. By day he does what he can for the public of Central City in the most legitimate way he can. But in his free time, he does graffiti, participates and perhaps organizes well meaning protests, etc. Barry catches him, initially mistaking him for being violent or a suspect in ______ but Kyle turns out to be a good guy. Well meaning, well intentioned but letting his passion for what's right affect him a little TOO much.

But THE scene I see in my head is this: someone (maybe Iris) is in trouble from the current threat on the show. Kyle is there, Flash is not. Kyle is protecting Iris (not because he likes her but because he's there and it's what is right). He's facing down CERTAIN death. But we see him set his jaw and stand to face the (whatever the threat is). He's going to die. He knows it. We know it. But he's facing it down anyways. But before he can, Flash shows up and saves the day. 

Now that entire episode, we've seen who Kyle Rayner really is. Episode ends and our "post credits scene" is Kyle at a bar/coffee shop (Ooooo! Jitters?! Or Jitters rival shop Radu's?!) and steps out after close into the alley and....well, you know the rest....

"BUT WHAT ABOUT JOHN STEWART?!" "WHERE'S GUY?!?!?!" "DON'T FORGET SIMON!!!"

Calm down. They show up (or some of them do) as the shows progress. Or even on that spin-off they're talking about making/are making.

So? What do you think?

Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to check out The Flash Podcast, The LanternCast (the show about GL I co-host) and be SURE to watch 'The Flash' and 'Arrow' over on the CW Tuesday and Wednesday nights (respectively)

More then Zero: Zero Month - 20 Years Later

In 1994 DC Comics published Zero Hour, a five issue mini-series designed to not only serve as a major summer crossover but also fix some of the continuity problems that had plagued their universe after the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Some have suggested that Zero Hour caused more problems than it fixed but at the time it was the dawn of an exciting new era for DC.  To kick off this new age DC followed Zero Hour with Zero Month.  As the name suggests all of the main DC books were rolled back to zero though each one had a different approach to the idea  Some books featured a new origin.  Some contained tweaks to the existing origin.  Some contained brand new versions of old characters.  All of them served as a jumping on point for new and old readers alike.

To celebrate this new era (or perhaps to bury it) some of us in the comic book blogging community have banded together from remote galaxies to discuss how the characters we cover were rebooted/revamped by looking at the solicitations of our character's zero issues as well as delving into the Wizard Magazine Zero Hour Special, which was a magazine published around the time of Zero Hour to promote the series, what was coming next and the history of DC in general.

As this is a blog crossover be sure to check out the links below to find out how other characters were treated during Zero Month.

• Firestorm Fan
• The Aquaman Shrine
• The Legion of Super Bloggers
• Pop Culture Affidavit
• The Speed Force
• The Fortress of Baileytude
• Corps Conjecture
• Being Carter Hall

MY COMMENTARY: Now, before I post MY assigned images that adhere to the nature of this crossover, I'd be remiss if I didn't include my own thoughts somewhere in here on the event we're covering. Because, despite the sheer caliber of those participating (and ZERO disrespect intended), my section, my characters LEGACY in this event has far more weight than any of the juggernauts listed above. To do merely the bare minimum in an effort to include myself would do a disservice to my self prescribed expertise on all things related to the Emerald Knight. (Although we DID cover Zero Hour WAYYYY back in Episode #94 of The LanternCast if you'd care to take a listen!)

Why? Because MY character, Hal Jordan, was the villain behind it all. And the zero issue that followed wasn't an origin reset, a new character or anything that the others were. It was an epic conclusion to the story of Zero Hour itself. So to focus on Green Lantern in Zero Hour is to focus on Zero Hour itself.

Racked with sorrow (and guilt) for being unable to protect the city he called home (Coast City) as it was obliterated by Cyborg Superman and Mongul following Superman's death, Hal Jordan, the GREATEST of the Green Lanterns, sped towards Oa, the planet from which his power had it's origin. Along the way, he slaughtered friends, students and foes alike, stealing their rings in a mad quest for more power. The power to FIX everything. To make it RIGHT again. To restore Coast City. Finally he enters the Central Power Battery and absorbs the entirety of its power and the power from all but one of the immortal Guardians themselves, becoming Parallax.

Students of the modern era of DC will know that, according to retcons by Geoff Johns, what TRULY happened was that an ancient entity living within the battery reached out across the Corps and found Hal beaten and distraught. A man with the capability, bravery and heroism of a Legend, deep in the moment of his greatest weakness and seized control. Manipulated by a being made of PURE FEAR, Hal Jordan betrayed all that he held dear of what remained to him and, upon entering the Battery (a true point of no return) Hal allowed himself to become the vessel for this entity...Parallax. But that's not today's point.

When Zero Hour hit, we knew only what we had read at the time. That a hero had been broken. A former hero, possessing the power of an entire ancient Corps, with one of the most indomitable wills in that Corps history...in search of a goal, to remake all of REALITY.

But, when last we saw Hal, he had stepped from the Central Power Battery. Remade and reborn into a dark reflection of his former self. Devoid of hope. Enveloped in his despair. And CONVINCED of his destiny to restore all to its former balance. But we didn't know what POWER he possessed. Oh sure, we knew the power of the Corps resided within ONE man. And a small sliver of that power siphoned to the ring of an individual bearer was classified as one of the most powerful tools in existence. But we couldn't fathom what it meant for ALL of this power to be at the behest of ONE man. Unfortunately for Hal, and those who called him friend and hero, Lord Acton was correct.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Zero Hour saw a threat realized. A background question answered. "What happened to Hal Jordan?" What had happened, the power he possessed, and the intentions for that power...had finally been revealed. A man with the powers of a God (with help from leftover energies from Crisis). Bending, twisting, warping and collapsing time itself in an effort to restart EVERYTHING that ever WAS. But whose aims had broadened because, as he himself put it, "Fixing one city doesn't help when the whole world...the whole universe...is messed up." A SINGLE man possessed the power to turn back the clock and restart reality. A power that had previously been harnessed by one (or two) others. The Monitor and Anti-Monitor from Crisis on Infinite Earths. Beings that had been around since the LITERAL dawn of time itself. The greatest Green Lantern became one of the DC Universe's GREATEST threats.

But he was defeated. Not by brute force or magical intervention (though the likes of Wave Rider, Superman and more including the Spectre himself played a role) but at the sharp end of a single arrow from the bow of a former friend. A man who couldn't let himself believe that his friend had done so much evil. That wasn't the person he knew. But faced with the reality, Oliver Queen unleashed an arrow straight for the center of Hal Jordan's chest. And the Big Bang began anew, unhindered by Hals interference. Time set in motion to proceed as it was intended (with a helpful nudge from the all powerful DC editors to enact a few alterations).

So why the bravado recap? Surely you knew all of this. Well, because Zero Hour was executed poorly in my opinion. It was a wonderful story, a remnant of a bygone age of DC for sensationalist storytelling. But it was compressed in a hurried format. Too few issues to tell too big of a story. But despite it's flaws, there needs to be an UNDERSTANDING as to what Zero Hour was.

Sure, Zero Hours ultimate goal was to fix the errors still left in the continuity of the DC Universe following Crisis. But Zero Hour was something MORE to a Green Lantern fan. You may have HATED that Hal was made a villain. Or you might have loved it (I mean, hey, he WAS getting stale prior to Emerald Twilight). But Zero Hour took the fall from grace of a beloved marquis character and made him a POWERFUL force in the DC Universe. A threat that took everyone from everywhen to face. Because Hal DESERVED that.

Oh I'm not romanticizing Zero Hour. Or maybe I am. But this is an important story nonetheless. And it needed to be told. 

Hal Jordan: a hero worthy of being REMEMBERED turned into a villain, a force of NATURE to be FEARED.

You just don't get that kind of depth anymore do you?

NOW, onto the images you came to see! (CLICK TO ENLARGE!)