The Superman That Almost Wasn’t

With Superman Returns just around the corner, I thought this might be a good time to explore the long, complex and sometimes worrisome path to its creation. Producer Jon Peters has been the producer behind Superman for a decade. During the time he’s been in charge he’s sat and talked with many writers, directors and actors. There were no less than four scripts turned in and several “A-List” talents involved. I doubt anyone can truly unweave the tangled web which is the history of this film completely, but hopefully I can give you a little background and a reason to be thankful Bryan Singer’s vision is the one they finally went with.

In 1996 Kevin Smith (yes that Kevin Smith) was hired to write a draft of a Superman script. Some of Smith’s comments on the process can really shed a light on why it took so long to get here. I’ll let Smith tell you in his own words. Here’s one of the things Smith had to say about Peters

“He was always saying that Brainiac should give Luthor a space dog, something from that menagerie of his. He gives Luthor a dog; Luthor is afraid of the dog, and the dog hates him. I’m like, ‘It doesn’t really lend to the story; why do you want that?’ ‘Because I need a Chewie.’ This was during the time of STAR WARS’ re-release, and he said, ‘Chewie’s cuddly, man. You could make a toy out of him, so you’ve got to give me a dog.’”

To sum it up, Peters is a flavor of the month type of guy. He wants what’s already selling out there. He wants to cash in on other people success. Peters even wanted to take some “inspiration” from Smith’s own movie in the form of a gay L-Ron (Brainiacs robot sidekick). Peters wanted a “gay R2D2”. Peters had several other crazy requirements, including Brainiac fighting polar bears on his way to the Fortress of Solitude and Supes fighting a giant spider in the third act. To be fair that’s the only complaint smith seems to have about him, but it’s a pretty big one from Superman fan point of view. In 1997 Smith is out because Tim Burton is in.

Tim Burton came onto the project in 1997. The thought was if he was successful with Batman, why not Superman. I could list all the reasons it should never have been considered, but hopefully they are obvious. No matter how crazy it was the project was in full swing, including actor Nicholas Cage as Superman. By this time the project had taken on the name Superman Lives and was the subject of many rumors. In 1998 Tim Burton was off the film and the project is dead in the water. A year later the project is back with Nicholas Cage and a script by Dan Gilroy. The project hangs in creative limbo.

In 1999 Warner Brothers starts talking a whole new project, a Superman Batman team up, or maybe Superman versus Batman, it really all depended on what day of the week it was. The fact that this project was supposedly a serious consideration put Superman lives on the back burner. In 2000 Nicholas Cage left because it was just plain taking to long. Nothing against Nicholas Cage, but I let out a heavy sigh of relief that day.

For the next two years rumors fly, none of them worth mentioning here. In 2002 though, there’s new talent on the movie. McG, the director of the Charlie’s Angels films is signed to start the process from scratch. Gone are all the past incarnations and the process starts in earnest. Before long J.J. Abrams is writing a script and Brendan Fraser is rumored to be the new Superman. Waiting in the wings however is the Superman/Batman movie. In July 2002 WB announces they’re going forward with Superman/Batman, it’s canceled a month later however in favor of two separate movies.

At the end of 2002 McG was off the Superman film and Brett Ratner was on as director of a script by J.J. Abrams. A few quick notes about the J.J. Abrams script. This script was crap. In the script Krypton isn’t destroyed, Clark’s suit has a mind of its own, Superman dies (and is brought back by a stern talking to by Jor-El) and then the worst part happens, the stupidest thing I think I’ve ever read. Lex Luthor turns out to be from Krypton. J.J. Abrams may have a gift for dialogue and be a good writer, but he can’t find a good story to save his life.

From here all we hear is that Ratner is out. It’s not until 2004 when Bryan Singer is brought on that we start hearing more. The movie gets fast tracked and everyone involved says it’s incredible. Even Jon Peters admits he tried to do it wrong for a decade. I have high hopes for Superman Returns, it’s got a little of the old, a little of the new and hopefully a lot of fun. This could very well have been worth the wait and it certainly beats the runners up. Check out RavingMedia.info for a review as soon as I get to see it.

The Legacy of the Flash

The Flash is second only to Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman when it comes to longest running series. Since 1940 there’s only been 5 years without a Flash. When it comes to comicbook legacy’s the Flash is second to no hero. Last Wednesday a new chapter in the legacy began, but before we get to that, let’s start at the beginning.

The Flash first raced through comicbook pages in 1940. At the time his name was Jay Garrick and he was the fastest man alive. Jay was a student at Midwestern University where he studied science, specifically the gases from “hard water”. One day while working in the lab Jay knocks over several containers and the fumes render him unconscious. A few days later in the hospital he discovers he’s got super speed. During his run Jay mostly fought common criminals, with one notable exception. In Flash Comics #104 a rival speedster was introduced, Dr. Edward Clariss, a chemistry teacher at Midwestern University. Wearing a darker version of the Flashes costume he used his temporary speed formula to commit crimes. This was the first evil speedster, but certainly not the last. For 11 years Jay wore the lightning bolt and his distinctive metal helm. In 1951, as interest in superhero comics died out, Flash was canceled.

In 1956 DC Editor Julius Schwartz asked Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino to revive the character of The Flash for Showcase #4. Schwartz wanted everything about the character to be different. Kanigher and Infantino came up with Barry Allen, police scientist. While working in his lab late one night lightning struck a shelf of chemicals dousing Barry. Barry took on a brand new costume and started fighting crime.

Barry was a very different Flash then Jay Garrick, the most notable difference however was Barry’s rogue’s gallery. To this day the Flash has one of the most colorful (in some cases very literally) and diverse groups of villains. The themes of the Flashes villains are pretty simple for the most part, Captain Cold uses a cold gun, Captain Boomerang uses trick boomerangs, Heatwave has a heat gun and Weather Wizard controls weather. That’s just a small sample of the Flashes villains though, and one of the more unique things about them is they would work together to rid themselves of the Flash. Another unusual thing about Barry is he was married, at the time a married super hero was unheard of.

In issue #139 Flash met the Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne. The 25^th century has a Flash of its own, but he’s the opposite of Barry Allen, right down to the color of his uniform. The Reverse Flash was Barry’s greatest enemy, he killed Barry’s wife, Iris West and tortured Barry for years using his knowledge of history to appear at the happiest times in Barry’s life. When Thawne returned to kill Barry’s fiancée, Fiona Webb, Barry did the only thing he could to save her, he kill Thawne. This lead to a storyline which would continue until the end of Barry’s series, the trial of the Flash for manslaughter. For me these issues have a very special meaning since these are the issues that not only got me interested in the Flash, but comics in general. In 1985, with issue #350 Barry Allen’s run as the Flash ended. Shortly thereafter, in crisis on Infinite Earths Barry was killed in action.

Shortly after Barry started his run as the Flash he was given a sidekick, Kid Flash, Wally West. Issue #110 of Flash Comics introduced us to Wally West, Iris West’s nephew, and the Flashes biggest fan. The Flash takes Wally to the scene of his own accident and demonstrates how he got his powers, going so far as to rearrange the chemicals exactly as they were the day he became the Flash. Just as he’s finished a lightning bolt hits the rack and douses Wally in the same chemicals. In a costume identical to Barry’s (but smaller) Wally began his three decade career as Kid Flash. In issue #135 of Flash Comics Wally gets his own costume (one of the coolest speedster costumes if you ask me). After Barry’s death Wally takes on the mantle of the Flash. For me this is the point where the Flash really becomes a legacy. Wally steps up and tries to fill the shoes of his mentor, he’s the first of the teen sidekicks to fulfill his potential and it’s not easy. With DC’s recent Infinite Crisis Wally has disappeared with his wife and their twin children. All we really know is they’ve gone to someplace good, that’s not the speed force. In the wake we’re left without a Flash, that was until last week.

Last week the fourth chapter in the legacy of the Flash started. Bart Allen, Barry’s grandson (he’s from the future but that’s another story entirely) will be stepping up to take the mantle of the Flash and this could be quite an interesting ride. The new series is written by Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson (the guys responsible for the Flash TV series). The series has a strong start with excellent artwork. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

The legacy of the Flash is a rare one in comics. It’s a legacy that allows the character to grow and change. The Flash has been updated many times and they’ve laid the ground work for it happen again when the time is right. The legacy of the Flash is also a big part of what keeps the series going and lets the story move to new places. I’m interested to see the take on Bart Allen learning to fill Wally and Barry’s shoes. The journey to him becoming his own hero should be quite interesting and it’s looking like a fresh take on the scarlet speedster.

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This site has been around for a while and undergone many changes and revisions. Well I'm undoing a lot of that and restructuring it much as I originally intended it, as a personal blog. So from now on expect me to voice my personal opinion on any and all topics in this new and improved version of Tibbarerew.com.