We were teased with the next direct-to-DVD animated feature when Justice League came out a few months back. Personally, we never understood why Jason Todd was resurrected or why DC and Warner Home Video considered this story worthy of adaptation, but here is comes. What follows is the press release with the details:
BURBANK, CA (April 27, 2010) – Batman confronts new enemies, old foes and painful memories when a powerful vigilante with a penchant for violence comes to Gotham City in the intense graphic-novel-come-to-life Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming July 27, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2 disc DVD for $29.99 (SRP) and $24.98 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.
Tim Gunn from Project Runway concludes his discussion with us on superhero
fashion as we pass judgment on Superman, Superboy, the Hulk and
others! And what famous comic book character apparently stole one of
Tim’s suits? Find out on the latest installment of Crazy Sexy Geeks!
SUPPORT US: SizzlerKistler@gmail.com via PAYPAL – This Episode: Alan Kistler and Tim Gunn conclude their discussion on superhero fashion as they pass judgment on: Superman, Superboy, the Hulk and others! And what famous comic book character apparently stole one of Tim's suits? Be sure to watch PART ONE too: www.youtube.com NOTE: We do not own the superheroes being discussed, we just enjoy them.
The Hollywood Reporter has the skinny on the Cartoon Network upfronts, and there are many familiar faces for comics fans this year.
Young
Justice: Being a teenager means proving yourself over and
over—to
peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But
what if you’re not just a
normal teenager? What if
you’re a teenage super hero? Are
you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy
of
the Justice League? That’s
exactly what the members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash,
Superboy,
Miss Martian and Artemis (the renamed version of Arrowette)—will find out, whether they have what it
takes
to be a proven hero. This
all-new series is based on the series by Peter David and Todd Nauck, and is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Sam
Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave
and the
Bold) is the executive producer. Brandon Vietti (Batman:
Under the Red Hood, Superman
Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The
Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H.) are the producers.
MAD:
Produced by Warner Bros.
Animation and using the iconic MAD magazine,
published by DC Comics, as inspiration, MAD is an animated
sketch-comedy series utilizing a chaotic
mix of animation styles and twisted humor to pull back the curtain and
expose the truth behind movies, TV shows, games, pop culture and, of
course, curtains! Classic MAD magazine
characters and features such as Alfred E. Neuman and Spy vs. Spy pop
up,
and no subject matter or individual will be safe from MAD’s
barrage of parodies and sketches. In the end, viewers
won’t get even,
they’ll just get MAD! Sam Register (Teen
Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold)
is the executive producer. Kevin
Shinick (Robot Chicken) and Mark
Marek (KaBlam!The Andy Milonakis Show) are the
producers.
The Looney Toons Show will star Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with
Yosemite Sam,
Tweety, Sylvester
— the whole gang. The network is having each episode as a
half-hour story along with “cartoons within a cartoon.” It will also having classic characters singing original
songs in two-minute music videos called Merrie Melodies and the Road
Runner and Coyote in CG shorts.
Pop culture continues to find new and innovative ways to plant itself on the web and two of our contributors, Aaron Rosenberg and Bob Greenberger, along with fellow novelist Steven Savile, are trying something new. ReDeus is a new fictional world that will come to life on the Internet as a subscription-based site that will offer, for starters, three serialized stories set in a shared world. Not only that, they’re fundraising in an unusual way too, through Kickstarter. We wanted to know more, so we digitally sat down with the three for a conversation. ComicMix: Where’d the idea for ReDeus come from? Steven Savile: I was actually invited to the party after Aaron and Bob had already come up with the core concept of the gods and monsters returning, so it’s best I let them field this particular question.
Aaron Rosenberg: Me, it was all me! :)
No, seriously, it was Bob, our friend Paul, and I. We’d been talking about the economy, and writing projects, and the changing face of publishing, and we agreed that we needed to find new ways to get stories out to our audience. I had an idea about putting things up on the Internet, and Bob and Paul both liked the notion, so we ran with it. Then we started talking about the kind of world we’d want to build, something cool and unique and interesting with enough room for all of us to tell stories and then some. We all agreed that near-future was the way to go, and then the question was “how is it different from today? What changed?” I don’t remember which of us came up with “the gods were all real—and they’ve returned!” but the minute it was stated all three of us said “YES!!!” And we took it from there. Paul had to bow out, unfortunately, but Bob and I both already knew Steve and were already working with him on some other projects, so we approached him and he was happy to step in.
Bob Greenberger: Basically we had to forgo one Jew with a beard for a Swede with a beard. We think it’s an upgrade.
CMix: Why three writers rather than one of you?
Savile: Personally, I love the collective aspect of it. Writing is by necessity a lonely business but there is something very gratifying about the act of collaboration, the idea that what comes out of all three of us together is greater than what might emerge from my mind alone, or Bob’s or Aaron’s, plus it is an absolute delight to learn from these guys. They’re not only great people, they’re great friends, and how often in this life do we get to work with real friends? Not often enough would be my answer.
Rosenberg: Two reasons, really. First, the world is just so much richer for the three of us. I can come up with a world on my own—I’ve done it enough times—but that means it’s all from my perspective, my style, my tone. With three of us, one of us will come up with something and one of the others will say “Hm, that’s cool, but what if we do this to it?” and it’s something the first person never thought of but it makes everything that much better. We really build off each other’s creativity, crafting a setting that’s more complicated, more engaging, more exciting than any of us would have had alone.
The other reason is the scope of the project. Putting up a new piece of content every single day—if any one of us were to do this, he’d run himself ragged. With three of us, we can split that up. Each of us writes one storyline. Each of us handles one type of additional content. It becomes more manageable. And you get materials from three different viewpoints.
Greenberger: I love collaboration and brainstorming so have a blank slate and starting to fill it in is very exciting. This is a huge concept worthy of deeper exploration, which three can do better than one. Who knows, maybe it will grow from there and more will be invited to come explore with us?
MUSIC: "Flight of the Bumblee" (obviously, we don't own it). Curious about this Green Hornet guy who's back in comics? Alan Kistler and Jose Ramos explain the decades long of this character who PRE-DATES Superman and Batman and is actually RELATED to the Lone Ranger! Just another installment of CRAZY SEXY GEEKS Frequently Asked Questions!
Alas the economy has hit even those hard working folks in
Metropolis. With most people turning to digital publications, the Daily
Planet was forced to lay off several less than stellar reporters. In an
unrelated story, it appears Superman is selling merchandise from his
“Super Cart” in the middle of downtown Metropolis Square. Truth be
told, there are plenty of deals to be had, folks. For just $13.95 plus
tax you can have any number of fabric swatches literally stolen off the
backs of unsuspecting super-folk.
The list is out. Pretty straightforward, with a few surprises (No Todd Klein or John Workman for lettering? And was Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader not eligible?)
Our congratulations to all the nominees. We’ll be starting the betting pools in 3… 2…
Best Short Story
• “Because I Love You So Much,” by Nikoline Werdelin, in From
Wonderland with Love: Danish Comics in the 3rd Millennium
(Fantagraphics/Aben malen)
• “Gentleman John,” by Nathan Greno, in What Is Torch Tiger? (Torch
Tiger)
• “How and Why to Bale Hay,” by Nick Bertozzi, in Syncopated (Villard)
• “Hurricane,” interpreted by Gradimir Smudja, in Bob Dylan Revisited
(Norton)
• “Urgent Request,” by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The
Eternal Smile (First Second)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
• Brave & the Bold #28: “Blackhawk and the Flash: Firing Line,” by
J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz (DC)
• Captain America #601: “Red, White, and Blue-Blood,” by Ed Brubaker
and Gene Colan (Marvel)
• Ganges #3, by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics)
• The Unwritten #5: “How the Whale Became,” by Mike Carey and Peter
Gross (Vertigo/DC)
• Usagi Yojimbo #123: “The Death of Lord Hikiji” by Stan Sakai (Dark
Horse)
Best Continuing Series
• Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew
Pepoy et al. (Vertigo/DC)
• Irredeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!)
• Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
• The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
• The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image)
Best Limited Series or Story Arc
• Blackest Night, by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Oclair Albert (DC)
• Incognito, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)
• Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ
Media)
• Wolverine #66–72 and Wolverine Giant-Size Special: “Old Man Logan,”
by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines (Marvel)
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young
(Marvel)
Best New Series
• Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick, art by Tony
Parker (BOOM!)
• Ireedeemable, by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM!)
• Sweet Tooth, by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo/DC)
• The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC)
Best Publication for Kids
• Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, by Jarrett J. Krosoczeka
(Knopf)
• The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, by Eleanor Davis
(Bloomsbury)
• Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and
Fabrice Parme (First Second)
• The TOON Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics, edited by Art
Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon)
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and
Skottie Young (Marvel)
Best Publication for Teens
• Angora Napkin, by Troy Little (IDW)
• Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
• A Family Secret, by Eric Heuvel (Farrar Straus Giroux/Anne Frank
House)
• Far Arden, by Kevin Cannon (Top Shelf)
• I Kill Giants tpb, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura (Image)
Best Humor Publication
• Drinky Crow’s Maakies Treasury, by Tony Millionaire (Fantagraphics)
• Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me, And Other Astute Observations, by
Peter Bagge (Fantagraphics)
• Little Lulu, vols. 19–21, by John Stanley and Irving Tripp (Dark
Horse Books)
• The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets, by Roger Langridge
(BOOM Kids!)
• Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrm vs. the Universe, by Brian Lee
O’Malley (Oni)
Best Anthology
• Abstract Comics, edited by Andrei Molotiu (Fantagraphics)
• Bob Dylan Revisited, edited by Bob Weill (Norton)
• Flight 6, edited by Kazu Kibuishi (Villard)
• Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe
Keatinge (Image)
• Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays, edited by
Brendan Burford (Villard)
• What Is Torch Tiger? edited by Paul Briggs (Torch Tiger)
Best Digital Comic
• The Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl, www.abominable.cc
• Bayou, by Jeremy Love, http://zudacomics.com/bayou
• The Guns of Shadow Valley, by David Wachter and James Andrew Clark,
www.gunsofshadowvalley.com
• Power Out, by Nathan Schreiber, www.act-i-vate.com/67.comic
• Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart, www.sintitulocomic.com/
Best Reality-Based Work
• A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Footnotes in Gaza, by Joe Sacco (Metropolitan/Holt)
• The Imposter’s Daughter, by Laurie Sandell (Little, Brown)
• Monsters, by Ken Dahl (Secret Acres)
• The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric
Lemerier (First Second)
• Stitches, by David Small (Norton)
Best Adaptation from Another Work
• The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton)
• Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation,
adapted by Michael Keller and Nicolle Rager Fuller (Rodale)
• Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, adapted by Tim Hamilton (Hill &
Wang)
• Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
• West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi
(Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Album—New
• Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzuccheilli (Pantheon)
• A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent
Mon)
• The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb (Norton)
• My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and
Émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric
Lemerier (First Second)
• Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
• Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite
(DC)
• A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, by Josh Neufeld (Pantheon)
• Alec: The Years Have Pants, by Eddie Campbell (Top Shelf)
• Essex County Collected, by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
• Map of My Heart: The Best of King-Cat Comics & Stories,
1996–2002, by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
• Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed,
edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
• Bringing Up Father, vol. 1: From Sea to Shining Sea, by George
McManus and Zeke Zekley, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW)
• The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons 1913–1940,
edited by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics)
• Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, by Gahan Wilson, edited
by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
• Prince Valiant, vol. 1: 1937–1938, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim
Thompson (Fantagraphics)
• Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Walt
McDougall, and W. W. Denslow (Sunday Press)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
• The Best of Simon & Kirby, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, edited by
Steve Saffel (Titan Books)
• Blazing Combat, by Archie Goodwin et al., edited by Gary Groth
(Fantagraphics)
• Humbug, by Harvey Kurtzman et al., edited by Gary Groth
(Fantagraphics)
• The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave
Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
• The TOON Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics, edited by Art
Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly (Abrams ComicArts/Toon)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
• My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill, by Jean Regnaud and
Émile Bravo (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric
Lemerier (First Second)
• Tiny Tyrant vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus, by Lewis Trondheim and
Fabrice Parme (First Second)
• West Coast Blues, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, adapted by Jacques Tardi
(Fantagraphics)
• Years of the Elephant, by Willy Linthout (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
• The Color Trilogy, by Kim Dong Haw (First Second)
• A Distant Neighborhood (2 vols.), by Jiro Taniguchi (Fanfare/Ponent
Mon)
• A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Oishinbo a la Carte, written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira
Hanasaki (VIZ Media)
• Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki (VIZ
Media)
• Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
Best Writer
• Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel)
Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)
• Geoff Johns, Adventure Comics, Blackest Night, The Flash: Rebirth,
Superman: Secret Origin (DC)
• James Robinson, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC)
• Mark Waid, Irredeemable, The Incredibles (BOOM!)
• Bill Willingham, Fables (Vertigo/DC)
Best Writer/Artist
• Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
• R. Crumb, The Book of Genesis Illustrated (Norton)
• David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
• Terry Moore, Echo (Abstract Books)
• Naoki Urasawa, Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Pluto: Urasawa X
Tezuka (VIZ Media)
Best Writer/Artist–Nonfiction
• Reinhard Kleist, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness (Abrams ComicArts)
• Willy Linthout, Years of the Elephant (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt)
• David Small, Stitches (Norton)
• Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man
(Fantagraphics)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
• Michael Kaluta, Madame Xanadu #11–15: “Exodus Noir” (Vertigo/DC)
• Steve McNiven/Dexter Vines, Wolverine: Old Man Logan (Marvel)
• Fiona Staples, North 40 (WildStorm)
• J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)
• Danijel Zezelj, Luna Park (Vertigo/DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
• Émile Bravo, My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill
(Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
• Mauro Cascioli, Justice League: Cry for Justice (DC)
• Nicolle Rager Fuller, Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species: A
Graphic Adaptation (Rodale Books)
• Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the
Dragon (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
• Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know: A Good and Decent Man
(Fantagraphics)
Best Cover Artist
• John Cassaday, Irredeemable (BOOM!); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
• Salvador Larocca, Invincible Iron Man (Marvel)
• Sean Phillips, Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon); 28 Days Later
(BOOM!)
• Alex Ross, Astro City: The Dark Age (WildStorm/DC); Project
Superpowers (Dynamite)
• J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)
Best Coloring
• Steve Hamaker, Bone: Crown of Thorns (Scholastic); Little Mouse Gets
Ready (Toon)
• Laura Martin, The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures (IDW); Thor, The
Stand: American Nightmares (Marvel)
• David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
• Alex Sinclair, Blackest Night, Batman and Robin (DC)
• Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane,
Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC);
Northlanders, Luna Park (Vertigo)
Best Lettering
• Brian Fies, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? (Abrams
ComicArts)
• David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)
• Tom Orzechowski, Savage Dragon (Image); X-Men Forever (Marvel)
• Richard Sala, Cat Burglar Black (First Second); Delphine
(Fantagraphics)
• Adrian Tomine, A Drifting Life (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
• Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)
• ComicsAlliance, www.comicsalliance.com
• Comics Comics, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel
(www.comicscomicsmag.com) (PictureBox)
• The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Michael Dean, and Kristy
Valenti (Fantagraphics)
• The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon
(www.comicsreporter.com)
Best Comics-Related Book
• Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel, by Annalisa Di
Liddo (University Press of Mississippi)
• The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis
Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)
• The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, by Helen McCarthy (Abrams
ComicArts)
• Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, by Eric P. Nash
(Abrams ComicArts)
• Will Eisner and PS Magazine, by Paul E. Fitzgerald (Fitzworld.US)
Best Publication Design
• Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC)
• The Brinkley Girls, designed by Adam Grano (Fantagraphics)
• Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, designed by Jacob Covey
(Fantagraphics)
• Life and Times of Martha Washington, designed by David Nestelle (Dark
Horse Books)
• Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, designed by Philippe
Ghielmetti (Sunday Press)
• Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? designed by Neil Egan and
Brian Fies (Abrams ComicArts)
Less than five years after his introduction in comics, [[[Steel]]] made it to the feature film pantheon of super-heroes. At one point, Warner Bros. was intending to produce a film adaptation of the best-selling [[[Death of Superman]]] storyline and it was decided that a Steel spinoff movie made sense. When it became clear that major [[[Superman]]] buff Shaquille O’Neal was serious about an acting career and that the Death movie was not going to happen, Warners decided to go for a modestly budgeted film anyway.
The $16 million project was handed to science fiction television veteran Kenneth Johnson whose only previous feature experience was directing [[[Short Circuit 2]]]. They were betting that he would bring the same magic here as he did with the[[[ Incredible Hulk]]]. He wrote and directed a film that was lambasted upon its August opening, earning a meager $1,686,429.
Now, as a part of the Warner Archive series, Steelcomes to DVD this Tuesday. You have to love the basketball superstar or the character to put up with this poorly conceived adaptation.
Here’s the official synopsis: When evil scientist Judd Nelson ([[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]], [[[The Breakfast Club]]]) begins selling top-secret weapons to LA’s street gangs, former military researcher Shaq joins forces with a brilliant electronics expert to build an invincible suit of armor. Layered in his magnetic metal sheath and armed with his own hi-tech weaponry, Shaq transforms into his mythic alter-ego, Steel. From a secret command center, Steel sets out on a high-powered silver motorcycle to confront Nelson and rid the city of crime.
As you can see, it has no bearing on the Steel spinoff comic book that at least had Steel taking on a company did that him wrong. Instead, you have Nelson as an unconvincing evil genius who lacks any sense of threat.
Shaq is physically fine as John Henry Irons but the man can’t act and once he donned the armor, couldn’t move with the grace we saw for over a decade on the basketball court. His armor looked fake and the hammer just didn’t have that menacing feel.
The best thing about the film was Annabeth Gish as Susan Sparks, a wheelchair bound ally who evokes thoughts of the comics’ Oracle. Her performance was the most convincing in the largely flawed film which was shot like a TV movie, not a big screen feature. You would have thought[[[ Quincy Jones]]], who co-produced the movie, would have insisted on a little more gravitas or at least made some connection between Steel and his namesake, the American folklore hero John Henry. Instead, they drag in Richard Roundtree to lend the movie some street cred (audiences could see him and think, “ooh, Shaq and Shaft, this could be good” then get disappointed).
As an Archive film, you get an adequate transfer and zero extras. If you are a DC super-hero completist, then this film’s for you. For people looking for action and adventure, look elsewhere.
We were teased with the next direct-to-DVD animated feature when Justice League came out a few months back. Personally, we never understood why Jason Todd was resurrected or why DC and Warner Home Video considered this story worthy of adaptation, but here is comes. What follows is the press release with the details:
The Hollywood Reporter
Pop culture continues to find new and innovative ways to plant itself on the web and two of our contributors, Aaron Rosenberg and Bob Greenberger, along with fellow novelist Steven Savile, are trying something new. 
The list is out. Pretty straightforward, with a few surprises (No Todd Klein or John Workman for lettering? And was Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader not eligible?)
Less than five years after his introduction in comics, [[[Steel]]] made it to the feature film pantheon of super-heroes. At one point, Warner Bros. was intending to produce a film adaptation of the best-selling [[[Death of Superman]]] storyline and it was decided that a Steel spinoff movie made sense. When it became clear that major [[[Superman]]] buff Shaquille O’Neal was serious about an acting career and that the Death movie was not going to happen, Warners decided to go for a modestly budgeted film anyway.
Let’s see if we caught them all– there have been some real gems this year:
