Showing posts with label throne of atlantis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label throne of atlantis. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis ON SALE NOW!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis was released On Demand this week, and while the Shrine had originally planned to wait for the DVD release on the 26th, I bailed on that plan the minute the thing actually became available.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, directed by Ethan Spaulding, written by Heath Corson, and starring Matt Lanter as Aquaman and Sumalee Montano as Mera, tells its own unique version of the story we all know. Everyone from the comics story is here (except for one member of the Aqua-Family), but the players have all been rearranged into a unique continuity. As much as I enjoyed the "Throne of Atlantis" storyline, it was exciting knowing this movie could pretty much go anywhere and do anything, not being tied to the source material.
Matt Lanter does a fine job as the voice of Aquaman, handling some tricky character shifts that are endemic when you're trying to tell a story this big in such a small space (Throne of Atlantis runs a scant 72 minutes). Harry Lennix as Black Manta gets a solid laugh line (how many times do you get to say that), with Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern getting the lion's share of the gags. The delightful Sirena Irwin, who played Mera on Batman: Brave and the Bold, returns to the Aqua-fold, this time Aquaman's mother Atlanna.
There have been some complaints from reviewers already that Aquaman does not get enough to do in Throne of Atlantis. And while the action beats are a bit more evenly distributed here than in the comics, I figured that was going to happen going in, since the title of the movie was Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, not Aquaman: Throne of Atlantis. And while of course I would have loved to have seen Aquaman wall to wall, the story is still very much about him and his world. If anything, Mera takes a larger role, making for fine moments between DC Comics' preeminent power couple.
After starting out in his typical Angry Young Man persona, screenwriter Corson manages to lighten things up by getting Aquaman to accept his royal destiny and managing to have some fun with it. Balance that with some solid fight scenes between the Sea King and Ocean Master, Black Manta, and The Trench, Throne of Atlantis just whetted my appetite for a full-on Aquaman animated movie!
After starting out in his typical Angry Young Man persona, screenwriter Corson manages to lighten things up by getting Aquaman to accept his royal destiny and managing to have some fun with it. Balance that with some solid fight scenes between the Sea King and Ocean Master, Black Manta, and The Trench, Throne of Atlantis just whetted my appetite for a full-on Aquaman animated movie!
After being almost completely ignored in DC's animated movie efforts, it's wonderful to see Aquaman and his supporting cast take center stage in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. He deserves it, and this is his chance to show his corporate overlords that he can carry a movie and people will like it and, just as importantly, buy it. So if you're an Aquaman fan (and I assume you are, why else are you here?), go out and purchase the movie On Demand or pick up a hard copy on the 26th. That's the only way we'll see more animated Aquaman!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Exclusive Figure
By the way, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is available on demand now!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis DVD/Blu-Ray Sleeve
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Cover
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Sneak Preview
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Throne of Atlantis: Aquaman
The Sea King will be voiced by actor Matt Lanter, who has a lot of VO genre credits, from Spider-Man to Star Wars. Let's all welcome him to the ever-growing Aqua-Family!
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis comes out early 2015.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Aquaman Art Gallery: Chuck Brouilette
We just LOVE it and contacted Chuck immediately to ask him to share about the inspiration and his process for this super-fun update of a classic piece so take it away, Chuck!
"I've been working on this style of pop imagery in the world of my favorite comic universe for over a decade - I'm generally inspired by upcoming storyline concepts and character interaction - when I read press info, web site tips etc. I research images from my 'formative years' as a comic fan (early '70's and back) to create an image inspired by the past but related to the current, and as they say, when it all comes together, you know you're doing something right - the Throne of Atlantis image was a prime example - the New 52 DCU and especially The Justice League, has a very primal feel - it opened as a result of Fourth World intervention - in this regard it feels like the mid '80's Super Powers series by Jack 'The King' Kirby and others - using that as a source, I furrowed through the appropriate long box of my 'research library' for inspiration and came across a stunning Aquaman-focus cover that I adapted to include Ocean Master and Cyborg - when I create an image via digital illustration I generally take it back to the fine art gestalt by ultimately painting it as an acrylic canvas (a la Litchenstein or Warhol) and from the digital prints I also create one-of-a-kind art cards - each card is unique in that the image is collaged with various art papers to create a different look to each one."
You can check out more of Chuck's ode to DC Comics and pop culture at Gawker and Saatchi and the man himself on Twitter @ChuckBrouilette!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Aquaman (Vol.8) #15 - Feb. 2013
"Throne of Atlantis Part Two" by Geoff Johns, Paul Pelletier, Art Thibert, and Karl Kesel.
The second installment of "Throne of Atlantis" opens in Gotham City, which in the process of being flooded. Just as how Vulko rescued Lois Lane, Aquaman is there to do the same for Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock:
Batman informs them that they are under attack from Atlantis--something Bullock has a hard time believing. But today is a day for unbelievable things, like when they watch water flow upwards. How is that possible? The answer is Mera:
Over in Metropolis, Superman and Wonder Woman try and figure out who this mysterious stranger is. Wonder Woman guesses he's Atlantean after Superman's x-ray scan reveals Vulko has no lungs. Vulko awakens, getting in a good shot at Superman, but is stopped when Wonder Woman puts her sword to his neck.
Meanwhile, as Mera helps clean out Gotham, Aquaman and Batman are flying in Batman's jet. Aquaman reveals what is Atlantis' next step, and that he, with his brother, wrote the Atlantean war plans which they are now following. He also details what happened when he arrived at Atlantis to claim the throne--surprisingly, his brother Orm abdicated peacefully. But a faction of the Atlantean people didn't like a "half-breed" ruling them, and the laws were rewritten to put Orm back in power. Feeling like a man without a country, Aquaman was overjoyed to be involved with the newly-formed League.
The conversation is interrupted, however, by an incoming missile:
Up at the Watchtower, most of the League meets up, along with Vulko. The missing piece is who redirected those missiles? Whoever did that is the one trying to start a war.
Aquaman asks for one chance to talk to his brother, to see if this war can be averted. Superman and Wonder Woman are against it, but Batman is willing to let Aquaman try. Down in Boston, Ocean Master shows himself, ready to throttle every human who crosses his path. His rage is halted by his brother, who tries to talk some sense:
Aquaman asks for one chance to talk to his brother, to see if this war can be averted. Superman and Wonder Woman are against it, but Batman is willing to let Aquaman try. Down in Boston, Ocean Master shows himself, ready to throttle every human who crosses his path. His rage is halted by his brother, who tries to talk some sense:
...to be continued!
The big news for this issue is the debut of new Aquaman art team Paul Pelletier and Art Thibert, who make a nice combination. Thibert brings a layer of grit to Pelletier's pencils, and they are aided immeasurably by color artist Rod Reis, who is back after skipping last issue. Rod is the finest colorist working in mainstream comics, so I am thrilled that he's staying on the book. Pelletier and Thibert have some big fins to fill, but so far they're off to a good start.
Geoff Johns couldn't have planned this, but watching major East Coast cities become flooded has an added resonance post-Hurricane Sandy. I like the simplicity of using the Earth's oceans as a weapon, rather than some fancy, high-tech Atlantean weapon; there's only so much people like Superman and Wonder Woman can do against millions of gallons of water. To me, it gives this "Throne of Atlantis" storyline a gravity and scope that harkens back to the classic "Crisis" JLA/JSA team-ups in the original series. We'll see how it all plays out of course.
One quibble: why is it "Throne of Atlantis Chapter One" in Justice League and "Throne of Atlantis Part Two" here?
Justice League #15 - Feb. 2013
...ah, now this is more like it!
A Navy battleship is running a routine missile test, until it becomes clear that the missiles have been redirected to another spot in the ocean:
After brief interludes with Clark and Diana (where he is teaching her the finer points of having a secret identity), and Cyborg (aboard the JLA Watchtower), we flash across the world to Gotham City, where Batman is trying to apprehend some of the Scarecrow's henchmen. After he rescues their hostages, the masked crooks draw their guns on the Dark Knight Detective, only to find themselves facing another hero:
Clark and Diana slip into their work clothes, stopping the aircraft carrier we saw earlier from crashing into the buildings. There's still the matter of the water, which manages to sweep Lois Lane away. Luckily, Vulko is also here, and he rescues Lois, just before passing out, muttering about having to find King Arthur.
Reports come in about similar attacks happening in Boston. Aquaman and Mera know what this means--someone is using Atlantean War Plans to attack the surface world. They know this because...Aquaman wrote them!
...to be continued in Aquaman #15!
After over a year of underwhelming stories, I felt like this issue of Justice League is the first one to capitalize on the possibilities inherent in this book. Maybe I'm just biased because this storyline focuses so heavily on Aquaman--I was overjoyed to see Mera show up--but it seems to me that the art team of Reis/Prado/Reis really seems to bring something out in Johns that manifests itself in his scripts. There was no pointless posing this time around; everyone has something to do and the plot moves forward at a brisk clip.
After over a year of underwhelming stories, I felt like this issue of Justice League is the first one to capitalize on the possibilities inherent in this book. Maybe I'm just biased because this storyline focuses so heavily on Aquaman--I was overjoyed to see Mera show up--but it seems to me that the art team of Reis/Prado/Reis really seems to bring something out in Johns that manifests itself in his scripts. There was no pointless posing this time around; everyone has something to do and the plot moves forward at a brisk clip.
As I've mentioned before, each issue of Aquaman had a memorable ka-pow moment, where the guys really got to show off their chops while also furthering the story. This inaugural Justice League has several; I look forward to future issues where all the members will get their moment to shine--to be truly, heroically impressive--courtesy Reis/Prado/Reis.
Since Aquaman #15 is part two of this story, we decided to follow along in order, so be back at noon and we'll take a look at Chapter Two of "Throne of Atlantis"!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Throne of Atlantis Cover Gallery
DC Comics' much anticipated storyline "Throne of Atlantis" launches in Justice League #15 and continues in Aquaman
#15--both on sale today! We couldn't be more excited to witness the
debut of Aqua-team artists Ivan Reis and Joe Prado on their inaugural
issue of Justice League and also welcome new series penciller Paul Pelletier to Aquaman. Colorist extraordinaire Rod Reis will beautify both books with his spectrum of magic and if that isn't the icing on the cake we don't know what is!
We should point out that Aquaman #15 has a series record of four this month (Batman gets at least that every month!) including the "We Can Be Heroes" blank card-stock edition, of which a portion of the sales go to DCE's charity benefiting the people suffering in the Horn of Africa.
Now we know that not everybody is fan of variant publications, but for the completist Aqua-fans out there, we have an exclusive lead on where you can win all of the above issues in one easy lot over at eBay--check it out!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Jim Lee's First Aquaman Cover!
DC Comics' Jim Lee is an industry icon. He's drawn covers for Superman, Wonder Woman, even Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder -- virtually all of the "Super Friends" titles...and now, finally, we can add Aquaman to complete the list!
Feast your eyes upon the first ever Aquaman cover by the amazingly talented Mr. Lee. Pictured is the Throne of Atlantis variant cover for Aquaman #15 (out next week) which along with the ToA variant to Justice League #15 (also by Lee) unites to form one colossal underwater battle scene.
Both issues are on sale Wednesday December 26th so it will be a Merry Christmas to Aquaman fans everywhere indeed. For all things Throne of Atlantis, please check out our Primer and the official DC Comics Checklist!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Throne of Atlantis Primer
(click to embiggen)
On the premise of ToA:
Essentially have Atlantis, which represents one side of who Arthur is, against the Justice League, which represents the other. And the reasons that they come into conflict aren’t so simple. It’s not just Atlanteans hating the surface world or the surface world wanting to destroy Atlantis. It’s a mystery, and that’s the core of what this story is. Why did this war start? Who’s positioning it, and to what ends? (via IGN)
On the Justice League:
Doing a Justice League story that focuses on Aquaman, we're going to make it the biggest and best story we possibly can. We're really delving into the character and what he means for the team and what the team means for him. Also how his presence on the team affects the team. This is the first chapter in what will hopefully be the building blocks of a really big epic run of what Ivan, Joe and I are trying to do on the book. via ComicVine
Henchmen!
Reis/Prado pages from Justice League #15
On Aquaman's character:
Aquaman’s a great character, he just hasn’t been positioned in a role of importance in a long, long time. We tried to do that in this series; give him this platform because he deserves it, and give a very different perception of Aquaman while at the same time staying true to who the character is. Showing his power level, his fortitude, his sense of honor and commitment and responsibility, and hopefully showing everything that makes a hero a hero. I think Aquaman embodies that more than a lot of other heroes out there. via IGN
On Ocean Master:
Orm isn't going to be an outright villain. He's actually a pretty complicated character, much like Sinestro or Black Adam or Captain Cold. He's not just an underwater Doctor Doom. He's got a very fascinating view and motivation about what he's doing. via Newsarama
On Mera:
We reintroduced Mera way back in Blackest Night and the idea was to kinda build Aquaman’s world up a little bit. She’s central. And she’ll be seen in Justice League after this, but she’s central to this story as she’s been to every story. Mera is to us, an interesting character also because she’s not from Atlantis, she probably feels even harsher about Atlantis than Arthur does, yet she’s also not from the surface. She’s an outsider in a lot of ways that Arthur is and that’s why they connect so well. via MTVGeek
On Aqualad:
There's plans for a lot of Atlanteans but I can't get into any specifics right now. I don't want to spoil anything. via ComicVine
On the Others:
...there are big plans for the Others. via IGN
On Paul Pelletier:
Paul's got such a great, clean style. It's a lot like Ivan and Joe. His stuff on "Hulk" and "Wolverine" has been great, and I've been a fan of his for a long, long time. He's got that touch of Alan Davis in him just like Ivan does. Their styles compliment each other really well. via CBR
Well, if all that doesn't get you pumped for what's ahead for the Sea King then perhaps you should take your pulse...you may have stopped breathing! Aquaman #14 hits next week with visuals by guest-artist Pete Woods--you can see the full preview via here via MTVGeek and ComiXology.
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