The Force Lives on with Qui-Gon

I was saddened last week when I realized the only Star Wars comic book I find worthy of collecting was coming to an end. For almost five years I followed the adventures of Cade Skywalker, and with the end of his era I felt it was the end of me collecting Star Wars comics for a while. Little did I know an old master was about to teach me something new.

Qui-Gon Jinn returns from the dead in a new mini-series Star Wars- Jedi: The Dark Side. In this tale by writer Scott Allie we see Qui-Gon before Obi-Wan Kenobi was his apprentice. In fact Qui-Gon has another apprentice named Xanatos who seems just as emotionally unstable as Anakin. Perhaps this is a look into what it would be like if Qui-Gon had actually been Anakin’s master.

The two are sent on a mission to Xanatos’s homeworld, Telos Four. Along with Master Tahl and her apprentice they must find out what is happening on Talos Four. Xanatos believes the council is sending him back to his home because he doesn’t have what it takes to be a Jedi. Qui-Gon assure his apprentice he is mistaken, but something is definitely up on Talos Four when their ship is shot down and the head of their rescue party is Xanatos's father. My guess is he may be the planet’s leader as well, but we don’t know that for sure.

I love in-depth character stories with familiar faces and this one seems to be setting up for a good one. Xanatos’s fate is in motion, and since he’s not in any of the prequel films or other media I’m guessing things don’t go well for him soon. I also think Master Tahl and her apprentice, Orykan, could go some place good as characters. Either way I’m just glad to see Liam Neeson’s character live on through what I hope is a min-series.

There are few Star Wars books that I enjoy reading, but I’ve always enjoyed collecting Star Wars comics. It started with Dark Empire, then the Clone Wars years, followed by Legacy. Although I feel Dark Horse has come out with some bad Star Wars comics lately, and are letting others slip away, I think The Dark Side could be something great. The Force is strong with this one, I can feel it.

My Top 12 Fictional Brothers

If there is one thing that I’ve learned lately in life it’s that family is important. They are the people who will always be with you, especially your siblings. I grew up with an older brother and he used to be such a pain in the ass! I remember this one time we were fighting over the remote control, so he held me down and just started punching me. But as we’ve grown up I’ve realized that he is the best friend I’ll ever have. He knows everything about me, and I about him. We’ve been through the good and the bad. But, I also know that you don’t have to be blood to be brothers.

12) John and Dan Dorian (Scrubs)

“Hey little brother,” is a phrase I would love to use, but unfortunately being the little brother I don’t get too. Dan always says it to his brother, while he’s scaring the crap out of him, wrestling him to the ground, or coming to tell him their dad has died. Through eight seasons on Scrubs we saw J.D. tell his brother to grow up, and he actually did. Meanwhile Dan made sure J.D. had a good role model, even if it wasn’t him, and bought him a car so he could go visit his child. They’re typical brothers. No one bugs them more, but no one care for them more either.

11) Wolverine and Sabertooth (X-Men)

Talk about dysfunctional. These two take sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Origin writer Paul Jenkins never said that the two were brothers, but in his tale he had a character named Dog, which resembled the beginning of Sabertooth. And in the 2009 film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 20th Century Fox ran with that idea. I for one think it fits well so I’m now running with it too.

Sabertooth has always been jealous of Wolverine because he knew he was everyone’s favorite. Their powers are similar, but though Wolverine suppresses his animal side, Sabertooth embraces it. Sabertooth’s jealousy even brought him to kill Wolverine’s lover, Silver Fox. After many years of fighting it all came to an end when Wolverine decapitated Sabertooth with the Muramasa sword. Recently Wolverine’s soul was sent to hell and guess who was there? Nothing like a family reunion to warm your heart. Warm you’re heart, get it?

10) Alvin, Simon, and Theodore (Alvin and the Chipmunks)

The brothers that sing together, stay together, or something like that. These bros. have been doing their thing for almost fifty years now and I doubt they’ll ever stop. They’ve been on trips around the world, created a timeless Christmas song, and starred as CGI animals with Jason Lee and Zachary Levi. Alvin is always up to something and he seems to pull his brothers in with him. Simon is the intellectual one, and Theodore is a slave to his stomach. If it wasn’t for those two I feel like Alvin would have been road kill years ago, but if it wasn’t for Alvin the other two would be the biggest losers alive!

9) Nathan and Peter Petrelli (Heroes)

Both of these guys are out to save the world, but they just have very different ways of doing it. In season one of Heroes, Nathan tried to keep his powers a secret while Peter tried to embrace his. When it came down to the end and it looked like Peter was going to destroy New York it was his brother who saved him.

As the series continued these two were always there for each other, even when they disagreed. I could always feel the mutual love for one other. Even when they were against each other they were always on the same side. When Sylar killed Nathan their mother and Noah Bennet had Nathan’s mind put into Sylar’s body to keep Nathan alive, but it was always doomed to fail. Nathan’s subconscious was eventually driven out as Peter and Nathan had one last moment before Nathan fell to his death. Too bad flying couldn’t save him then.

8) Dick Grayson and Tim Drake (Batman)

Dick Grayson, then Nightwing, went to the circus looking to reminisce in his past, but what he found was a young boy who had a dream of getting the band back together. Tim Drake had done something nobody else had done, he figured out Bruce Wayne was Batman. Not bad for a boy who hadn’t even hit puberty yet. Tim knew Batman needed Robin to tow the line and keep him from going over, but Bruce was still mourning from Jason Todd’s death. Tim had to prove himself, but eventually he became the third Robin.

Since then Dick has been a big brother to Tim. They train together, both growing-up in the crime fighting life, and they bitch to each other about what a hard-ass Batman is. The two have become closer than any brothers, and this was never more apparent than when Bruce supposedly died, leaving both without their surrogate father figure. When a god kills your father it’s always nice to have a brother there.

7) Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood (The O.C.)

Life in the Orange County was a beach for every kid except Seth Cohen. This comic loving geek got picked on constantly until his dad brought Ryan home after he was caught stealing a car. Ryan was the first person to stand up for Seth and help him calm his neurotic ways. If it wasn’t for Ryan, Seth would never have even showed up on Summer’s radar and they never would have gotten married. I wonder if the rest of the comic book club was in attendance at the wedding?

6) Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

What can I say except, Cowabunga! Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird these brothers have been tearing up the entertainment industry since the mid-80’s. They were mutated by a mysterious ooze and then trained by Splinter in the ways of ninja. But it wasn’t until their highly successful cartoon series in 1986 that the Turtles really took off.

They’ve been in live-action films, CGI films, comic books, and several television series. They are all very different, but “when the evil Shredder attacks, these turtles boys don’t cut him no slack.” Oh come on, you know the lyrics! Word has it another live-action film is on the horizon and as a child of the 80’s I can’t wait to see the boys in green back on the big screen. Turtle Power! “Leonardo leads, Donatello does machine. Raphael is cool, but rude. Michelangelo is a party dude!”

5) Vincent and Johnny “Drama” Chase (Entourage)

Johnny always looks out for his baby bro, from making sure he has a good breakfast every morning, to kicking anybodies ass who bad mouths his brother’s films. Johnny started out as the star, but when his career went sour it was Vince who rose to be the Hollywood blockbuster. Vince is there to support Johnny by helping him hook-up with ladies, and re-start his career. Meanwhile, Johnny helps Vince when he feels blue. Let’s just hug it out now bitch.

4) Rex, Speed, and Spritle Racer (Speed Racer)

Speed was just Spritle’s age when he saw his brother die right before his very eyes. He idolized his big brother so much that it’s part of the reason be became a race car driver himself. But Rex didn’t die, he faked his death to save his family and become Racer X. Racer X takes down villains and along the way tries to protect his brother Speed, and likewise. While they defeat the bad guys Spritle and Chim-Chim occasionally catching a ride, causing all kinds of mischief. Speed doesn’t know his brother is alive, but I think deep down he knows his brother is always watching over him.

3) Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

When you go through ten years of training and missions followed by a three-year-war together you become very close, and that’s why Anakin’s betrayal hurt Obi-Wan so much. Obi-Wan never wanted Anakin to even become a Jedi, but he made a promise to his dying master. Anakin was wreck less, arrogant, and always seemed to know just how good he really was. But you could always tell with every act of disobedience of Obi-Wan there was also an act of love to go along with it.

Anakin’s attachment for his mother and wife helped him fall to the dark side of The Force, which concluded in an epic battle between the old friends that ended in Anakin’s own damnation. They met years later on the Death Star, where Darth Vader got his revenge. But Obi-Wan went on to become more powerful than Anakin could possibly imagine.

2) Scott, Alex, and Gabriel Summers (X-Men)

When Scott and Alex jumped out of that plane, leaving their parents to their own fate, they never knew what lives they had ahead of them, or that they had a younger brother. Scott and Alex went into foster care, became mutants, and both found their way to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Alex has swayed several times from good to bad, sometimes being jealous of Scott, but eventually returning to his brother’s side. But then the third Summers brother revealed himself.

When Scott and Alex’s parents were captured by the Shi’ar they killed their mother, but not before taking the baby out of her womb. For years Gabriel was a slave to the Shi’ar until his mutant powers developed and he broke free. Xavier helped re-unite the brothers until tragedy struck. Xavier erased Gabriel from Scott’s mind to spare him the pain of his brother's death, but Gabriel returned very powerful and exposed the truth. He vowed revenge on Xavier and the Shi’ar. He went to space looking to destroy the Shi’ar. Xavier, Alex, and a handful of X-Men followed.

The boys father, Corsair, now a space pirate, joined the small band of X-Men to stop his son, but his own child was his end. Gabriel seized control of the Shi’ar Empire and killed his father in the process. While Xavier returned to Earth to help Scott lead the mutant race from becoming extinct Alex stayed in space to fight, stop, and possibly kill his own brother. Good stuff, eh? And this doesn’t even include the boys love lives. That’s a whole blog unto itself.

1) Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

Of course it’s fate that my own brother turned me on to the greatest brother duo of them all. Years ago their mother found a demon hovering over Sam’s crib. Then their father walked in and found his wife burning to death. He took the boys and got out, and then spent the next 20 years trying to find the demon that killed his wife. But it was his sons that completed that mission, and along the way they’ve killed a lot of monsters in between.

They cruise the country hunting monsters, blasting classic rock, and driving a 1967 Chevy Impala. It’s every boy’s fantasy. Unfortunately Sam and Dean’s fates were decided for them long ago, back when their mother made a deal with the devil, literally. Come Armageddon Dean was to be the vessel for the angel Michael, and Sam the vessel of Lucifer. The boys refused, which pissed God and all his angels off, but they eventually stopped Judgment Day from happening.

Their adventures started out simple and continue to get much bigger as the seasons go on. They are each other’s one weakness, and every supernatural being knows it. They've both been to hell and back, but they are there for each other no matter what. I think if you’re not willing to go to hell for your brother then you’re not allowed to call them that.



From Smallville to Austin: How I Grew-up with Tom Welling

 Ten years ago a story started. It was about a young boy in Kansas discovering his unique abilities, how he could use them for the better of humanity, and how he must deal with the journey from boy to man. In October 2001 Tom Welling starred as Clark Kent in the new WB television show, Smallville. For ten years we all watched Welling take Clark thru trials and tribulations as he became The Man of Steel.

For over a decade I watched Clark Kent, each week, try to deal with the awkwardness of growing up, find the wisdom to decide what is right and wrong, and how the experiences he had shape who he would become. When Smallville premiered I was a senior in high school, on the precipice myself from boy to man. As I graduated from high school, went through college, and tried to find my place in the world, Clark Kent was right there with me. I could always relate to him because I felt like we were going through similar situations.

Clark Kent and I both grew up in the mid-west. We both have loving parents who tried their best to teach us a strong sense of morality. I too had a fortress of solitude on the second story of a barn. Although just to reassure Jenna, I never spied on the girl next door. Much like the same way Clark felt about Lana I was naïve enough to think that the girl I was in love with in high school was the girl I was destined to be with. I screwed up quite a lot trying to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. When I look back at the times I acted selfish, and hurt those I cared about the most, I try to remember if I was wearing a red kryptonite ring or not.

 As I grew up I realized I couldn’t stay home. I had to make my way in the world. I guess that’s where Clark and I didn’t appear so similar. I couldn’t wait to leave, while Clark tried to stay on the farm as long as possible. The more I ventured away from home the more comfortable I felt with myself. Though I missed my friends from my childhood they would always be with me. I made other friends along my journey who I shared common interests with, ones that I still consider my best friends to this day. Though we differ on who we are, we all share the same values, and helped each other become better people. 

Just like the Justice League, my friends and I eventually scattered all across the country. If I was Clark then my friend Bryce is Impulse. He moves fast, and sometimes acts without thinking, but he has a good heart, and I know he will always be there for me. Taking the role of Aquaman would be Andrew. He has a strong sense of who he is and what he believes in. He sometimes is quick with his emotions, but that just makes him a passionate person. Theresa fills the role of Black Canary as a girl who is hard to read sometimes, but other times seems like she wears her heart on her sleeve. The person I disagree with most, but also respect the most, is my friend Al. As my Green Arrow, Al and I see the way things should be done differently, which is why I sometimes become frustrated with him. But we always come back to the fight on the same side. There was also a person I knew during the past ten years I once called a friend for a while. Until one day I realized he was the opposite of everything I was and what I believed in. Rounding out my league is Lois Lane, my wife.

When Lois met Clark in a field he wasn’t in the best place in his life, and neither was I when I met Lisa. Lois was a little bossy, strong willed, and always had an opinion about everything. This bugged Clark because at the time was still so unsure of himself. He never even thought he was meant to be with Lois until it hit him right on the forehead. I know the feeling. Our wives push us to be better men than we thought we could be, and lets us know that no matter what happens there is always someone in our corner. The summer that Lisa and I became close was when we spent it watching the first five seasons of Smallville on DVD.

When I think back at Smallville it has many meanings to me. As a Superman fan I found it was a good interpretation for people who think comic books are silly or that Superman can’t be relatable in modern days. Despite the last few seasons I found it very entertaining. It had a great mixture of fantasy, drama, and laughter with a terrific cast to back it all up. Finally, spending almost 3 months with Lisa, sharing with her a show I loved to watch, it was the beginning of something I never saw coming that would last forever. Clark and I both started out trying to be comfortable with ourselves. We both wanted to know where we belonged, and we both had to let go of our first loves to realize something better was right in front of us. Clark Kent and I have been through a lot together, and I’ll miss him, but it’s time to put on the suit, literally, and be my own Superman.

Priest Better Pray For Good Reviews

Scott Charles Stewart made a name for himself in Hollywood by being the visual effects coordinator on such films as Sin City, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Stewart is now slowing making his way to the director’s chair, and seems to have selected Paul Bettany as his go-to-actor. Bettany starred in Legion, one of Stewart's first directing jobs, and the now the two are back together for the newest comic book film release, Priest.

For centuries humans and vampires has been at war. When the church seized power they appointed their own personal army to fight the vampire menace. These extraordinary fighter were called priests. Think Jedi Knights if Batman made them hi-tech weapons for killing vampires. With the help of the priests the vampires are all gone, so now the church has no need for its warriors and the priests were assimilated into the population of this dystopian future.

Years later, Priest, played by Bettany, finds out that his so-called niece has been captured by vampires, even though the church denies vampires still exist. Priest must then go against the church’s orders to find his what happend to his family. He is aided by an outland sheriff named Hicks and a former priestess, and friend, who was sent to bring Priest in. Little does our hero know that another friend of his he thought dead is leading the army of vampires that could wipe out mankind once and for all.

This film is based on a Korean comic book that I never read, but from what I know about it, it is nothing like the film. The comic book has to do with God, angels, and a bunch of other spiritual things so I’m not sure where apocalyptic vampires fits into everything. You can tell the film’s director has a back ground in special effects because these vampires are quite scary, even for being digital. Just too forewarn you there are quite a few ‘jump out of the dark and care you’ moments.

I’ve always perceived Paul Bettany as a good actor and for his character I think he does fine job. Priest seems like a man burdened by his past, and Bettany plays that stoic character well. Twilight alumni Cam Gigandet plays Hick in this film, and seems to be a moral center for Priest to play off of. Hicks has a bigger stake in finding Priest’s niece than you think, but I won’t spoil it for you. Star Trek and Lord of the Rings alumni Karl Urban plays the villain of the story and if the film had slowed down a bit to get to know the characters he could have been a good one. Rounding out the main cast is Maggie Q as Priestess. She is from Priest past, knows all his secrets, and Q does a fine job of playing the supportive friend who can kick-ass and may have a slight crush on Priest. Too bad she took a vow of celibacy.

The film is only 87 minutes long, and as you watch it seems like it’s going as fast as Priest speeder bike in Nitro. I felt that if the film had been drawn out a little bit more in the beginning we could have gotten to know the characters more. Then ,when the main plot started, we would care more about what happens throughout the film. It’s a descent story with a good cast, which means I can see a sequel being better than this film. Unfortunately I don’t think Priest will be strong enough in box office numbers and reviews to warrant a continuation, even if I’m curious where Priest and his team would go from here.

This film seemed like a mixture of Judge Dredd and Blade. It has a big city in the middle of the wasteland that is Earth, and the vampires even have familiars. If you’re a sci-fi or horror film guru I think you’ll enjoy this film, but other than that you may want to wait for DVD. As for me, I’m sucker for vampire films that don’t include them sparkling.

Rating: C-

My Top 12 Comic Book Villians

IGN has recently come out to announce their top 100 comic book villains and heroes.  After sifting through their list I decided to make my own. However, I couldn't come anywhere close to naming a hundred villains, let alone putting them in order from least to most villainous.  Lucky for you I can think of 12 villians I love:

 

12) Ra’s Al Ghul

Like Hitler and the many dictators before him Ra’s Al Ghul hopes to cleanse the world of all its faults, leaving only a master race to survive.  Ra’s has survived for hundreds of years thanks to the Lazarus Pit, a fountain of youth that, after bathing, drives a person temporarily insane.  Ra’s has had many children throughout his long life, but sees his only worthy successor in Batman.  Ra’s has used Bruce Wayne’s attraction to his daughter Talia to try and sway the Dark Knight, tried chemical weapons to destory mankind, and even tried to gain Superman as an ally to further his quest for purity.

   

11) Bullseye

Ego is a tough thing to kill, and Bullseye is even harder.  As one of Daredevil’s most deadly foes he has the ability to make anything a weapon with his precise aim.  He’s killed Daredevil’s girlfriend, twice, and is always trying to show everyone he is better than the man without fear.  He has no real morals, just the thrill of the hunt and the comfort of arrogance. 

10) Brainiac

An alien android who loves collecting things, Brainiac once held in his possession the bottled city of Kandor, the greatest city on Krypton.  Brainiac would go from planet to planet, stealing the planets pivotal city and destroying the rest of it.  With no real emotions except his curiosity with civilizations he has become one of Superman’s greatest enemies.  Brainiac cares for no one while Superman cares for everyone.

9) Red Skull

With the help of the cosmic cube the Red Skull has never been dead for too long.  His mind has been put into so many bodies he must have a closest full of them. Never the less, the great heroes are the ones that have a villain to match.  Captain America stands for all that is fair and right while the Red Skull quests for power and chaos.  Now his daughter, Sin, continues her father’s reign of terror as the new Red Skull.  She has a lot to live up too, but something tells me daddy raised her well, or un-well depending on how you look at it.

8) Professor Zoom

The reverse Flash, as he is sometimes called, to me, is a product of destiny.  Eobard Thrawne was a criminal who grew up worshiping the Flash in the 25^th century.  He re-created the same experiment that made Barry Allen the Flash and used his new powers to travel back in time to meet him.  Upon arriving he realized he would become a villain, and has proven history right ever since.

Professor Zoom has made Barry’s life miserable by killing his wife, Iris, and almost killing his girlfriend after that.  Barry had no choice but to kill Zoom by snapping his neck, but Zoom’s knowledge of the Speed Force has made him a man unwilling to die.  With his many resurrections, and now his manipulation of the timeline, Zoom has created this summer’s hot storyline in DC Comics; Flashpoint.

7) Ozymandias

He was once considered a hero; a Watchmen.  But the worst kinds of villains are the ones that think they are heroes.  Adrian Veidt was considered the smartest man on the planet. As he looked down upon Earth from his corporate tower he saw the world destroying itself.  So he gave it an enemy it could unite against; a giant squid.  In the film they changed it, but either way it produced the same results.  Ozymandias killed millions to save billions.  Even some of his closest friends couldn’t figure out if he was brilliant, or raving mad.

6) Bastion

He fights to see that humanity is the dominant species on the planet and doesn’t get taken out by mutants.  I find this odd since he himself isn’t even human.  Bastion is part Master-mold and part Nimrod, a sentinel from the future.  In any event, he started his reign of terror on mutants from inside the government with Operation: Zero Tolerance.  He almost succeeded had it not been for the X-Men. 

Now he fights with Graydon Creed and the Friends of Humanity to continue his mission of wiping out all of mutant kind.  In Second Coming he trapped the X-Men on their own island and brought sentinels from the future to kill them. Hope was the one to finally finish him off, but not before Bastion killed one of the most beloved X-Men; Nightcrawler.

5) Magneto

I see Magneto a lot like I see Catwoman.  Sometimes they’re villains, sometimes they’re heroes.  Magneto is another villain on my list who considers what he is doing is right.  He fights for mutant rights, and if that means destroying New York City, launching nuclear missiles, or reversing Earth’s gravitational pull, so be it. 

Magneto saw so much destruction in his life it baffles me why he would want to create more.  Currently he is residing on Utopia, helping the X-Men save the mutant race and hoping the government doesn’t come after him for all the crimes he has committed against humanity.  But if you want to see him at his prime check out Jim Lee’s Mutant Genesis and Grant Morrison’s Planet X.  That’s what Magneto can do.

4) Lex Luthor

He believes himself to be the savior of mankind.  The one person who sees past the lies that Superman tells the world and knows that one day he will turn against us all.  That is why he has spent years trying to kill the man of steel, and even suffered his own death in the progress.

Lex used to carry a kryptonite ring on him to ward of Superman, but he suffered radiation poisoning and so he had to transfer his mind to a clone body that eventually died as well.  Luthor always says that had it not been for Superman the world would be able to solve it’s own problems, and therefore much stronger.  Through all his schemes Lex has yet to show he cares about anyone but himself.  He seeks power, and it was shown in Blackest Night when he wielded the orange ring, knowing he had great avarice inside himself.

3) Norman Osborn

They don’t get much crazier than Norman Osborn. He turned himself insane on purpose trying to save his company, and ever since has made Peter Parker’s life a living hell. Osborn is responsible for killing Peter’s first love, Gwen Stacy and making Spider-Man doubt himself by making clones of Peter.  Osborn even went so far as to plan a fake pregnancy and miscarriage for Peter and his wife, Mary Jane.

However, when Osborn stopped a Skrull invasion he was named head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and he cleaned house.  He made his villainous friends heroes, drove the real heroes into hiding, and sought to destroy the city of Asgard with the help of Loki.  All of this was done in the name of bringing true order to the world.  What……a nutbag.

2) Darkseid

People say Lex Luthor is Superman’s greatest villain, but I disagree.  I think it’s Darkseid. He is just as smart as he is powerful, and he’s almost killed the man of steel on several occasions.  He killed his own family to gain power of Apokolips, and fights his own son, who he traded to an enemy in his constant war with New Genesis.  With his Omega beams he almost killed Batman, brainwashed Supergirl against Superman, and threatened to destroy Earth more times than I have fingers.  Darkseid looks to take away all free will in the universe and make it his own.  He is the epitome of all that is evil.

1) Joker

A man who has reasons for why he goes things can be fought.  You know why he does something then you know what he cares about, and how he can be defeated.  Perhaps that is why the Joker has always alluded Batman, because he cares for nothing, and will murder people just for his own amusement. 

The Jokers origin story has changed throughout the ages, the most recent being he fell into a tank of chemicals that made him insane.  Never the less his terror on the people of Gotham, and the world, has not stopped since. He has killed Batman’s sidekick Robin, and ruined Commissioner Gordon’s life by killing his wife, son, and paralyzing his daughter, a.k.a. Batgirl.  He does all this to try and show the world that any person, given the right push, can go crazy.  As far as being Batman’s #1 nemesis I think Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight said it best.  “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”

Casting Call: Astonishing X-Men

As everyone knows I’m a life-long X-Men fan, and in this last week it seems I’ve been on an X-Men kick. I watched the Astonishing X-Men motion comic on instant Netflix, read the storylines The Curse of the Mutants and Second Coming, and also watched the first two X-Men movies. But yesterday morning I woke up to find X-Men: The Last Stand on television. Seeing how I only had The Daily Show and The Colbert Report on my DVR to watch I decided to stick with the Marvel mutants. And of course, just like all the other times I try to watch this film, I turned it off twenty minutes in and demanded Brett Ratner be hung in a public forum.

The film can barely be called an X-Men film due to how wrong the characters were portrayed and the mockery made of two great X-Men storylines. Chris Claremont’s The Dark Phoenix Saga and Joss Whedon’s Gifted were raped in order to make this horrible, horrible film. When Whedon is done with The Avengers I would love to see him make a live action, and true-to-story, adaptation to his Gifted comic book. If that dream ever becomes a reality here are my casting picks for Astonishing X-Men.

Joshua Jackson as Scott Summers/Cyclops

I’ve followed Joshua Jackson’s career ever since he played Charlie in The Mighty Ducks trilogy. From there he went on to play Pacey Witter for six seasons on the teen drama Dawson’s Creek. But it wasn’t until his current role as Peter Bishop on the Fox show Fringe that I thought he could pull of the current Scott Summers.

At the beginning of Astonishing X-Men Cyclops has just lost the love of his life, Jean Grey, and is currently dating Emma Frost, the woman he technically cheated on his wife with. It wasn’t physical though, only psychological. Scott has a bit of an edge to him in the comics these days which I love! He’s leading an entire species on the brink of extinction and with the edge that Jackson brings to Fringe every week I think these two would go together like peanut butter and jelly.

January Jones as Emma Frost/the White Queen

When I first heard that January Jones was playing The White Queen in this summer’s X-Men: First Class I thought it seemed like a great casting so why change it. Jones’s role on Mad Men shows she has the acting chops to play a woman who used to be a villain and is now running a school for the hope of all mutant kind.

Emma Frost is as cunning and bitchy as she is knock-out gorgeous. Her only soft spot seems to be for the late Mr. Summers. In Astonishing X-Men you’re never quite sure where Emma stands with everyone, which makes her a great character. Did I mention she once tortured most of her current teammates?

Sam Worthington as Logan/Wolverine

He’s the best he is at what he does, and what he doesn’t isn’t very nice. Wolverine is the most famous X-Men character, so much that he has been the center of four X-Men films. He’s great and all, but I’m so glad we’re getting at least one X-Men film without him this summer.

Sam Worthington has the tough guy act down with roles in action films like Avatar, Clash of the Titans, and Terminator: Salvation. He can pull off the fight scenes, the deep tough guy voice, and as long as he can do the rage scream I think we’re in business. Of course Wolverine is pretty short and I’m not sure how tall Mr. Worthington is. That's my only complaint about Hugh Jackman.

Karl Urban as Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast

At some moments he seems to be the heart of the X-Men, always trying to lead them away from a dark path by being the voice of reason. In Astonishing X-Men, Beast, however, has a hard choice to make. When a cure for mutation is found he must choose whether to use it on himself, or stay the blue, furry animal that humanity sees him as.

I cast Karl Urban for his distinctive voice and acting abilities. It was only after I started writing that I realized he already played a character named Dr. McCoy, so I knew I had the right guy. Urban is known for his roles in The Bourne Supremacy, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and playing Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek. Just think what would happen if they ever had a Star Trek/X-Men crossover like on the comic books. Classic!

Owain Yeoman as Peter Rasputin/ Colossus

Peter Rasputin is the tough guy on the X-Men, but his most solid muscle is his heart. He can turn his skin to steel but he has more compassion than anyone on the team. In Astonishing X-Men Colossus returns from the dead after being experimented on for quite some time. He also is reconciled with his former girlfriend, Kitty Pryde. Oh and did I mention he is prophesized to destroy an entire alien race?

Owain Yeoman is currently playing CBI agent Wayne Rigsby on CBS’s The Mentalist. To play Colossus I needed a big guy who looks very non-threatening at times, but can make you piss your pants at other times. I think Yeoman can even pull off the Russian accent.

Ashley Greene as Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat

Joss Whedon’s entire run of Astonishing X-Men is centered around Kitty Pryde. This young girl returns to a place full of memories to help Scott and Emma teach young mutants. In that time though she finds her dead boyfriend alive, gets her mind royally screwed with by The Hellfire Club, and becomes the only hope for Earth. Whedon sure does love his female heroines.

Ashley Greene is most know for her role as Alice in the Twilight Saga. But she’s one of the few actors I find non-annoying in those silly films, and out in the real world she is really hot. Her upcoming film, Skateland, has her playing a girl-next-door character. I think this fits her well. She seems like a cute girl who is very approachable and down to Earth. Don't worry, there’s only one team in this franchise Ms. Greene. Unless fans are still having their Team Jean vs. Team Emma debates.

Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Patrick Stewart not only played captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise for years, but also Professor Charles Xavier for three films. He’s the only bald man I trust in cinema. It’s a shame that Brett Ratner killed him along with Cyclops in X3. Does Ratner know how many times Professor X has died and came back in the comic books? Judging from X-Men: The Last Stand I doubt he’s ever even read an X-Men comic. Damn you Brett Ratner!

Angelina Jolie as Special Agent Abigail Brand

Agent Brand is the leader of S.W.O.R.D. Don’t ask me what it stand for because I can barely get S.H.I.E.L.D. right. Brand is trying to stop an alien world from being destroyed, and also trying to make sure they don’t destroy Earth as well. Her run-ins with the X-Men are rarely nice, and over time she and Beast kind of develop a crush on each other.

Bring in the queen beotch herself. Angelina Jolie has made a career of not only being a tough girl on the screen with films like Salt and Mr. and Mrs. Smith be she also stole Brad Pitt away from one of America’s sweethearts. I think she has more than what it takes to play tough girl Brand who gives even Emma Frost a run for her money in the bitch department.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

In main stream Marvel comics Nick Fury was a white guy. When the Ultimate universe was created they based Nick Fury off of bad-ass mother f%cker, Samuel L. Jackson. Which is now ironic since he plays Nick Fury in the current Marvel Studio films.

Fury runs S.H.I.E.L.D. and starts out as the go-between guy in Agent Brand and the X-Men's relationship. He doesn’t care much for mutant kind, but he just wants to make sure sh*t doesn't hit the fan on Earth. Roles like these are why we love you Mr. Jackson. It’s why we love you.