a timeless literary classic, a fantastic computer game with old school roots, a cartoon series with a cult following, and a comic book character who deserves a movie of his own.
vicarious living couldn’t get any better than this.
1. alice in wonderland directed by tim burton
when i found out last year that my favorite fantasy story was going to be recreated on-screen by tim burton himself, i thought i was dreaming. when i found out that johnny depp is playing the mad hatter, i had to pinch myself. my cinema dream has finally come true.
does anyone know who would provide the musical score for the film? i certainly hope it’s danny elfman, the usual composer for burton films. he’s the only composer in the universe who can capture burton’s vision through music.
2. prince of persia: sands of time produced by jerry bruckheimer
from the mega-bucks producer of swashbuckling adventure epics comes another game-to-movie production in prince of persia: sands of time. the game has come a long, long way from the pixelated adventurer we have known and loved in our bulky pc’s.
jake gyllenhall plays the smoking hot title role (orlando bloom was once rumored to play it). and you have to admit, gyllenhall does look persian. wait, the prince of persia is persian, right? it’s not just a figurative nationality for his figurative title?
3. the last airbender directed by m. night shyamalan
one thing shyamalan has to be grateful for is the loyalty of his raveous fans. no matter how badly his movies are criticized, his followers would still troop to the cinemas to patronize his work. personally, i still think he is a genius. so despite the heated controversy behind the casting of the last airbender and the predictions that it will be a flop like dragonball z, i am still beyond myself with excitement to see this movie.
ok, i admit, i agree with the arguments offered by the detractors of the movie’s cast and, being asian, even sympathize with many of the fanatic haters. but please, imho, noah ringer is a dead-ringer for aang. ok, bad pun, but you know what i mean.
4. deadpool produced by lauren shuler donner and marvel
after his turn as a villainous assassin to wolverine’s hero, deadpool finally gets his solo movie. and about time! the “merc with a mouth” will bear the movie title and reports claim that the movie is going to be faithful to the comic books this time. meaning, no more weapon xi, as shown in the x-men origins. which, i suppose, means the deadpool movie will not be taking off from where wolverine left. i sure hope this is true.
ok, so we’ve seen ryan reynolds play deadpool in x-men origins and many have been convinced that he can carve a place in the comic-turned-movie genre. do you know that he is rumored to also play the title role in the green lantern movie? which means that, like his co-star halle berry, he’s another talent who gets to portray characters from marvel and dc. fanboys, please verify this rumor…
i just learned that edward cullen celebrated his birthday last june 20. i am not a twilight fan, but i try to keep abreast of the latest. and looks like there is no later entertainment fanaticism than twilight and edward cullen, what with all the parties held just to celebrate a fictitious birthday.
he turned 108 last june 20
anyway…
that suddenly got me thinking: when are the birthdays of my favorite fictitious characters? and that tiny superstitious speck in me wonders: what do their star signs say about them?
october 31
bart is a scorpio:
Scorpio people are magnetic, powerful, forceful, emotional, sexual, and psychic. Scorpios are incredibly passionate, persistent, and intense. Scorpios are often the “spiritual seekers†trying to find the right path for themselves which can be ever changing. Being naturally intuitive a Scorpio is able to easily see through lies or secrets, it’s just not easy to fool them. But their powers of secrecy for themselves are grand, mysterious, and very instinctual for them. A Scorpio doesn’t usually like you to know everything about them; they are cautious, meticulous, deliberate, and deeply emotional.
doesn’t sound like bart. does it?
depending on your sources, it is either february 17 or april 7
if bruce wayne’s birthday falls on february 17, then he would be aquarius:
Aquarians are people who are very independent, honest, rebellious, original in thought, inventive, and they are born humanitarians. They are deep analytical thinkers with definite opinions and beliefs that they enjoy sharing with others. They enjoy a good debate, and love to prove how open minded they are. Always highly intelligent and logical an Aquarian is also very serious minded. Their sense of humor is often dry or unusual. Aquarians can be loners, sometimes withdrawing themselves from the world while their sensitive side seeks true companionship.
if bruce wayne’s birthday is on april 7, then he would be an aries:
Aries people generally have a strong independent personality, they are aggressive, competitive, original, adventurous, and can be argumentative just to enjoy the debate. Aries love to do “physical” things and be active, even sometimes taking dangerous risks just to win. An Aries will always say what’s on their mind, and they will confront anyone who doesn’t treat them with respect. Aries are a lot of fun and very playful, so they enjoy being the center of attention and the life of the party. They tend to get bored easily so they need to find ways to stay active. . Aries are forward, to the point, out spoken, and have a deep desire to be in charge. Aries are natural leaders and therefore they may challenge authority figures. Often they tend to be the “heroes†or the rescuers to their friends and family.
both aquarius and aries seem to fit bruce wayne… which is a better fit though?
march 9
barbie is a pisces:
Pisces people are born with the gift of prophecy and with all the right things in place, they are deeply spiritual people. Pisces is known for compassion, sensitivity, patience, romance, imagination, and natural intuition. A Pisces is very imaginative and loves to just be alone with thoughts or their fantasy world. Many have some type of spiritual awakening; a moment of enlightenment, in their life. A Pisces can be literally inspiring to others and will even sacrifice their own desires to support a loved one. Being so emotionally sensitive, it is easy at times for a Pisces to seek escape through over indulgence.
barbie, spiritual?? hyeah, right. over indulgence is more like it.
depending on your sources, winnie-the-pooh is either august 21 or october 14
if winnie-the-pooh’s birthday is on august 21, he would be a leo:
Leos are larger than life because they attract others easily and are strong, generous, passionate, and hard workers. A Leo has a zest for life, ambition, and have a very sharp wit. Leos are natural leaders, they want to do it all their own way without help, just to prove to themselves that they can. They are cheerful, fun, pleasant, and stand out among a crowd that gives them plenty of attention. They are powerful personalities and call attention to their greatness. A Leo needs to be noticed for their abilities, and if you do then you’ll for sure have a great friend. Leos are good at heart, creative, fun loving, and have a fierce ambition to succeed in anything they do.
if winnie-the-pooh’s birthday is on october 14, he would be a libra:
Librans love beauty, creativity, and balance. Libras are wonderful writers and communicators because their wit and charm shine through their words. Libras are analytical thinkers that weigh both sides to every issue, sometimes spending far more time then is needed. A Libra is friendly, lovable, social, sensual, charming, intellectual, and dramatic. They are born to flirt, which in most cases is just harmless fun and a part of their natural “sparkleâ€. Libras look for the positives in life, because it is prettier than a negative. A Libra tends to try and please everyone needing to always feel “likedâ€, accepted, and understood.
pooh seems like a libra to me.
anyway, just a few days ago, june 18, was clark kent’s “birthday”. well, the day he landed on earth, at least. no one knows when he was born on krypton. he was adopted by the kents on june 25. so happy birthday, superman! yep, i think you can pwn edward cullen (ok, fangirls, you can hate me now).
all zodiac personality traits are lifted from http://www.mistichouse.com/zodiac/.
stepping out of the cinema on the premier night of x-men origins: wolverine, it suddenly occured to me to ask my husband about his preference: marvel or d.c.? he said he doesn’t take sides on that one.
d.c. vs. marvel. would you like to pick a side?
well, i lean towards d.c.. but that’s just me. not to say that i don’t like characters outside of the d.c. universe, but if i had to choose just one over the other, my choice is very clear. but, of course, there are other publishers, other remarkable characters which are worth more than your two cents in comic book conversations. and don’t forget manga and their die-hard fanboys.
so with that train of thought starting my morning today, i decided to post some of the lists i have collected, counting down the greatest comic book characters of all time. many just enumerate the top ten, others go as far as two hundred. for this blog’s mediocre purpose, let’s just stick to the top ten or twenty of some of these “hallowed” lists.
empire magazine’s greatest comic book characters of all time (top 20 of 50):
this, i found, had the most favorable comments from fanboys and readers. their biggest beef about it is merely the ranking of batman and superman (who they think should trade places in the 1 and 2 spots). other than that, there is pretty much a general consensus to it, notably to the fact that the entire list includes both mainstream and indie characters.
check it out, vote and join the forum! many readers think this guy should have been higher on the list.
i think this is the best-presented list online. brief trivia and write-ups about artists, costumes, t.v. and movie franchises make it the most informative and, by far, the most interesting. plus you get to vote whether you think a particular character should be higher or lower on the list. how fun is that?
discovery channel’s top ten comic book heroes of all time:
disclaimer: i am jotting this one down from memory. although i remember all ten characters very clearly,  i am completely sure of the position of only the first four. thus, i refuse to rank characters from five onwards.Â
judge dredd the hulk wonder woman witchblade akira tintin
i'm glad this guy made it to the list! go, snowy, go!
the list says heroes, not characters. i suppose that explains the absence of villains like the joker. i am also happy that they recognize akira and tintin, both outside the popular comic-turned-blockbuster movie field.
wizard magazine’s greatest comic book characters of all time (top 20 of 200):
as opposed to empire magazine, this list received the least favorable reactions from fanboys and readers, many of them succumbing to low-down profanities and shameless insults to describe the writers of wizard. they object to wolverine ranking the highest, many of them claiming no surprise if either superman, batman or spider-man took top honors; but wolverine? does this mean the magazine is losing its credibility?
shadowcat over this amazon princess? what do you think?
i may not be as well-informed as the rest of the “commenters”, but i would have to say putting logan above everybody else is a very short-sighted move. plus kitty pryde!? higher than wonder woman!? d.c. fanship aside… honestly? will wonders never cease.
bigsmudge.com’s top comic book characters (top 20 of 100):
SPOILER ALERT! for deadpool fans who love his ascerbic wit and comic awareness, they might be disappointed that he has been "silenced" by stryker in the movie, stitching his lips together.
taken mostly from online votes, no surprise here that most of these names come from extremely successful t.v. and movie franchises. but i’m quite happy to see deadpool and bane make it that high on the list. i’m just a little surprised why superman is beneath the top 5, heck, even lower than 10. could it be because many alpha readers don’t appreciate how his character and story were developed in smallville? just wondering.
as for me, taking everything into consideration (readership, longevity, t.v. and film, hobby shop presence, lunch box appearances, adam west in leotards, etc.), the batman tops my list. and to all the listmakers: seriously, no comedian??
how about you, who are your greatest comic book characters of all time?
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