Superman's mythology is a living document, an ever-changing tapestry in which Justice League is just the most recent thread. It does, however, give a generation of comic book fans a perspective on “their” Superman which has not really been explored before on the big screen.
Grant Morrison, generally accepted as one of the great Superman writers of the last 20 years, was asked at the time about changes to Superman's mythology in Man of Steel and to Iron Man's significant changes in the franchise's third film. His response was worth considering:
“In Australia, Aboriginal artists, every generation goes in and repaints the cave paintings. And they all tell the same stories over generations. And that's what we do. The human species tells the same stories over and over again. Stories of heroes and villains. And I think we have to update them for each new generation,” said Morrison. “Any fans who cling on to maybe a version of something they read when they were children are really just hanging on to a past. The world's moved on. There's new children. They want their version of it. So I think it's very important to freshen these things up and to update them and to move them forward and to look at them in the context of all the things we're interested in now.”
For a generation born in the '80s, our “version” of Superman, the one that most of us connect with and the character we think of when someone says “Superman,” had been gone since around 1999 or so, his history and attitude quietly changed until he was nearly-unrecognizable in some respects, in order to appeal to a different demographic. The version that replaced him vanished in 2011 when they rebooted the whole publishing line. Our version, in turn, sprang to life in 1986 after the previous one was deemed too quaint for his own good — and while the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Superman informed the 2000-2011 more significantly than the 1986-1999 version, those influences did not completely disappear when a recognizably '90s-inspired Superman returned to the comics in 2015's Superman: Lois and Clark.
The process is cyclical, and it has been for years. Before we had giant, continuity-altering, time-travel stories to “force” the change, we had the simple act of a writer consciously changing the depiction of a character to better reflect the times. Superman, when introduced, wasn't “The Man of Steel,” “The Man of Tomorrow” or “The Last Son of Krypton” but the “Champion of the Oppressed.” He fought fat-cat bankers who gamed the system and screwed the little guy but years later he was busting commies just like any other American pop-culture hero. In the '70s, his book became increasingly science fiction-oriented, which continued until the '80s when they officially hit the “reset” button the first time.
There is, as longtime Superman: The Man of Steel artist Jon Bogdanove recently recounted to us, a disagreement even among the professionals who make Superman comics about just how he should be handled. Is he an alien who feels out of place? Is he a god merely masquerading as a man? Is he a farm boy ill-at-ease with the expectations placed on his shoulders? Is he the all-American kid? A little of everything?
For creators like Bogdanove, and current Action Comics writer Dan Jurgens, Superman is Clark first. This is one of the things that the film universe largely seems to understand (even if it not always executed perfectly): the appeal of exploring who Superman is and why he does what he does.
In the past, films have seen him as a generally good guy and was raised right, with not much needed beyond that. Still, exploring Clark before he was Superman has some value, for a reason made explicit in both the Superman comics of the post-Crisis era and the Justice League movie:
In Justice League, when pressed by Alfred as to why it was so important to resurrect Superman, Batman gives a variety of answers that fail to pass muster with his father figure. One of them, finally, connects. The answer?
“He's more human than I am,” Batman says. “He lived in this world, fell in love, had a job, despite all that power.”
“The world needs Superman,” Bruce adds. “The team needs Clark.”
That fundamental part of most modern interpretations of Superman had never really made it to the big screen before Snyder: the idea that Batman is the real guy, and Bruce Wayne is the mask he wears in the daytime. Superman, meanwhile, is a costume that Clark Kent puts on.
Batman is driven by guilt and rage and his truest, most recognizable self is the one who dresses up in body armor and pummels people who remind him of the guy who killed his parents. He wears the costume to strike fear into the heart of criminals who are, by nature, “a superstitious and cowardly lot.”
Superman, on the other hand, just does what he does because it's the right thing to do, and he can.
Superman wears a costume to protect Clark Kent's loved ones, and to give himself a chance at a normal life in the off-hours. Clark is who he is, and Clark is a hero in his own right. He's an award-winning investigative journalist and when he's occasionally found himself without powers, that hasn't stopped him putting himself in harm's way for a story. Dressing as Superman, and NOT wearing a mask, is a calculated move. If he were wearing a mask, there would always be a question of who's under it, and so he would always be worried about protecting his identity. Not wearing one, and going out in public, gives people the impression that this is his life. The hope is that they assume when he's not Superman, he's off on another planet or in his Arctic Fortress or something. They don't think he's even got another life because, why would he?
(Seen in that light, incidentally, the idea that changing your hairstyle, posture and wearing glasses might ACTUALLY be a legitimate disguise for Clark, since nobody's looking for Superman to be anywhere else. I mean, we have no reason to assume that Donald Trump has a second life, either, so if you saw someone who looked a lot like him, would you accuse him of being President? Would people try to lobby him? Assassinate him? Probably not.)
And that's been the thing about the film adaptations up until now: “You will believe a man can fly” was the most important thing. Superman was always the most important thing. Clark was secondary–at best–and frankly it left the character a bit shallow and aloof. In the more modern setting of Snyder's films, it's about his struggles — because without Clark Kent, Superman is basically just a costume.
Lego Live NYC is bringing a massive, immersive three-day event to Manhattan in 2018, giving families and anyone Lego-obsessed a chance to really get their brick on.
The event will be held from Feb. 16 to 18 at the Basketball City facility on Pier 36 in lower Manhattan. It will be an “immersive experience” with Lego-themed zones, including Star Wars, Ninjago and Minecraft, to name a few, says Mark Guest, spokesman for Bricklive, a promotional network of Lego-focused events. In each of the areas inside the 65,000-square-foot facility, visitors will “experience hands-on building and get involved in the total creative experience, including live demonstrations,” he adds.
They will be presented by “Master Builders,” who come from all walks of life, including “wood carvers, furniture makers, engineers, you name it,” says Amanda Madore, senior manager for Brand Relations of the Lego Group.
Although anyone could potentially achieve Master Builder status, to do so one must first be able to accomplish tasks such as building a trophy out of Lego pieces in 10 minutes and a sphere in only one, among other tasks. “Lego Master Builder status can be achieved by anyone who can demonstrate the determination and skill to explore the Lego system and what can be achieved with this limitless building system,” says Madore.
Other highlights will include a community building area, appearances by yet-to-be-announced costumed characters, an area where guests can create robots in a “Coding Corner” and an assortment of special souvenirs and Lego sets available for purchase.
Tickets for the event, which will be held at 299 South St., Manhattan, are available for $30-$75 at legolive.frontgatetickets.com. Email questions to info@parallellive.com.
While revealing a new partnership with SD card maker SanDisk, Nintendo has also revealed that, moving forward, some Nintendo Switch games will require a MicroSD card in order to experience the full content of certain upcoming games.
In an announcement, Nintendo noted that “a microSD card will be needed for certain Nintendo Switch games that contain an especially large amount of content and require additional storage for players to enjoy the full experience.” At least one upcoming release, NBA 2K18, will be such a game requiring a MicroSD card in the system, as evidenced by the game's updated box art.
NBA 2K18 box art with memory card requirement
Nintendo is making sure not to blindside players who purchase games that need extra storage, though. A representative for Nintendo of America confirmed that box art, like that for NBA above, will have notices of this memory card requirement on the front and back of packaging. And for those downloading on the eShop, there will be the standard information noting how large the game is is.
Nintendo also clarified that games requiring the additional space of a memory card will still allow those without a microSD card to play portions of those games.
“If you purchase a physical version of a game that requires an additional microSD memory card, you will be able to play a portion of the game right out of the box (for example, specific levels or modes),” a representative for Nintendo of America told IGN.
“To enjoy the full game, downloading additional data is required. Depending on the storage requirements for each game, it may be necessary to purchase a microSD card to expand storage space. When purchasing a digital version of the game, it may also be necessary to purchase a microSD card depending on the game’s storage requirements and the storage available on the consumer’s Nintendo Switch console.”
Nintendo's partnership with SanDisk means the introduction of branded microSDXC in 64 GB and 128 GB sizes, with packaging featuring Nintendo characters and a Switch logo branding on the card itself. The Switch supports MicroSDXC cards up to 2 TB.
“Some Nintendo Switch games will require consumers to purchase an additional microSD memory card to play them. Our expanded storage solution offers flexibility for those who need it to play these games. People can choose exactly how much additional storage space they want to buy, depending on the number and type of games they play, and the amount of content they plan to download,” Nintendo said about the process.
IGN's editorial team has already picked the 100 games that defined the last generation of home consoles. You can check out that list in its entirety right here:
But as always with these lists, there's plenty of debate and different opinions. So we thought we'd let you, the IGN reader, have your say. Over the last couple of weeks, over 65,000 votes have been cast and below are the 100 games as picked by you.
Microsoft has 2 million licensed users across 115 countries playing the education version of “Minecraft.” But it turns out that students in kindergarten through 12th grade are just too good at playing computer games. So it had to develop a tougher version of its one-hour “Minecraft” tutorial that helps students learn to code. The company released “Hero’s Journey” this week, ahead of the December Hour of Code event, which will encourage students across the world to complete a free coding tutorial. The education edition of “Minecraft” lets students create avatars and learn to solve problems one step at a time, said Microsoft’s Deirdre Quarnstrom. “Something we’ve heard from students in the past is ‘This is just too easy,’” she said.
As part of its Minecon Earth event taking place this Saturday November 18, Mojang has announced that it will be holding a special event to allow fans to vote for Minecraft's next mob.
The options available are in the gallery below, with descriptions below of each beneath:
Mob A, The Monster of the Ocean Depths – an ocean monster which will attempt to drown you with its “tongue-like tentacle”.
Mob B, The Monster of the Night Skies – a flying, “manta-ray-like” monster which targets players who haven't slept.
Mob C, The Great Hunger – a “cute-looking” mob that sinks into the ground and waits for things to fill into its “huge mouth”.
Mob D, The Hovering Inferno – a master Blaze that appears in the Nether with a powerful shockwave attack.
While all of these sound delightful, it will be up to fans which one is added to the game; details on how votes will be cast have not yet been revealed, other than an instruction to tune in to the Minecon Earth livestream, which begins Saturday November 18 at 5pm GMT/ 12pm EST / 9am PST / Sunday November 19, 4am AEDT, with a pre-show starting twenty minutes before. You can watch the show here.
NBA 2K18 box art with memory card requirement
