Fanboys Anonymous

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.
I admit to missing a few things this week but here's my take on what I caught!

MOVIES

Tetris: The Movie?

My take: I don't see what Threshold Entertainment can possibly do better than their take on Mortal Kombat but they're going to try! Apparently this will be a sci-fi adventure of some kind and not just shapes dropping into lines. Thank goodness. It's very safe to assume this is a gimmick to attach a familiar name to a, basically, brand new property. Unfortunately, it's already working on my weak mind. I'm interested to see what this will be about.

Fantastic Four Sounding More Grounded Than Fantastic.

My take: Miles Teller, who will play Reed Richards in the reboot, recently mentioned the movie is more grounded than it's predecessors. I don't know about you but when I think of "fantastic", I don't want "grounded" and "day-to-day", as he describes. I want adventure that only those four can handle.

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Trailer.

My take: When it comes to the beloved DC Animated videos, I'm not a huge fan of the choppy animation style or the New 52-ish universe they've taken a turn to. Putting Aquaman in the spotlight is another push DC seems to putting on us, I wouldn't be surprised if Cyborg: The Techno-Dome Initiative or something wasn't coming up soon. I sense this movie will be loaded with posturing speeches and moments with a lick of "wasn't that neat, everyone?" to them. Don't get me wrong, I'm an Aquaman supporter, I'm just not a fan of DC's methods these days.

TELEVISION

DC TV Properties May Cross Over, After All.

My take: Originally thought impossible, the CW President seemed excited about all the superheroness going on TV these days. The potential for CW, TNT and CBS to cross storylines across The Flash and Arrow with Titans or Supergirl might give them the edge they need to keep up with Marvel's movie success. Considering how messed up their comic book universe these days (*personal opinion), it will be refreshing to see them avoid the multiverse completely. If they even consider introducing it before establishing a cohesive universe first (and I'm talking a decade minimum), they can kiss their TV dreams goodbye.

Gotham is Two Episodes Deep.

My take: I can't say I'm enthralled with the show so far. Can the villains truly shine without Batman as their enemy? Do we want them to? Are there any good guys on the good guys side that we can warm up to? A producer recently talked about avoiding a "villain of the week" scenario with the series. Apparently they're accomplishing this by simply not revealing the villain, except by name. I'm only two episodes in and I'm already hoping for a time jump in season two or three. I don't see why they can't have Batman, if they're after ratings, that's a no-brainer.

COMIC BOOKS

Marvel Universe Upside Down.

My take: The Marvel Universe (the 616, to comic book aficionados) is near unrecognizable these days; a female Thor, an evil Iron Man, a rehabilitated Doctor Doom and possibly Carnage as a hero soon? I'm all for shake-ups, so bring it on, I say. However, I fear the status quo will come back all too soon. "The more things change", as they say. I've always considered that it would happen around the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron but things might trickle around longer than I thought. I really enjoyed Dark Reign and was sad that, when it ended, it was a complete do-over. Very few repercussions. At least we're getting some new characters and mixtures of characters. It's just a shame there are so many Avengers titles to capitalize on the name. I'm a 20+ year veteran comic book reader and even I get lost in the shuffle of relaunches.

The End of The New 52? Please.

My take: More clues as Future's End continues! If all the nonsense that DC has been throwing at the shelves this year culminates in another reboot in 2015, I might be okay with it. I gave The New 52 a 12-issue chance back in 2011, following several core titles for a year. I couldn't get on board. Not after reading since 1991. They lost me. Signs point to another major shake-up next spring and, if they do it, I might just give them (yet) another try. With their TV universes about to find new audiences, they'll be smart to do away with the multiverse and "evil twin" stories.

Marvel and Jack Kirby's Family Reach Settlement.

My take: To little acclaim and even less financial compensation, Jack Kirby created dozens of Marvel's well-known heroes. The family has been battling for what is compensation is owed to his estate since his death in 1994. This past week, they reached an out of court agreement that we may find out details about one day but it's good know the finale was amicable. The sad thing is, with so many other creators left out to pasture over the decades, the terms of this settlement could really help their cases. I understand business is business but sharing the love is good press, as well as the right thing to do.