How Awesome was the Trailer for Suicide Squad?!?

San Diego Comic Con, the Granddaddy of all Comic Cons, delivered yet again the single item that can get the masses stirred up - movie trailers.

Several awesome trailers were shown, such as: Batman vs Superman, Star Wars, Deadpool (probably the fan favorite), and of course the much anticipated Suicide Squad.

Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer, takes a brilliant concept where a secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency. The movie will feature an array of acting talent, such as: Margot Robbie, Will Smith, and probably the most talked about - Jared Leto.

Jared Leto is tasked with recreating The Joker. A very tall task considering the shoes Heath Ledger has left to fill. However, this will not be the same Joker, and that is a good thing. There are a few observations made of this "new" Joker by Cinema Blend. Cinema Blend Joker Observations

1. He’s Based On The Dark Knight Returns Version
It’s well-known at this point that Ben Affleck’s Batman is partially based off The Dark Knight Returns version the character, specifically his older age and Bat-armor. The classic 1986 miniseries will also be inspiring the DCCU Joker, especially concerning his look. The report states that he is "lean & scarred but his suit does have broad shoulders." In the original story, Joker has been catatonic for years, and it was only when Batman reappeared that he regained consciousness and began another murder spree. It doesn’t sound like the unconsciousness aspect will be adapted for Suicide Squad, but if/when he escapes, perhaps he’ll be wearing the white and purple suit he rocked in the original story and animated movie.

2. He Has Killed One Of Batman's Sidekicks

One of Joker’s most ruthless acts in the comics was brutally murdering Jason Todd, the second Robin. Evidently that will be the same case in the DCCU. In addition to the movie including references to his past crimes, Suicide Squad also reveals that this Joker killed one of Batman’s sidekicks. The article won’t state which specific sidekick bites the dust, but if these movies ever plan on using Dick Grayson as Nightwing, then Jason is the likely choice. This also might line up with a potential character being played by actress Jena Malone in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. When The Dark Knight Returns first came out, Dick and Jason had been the only two Robins, and Carrie Kelly was the third to take the mantle. Perhaps like in the comics, the DCCU Batman doesn’t want to take another partner after Jason was murdered by Joker, but later decides to accept Malone’s Kelley as the new Robin, or even Batgirl as a substitute.

3. He Is Muscular, Not Skinny

Okay, so he won’t be as beastly as when he took Bane’s Venom steroid in Batman: Arkham Asylum, as seen above. However, this Joker will certainly be muscular rather than gangly. During his imprisonment, he’s been working out hardcore, specifically by doing handstand push-ups. This explains why Leto has been putting on weight. Although Joker has been shown to be a competent fighter in the comics, the ways artists have drawn him in the comics varies from being extremely slender to slightly bigger in stature. Joker is already a criminal genius, but if he’s been working out in prison, that going to make him much more dangerous. Even if he doesn’t have any of his trademark weapons, he could still kill anyone who gets in his way with ease.

4. He Has Bleached Skin, Not Makeup

The last time we saw Joker on the big screen, director Christopher Nolan decided to have the villain wear makeup to produce his terrifying look. Not this time around; Suicide Squad is bringing back the classic bleached skin appearance. Joker arguably has one of the most well-known supervillain origins. While committing a crime at a chemical factory, the man who would become Joker got into a fight with Batman and was knocked into a giant vat of chemicals. The chemicals bleached his skin white, dyed his hair green and turned his lips red, snapping whatever sanity this man had left and turned him into The Joker. Heath Ledger’s Joker obviously looked creepy as hell, but it’s good to see they’re doing the character’s look in Suicide Squad the same way they did Jack Nicholson’s Joker in the 1989 Batman film. 

5. Amanda Waller Is Interrogating Him

This is a small detail, but the report says that Suicide Squad overseer Amanda Waller will be interrogating the Joker during the film. A rumor from earlier this year stated that Joker is brought into the Belle Reve prison complex by Waller so that she can use him to keep Harley Quinn in check. While he’s there, it sounds like Waller will also be grilling him on any other criminal activity he’s involved in. Joker isn’t often cooperative with his enemies, be it Batman or government officials, so it’s hard to imagine him assisting Waller in any way. However, one thing is certain: he has a plan, and if the reports are true, this will result in him escaping prison. Waller should have known better than to have any type of interaction with the murderous clown.

So what about you? Are you excited about this movie or what?

IMDB - Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad Wiki

Insurgent Z - A Zombie Novel That Just Couldn't Stay Dead.

The first novel I wrote was a disaster of a story titled Hollow Point. It was a simple zombie yarn influenced by the screen play of my cousin. At the time, I had a few short stories published and thought I was hit shit. In reality, I still had a tremendous amount to learn in how to craft a tale.

Dane T. Hatchell, a friend and fantastic author, shot some ideas my way one time over coffee, and said how he would have liked the novel to have started off. He and I had both been jerked around by the defunct Living Dead Press, and like many of its authors, were struggling to not only be taken seriously as story-tellers, but also to build up our confidence in getting our work in the hand of readers.

Dane and I made plans to re-write the book, and I am glad we did. We were able to take a boring and predictable novel and turn it into a fun, fast-paced zombie thriller with military themes. Severed Press, a press based out of Australia agreed to publish the novel, and Dane and I have seen some nice success from a book that was almost given up on. It has also received some great praise from zombie-fiction heavyweights, like Jonathan Maberry, Joe McKinney (who wrote the intro), and Dana Fredsti.

For lovers of zombie fiction, check out this story. I think it will certainly scratch the undead itch many of us get when wafting through the tides of zombie fiction.

Insurgent Z - Amazon
Severed Press - Home Page

Welcome Back...Me?

It appears it has been almost 2 years since I have last updated this blog. In that span of time, I have gone through many personal highs and lows, with the major low being the ending of a marriage I thought was one that would last forever.

Such is life, and the beautiful thing about life is that no matter what happens, things keep moving forward.

I love to write. I love to talk. I love to entertain. With that, I hope to do so now and keep this thing updated maybe 1-2 times a week. And not just the typical plug of buying my books, but discussions about all matters of literature, pop culture, movies, music, comics, sports, politics...everything!

Thanks for joining.