Female comic-book characters have taken a beating on screen in recent years — and not just in the course of battling the bad guys. Despite big budgets and big stars, the dreary Elektra and the unintentionally campy Catwoman both failed creatively and at the box office.
Television hasn't done much better (at least not since the '70s when Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman was fighting for our rights in her satin tights). Birds of Prey, WB's mangled 2002 adaptation of a DC Comics series about a group of vigilantes, was plagued by cringe-inducing dialogue — "We ruled Gotham's nights and answered to no one but ourselves" — and cheesy special effects.
But on Saturday, June 4, two Birds of Prey characters, Huntress and Black Canary, get another chance on TV, headlining "Double Date," an exceptional episode of Cartoon Network's superhero cavalcade Justice League Unlimited. The script is by Gail Simone, who writes th
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Here's your exclusive first look at Batman's newest sidekick. Nope, it's not Robin — he's so five minutes ago.
Instead, the Caped Crusader will be joined by Batgirl when Season 2 of The Batman begins in the fall. (The first year is still airing on WB Saturdays at 10:30 am/ET, with repeats on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at 8:30 pm/ET beginning April 2.)
As in previous TV and comic-book incarnations, this Dark Knight Damsel is Police Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara. But in a new twist, she's just a teenager who turns to fighting crime with cape and cowl after her father puts the kibosh on her plans to become a police detective.
Batgirl's fighting style will be heavily influenced by her background as an Olympic gymnastics hopeful. "She has this nice, explosive little-kid dynamic," says producer and art director Jeff Matsuda.
At first, Batman doesn't approve of a youngster getting in the middle of Gotham City's deprave
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It might not have been as hype-worthy as the Seinfeld episode in which Cosmo Kramer divulged his first name, or as sly as Mr. Big being outed as a "John" on the final episode of Sex and the City.
But after 14 anonymous years and dozens of episodes on The Simpsons, "Comic Book Guy," the surly, waddling Dungeons & Dragons aficionado (voiced by Hank Azaria) finally disclosed his real name — Jeff Albertson — during the show's post-Super Bowl episode earlier this month.
Jeff Albertson?
Those expecting an obscure nod to sci-fi history or a quirky shout-out to comic-book fan boys ("Louis Lane" was one guess circulating on the Internet) may have been disappointed. But Simpsons executive producer Al Jean doesn't think there's any identity crisis here.
"We just thought it wo
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Smallville once again pays tribute to DC Comics mythology next month when a superpowered pooch finds his way into Clark Kent's life. Arf!
But unlike Krypto, Superman's comic-book canine companion, Smallville's pup will not arrive in a rocket ship wearing a red cape. Instead, when he shows up in the Feb. 16 episode, his strength is the result of nefarious experiments at Luthor Corp. Might these experiments involve meteor rocks?
"Hi, it's Smallville," laughs executive producer Al Gough. "Of course they do!"
Fine, but why give the role to a golden retriever — who bears no resemblance to Superman's short-haired white pet? "We had another dog that looked more like the Krypto you know," Gough says. "But he lied on his résumé and couldn't do the stunts."
By the way, although the dog will appear regularly as Clark's furry friend, he won't be named Krypto. "This is interesting," Gough notes. "Ironically,
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