As we wrap up on Batman-month (which I hope is good enough to do again), I feel that it’s time we talk about the stories that are essential. Now, before I start rambling, I’m not talking about my favorites (although these are a chunk of my favorites), nor just when significant events happened (we’d be here all week going over all the significant events in Batman’s long history). These are essential not just for the plot, but for how they tapped into what makes Batman what he is, and why he persists after decades in print.

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Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel.

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I’m not here to undersell the storytelling in comics. I love the well-written stuff like Watchmen or Sandman. But one thing I do love from comics is the action, and that’s why I’m writing this article. This is my personal analysis of the best fighters in superhero comics. Now, keep in mind, the opinions stated are my own, and if you disagree, I welcome your comments (so long as it’s civil). Secondly, this is not a countdown. Thirdly, I’m going to attempt to figure out real-world martial arts that may actually be in use here. And finally, if your favorite superhero isn’t here, it doesn’t mean they’re not a good fighter, I just think these are the ones who have a legitimate style to it.

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I am a patriotic man at heart. I love this country I live in. Despite all its blemishes and past mistakes…hell, even some of its current mistakes…I think America is the greatest nation on Earth, created by taking in the best people on Earth. And on July fourth, we celebrate everything in America that is good and pure and explode-able in the most spectacular and flashy way possible. And so, in honor of our nation’s birth, we present a list of things that celebrate Americana in all of its ass kicking forms. Every one of these things just makes you want to hum the national anthem while slamming an apple pie down your throat, a feat which really might kill you, so don’t really try it. Read the full story

Everyone has their own opinion about what video games are the best that have ever graced a console. What makes this top ten list different and totally unique is that my opinion is, in fact, the correct opinion, whereas the opinions of the past are incorrect and undeniably inferior. Actually, to call it my “opinion” is in itself misleading, as it is no mere opinion, but solid, irrefutable fact. I have spent countless hours (actually, probably only an hour or two, to be fair) carefully selecting the ten best video games of all time in order to set the record straight. Read the full story

You know, they say that “one” is the loneliest number. What if it’s surround by a plethora of “one”s? (Do you even know what a plethora is?) DC Comics must think that “one” can be…de-lonelyized…so instead of launching one new series, they’ve decided to reboot their entire Universe, starting over 50 titles at issue #1. Speculated on for months, and confirmed today, the DC Universe will reboot in September, starting all of their classic, iconic stories from new beginnings. August 31st marks the final release of the current continuity with the finale of the Flashpoint mini-series, as well as the first release of the rebooted continuity with the premiere of Justice League #1. Read the full story

Well, we now have a villain cast in the upcoming Superman reboot. We also have an official title. And for no extra charge I’m going to tell all you people who are whining about Zod being in the movie why that’s not the proverbial end of the world. I’d say that’s a pretty good haul for one day.

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What the f*@& did I just watch…

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When I first heard that Zack Snyder would be directing the upcoming Nolan-produced Superman flick, I admit I felt a great deal of trepidation. Zack Snyder? Zack “How Slow Can You Go” Snyder? Zack “Slow and Low, that is the tempo” Snyder? Zack “Let’s turn a 1.5 hour movie into a 3 hour movie” Snyder? Zack “Another comment on how he uses an excessive amount of slow-motion in his films” Snyder? Let’s just say I didn’t think Superman would quite work so well in slow-motion, and that worried me. Read the full story

UPDATE: Due to an unforeseen technical difficulty, the deadline for the Marvel vs. Capcom 3/Marvel Digital Comics contest is pushed back until 11:59 PM PST on Wednesday, March 9th giving you all time to get your submissions in. Also, we realize that the phrase might be a little more obscure than originally intended so here is a hint: read the Wikipedia page for X-Men’s Wolverine to help you out.

The armadillo’s shell is vociferous. The marmoset juggles the coconuts. The hippopotamus pirouettes gracefully. The strange man enjoys creating strange code phrases. Episode 006 of Marooners’ Talk, titled “The Badger Flies at Midnight…”, is now online for your listening pleasure. We do something different this week and include a key-phrase related to Wolverine, the Marvel Comics character. What do you do with this key-phrase? You email us at contests@maroonersrock.com with a subject of “MvC 3″ and the key-phrase in the body before 11:59pm PST, Monday, March 7th. Why should you bother? Well, one lucky random winner will receive a (slightly-opened and used) copy of the normal Xbox 360 version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and one lucky random winner will win a redemption code for one free month of full access to Marvel’s online digital comic database. Sweet! Read the full story

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