#1 THE NEW TEEN TITANS





This is really my favorite incarnation of the Teen Titans - this group is very well rounded because it's pretty much have everything under the sun as a group should be. One thing that I was very happy is Garfield Logan a.k.a Beast Boy / Changeling is back in the fold and I like the idea of him having two names: Beast Boy and Changeling. I actually got fond of Changeling as the adventures of this group continues and he remains a big favorite of mine in this group because of his dynamics that he brings. The three ladies of this group - Starfire, Raven, and Wonder Girl made it even more interesting because these three ladies brought power, magic, and strength all rolled into one and that made it very powerful and the ladies can take a punch or two and that brought this group more oomph than ever before. I was in awe of the mysterious Raven and Raven made this group a different twist of the group dynamics and that alone makes her presence known. Of the three ladies - I really liked Raven 1st and then Wonder Girl who when they made that costume change it's made her even more appealing and more modern and that alone made her a favorite of mine for years to come. Kid Flash and Robin the old standbys of the previous Teen Titans team provided the leadership and the skills that made this group legendary. I was beginning to enjoy the antics of Wally West who was Kid Flash at the time and with addition of Cyborg you have another total dynamics that can be utilized in a far more interesting ways that can make this group more well rounded. Terra and Jericho are part of the team and I really do not know much about these two heroes but I felt that Terra should had been used more in this group and give this group more punch than ever before. I did not get a chance to know Jericho but he died in Teen Titans #82, I believe and I was never, ever, got a chance to know him at all.

Jericho


To me, he's the unknown Titan.



#2 THE ORIGINAL TEEN TITANS





The Original Team - Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Robin the Boy Wonder ... later on Speedy and Wonder Girl - these five teen bopers were the original Teen Titans and pretty much all of you know them by now and reading the thread that Shaxper has started two weeks ago. To me, the Original Titans was pretty cut and dry team back then and I wished that they stick with these five heroes from the get go and to me it's really got ruined for me and I started stop reading them because they becoming a bore to me and now I'm kind of got an interest in reading them because of Shaxper's thread. You got all the bases covered with these five teenagers - Kid Flash with his super speed is great for Recon, Aqualad for covering the vast oceans of the seas, Wonder Girl with her super strength and power, Speedy for other great uses for his trick arrows, and Robin for his leadership and street smarts and fighting skills that made him a legend among teenaged heroes being the sidekick of the legendary Batman.

You just can't go wrong with them.


#3 TEEN TITANS EAST and TEEN TITANS WEST





I changed my mind to combine these two groups and talk a little bit about both of them in general and having said that I was shocked by the selection of DC Comics chose to have these new dynamic teenagers into the mix. I'm rather a moot point when comes to these two groups and having said that - I'm not going to focus on any of the group itself. I was in tune with Teen Titans West rather Teen Titans East because I tend to favor the WEST than the EAST, but some unknown reasons that West was more well rounded than East. What shocked me is the return of Bat-Girl Bette Kane at one point was an ex-girlfriend of Robin and that alone stunned me at this point of time and with her and Lilith gave them the feminine punch that they crave. The Golden Eagle, Hawk and Dove, and the return of the original look of Beast Boy was another shocking change that they did and I really wasn't sold at first but in reality this group made it unique and colorful indeed. Hawk and Dove became a favorite of mine because they were sheer opposite in personality and style and that alone made them great.

On the other side - I was hit with the ton of bricks seeing Harlequin on the team and that's literally shocked me and it's made it quite interesting from this point on.

Harlequin


Mal on the other hand is a virtually unknown to me and I did not know anything about this character and he is another character that I really don't know nothing about. But, seeing him in couple of adventures (can't remember which one) and I discovered that he's belongs in the Titans lineup with his resourcefulness.




Cool Picture of both Titan EAST and Titan WEST here

I love #1-4.  To be honest, I'm not familiar with #5-10.  But, I loved the New Teen Titans so much that it inspired me to go after back issues of the original series back in the early to mid 80's.  It was fun stuff, and one thing I love about Titans East and Titans West was...more Titans! I love big casts, which is one reason I'm sure a big fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

You are so correct and I'm kind of sad about all this ... to me color brighten up a movie and now days filmmakers don't seem to care for it.

I just loved that last line ... Christopher Reeve part.

Understood and I know what you mean here.

Adam West's Catwomen - TV Series and Movie


LEE MERIWEATHER - CATWOMAN IN BATMAN 1966 MOVIE


First of all, I wanted to talk about Lee Meriweather first, she was the Catwoman in the full-length Batman the Movie that was made back in 1966 and I felt that she did a tremendous job in that movie and gotten coaching from Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin of how to be Catwoman. She did a first class job and the script of the movie showcase her talents because she played an additional role as Kitka, a reporter from the Moscow Bugle.

She was the Mastermind of the whole plot of controlling United World and take over the Earth unless Batman and Robin had anything to do with it.

Because of that, she crafted her way into this whole scheme of things and played out all her cards right until the end of where Batman and Robin on the Submarine that the Penguin brought from the US Navy a pre-atomic submarine that was use for it's evil plans by the four members of the United Underworld.

More, I think of it - I felt that she did a terrific job with that character and most of all I felt that she was Catwoman from the Comic Books in the time of the 50's and the 60's and was evil, beautiful, and deadly. She was all that and then some.






I often wonder why they selected her instead of Julie Newmar and having said all that she was busy with her series Time Tunnel as Dr. Ann MacGregor and that's the reason why she wasn't cast as Catwoman in the first place.

I was very surprised to see her appear in two episodes of Batman in the 2nd Season as Lee Carson daughter of a multi-millionaire in two shows involving Victor Bruno as King Tut.



Looking at her picture the hair and her costume above you she was born to play Catwoman and even resembled Catwoman in this picture below you.




JULIE NEWMAR - CATWOMAN in BATMAN TELEVISION SERIES - SEASON 1 & 2


She would be my 2nd Choice to play Catwoman - She was too busy with lots of television projects, commercials, and other things as well to be Catwoman in the movie in place of Lee Meriweather. I know many of you loved her as Catwoman and I do too; but the problem with her is that she was too tall to play her. Adam West was 6'2" and she was 5'11" and that my friends here in Classic Comics Forum is the fact that I felt that she was too tall. Lee was 2 inches shorter and to me, she should been the Catwoman in the series because of her dark hair - Julie was Brown in nature and having said that - I felt that she too many things going against her.

Sorry everyone, I felt that her height was a liability in this Series.

Julie was excellent as Catwoman and I felt that she was diabolically evil, have a heart for the Caped Crusader, and most importantly she had all the seductive moves of a feline arch-criminal do. One of her trademark is to wear her belt at her hips and that alone made it all it's good.






So, she only did 13 episodes in Seasons 1 and 2 and I wished she was around in Season 3 - the problem is that she was too busy with other things and had a movies coming up that came out in 1969 - McKenna Gold and The Maltese Bippy and that alone getting prepared for them she did not had any time to do Catwoman in the 3rd and final season of Batman.


EARTHA KITT - CATWOMAN 3rd SEASON


Please forgive me, I felt as a kid who reads comic books just like you and me and I felt at the time she was a very poor choice to play Catwoman. She was Black and 5'4"




I just loved her expression in the bottom photo and that's was trademark in this show.

She did three shows in the 3rd Season and she need Cesar Romero to assist her and I felt that she did not far too well in her solo episode - Catwoman Dressed to Kill and look silly wearing that Golden Gown that she wore in that show.




And, having said that - I felt that she did the best that she could do with that Character and having said that - I felt that the show producers discredited the character in the final season and that alone made this kid around that time very sad that they could get Lee and/or Julie to play the part.


So, in my own judgement - Lee was Number 1, Julie was Number 2, and Eartha was Number 3.






LEE MERIWEATHER is CATWOMAN - Based on the Batman the Movie

#37 The Riddler - DC Comics







Jim Carrey as the Riddler


There are two principles villains in Batman Forever Movie that starred Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne and Batman - they are Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face and Jim Carrey as the Riddler.

This will come to you as a surprise to all of you here and I just watched this movie recently and I did not like his costumes and his outlandish red hair because he was to bizarre as the Riddler and went on an overkill of his image entirely different from the Comics that I loved. Matter of fact, I did not care for his acting either and that's will come to a total surprise to all of you here. I just can't stand his costume at the end of the movie on that island just outside of Gotham City of him wearing that ridiculous white jeweled outfit with green ? mark all over it and that made it too goofy in my own opinion that I felt it too tacky for film.





It's a great scene of course and it's quite memorable for a lot of you here. But, I felt that this threw me off in a big way and it's right at the end of the movie that I just find it very difficult to fathom and after watching again it's not what I expected the Riddler to be.

This another You Tube Clip that I found and it's consider by some is the best scenes in the movie. Click on the Spoiler after you seen this short clip and that's one of many reasons why I did not care for his interpretation of his character in Batman Forever.







Anyway, I just wanted to give him a grade of C Minus in this movie and Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face a B+. The problem is that I did not care for Two Face in the world of Comic Books at all and I felt that I did not pay much attention to him and I wanted a superior Riddler because he is more well known as a main villain for Batman and Two Face is more a secondary villain but after watching this movie again - I felt that Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face did a more commendable job in this movie and he showcased Two Face with tenacity and a tour de force performance just like Two Face in Batman the Animated Series.





To me, he is the real villain in this movie and the Riddler was a poor backup and that's why I had a hard time dealing with it.


Sorry all of you - Jim Carrey Fans - I felt that his portrayal as the Riddler was below average at it best.


More on the Riddler tomorrow