The 2012 Blockbuster Season is basically shaping up to be DC Versus Marvel Goes To The Movies, what with “The Avengers” and “Dark Knight Rises” both hitting. That’s especially fun when you realize that the two “competing” films aren’t just split on the usual DC/Marvel lines, but also as representatives of two diametrically-opposed approaches to the art of comic-book adaptation – Christopher Nolan’s stripped-down, self-contained, super-serious, gritty and ‘realistic’ Batman versus Joss Whedon’s balls-out genre-mashup, drenched in the nerd-ephemera of shared-universe continuity and source-faithful literalism.
Who can say which one is adjudged the superior when they hit screens next summer, but right now you’ve gotta feel bad for Warner Bros… “Dark Knight Rises,” in the realm of production-hype, is kinda-sorta looking like a plate of boiled asparagus next to “Avengers” big-ass bowl of Halloween candy. Case in point, right now TDKR’s “buzz” is mostly occupied with fans DESPERATELY hoping that certain angles or arrangements of goggles will make Catwoman look kinda-sorta-maybe like Catwoman; while “Avengers” keeps popping out stuff like THIS…
Preeeeetttttyyyyyy…
Incidentally, you can tell this is “legit,” (as opposed to a high-grade fan-mashup) because Iron Man is wearing his “Avengers Costume” – Note the silver elements included with the red and gold, and the Mark-I style circular chest-light. The triangle one was housing the “new element” we learn Howard Stark was “hiding” in that map in Part 2. Are we going to find out WHO he was hiding it from in “Avengers?” According to “Captain America,” Stark had the Cosmic Cube before S.H.I.E.L.D. did, and according to “Thor” Loki knows what it is… was the “new element” something he was hiding from Loki or some other figure connected to The Cube? More importantly… how cool is it that these are legitimate, logical questions to be asked about an actual upcoming movie??
MOVIEBOB CENTRAL 
You know, it looks cool, but what I hate is that it actually just looks like art, which is what it is, An artistic rendering. All this will just be attached to kids baloons anway.
Either way, I cant wait for either movie.
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What has me worried about Avengers is how much of the movie is going to be setup and how much is going to be payoff? I know they have done a little setup with ending credits connectivity but, up to this point none of those pictured above have actually shaken hands with any of the others. And are we going to have to settle for a training montage ala X-Men: First Class with a few jokes thrown in? Hopefully this movie is 2 hours long and they let Loki go nuts with the cosmic cube, cause I'm not feeling the Loki as main threat just yet.
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Even though The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers will be completely different films I'm still looking forward to both of them. I bet (unless they are really bad) that I will end up liking both The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers. I dont really like the whole DC Vs Marvel thing, and what this whole 21st century versus thing really is in the short run is Nolan's Batman films Vs Marvel Films (Since Warner Brothers hasnt produced a decent comic book film aside from Batman) and to be honest I have much preferred Nolan's Batman Films to the marvel films that have been made. But that doesnt mean that i'm going to trash marvel films because I have liked the Marvel Films that have been made just not as much as Nolan's Batman Films. So in reality I think it would be better to not compare the films since they will be completely different.
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Meh…I'm pretty sure The Dark Knight Rises' hype is mostly occupied with fans excited to see a third film with an amazing director, highly talented cast, in what has so far been a fantastic series of two films.
While personally, my hype for The Avengers is built around a talented but a bit overrated director and some drawings.
I'm looking forward to them both. Both are different styles of films. Both can be good styles. I've loved Nolan's Batman films and MOST of the Marvel filsm. However, While both could turn out amazing or terrible, I'm pretty secure on which will be great filmmaking and which will be popcorn fluff.
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I find it funny that Bob keeps talking about diversity but keeps harping on Dark Knight Rises for trying to be something unique and different instead of a “100% perefect campy adaptation of silver-age batshit insane Batman”
I like my Batman realistic and grim & gritty thank you very much!
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DKR is gonna suuuuuuuck.
OK, obviously trolling, aside, it will never live up to Dark Knight. My opinions about Nolan's Batman movies, aside, this one just won't live up to the hype. How can it? It's been built up for just too long. It might not be a bad movie, it might be a good movie, but the fans frothing at the mouth will be disappointed and the people who saw Dark Knight just because it was Heath Ledger's last (complete) movie, won't bother.
I think one thing that's helped the Marvel movies, is a healthy dose of skepticism. Every movie release has had a question mark hanging over it, of “can they pull this off?” so the hype never got out of control.
My predictions: Peter Travers will give it at least two and a half but likely three stars, because he's on Nolan's cock, Bob will have mixed feelings, most critics will split between denial and meh, but the majority will agree it's not as good as Dark Knight.
Let the bashing begin. Especially from the guy that claimed Gambit is an actual character and that Jubilee is anything but an irritating idea of what middle age white men think is hip.
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I really love this promo art including seeing more of the Hulk. It actually makes me forget about Edward Norton and his take of the character.
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@Lee Kalba
actually so far I have not seen any skepticism for The Avengers at all the fan boys have gone just as ape-sh*t about that film then they have about The Dark Knight Rises. In fact if anything I think there is a lot of skeptcism of whether or not Nolan can even pull off another Batman film.
To be honest Heath Ledger aside The Dark Knight was a great movie IN FACT Batman Begins was a almost JUST AS GOOD as The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger might have been amazing but he was one of just several reasons why that movie was amazing.
Everybody thought that people would be split on Inception but in reality MOST people thought it was a very good movie to some extent. The Dark Knight Rises will be the same, critics might find some stuff about it they might not like (like every movie) but i bet you most people will end up loving this movie.
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Well I've only liked one of Nolan's Batman films(Begins) and that only was the 3rd DC superhero movie I ever liked(after Superman 1 & 2) and the first time I liked a Batman film. Then Nolan did TDK and IMO he went bananas with all the contrivances and such in that one. I ended up hating it. So for me it's not a question of him topping TDK but rather being able to get back to the goodness of Begins. As for The Avengers, Joss Whedon was my only ? about it. All of Marvel's self-made films have been good-to-great, IMO. They'r consistency is pretty much unheard of in the sub-genre. So I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt with whatever movie they do. I will say that even though I've never been a Whedon-ite, The Avengers is the movie of 2012 I'm most looking forward to seeing. After that it's The Hobbit.
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dude, that's a drawing lol
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I've got like zero excitement for Batman and around 75% excitement for Avengers. I probably still dislike Nolan for Inception (I realize a lot of people liked it, but for me it was a waste of $10.) We'll see what happens, but currently, I'm way more excited about a team of colorful heroes than one dark and brooding one.
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Moviebob.. I made an image to prove my point I left a comment on the superman costume post.. first the cape is fake and second.. do we really need the red underwear???? http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/9919/supermancavill.jpg
Thanks hope you see it
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Dat ass. I'm keeping my comment short & sweet like bingbong.
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I think we have a potential theatrical poster here
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As I've stated elsewhere (on Facebook in the Comic Book Issues group. It's a good webshow, really), if Avengers blows away DKR, DC will crap a brick. A brick the size of their universe reboot!
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I love how they have to come up with something for Black Widow to DO in every one of these…
– Rally around Captain America!
– Hulk: smash!
– Thor: smash w/ hammer!
– Hawkeye: shoot!
– Iron Man: shoot!
– black Widow: ……..PUNCH!
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