#but Ronald Wayne didn’t want to be a part of it anymore because he was afraid it would get to the point where he’d lose everything he has.

[theheavymetalmama]

Soooo...Jason Momoa told a little kid that Superman wasn't in Justice League because he was dead, DC is making a Superman Year One comic with Frank Miller as the author, they're making a two-part animated movie based on "the Death and Return of Superman," and rumors are flying around that Supergirl is going to be in Justice League. Oh, and the Justice League trailer dropped. Your thoughts?

That’s a lot to take it. Let’s start with the big one. New Justice League trailer!

Sorry guys, still don’t like it. Granted, it doesn’t look as bad as the previous trailer made it look, but it still looks massively underwhelming. Hell, the only character presented I even like is Wonder Woman, because she’s the only one who’s been established.

Well, established in a good movie, at least.

The rest consist of a Batman who belongs behind bars just as much as any of his villains and three other characters we’re meeting for the first time fighting a villain that nobody gives a shit about, which could be forgiven if the characters were interesting but again Batman’s an asshole and we don’t know anything about Aquaman, Flash, or Cyborg yet. And am I the only one who cringed at Cyborg’s line? Not the line itself, but the flat, robotic delivery. Good god, they took one of the most expressive and emotional live-wires in comic book history and turned him into Arnold from Terminator 2, but without the charm and charisma.

I’m also not looking forward the role the Amazons play, which appears to be them being in the movie for the sole purpose of Steppenwolf to kill/mop the floor with them. Yeah, take the place and characters everybody who watched Wonder Woman fell in love with and just wipe them off the face of the Earth in their second appearance. No way there’s going to be any backlash from that!

Honestly, I could write an essay’s worth of things in the trailer that irked me, but topping that list are these lines from Batman.

“Superman was a beacon for the world. He didn’t just save people, he made them see the best parts of themselves.”

Let’s forget for a moment that Superman has only been in two DCEU movies and you can count on one hand how many times he was shown in a heroic light. Let’s forget for a moment that Man of Steel and especially Batman v Superman spent more time hammering into audiences skulls that more people in this world are afraid of Superman than there are people who see him as a hero. And let’s forget for a moment that this Superman has spent more time feeling sorry for himself than he ever did being the symbol of hope the movies tried and failed miserably building him up to be.

Let’s instead take into account that these lines are coming from Batman. Oh yeah, Superman totally brought out the best in people. That’s why after the disaster in Metropolis, you took a deep breath, composed yourself, and reached out to him to see what he was really about before jumping to conclusions and-oh wait, no you didn’t, you obsessed over him for over a year and decided to straight-up murder his ass, you fucking hypocrite!

Seriously, what the fuck, WB? You spend two whole movies shitting on Superman, the people who love him, and his legacy, and now you’re trying to save face by saying that he brought out the best in people when you’ve only shown the BAD things that happened because he exists? Fuck off. No, seriously, fuck right off. You have to EARN that shit, which you fucking didn’t because you killed Superman before anybody could connect with him and threw the entirety of “The Death and Return of Superman” right under the bus in the last 20 minutes of a Batman movie! I honestly don’t know what’s worse. That Batman is being portrayed as a stupid and hypocritical murderous asshole, or that said stupid and hypocritical murderous asshole is leading the team that Superman is supposed to be the leader to!

Ugh, FUCK everything! But let’s move on, shall we? Frank Miller is writing Superman: Year One.

The very idea of Frank Miller writing any solo-Superman story makes my skin crawl. The fact that the same guy who turned Superman into Ronald Reagan’s personal attack dog who can’t read and raped Wonder Woman is retelling Superman’s origin story? Ugh. Just thinking about that makes me feel like I need to jump into a swimming pool filled with bleach and then get buried up to my neck in rock salt!

Let’s all just put aside that Frank Miller is a racist and misogynist scumbag who hasn’t written anything good since Robocop vs the Terminator. Let’s instead take into account that the man has been writing comic books for 40 years now and has written Superman several times, and every time he’s portrayed him as stupid, boorish, and incompetent while going out of his way to have Batman humiliate him in some way, shape, or form. Yes, I know, Miller has said that he actually likes Superman and only wrote him that way because the story was from Batman’s perspective and that he actually regrets writing him as a government tool, yeah, I don’t fucking believe him. He’s had dozens if not hundreds of opportunities to show Superman in a positive light and he’s never done it. He’s never done it before, so why would he now? The only time Superman has ever been portrayed with any semblance of who he actually is in a Frank Miller work was in Dark Knight III: the Master Race…you know, the one book in the series that Frank Miller didn’t write! Oh, but he wants to write part IV, so great, he’ll get to shit on Superman one more time before he either retires or his diseased liver and STD-ridden body do him in. “Oh, but Katie, he has cancer!” So? He’s still an asshole!

Well, that was grim. Let’s talk a little bit about Jason Mamoa telling a little kid that Superman was dead.

Okay, in the interest of fairness, I don’t think Mamoa had any malicious intent. I’m sure he was just caught up in the moment and wasn’t thinking straight, especially when he apologized to the same kid during an autograph signing that followed the panel. It was still a dick move on his part, but whether or not he gave it some thought, his fellow cast members told him “dude, that’s a little kid,” or his PR guy said “Look Mamoa, Warner has done a fine job of alienating Superman fans all on their own, they don’t need you helping. Now if you want to shrug off being typecast as an uncouth barbarian you’d better stop acting like one and say you’re sorry!” I’m glad he realized it was a dick move and took it back. I’m sure the fact that WB still wants to convince us that Superman is really dead wasn’t helping either. Speaking of which…

The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen are getting animated adaptations.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, this was one of the stories I said deserved a faithful animated adaptation. Yes, some aspects don’t hold up anymore, but they can be worked around. This is also not the first time the story was adapted, as “Superman: Doomsday” was what kicked off the string of animated DC movies. But it was also very watered down and may as well have been called “Superman: the Clone Saga.” So the fact that they’re making a two-part animated adaptation should be good news…

Having said that, let’s get real. If they genuinely wanted to make a faithful adaptation of ‘The Death of Superman,’ they would have already. I can’t shake the feeling that the only reason it’s even being made is because Warner and DC realize that shoe-horning Doomsday into the end of BvS only succeeded in alienating Superman fans and they need to save face, not helped by the fact that the last animated solo-Superman movie they made, Superman Unbound, came out in 2013. Everything else since then has been either a Justice League movie or a Batman movie. Oh sure, Superman was in some of them, but the only one where he had anything resembling a leading role was in Justice League: Gods and Monsters…the alternate universe story where Wonder Woman is from space, Batman is a vampire, and Superman is the son of General Zod and his capsule lands on the US/Mexico border right as some refugees are crossing because apparently the writers felt that Superman being an alien just wasn’t quite on the nose enough.

Now I know what you might be thinking. “Okay, so maybe they didn’t make it as soon as you would have liked, but they’re making it anyway so what’s the problem?” The problem is the possibility that they’re making this not because they want to or feel that it’s a story worth adapting, but again just so they can save face for those of us Superman fans who felt alienated at the conclusion of Batman v Superman where the entirety of the story was boiled down to “Lex Zuckerburg creates Nuclear Man 2.0 and Superman gets stabbed to death at the end.” And a movie that nobody wants to make tends to be a movie that nobody wants to see.

That’s to say nothing of the fact that DC animated movies…well, they just haven’t been very good lately. Ever since their Flashpoint film, the movies have ranged from okay to outright bad. Justice League: War sucked, Son of Batman was obnoxious, Assault on Arkham was good but not great, Throne of Atlantis was a snooze-fest, Batman vs Robin sucked, Gods and Monsters was okay, Batman: Bad Blood had a good movie in it that was bogged down by the writers putting Batwoman’s story on the back-burner and insisting Dick and Damian arguing had to be on the forefront, Justice League vs Teen Titans could have been good if they didn’t put the least-interesting character Damian Wayne center-stage for no goddamn reason, Justice League Dark was hot garbage, Judas Contract was lame, and the less said about The Killing Joke the better.

In short…I hope it’s good, but given previous movies and the circumstance, I’m not holding my breath.

EDIT: Forgot about Supergirl apparently appearing in Justice League. I hope she kicks Batman’s ass. It’s long overdue somebody took Batman down a peg and I can think of worse motivations than “You got my cousin and only other member of my race killed,” as well as providing catharsis for Superman fans given he landed a grand total of two fucking punches in the title fight of Batman v Superman. Other than that, I don’t really care. Her inclusion can’t make the movie anymore troubled than it already is.

[thetoffeeist]

1) Koeman pressure

Now embarking on the second year of his three year plan, Ronald Koeman has had most of the presents he was promised when abandoning Southampton for the ‘Everton project’, recently declaring “everyone now understands why I chose Everton”. Despite still not landing the coveted target-man striker, Koeman can have little complaints towards the board this summer. Which means the pressure is all on him this season to get his players playing, and get them playing very good. If the Blues hit a bumpy patch in the road and some of the more anxious fans with itchy fingers who dreamt of Jose Mourinho as manager become disgruntled, it will be all too easy for them to point at the Dutchman. The pressure will be far greater than fucking up the colour of the tinsel on your Christmas tree. But if ever their was a head on a set of shoulders made for soaking up pressure, it would be the celestial-shaped dome of Ronald Koeman’s. You just wouldn’t want to be a journo at the front row of one of his press conferences during that period. The big Dutch crank.

2) Rooney revived

Wayne Rooney was dead to Evertonians. Or so we thought. A cameo appearance at a Duncan Ferguson testimonial panged the hearts of some of the bitterest Blues, and from that day on it was quietly hoped the prodigal son would return whilst his flame still burnt brighter than most. We all know the story since, Rooney is back, and ‘proving the doubters wrong’ is the journos go to theme of his first few months back on Merseyside. But it’s been spooky how similar some of his iconic moments have been so far, straight re-enactments of goals and celebrations from thirteen years ago. If Rooney was dead to Evertonians, the national press, and the national side, we really could witness an epic revival this season. Like a huge lion bellowing out one last soul shaking roar before it passes off into the night. Rooney undoubtedly has two goals in his mind – end the Everton trophy drought, and score a winning derby goal. It would be a great way to end the story.

 3) Bramley Moore Dock vision

The new stadium at the Bramley Moore Dock site will be placing Everton, and football, at the geographical and architectural heart of the city’s waterfront. It represents Everton Football Club coming in from the wilderness, the end to a forlorn search for a new home which would have always felt third rate behind Goodison Park and the failed Kings Dock dream. The fact we are now going back to the waterfront, claiming the centre of Liverpool as our own in such an iconic location is the most unbelievable development since Farhad Moshiri got Everton all jacked up on money and ambition. What we now look forward to seeing is the architectural designs of Dan Meiss’ vision for the 57k seater stadium. This will be our new home, and our kids’ kids’ new home.

 4) The return of Bolasie

“When I come back I know I’m the full package rather than still needing to do some little things. The hunger is to be back. I want to be back to prove to the fans at Everton what I’m really about.” After suffering a devastating ACL and meniscus injury early in to his Everton career, it remains to be seen how Bolasie will perform on his return, but he has been making all the right noises during his recovery. We saw flashes of his brilliance last season, although the best aspect of that was the link up with his mate, Lukaku (he jibbed you for Pogba, Yannick *spit*), he was always looking to influence the game, even if things didn’t always come off for him. With Everton crying out for options out wide, just how good the winger is on his return could play a massive part in the second half of the season. Yannick Bolasie 2.0 will be eagerly awaited.

  5) The return of Coleman

If we are eagerly awaiting the return of Bolasie, then we are absolutely pining for Seamus Coleman. A class act both on and off the pitch, the whole football club is proud of its flying Irish fullback and was left devastated by his horrific leg break on international duty. Almost five months after that double leg fracture Seamus Coleman is back in training and running again. With early reports suggesting he would be out of action until 2018, it is now hoped he could be back before the end of the year, which would represent an incredible feat of rehabilitation. It will take time after returning to first team action but Coleman’s game is vital to Koeman’s approach. The narrowness of Everton’s play would be remedied by Coleman bombing on down the right, offering assists and goals, as well as solid defensive play and leadership. Manchester City spent £50m for the same reasons this summer. Hopefully all we have to do is wait.

 6) Barkley’s fortunes

Ross Barkley now has no future at Everton, that much is clear. The real reasons behind the midfielder’s decision to reject a huge contract offer to look for ‘a new challenge’ are probably multiple, but it seems as though he is pinning them on Koeman’s public criticisms last season. Criticisms which seemed to induce a reaction from the player who undoubtedly put in some of his best and most consistent performances in an Everton shirt through the second half of the season. Barkley, forever lamented due to poor decision making has revealed that it is immaturity that he is most guilty of. Still only 23, that is a natural problem to have. They say your prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain responsible for decision-making - isn’t fully developed until the age of 24. Wayne Rooney has returned to Everton for all the reasons that Ross Barkley is now turning his back on, but the last person who could lecture Barkely on staying at Everton is England and Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer. So here we possibly have a little bit of history repeating itself, except Everton do not need to sell their star player’s out of necessity anymore and Barkley’s fortunes away from Everton could look a lot more like those of Franny Jeffers than Wayne Rooney’s. Only time will tell, but it is one to look out for because if it all clicks for Barkley like we hoped it would, at another club, it would be a painful loss for Everton… especially if he ends up leaving for free.

 7) The next academy breakthrough

Everton can spend £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson but it would take something for the big money signing to match the impact on fans that the Tom Davies goal against Man City last season had. Evertonians love nothing more than seeing one of their own perform on the big stage. The academy is bubbling with talent, and the Ketwig Kaiser is the first in line of a queue of players of a golden generation that it is believed have what it takes to make the step up. As I wrote about a few months ago, Davies was part of a trio of players who earned the nickname the ‘Holy Trinity’ at Finch Farm. The other two being Liam Walsh and Kieran Dowell. By all accounts of his early performances whilst out on loan at Nottingham Forest, it looks like it will be Dowell. However, Jonjoe Kenny is waiting in the wings for the right back slot, should an opportunity arise this season. Blending top quality new signings with top quality academy graduates is the way forward for Everton.

 8) Which of the new signings will make it?

Everton’s summer transfer business currently stands at 13 new recruits, with seven expected to be involved with the first team this season. Wayne Rooney, Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Cuco Martina all come with Premier League experience. Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez arrive with experience of the Eredivise and La Liga so will be expected to find life at their new club a little harder than the rest as they adjust to the pace of the Premier League. To offset the loss Lukaku and Barkely, the side’s two most productive players in 2016/17, will prove the greatest challenge this season. Pickford and Keane have already improved the side, without a doubt. Cuco Martina has looked precisely the player we was expecting – temporary cover for Coleman. That leaves the pressure on Sigurdsson, Rooney, Klaassen, and Sandro to provide the goals. With Sandro and Klaassen lacking Premier League experience these two will be under most scrutiny. They should both be allowed the time needed to bed in, and patience from fans will be needed.

 9) Winning at Anfield

Since Everton last won at Anfield, Blackpool have risen from the fourth tier to the Premier League, won at Anfield, and fallen back to the fourth tier again. Yeah, we all seen that tweet doing the rounds at the end of the season. The simple law of averages says we are a due a win there, and flukey win with an offside goal would be celebrated hard into the next day but what would be much preferred would be a statement win. Of the starting line up at Anfield last season you wouldn’t expect the following to be on the team sheet the next time around this December: Robles (Pickford), Pennington (Keane), Holgate (Martina), Davies (Schniederlin), Barkley (Sigurdsson), Lukaku (Rooney), Calvert-Lewin (Sandro). It will be a different side to the one that lost 3-1 last time, one that will offer different goal threats and a shored up defence with a massive improvement inbetween the sticks. What would a win at Anfield do for momentum going into Christmas? It would put a huge marker down in the development of this new Everton.

 10) Winning some silverware

Any will do. That stubby cup they give out when we’re all still wearing our winter coats would be sound. A victorious night in Lyon would be even better; that’s a tin pot and Champions League qualification in one go. The dream ticket right there. The last time Everton won something the kids were playing Subbuteo, not FIFA. A whole generation of Blues know nothing but heartache when it comes to actually winning stuff. Above all else this season, if Ronald Koeman could lead Everton to some honours, it would be the clearest sign of the direction the club is going in. It would send shockwaves through the football establishment, who are already noticing that things have changed on the blue half of Merseyside: Moshiri, money, and mentality. Winning is contagious, and all Everton needs now is that spark.