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There's some beautifully over-the-top animation in these ads. And bonus points to the creators for using Catwoman's purple dress costume.

For anyone who's interested, here's a blog by one of the animators offering some insight into the production of these commercials: https://johncelestri.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/batman-semi-clean-rough-poses-x-sheet.html

This definitely isn't my cup of tea, but I figured we should probably have a thread about it since Robin is a lead character. It looks... well...

Does the Teen Titans Go! TV series have a strong following and I just never heard about it? Why else would Warner Bros be releasing this in theatres while something like Batman Ninja goes straight to DVD?

For any Suicide Squad fans out there, a new animated film is scheduled for release this coming spring. Christian Slater heads the voice cast, which also includes C. Thomas Howell reprising his role as Professor Zoom from Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013).

It's good to see Bader's Batman back in action. I've always thought The Brave and the Bold was the Caped Crusader's most underrated animated series. With any luck this new movie might pave the way for more films set in that universe.

Now this looks interesting. A new Japanese Batman anime film has been announced at NY Comic-Con. Titled Batman Ninja, the plot sees Batman travelling back in time to feudal Japan and will feature a cast of classic comic characters that includes Robin, Two-Face, Catwoman, the Joker, Harley Quinn, the Penguin and Gorilla Grodd. No footage has been released online yet, but several NYCC attendees have described seeing an epic rooftop sword fight between Batman and the Joker.

This one's definitely on my radar. It's about time we had some quality animation again in a Batman film.

Is anyone looking forward to the upcoming Hellboy reboot? I watched the old Guillermo del Toro films when they first came out, and I've recently begun reading some of the comics. But I can't say I've ever been a huge fan of this particular property. When it comes to red superheroes with horns, my loyalties lie elsewhere.

However I am interested in the new movie. Neil Marshall's directing, with David Harbour taking over the title role from Ron Perlman. Apparently they're aiming for a darker R-rated interpretation than the earlier films, so I'm expecting more of an emphasis on horror this time around. There's also been some encouraging talk about using practical effects over CGI. The first pictures of Harbour in the make-up have been released and he looks pretty much identical to the comic book character.

Is anyone else looking forward to this, or do you think they should have gone ahead with the third Perlman film instead of rebooting?

A while ago we had some interesting discussion about cinematography, mise-en-scène and visual motifs in Batman Returns. This thread is to promote similar discussion with regards to Batman 89. I'll kick things off with some basic technical info and observations, but by all means feel free to pitch in with your own contributions. Some of this will be stating the obvious, but let's be as comprehensive as possible.

Batman 89, like Batman Returns, was shot open matte using a spherical lens and then matted for a projected 1.85:1 aspect ratio. If you happen to see an unmatted print of either film, you might notice certain fluffs that were meant to be cut out of the projected shot. For example, Michelle Pfeiffer crouching in the foreground as her stunt double flips towards the camera in Batman Returns.

Joel Schumacher's Batman movies were also shot with spherical lenses. Christopher Nolan was the first filmmaker to photograph a Batman movie using anamorphic lenses.

DP Roger Pratt shot the film on Eastman 400T 5295 film stock, which has a higher degree of granularity and less exposure latitude than the EXR 100T 5248 used by Stefan Czapsky on Batman Returns. Consequently the picture quality is not quite as good as in Burton's second film and is noticeably grainer. The contrast between light and dark also isn't as distinct as in Batman Returns. The stark chiaroscuro lighting in Burton's second Batman film is typical of German Expressionist cinematography, while the lighting in the 1989 movie is more typical of film noir.

An image we see a number of times throughout the film is the exterior of Axis Chemicals. Here we have a composite shot comprised of both full scale and miniature elements. The full scale elements in the foreground have been photographed at 24 frames per second, while the miniature elements in the background have been shot at 120 fps. But the consistency in lighting makes the fusion more or less seamless.

The film also makes extensive use of matte shots, often combining paintings with full scale live action elements to make the environments seem larger.

Filming the Gotham scenes on an outdoor back lot allowed Burton to use natural daylight for the exteriors; an advantage he didn't have in Batman Returns, which was shot entirely on a soundstage. The difference between the natural daylight in Batman 89 and the artificial daylight in Batman Returns is quite obvious. Also note the grainier texture to the Batman 89 picture quality.

Most of the interior scenes are illuminated using low-key lighting, particularly whenever Batman is in shot. This helps disguise the limitations of the costume while adding an air of mystery to the character. Most shots of Batman are lit from the side, above or behind.

Very few shots of Batman are lit directly from the front. One noticeably well lit shot of Batman is the close-up of his face as he drags the mugger along the rooftop with the batarang cable.

Most of you have probably noticed that this shot is taken from the scene where he tries to prevent Napier from falling into the vat of chemicals.

The latter shot has a slightly greenish tint to disguise the recycling of footage, but the lighting and framing make it obvious.

In contrast to the low-key lighting surrounding Batman, the Joker is generally lit more brightly. Unlike Batman, the Joker doesn't need to hide in the shadows. He wants to be seen.

Smoke is also used to enhance the noir atmosphere. Almost every shot of the city streets at night features smoke oozing from the gutters. Smoke is also featured during the Axis Chemicals scenes and the Batcave and cathedral interior sequences.

In true eighties fashion, there's also some indoor haze to accentuate the lighting during the daytime interior scenes.

Smoke is deployed to especially strong effect during the Waynes murder flashback. Here smoke and shadows are used to create a distorted image of the two attackers, making them seem larger and more menacing than they might otherwise appear.

Burton also utilises low-angle camera perspectives to simulate the child's eye view and enhance the sense of vulnerability on Bruce's part.

Batman is almost always photographed from low angles to make him appear larger and more imposing. He is also generally shown entering and leaving shots along a vertical axis within the frame. During the scene with the muggers, Batman first enters the shot by descending through the top of the frame.

He surprises the muggers and leaps off the ledge. Once again, moving downwards.

When he exits the scene, he disappears through the bottom of the frame.

We next see Batman at Axis Chemicals, where he once again enters the scene by descending through the top of the frame.

At the end of this sequence, he rises back up through the top of the frame to make his exit.

Batman's next major appearance is at the museum, where he once again descends into the scene.

He and Vicki then rise up through the top of the frame.

They do so again in the alleyway.

Batman descends through the bottom of the frame when he falls back down into the alley.

And so on and so forth. The point of these examples is to illustrate that Batman is a vertically mobile entity. The limitations in wirework and pre-CG effects made it harder to depict his agility in 1989, so Burton communicated his mobility by the way he enters and leaves shots.

On the subject of the alley scene, there's an interesting visual continuity error regarding the chest emblem on Batman's armour. At one point Batman is shot at point blank range. Prior to this, his armour is undamaged.

Afterwards there is a bullet hole in the chest emblem.

However the bullet hole is also visible in the earlier shot of Batman attaching the grapple line to his utility belt, before he was shot.

There are lots more things to be said about the visuals in this movie, but I'll stop there for now and let others add their own observations.

[You've just been in London recording the score for Justice League. It's been 28 years since you scored Batman. What was it like going back into the DC universe?]

Elfman says he's incorporating elements of John Williams' Superman score into the Justice League soundtrack. It sounds like there might be references to earlier Batman scores as well.

You've just been in London recording the score for Justice League. It's been 28 years since you scored Batman. What was it like going back into the DC universe?

It was great. It was like I never left because I'm using the same thematic material that I used back then. It never actually went away [Laughs.] It just was great fun.

There are a few little fan moments. I instated a moment of the Wonder Woman theme that Hans Zimmer did for Batman Vs. Superman, but I also had two minutes where I had the pleasure of saying, "Let's do John Williams' Superman." and that for me was heaven, because now I have a melody to twist, and I'm using it in an actually very dark way, in a dark moment. It's the kind of thing that some fans will notice. Some won't. It's a moment where we're really not sure whose side he's on.

The people at DC are starting to understand we've got these iconic bits from our past and that's part of us, that's part of our heritage -- we shouldn't run away from that. Contemporary thinking is, every time they reboot something, you have to start completely from scratch -- which, of course, audiences will tell us again and again, is bullsh*t. Because the single-most surviving and loved theme in the world is Star Wars, which they had the good sense to not dump for the reboots. And every time it comes back, the audience goes crazy.

Did you write new themes for such characters as Flash and Aquaman?

I created very simple motifs. There are so many themes, you can't just do a big theme for everything. So i created a motif for Flash, for Aquaman and Cyborg -- but they're very simple things, and [DC] understood. I said, "These things may never be used again, but I'm giving you all the components, should you wish to have things to build on." So they either will or they won't, but that's how I approach a project like this. You have to take the attitude that this is the beginning of a mythology and it all matters, it all comes to fruition, and with any luck they will.

I loved the people I worked with, they were wonderful. The DC guys were great. I kept talking about the DNA of John Williams in this other theme -- using the DNA of Batman in these other variations, which were not the Batman theme -- but it all derives from that... Musical themes are like genes, you carry the DNA along and it creates these subtle connections which are perceived on an unconscious level. It's funny because I'm terrible at puzzles, but I love musical puzzles. It's a different part of my brain.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7981630/danny-elfman-justice-league-joss-whedon-gus-van-sant-interview

I've got to be honest, this sneak peak has deflated my enthusiasm.

It looks like they're mixing Gotham by Gaslight with elements from Master of the Future (the scenes with the dirigible) and some altogether new material. A straight up adaptation of the first book would have been preferable, even if it did result in a shorter runtime. I'll wait and see how well the new material mixes with the old, but I wish they hadn't tampered with it quite so drastically.

The animation looks to have captured the colour palette of Mignola's art, but not the designs. That's a pity. I was hoping it would more closely resemble his unique art style. The quality of animation here looks about the same as in The Killing Joke movie, and that's not a good sign. It might improve between now and the release date, but then we all thought that would be the case with The Killing Joke adaptation too.

I'm not keen on Selina's inclusion and all that suffragette stuff. Master of the Future is one of the few classic Batman stories to feature Julie Madison. It doesn't need Catwoman and Poison Ivy shoehorned into it. Nor does it need some Baker Street Irregulars gang comprised of the Robins. This is starting to look like a generic DCAU film that uses Victoriana as window dressing. The original comic book had a Holmesian sensibility that I'm just not sensing in this preview, despite what the filmmakers might say. Maybe it'll be there in the finished film, but I'm not holding my breath.

DC is developing two new animated features based on the classic Death of Superman storyline. The first film will be released on DVD in late 2018. The second is called Reign of the Supermen and will be released in 2019.

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/superman/upcoming-dc-animated-movies-include-two-part-death-of-superman-and-suicide-squad-titles-a152709

As someone who was thoroughly disappointed and underwhelmed by Superman: Doomsday (2007), I think this is great news. I've always said the best aspect of the Death of Superman arc was the Reign of the Supermen part. I'm delighted to hear it's getting its own feature film. And it'll be nice to see another DC animated movie focused on someone other than Batman.

That said, I hope this is the last time we see the Death of Superman storyline adapted. Give it a definitive screen treatment, then move on to something else. There are plenty of other great Superman stories that would make excellent films.

Back in the early eighties, Marvel UK published a short-lived anthology comic titled Daredevils. It included comics, text stories and nonfiction articles geared towards a more sophisticated readership than the average superhero title. Alan Moore's Captain Britain stories were a regular staple, as were reprints of Frank Miller's Daredevil run. One particular issue of Daredevils included a 4-page story by Moore spoofing Miller's Daredevil comics. It reads more like something out of Mad Magazine than a typical Marvel comic, but it's the closest we'll get to a Moore-penned Daredevil story. In case anyone hasn't read 'Grit!', here it is:

Obviously I adore Miller's Daredevil run, but I thought this was pretty funny. The story also gives us some early insight into Moore's attitude regarding the dramatic shift in the tone of eighties superhero comics. Based on this, he seems rather disdainful towards the grittier, more violent approach Miller was taking. Moore had already begun work on the equally gritty V for Vendetta by this point, but that was a science fiction story and not – as Joel Silver claimed – a superhero comic. Yet just a few years later Moore would embrace the grittier, more grounded approach to superheroes when writing Watchmen and The Killing Joke. Was he pandering to a trend he didn't actually like, or was he sufficiently intrigued by the evolution of the genre to explore that trend himself?

[Planet of the Apes (2001)]

I went to see War for the Planet of the Apes this afternoon. As far as 2017's big budget blockbuster movies go, I'd say so far this is the one to beat.

I've yet to read the 1963 novel by Pierre Boulle, so I can't comment on that. But The Planet of the Apes film series has always used the intelligent ape scenario as a mirror for mankind's worst qualities, and this tradition continues in War for the Planet of the Apes. The movie tackles dark subject matter that includes concentration camps, slavery, eugenics, and race treachery. This is not a light-hearted romp. It's a heavy going experience that appeals to brain and heart alike. And for me at least, it hit both targets dead centre.

While earlier films portrayed Caesar as more of a military leader, War presents him as a simian Christ figure whose existence inspires his followers with hope. This is consistent with the 1968 film, where Caesar was revered as a religious icon by the apes of the future. The villain, played by Woody Harrelson, is a military despot in the tradition of Colonel Kurtz and Amon Göth. He's a repellently unsympathetic character whose forces are marked with alpha/omega symbolism redolent of the post-apocalyptic mutant cult in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). There are other connections to the earlier film series, but I won't list them all here. Spotting them is half the fun.

The film places far less emphasis on human characters than the two preceding entries in the trilogy. Instead the primates take centre stage, displaying qualities of compassion and mercy that are alien to their supposedly evolved adversaries. The previous movies had at least a few sympathetic humans to balance out the conflict, but War presents the viewer with only one in the form of a mute child. This begs the question of whether or not mankind actually deserves to survive, or are the apes more worthy of inheriting the Earth. If you've seen the 1968 film, then you know how the story's going to end. But after seeing War for the Planet of the Apes, you mightn't feel so bad about that ending.

Matt Reeves' direction is faultless. There's no shaky-cam or quick cuts. His approach emphasises clarity and precision, with slow camera movements that capture the action clearly and artistically. I only wish he'd directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes too (no disrespect to Rupert Wyatt). I also liked the soft, understated score by Michael Giacchino, which reminded me less of a typical blockbuster soundtrack and more of Michael Stearns' work on Baraka (1992). The motion capture technology is the most sophisticated ever. I'm vocal about my preference for practical creature effects over digital, but credit where credit's due – this is the first film I've seen where the CG character renderings were good enough not to be a distraction. Of course none of that would matter if the performances weren't equally good, but the actors portraying the apes strike the perfect balance between simian mannerisms and human emotion. Serkis in particular cannot be praised enough.

If I were to nitpick, I could point out a few minor issues. (SPOILERS) The apes' plan to escape from the concentration camp hinged on the improbable notion of there being only one guard on duty who could be easily lured into entering the cage. I wish the writers had come up with a better way for them to escape. Also Caesar's grenade triggering a chain reaction that destroys the entire base seemed a little convenient, as did the sudden avalanche that wipes out the human army. Though this latter occurrence fits in with the villain's speech about nature punishing humanity. One final nitpick would be the twist about the girl's name being Nova. This felt a little fan servicey, though I did like that they offered an explanation for why humans had lost the ability to speak in the 1968 film. (END SPOILERS) But these really are minor quibbles, and none of them spoiled my enjoyment of the film.

I'll need to watch the movie again when it comes out on DVD to see if it holds up to repeated viewing, but based on my initial reaction I'm inclined to rank this up there with the original film at the top of the series. To place this in context, here's how I'd rank the rest of the movies from worst to best.

9) Planet of the Apes (2001)

I remember seeing this on the big screen when it was first released and actually liking it. However I've caught it on TV a couple of times since and haven't enjoyed it nearly as much. It has a good score and impressive production values, but apart from that the whole affair rings a little hollow for my tastes. The fact it doesn't connect to the other films excludes it from the wider mythology, which is another reason I'm ranking it last. Admittedly I haven't seen it for a while, so it might be better than I remember.

8) Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

This one expands on the apocalyptic nuclear themes hinted at in the original film and introduces a lot of half-baked concepts, none of which are very compelling. An inferior sequel that lacks the substance of the first movie. Still, it's watchable.

7) Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Battle for the Planet of the Apes eschews the social commentary of the earlier films in favour of a straightforward adventure plot. It continues the determinist themes of Conquest, this time subverting them so the post-apocalyptic world of the 1968 film is averted. While mostly unremarkable, it still makes for an entertaining conclusion to the original series

6) Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Like many genre films of the same era, Conquest strives to reflect the violence and civil unrest in American society during the sixties and early seventies. Beyond the obvious socio-political allegory, there's nothing particularly insightful here. But it does explore some intriguing ideas relating to predeterminism (Caesar creates the world from which his parents will one day travel back in time). A middling entry, but still a darkly entertaining film.

5) Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

I consider this the second best in the original series of movies. Escape takes a more comedic approach to the concept, inverting the premise so that intelligent apes are now the minoritized heroes in a predominantly human society; a clever role reversal of what we saw in the first film. Doubtless some modern viewers would take offence at the dated portrayal of 20th century gender roles, but I like this film a lot. It's funny and different.

4) Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise starts the newer films off on the right foot with a film that emphasises character and plot over action. Some of the CG effects are underwhelming, and the final battle scene goes on a bit too long, but otherwise this is a solid film. The heroes are likeable, the villains are loathsome, and the plot has some emotional weight behind it. Many regard this movie as a hard reboot, but I like to think of it as taking place in the same universe as the older film series. So how do I reconcile this with Conquest of the Planet of the Apes? Well, I view the recent Apes films as the original sequence of events that created the world seen in the 1968 movie. When Cornelius and Zira travel back in time in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, they arrive approximately four decades before the events of Rise and create a new alternate timeline. That timeline concludes in Battle for the Planet of the Apes with the simians and humans coexisting peacefully with one another. This way it's possible to connect all the films (except the Burton remake) into a single continuity.

3) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

If Rises surprised me with its quality, then Dawn took it to another level. Once again, action takes a backseat to character and plot. And when action does occur, it serves the storyline and feels necessary. I have very few criticisms of this film. It's one of my favourites in the series.

2) War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

This is basically tied for the top spot.

1) Planet of the Apes (1968)

The original classic. It deals with timeless themes of class structure and racial prejudice, while at the same time telling an engaging adventure story filled with iconic imagery and one of the greatest plot twists in movie history. My only criticisms are minor quibbles relating to the pacing in the second act and the misanthropic overtones of Rod Serling's script (a problem I have with many of his Twilight Zone scripts too). But overall, it's one of the best sci-fi movies of the sixties.

So that's how I rank them. What about everyone else? Has anyone seen the latest movie yet? Do you view the recent films as a hard reboot, or a prequel trilogy connected to the earlier series? Has anyone read the novel that inspired this franchise? And what about the two Planet of the Apes TV shows? Are there any fans of those around here?

Since we've got several threads dedicated to Star Wars, I thought it was about time we had an all-purpose thread for the Alien series. Feel free to discuss, analyse and compare any and all of this franchise's cinematic entries, plus related comics, videogames and other peripherals.

I've been on a bit of a Joseph Conrad binge over the past few months, and last week I finished reading his 1904 novel Nostromo. It's an impressive work of literature, though a little uneven, slow and overwritten in places (you've got to expect that from Conrad). As I was reading it, I couldn't help wondering why the title of this book was chosen for the name of the spaceship in the first Alien film. I previously assumed it was because Conrad was in vogue at the time thanks to Apocalypse Now (though Alien was actually released a few months before Apocalypse Now). But having finished the book, I now believe the choice of name is more meaningful than that.

The novel centres around a civil war in a fictional South American country called Costaguana. At the heart of this conflict is the San Tomé Silver Mine. If you'll recall, the spaceship in Alien was a mining vessel. Here we get our first connection.

In the book Nostromo is the nickname of an Italian seaman whose real name is Giovanni Battista. He works for a shipping line called the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, or OSN Company for short. Throughout the novel OSN is often referred to simply as 'The Company', much like the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the Alien films. Anyone who has read Heart of Darkness will recall that too features a shipping line referred to as 'The Company'.

The central and most exciting episode in the novel sees Nostromo attempting to smuggle the silver from the mine away from Costaguana to prevent it falling into the hands of the revolutionaries. Nostromo is now custodian of the mine's treasure, much the way the spaceship in Alien is custodian of the minerals mined by the crew. In the novel Nostromo hides the silver on an island, then sinks his own lighter and swims to shore to make everyone believe the treasure was lost at sea. In Scott's movie Ripley destroys her own spaceship and gets away in an escape vessel. In both stories the protagonist destroys their own ship, and the treasures they were transporting are lost and never recovered by their rightful owners.

Nostromo is haunted by the secret of the silver's location, much like Ripley is haunted by the trauma of her experiences. Both protagonists suffer from paranoia and unrest as a result of their past, prompting them to retread their steps in such a way that ultimately leads to their deaths. Obviously these parallels relate to the sequels and would not have influenced the writers of the first Alien film, but I thought they were worth noting anyway.

The name of Ripley's escape vessel, The Narcissus, is derived from the title of another Conrad novel, though I haven't read that one yet so I can't comment on its significance (or lack thereof). In James Cameron's sequel he called the Colonial Marines' transport The Sulaco. Sulaco is the name of a town in Costaguana in Conrad's novel. However I can't see any significance in the use of this name other than it being yet another reference to Nostromo.

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting how something as simple as the name of a spaceship can have a lot of meaning behind it. It just goes to show how much careful thought the writers injected into every detail.

2017 marks the 15th anniversary of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), as well as the 10th anniversary of the trilogy's conclusion. And with Spider-Man: Homecoming opening in theatres this weekend, now seems like a good time to look back at the wall crawler's first cinematic outing. My knowledge of Spider-Man comics is fairly decent, but by no means expert. So I'm relying on others better informed than myself to pitch in wherever I've missed something.

Director Sam Raimi is a lifelong Spider-Man fan and supposedly owns a collection of over 25,000 comics. He discussed the source material's influence on the film during a panel at the 2002 LA Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention:

I think the biggest influence was the forty years of great Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and all those great Marvel artists and writers that have written the books. That really was 90% of what we tried to put on the screen. David Koepp the writer, contributed a great deal. So did Alan Sergeant who did a great polish for us. Everybody from the story board artists to the actors all came up with material. Everything that even Avi or Laura came up with was all about trying to bring to life the vision of the Marvel comics. So I think the biggest influence was just those books, those same books we all grew up reading.

http://fakeshemps.com/samconmay/index.html

The movie draws most heavily from the Silver Age Stan Lee/Steve Ditko stories of the 1960s, but also incorporates more contemporary elements from the Ultimate Spider-Man series.

Let's start at the beginning.

The first character we meet in the film is Peter Parker. Peter is initially depicted as a scrawny nerd who gets picked on by his classmates. This is consistent with how he was portrayed in his debut story, 'Spider-Man!' (Amazing Fantasy Vol 1 #15, August 1962).

When we first see Peter in the movie he's racing to catch a school bus. Amongst the other passengers are his classmates Mary Jane Watson and Flash Thompson. Mary Jane first appeared in 'Captured by J. Jonah Jameson!' (Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #25, June 1965), though her features weren't revealed until 'The Birth of a Super-Hero!' (The Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #42, November 1966).

Flash Thompson first appeared in Amazing Fantasy Vol 1 #15.

The idea of Peter and Mary Jane being childhood neighbours originated in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 (2000). The scenes of Peter admiring Mary Jane from afar are reminiscent of 'Powerless' (Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #1, October 2000).

In the film Peter's class goes on a school trip to a genetics laboratory. In Amazing Fantasy Vol 1 #15 Peter goes to a laboratory on his own, while in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #1 he visits an Osborn Industries lab as part of a class trip.

It's outside the lab that Peter meets up with his best friend, Harry Osborn. Harry first appeared in 'If This Be My Destiny...!' (The Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #31, December 1965) and was originally depicted as a friend of Flash Thompson who helped bully Peter. Harry and Peter eventually became friends in the comics, while in the movie they're depicted as friends from the get go.

Harry is dropped off at the museum by his father, Norman. Norman Osborn made his debut in 'The Goblin and the Gangsters' (Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #23, April 1965), though in the comics he wasn't revealed to be Harry's father until 'Once Upon a Time, a Robot...!' (Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #37, June 1966). The idea of Norman Osborn being the first major villain Spider-Man faces comes from Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1.

Harry stands up for Peter when the other kids are bullying him. The following panel is from Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #1.

It's during the lab visit that Peter is bitten on the hand by a radioactive spider.

He begins to feel queasy and heads for home.

Peter lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, both of whom debuted in Amazing Fantasy Vol 1 #15.

While this is happening, Norman Osborn undergoes his transformation into the Green Goblin. Green Goblin's origins were first depicted in 'Spidey Saves the Day!' (Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #40, September 1966). Corporate backstabbing plays a role in both the comic and movie versions of his back story. In the comic Norman had ousted his business partner, Professor Stromm (aka Robot Master), in order to assume complete control over Oscorp. In the movie it is Norman himself who is forced out of the business.

Professor Mendel Stromm appears in the film as one of Norman's researchers. Stromm developed the Green Goblin formula in the comics, while in the movie he and Norman apparently created it together. In the comic Norman has Stromm booted out of his company, while in the film he murders him.

In both the comic and the film, Norman's transformation occurs while he is testing a mysterious green formula in his laboratory late at night.

In the original comic there is an explosion in the lab which results in Norman being accidentally exposed to the green formula, while in the film he intentionally tests the substance on himself. This reflects the Ultimate Spider-Man version of his origins, which also showed Norman testing the formula on himself. The formula grants him superhuman strength, but also drives him insane.

Peter wakes the next morning to find he has undergone a physical transformation of his own. The following panel is from 'Growing Pains' (Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #2, December 2000).

The scene where Peter fights and humiliates Flash in front of his classmates is also taken from Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #2.

Peter now has enhanced strength, agility and reflexes and can climb walls with his bare hands.

He also has the ability to shoot webs out of his wrists. In the comics Peter built special web shooters to achieve this, but in the movie his web-shooting powers are purely organic.

Raimi cited James Cameron's unproduced Spider-Man movie treatment as the origin of the organic web shooter concept. A similar idea was explored in the comics during the 'Changes' storyline (Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 2 #17-20, September-December 2004) where Peter developed organic web shooters after being kissed by Queen in 'Under My Skin: Part II' (Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 2 #16, August 2004). This story was published the same year as Raimi's Spider-Man 2 was released.

The first time Peter swings on his web in the movie, he references the catchphrases of two DC Comics characters. First he says "Up, up and away, web!" in allusion to Superman, then "Shazam!" in reference to Captain Marvel.

The sketches Peter creates when designing concepts for his costume were drawn by comic artist Phil Jimenez. One of the designs is redolent of his black outfit from the comics, only with the white areas coloured red. The black suit would appear in Raimi's third Spider-Man film.

Conscious of certain changes in his nephew's attitude, Uncle Ben tries talking to Peter about the importance of responsibility. The line "With great power comes great responsibility" is repeated throughout the film. It is taken from Amazing Fantasy Vol 1 #15.

The idea of having Uncle Ben speak this line to Peter has its basis in 'With Great Power' (Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #4, February 2001).

Looking for a way to make money from his new gifts, Peter decides to try his hand at wrestling.

The wrestling commentator introduces him as 'The Amazing Spider-Man', thereby referencing the title of the character's first solo comic. This detail is taken from 'Wannabe' (Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #3, January 2001)..

Donning an early prototype costume, Peter enters the ring with the wrestling champion.

Using his enhanced agility and strength he is able to dodge the wrestler's attacks and win the fight.

During the match, Peter taunts the wrestler with wiseass remarks: "That's a cute outfit. Did you husband give it to you?" Taunting enemies during combat is one of his signature traits in the comics.

After triumphing in the ring, Peter goes to collect his winnings from the promoter. However the promoter refuses to pay him the full amount on the basis that he pinned his opponent too quickly. In the comic Peter received his full winnings and went on to earn more money making numerous media appearances. A fateful incident occurs in both the film and the comic where Peter sees a robber making a getaway with some stolen loot. In the comic this scene takes place in a TV studio after one of Spider-Man's demonstrations. In the movie it happens outside the wrestling promoter's office immediately after he refuses to pay Peter his winnings.

The security guard chasing the criminal calls out for Peter to stop the thief. But Peter steps aside and allows the criminal to make his getaway in a nearby elevator.

The security guard then reprimands Peter for letting the thief go free. Peter responds that it's not his concern.

On his way home, Peter makes the horrifying discovery that Uncle Ben has been shot and killed. In the comic Ben was shot at home by a burglar, while in the film he is shot by a carjacker while waiting for Peter.

This is one aspect of the film that I would argue improves on the source material. In the comic we're expected to believe that the same criminal who robbed the TV studio just happened to burgle Uncle Ben's house soon afterwards. The movie makes this more plausible by having Ben get shot during a carjacking incident while he was waiting for Peter. This gives Ben a logical reason for being in the vicinity of the first robbery, as well as amplifying Peter's guilt over his uncle's death.

Peter's grief gives way to anger and he embarks on the trail of the gunman.

This marks the first time he properly web swings through the city in both the comic and the film.

The police pursue the criminal to an abandoned building and corner him inside.

Peter ventures into the building to apprehend the killer.

A brief fight takes place, during which Peter disarms and subdues his opponent. The criminal's hat comes off during the scuffle and Peter gets a good look at him, only to discover it is the same robber that he allowed to escape earlier in the story.

In the comic Spider-Man hands the robber over to the police, but in the movie the criminal stumbles backwards through a window and plummets to his death.

I'm not usually someone who pays attention to animal performers, but I thought this one deserved some recognition. According to her IMDb page, Darla was not in fact a poodle but a Bichon Frise. She made her acting debut in Tim Burton's Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) where she played the pink poodle during the pet shop fire scene.

Darla's next big screen appearance was as Queenie in Joe Dante's The 'Burbs (1989).

Perhaps her most famous role was as Precious, the pet of serial killer Buffalo Bill in Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Darla then played the main antagonist Fifi in the Eerie Indiana episode 'The Retainer' (1991), This was produced and directed by Joe Dante, with whom she'd earlier collaborated on The 'Burbs.

Her final screen role was that of the Poodle Lady's batarang-catching pet in Batman Returns (1992).

The tone of this admittedly pointless thread may appear sarcastic, but I was genuinely impressed when I realised it was the same dog in all these productions.

Here's the first trailer for Marvel's latest TV show, scheduled to debut on Freeform in 2018. It looks like it's going to have a more teen-oriented tone than the other MCU shows. The cast includes James Saito, probably best known amongst CBM fans for his portrayal of the Shredder in the 1990 TMNT movie.