Oh No! Constantine Actor Not From Liverpool!

So the new NBC show Constantine has cast its lead - it's Matt Ryan, a Welsh actor who, according to the linked article there, has been "seen in Criminal Minds, The Tudors, Layer Cake and other reputable productions."

Honestly, I don't really care one way or the other whether the actor happens to come from the same locale as the character they're portraying but David T.G. Riches obviously does. He says in the comments on the linked article:

While he is British he is also Welsh and I see visions of people in the U.K. specifically Londoners who will point out to the Star Trek episode of “Futurama” where Scottie was replaced with Welshie it just wasn’t the same.
True it is better than Keannu Reeves in the role but still was their no one from central England available? Maybe someone from Eastenders, Emmerdale, Law & Order U.K., or any other number of programs loaded with talent pool?

Matt Ryan might be British but "he is also Welsh" which, thanks to a handy line from the excellent Futurama, Mr Riches is able to point out that it just isn't the same as being English. Thank goodness it's not another American like "Keannu Reeves", eh Mr Riches, but still . . . a Welshman playing a character who wasn't Welsh? It's almost unheard of, isn't it?

Apart from Ioan Gruffudd who played Mr Fantastic in the last couple of Fantastic Four films . . . I don't know why they didn't get an American to play that part.

And that Rhys Ifans chap who plays Mycroft Holmes in Elementary . . . I don't know why that didn't get an Englishman to play that part.

And that John Rhys-Davies bloke who played Treebeard in The Lord of The Rings . . . I don't know why they didn't get a real Ent to play that part.

And that Anthony Hopkins fellow who played Hannibal Lecter in several films . . . I don't know why they didn't get a real cannibalistic serial killer to play that part.

Oh wait, yes I do - it's because they can act. You don't need to be from the same place as the character you're portraying, Mr Riches - that's part of the joy of being an actor, having the ability to take on different roles. If you didn't allow Constantine to be anything other than what his creators based him on, there would be only one man for the TV series's main role and that would be Sting:

And he hasn't looked like that since 1979 so unless you have a time machine handy, I guess we can discount him.

Am I, as a Welshman, being overly sensitive here, or was there an implication that Welshman just aren't quite as good as, presumably, Englishmen?

And who wants to be the first to point out that James Doohan who played Scotty (not "Scottie") was Canadian? Another example of an actor playing a role who came from somewhere different from the actor.

Spongemen Squarewatch

Quite possibly the best Watchmen parody I've seen:

Watch till the end for Alan Moore's reaction.

DC's May Solicitations

FUTURES END #1

Five years from now, the DC Universe is reeling from a war with another Earth, leaving the world unprepared for an approaching evil that threatens to destroy the future. Can a time-traveling Batman Beyond help a massive cast of the DCU’s finest avert the impending apocalypse? Find out in this new weekly series that will forever alter the direction of The New 52! In this debut issue of The New 52’s weekly series, Batman Beyond arrives five years later! Grifter turns against humanity! And a Justice League member DIES!

Okay, a new weekly series sounds fun - you got me, DC. I just wish we were past then whole idea of the death of a character being a story hook.

Lack Of Movement

The Movement's due to finish with issue 12 it appears.

I wish I could say I was surprised but, for me, it took far, far too long to find its feet - I haven't enjoyed it that much until the last two issues or so, sticking with it mainly because it's written by Gail Simone whose work I've thoroughly enjoyed in the past. Sadly, it wasn't until issue 7 or 8 that it began to feel like it was written by Simone so I can only assume others didn't stick around that long.

Still, three more to go which should give Simone plenty of time to wrap things up.

I Predict A Lawsuit

Over on Earth-2, the bad Superman - brainwashed or possessed into believing he's the herald of Darkseid - orders his Parademons to destroy all the houses of worship to reinforce his belief that the only god is Darkseid.

I've condensed the captions from the first few panels on to the top of one that made me raise an eyebrow:

Scientology is one of the "fictions they have invented"?

I don't disagree but I'm surprised, knowing how litigious Scientologists can be, that DC let this through. Maybe their defence will be that on Earth-2, it's acknowledged as fiction?

Robin's Double Standards

The recent Worlds' Finest Annual featured the young Helena Wayne as Robin battling some crooks and taking one out in a particularly nasty manner:

That's an iron poker right through the chest and stomach, killing the guy. Self defence could be argued, sure, but she still kills him.

Later on she, Supergirl and Wonder Woman battle Fury who had previously killed someone that Supergirl was sweet on. Fury gets away through a Boom Tube, leaving Robin to report back:

"She's a killer."

Yes, Robin, she is. Just like you.

Martha Wayne's Marvellous Moving Neckline

When the young Thomas Wayne meets Martha for the first time on Earth-2, he probably thinks one thing: CLEAVAGE!

Thankfully, Martha's wearing the latest in mind-reading dresses and quickly sorts out the problem as, in the very next panels . . .

I'm not adverse to a bit of flesh being exposed in the right context but a little consistency would be good.