Conan’s first trailer isn’t even trying …

… and that’s a bad way to start for a movie that’s got a lot to live up to.

Watch it here …

… or go here to see it in HD.

Not that there’s a lot to see. It’s more like a PowerPoint presentation overly reliant on some kind of mystical smoke filter than a trailer; there’s no actual footage from the film, though the “I live, I love, I slay, I am content” line is right out of creator Robert E. Howard’s character-defining Queen of the Black Coast story first published in 1934.

The movie comes out in August. Even though the Arnold Schwarzenegger films didn’t rely hardly at all on the source material, when someone says “Conan,” nearly everyone thinks Arnold. Jason Momoa actually looks more similar to the Conan from the stories than Arnold did, but Arnold’s charisma and confidence were as mighty as his muscles. To debut a trailer that barely features any imagery from the film suggests either misplaced confidence or an utter lack of it entirely.

I’m really rooting for Momoa and this movie. I just hope they try a little harder with the next trailer.

If the new Conan movie poster doesn’t move you …

… you don’t have to worry about it losing any sleep, because it can move all by itself:

I originally had the poster embedded here in the page, but it’s messing up my site. And since it combines animation and audio, it’s loud. Check it out at IGN Movies!

Kind of cool, right?

I appreciate the creativity that goes into stuff like this, but I also miss the days of epic movie posters that were awesome by their own merit.

The same goes for movies. This one’s going to be in 3D, which is fine, but the Arnold movies didn’t need gimmickry to be bad-ass. I really hope this one’s good.

Meanwhile, here’s a better view of new Conan actor Jason Momoa …

… and hopefully we’ll get a trailer soon; the movie comes out August 19.

Review: Detective Comics #874

Click the cover to read my review hosted by our good friend Bill “Jett” Ramey — the hardest working Batman fan on the planet — on Batman on Film!

Earlier this week my request to interview writer Scott Snyder was approved by DC Comics. I’ve been in touch with Scott — an incredibly nice guy, by the way — and we’re going to wait until the end of the month so we can discuss issue #875 (which comes out March 30).

Can’t wait! This issue, just like the rest of Scott’s run on the book so far, is the stuff great comics are made of.